4 Chapter 3.

<79 AGW, 1 year after Sage's birth>

'Crash!'

A huge Ursa hurls through the air and slams into the wall. The wall crumbles under the intense weight of the monster and a loud cheer can be heard from afar. The loud cheer seems to come from a small child who looks to be around 10 or 11 years old.

"Benny! Although that is awesome, are you okay?!" the child screams from afar.

The Ursa, who was thrown into the wall, shrugs off the debris and stands up tall as if it never crashed into the wall in the first place. The child then runs towards the Ursa happily and she immediately pulls the Ursa into a hug.

"Benny! This is great! Now that we know Ursas can be thrown from 50 meters, we can test it from a 100 meters distance." the child said happily.

The child then turns around and starts running towards a group of Beowolf who seems to be waiting for her. One of the Beowolf then lowers itself to the ground and the child immediately climbs onto its back.

"Let's go, Jimmy. We need more test subjects!" the child said from the back of the Beowolf.

At the same time, two figures stood up on a balcony, watching the child sauntering on with her litter of runts. One of the figures smiles menacingly, as she watches the child's ridiculous antics with such an endearing look on her face.

"Have you ever seen such scenery, Cinder?" One of the figures, Salem, asks the other figure behind her.

"I have not, Master…" Cinder said with uncertainty.

'Where in the world would you find a child that is capable of throwing an Ursa with just her bare hands and lead a pack of Beowolf so nonchalantly…' Cinder thought inwardly.

It has been 1 year since Salem gave birth to her daughter, Sage. It has also been an eventful 1 year for Salem and all her comrades. Raising a kid has always been hard but raising a Grimm proves to be harder.

Salem's plans on incorporating Sage into her schemes has to be put on hold for a while since she has yet reached the suitable age. Salem was ready to include Sage in her plans even as a baby but her coalition members refused such actions, especially Hazel.

'He's too soft on children…' Salem thought inwardly.

After talking about the pros and cons of having a baby in their coalition, they agreed on the fact that they will be adding Sage to their coalition only after she has matured into an adult. Salem agreed to their decision.

'It has only been 1 year and Sage already looks like a toddler. Perhaps in a year, she will already be an adult…' Salem thought inwardly.

Sage can already walk during her second month and by her third month, she already has the capability to talk. During that month, their ears literally bleed from all the chatter that escaped Sage's mouth.

To curb Sage's incessant questions, Salem orders Arthur and Cinder to provide Sage with some elementary knowledge on this world. Salem can't actually teach Sage about the recent cultures in the world since she has never left her castle for the past few centuries.

'I guess children need more exposure…' Salem thought inwardly.

During Sage's sixth month, Salem asked Cinder to unlock Sage's Aura to test her theory on Sage's birth. Sage, as it turns out, did have an Aura. Not to mention, earlier this month, she unlocked her Semblance which is quite a shock to Salem.

'It is a simple strength-enhancement Semblance but it is still quite impressive…' Salem thought inwardly.

After testing Sage's Semblance, they found that her strength depends on the amount of Aura she produced. What makes her Aura special is the fact that it can be replenished by simply eating a large amount of food.

'As long as she can replenish her Aura, she can use her Semblance. As long as she can use her Semblance, her victory is assured...' Salem thought inwardly.

However, her Aura capacity did have a limit. Sage can eat until she explodes but her Aura only will be filled to a certain point. That is why Salem has been slowly trying to increase the capacity of Sage's Aura.

'She can already lift an Ursa, but by the time I'm done with her, she will lift the hammer that will bring down human civilization.' Salem thought inwardly.

Salem then sees a flock of Griffon hovering over her daughter. Sage's eyes twinkled with such spark that Salem can't help but admire. Her daughter's interest in the Grimm seems limitless which even Salem finds shocking.

'Not to mention, her relationship with the Grimms…' Salem thought inwardly.

Unlike Salem's whom the Grimms respected due to her age and knowledge, Sage earned the adoration of the Grimms. The Grimms follow her out of 'love', which is quite an absurd theory to Salem, but she can't deny her daughter's claim.

The Ursas bows to her and the Beowolf treats Sage as if she was their alpha. With every step she takes, the Grimms follow and in her wake, destruction follows. If Salem is a walking disaster, then Sage, undoubtedly, is a walking apocalypse.

'I will have to teach her about my experiments soon…' Salem thought inwardly.

Salem continues to watch her little monster, who is now riding on an Ursa with such a happy smile. She didn't think that she would ever hear a child's laughter near her ever again but just like all the other things in her life, Sage has flipped it all around.

'There is a small problem…' Salem thought inwardly as she turned towards Cinder.

"Recently, she has been calling you 'Sister', hasn't she?" Salem said with an unknown tone in her voice.

"Umm…" Cinder stutters with worry.

"Why is she calling you, 'Sister', Cinder? I don't remember being that familiar with you…" Salem said again, now with a menacing smile.

Cinder immediately falls to her knees and she can't help but shiver in fear. Ever since Sage was born, Salem has been strangely mellow. However, Salem is still one the most feared people in the world and she clearly earned that reputation.

'I don't know why! The girl just suddenly started calling me like that after I unlocked her Semblance. How the hell…' a thought suddenly interrupted Cinder's internal monologue.

"I believe it is because I unlocked her Aura, Master. Not to mention, I'm the youngest member of this coalition!" Cinder explains as quickly as she can.

"Oh? Explain, Cinder." Salem said nonchalantly.

"Family members are usually the one who unlocks an Aura for a human. She might have developed some familial bond with me due to my involvement..." Cinder explains with fear in her voice

"I see…" Salem said calmly.

"I also believe that the Young Miss needs more friends of her age. She is more likely to connect with people who are around her age, rather than old men like Tyrian, Hazel and Arthur." Cinder continues to explain.

"How do you suppose we do that, Cinder? Kidnap some human children and bring them here?" Salem proposed an idea.

"No, I believe that wouldn't work, Master. The Young Miss seems to dislike unnecessary malice." Cinder said.

"Indeed. She seems to be a more 'tame' version of myself. Perhaps because she didn't have my experience, she has a more positive outlook towards humanity." Salem said slowly as falls into a long thought.

"What about your two underlings, Mercury and Emerald, is it? I believe that they should be suitable 'friends' for my little Sage." Salem proposes another idea.

"They are around my age, Master. I believe she wouldn't find the same enjoyment in befriending someone of my age." Cinder said inwardly.

"So kidnapping is our only way then…" Salem reasons with herself.

"Of course not!" a voice suddenly came from behind them.

Salem and Cinder turn towards the voice and they see Sage, sitting on a Griffon, hovering over them. Sage then jumps from the Griffon and she lands softly on the balcony railings. Salem's undying heart nearly stopped when Sage did that.

"You can't kidnap people just to force them to become my friends!" Sage scolded Salem and Cinder.

Salem, ignoring Sage's words, slowly moves towards Sage and immediately brings her into a hug. She carries Sage in her hands even though Sage is clearly too big to be carried like that. She can't help but kiss Sage's cheeks softly.

"Mom!" Sage said with embarrassment as she tried to pry herself of Salem.

"Dear, while I do like your adventurous spirit, you can't just be jumping off from a Griffon. You can fall and you will hurt yourself…" Salem said with a voice that is laced with worry.

"I'm a big girl, Mom! Plus, you can't get angry at me in front of Sister Cinder! It's embarrassing!" Sage said with a blush on her cheeks.

The atmosphere then turns deadly silent. Cinder can suddenly hear her heartbeat increase as she sees Salem's menacing smile. Sage noticed the situation and she couldn't help but let out a big sigh.

'She's still too paranoid. I can only hope my time with her will heal her wounds…' Sage thought inwardly.

"Mom, look at me…" Sage said in an exasperated voice.

Salem turns to face towards her and Sage immediately grabs Salem's face with her cute hands. She immediately starts kissing Salem's forehead and also both of her cheeks. She sees Salem's expression soften and a small smile tugged her lips.

"Nobody is going to replace you, Mom. I love you and that will never change. Don't be so hard on Sister Cinder, please?" Sage asked Salem softly.

"Not to mention, Sister Cinder and Emerald are finally getting together!" Sage explains with such excitement.

Both Salem and Cinder turn to look towards Sage and then to each other. Cinder was a stuttering mess and Salem can't help but find it weird that her 1 year old daughter is talking about two women 'getting' together.

"What are you talking about?!" Both Salem and Cinder asked Sage at the same time.

"It's not a secret, is it? Although I have never met Emerald, I can already imagine her as a puppy following behind Sister Cinder closely. She is clearly in love with Sister Cinder." Sage explains.

"..." Both Salem and Cinder can't deny her words.

"Since Sister Cinder clearly has an issue with trust and Emerald is offering herself. I highly suggest that Sister Cinder seduce Emerald into a relationship." Sage continues to explain.

'Plus, I know Cinder has a dominant kink and I believe Emerald would gladly accept her…' Sage thought inwardly.

"I'm sorry?!" Cinder said with confusion.

"Cinder can shackle Emerald with love and she will probably be the most loyal puppy Cinder has ever had! Cinder now has no need for trust or affirmation from anybody else!" Sage ends her explanation with a big clap.

'I hope I didn't touch on Cinder's trauma too much!' Sage thought inwardly again.

"..." Both Salem and Cinder were left speechless by Sage.

Cinder, who has never thought of Emerald like that, can't believe the words that are coming out from the mouth of the little girl. Cinder didn't feel like she needed affirmations from anybody, especially not from her underlings.

'But, is it true? If I bind her with love, will she never betray me?' Cinder thought inwardly.

Salem, on the other hand, just can't comprehend the words that are coming out of her daughter's mouth. She is only 1 year old and Salem might already have to worry about her daughter's relationship status.

"Sage, dear, where did you learn all of this?" Salem asked Sage, ignoring Cinder.

"From the library! You have many books on that particular subject. I particularly like the part on how to keep your pets happy by providing them with a mate or neutering them!" Sage said happily.

"I see…" Salem said with uncertainty in her voice.

'She views the world differently. Perhaps to her, the human race is just another normal animal species…' Salem thought inwardly.

"Sage, how about from now on, you will inquire with me about the things that you don't understand. I will be renovating the library and all the books will be unavailable." Salem said tiredly.

"What? Why?!" Sage said with a sad tone and a pout in her face.

'Her face is certainly unpleasant but I can't help but find it adorable…' Salem thought inwardly.

"Don't be upset, my little monster. The whole library will be rebuilt just for you! You can even decorate it yourself…" Salem said after seeing her daughter's cute expression.

"Promise?" Sage asked Salem, displeasure still present in her face.

"Yes, I promise you, Sage." Salem said languidly.

"Great!" Sage said with a happy smile on her face.

Salem then turns towards Cinder and she sees Cinder's menacing smile. Salem can obviously guess what is happening inside Cinder's mind and she refuses to involve herself in the fantasies of her subordinates.

"Cinder!" Salem calls out coldly towards Cinder.

Cinder, hearing Salem's cold voice, immediately awakens from her daydream and she sees the gaze that both Salem and Sage is giving her. She can't help but shiver at the sight as she sees two sets of eyes with a menacing black sclera and bright pupils staring at her.

"Yes, Master? How may I help you?" Cinder's face returns to her usual expression.

"Close my library for now and find some cultists that can be used for labor. Make sure they review all the books inside the library and give the list to me. Make sure to kill them afterwards." Salem said as she gave out her order.

"It will be done, Master." Cinder said as she slowly excuses herself.

After Cinder leaves, Salem finally puts Sage down on the balcony and she slowly caresses Sage's hair. Salem finally remembered the original reason as to why they were talking on the balcony in the first place.

"Do you need friends, my dear?" Salem asked slowly.

"No, Mom! Don't worry about me! All I need is you, the Grimm and our henchmen. Plus, I know all about humans from your books. They are bad news!" Sage explains.

"I see…" Salem answers with uncertainty.

During the time with her previous daughters, Salem and Ozma lived in a human community. Her daughter never had any difficulty making friends. Not to mention, her daughters look like humans while Sage looks exactly like her.

"But I do need a mate. Humans and faunus are the only viable candidates, so…" Sage voice trails off.

Salem froze at the thought that her daughter might have a human partner. She also doesn't understand why her daughter keeps calling her potential partner 'mate'. Salem realized that her daughter still doesn't understand a few things about this world.

"Potential 'mates', as you call them, are called girlfriends and boyfriends in the human society. You best learn your vocabulary while you still can, my little Grimm." Salem reminds Sage.

"So you agree to me getting potential partners from the human race?" Sage asked.

"I don't condone it but you can find like-minded humans. Just like Tyrian, Arthur or Hazel. Very rarely, but they exist…" Salem said wistfully.

"What if they are from the same gender?" Sage asked.

"That… is fine…" Salem hesitates before answering Sage's question.

Salem doesn't have any qualms with 'bedding' the same gender. During her years of anguish, she has had some experience sleeping with some human women. Most of them were forced, but there were a few who were willing.

'I stopped enjoying it after a few centuries…' Salem thought inwardly.

"What if I want multiple partners?" Sage asked again.

"..." Salem was silenced.