Ascendant Lines

"Twice upon a bloodstained path one doth lies upon the snow"

The story will be updated on a weekly basis in conjunction with contributions made by Gokachu.

Prologue
Amongst the trees of Forever Fall, Boleslav was at peace. To be away from the city was a blessing. In the past his parents had chastised him for his excursions that lead him far from the safety of the city. In the past people would have feared for his safety. In the past he would have been more careful.

Life had just come to be meaningless since the attack. With nothing to go back to why would he ever care about the dangers that stalked the forests? White Fang had mercilessly butchered everything he had once held dear. The young man had ever since considered that he had nothing to lose. Each day he hoped that an Ursa would devour him whole. It would have been a release from the world he had come to know. A world where savage beasts roamed the wilds unchecked and terrorists were determined to commit genocide upon the human race.

Suicide had always been on the cards but Boleslav always lost his nerve. He so desperately wanted to be free from his torment but an uncontrollable urge for self preservation had perpetually ensured his continued survival. That was why he had always wished to be attacked by a monster. Without a means to properly defend himself, he knew that no matter how strong his instinctive reactions were, he would be devoured.

As he sat upon the bronzed bough of the tree, he eagerly anticipated death. In fact, it was more than just anticipation. Boleslav had come fantasie about his demise ever since the incident. Torn to shreds by a beowolf, laughing as his limbs were eviscerated. Languishing in his own blood as the life drained out of him. He could almost taste it. The bitter iron tang of his own blood upon his mouth as his body was desecrated by a soulless beast. It would have been exhilarating.

These thoughts had come to preoccupy his mind on a regular basis. Each time he had always been unsure as to whether actually he solely relished the idea of his own death or the idea of ending a living being's life. One with a soul. Murder had been considered many times but it had always been entwined with suicide. Boleslav had never been certain if it was the feeling of being the predator or the prey that incited his senses so profusely.

Perhaps this is what those monstrous animals had felt when they butchered his parents? Boreslav's mind was racing. Was that what defined a Faunus? An urge to hunt the weak and prey upon the innocent. All his parents had ever done was to dutifully work for the Schnee Dust Company. They hadn't deserved to be targeted by inhuman abominations and murdered in cold blood. The humans had been too lenient in The Faunus War. They should have slaughtered every single member of that tainted stock. It is only fair. If they wish to wipe out a superior race, then shouldn't humanity aim to exterminate the very vermin that seems poised to infect them?

There was one problem that immediately presented itself. Boleslav Nekrasov had never held a weapon before. It had not been something his parents had been keen to encourage. They had always professed tolerance and understanding. It was a sardonic thought that those who believed in an egalitarian coexistence with the Faunus were the very same ones that they were keen to slaughter. Therefore, a weapon would need to be acquired. One with which he could cleave a path to vengeance against the despicable creatures that had brought ruin upon him. In the end everyone of them would suffer.

"Why wait for death when I should actively seek it?" he proclaimed to the empty forest.

Yet, even with a weapon what could he hope to achieve? A blunt blade is less capable of inflicting harm upon a target than its sharpened cousin. Boleslav would have to hone his skills and train in the art of combat. Only after then could the cleansing begin. The man knew of only one institution would allow him to fulfill his desires. From where he was sat he could see its spires gleaming in the sapphire blue sky. It was a symbol of hope to many but to him it was simply a target that he now desired to reach. Beacon.