Changes from within
Eventually, after the third try, Raven got it right. A modern day Japanese city. Both herself and Kimblee stepped through, observing their surroundings. Kimblee's smile slowly grew as he felt power building up in a certain direction away from them. Raven was taking in the sight of a Japanese city with a myriad of emotions hitting her all at once. Then she noticed.
The use of magic. Something divine was building up and it made her uneasy. Though for some reason, it reminded her of that armored woman from before. Shaking her head of these thoughts, she turned to see Kimblee. Seeing his manic grin, she was about to speak up when a large release of power was felt nearby in a building before it collapsed. Then, something else made its presence known.
Raven felt a shiver go up her back. Looking up, she saw a black hole in the sky. It appeared right after the appearance of the hole. Reeking of sins and curses, something began to pour out of the hole. A pitch black water that promised death to anyone weak enough not to withstand it and corruption to those that could.
"Ah right on time. What an excellent opportunity we're presented with. Maybe your trip here won't be so long after all" Kimblee mused as the ground was steadily being filled with the black water.
"I have to submerge myself in that? It feels... why does it feel..." Raven focused on it as she heard the screams of those submerged by it.
"Familiar?" Kimblee asked, seeing Raven nod and glare at him.
"Every sin. Every curse. That is what you feel. You heard it before, remember? Auschwitz? Unit 731? You experienced this level of darkness before. It's a very human darkness. One that will help you destroy Gods. So divest yourself of everything and submerge yourself in its embrace" Kimblee's tone quickly changed as he watched the water approach them.
It would do nothing to him as it is. But for Raven, he knew exactly what it would do to her.
"You want me to get naked..?" She glared at him with unimpressed, half lidded eyes.
"Yes. After all, you wouldn't want that armor ruined yes? Summer would be quite upset" Kimblee chuckled as Raven's expression soured.
"Fine. Don't peek" Raven began to remove her clothes as Kimblee shrugged and looked away.
"Will I.. change?" Raven asked as she moved her pile of clothes away from the encroaching waters.
She watched as it lit the trees it came into contact with on fire and tried to ignore the suffering of those who it touched.
"That entirely depends on you" Kimblee stated, hearing the sloshing of the black waters as Raven walked inside.
[OST: The Song of the Dead -Ian Post]
It burned. No, scratch that. It was scalding. Her aura failed to protect her from the pain. It almost welcomed it, as if to facilitate the water into her being faster. Without making a sound, Raven schooled her expression as she felt the innumerable amount of curses crawl up her legs as she walked further in. It welcomed her eagerly and clung to her skin.
Soon enough, she was submerged completely. The water's nature burning her as her Grim features began to show. Clutching her head as the sins and curses threatened to drown her, she screamed from within the dark. Though it only allowed the water to sink in deeper into her being. The pain very quickly became unbearable. Even worse than the Grimm waters. She clung to her consciousness as she felt a presence invade her.
"It's starting.. And none too soon. I wondered when you were going to come out" Kimblee rubbed his chin as he watched the black water bubbling and hissing where Raven was currently submerged.
Angra Mainyu's presence had made itself known. The source of the corrupting waters felt a connection to an old man, a heroic spirit it failed to consume, the priest it used and a woman. No, a warrior. One of such caliber, she was almost guaranteed a place on the Throne of Heroes. That is, if it hadn't gotten to her first. It was steadily coming out, ready to unleash itself upon the world, using the woman.
It was easy. There was a lot of love in her soul but upon looking deeper, it saw her own sins and curses on those who she despised. It reveled in it. Going in ever so deeper, the sin of 'Wrath' became even more prevalent. Her hate was the deepest it had ever felt and it loved every second of it. Reaching the very core of her soul, it suddenly stopped. For some reason, there stood was a crimson red symbol. One it didn't recognize. It seemed like some sort of seal.
From the symbol, it felt an extreme amount of negativity. Eager to subsume the woman, it tried to breach the symbol. The moment it touched it, it heard the woman's screams cease as everything grew unsettlingly silent. Before it could try again, the symbol began to glow.
The massively confused piece of consciousness that was Angra Mainyu began to back away slightly. It was too late.
From the symbol, an armored black claw grasped it. Covered in Grimm bone plates, it began to emerge from the seal.
Angra Mainyu was ancient, yes. But the feeling of this being from the seal was beyond even that. A head peered out of the seal next as it struggled to escape. The grasp of the being was far too strong though. It looked like the woman it was trying to subsume but she felt so different.
"What... are you..?" Angra Mainyu asked, though no response was ever given.
The last thing that piece of consciousness saw was her crimson eyes staring it down with such terrifying indifference before she began to eat it. She was devouring a part of Angra Mainyu. Feeling the agony of being eaten, Angra Mainyu screamed. The scream echoing across a now burning Fuyuki. It sent shivers down the spines of most everyone who heard its psychic wails of agony.
Kimblee was watching it all with a growing smile. Raven's body taking in the waters from all around her with the only thing he could see from her unconscious face being her brightly glowing red eyes. Looking to his left, he chuckled.
"I knew you would reach out after we stumbled across your.. Champion? Entertainment? And before you ask, I planned this over several million years ago. Coincidentally, your chosen entertainment did this too. Her Remnant's Grimm pool is much like a Philosopher's stone. I guess you can see where I was going with this. Ah.. the show is reaching its climax" Kimblee seemed to talk with somebody before returning his attention to Raven.
The water around her was drained. All of it sucked into her Grimmified body. Her form looked extremely unstable. Wings jutting from her back. Feathered, leathery and scaled wings with clawed hands. All reaching up in what looked like an attempt to grasp the hole in the sky. The white armor completely covered her without any semblance of proper structure.
As the last drops of water sank into her, her armor began to crumble away. The black wings and horns crumbling into dust and revealing Raven once again. Her looks having changed once again. Her Grimm horn was missing but her skin looked different. Corruption lines snaked around her body, moving over her skin and forming where the Teigu tattoo was. It changed the tattoo completely.
It now resembled the seal Angra Mainyu saw within her soul.
Her hair was a darker shade of black, now seeming to trap light. Her skin was paler, yet not as pale as Salem's. It was far fairer now, any imperfection was now gone. As she stood up, the flames around Fuyuki turned from their usual color to a deep crimson. Then it extinguished itself as the hole in the sky collapsed in on itself, becoming an ultra bright crimson star in the sky that released massive shockwaves for ten seconds before it disappeared.
"I suspect quite a few 'gods' will see that. Oh well. I'd like to see what they'll do, seeing that 'ominous star'" Kimblee cupped his chin, failing to hide his massive smile.
"They can see and feel her now. Her soul, I mean" Kimblee continued to talk to seemingly no one as he watched Raven's soul grow.
The very shape of it being that of her current body enveloped by the ominous crimson seal. Though now, it was steadily growing bigger than Fuyuki. Likely that it would continue to grow until it compressed and underwent a transformation once again.
"A shame Anga Mainyu was only partially devoured. Hm... a little less than a quarter..?" Kimblee mused before he felt himself being rejected by the world.
"Hngh.. I knew it'd find me soon but ten minutes? Haaah.." Kimblee sighed as he walked over to Raven, who had lost consciousness once again.
"Very well done. Very well done indeed. And your core self didn't even change much" Kimblee's words woke her up as she coughed up specks of black fluid.
"Ugh.. what are you talking about..?" Raven rubbed her head as Kimblee noticed another physical change he failed to notice before.
On the edges of Raven's irises, there were tiny symbols resembling the seal now shown above her breasts. Kimblee snorted when Raven glared at him and quickly changed herself.
"Something you'll understand later. I have to leave now though. The world is a little mad at me for intruding and I'd rather it not throw its toys at me. Feel free to return any time you wish. Ciao" Kimblee tipped his hat and snapped his fingers before disappearing.
"Cheeky little shit.." Raven sighed as she observed the changes in her body, most distinctly, the lack of her Grimm horn.
She felt she could still bring it out if she wanted to. Her body felt far more stable now. However, it felt incomplete still. As if she was missing something crucial. Putting those thoughts aside, she picked up her odachi and moved.
Instantly, she realized how fast she was. She intended to speed walk but ended up doing so at fifty miles an hour. This only threw her off a little though, because her perception itself changed too. There was a significant increase in bodily power and it felt as if she was still steadily growing too. Her magic and Teigu felt the same too. Far more potent but still developing as something she had no clue about was happening in her body and soul. Even her Maiden magic was currently undergoing a transformation, though she was unaware.
"I'll need to get used to this.." Raven sighed as she wandered the ruins of Fuyuki.
She tried to halt the fires once she ceased control over much of the black waters. That was her first conscious move besides standing up. Looking around, she could only feel pity for those who were killed. The ones who had nothing to do with it all. Though she felt pity, she didn't get as emotional about it as she might have if she didn't submerge herself in the liquid.
Walking the ruins, Raven looked for any that may have lived. She was almost floored when she saw a little redheaded boy the same age as Yang, walking past the scorched bodies with a lifeless look in his eyes. Careful not to overdo it, Raven quickly moved over to him as he collapsed on a scorched piece of concrete. Bending over, she gently lifted his head and sighed in relief, seeing he wasn't in critical condition.
"Someone survived...?" Raven heard a man with tears in his eyes run over to them both.
"Yes.. This little one is strong. Can I trust you with him while I try to look for survivors?" Raven asked with as polite a tone as possible.
For some reason, the man looked incredibly wary of her. Though her appearance looked far tamer, the aura she was emitting felt like he was standing next to an abyss.
Despite that darkness, she seemed to have her faculties. He nodded his head seriously and ran over to her and the child. Raven looked down at the boy and gently rubbed his red hair, smiling thankfully at him as she stood up.
"You're going to be okay, little one. I'll be back soon, okay?" She seemed to promise him as the little boy's mind whirred.
The man knelt next to the boy and smiled with grateful tears in his eyes as the boy looked to him. He managed to cough out a question with his dry and lightly burnt throat as Raven moved to try and find any survivors.
"Who.. are... you...? Why... me..?" He managed to ask, stunning the man as he gently lifted the boy in his arms.
"I'm not sure about her but me? I am Emiya Kiritsugu"