Tale of A Cruel World

BANGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!

That was the last deafening noise I heard before a silver bullet made its way into one earhole and out the other.

Matthew's POV

I feel myself floating in some sort of bright dimension. If you told me I was engulfed by the core of a star I'd believe you.

Not that I would know what that'd look like despite me being a space nerd. Speaking of, I sort of remember my old life. It's not really clear, some details are fuzzy. Of course I remember my native tongue of English, but not really the face of my old self or my family members. What was my brothers name? Mom and dad? And my kids, my wife too. How long did it take for me to wake from that bullet? My memory must've fogged up terribly, I could use a mirror.

Well, let's see what I can recall. My name way back then was Matthew. That guy was a smart kid, almost prodigious. Huge astronomy nerd, did well for himself in school, had some self-awareness leading him to start taking care of himself.

But... am I even that same kid anymore? My life was cut short when I... it's a long story. I was fighting in World War 3 after having been drafted and was killed in the heat of battle. My poor family doesn't know that their 23-year old son had passed on. God I miss them.

At least I'm not in the trenches anymore. The scenery around me is infinitely more tranqui-

"Child." A Godly voice bellowed out in the bright cosmos. Huh? God? I was religious in my old life, but hearing the real thing sent shivers down my spine. I turned around cautiously to greet the being whom I believed to be God. I was met with a no, not a ghostly apparition, rather a being of pure light and unlimited wisdom. Damn, it was bright! His presence was so all consuming that I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. And even then it stung; the photons somehow penetrating my eyelids. Ouch! Luckily, the God mercifully toned down his bright aura and fittingly introduced himself as the "God of Light." His body alone beamed a bright white-yellow and his only distinct feature were antlers radiant in the same glow as his body.

This was the last thing I expected God to look like.

He did look kind of similar to a character in a show I watched back then - RWBY was it? - but I didn't mention it.

"God... it's a pleasure!" The only logical response I'd have would be to thank God for all the previous happy moments in the last life next door over. And as expected, he'd wave off my praise and humble himself. What a guy.

"Do you have a clue of where you are? You'll be reincarnated in and driven back into the cycle of Samsara. But your karma in your last life was very positive. As a reward, your next life will be even greater than the last." The God of Light simply said before showing me a stat sheet of my next life. Interestingly enough, it was almost like a video game. I could see my stats and I wonder how I was in the previous life of Matthew. But one detail caught my eye...

Quincy Branwen

- TITLE -

Level 1 - 0/100

Vitality - 0/0

Strength - 0

Speed - 0

Agility - 0

Mind - 0

Stamina - 0

Charisma - 0

Defense - 0

Offence - 0

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE PRESS INFORMATION IN THE CHARACTER PROFILE.

Information

"Wh-Branwen?" The familiar surname came rolling through into my mind like a tumble of bricks. Wait... is this the world of RWBY? My shock would boil over as soon as I rechecked the name, and sure enough in bold writing it was 'Quincy Branwen!' It wasn't a bad shock at all, it was rather an excited revelation that I'm going to be interacting with all these characters! Especially in a show that I admired so much as a teenager, oh the good times. So I'd be related to Qrow and Raven, then by extension Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby.

Of course, my next question would be, "Who am I? This Quincy was never a character in the main RWBY show," Matthew demanded to know the answer to his apparent new identity the God of Light bestowed upon him. He was obviously plastered with a quizzical expression, not knowing what his new spot in the world of Remnant would entail given Quincy is non-canon.

"Child, Quincy Branwen is the eldest son of Taiyang. Older than Yang Xiao Long by a year and Ruby Rose by three," the bright source of a God spoke flatly. I swore the amount of light coming off the guy heated the surrounding, boundless dimension to that of a sauna. But whatever, I can gather from this that I'm getting reincarnated into this new body. And apparently 'Quincy Branwen' is the older brother of two of the protagonists of the show I watched - actually adored - when I was younger. How interesting that they'd add an extra sibling into the mix. I'd be the brother of that social, volleyball player looking blonde Yang Xiao Long and on the other extreme, a socially awkward redhead girl named Ruby Rose.

Great, I'm already in the limelight and I haven't even been born yet.

I'm going to have to deal with... I'd rather not think about Beacon's collapse or anything that follows after.

"You shall be born at the eve of a human's lifecycle." Seriously? You could've said I'll be born was a baby, not whatever that was.

Matthew sighed, realizing that any God probably spoke exclusively in riddles and games. They're just too good for us apparently. If he wanted to get more details he would have to tease more information out of the deity and decipher his strange word choices.

"And what is my purpose here? I thought I'd make it into Heaven or something," Matthew asked incredulously. There had to be a catch as to why he was sent here of all places! Why Remnant? They're practically superhumans here and it just couldn't register in his mind on how he'd be able to get to that level. Living in normal Earth conditions and getting whacked with Remnant's entirely new power system would of course be impossible to comprehend for the normal Earth boy.

Instead of giving a direct answer, the God of Light simply manifested me, or what would become of me. A vision of what Quincy looked like once he reached the age of 18. And I mean he'd definitely be able to handle himself thankfully! Granted that everything and everyone on Remnant are superhumans.

"In return for saving 4 people during your military service, getting to know me better through prayer and self-reflection, you're granted a better vessel," The God of Light explained my good karmic deeds. So I guess that's what happens when you live a good life, make sure you lead your lives well folks, I thought to no one in particular.

(P.S. there would be art here but I'm unable to put it here thanks to WebNovel's limitations. Move over to AO3 or ScribbleHub if you want any visual.)

Quincy Branwen had an extremely unique appearance even for RWBY standards. The man somehow pulled off the bad boy look and I admit he was quite the looker. Nobody willingly blinded themselves. Wait, then what's underneath then that's so hidden? Curiously, I lifted the blindfold of the inanimate figure in front of me. He was about the same height as me when I was 18 (around 6'3") so I found no difficulty in doing so.

(Art here again, HIGHLY recommend going over to ScribbleHub or AO3 once again. You've been warned.)

Are those star eyes?! Those damn captivating star eyes that were animating slowly appeared before me. I knew eyes in the real world only came in a few varieties (brown, hazel, green, blue), and that the world of RWBY had more eye colors, but this was absurd. It was simply above it all

Crimson-star eyes. Oh. So that's where the Branwen genetics come through. My now mother Raven Branwen has crimson eyes herself, but I have absolutely no clue where the stars come from. But I didn't care, this was the greatest thing since sliced bread in my eyes! Or, my new crimson-star eyes. Raven, Yang, Taiyang, and Ruby were all good looking in the show, and it seems the God of Light definitely treated me no different. This was quite excessive though, almost too excessive.

The God of Light simply observing and standing next to the two of us let out an amused chuckle. I swear he could hear my thoughts, he timed that chuckle so perfectly I nearly burst into flames with how much blood was rushing towards my face. I did the best angered glare I could but it was rather a happy one as I burst into giggles. So this would be me? My new life? It won't be easy though.

I know Remnant is practically hell compared to where I lived even with the advent of World War 3. Nuclear war? Try carnivorous Grimm. Now, what about those eyes, surely something was special about them...

And the damn God read my mind again. I still have no clue whether he's messing with me or not! The God of Light simply stated, "For any Godly ability bestowed upon a mortal, there must be godly consequences."

Ability? Is it the eyes? Godly consequences? That came off way worse than it should've...

"Those star eyes of yours allow you to see the points of Chi on a persons body, represented as stars. In human terms, pressure points. No matter how little pressure is placed on the pressure points, it will weaken the opponent to some degree. Even a gust of wind or small pebble is enough to aggravate a reaction. But..."

Well shit. The catch.

"You have mirror touch synesthesia. It's a condition where you an feel sensations that other people experience just by observing them. Every time you see someone getting sliced, you're sliced on the same part of your body. Every time someone else touches their cheek, you'll feel the same sensation as them. It does not work on those that commit self-harm as a kamikaze attack to take you out."

Well shit again. At least there's a silver lining? That ability of being able to see the stars on peoples bodies and delivering devastating blows is pretty sick. As I'm trying to focus on the positives, I desperately try to claw out the idea of overlooking a whole horde of dead huntsmen or Faunus, that would hurt like a bitch. At least it isn't life threatening? There's definitely a limit, I can't have my neck lobbed off. That's just unfair.

Wait, then that means I'll go through ten-times the pain others would usually. Holy shit. Maybe even more because I'm in the world of Remnant! People get hurt all the time! It felt like God was pitying me by making me a looker. Damn it all, I wish he'd actually give me something of substance, not superficiality or looks or anything! I need to survive, not thrive with a side of pain!

And it was as if the God of Light heard my thoughts, again. What's with this guy?

I hadn't actually noticed from my gob smacked admiration of the new me, but the bright figure was stalking away preparing a new relic. I mean I knew he created the 4 relics, but one exclusively for me is - that'd put a target on my back that's for sure. Whole factions fought over even just one. Ozpin had to seal them away in four separate faults to get them away from Salem for Dust's sake. That kind of attention would result in a lot of trouble.

Now, God was walking up to me handing a... this seemed to be a circular core of some kind? It was kind of sick actually. It had three prongs spread out into thirds, assumingly rotating once they charge energy. In its idle state, the inner core simply glowed red. It had a bunch of conductive metals within it laid. And when the core itself would churn, it would turn a crimson red like a star desperately entering its Red Giant phase. The same as my eye color - or Quincy's eye color, it seemed I was really related to Raven in that way. The jet-black messy hair, crimson red eye color, down to the facial features and I'd probably find out if I inherited some of her coldness and distance in my personality once I reincarnate.

"I hope not," I thought to myself as I defeatedly grabbed the relic from the God of Light, instinctively eliciting a thank you from me.

WEAPON GET!

Polaris

Rarity: Relic-Weapon

Weapon Type: Core

Named after the brightest star in the Northern hemisphere. Harness the power of the stars and create advanced technology for yourself! Able to shoot lasers like the powerful solar flares of stars!

Triple-A Batteries Excluded

Lasers? I got a laser strapped to my torso? And it's able to create stuff? I guess that'll be my weapon then huh... a toned down version of the Staff of Creation without Ambrosius. And my semblance?

SEMBLANCE UNLOCK!

Stargaze

Not only are you the guiding light of your family Mr. Branwen, but you've become a living manifestation of a beacon. A lighthouse those seek after to find refuge. You will be given this ability once you are reincarnated into Quincy.

Wow. Thanks God. I'm a lot better off than I thought I'd be! And why do I have so much damn association with the stars? I won't look too deep into it, probably cause God leaves remnants of the space nerd side of the old me.

Anyways, as for the age, that'd be me when I'm 18. I get the things like the weapons and semblance earlier, but that'd be my appearance once I reach adulthood. That's where Volume 1 would begin, Yang would be 17 and Ruby would be 15, the ages of their first year at Beacon. Mind you, this guy did not look 18. He'd probably pass off as a model or something, the physique made him look older than all the other boys his age. Oh, right. The quest.

NEW QUEST IN MAILBOX!

Incarnation

Start your journey off in the world of Remnant as a baby! You'll come out of your mother to put it bluntly, and will be born into the world! Come on! Your friends are waiting for you out there!

REWARDS:

Not-So-Severe-Amnesia

CONSEQUENCES:

Get stuck here bored to death in limbo.

REINCARNATE

Information

Now leaving an entire life behind had a lot of turmoil. I really had a hard time letting go of everything that made me - well me up to this point.

But I had to accept it. My time on Earth came and went, and now my time on Remnant will come and go. The amnesia wouldn't be terrible. I mean, how bad can it get? I forgot the faces of his family and even their names already. Granted, that is terrible but it'd probably be better to live in ignorance than having the guilt gnaw at me that I died before I could reunite with my parents and siblings. I'd probably still remember this encounter with the God of Light when I descended. Maybe even the future events of the show. That way I'd be one step ahead at all times. Even so, the thought of losing every remnant of my previous life was a terrifying thought.

Matthew kept fidgeting around, his thumb absentmindedly landing on 'information.'

Quincy Branwen

- TITLE -

Level 1 - 0/100

Vitality - Vitality is different from aura, it's how much health one has before death! Aura will have another stat bar when in battle.

Strength -  Self-explanatory, how well you can chuck and lift heavy items! Helps you throw harder blows and lift heavier weapons.

Speed - How fast one is able to move in combat or general situations such as running.

Agility - Speed without agility is a waste of potential. Scaled based on stealth and combat skills!

Mind - Scales based on ones k nowledge of the world of Remnant: Dust, aura, semblances, weaponry, battle intelligence.

Stamina -  Cardiovascular endurance, aura endurance, anything that helps you last longer in a battle or a romantic setting.

Charisma -  Your social skills, this is how well you're able to handle working with others and assuming a leadership role!

Defense -  Defense is how durable you are, armor is able to increase this number when worn and will simply appear as (+0) when worn!

Offence -  Offence covers how good you are at fighting! This will be your skills, combat, and overall battle intelligence.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE PRESS INFORMATION IN THE CHARACTER PROFILE.

Information

Alright, what an exposition dump. But, this means this shouldn't be too bad, right? I played video games back then and having this on me would make everything a lot simpler.

I'll know my weaknesses and make the numbers go as high as possible. I'll be stroking my inner completionist's ego I guess!

Feeling a new burst of energy, I'm ready to reincarnate! I know I wouldn't be able to reconnect with Earth, that's for sure. The best move right now would be to move onto my life on Remnant.

Time to leave everything behind. Time to change the world for my... new family. Taiyang is my dad and Raven is my mom. Right, right, I'll have to get used to it. I know things get tough in Remnant and I'll be there to help.

"See you on the flip side God of Light!" The final words uttered by Matthew as he leaves his body and descends down to Remnant. This is the last time we'll see the now Quincy's old life. Goodbye, soldier. The God of Light simply nods, if the deity smiled you wouldn't have noticed, the smile would be too bright to look at anyways. Truly a star in his own right, just like Quincy with those crimson-star eyes of his...

REINCARNATE

QUEST COMPLETE!

Incarnation

You've officially descended down into the world of Remnant, you'll find yourself in an infirmary pretty soon...

REWARDS:

Not-So-Severe-Amnesia

Taiyang's POV

"Come on Raven! Just a little more pushing..." a specific blonde punster on Team STRQ said worriedly to his wife. Raven Branwen was delivering their child. It was already decided that their son would be named Quincy Branwen thanks to Qrow's part in helping the family financially when Raven couldn't work. Qrow vehemently tried to deny the act of generosity, but the kid ended up with the same first letter as his uncle anyways.

Raven's face was contorted in pain, her brow having sweat practically dripping off of it. To which Taiyang cooled and dried with a wet cloth. She's had her aura broken quite a few times over the years, but delivering a child quite the undertaking. At least her aura was there to soak up some of the pain. The doctors and beeping of machines went off in the hospital while Taiyang looked on at his wife.

"Tai... I..." Raven almost said pleadingly, she couldn't finish her sentence before the baby was able to squeeze out. His head, his shoulders, torso, legs, feet. It was as if the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. Raven let out just the biggest sigh of relief as her head collapsed against the hospital bed, the now limp head wanting to exhaust itself and use up all of its kinetic energy. Thanks Issac Newton.

"Our baby... Quincy," Taiyang said almost teary eyed, it was beautiful. He was going to be a father. Together, he and Raven would hold Quincy, noticing his peculiar crimson-star eyes.

"Looks like this kid inherited his mothers pizazz!" Taiyang said in an amused tone, trying to lighten up the mood after Raven's pain.

"Shut it," Raven replied, sounding annoyed. At the very least to Taiyang, she did seem relieved and even pleased that her son turned out just like her.