MARVEL I AM DRAGON GOD

The chill in Atlas was more than just the weather; it was a feeling, a deep unease that settled over everything.

General Ironwood felt it most acutely. Jacques Schnee's frantic calls had stopped, replaced by an unsettling silence.

This worried Ironwood far more than the shouting.

In his now-unrecognizable office, Jacques Schnee sat in a dim corner, a shadow of his former self.

His once-sharp suits were wrinkled, and his hair was unkempt.

The endless cups of coffee were still there, but now they were cold, untouched.

He was waiting. Waiting for the "specialist" he'd hired, the one who promised to fix everything.

A sudden knock on the reinforced door made Jacques jump.

"Enter,"

He croaked, his voice raspy from disuse.

The door opened slowly, revealing a figure that seemed to melt into the shadows of the room.

The specialist was tall, with a lean build and eyes that seemed to absorb all light.

He wore a simple, dark coat that concealed most of his features, but Jacques could feel an immense, unsettling power radiating from him.

"You are Jacques Schnee?"

The specialist's voice was a low rumble, devoid of any warmth.

"Yes, yes, I am,"

Jacques stammered, scrambling to his feet.

"You are... the one I contacted?"

"I am,"

The specialist confirmed, stepping further into the room.

He didn't offer a name, nor did he shake hands.

His gaze swept over the messy office, lingering for a moment on the shattered Scroll by the wall.

"You claim your company is under attack by an unseen force."

"It is! It is!"

Jacques insisted, desperation making him babble.

"Arthur Leywin Stark! He's doing something to the SDC, subtly, without leaving a trace! My factories are failing, my shipments are vanishing, my staff are leaving! He's ruining me!"

The specialist listened, his expression unchanging.

When Jacques finished, he simply nodded.

"I understand. You require a solution. A definitive end to these 'anomalies'."

"Yes! Anything! Just make it stop! Make him stop!"

Jacques pleaded.

"My methods are... thorough,"

The specialist stated, his voice still flat.

"They do not involve direct confrontation, but rather a re-balancing of energies. There will be consequences, but the source of your troubles will be eliminated."

Jacques didn't care about the consequences.

He only cared about saving his company, his legacy.

"Do what you must! Just get rid of him!"

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the specialist's lips.

"Consider it done."

With that, he turned and melted back into the shadows, leaving Jacques alone in the cold, silent office.

Jacques sank back into his chair, a flicker of hope, thin and fragile, igniting within him.

He had paid a heavy price for this specialist's services, but if it meant the end of Arthur Leywin Stark's influence, it would be worth it.

He didn't know it, but he had just unleashed a far greater storm.

Back at Beacon, life continued its peaceful rhythm for Team RWBY.

Weiss, still buzzing from her bold kiss with Arthur, felt a lightness she hadn't experienced in years.

Her father's silence was a balm, allowing her to focus on her studies and her friends.

One afternoon, during a combat class, Professor Ozpin announced a new training exercise.

"Team RWBY,"

He began,

"you will be tasked with a long-range reconnaissance mission to the outskirts of Vale. There have been reports of unusual energy signatures. Nothing dangerous, just an opportunity to practice your tracking and observation skills."

Weiss felt a prickle of unease.

"Unusual energy signatures, Professor?"

Ozpin's eyes, usually so calm, held a fleeting hint of concern.

"Indeed. They are... subtle, almost imperceptible. But our sensors have picked up on them. Consider it a challenge to your perceptive abilities learning from Professor Stark."

Ruby, ever eager for an adventure, cheered.

Yang grinned, cracking her knuckles. Blake simply nodded, already thinking about the best routes.

Weiss, despite her apprehension, found herself nodding along. She trusted Ozpin.

As they prepared for their mission, Arthur found Weiss in the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought.

"Everything alright, Weiss?"

He asked gently.

She turned, a faint blush rising to her cheeks in his presence.

"Yes, It's just... this new mission. Unusual energy signatures. It feels... connected."

She didn't voice the rest of her thoughts: connected to her father's troubles.

Arthur's gaze was calm, but there was a subtle intensity in his eyes.

"Sometimes, the universe has a way of balancing itself, Weiss. When one force exerts too much pressure, another arises to counter it. These energy signatures are not Grimm, but something else entirely. A ripple effect."

"A ripple effect of what?"

Weiss asked, a frown creasing her brow.

Arthur simply smiled.

"Perhaps of change. Or perhaps, of a game beginning."

He didn't elaborate, leaving Weiss with a sense of lingering mystery.

Arthur knew it very well.

Great Red and Ophis had told him that there might be a change to what he knew about this world.

Far away, in the grim fortress, Salem watched the shimmering pool of dark magic, a cruel satisfaction on her face.

"The specialist is in play,"

She murmured, her voice a low, triumphant purr.

"He has begun to 're-balance' the energies. Atlas will soon feel the tremor."

Watts, adjusting his glasses, looked at the readings on his console.

"The initial energy readings are indeed... disruptive, My Lady. A powerful, focused surge. It is not Grimm energy, nor is it Dust. It's something else entirely, as you predicted."

Tyrian cackled, his tail lashing.

"So, this 'specialist' will draw out our godling? Perfect! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes he's not the only one who can pull strings."

Salem's eyes glowed faintly.

"Arthur Leywin Stark is powerful, yes. But he has relied on subtlety, on unseen manipulations. This specialist will force his hand. He will have to reveal himself, to directly intervene, if he wishes to protect his precious little princess of Atlas."

"And when he does?"

Tyrian prompted, practically vibrating with excitement.

"When he does,"

Salem said, a chilling smile gracing her lips,

"He will step onto a battlefield of my choosing. He will react, he will fight, and in his desperation to control the chaos, he will create even more of it. Chaos, my dear scorpions, is my greatest ally."

She leaned closer to the shimmering pool, the image of Atlas now swirling with faint, dark tendrils.

"The 'specialist' is merely a puppet, a tool to prod the bear. Arthur will retaliate, and his retaliation will be a beacon, drawing all eyes to him. And when the time is right, when the world is sufficiently destabilized, I shall ascend."

Watts, despite his usual composure, felt a shiver run down his spine. The scale of Salem's ambition was truly terrifying.

She wasn't just planning to destroy; she was planning to remake the world in her own image, and Arthur Leywin Stark was just another piece on her grand chessboard.

"The stage is perfectly set,"

Salem concluded, her voice echoing with dark power.

"The game has begun, and the first move, as always, belongs to the Queen."

The very next day, reports began to flood in from Atlas. Not of Grimm attacks, but of bizarre, inexplicable phenomena.

Buildings experiencing sudden, structural failures without cause. Communication systems failing at random intervals.

Even the very ground seemed to vibrate with an unseen energy.

It was subtle at first, almost dismissed as natural occurrences, but the frequency and oddity grew.

General Ironwood, back in his office, now looked even more strained.

He stared at the detailed reports, his mind struggling to comprehend.

"It's as if the very fabric of Atlas is unraveling,"

He muttered to himself.

"No explosions, no overt attacks, just... a slow, creeping decay."

He remembered Jacques's frantic calls, his insistence that Arthur Leywin Stark was behind it.

At the time, Ironwood had dismissed it as paranoia.

Now, a cold dread settled in his stomach.

What if Jacques, in his desperation, had hired someone who truly could cause such widespread, unseen damage?

And what if that damage was now spiraling out of control?

Ironwood clutched his Scroll, hesitating for a moment. He had to contact Ozpin.

This wasn't just about Jacques Schnee and Arthur Leywin Stark anymore.

This was about Atlas, and potentially, the entire world.

[email protected]/phelio 70+ more chapters. 50% discount only two days left.