RWBY: The Honored One - CH1 (Patreon)

Darkness. 

Infinite, timeless void. 

But for Satoru Gojo, even the shadow of death couldn't silence the incessant echo of his thoughts.

"Is this it? The end of the 'strongest'?"

A wry smile formed in the depths of his subconscious, reflecting on his final moments. Sukana, the very man he had once underestimated, had found a way to defeat him without using his full power. 

It was almost laughable. Pathetic even…

The audacity of being defeated, not by the full might of the King of Curses, but by an evolution of his self limited power, an adaptation to my own power. To think he used Mahoraga's technique, to evolve his own curse technique beyond the boundaries of limitation.

"Was I Satoru Gojo because I was the strongest? Or was I the strongest because I was Satoru Gojo?"

Geto had said it once, and to this day, Satoru still couldn’t find a definite answer to that question. Leave it to Geto to be annoying till the very end.

Images flashed in his mind, training days, battles fought, students taught. He recalled how people would whisper his name in awe and fear. They’d say, "He's Gojo, he's invincible." But was that all there was to him?

He remembered Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara, his students who admired and, in some ways, feared him. Their growth, the choices they made, were they influenced by his strength? Or by the man behind that power?

"To be defined by strength alone..." he mused, "...is a hollow existence."

Maybe it wasn’t about being the strongest. 

Maybe it was about what he did with that strength. The challenges he overcame, the people he inspired, the changes he brought about in the jujutsu world. 

Those were the markers of Gojo Satoru. 

Not just his Limitless or his Six Eyes.

A sense of calm washed over him. The question of identity and strength, intertwined in a dance, suddenly those things didn't matter as much as they used to. 

Whether the strength defined the man or the man defined the strength, it was the legacy left behind that truly mattered.

And as the silence of the void embraced him, Gojo Satoru’s last thought was not of his power, but of hope that his students would carry on and make the world better, even without the 'strongest' by their side.

—--------------------------------------------------

[RWBY.]

[Atlas.]

The magnificent city of Atlas glittered under the pale moonlight, its towering skyscrapers and advanced tech making it the jewel of Remnant. In the grandest mansion of them all, The Schnee Estate, a scene was unfolding that was both commonplace and extraordinary.

In a room adorned with the finest silks and decorated with precious gems and metals, a cry broke the silence. It was the cry of a newborn, the newest member of the prestigious Schnee family.

Willow Schnee, her face weary but lit up with a soft glow of motherly love, cradled the baby in her arms, trying to soothe its cries. 

Standing a few steps away, Jacques Schnee observed the scene with his characteristic cold detachment. He approached the bed, not with the intention of holding his firstborn, but to scrutinize the child who would be the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, his heir.

The baby's bright blue eyes locked onto Jacques', and for a split second, Jacques felt an intensity, a depth he had never felt before, making him take a step back.

Clearing his throat, Jacques remarked, "He certainly has the Schnee look. What will you name him?"

Willow looked down at her son, sensing something unique about him, something she couldn't quite put a finger on. She softly murmured, "Alabaster, Alasbaster Schnee."

Jacques raised an eyebrow. "An unusual choice. Why Alabaster?"

She met his gaze firmly. "Alabaster signifies purity and protection. Our son will need both in the world he's been born into."

Jacques snorted, his arrogance evident. "With the Schnee name and the empire he will inherit under my guidance, he will have more than enough to protect himself."

But Willow wasn't convinced. She felt an inexplicable connection with Alabaster, almost as if he was an old soul reborn. "There's more to protection than just wealth and power, Jacques."

He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Nonsense. You're just being overly sentimental, as usual." With that final derisive comment, Jacques turned on his heel, the soft sound of his polished shoes against the opulent flooring echoing in the vast room. Before exiting, he paused, "I'll check on him in a few months to see his progress. The heir of the Schnee Empire should be nothing less than exemplary."

Willow simply watched him leave, before taking a deep breath returning her attention back to her newly born son, drawing him close, humming a lullaby as the night came to Atlas. 

—------------------------------------

[Three weeks later.]

In the elegant nursery of the Schnee Estate, Alabaster, just a few weeks old, lay in his crib, swaddled in soft, luxurious fabrics. There was an unusual stillness to him, as if he was deep in thought.

This was because, within the confines of Alabaster's infant mind, a storm was brewing. As the consciousness of Gojo Satoru was starting to wake up from the depths of baby hell. 

Suddenly, his bright blue eyes widened as realization struck.

‘Wait a second... Why is everything so... big? And why do I feel like... I'm lying down?’

He tried to move but found that his limbs were wrapped snugly, rendering them somewhat useless. With great effort, he managed to tilt his head just enough to catch a glimpse of himself.

‘Why am I wrapped like a sushi roll?’

He attempted to vocalize his thoughts, hoping to communicate with someone, anyone, to make sense of the situation. Instead, all that came out was an adorable yet confused gurgle.

A soft chuckle echoed in the room. It was Willow, who had come in to check on Alabaster. "Aww, are you trying to talk, sweetie?"

Satoru stared up at her, utterly perplexed. ‘Sweetie? Who is she calling sweetie? Wait... is she talking to ME?’

He made another attempt to communicate, but it turned into a series of amusing babbling noises. Willow giggled, finding the sounds utterly endearing. "Oh, you're just so adorable!"

‘Adorable?! I'm Gojo Satoru!’ he thought indignantly, but his mental proclamation was punctuated by a sudden burp.

Willow cooed, “Oopsie! Someone's got gas.”

His cheeks flushed a shade of pink, adding to the cuteness of the situation. ‘Gas? This is humiliating.’

Feeling restless, Satoru tried to move his arms, but they were still snugly wrapped. His efforts to free himself only caused the swaddle to tighten further. ‘Great… the strongest, but I can't escape a baby blanket.’

His struggles continued, each more animated than the last, making Willow laugh heartily. "Oh, Alabaster, you're such a lively little one!"

Finally, with one grand push, he managed to free one arm, triumphantly waving it in the air. But to his dismay, that victory was short-lived as Willow gently re-swaddled him, ensuring he was snug and cozy once more.

She leaned down, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. "You're just too cute for words, my little warrior."

‘Warrior? Well, at least she got that part right,’ Satoru thought, feeling somewhat appeased that even in his current state, others could see his greatness. ‘Alabaster… hmm, I wonder if I was named for the mineral, or the color.’

—-----------------------------------------------------------

[A few hours later.]

Lying in the ornate crib surrounded by plush toys and mobiles, Gojo Satoru, or rather, Alabaster Schnee, took a moment to assess the situation.

‘Alright, let's start from the beginning.’

The surrounding environment was unfamiliar. Elegant drapes, soft pastel-colored walls, and toys of all shapes and sizes painted a scene of luxury, but also extreme unfamiliarity.

‘This definitely isn’t Tokyo.’

The place looked more… European if he had to describe it. That and well, he didn’t feel the tides of curse energy that usually surrounded Tokyo 24/7.

He already knew he was a baby. As much as it pained him to admit it, thankfully that was a disease that was easily remedied with a long rest of 16-18 years. 

The question still remained though… Was he the strongest baby?

He could feel his cursed energy flowing, and his Six Eyes working, but seeing how bizarre the situation was, it was within his best interest to check how things were working.

Taking a deep breath, he tried focusing inward, seeking out the power that had always been a part of him. And just like he had expected it, he felt it there, the coursing tide of his curse energy, just as potent and fierce as he remembered. 

Though there was something different in there… not something that was necessarily bad, but something different enough to warrant some attention.

Happy with those results for the time being, he turned his attention to his surroundings once more. It wasn’t just the room that was foreign; it was the very energy of the world around him. 

It felt very similar to whatever had changed within him. Similar enough to curse energy, but also very different, it felt locked… behind a barrier of some kind.

Satoru grinned internally. Sure, he had no idea where he was, or how this had happened, but so far things didn’t look so bad, in fact, they even had potential.