Author's Note

This is my first displaced fic I started back a while ago.
If your wonder why Cinder Fall from RWBY, I wanted to do something different with my first displaced, Please enjoy my story.
I hope you enjoy this fic.

Prologue: Comic Con

My name is Coren Grays. I’m just a guy trying to find a way to make a living in the working world. I found a small part time job with Comic Con. My job is to help set up the stands, and check the tickets.

It was the first day of the Con and everything was going fine throughout the day. After a while of checking tickets, a co-worker came to relieve me so I could have my break. I was on my way to the designated breakroom for the staff. As I was heading there, I saw loads of people cosplaying as their favorite characters from their favorite live action shows, cartoons, Anime, video games, and anything else you could think of. As I walked, I thought of a friend I hadn't seen for a while. I know she would love to be here. I came across a RWBY stand. “Yeah I would definitely find her there,” I thought to myself, walking past the stand. I was about to enter the break room, when one of my coworkers came up to me. “Hey, Coren, stand 45 needs some help, can you cover it?” She asked me.

“Yeah, sure,” I replied to her. I found stand 45. It looked like an old school tent. I entered to see what help they needed help with. “Hello? I heard you needed help?” I called.

“Oh yes, just a moment,” I heard a mature female voice called back, and from the back of the tent walked a woman dressed up like Salem from RWBY. I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw her. My heart was racing from seeing her. “I see you know who my costume is portraying,” She said with a chuckle. She then noticed my uniform. “Ahh, so you're going to help me,” She said, placing her hands together in front of them.

“Yes, sorry for reacting like that,” I apologized to the lady.

“There is no need for an apology,” She replied with a smile, but, not lying, I was still a little scared of her.

“Okay, so what do you need help with?” I asked her.

She showed me the back room, and I saw a lot of boxes. “I have hired someone to set this up for me, but they didn’t do what I’ve asked. So I sent some Grimm to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget,” She explained, finishing with a laugh at her own little joke.

“Alright, so you need me to help you set up your stand?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid, I have a photo shoot to attend,” She explained. “Here’s a picture of how I usually have the stand,” She gave me a picture from the previous Comic Con.

“OK, I’ll set this up for you Mrs…sorry I didn’t catch your name,” I replied to her.

“Call me Salem,” She replied with that mysterious smile.

“Why does that smile of hers scare me?” I thought to myself. “Alright, Mrs Salem, I’ll get this all set up for you,” I told her.

“Thank you so much,” She said as she was about to leave, “and if you do a good enough job I’ll give you a wonderful reward.” Salem gave me a little wink and left me to set up her stand.

“She said if I did a good enough job I’ll get a reward, and that wink maybe she’ll pay me more money or maybe something more,” I thought to myself and my mind got carried away with several ideas.

I spent the whole day setting up the stand for Salem. The boxes were filled with props for Cosplayers to buy. Weapons, accessories, and costumes. All of them ranging from games, cartoons, and anime alike. “Wow, who does she work for?” I asked myself, quite impressed by the large collection of merchandise she had to sell. Finally, I stood back to look at the completed display, and then at the picture. I’d managed to set everything up exactly as in the photo.

Almost immediately, Salem returned to her stand and saw your hard work. “Wonderful!” She said happily. “Everything exactly how I wanted it. It’s perfect! Thank you so much…” She looked at my name tag. “Coren,” She said with that enigmatic smile of hers.

“Why does that smile creep me out?” I thought to myself. “You’re welcome Mrs Salem,” I quickly replied to her to not sound rude.

“Now, the last thing to do is the prices, and I will help you with that,” Salem told me, heading to the back room and grabbing a box of paper with prices written on them.

Me and Salem worked together to place the prices on her merchandise. For some reason, I couldn't help but see her like a school teacher, from the way she moved, and the way she talked. “I feel like she’s testing me,” I thought to myself.

“So Coren, tell me about yourself?” Salem said to me.

“Well, there’s not much to tell, I was born in Autumn,” I started to tell her.

“Ahh a child of Fall.”

“And that’s pretty much it,” I finished telling Salem.

“Ohh I doubt that,” She said as I felt her hands on my shoulders. They felt cold as she towers above me. “I know you like to watch things burn,” She whispered in my ear. “Also, you used to do archery when you were younger. Also, you played the piano as well, but unfortunately you only ever won silver, not gold. And, to be perfectly honest, it was not your fault, it was your mother’s, never allowing you to play the songs you wanted, and always forcing you to play such long and complex symphonies that would always make your hands go numb before you could finish them. I mean, the classical pieces she would have you perform would even make accomplished adult pianists sweat, but a child at the age of 12? Well, that would be beyond challenging. Only a born prodigy could even attempt such a challenge at that age.”

“How do you know-?” I started to ask.

“Shhh,” She shushed me, “Oh I know far more about you than that, young one. Like how your workaholic of a father never once came to your aid against the tyranny of your mother. So sad. But when you were older, and when you at long last gained the independence you so longed for from your old home, you made many friends, none of whom your over controlling mother approved of.” I don’t know how she knew all of these things about me, and I was truly getting scared of her now. “Tell me, when you sit by a campfire, what do you like to look at, your friends, or did you just watch the flames?” She asked softly.

“I..I only watch the flames,” I answered, for some reason feeling compelled to answer her question.

Salem chuckled at my answer. “Did you enjoy their dance?” She asked again.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Hmm, so you like fire. Tell me, Coren, who is your favourite character from RWBY?” She asked me again. Somehow I knew she already knew the answer.

“Cinder Fall,” I answered.

“Yes, you always liked her, you liked her body, her eyes, her hair, even her name.” She leaned closer to my ear. “Cinder,” Salem whispered in my ear, sending chills throughout my body. “You and her have one thing in common.” She lowered her voice to an even softer whisper as she said, “You both like to watch things burn.”

“This is getting too freaky. I need to get away from her,” I thought to myself, but my body wouldn’t move.

“What’s in your pocket?” She asked again.

“My phone, and my wallet,” I answered, not telling her about my custom made match box.

“We both know there’s something else in your pocket, what are you hiding?” She asked, and I could feel her breath on my neck.

“A custom matchbox,” I felt compelled to answer again.

“You have a matchbox, but you don’t smoke. Why do you have a matchbox?” She whispered her question again.

“I light up the matches to watch the flame,” I answered her question without meaning to yet again. “Why can’t I move?” I thought nervously.

“Show me this matchbox of yours?” She asked.

Again, I felt compelled to do as she asked, so I reached into my pocket, pulled out my matchbox, and passed it to Salem. She took the matchbox from my hand and examined it. “Well, well, a custom made steel matchbox with Cinder Fall’s emblem and name engraved on it. How adorable. You’re quite the die hard aren’t you?” She said with intrigue before putting the matchbox back in my pocket.

She at last removed her hands from my shoulders, and I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “What the hell was that?” I asked myself, as my heart was racing.

“Now for that reward I promised you,” She said, placing her hand on my back. I felt her hand rest between my shoulder blades. Suddenly, my body froze in place, and I felt different. I can’t explain why or how but I just did. The second she removed her hand from my back, I felt like a different person now. “Here’s the rest of your reward for all your hard work, Coren.”

I turned to look at Salem, and stared at her, or rather, what was in her hands. She was holding Cinder’s Midnight from RWBY. “Take this as well, you have earned it,” She said with that smile again, and a wink.

“Th-thank you Mistress,” I said, taking the weapon from her. “Why did I call her Mistress?”

She placed her hand under my chin to raise my head to look at her in the eyes. Salem leaned closer to me, and we made eye contact. I stared into her black and red eyes. Those deep crimson eyes, I felt myself becoming lost in her eyes.

“Your eyes are blue and yet, you were born in Fall,” she said, still smiling. “How unusual children born in fall traditionally have Green, Hazel, or Brown eyes.” She said, removing her hand from my chin. “Have a safe journey my little Coren,” She smiled at me again.

“Yes I will, Mistress Salem,” I replied to her. I don’t know why I said it, it just came out.

“You should get going,” She said to me with her smile once more.

“Yes, I should be leaving now,” I replied, in a weird, monotone voice, like I was in a trance, finally leaving her stand, before leaving the building and then walking home. I walked all the way because I didn’t own a car. It was late and the sun was already setting. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened before and how it escalated. I felt strange, weak and hot for some reason. “What’s wrong with me? Am I coming down with a fever all of sudden?” I thought to myself, trying to keep my balance as I walked home. I was crossing a bridge, and for some reason, it was empty, no cars, and no people in sight. Once I was about halfway across, I stopped and looked at the setting sun over the river.

“Beautiful,” I whispered to myself. Then, I felt my mind fading away, until I passed out completely, and tumbled forwards, over the railing, and down towards the cold river below. Little did I know that as I fell from the bridge, a shimmering portal opened up beneath me, and I fell right into it, before it closed up and disappeared, taking me far from my own reality.

Coren fell further and further into an abyss-like place. As he fell, Cinder’s tattoo appeared on his back, between his shoulder blades. After the tattoo appeared, his body began to burn from the outside, and a layer of ashes fell from his skin. As the ashes fell away, his body changed from male to female, his skin went from normal to fair-skinned, his hair burned from brown to ash-black, and grew to shoulder length, a pier black glass ear rings appear hanging from both his ears, his hips widened and became more feminine, and a pair of breasts formed and grew on his chest. His uniform from comic con also caught fire and became a red dress, and a black choker form from his shirt collar, his shoes also burned into glass black high heels, the left sock simply burn away as the right sock burns into Cinder’s ankle bracelet. Coren Grays had taken on the appearance of Cinder Fall.

Another portal opened, and Coren, who was now Cinder, fell through it. Once she went through, she opened her eyes. The flame burned away his blue eyes and replaced them with bright-amber eyes.

“Where’s the bridge?” She wondered, before she hit the water like a stone, and she hit her head on some rocks, knocking her out. The river then washed her unconscious body down stream.

Further down the river, a young woman wearing a black and green Hanfu was washing clothes in the river. Her skin was pale, and her hair was ginger, and her eyes were golden. On her brow were two ornate red curved lines which resembled the shapes of birds. This woman was named Autumn Blaze. She had just finished her last piece of clothing as she hummed a happy tune to herself.

“Alright, that's the last of them,” She said, placing the last piece of clothing in her basket. “Hmm, it looks like it might rain. I best head back.” Gathering up her basket of clothes, she started her journey home. As she walked, she paused as she suddenly heard someone coughing. She looked all around her to find the source of the sound, and gasped as she saw a young woman dragging herself out of the river as she coughed and spluttered.

“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” Autumn Blaze asked as she approached the coughing woman. However, just as she reached her, the woman simply passed out from lack of air. “Hey, what happened to you?” Autumn Blaze asked as she placed her hand on the woman's head.

When she pulled away her hand, she gasped when she saw blood on it. “Oh no, you’re hurt!” She exclaimed in alarm, standing up quickly and pointing her hand at the unconscious woman. A light blue aura formed around her hand, and the same aura appeared around the unconscious woman’s body. She levitated off the ground and hovered a few inches in the air. “Hold on, I'll take you to my village,” Autumn Blaze said with concern and worry, as she ran to her village, carefully carrying the unconscious woman in her magic beside her.

To Be Continued…