Chapter One

Confess

Phoenix Inkiealeran for his life down the alleyway, panting hard as he reloaded his gauntlets. The pair of thugs ran after him, uncaring of their injuries or broken bones as they swung their weapons at his back. He jumped forwards and with a flicker of silver energy, he teleported forwards about 300 feet, popping out of the air on the other side of the building that had been blocking his path. He sagged against the wall as he tried desperately to get his breath back. His aura was near gone, he was down to his last mags and even worse, She was coming. He had to find a place to send his warning. Ozpin needed to know what was going on before she got to him. With a thunderous boom, he felt the building shudder as one of the thugs unloaded his massive gun into the building. He growled and quickly stood. He activated the emergency protocol in his scroll, sending the information to Ozpin before wiping it. Phoenix breathed deeply, saying a quick prayer as his scroll beeped. He knew he was going to die and the information was going to die with him. But there was nothing else he could do. She couldn't get her hands on this information. He also wouldn't let civilians die just so he could get away. That wasn't the way of a huntsman. With a shimmer of silver, he appeared behind the goons, throwing the last punches of his life. The gauntlet impacted hard into the back of the man's skull as the hydraulics in the fist of his gauntlets took all of his kinetic energy and amplified it. The goon crumpled to the ground as the other one turned to Phoenix, his hands already pulling the triggers on his guns. Phoenix jumped with inhuman speed into the man, using both of his fists to hit the guns. Even as he did, several rounds struck him, going through the little of his aura he had left even as he took the man out.

Phoenix didn't realize he had fallen to the ground, even as blood seeped through his clothes. That's when he heard the slight click of high heels as She slowly walked down the alley. He had hoped to bleed out before this point. The woman walked casually over and leaned down over him, smiling as the skirts of her full length black dress swirled around her.

"Well well well, look what my lovely boys got me; a severely wounded master huntsman who was sent to spy on me. I wonder if you managed to send that data I needed before they got you." She pulled his scroll from his jacket pocket as it began emitting small streams of smoke. She tossed it aside as she smiled at him. "Pity, I will just have to take you and get the information that way." She placed a hand on his chest as she smiled down at him again. "You know, this won't be as bad as you think. I am very kind to those under my command."

Phoenix spat in her face, before shuddering in agony as she clawed at his wounds. He struggled to reach his belt as she gave him hard look. "That was uncalled for. I need your information so I can continue to do as I must." She looked him over as he coughed up blood. "Is there anything you wish to confess to me before you join me and those of my fold?" His hands found his belt and pressed a small button on it.

"Yes," he coughed as a vicious smile covered his face, "I am going to be glad to dance with you in hell." She gave him a blank look as there is a sensation like thunder without sound. As it happened, his aura flared brilliant silver as he tried desperately to teleport away from the woman who was about to do something far worse than kill him. With a massive impact to the air, the dust bomb he had in his belt activated, spewing massive gouts of flame and shooting bolts of lightning everywhere. Even as all of this was going on, Phoenix felt his body as it left the ground and fell through the air. This was no normal teleport. He felt reality ripping around him as he fell through swirls of colors and waves of sound. His last thought, as his body struck something he barely recognized as pavement, was of the information he had died to protect. There was a screeching of tires as his aura faded for good and he felt his soul left his body, unknowing and uncaring of the events his death had set in motion.

Ozpin sat in his office in the clock tower of Beacon Academy, waiting for his contact to call. He had received an urgent message from him saying he had information with life or death consequences if the wrong person got ahold of it. He sighed and stood, placing his scroll on his desk and stood, walking over to the large window as the mechanisms of the massive clock continued to click. He looked out over the city of Vale, his hands settling comfortably on the handle of his cane. He started when an explosion of fire and lightning lit up part of the night near the outskirts of the city. As he turned away and headed for the elevator, a dark winged shape rose from the area and flew towards Beacon. Ozpin recognized the shape as a Nevermore. He gripped his cane a little harder as the shape flew right towards his office. In mere moments, the giant Grimm hovered in front of his window. He stiffened as he saw the woman on its back, her long red hair flowing in the breeze. With a flicker of fire, his window shattered. The woman met his eyes and a small smile touched her lips.

"Good evening Ozpin. Imagine finding you here. It's almost like you were waiting for someone." Her tone was calm, cool and slightly smug. Ozpin back straighten as his hand found the handle of his cane again.

"I assume that the explosion I saw was caused by you Cassandra. You always had a flair for the dramatic. But you should full well that all of the huntsmen and huntresses will be searching for you. Turn yourself in and end this madness."

The woman smirked. "You and the rest of this corrupt order will join my cause, one way or another." She pulled something scorched and covered in soot from in front of her and tossed it in through the window. It hit the ground in front of Ozpin with a metallic clang. "Here's a gift for you; the latest one of your pawns to be captured and dealt with. You are going to be out of pieces before long." With a sudden rushing noise, a stream of ice hit the head of the Nevermore from behind Ozpin. He turned to see Glynda stalking towards the window, her weapon in hand as she came. The Nevermore shook the ice off and flew off, Cassandra's laughter mocking them as they flew away.

Ozpin crouched down and wiped away the soot from the metal, a sense of dread rising. His heart seemed to squeeze as he recognized the silvery gauntlets. He picked them up and set them reverently on his desk. Glynda's hands went to her mouth as she recognized them as well. He walked around the desk and sat heavily in his chair. Glynda walked over and wiped soot and ash from the gauntlets with a white handkerchief, tears running from her eyes. They both sat there in silence as she finished cleaning the weapons. Finally, she looked up to him.

When she spoke, her voice was carefully controlled. "What are we going to do? If he has been taken by her, she will shortly know everything.' Ozpin shook his head.

"Knowing Phoenix as we do, he would have purged all the information he could. And when he last checked in, he told me in no uncertain terms, he wouldn't be taken alive. I suspect that explosion was him keeping his promise." His scroll beeped. As he looked at the sender, his face went carefully blank as he played the video on his office hologram. In the air in front of them, Phoenix appeared, his silvery hair slicked back as he looked into the camera.

"Hey there guys. If you are getting this, then I activated the emergency protocols on my scroll. That means I am dead or about to die. When this message finishes, all of the data I have collected will have finished downloading to your scrolls." His eyes seemed to look right at the both of them. "Cassandra must be stopped. While many of those who follow her are ones she has used her power on, the most dangerous ones are the willing followers. Her entire team has joined her willingly. I remember them from our school days… If anything, they have only gotten more powerful and lost the morals they had." Phoenix looked down at the ground before looking back into their eyes. "I would have loved to gone through with our plans. Experiments were always more our thing than this shadow work… But I was the only one who could have succeeded. It looks like I failed. The information should be just about done." He straightened and looked directly into the camera. "Do not mourn my loss. Rather, laugh with memories of happier times. In war, valor. In peace, vigilance. In death, sacrifice. This is Phoenix Inkieale, one last time, signing off." The video ended, plunging the office into darkness. Glynda turned to Ozpin, eyes still wet with tears.

"What was that last part about? Before his sign off, I mean." Ozpin steepled his fingers as he started into the spot where he the video had been; where he had seen his friend's face one last time.

"Phoenix was a big believer in having backup plans. I believe that the phrase was either a password or hint to a location where a cache may be. We will have to make some subtle inquiries."

Glynda nodded and turned to the door. "I will start now. I know I won't be able to sleep for a long while. I will check near his house." Ozpin watched as she walked into the elevator.

"Glynda," he called. "Keep alert. There are other threats than Cassandra out and about." She gives him a stiff nod as the doors slide closed. Ozpin sat back in his chair and turned to look out the area where his window had been. A thought struck him. Even a dust bomb as large as that one had been would have left a body, or at least damaged Phoenix's weapons. If that was the case, where was his body? And why weren't his weapons damaged?