Emerald ran.
She didn't even know where to.
This part of Remnant was utterly unfamiliar to her, but she had to get away.
She had, no, needed to find Cinder!
Of course this had been Salem's plan all along.
She always had such a…weird fixation on the Fall Maiden.
A shot missed her only about a millimeter. The fighting was still in full swing. Tyrian and Watts had done a very successful job by dividing the Atlas council and therefore spreading and weakening its military.
Someone called after her.
Mercury?
Or Ruby perhaps?
Emerald didn't stop to turn around and check, she just kept going.
Cinder…she had to find Cinder…wherever she was right now.
In hindsight it had been so foolish to ask that…ghost…Jinn? about Salem's plans…in front of Ruby no less, but…how could she not?
It was so clear to her now that Cinder had lost any sense of control over her own situation…if she ever had that in the first place.
Dodging another stray bullet, by tackling an atlesian robot to the ground, Emerald made her way through the crumbling streets. The fear among the civilians was almost palpable as they screamed and tried to get themselves to safety. They probably never would have thought that it would come to this…to a code Blue.
Looking up sharply, she witnessed another safety rope rip, being torn out of the flying piece of land above them. Like an icy, inescapable fortress, it towered over all of them, smoke tinting the view, obscuring it from actually seeing what was going on…but Emerald didn't need to know.
She could already guess what had happened…and where she needed to be. This was her goal…her final destination.
"Emerald!"
Someone grabbed onto her upper arm and pulled her in a back alley, essentially saving her from the grotesque monkey Grimm that had swept down with drawn claws, ready to slash her.
She faced her rescuer after the shock and tension in her body dissipated and couldn't help but scowl at him.
"What is it, Mercury?"
The silver haired boy almost smirked at that.
"What, no thank you for saving me, Mercury?"
Emerald's scowl deepened.
"I didn't ask you to!
Now, if you'd excuse me, I've got to find Cinder!"
Mercury almost groaned at her words, his expression falling, as he gave her an incredulous look.
"Seriously?!
You're still on that happy family crap?
If we want to bail we have to do it now. Stop this delusional quest. Cinder won't come with us, she doesn't care about-"
Well maybe I care about her", interrupted Emerald sharply, "Have you ever thought about that?"
The ground shook beneath their feet, as another tremor ran through the streets and a loud metallic snap cut the air with such ferocity that you could practically feel it.
Emerald balled her hands into fists. She had no time for this. Arguing with Mercury would lead to nothing. She took a deep breath.
'Alright Emerald...
Calm down…
Don't lose sight of your objective.'
That's right.
She needed to get to the icy fortress hovering above them in a rather dangerous angle. Too many ropes were already severed. A few more and all of them would be buried alive under Atlas' pride and glory.
She needed to get there, find Cinder and get them as far away from Salem as possible!
'Does such a place even exist?'
No!
She couldn't allow herself to go there. There had to be a way…and she would find it!
Mercury seemed to be a little taken aback by her outburst, but weirdly enough he held his tongue…for now, refraining on commenting on her words, as he stared at her with something akin to pity.
At first it enraged her…but then she realized with sudden clarity…he didn't understand!
How could he?
He hadn't seen that…vision?
Was it a vision? Not even her illusions would have felt so…real.
It must have been a vision…and more importantly…it must have been the truth.
The world Salem truly wanted…and what she would do to ensure it happening.
'Cinder…'
"I can't- I won't just leave her!"
That…sounded more challenging than she thought, but it did seem to destroy this uneasy silence between them.
"For the love of- She would leave you in a heartbeat if it meant saving herself.
Wake up already!"
'Ouch…'
The words stung…and as much as Emerald wanted to retaliate, to disprove this ridiculous nonsense, she couldn't. Even as everything inside her screamed at her to do it.
Sometimes she just couldn't articulate what she truly believed. There was this fear inside her…and once it got a grip on her, her throat was practically constricted by it.
He was wrong. Of course he was, but…
'What if he's not?'
"And yet…she is still the only one who didn't try to keep us out of the loop.
She trusts us…that's enough for me…."
"But-"
She closed her eyes painfully, trying to block out the pictures…the visions she had seen.
"This is so much bigger than us, Merc.
I don't expect you to understand my reasoning, but no one deserves what Salem has in store for Cinder.
So please…don't try to stop me."
The silver haired boy looked at her as if she was crazy…and maybe she was, she couldn't tell anymore. Furrowing his brows he cocked his head to the side.
"How do you even…"
He trailed off, as realization dawned on his face.
"Em…what did you do?"
She sighed in resignation as she opened her eyes again, forcing herself to really look at her teammate…her partner with a shaky smile.
"…I think I…may have screwed up one of Salem's objectives…"
"…you didn't..."
"I used the relic of Knowledge!"
The crunching sound that followed, made Emerald's stomach churn in discomfort. Gingerly, she covered his fist with her hand, subtly pulling it away from the wall he had just punched.
Mercury breathed heavily, as his eyes found hers again, his expression a mix of frustration and determination.
"This better be good, or else I'm going to kill you myself!"
The way up was so much more tedious and time consuming than Emerald had anticipated, but Mercury had insisted it was by far the most secure route, than simply capering an airship. Of course climbing up on one of the remaining metallic, dust infused ropes had given her enough time to catch her teammate up on the shocking discovery she had made together with Ruby. The silver haired boy hadn't really reacted as…strongly as she had suspected, but had grown considerably paler by the second, as Emerald recounted her tale.
She could only hope Ruby was having as much trouble getting back to Atlas as she was. Though…maybe she would try to…help her even?
The Rose had seemed to like the vision created by that turquoise smoke as much as she did, which was saying a lot already.
After what had felt like an eternity of climbing they finally made it to the top. If Mantle was already considered being in disarray, Atlas was utter chaos. Even the military seemed confused who to shoot, the uproaring rebels or the dozen of flying monkey Grimm soaring over their heads with terrifying screeches.
As much as Emerald didn't like…practically all of this, she couldn't help but wish this situation would continue on for a while. It would certainly give her enough time to get Cinder out of this city.
There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and she was eerily reminded of Beacon.
The fall of Beacon…where she had almost lost Cinder…
But this time it would be different!
This time…
'I'm going to save you from this!'
Funnily enough it was Mercury who spotted her first, by accidentally mistaking her for a space pirate…not that she could blame him. Cinder had always been very…extra with her choice of wardrobe, but Emerald couldn't say she didn't look beyond stunning in her new outfit. To be honest, the dark haired maiden hadn't shown that much skin in a long time…
Fighting the heat that threatened to rise in her cheeks, she tried to get her mind back to the task at hand.
This apparently also meant throwing caution to the wind, as she sped to the courtyard of Atlas Academy, almost as if an invisible force urged her to do it.
"CINDER!"
There surely were a lot of things running through Cinder's head when she finally reached Atlas Academy and none of them were particularly helpful at the moment.
Scanning the area she tried to figure out where the Winter Maiden had fled to. She knew Neo would take care of their Ruby problem, so she wasn't overly concerned about that little twerp showing up with her damned sparkling eyes.
The city being in total disarray had made it far easier to sneak around. Normally she would be annoyed at all these forces Salem had apparently send to capture the relic, as if she alone wouldn't suffice for that…but then again, she did make a slight miscalculation back at Haven.
She would need to correct that…even if it meant swallowing her pride for a while.
It was kind of unsettling how eerie silence could be over an extended period of time. Not that her and Neo didn't talk, if she was being completely honest with herself she even enjoyed the girl's presence far more than she had originally thought, but hearing only her own voice over and over again…was tiring.
Being alone was also tiring.
Admittedly, she had forgotten how that felt like…
'So cold…'
A loud cry put her on high alert, as she caught two figures running towards her.
Emerald and Mercury, her subordinates…who had left her at the bottom of the Vault.
Not that this would bother her, it made sense for them to have evacuated after everything went wrong with their staged attack. She could only guess what went down there…and how the report to Salem must have gone.
Cinder had no illusions in that regard. If not Hazel, surely Watts had given up her name, probably twirling that stupid mustache of his, being all smug about it.
She had to admit though, that he and Tyrian did a good job here.
Facing both of her subordinates, the maiden tried to hide her annoyance. Not that she wasn't somewhat glad to see them, but she didn't need them at the moment. She really had to focus on her task right now and more importantly…
"What are you two doing here?"
Mercury bristled at her tone, but refrained from saying anything.
'Odd…'
Since when had he been so angry? He normally enjoyed the destruction they caused as much as she did.
"There is no time, we have to go!", came Emerald's urgent, almost impatient answer, as she tried to grab Cinder's right hand to possibly drag her somewhere.
Now this was even weirder…and she still had no time for this.
Ripping her hand away, she glared at the thief.
"Just what is wrong with you?
Can't you see that I have higher priorities right now than humoring your clingy needs?"
"We are trying to save your ungrateful ass, so the least you could do is listen to what Emerald has to say!", Mercury practically exploded at her.
There was so much fury in his voice.
Surprise flashed through Cinder's eye, as she hesitated for a short moment, debating whether she should scold him for his words or question them further.
'Save…me…?'
In the end her curiosity won out.
"What-"
"You don't actually plan on listening to them, are you?"
Cinder almost wasn't able to suppress a groan, as her eye followed the cheery voice to its origin, landing on Tyrian, who looked beyond entertained, perched on one of the pillars surrounding them.
"And how long have you been creeping around this area?", asked Cinder, stemming one hand into her hip, not even trying to keep the annoyance out of her tone any longer.
'More importantly, shouldn't you have other things to do?'
The scorpion Faunus simply shrugged and jumped from his spot gracefully, his new tail gracing her cheek, before she slapped it away, her expression darkening. He seemed to take interest in her new outfit by the looks of it, as he mustered her intently, before throwing his hands in the air quite dramatically and began to circle them, his movement so deliberate as if he wanted to invite them to a dance.
A very deadly dance.
"Ah, how I have missed your cheery demeanor.
No need to be so mistrusting. I am only here on our goddess behalf."
He stopped for a moment, facing Emerald and Mercury with something akin to curiosity
"These two however…"
He paused again, as a small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Well I wouldn't say they have strayed, but… are you sure it isn't their behavior you should question?"
This was getting ridiculous and the worst was, she knew she was getting played. Tyrian obviously knew something and was simply here to watch it unfold…or hurry it along.
But why?
Since when were her teammates that interesting to him?
What had happened in her absence?
"Seeing as they are my subordinates, I would say they are my responsibility."
She put a special emphasis on the word, my, to let him know just how fed up she was with him right now. Salem might not condone physical violence between them, but she wouldn't hesitate to burn Tyrian's tail off for good if he didn't stop.
So one could argue that she was being nice by letting him know beforehand.
"And if you had not interrupted us they would have already told me what happened to make them act out like this, so your point is moot, scorpion!"
Tyrian blinked at that.
"Of course, you are right. How rude of me."
Focusing his gaze on Emerald once more, he smirked, causing the thief to flinch back.
"Go on then, little girl. Tell our dear Cinder the truth."
"You're-"
But Mercury wasn't able to finish his retort.
"I used the relic!"
Cinder wasn't sure what was more unsettling in that moment.
The horror that slowly spread through her whole body as the implications of Emerald's words sunk in, or the fact that Tyrian had gone limb, his face a blank mask, as if all his feelings had just melted away.
Of course the girl's focus laid on her, as she frantically tried to explain herself, the distraught in her voice and face so clear. So raw and honest.
"I didn't mean for it to happen."
Obviously! But that didn't curb the panic inside Cinder even remotely, as her eye widened more with every second.
"Ruby just called out to this…blue ghost and the next thing I know is it basically orders us to ask a question and…I'm so sorry."
Emerald was getting desperate now, her voice quivering slightly, but there was an urgency there…the need to tell her…something?
"I know I messed up, but you have to know-"
"How…dare you?!"
An icy chill ran down Cinder's spine.
Tyrian, who had been impossibly still until now, had begun to shake, his eyes glowing with a manic glint as he charged forward.
Emerald appeared to be paralyzed with fear and Mercury couldn't help but raise his hands, almost reflex like to guard his face.
Cinder really only had like a split second to react, but she stepped between her subordinates and the livid Faunus without hesitation, effectively shielding them. She knew Tyrian wouldn't dare to hurt her, but she summoned her flaming sword anyways…just as a precaution.
She didn't want to lose another arm after all. No punishment Tyrian would most likely be put through would be worth that.
The scorpion Faunus stopped dead in his tracks and looked at her in something she could only describe as utter disbelief, before he chuckled madly at the scene in front of him, slapping one hand against his forehead.
"You are so quick to protect them, even now.
And here they stand, knowing full well they have already betrayed you."
Cinder narrowed her eye. Ultimately Emerald only betrayed Salem.
'Which is actually worse.'
"I already told you they are my responsibility", she decided to remind him sharply,
"I will deal with them how I see fit."
"You still don't believe me? "
"I am simply saying it is none of your business. I will talk to Salem…they are still useful to us…I'm sure she will see that as well."
Or she really hoped so at least.
Emerald had better be grateful for that.
Gods knew, the girl was about to screw them all over.
She would need to get the full story from her once they were done here. Maybe there was a way she could salvage this after all.
Not that she particularly needed her subordinates any longer, but if her time with Neo showed her anything, then that she would miss them if they were gone…a little.
Tyrian took a few steps backwards, his eyes trailing from her to her subordinates and back again, before they seemed to…clear? Making it seem as if the Faunus looked right through them, as if he…wasn't even seeing them anymore.
"Of course…", he spoke with some sort of softness that was entirely uncanny for him,
"Our goddess is never wrong about matters from the heart."
He chuckled again, far weaker sounding than normal, which somehow made it even creepier, as clarity returned to his eyes, his expression almost nonchalant.
Shrugging playfully he turned around, stalking away from their little group, while adding:
"Well, I guess you're right. I'm sure the little girl won't sell you out again."
'…what?'
This was getting ridiculous. Letting her sword dissipate, she took a step forward, feeling another wave of annoyance rush through her, mixed with a slight dose of doubt.
She was painfully aware of her own heartbeat at that moment and it made her more uncomfortable than she cared to admit.
"What are you implying?"
Her tone was steadier than she had expected, which was good. She didn't want him to know he was able to rattle her with his words and besides,
"Emerald would never…"
Cinder trailed off as her gaze met Emerald's.
Why was she looking so guilty?
Why didn't she refute this nonsense?
Why…?
'…'
Something inside of her twisted painfully, and apparently Tyrian wasn't finished yet.
"Why yes", he said with fake surprise, as he turned around again,
"Surely you knew about that."
He looked at the thief with almost playful accusation, trying to mimic her voice.
"We failed because of Cinder. Weren't those your exact words?"
"She had no choice!", retorted Mercury in Emerald's defense, who seemed to have frozen.
"No choice you say. Correct me if I'm wrong, but-"
"Emerald?"
Cinder still looked at the thief questioning, her face betraying nothing of the inner turmoil she felt.
'Say something!'
"I'm so sorry…"
She could hear Tyrian's gleeful cackling in the background at the girl's admission.
"So all your proclamations about owing me everything were just talk after all.
I should have known better than to trust a street rat like you!", said Cinder in a biting tone, as she advanced on Emerald, her hand raised, eye ablaze.
If that guy with the death wish needed to fear and feel her wrath for hurting her, so did Emerald, but either she didn't seem to care or she was being distracted, as the girl furrowed her brows, staring at a point behind Cinder.
Before the maiden could check what was apparently more important than her at the moment, Mercury jumped forward with a snarl.
"Back off!", he yelled and shoved her with all his pent up frustration…
Directly into Neo's waiting umbrella.
Pain was the first emotion that registered in Cinder's brain. Shock was the next. She wasn't even aware how Mercury's anger morphed into horror and disbelief, as he immediately jumped behind her to fend the petit girl off.
"Cinder!"
Carefully, Cinder managed to turn around, her expression mirroring the sorrow she could see on Neo's face.
"Neo?"
Her voice sounded strange, even to her own ears. She gritted her teeth as a wave of dizziness swept over her and she felt a painful, although somewhat familiar pull.
'Why…?'
Something inside her snapped and suddenly…
She was drowning again.
But this felt nothing like the lake at Haven. Even there she hadn't experienced such a cold. She could only vaguely make out how Mercury rushed after the fleeing girl…
Neo…she had been so stupid…
If you were stronger or more clever, then maybe you'd remember to watch your back!
How did she manage to fall into the same trap again?
Her heart thundered painfully in her chest, leaving faint echoes in its wake.
Where was her rightful anger?
Why did she feel like this?
'Make it stop!'
She hadn't even realized she had sunken to her knees, if Emerald hadn't suddenly appeared out of nowhere, hovering over her, looking at her with these traitorous eyes.
So full of worry…
But she knew better now.
Balling her hands into fists, she could feel the same icy fire well up inside her.
It was…oddly familiar…as if she had experienced this before…almost like a déjà vu.
Her vision became more and more blurred.
And she was still drowning.
Someone tried to talk to her…but she couldn't quite grasp the words, as she sunk lower and lower into the cold. Her breath hitched.
Was that it?
Was she dying?
No!
Mercury…
Neo…
Emerald…
'…please make it stop…'
The wound on her back pulsed in tandem with her increasing heartbeat, as the storm inside her grew.
I want to be strong…
Something hot ran down her face. With strength Cinder didn't even know she still possessed, she raised her right hand to her face, trailing over the wet lines.
Tears?
Was she crying?
I want to be feared…
Someone grabbed onto her. She couldn't clearly see anything anymore, only the weird reddish tint of a pair of eyes still seemed to register with her.
'…Emerald?'
The ground began to shake…or maybe she did?
…what did it matter?
What did any of it matter?
This wasn't new to her.
Love was a lie, she had always known that.
And yet…she was still drowning.
Didn't she need air?
Something inside of her screamed.
'Don't breathe!'
Her ears started to ring.
It was always the same…
It never changed…
Not the world…
And not the monsters living on it!
So if this truly was her destiny…
Then everything should just die!
I want…to be powerful…
It felt like a damn was finally breaking, as her lungs filled with ice cold water and then…Cinder's vision exploded in bright light.
The first thing Emerald became aware of, were distant shouts. Opening her eyes slowly she was at a loss of where she was.
What had happened?
They had been on their way to Atlas and then…
'The relic!'
The thief scrambled onto her feet in a hurry.
That's right!
The relic, the vision, she had been on her way to Cinder and-
'Cinder!'
She stopped dead in her tracks, her face going slack with realization.
They had lost her…
How could she have known that this would be the catalyst?
But didn't it make so much sense?
The reason Salem pressured her to give up Cinder's name…
Tyrian's sudden interest in both of them, making them uneasy, even pushing them to leave…
…how was she still alive right now?
She had practically felt the moment Cinder had…become lost, her eye losing focus, the tears, the sudden, biting energy surrounding her.
She looked at her right hand, the skin marred with fresh, red blisters. In her attempt to rouse Cinder, to snap her out of this dangerous stupor, she had burned her hand.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she closed it into a fist and rubbed away the tears that threatened to spill.
She had tried, gods she had tried, but apparently not enough and now Cinder was gone and Ruby-
Get back, I'll handle this!
Ruby!
That's right.
Emerald's eyes widened. The person who had pushed her away from Cinder had been Ruby. The only other person who had seen the same things she had.
Who had protected them, as two blinding lights had clashed with each other.
But now…she appeared to be gone as well…
The voices that had woken her up a few moments ago seemed to continue their debate…and not too quietly.
Following the sound Emerald spotted the obnoxious blonde bimbo, Yang, and this young boy Hazel had dubbed as the new Ozpin.
Both looked anything but happy. If she didn't know better she would even say that Yang was about to murder the Oz boy.
"It seems I may have underestimated Salem once again."
"You knew! You knew what Cinder was. You knew Ruby's eyes wouldn't work!"
'They…didn't work?'
"I…couldn't be sure…"
Emerald let their conversation blur into the background while she looked around. The Academy laid in ruins. It was…as if a giant storm had made its way through the city, ripping apart everything in its way.
"The power of destruction…", she murmured, still a bit dazed and overwhelmed by all of this.
"You!"
The outburst startled the thief more than she liked to admit, as she saw Yang practically skipping towards her, cold fury in her eyes.
Instinctively Emerald reached for her weapons, but before it could come to a confrontation, Ozpin stopped them, using his cane to keep both of them at a distance.
"How do you know?"
"It was Salem's plan all along…and we fell right into her trap…we made it possible…"
She didn't bother to keep the bitterness out of her voice. It wasn't even an answer to his question, but he seemed to understand it anyway, as understanding flashed through the boy's eyes.
"What are you planning on doing now, Miss Sustrai?
You have no more obligations to Cinder."
'Huh?'
She… hadn't even given that any thought.
The last time she was under the impression to have lost Cinder she freaked out. She had been so angry at the world…and so miserable. Without Cinder she had been too afraid of Salem, she had let her trick them…her and Mercury.
The smartest thing would be to give up and start a new life…right?
Somewhere no one knew her…and no one would find her…
And then everything would be just as lonely before she had met Cinder.
If she was able to track down Mercury, maybe he would like to come with her…but all this would mean leaving Cinder to her fate.
And for all the horrible things that had happened today, Emerald finally knew with certainty that Mercury had been wrong.
Cinder cared about them.
She hadn't understood what the vision had meant at first. What kind of bonds Salem had wanted to break in order to make all of this possible.
But now she knew.
It was them.
Her and Mercury.
They were Cinder's bonds.
Even Mercury had betrayed his feelings in the end.
They all cared about each other.
So why would she ever give up on Cinder?
"Isn't it obvious?"
She gave Yang and the boy a wry smile, as she slowly backed away, having spotted Mercury a few meters to her left. Lifting her burned hand to her head she safely created an illusion for both of them, while she made her way over to her partner.
"I'm going to steal Cinder away from this path.
I am a master thief after all."
AN: Hello again =)
This was just some possible Scenario I was playing with for vol 7.
It's little gift for Austa, for always inspiring me with her art ^^
Seriously, check out her amazing drawings 3
Anyways, enjoy the ride ^^