WARNING: Spoilers for Volume 3 Finale and mild language.
There was just so much... so much destruction, so much chaos, so much debris, so many Grimm...
Her aura was almost completely depleted. Somehow Miss Rose had frozen the Beast, but the woman was too exhausted to think about what that meant for Ruby Rose, for the only four people who might know what it mean, or for Remnant.
She was so tired... but she couldn't stop. Not yet. She had to fix the city, fix the school, and fix the tower. She had the power to, the obligation to, but she was out of energy. Out of aura...
Being stubborn woman she had always been, Glynda Goodwitch struggled shakily to her feet, standing straight and pointing her wand at another pile of rubble. Channeling the last bit of her aura into her wand, Glynda used her telekinesis to bring the bits together to form the building it had been before the attack. The last of her aura drained away, and the shaking hunks of rock collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust, and Glynda fell with them.
She lay among the broken pieces of the once-proud city, breathing in a choking mouthful of dust. Her eyes closed tightly for a moment as she tried to regain her breath. She slowly and with great effort pushed herself up off the ground, rising to her hands and knees, her arms shaking.
She had overdone it this time. Her aura was completely depleted-something that hadn't happened to her in years. The strain from the fighting crashed against her, but she grit her teeth, trying to force herself to her feet.
"Glynda!" a familiar voice called. Heavy footsteps rang out in the empty city, and she felt strong hands grasp her shoulders.
"Oz?" she asked quietly, her voice hoarse.
The newcomer turned around to face him, and disappointment took over, noticeable even through her relief. She cleared her throat to even her speech. "James..."
"Glynda, you can't do this to yourself," he told her, his concerned voice not the one she wanted to hear. "You need to take it easy."
Nevertheless, she leaned into his welcoming support. "Thank you," she breathed curtly.
James Ironwood nodded, smiling slightly. "Anytime, Glynda." He held her up with his right arm, slowly helping her walk down the street. She was too exhausted to let her pride decline the help.
"Qrow should be just up ahead," James told her, taking one tentative step at a time, constantly checking to make sure she was alright.
"What about Ozpin?" Glynda asked, stumbling in time with the general.
James looked away hesitantly. "That woman killed Amber. The transfer didn't work. She became the Maiden instead of Nikos."
Glynda, though weary, was not too weak to roll her eyes. That much was obvious! The destruction wasn't just the Beast. Something caused the tower to fall. Glynda's voice hardened. "Where's Ozpin?" she repeated firmly.
"I see you're still alive," a rough, slurred voice noted suddenly. "Good."
Glynda looked up at Qrow Branwen as he approached them. "Where. Is. Ozpin?" she demanded, pulling away from James to hold her own weight. James held out a protesting hand to her, starting to speak, but Qrow raised a hand to cut him off.
Qrow shook his head at James, and the general sighed, standing down and shaking his head.
"Qrow," Glynda snapped, trying to keep the desperation she felt from showing in her voice.
Qrow took a step towards her. He reached behind him and drew something to make Glynda's heart stop. Her eyes widened in horror. "No..."
It was Ozpin's cane.
Glynda reached for it, her chest tightening in grief, but Qrow pulled it out of reach. Her green eyes pierced him, a mix of burning anger and wild despair. "Qrow," she growled, her voice wavering. "Give it here."
James's hand clasped her shoulder. "Now, Glynda, don't jump to conclusions-"
The woman spun around, pulling herself from his grip. "Don't jump to conclusions?" she repeated.
"It's not what you think," Qrow said.
"Well what the hell else am I supposed to think?" she snapped, her glare flashing to Qrow. "James wouldn't answer me, and then you just casually hold out his game, and he's..." Glynda cut off, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. "Is he..." she started, her voice quiet and pleading, hoping against all odd that he was okay.
"We don't know," James replied in a low voice. He looked at her in sympathy, trying to silently console her.
Glynda was having none of it, as her fatigued yet angry eyes boring into the men before her. "What do you mean you don't know?" she demanded.
"There was no body," Qrow told her, "so we don't know if he's dead, or captured, or..."
"Or if he ran," James finished.
Glynda glared daggers at the general. "He wouldn't. Never."
"Yeah, that's a nice thought, isn't it?" Qrow asked, unscrewing the top of his flask and taking a swig. Swallowing, he continued, "But with no body and no witnesses except that woman-who's frozen and can't say a word-we can't be sure."
"He wouldn't," Glynda repeated firmly. "And if he did... he would have taken his cane." Ozpin never left his cane, not if he didn't have to, and he never did it willingly.
"Then you think he's been captured?" James asked.
"No," Glynda said with conviction. "He's too strong for that. He would never let them take him."
Qrow took another swig of his drink, wiping his lips roughly with the back of his hand. "So he's dead."
"No," Glynda said loudly.
"Then where the hell is he, Glynda?" Qrow snapped, glaring at her. "You've shot down all our only options. Are we supposed to assume he just vanished?" Qrow's words began to shake in laughter. Glynda's glare hardened. "He's invisible! that's it, Jimmy!" Qrow turned to the General, who looked back at him disapprovingly as Qrow gestured wildly at Glynda. "She's figured it out! No need to worry anymore!" he finished sarcastically, his arms flying into the air.
Glynda sighed. Qrow was right. She hated when he was right. She just didn't want to admit... "He can't be dead, Qrow..." she breathed.
Qrow snorted, not showing an ounce of sympathy for Glynda. "Just 'cause you're in love with someone doesn't make them invincible."
Glynda grit her teeth, wanting to deny it, but she was just too tired. And if he was gone, denying what she felt for him would hurt far too much, like she was betraying him.
"Qrow," James said firmly.
"What, Ironwood? Want me to lie to her? Tell her everything's okay? Welllook around, General!" he roared, spreading his arms, gesturing to the broken city around them. "I'm no Atlas Specialist, but it doesn't take one to know that everything's not okay!"
"Qrow!" James yelled, glaring at him.
"What, Jimmy?" Qrow demanded. "Life is short and it's hard. People die. People you love die. And sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. We're Hunters, James. We die and it hurts. But sitting around denying the fact that something bad has happened isn't going to help!"
"I know, Qrow," Glynda snapped, her voice lowering. "I know."
"Well, if you know it, why the hell are you still doing it?" Qrow grumbled, but he ducked his head, scuffing the ground with his shoe.
"Glynda, I... I'm so sorry," James said solemnly, taking a small step towards her.
Glynda didn't answer, her face a hard mask of determination, straightening her back. "We'll find him."
"Of course we will," James agreed.
Qrow rolled his eyes. "If he wants to be found."
"And why wouldn't he?" James challenged.
"We have a mission, Ironwood." Qrow turned away from the two, cane in hand, beginning to walk away before pausing. He looked back over his shoulder at the two. "I, for one, am going to try my damnedest to complete it." He turned away, each step bringing him farther from them. "I suggest you two do the same."
"Glynda," James started, looking from the caped Huntsman to the weary woman.
"He's right," she cut him off, her voice low. She watched Qrow leave, her face stone cold with determination.
James looked at her, his eyes confused. "But, Glynda-"
"I want to find him, James," she told him, regaining her sharp demeanor. "You know i do. But we can't let that distract us." Her green eyes met his blue ones, the pain fading from them. "We have to complete his work. We have to keep moving forward. It's what he would want."
"It's not our mission," James protested. "Our priority should be to regroup."
"Our priority," Glynda snapped, eyes narrowing, "is to find the one who did this, to protect the people, and to bring balance back to Remnant. Ozpin would never forgive us if we strayed from that task."
"But-"
"That's enough, James," Glynda said coldly. She began to walk shakily in the opposite direction Qrow had gone, leaving James alone and looking exasperatedly around the city. "You can search for Ozpin if you wish. I'm going to do the same as Qrow, and help Ozpin the only way he'd want."
"What if he's dead, Glynda?" James called suddenly.
Glynda froze, a wave of sharp pain crashing into her. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her breathing even and stop her voice from shaking as she forced out her reply.
"All the more reason to keep moving."
