Wow, the positive responses were actually surprising for me. Like, okay, this is the first time I get 'this' many. For real, it's very uplifting. Thank you so much, guys, even though I can't reply directly to your reviews due to me being busy(sorry!).

Writing every characters to make them... 'in character' is pretty hard. Even Clementine had suggested a very clever point I missed out; using big words for Weiss. Can't go easy with the Ice Queen's high-level language and well, whatever it's called. Grammar or something.

Still, hopefully, I managed to pull it off for Weiss. Keep in mind that this Intro contains flashback, indicated by italic. I'll leave it to you for read. Go ahead.

Apparently, Clementine was busy with stuff, so she can't beta this chapter. In her place, I used Grammarly to kill any ridiculous grammar error-most of them. I'll still dedicate this fic to my good friends Azxc, TheQuillan-who's hit hard with school(lol), Clementine for being an awesome writer... eh, I digress.

Beta Reader: Osmond – myself.

Rated T – for gore and negative thoughts(what? Don't laugh at me).

"Why can't people just stop complaining for once? We had gave them everything they asked, and there seems to be no end to their request. What a bunch of degenerates."

Intro II:

Aster

The clicking sound of lady stilts echoed in the amphitheater of Signal as Weiss Schnee entered the stage cautiously. The princess peered through the break of thick fabric that obscured her from anyone outside. After a moment, she decided it was safe. She shouldered her way through the crimson silk curtain, icy blue eyes scanning the surrounding. Mute silence greeted her. There was nobody here. Not even a lost soul sat on the plush seat in rows of the audience.

After all, she wasn't supposed to be here.

Her gaze fell onto the glassy floor surface, where it depicted a frowning reflection of her perfect face. The bright headlights cast onto the stage was blinding, but she's used to them. When you're a number two important figure in this world with a princess' title stamped before your name, people tend to shower you with attention and what-so-ever related stuff like that. But she had got enough. Darn those paparazzi.

The white-haired princess took a tentative step. Her long bun tail swished on her right; an off-center that ruined every proportion in her figure. It was a subtle trait of her rebellion-one of some she'd kept, just to irritate her father. She touched her icicle-shaped tiara that pinned her hair, making sure it wasn't loose in its place. The precious treasure was an inheritance from her mother; both of them so dear to her. It's a symbol, although, of what, she wasn't sure.

And it was said the very thing on her head could fetch a very high price-almost as a bullhead's. Silly people, like she'd sell it at any price. Weiss scoffed.

In this dead silence, the princess began remembering the piano tunes she'd heard. They're soft and melodious, soothing her soul. She let them gently carry her away, to where no one had ever ventured before. Her light blue skirt fluttered as she hopped forward, and it quickly bloomed into a circle while she landed gracefully on her feet. The closed eyes didn't see; she trusted her other senses. Being a princess meant you have to be full of grace.

Such as not a single foot out of place.

The melody was getting wilder. She wasn't sure if it was following her dance or the opposite instead. Only her ears heard the music, only her lips whispering the inaudible lyrics, and only her body knew what it was doing. She's possessed. The dancing girl was no longer a princess. No, her father would never allow her to do as much as a short whistle. As a future leader, she was supposed to represent the example of everyone in Remnant should become.

A stoic person that wouldn't attract any Grimm creatures.

But Weiss Schnee was sick of that. Sick of being told what to do and what not to do. Just for once, she wanted to be herself-not a bird in a golden cage with premium seeds as its food. She wanted to express her frustration, but alas, she can't. Negative emotions would lead to Grimm, and that means more limelight on her despite how safe she was in this high-class district of Patch.

As a very important person, she deserved an all kind of security; human bodyguards, android guards, and an extra secure estate with built-in anti-toxic air circulator. Every preventive measure she needed was here, and it was even stricter than in her homeland, Atlas. She'd wondered what they are for, once. It didn't make sense since the island of Patch was a known haven for noble families.

The only notable dangers were the Beowolves and Creeps lurking in the western cliff-side forest. Nothing but their automatic turrets could handle, assuming those prowlers of the night managed to scale the tall electrical wire-barbed wall of their district. It sounded nigh impossible already. If there's any, it would be threats from outside the island itself. To get here, you'll have to go through the strict boarding process in high-security Port of Vale, where it was impossible to pickpocket there without getting caught.

Should any danger arise, the nobles of Patch Island would be evacuated using airlift to a safer place. In shorter words; they've got everything covered.

Weiss twirled, her figure spinning fast yet elegantly at the same time as the melody was nearing its climax. She spread her arms wide to keep her balance. The polished floor was smooth, making it easier for the girl to do a perfect form, even though every dancer knew how hard it was to stay on one foot without stumbling. But she was a Schnee; everything a Schnee do must always be perfect. And she had practiced countless times without her father's knowledge.

Until one time he found out when she was singing, once.

"What are you going to do with that... such a pointless skill, my daughter? It has no use here," her father said sternly, but she could sense the hidden venom and mockery in his tone.

Weiss frowned, distracted by the sudden flashback. It always came sometimess to haunt her whenever she was doing what she loved. Less than a second later, she realized her undoing. Icy blue eyes opened wide as the princess stumbled and lost her balance. She let out a cry of panic. Arms outstretched to cushion herself on the hard landing. Weiss braced herself for the inevitable.

Pain shot up her limbs as Weiss crash-landed against the hard floor. Fortunately for her, she still managed to fall gracefully instead of sprawling right away. The princess winced in agony, but otherwise, she kept silent. A Schnee doesn't show their weakness. A Schnee always looks strong and noble under any circumstance. It was what's instilled into her mind since she was a mere child.

Even with the painful throb coursing through her limbs, Weiss still managed to remain upright while sitting with her legs trapped underneath her.

~-x-~

The white-haired girl had fallen like that so many times during her practice. But she always got herself up to make another effort, again and again. She had never stopped.

Until now.

Weiss moaned in pain while she's sprawled on the cold, leaves-covered soil. Her feeble body couldn't take resisting the pain anymore. She's used running on fumes before this, but sadly, it only took a single stone to trip and make her fall. And never to get up again. Exhausted icy blue eyes stared up into the dark starry night, covered by thick branches and leaves of the trees in this forest.

Her ragged breath made a thin mist in the cold air, despite it was summer.

The princess had only a vague idea whom she was running from, with all the chaos left far behind. She had been running with no direction and destination for the past an hour. It was all getting safely as far as possible from them-the unknown masked people who had ransacked and burnt down the once marvelous lyceum where she and other noble people were having a ball party.

It had transformed from a ballroom into a room full of screams and fire pretty abrupt.

Weiss blinked, after what felt like an eternity ever since she closed her eyes; she was on full-alert the whole time during this escapement. She finally could feel the smarting pain near her left eye. Slowly, her hand moved and hovered over the tender spot. She winced when she touched the wound. It was alarmingly wet. The girl instantaneously shot up and studied her bloodied hand. She was too injured up at this point that her wound bled.

She gritted her teeth in a vain attempt to blot out the torturous agony. Not only her eye, but her left leg seemed to be perilously wounded. She tried to guess what had caused them. But what's the use? She's in the middle of nowhere; a forest near the border of Vale, so far away from the safety of her home, Patch. There would be nobody out here to see, much less, help her. Unless the Grimm.

The cold air hadn't brushed over her again, but the girl shivered. Could this be her impromptu end? She was Weiss Schnee, the Princess of these united kingdoms of Remnant. Is this her destiny?

No, she refused it.

Mustering her last strength, the impaired princess forced herself up. She was strong and trained; she had to continue her escapement. As much as her body protested, staying here-or rather, dilly-dallying- would only let her pursuers gain the momentum to close the distance she'd been attempting to make between them. She had no idea where to go, and this torn dress wasn't making her get-away any easier.

She would have whined about the damage her clothing suffered, had this wasn't a dire situation. It was an expensive one-even by noble people standard.

After all, she's the princess who could get everything by just asking.

But not now, with her life at stake. At this moment, she just wanted to get out of this nightmare and be safe back at her living quarters in the Patch Premium Residence. That, the comforting picture of her haven, granted Weiss a resolve to continue her escape. Once again, she continued ignoring the throbbing pain. They could be dealt later when she has reached safety. The princess took another hurting step, and that's when she heard them.

The growls of hunger; they reminded the girl of the glowing blue eyes.

Suddenly, the bushes around Weiss Schnee exploded in shards of twigs and leaves.

~-x-~

Winter Schnee.

An elite Atlas military specialist whose skills was well-known even across Remnant, beside her young age. Graduated from Alsius Academy of Atlas just a year ago, the young woman rapidly rose up among her ranks and became one of few favorite officers to General Ironwood. She was always stoic, on full alert every time there's a movement around her. One could say she's the true incarnation of Ice Queen.

But not now.

The young woman was concentrating hard using her summoning glyph and ice Dust. One of her sabers was stuck in the ground tip-first, to help her focus on the task. The wind kept blowing harshly, throwing her bangs around, but Winter ignored. She was counting. One by one, albeit at a different tempo, Weiss took down her minions with ease. So far, it was already six.

Winter let a thin smile graced her lips. It was rare to see the specialist shows her emotion. Whereas many people thought she was as kind as a blizzard, there's still a friendlier side of the specialist. It wasn't always there because of the facade she wore, even this time. The woman didn't even intend to let her younger sibling found out. It was for Weiss own sake and safety. Then again, a full-blown praise had never tasted right on her tongue.

One more fell to Myrtenaster, Weiss' signature Dust rapier. Followed by other four, stabbed to the death by the girl's ice protrusion. The princess was natural when it came to Dust manipulation. If this was still too easy, then it's time to crank up the difficulty. Winter knew from her experience; you'll never get better if you don't raise the stakes.

From the top of the roof around their courtyard, she summoned more Beowolves; the ice reincarnation of the wolf-shaped Grimm those had fallen to her. It was way safer for her sister since Winter could control them easily using her mind. Summoning fallen Grimm was one of the unique abilities an experienced Schnee could do. Those monsters would completely take a form of living ice with glowing blue eyes and could be commanded to assist the summoner.

Right now, consider them as her sister's target practice.

Winter frowned. No matter how fluent Weiss was, the princess was still a far cry of her expectation. Admittedly, her sister lacked the experience of fighting a large number of more aggressive enemies. She had to fix it. How? By doing the test. How well could Weiss fight without her weapon? Has she become dependant on it?

Weiss let out a gasp as a strong gust knocked Myrtenaster out of her hand. The opponents weren't affected; they continued to charge on her. She was defenseless.

Blue eyes watched calmly the scene below as her minions managed to pin her weaponless sister. And then, as the specialist had anticipated, she heard the white-dressed girl cry out her name:

"Winter!"

The glyph underneath her flickered before vanishing as she ended the Aura stream. At the courtyard, all the enemies immediately vanished, disintegrating into snowflakes as she called them back. Winter exhaled. Summoning was a tiresome ability, but the specialist had practiced using it a lot, almost like a second muscle.

Winter jumped off from the roof and landed gracefully near where her sister's rapier rested. With a flick of her saber and a gravity glyph, she flung Myrtenaster back to her sister's side. To be honest, she was proud of her sister. Looking at the girl's rebellious attitude and hard-headed persistence, Weiss was even better than her. It was why she stepped down as an heir to the throne. She knew it had to be Weiss.

Being a specialist wasn't an easy feat, yet she did it nonetheless so that she could get out of her father's grasp. Winter could still remember the day she declared her wish to abdicate her previous position as crown princess. It was one of the coldest days in her life. How he nodded his approval at once and brushed her aside as if she just asked for a simple ice cream. Father was never a kind and warm figure, even when they were alone.

The distance between them was too huge, even before Winter stepped down from the throne for Weiss.

But now, seeing the very person in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a disappointment; how will her sister survive in this world with so many conspirations lurking in the shadows? She couldn't even hold her own against the mindless creatures, much less the more intelligent vicious individuals. Many people thought the Grimm were the worst threat to humanity. Oh, how wrong they were.

It was those with cunning mind and thirst for power that possessed true danger. Because they'd do anything to reach that goal, even if it means disregarding other people's lives and makes them suffer. They're worse than the Grimm. Sweet talks, manipulations, lies, fake promises... everything. They might as well eliminate everyone in their way just like any Grimm creature; it would have been better.

Instead, she had to watch out for her life; who else will try to stab her from behind?

It was safe to say that Weiss needed to improvise with all of those on paper. Winter gave her sister a disappointed look as she approached the still downed princess. She could've acted like any normal sister and said it's a job well done despite the failure. But Winter couldn't, not when the threats were looming on the horizon. So instead, she sighed.

"I am not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."

~-x-~

This moment, unfortunately, was the accurate representation of Winter's words. No amount of crying out her name could stop them.

Weiss was on her own without even a weapon. She didn't-couldn't- bring Myrtenaster to the ball, and these growls belonged to the Grimm for sure. How fast could they be at finding her? Then, the girl realized, it must be because of her current negative emotion. She cursed herself for being such an imbecile. All these years, the critical lesson drilled into her, but in the panic, she had forgotten about it-a fatal undoing.

So many red glowing eyes around her. Their actual hideous forms blended too well in the dark of night, save for several white-colored bone platings that let her conjecture their size. Just her luck, she managed to escape from the ball terror, only to run into these man-eater abominations instead. Why can't things be ever easy?

In horror and reptile brain state, Weiss almost forgot. She was supposed to calm down and strip herself of any feelings. That was the key to avoid the Grimm, or so her tutor had said. Sadly, she had no idea it'd never work when the prowlers of the night were already upon her. The girl's rational mind crumbled down while she was shaking like a leaf. This nightmare, it can't be happening, right?

For Weiss, believe it or not, that didn't make any significant change.

These monsters were going to claim her as their premium dinner, but not before hearing her last plea for help. Weiss would have none of it. She was a Schnee; she would rather go down in the fight than yell and hope a knight in shining armor appear out of nowhere to rescue her. A Schnee dies with dignity. And now, it's her turn.

She took out her last and only reserve; a small bottle of fire Dust inside her purse. The bottle was half-empty. It wasn't so much compared to the number of her enemies, but at least better than fighting empty handed. Even if she had Myrtenaster at her disposal right now, she probably couldn't hold for several minutes with her current injuries. If only she had some ice Dust, she could probably make an ice barrier to shield herself.

Unfortunately, she could only make explosions with the Dust type in her hand. That would probably push back most of the enemies and kill several, but she'll eventually run out of Dust. Perhaps, help will arrive before she's forced to submit to the foes. Weiss hoped her prayer was heard by the gods above. If they were kind enough to grant her some help, she'd be grateful.

The princess poured some red colored volatile powder into her hand as they closed in. She had to be careful; one mistake in her glyph and she'd blow herself up instead.

Weiss closed her eyes, before taking a deep breath as they lunged onto her.

~-x-~

For Weiss, Dust was an amazing propellant and the helper of humanity when they were hard-pressed being driven back to the void by the Grimm. Man's ingenuity and resourcefulness had helped them to find a fuel that'd be used by everyone, today. It was a wonder; from a small spark of hope in the dark storm of Grimm terrors, the ancestors managed to even the odds and drove those monsters back to start a better era for everyone. She was never bored reciting that history.

Dust was also mesmerizing. If only it won't explode easily due to its volatile property.

As a child of a noble family and most importantly, the candidate as the future leader of the Schnee Dust Company and Remnant, she's been taught everything about Dust since young. Even before she flowered, Weiss already know every single Dust type along with their unique properties just like the back of her hand. She had also begun researching her own combinations of Dust; some of them accepted by her father and eventually produced as the SDC products.

She was proud of that.

By the time the girl first started her training on the art of self-defense-at the insistence of her sister and father's support, she'd gone a long way choosing the right weapon for herself. Her style was of elegance and perfectly calculated moves, so it had to follow her as well. Something feather-light and slim, yet still durable that won't wear out in extreme uses and strong enough to withstand damages from unexpected conditions.

Also, a weapon that could help her focus better on projecting glyphs or manipulating Dust. Weiss couldn't believe she had found it until the first idea of Myrtenaster came to her mind. She could've chosen something more impressive; a sword that could transform into a gun with Dust ammunition, perhaps. Or, a big Dust grenade launcher that could send her opponents flying until yards away. The latter was pretty intriguing.

But the princess didn't. She had no problem with the expense; her family's wealth had it covered. No, she frankly only wanted the right arsenal, no matter if it was far simpler than other weapons of the wealthy families. To her, sometimes less is more.

It was what made she chose Myrtenaster. The silver Multi-Action Dust Rapier was lightweight, comfortable in her grip, and suited her slim form's stamina. She's not a front-line attacker; it would be years before she could reach that milestone. Her strength was moderate, which was why she opted not to become a heavy fighter. That, and for the brutality reason. The princess made a more excellent light yet strong fighter with her agility and precision.

It should be useful in most conditions since she'd conserve her energy and only attack the only critical part of her enemies using the sharp point of her blade. One stab, one kill. Efficient and admittedly, far more befitting for her title as a princess, rather than butchering them using a ridiculously large cleaver.

Those all wasn't the number one of her reasons, though. Myrtenaster's revolver-like chamber could store varied type of Dust, granting her diversity of Dust manipulation and versatility in fighting style during combat, regardless of the situation as long as she hadn't run out of her reserve. The rapier let her focus better on channeling and controlling her glyphs to change Dust properties, making it safer even though she's using the raw form.

Over time, she'd been getting so used to have Myrtenaster on her side, almost like another limb. The girl couldn't imagine how would she fare if it's gone.

Maybe not even half as good, even though she still excelled at Dust manipulation.

~-x-~

Now, Weiss Schnee understood what it feels to fight a losing battle.

Her blue eyes didn't even blink as she triggered another explosion that turned her enemies into dissipating dark smokes. She could feel the intense heat searing briefly. The blast was just a few feet away from her. Even to anyone who's already experienced years of training with Dust, it's still a risky action. But she had no choice; they gave her no room, and her injured feet hindered her movement. At this point, she was a static turret firing at an endless horde of enemies and running out of ammo.

No matter how precise she aimed the Dust in her to target as many enemies as possible, it seemed several more daring ones would take their place. The brightness did little other than blinding and annoying them, but it didn't take long for them to learn and shrug it off. The lack of sentience let the Grimm rush head on through anything. But Weiss was thankful they weren't smart; not attacking from all directions at once.

Provided her current state, even a normal person knew she couldn't hold any longer.

Help was too far away from her reach. She had lost her scroll somewhere during the escape. She was alone near the outside area where it had another name; the border of death. Weiss wasn't sure why she headed here of all safer places, such as the Upper-Class District. This situation wouldn't have happened if she was good enough in directions. Oh, wait, she was being chased by a mob of armed people.

Between them and these monsters of the dark, Weiss didn't know which one was worse.

If the white-haired girl could choose previously, she would never come here. Even at first, it wasn't her idea to join the party hosted by nobles. They're full of nonsense. Big talks full of fake smiles and courtesy, acting like they were on the highest level in this world. It's not like Weiss blatantly hate it, but the very thing has gotten boring over time. She wished they'd just leave her alone to her private singing and dancing practices.

Unfortunately for her, it was a royal invitation from the heir of Marygold Corporation, Henry Marygold. That meant she had little to no choice of not attending; doing so would be considered an insult and will drag along more troubles into her life and most importantly, her father's. Jacques Schnee wouldn't be pleased if he sees bad gossips about the Schnees out in the public-even though, so far, they had none if the hushed whispers didn't count.

So, it came to Weiss as a responsibility to uphold the name of their family. A very irritating responsibility. There were lots of pros and cons being a person with from a noble-birth, but with many things she possessed and the luxurious life she'd been living, the pros tipped the scale drastically.

The princess just had to deal with them.

Weiss hurled a handful of the volatile red powder, which immediately exploded on her enemies and scorched several of them. She knew she was running low. The girl didn't even dare to look at the small bottle in her tight grip. Somehow, she had used more than half of the content, but her enemies' number hadn't decreased. It might be a hallucination due to her injuries, but there were more of them right now, snarling and growling death promises.

She was tired. But her body still moved on autopilot against her numb mind. It seemed like an instinct of a well-trained person; continue fighting no matter what, until their last breath. Back then, Weiss was proud of that. She rarely gave up in the sparring matches with her partners unless it was a hopeless situation. The girl would always try everything at her disposal to gain advantage and eventually come out as the victor. It earned her a title:

The Die-hard Princess.

~-x-~

The dark-skinned young man smirked as he mock-saluted his opponent, who was trying to get up after being thrown by the loud soundwave. He fixed his sunglasses, still keeping an eye on her. His trumpet was ready to blast the loud note again that would've deafened anyone within proximity if it could get louder.

Meanwhile, Weiss tried her best to school a calm facade despite she half-wished and half-promised she'd use that stupid trumpet to club its owner's head. The man's name was Flynt Coal, one of the few superiors Weiss would admit. No matter how skilled the person was with his unorthodox choice of a weapon, he was annoying as always, just like in their previous matches. It was hard to accept the fact that more of them went to him instead of her.

They always competed in the yearly Atlas Regional Tournament; an elite tourney hosted by the military sub-division of Alsius Academy specifically for individuals gifted with fighting skills. Many people entered the tournament in hope to win fame and glory, while only a few were actually after the money prize. Here in Atlas, not many people were desperate for money; they were all rich.

Weiss' reason was, of course, same as the majority of the participants. However, she also wished to get as many experiences as possible, just like Winter had told her.

She had tried befriending every single participant out of courtesy and respect for their unique fighting abilities, even though calling them as her 'friend' still tasted strange on her tongue. For her, there were no friends. Only acquaintances and fellow students. A pity. All the years, Weiss was yet to understand what it meant to be friends with someone. Perhaps, it had something to do with the princess' title before her name that acted as a barrier.

It drove people away. They faked their smiles and greetings just for the sake of not getting on her bad side. Even then, young as she was, Weiss knew. But she ignored it.

She knew everyone well; including their weakness that she could exploit. They also knew and respected her. Everyone but Flynt Coal, for the last part. Since the beginning, it seemed the two had started off on the wrong foot, although Weiss could hardly take the blame. It was on her father, who monopolized the Dust market with his status as the CEO of SDC and the untold play of power using his 'Leader of Remnant' title.

Apparently, Flynt's father's small company was put out of business during that time, making them secretly despise the Schnees. She understood that part well enough, yet still couldn't help but nearly get provoked each time they sparred. Whenever he had won, she could expect what's to come from him; "That's all the money can get you."

That's not even remotely true. Weiss angrily gritted her teeth and bit her tongue from making a rebuttal. As much as the words insulted her Schnee pride, she hadn't proved herself was better than him. She opted to keep silent. The only way to prove it was by defeating him. She checked her scroll. Her Aura was below half, while Flynt's still hovered above three-quarters. He was winning this match, and even it was only a sparring match.

The princess knew for sure; he'd give a real, harder fight in their coming qualification duels. How would she defeat him if she still lost this easy one? She had to try harder.

Mayhaps to win against an opponent like him, she had to start thinking of unconventional methods-something out of the box. Just like Winter had always said; know your opponent well, and you will win. Flynt had known her style and already adapted to it while she's still blindly trying to get used to his strong sound waves.

Weiss propped herself up using Myrtenaster held in both hands. Her opponent didn't budge from his position, just as his smug expression didn't. He was enjoying this so far. Flynt was lucky there's still an unspoken code in this academy; respect the superior, not the title. Here, Weiss' last name or her status didn't matter. Not even to grant her extra privilege. To everyone else, she was only a student, not a princess of the world.

She didn't mind. Honestly, it could compare like a break from the constant sickening stream of praises the noble families gave to her outside this prestigious academy. She could just be Weiss, the smartest girl who'd worked hard to achieve the fame. Which means, everyone was free to criticize-indirectly insult- her at any faults. It's an opportunity they used, without needing to fret over for insulting a powerful heir to the Schnee throne.

Not many of them did-nothing Weiss hadn't heard previously. As much as she hated and never willing to admit it, she took in some of their words and did a self-reflection for the betterment of her as a person. It's just those few sometimes get on her nerve, like Flynt.

This time, she will teach him a lesson.

After taking a deep breath, Weiss spun the revolver chamber in her rapier, making a ratcheting sound as she switched to ice Dust again She had an idea-an exhausting one, but it's worth trying and might be just what she needed right now. She had tried using several glyphs at once and zipped fast to avoid getting caught the soundwave, but Flynt pulled out an ace card by activating his semblance; Killer Quartet.

Just as the name suggested, the girl received four times as many as his previous attacks. It wasn't the best thing she'd ever experienced.

Safe to say, he'd immediately target her every time she tried to get closer. Weiss understood, Flynt concealed his weak point by forcing her to engage in a ranged exchange. If she closes the distance, it won't work for him anymore. To do that, she had to make a distraction-not anything like her previous ones; it turned out soundwaves could scatter the icicles before they reach their target.

Weiss would attack him from every direction, now. She narrowed her eyes and focused, creating more glyphs than she'd ever tried before. Her opponent smile didn't falter as he slowly turned around, realizing there was at least a dozen of glyphs surrounding them. What Weiss failed to notice, however, was the brief alarmed look in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to repeat her failed fighting style. There must be something behind this.

The girl maintained her glyphs, all of them spinning and waiting to unleash her might. She spun the revolver chamber again, for a twist in the plan. Now, it's lightning Dust type. Time dilation was a pretty exhausting glyph to conjure, even with Dust assistance. It could help accelerating her movement up, though. That way, she could catch him off guard.

Flynt Coal most certainly didn't expect this. He'd already brought up the trumpet to his lips when Weiss slashed at the empty air in front of her, yellow glow trailing from her blade. And that's when all hell broke loose. Instead of throwing out large ice chunks, the glyphs that surrounded them began firing thousands small, needle-shaped ice. His pupils shrunk. This girl's got to be kidding him.

The needles whistled as they zoomed toward the unfortunate young man. He couldn't deflect them all using his soundwave; he had to dodge. No matter how small they were, being peppered by thousands of needle would eventually wear his Aura down. Not to mention it'd be painful. Flynt leaped up into the air and somersaulted backward. He blew into his trumpet, allowing the soundwave blast to boost him.

Even as he dodged, narrowly missing some of them in the process, the trumpet user kept looking for his opponent. He frantically threw his gaze around while jumping once a while to avoid another wave of the needle storm. The princess was no longer there. Of course, she wouldn't.

That was part of the plan; Weiss thought during mid-air, Myrtenaster poised for a downward stab. She had used the distraction to get high up in the air-out of Flynt's field of view. Time dilation helped to speed up her movements, making up for her timing so that she wouldn't have to exhaust herself keeping up the distraction glyphs for a long time. The moment he'd realized her plan, it would be too late.

Flynt cursed inwardly and immediately activate his semblance once again as Weiss dove to earth, heading toward him. Three more copies of himself came and aimed their trumpet at the incoming princess. He inhaled deeply and set on the F note. A single soundwave roared out from each trumpet and joined into a big tornado of sound that'd permeate through the thickest walls. And they aimed it toward the princess.

Weiss was sure her eardrums would've ruptured if she has no Aura. Instead, she ignored the deafening boom and launched a streak of red light-fire Dust- toward him. It's a dangerous bet. Should the soundwave fires it back toward her, the plan would go down the drain. Unfortunately, for Flynt, the time glyph and Weiss momentum allowed the attack to pass through his soundwave and straight to him.

The fiery explosion was satisfying to her ears. Its powerful blast threw Flynt's form far away.

Weiss touched the ground safely, then went back immediately into her battle stance. Her opponent didn't fare well. He tumbled over the boundary and landed face-first, just next to his weapon. Some dark smoke steamed from his clothing but quickly vanished as he staggered back on his feet, still dizzy from the blast. They spoke no words as the bell rang; signaling the match was over.

She had won by knockout despite her Aura already hovered near twenty percent.

Flynt tipped his fedora toward her and smiled genuinely. "That was a gutsy move, Schnee. I dig it."

Weiss stayed calm, even though she's inwardly jumping from delight. She finally came out as the proud victor. Still, she replied, "Thank you."

The man smirked, picking up his fallen trumpet. "I guess that's more than the money can buy you. You know what; you're so persistent."

He'd never stop annoying her; it was too much fun. Even though she didn't like it, from that moment, Weiss began considering him more than just an acquaintance or classmate. Maybe, just maybe, she'd found a friend-someone who'd seen her never once giving up until the end. In the end, 'The Die-hard Princess' had become a new title to her.

~-x-~

Now, Weiss hated that ephitet with all of her heart.

It had no use here when the enemies streamed endlessly to end her. For the first time in her life, she felt a frustrating desperation turning into a horrifying revelation; submission. Has her mind given up? If yes, then why couldn't her body just give up already? Why must she keep going on? Why couldn't she stop fighting and succumb to death? Was it stubbornness?

As ridiculous as it sounds, Weiss knew the truth. She couldn't keep this struggle up forever.

Her hand poured the very last of the red powder from the bottle. Blue eyes snuck a glance; it was empty. This remain of powder would be the girl's final assault before she succumbs to the Grimm. Weiss curled her fist tightly, not caring if she could've triggered an explosion by crushing the Dust powder. She felt numb. A Schnee doesn't cry. They face their death proudly with dignity.

Perhaps, this was what the poor commoners felt as they struggled to survives life in the unforgiving outsider region. They're not even at least trained to face off these monsters. They could only arm themselves with scraps. Meanwhile, she had a weapon and training, and even those only served as a fallback just in case the maximum security around her fails-which they did. However, after everything, she still failed. How ludicrous. Weiss stood taller. Suddenly, her doubt of the haunting death disappeared.

If those people perished, then why should Weiss protest about the same thing happening to her? Eventually, this would be her end.

Her story of life would halt here; lost in a forest full of deadly Grimm. Until one day they found her remains, no, she couldn't afford to think like that, even though it's true. Her name would cease to exist-save for a painful history in the Schnee family. Come to think about it, would they grieve for her? Winter might, but she wasn't sure about the rest. They weren't a warm family since the start; just a bunch of big apples rooted at one tree by their last name.

Could she be reborn? If she could, she'd choose a normal-not poor- civilian's life. At least, she knew her only enemies would be the Grimm. She wouldn't be hunted just like what had happened tonight, and that led her into this gruesome fight for survival. It wouldn't have come to this if she wasn't a noble princess at the first place.

The Beowolves surrounded her, like moths attracted to the flame. This flame was already dwindling and about to fade into darkness, however.

Weiss took another breath-it might be her last one. The princess savored the stench of burnt ashes, blood, decaying Grimm flesh, and everything else she could smell. They were contrastingly different but brought one clear message: death. She scattered the Dust toward her foes, then triggered another Aura-based explosion that burned them, for the umpteenth times. That's her final stand. Until-

A faint voice yelled as her consciousness slipped away, "Secure the VIP!"

Then, another one exclaimed, "Don't let those bastards get near her!"

"We've got her. I repeat, we've got her!" the first person yelled again.

In the dark void of her mind, the girl chuckled; Fools. This girl is no longer a VIP.

~-x-~

AN:

In this story, I'll be using canon Weiss(obviously) but with several twists. In the canon, Weiss loves to sing and her father allows that. It's her training at Beacon that set him off. However, it's almost like a reverse here. Jacques insisted she has to learn to defend herself from many obvious things, yet he didn't like it when Weiss shows her love toward self-expression by dancing and singing, because she shouldn't be with her title. Hope this clears things up.

So, two more intros before Arc I. I'd have gotten this out sooner, but there had been some... gut-wrenching problems, to say at the very least. It's kinda emotionally draining me and heck, very, very exhausting! So, I lost the spirit to continue writing(can't write in bad mood). At least, it's getting better-only feeling numb right now-, and I learned a thing or two from it. *sigh*

I also had finished reading the fanfic that's pointed out in the review 'Picking Up the Pieces'. It's a very excellent dystopia AU and I had no idea why I wrote this since I shouldn't be advertising... much less something that's not even mine. But heck, screw it. Etheriell is an amazing writer, and I'm proud to say I'm inspired by him, now, even though I hadn't read his fic while writing this story. Seriously, you rock, dude.

Okay, as some of you could guess, the next Intro/Trailer would be Blake's, codenamed Nightshade. It should come out at a closer time, since it's already written. Funny thing is, I actually wrote it first before I even get started Ruby's. No idea why, maybe cuz I love Blake. xD

As always, critics are welcome. I've been working so hard(I spent almost 3 f*cking hours just to proofread this chapter!) so I hope this chapter would be better than Rose. Hopefully.

That's all, see you in the next trailer.

Peace out,

~ Kvithr

P.S. I'm also preparing to rebirth my previously deleted fic, Amber & Chocolate. It's just, turns out I have a lot to fix in order to make it gullible. Rip xD

Jk, I'll actually post it, at an unknown later juncture.