BGM: Where the Lost Ones Go

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[We took a break from the interview. The headmaster went to handle some business. He did not tell me whether it had to do with Beacon, or the Guardians.

I visited the formal student dormitory, which had been converted into a memorial house after the war. I had been here several times before, but this was my first time here without seeking for something. I walked through the rooms at a leisure pace, allowing my eyes to wander from one epitaph to another. The names of the Huntsmen who sacrificed themselves glimmered under the light of all the candles the visitors lit for them. The nameplates and pictures radiated a soothing warmth, and the quiet prayers from the visitors echoed like a lullaby.

Most people visit here to pay tribute to these heroes, but there are some who arrived after a long journey, seeking the truth of what became a friend they had lost touch with, a stranger who had once saved their lives, or someone who has crossed path with them in some other meaningful way. There was a collective serenity here, which nothing seemed to be able to break. This was a place of comfort and healing.

I recognized several of those names on the wall. Most of them I had became aware of during my research. I thought I had learned all I could about those people, their names, their family, their history, their occupations, and their ideals. However, seeing the photographs and the short notes their friends left here, I realized all those information I collected were only some cold, hard, and empty shell.

It was in here, through the faded photos, the whispers of love, and the fond memories of a distant past, that we were closest to the lost souls.

When I returned, Headmaster Ozpin was already back sitting behind his desk. If he saw the redness in my eyes, he feigned ignorance very convincingly. I nodded my thanks when he gestured for me to take the plate of refreshment and the new cup of beverage. I sank back to the chair, already feeling exhausted. He gave me a look akin to pity, and sipped his coffee.]

Before I continue, I shall tell you what became of Mr. Arc, Ms. Valkyrie, and Mr. Lie.

Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie could not simply ignore their opponents. Both of them were fierce warriors. I'm sure that they tried to shake them off several times, but eventually, they realized that they must defeat them to reunite with their leader.

If you have watched the footages of the Vytal Festival of the year Beacon fell, you must be familiar with the technique those two used against Team CFVY in the double round. Correct? You understand that we speculated Ms. Sustrai's Semblance to be of mind control, or more specifically, to create illusions.

They tried similar "divide-and-conquer" strategy when they faced Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie. Much to their surprise, they did not account for the fact that Ms. Valkyrie, as simple-minded as some would claim her to be, was immune to Ms. Sustrai's Semblance.

There is no way to confirm our theory now, but I believe Ms. Valkyrie was too strong-willed to be deceived by the illusions. Adding the factor that she and Mr. Lie shared a bond that could not be described by simple words, Ms. Sustrai was at a severe disadvantage. [He chuckled.]

Mr. Lie, on the other hand, was not as lucky. He is a master at martial art, proficient in observing and turning the opponent's physical strength and Aura against themselves. He lacked in strength, but made it up with his agility and dexterity. However, his knowledge became ineffective when his opponent were not entirely made of flesh and blood. Yes, as we found out later on, Mr. Black had two prosthetic legs. I believe that was why he never wore any shorts, no matter the temperature.

If our interpretation was accurate, Ms. Sustrai, unable to gain any advantage over Ms. Valkyrie, abandoned the original plan and turned her Semblance to Mr. Lie. She was unsuccessful, however, as Ms. Valkyrie realized her intention and forced her to give all her attention.

The battle dragged on longer than the two members of the Vindicates had anticipated. They grew anxious.

Similar thing could be said about Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie as well. Worried for Mr. Arc's safety, they made mistakes. Their opponents made sure those mistakes did not go unpunished.

There was no deciding moment in that battle. Both sides became accustomed to each other's attack patterns, and learned where the flaws in their opponent's defenses would be. If it continued like that, the chance of my pupils' survivals would be almost non-existence, for their opponents had more experience against human. Their tragic past demanded they steal and kill to get by each day.

If they entered a stalemate, my students would no doubt be worn down and slained.

But that was not what happened. Mr. Lie, being the intelligent young man he was, turned his disadvantages around and made them work for him.

He knew he could not use his skill to disrupt the flow of energy - excuse me for not knowing the proper term - in his opponent's body, but he also found out that, unlike human nerves, the robotic legs did not alarm its master of certain assaults that would have made normal people feel pained.

And so, he started using his Aura to tinker with the prosthetics. He did it so subtly that I believed Mr. Black never found out what happened to him.

My students were the pair who emerged from the battle alive. They sustained have injuries themselves, but still wanted to reach their leader's side. I'm forever grateful that my fellow Guardians found them, and carried them back to the Medics. I shudder to think what would become of Mr. Arc if he had lost his remaining teammates.

[He paused at the mention of Jaune Arc, looking thoughtful.]

You remember I mentioned before, that I had intended for Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie to join Mr. Arc in fighting Cinder. I had hoped that, by combining their efforts, victory would come at a lower cost.

I knew Mr. Arc would fight harder than he had ever been before that day. I knew he would find false courage and strength, like men who were blinded by hatred and anger often do. Those emotions would make him powerful, formidable even. But they would not make him strong, and if he did not realize that, he would surely die.

I had hoped that the presence of his teammates would help waking him from the frenzy of vengeance, should he become trapped by it. Despite the possibility that his improvements could surprise the enemy and give him the upper hand, the power that came from such negativity could just as easily be his downfall.

After all, it was the exact same power that they wielded, and which their organization was built upon.

If Mr. Arc was to stumble in that battle, he would not be given the chance to stand back up. I knew it would be inevitable, yet, I chose to send him in the way of destruction.

When I saw Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie being distracted from their path, I knew Mr. Arc would have an uphill battle ahead of him. But there was still one last hope for him. There was one person, whose existence I learned about only few weeks prior, and whom I had never met, that I put all my faith in.

I saw her stalking after Mr. Arc after Ms. Valkyrie and Mr. Lie were separated from him. No one else had seen her. Not the Guardians, and not the Vindicates. She was someone who was not supposed to be part of this mix, and I gambled Mr. Arc's life on her, again, without her knowing it.

Mr. Arc described that battle to me after he returned. As I expected, Cinder taunted him about Ms. Nikos, and he let the rage blind him. The woman toyed with him before striking him.

To their surprises, just as Cinder was about to finish Mr. Arc off, an arrow appeared from seemingly nowhere, and embedded itself in Cinder's heel. The Sacerdos was distracted only momentarily, but the split second provided the opportunity Mr. Arc needed to get back on his feet and wrestle her to the ground.

He struck her with everything he had, before he fell unconscious. It was not enough to kill the woman, but it was enough to incapacitate her.

And so it shall be, that the trespasser put another arrow through the Sacerdos' chest. In a way none of us could have predicted, the power of Autumn was released from the Vindicate, and a new Maiden was born.

After Mr. Arc had awoken from his coma, he confided in me that he thought the person disrupting the battle was Ms. Nikos. He looked both confused and hopeful. I knew just how desperately wanted to believe in what he had seen, even though he knew it was impossible.

"The person who saved you is here." I said to him, keeping my expression as even as I could manage. "If you wish, I could ask someone to fetch her."

Slowly, the realization dawned on him. He saw his choices, each forking off to a different future.

He could refuse the offer, never to know who he really saw, and continue to believe in what he wanted to believe in. There might be some nights when he would question, and regret this decision, but if his faith is strong, the doubts will eventually fade away.

On the other hand, he could face the reality. He might find comfort in the identity of his savior, knowing that someone real had come to his aid in his moment of need. He might find something which he never knew he had been searching for. But he might also lose something precious to him, something that might have supported throughout this long journey. It might break him.

I waited for him to make the choice.

He buried his face in his hands. His word came out strangled.

"Why?"

I tried to maintain the neutral expression.

"You have to be the one to make the decision."

His head shot up. Two stormy, dark blue orbs stared dagger at me.

"Why now?" His voice was hoarse with anguish and rage. "You never gave any of us choice when it mattered. Why?"

He was suffering. I had essentially stabbed him again in a wound that never truly healed. But it had to be done.

"Do you truly believe that?"

For a moment, his face contorted into a fearsome scowl. His muscles tensed, his body coiled ever so slightly, like a serpent preparing to strike at its prey.

But almost as soon as it came, it went away. He slumped down into the makeshift bed, and murmured.

"You are not gonna go away until I made my choice, are you?"

I didn't answer.

He lied there for several minutes, quietly pondering. I listened to his every uneven breath. His hesitation. His struggle. I prayed that, whatever he chose, it would bring him the peace he deserved.

When he finally sat up, he looked like he was about to cry.

"Invite her in, please."

He turned away from the door. I nodded and stepped back, even though he could not see. Someone shuffled behind. I lifted the drape of the entrance, and gestured for the young woman to come in. She hesitated for a second, but held her chin high and walked in with the dignity of a noble.

Mr. Arc stood up with his eyes closed. He took several breaths, before slowly turning around.

I left the two of them to speak in private.

[He swirled his mug absent-mindedly.]

I knew Mr. Arc would need somebody by his side afterward. Perhaps he would want his friends to be there. Perhaps not. I did not ask, because I wanted to be there. I wanted to help him, and if nothing could be done then, at the very least, to see this through.

They did not take long. It was merely fifteen minutes after I left when Ms. Nyilas came out. She was surprised to see me waiting outside, and gave me a suspicious look.

"He asked for you." She said. "I came out to search."

I nodded. Mr. Arc must have guessed my intention. He was always observant. It was one of the many reasons I appointed him to be his team's leader.

Before I entered the tent, Ms. Nyilas stopped me.

"Will he be okay?" She asked, a little uncertainly. "He looked… lost."

I paused to consider my response. "Of course" would be too unceremonious. "I hope so" lacked confidence in Mr. Arc. I settled on the simpler, more general answer.

"All in due time."

There was something akin to appreciation on her face when she nodded to me. I stood there for a few more seconds, watching her leave.

When I walked back in, I saw Mr. Arc leaning against the opposite entryway. He held the drapes open with one hand, watching the gloomy grey sky. We stood there in silence.

It was the sound of rainfall that began our conversation. Mr. Arc turned, and I saw something had changed within him. His eyes were red and puffy, but there were no tear stains on his face. When our eyes met, I saw not a broken man, but a reborn soul.

"Professor Ozpin."

For the first time since the Fall, he addressed me the way he used to. Not the Headmaster. Not the Warden. "Professor," he said. He saw me as his teacher again.

"Jaune." I walked up, and put a hand on his shoulder. I had been waiting for the right moment to tell him, and now, I finally had the chance. "I am sorry."

He nodded.

"I want people to remember her." He whispered. "I want her to live in our memory."

The small drizzle turned to heavy downpour, but the droplets were still quiet when they hit the ground. The soundless voices echoed.

"I don't want to forget her." He said. "But I can't bear to remember. It hurt so much to remember."

And he sobbed, like a boy.