CHAPTER 24
Revelations and Decisions
There was a terrible silence in the Reliquary as well as in Salem's Kingdom.
Stupefaction and misunderstanding mingled in both places to give different reactions.
— Uh... Congratulations ? Summer said after a long moment.
— Thank you, said Sélénée with a sad smile.
— Sélénée... Pregnant ?
For the first time in his life, Arthur Watts discovered a new expression on the face of the Mistress of Grimms. Something he never thought possible from her : tenderness. She smiled innocently as she turned to the windows of the room and her Kingdom outside.
Her "human" demeanor detonated with her usual coldness.
— Pregnant... And of you ? I guess congratulations are de rigueur, isn't it ?
— Thanks, Ma'am.
— Where is she right now ?
— Into the Beacon Academy, under the guard of the Hunstmen of Ozpin.
— Ozpin... (Her face darkens at the mention of that name.) If Sélénée is there, then Raptoria must be there. She would be unable to abandon her in this state.
— What is our next move ?
— It seems that our intrusion into the signal has been discovered. It will take time but we will soon be able to attract the Four wherever we want. The stronger the signal, the more irresistible it will be. But for now...
As a perfect mistress of the shadow, Salem had eyes and ears in all the Kingdoms. At Atlas, a wanted notice had been issued against Sélénée following the sequestration of a forgettable count. But Conservative politicians had recuperated on their own account this story to accuse the other kingdoms of using spy networks to destabilize the power in place and put Atlas under the tutelage of foreign powers. With enough members in the Council and the support of public opinion, they were in the process of establishing an isolationist and totalitarian policy.
As a perfect connoisseur of politics and human nature, Salem knew exactly which rope to pull to aggravate this situation. In response, the Four would have no choice but to go there to prevent a second Mantle to emerge. Like Ozpin, they wanted peace, it made their decisions predictable...
— How long have you not returning to your home, dear Watts ?
She well knew the answer but Arthur did not venture to point out to her.
— Thirty years, Ma'am.
— How about seeing your homeland again ? Atlas must have changed a lot since you left.
— As you wish, Ma'am...
He got up to leave but Salem was not done with him yet.
— Before you leave, please visit our poor Tyrian. Since Mountain Glenn, the unfortunate seems to have radically changed his state of mind. See if he can still serve our cause, otherwise...
— I understand.
It was finally granted to Watts to leave, but once past the doors of the throne room, Salem called out one last time :
— Once again : congratulations, Watts.
— Thanks, Ma'am.
He left, and Salem was alone to think about the breaking news of Sélénée.
— Sélénée... Pregnant...
She needed to repeat it, as if to better understand the weight of these two words, to better assimilate the whole extent of this revelation.
Until then, Sélénée had never had any descendants.
Now she had to be a recluse in the depths of the Reliquary to heal her wounds, terrified that Salem knew about her pregnancy.
But how was this pregnancy possible ?
A human and a being such as Sélénée could not conceive a child. But Sélénée played by his own rules ... Taking this into account then everything became possible with her...
The Mistress of the Grimms rose from her throne and approached the stained glass windows. Outside, Beowulf; Creep; Goliath... All the varieties of Grimms emerged from the Black Mares and from their first steps, they were already heading towards human civilization with the primary instinct to destroy it. Pensive, she meditated on the continuation of her plans.
What should she do now about this child ?
Since her separation with Ozpin and the Four, she had had only one goal in mind : to restore what had been broken in Remnant's Natural Order. This did not imply the first child of Sélénée, no ?
— Scharnhorst ?
His most faithful Champion was naturally there, as silent as the darkness that surrounded him. At the announcement of his name, he stood behind her, waiting for an order. Of course he had heard everything from the discussion between Salem and Watts...
— My Queen ?
— Leave now for Vale. Before long, the Four will travel to Atlas. Watch them during their trip. Focus all your attention on Sélénée.
— Copy that. Regarding the child, should I kill him ?
He had asked in a calm voice. No scruple had made his voice hesitate. Still showing her back, Salem turned her face slightly to him and raised her words.
— Kill him ?
— If Sélénée were to lose her child, the emotional shock would stop her resistance. Death would be a release for her compared to an eternity of grief and sorrow...
Simple and efficient. On other occasions, Salem would have been amused by his coldness similar to that of the Man in Black, but today it did nothing.
She had already broken many lives by eliminating their breed. Losing one's child was like losing one's soul. Salem knew that better than anyone. This indescribable suffering was like a brand on her soul... The Envoy of Benjamin had no trouble transposing the devastated expression of her former victims on the face of Sélénée. She could imagine her kneeling in front of her, tears flowing from eyes disconnected from all sensations as the fruit of her redemption was no more than a small body lying at her feet. Salem would have had only to lean towards her, put a finger on her chin to make her look up and contemplate all the despair of the world in her eyes...
"If you're a mother, that makes me a godmother, right ?"
— No.
Scharnhorst blinked for a moment, astonished by his mistress's decision.
— No ?
— You will watch Sélénée and wait for my instructions before doing anything, is it clear ?
— Allow me to insist, your Grace. The loss of the child would surely cause the coup de grace...
From the shadow of the renegade emerged a multitude of clawed hands that grabbed his legs and then the torso, arms and head. Moved by overwhelming force, Grimms' hands forced him to bow down to Salem and wait for her to forgive him or not. She turned slowly towards him and the wind of her dress was enough to crack the windows close to her. Her eyes were glowing with an evil glow.
— You are my most beautiful creation, and my most loyal Champion, Scharnhorst, but if you discuss my orders once again, the only coup de grace that will be heard will be that of your head rolling on the ground. Am. I. Clear ?
— P... Forgive me... My Queen...
The hands freed him from their embrace and retreated into the commander's shadow.
Salem did not need to add anything. Her attitude alone was enough to silence any repartee.
Scharnhorst replied with a nod of obedience and withdrew.
Cleared of prying eyes, she turned her attention to her Domain of Darkness and more precisely the moon broken up in the perpetually purple sky. She removed one by one the stems that held her bun and let her long grey hair fall on her back, her shoulders and a long curl naturally took its place on the left side of her face.
The whitish glow reflected on her red irises as she murmured :
— Sélénée... You run to your loss with this child...
— ...Economics now : new disaster from Mountain Glenn, perhaps the last, hopefully : the Merlot industrial group, mainly known for its research and developments in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, is in the midst of financial turmoil after the destruction of his main laboratory based in the former colony and the death of its director and founder, the eminent Dr. Merlot. After the vertiginous fall of the company's capital on the stock market since a week, the main shareholders have planned to meet soon to decide on the future of the group while employees of other laboratories fear a definitive closure already arranged by the management. It was Loris Mako for Vale News Network...
James Ironwood turned off the television by clumsily holding the remote control with his left arm. He had to get used to the prehension of his new dominant limb even though he still had the feeling of having his right arm and the natural reflexes that still drove him to use the wrong hand as soon as he did not focus ...
The commander had zapped all the news channels but no one had mentioned the gigantic explosion that finished destroying Mountain Glenn and the Conviction, and it was barely if they had talked about the presence of his men there. Moreover, neither the men nor himself had been interviewed by a journalist... Someone was muzzling the press, it was obvious... Someone who don't want to attract the attention of the World on the Four.
Ozpin.
He checked the time : it had been three hours since the operation to capture the Man in Black had been launched ; since then, radio silence... Had Hood failed ?
Suddenly, Ironwood was afraid of sending his men beyond danger. If Ozpin covered the Four in one way or another, should it not be beneficial to get rid of annoying witnesses ? Who would dare to come and ask about the disappearance of an Atlassian unit operating a black operation within Beacon ?
The anxiety turned into anguish and he grabbed his Scroll to contact Hood, breaking the radio silence he had imposed himself ! He dialed the number but cursed as he noticed that his device was offline... How could it be within Vale itself...?
He blenched. A mysterious apprehension warned him that something was wrong.
He took his eyes off his Scroll and turned them towards the entrance to his hospital room...
...Where stood the Man in Black.
.
Panicked, James screamed overwriting the call button to alert medical personnel. But despite her screams and repeated requests, no one rushed into the room. In fact, it seemed that the world was reduced to this piece !
— Shriek as much as you please, or break your fingers by pressing this button, no one will come," the man explained calmly under his hood." There is only you and me now.
The Man in White advanced to his bed and without any apparent gesture, a chair mysteriously slid on the ground to allow him to sit next to the wounded. James Ironwood could not believe it... Telekinesis ! The most wanted Semblance of all Remnant ! Its owner was attracted all the attention of the powerful leaders of this world ! Is this why the Four fled from civilization ? Is that why the Grimms tracked them wherever they went ?
The Man in White sat in his chair, his hands crossed at chest height, like an interrogator. Like the Man in Black, his hood covered his face except his chin, but under the shadow of his face, he saw the icy glare of a blue eye on him.
It was the shock.
Faced with this mysterious glow, James felt disintegrated ! The pain of his missing arm, the stunning effect of morphine, all disappeared with that look. He could have believed that his arm had returned but dared not look away from that look. If that of the Man in Black was empty of all emotion, that of the Man in White was a concentrate of domineering force and James Ironwood was at the heart of this attention.
— No need to introduce ourselves, isn't it ?
James swallows with difficulty as the only reasonable proof of his approval. His pitiful state did not amuse the Man in White. He was above pettiness and mockery. Even in his condition, James knew he would have no right to clemency. But that did not stop his brain from functioning at full capacity, now rid of the numbness of the drugs. If the Man in White had wanted to kill him, he would have lost no time in introducing himself. He wanted something from him... James understood and it seemed to him that the man in front of him had followed the path of his thought.
— Go on.
— I'm here for one thing only : to know which member of Atlas Council sends you.
— Do you really expect me to answer ?" James replied curtly." I am an officer of the Atlas Army ! I won't…
— But you will answer, Commander James Ironwood. An officer promised to a bright future in the army, well... Until now...
James missed a heartbeat. This man knew his name ?! Worse, its suspended status within the army ?! How could he have access to such confidential information ?!
— Who are you, damn it ?
— I am a man of Knowledge. And I have learned a lot lately. Like your small operation in Beacon that just ended in a fiasco...
This last revelation was like a stab in the already bruised body of James. So Hood and his men had failed... What would they suffer by his fault...?
— Or also this Faunus hospitalized just a floor above us... Dived forever in a world of darkness. It would take nothing for him to kill himself in a burst of despair, no ?
James held his breath, looking up at the Man in White.
— You look at me as if to tell me that I will not dare. That I will never leave this hospital after killing someone. But who do you believe is able to stop me here below ?
James Ironwood wanted to scream again, but with rage that time, and grabbed the man by the neck to silence him ! But he was nothing since he had faced the Man in Black in the bowels of Mountain Glenn...
— If you lay a finger on him...!
— What will you do ?
A silence.
James wanted to explode and take the Man in White with him to the grave. His hand whitened as he squeezed it !
— To return to this Faunus by the name of Rook... I did speak about the threat hovering over him, but did I also mention the possibility that he could wake up tomorrow by regaining his sight ? That he can once again be able to savor the infinity of colors offered by the world ?
The wounded commander's eyes widened. Had he heard or hallucinated?
— You're lying…
— What would I gain by lying to you ?
— You annihilate a colony one day and the next day you heal a blind man ? You take me for an idiot ?
— Just like Humanity, we have a builder and destructive side. There is no difference between you and me, except that we are less numerous to achieve the same result.
— You monsters... Maybe there were still people when you destroyed everything ! Are you only able to understand it !?
New silence.
The glow in the left eye of the Man in White remained unchangeable. In the same way, his fingers remained crossed. James was unable to guess whether his insult had hit home or not.
— In your anger, you say true on one point : we the Four had to destroy cities and villages in order to save others. You are free to think of us as monsters as many have often done in the past. But in this case, you and we are hardly different.
The implication made the commander wince.
— What ?
— Thanks to us, Mountain Glenn settlers survived. They have the opportunity to rebuild everything. Do you really believe that the Grimms would have spared one of them without our help ? Did you honestly think you could have saved everyone like the hero stories ? I still remember the days when Atlas opened fire on colonies lost to the Grimms to kill as much as possible, no matter for the survivors still present. It's the Protocol 49 that Atlas's army kept from its past as Mantle, if my memory serves me right, no ?
— You forget that this order has been removed from our laws," James retorted vigorously. All who followed him in the past have been convicted of crimes against humanity !
— Yet for the last twenty years I've been traveling through Remnant, many of these criminals are still considered by Atlassians as heroes who did what was to be done, no matter the price. Yourself are among those who approve of their decision, after all...
Even in anger, James was still able to be surprised by the insight of his interlocutor.
— You speak of "this order" without specifying the general behind the Protocol 49 that was baptized by his name," calmly explained the Man in White." You respect what one man did but not one of us. Why ? Because you are arrogant.
— Arrogant ?
Curiously, this word appealed to him. His anger stopped immediately as he frowned, his gaze feverish.
— A so-called honor that excludes any superiority other than his own, all strangeness out of normality based on the idea of one. I think we can also call it arrogance.
James Ironwood felt trapped. The Man in White was still sitting in front of him, impassive, his hands still crossed. A statue. He was like a frozen statue eternally in deep meditation. He did not have the overwhelming presence of his brother but his words were enveloped in something... They influenced him as a musician was able to carry an audience into a world beyond imagination.
But what if he said true ?
James had to recognize a truth in the words of the Man in White. Humanity was at war for its survival against the Grimms. It was a total war that no one talked about and no one saw the ravages that were taking place outside the cities and their ramparts. Huntsmen were leaving for a distant destination and little by little, none returned. And a new generation took over. But between the Grimms and the defenders of Humanity, there were unfortunately still civilians who ended up paying the high price, James knew perfectly well as a soldier. At Mountain Glenn, he had seen broken families, lonely orphans looking for their parents, wives desperately calling for their fallen husbands. If he had not been able to save Mountain Glenn, would he have bombarded him with the canons of the Conviction as the Four had done with their power ? The ammunition bunker of the airship had enough bombs to raze everything... And these women, these men and children included... Between a button and a destructive Semblance, was there really a difference ?
And him… what did he commit ?
— You finally realize, isn't it ?
James Ironwood gasped as he felt his unique arm tremble. No fear or anger, but of weakness.
— That Faunus, Rook, do you realize that what happened to him is your fault ? When your ship crashed, you could have stopped everything but you persisted. When you discovered my sister, you decided to stop her instead of ignoring her... And when you faced my brother... Your stubbornness has taken you a heavy price.
James stopped... It felt like being shot in the stomach. This reminder to reality awakened something in the injured, but the Man in White did not let him recover to deliver the final blow.
— The truth, Commander Ironwood, is that you are a coward. The unknown terrifies you. It is this fear that has guided you throughout your operation in Mountain Glenn. And it is your ego that prevented you from understanding when it was the right thing to stop against someone stronger than you. Your operation in Beacon is a perfect example...
James's mental defense collapsed against the ram that were the words of the Man in White. He had the manner, that of using simple words to convey the most complex truths. He leaned towards the wounded man.
— Let me reiterate my question : who sends you ?
James Ironwood was now facing himself in front of a mirror that only he could see. Yet he kept one last will in his exchange for what he was.
— If I give you what you ask, what proves to me that you will keep your word ?
— Nothing.
The Man in White had responded immediately. Without thinking to turn things in his favor. He was telling the truth, and nothing else.
James could lose everything, but on the other side, it was the Woman in White who had saved her life with her Semblance. Was there still hope for Rook ? For him ?
An endless silence.
— General Arnold Drax. Commander-in-Chief of the Atlassian Air Force...
The information he had revealed was scantly but nonetheless remained high treason. He had just been guilty of intelligence with the enemy, to reveal the process of hierarchical decision of his Kingdom to one of the members of a group having sequestered an Atlassian citizen. He risked spending the rest of his life in a high security prison for that...
The Man in White seemed to understand also the importance of the crime committed by the commander without troop. The gleam in his eye faded into the darkness and he stood up rearranging his hood to cover his eyes from his, unless he saluted his honorable sacrifice.
— You have a good heart, Commander Ironwood. It's just that you do not have what it takes to get involved in our fight. Go home, find someone and start a family. May you die one day in your bed without ever seeing us again.
.
The Man in White disappeared.
Soon, the reality of time and space resumed his rights over James and the pain and the drugs made effect. The sound of medical machines was heard again. A mist formed before his eyes and nothing worked to get rid of. Had he dreamed of this meeting ? Had all this been the fruit of his imagination ? Or that of his guilt ? Why was it only now that he realized the man he really was?
There was a knock at his door, but he barely paid attention. It was only when the two officers of the military brigade entered that he noticed them then. As was often the case with those soldiers with a very hated role of shaping their own comrades, they had no compassion for him despite his condition.
— Mr. Ironwood ? Vale Military Police. We have a warrant against you. The Council of Vale assigns you to a supervised hospital stay pending your extradition to Atlas. You are suspected of being the author of an attempt to kidnap a VIP in the Beacon Academy.
So Hood had failed... The Man in White had said true... Everything was lost for him...
— Can you just let me send a message ? It will not be long…
Back in the Vault
— You're pregnant ..., finally whispered Taiyang.
He almost fell to the ground. It was not as it seemed impossible to Women in Black given that she was… Well, a woman ! But he still remembered the violence of the shockwave that shook all Mountain Glenn when she fought against the "Champions" of this Salem...
— You fight while being pregnant ?
— I did not really have a choice," she said, glaring at Ozpin.
The Headmaster briefly bowed his head in apology.
Raptoria put both her hands on Selenae's shoulders and her sister's long dark coat materialized on her skin, warming her as she felt her shiver under her palms. The simple act of getting up was a torture for the unfortunate women. Holding her in her arms, Raptoria helped her to sit at the edge of the well of Energy where she began to speak in her soft but serious voice.
— How is it possible ? It's too early…
Sélénée sighed as her legs were bathed in the liquid that began to nourish her tired body.
— I overestimated my strength apparently... That's why I tried to find you, no matter if I leave traces behind me. The irony is that in the end, it was useless... Thanks to the Guardian, even the signal can become our enemy now.
Sélénée turned to the young Silver-Eyed who was looking at her with the same stupefied expression as her blond friend beside her. She was almost amused to see them so troubled for her.
— You're quite the silent one, Summer Rose.
— I'm sorry... It's just... It's so amazing that you...
— Why ? Because I am the Incarnation of a Relic ?
None of the Four had yet so openly revealed their true nature. It was disarming to let her release this information so casually, but so was the character of the Incarnation of the Choice.
— So it's right...," Qrow murmured." Are you really Relics ?
— Incarnations, to be quite accurate. What looks like a Relic is lower," she pointed at the basin at her feet.
The Huntsmen looked down at the strange waters that fed the Woman in Black. Taiyang wanted to get closer to the well, but Ozpin held out his cane to block his way.
— This liquid would kill you in an instant, he warned. It's a security. The real Relic rests at the bottom. Only the Four are insensitive.
— What is it ?" he asked, seeing Sélénée bathe her feet there.
It was Raptoria who answered him.
— What you see is an anchor point to a source of power that the Gods have named Energy. It is from this element that we draw our strength and powers that your ancestors have called Magic in the past. Think of it as your use of Dust to unleash the force within it.
— An anchor point... to what ?" inquired Taiyang.
— The Flux.
The Huntsmen had no particular reaction despite the effect desired by the Woman in White. This one showed a small smile shared between sadness and comfort.
— It is normal that this name does not tell you anything. Until today, there was only Salem, the Guardian and ourselves who knew about it... It's time for you to learn.
— It's up to you to shine !" Sélénée shot her with a tired wink.
Raptoria nodded and then got up to walk away from her sister, taking a few steps along the pool. Part of the Energy that was unrelated to Sélénée began to follow her along the edge.
— It is not easy to talk about Energy without evoking the Flux as both are linked. But for you to understand clearly, words will not be enough...
She stopped near the source of Energy and stretched a hand over the center of the basin.
— To understand the Flux, you have to understand how the universe works...
Immediately, the green flames that provided a dim light were blown. All that remained in the darkness of the Vault was the strange lights of the guardian basin of the Relic. Then Summer seemed to recognize the firmament of a star in the sky but realized afterwards that it was impossible. But it was not her imagination. Other stars came to shine in the ceiling of the Vault ! There were hundreds of millions ! More than they could have seen even after a lifetime spent behind a telescope. They had left without knowing the Vault, the Academy and even Remnant to find themselves in the middle of the galaxy, drifting into the sidereal emptiness, admiring haggard the astrophysical wonders and feats of the universe. From perfectly shaped planetary rings to dazzling remnants of a thousand shades of supernovae or even the single sheen of each sun were a sight beyond anything the Huntsmen could have imagined. Then, like a canvas applied to the walls, a work of art took place before them.
From the Energy pool came a star, bigger and shinier than any other. A star radiating a thousand fires that rose in nothingness to land on the outstretched hand of the Woman in White. Its heat was palpable on the Hunstmen's skin as if they were really close to the sun.
Their Sun...
Raven recognized it as such without being able to prove it. There was a familiarity in the flames, in the glow they produced. Then she saw something strange on the limits of her vision field : something bright was coming from Summer ! Instinctively fearing a trap, she reacts in a flash and pulls Summer back, but the source of light that surrounds Summer's body follows her.
— What the…?
All Huntsmen saw a thread of light stretch out of the Huntress and join the Sun of their system. Quickly, they found that they too were connected by a thread to the star. Soon, other connections were seen and stretched to cover each world, each star, each galaxy possible to form an interweaving of thread of light. The Woman in White commented :
— What you see is the Flux. It is a network of veins that supplies Energy to everything in the universe. Whether you or a planet, the only difference is the brightness that connects you to Flux.
Summer ran a hand over the light wire without provoking a reaction. Once again, the answers offered to her only led to more questions. She raised her silver eyes to the sky blue ones of the Woman in White. As they drifted to the center of the universe, Summer was not quite sure who was standing in front of her. At the heart of everything, a star in her hands, the ravishing woman with sad tired eyes no longer looked as human as her fragile appearance seemed to give her. Hard to believe that Ozpin and she shared a common origin as the atmosphere they released was different ! Ozpin inspired confidence and determination in his presence, but in the case of the Woman in White, the feeling was different... There was a name that came to mind, one that seemed appropriate to the strange environment in which it was : gravity. She did not provoke anything, but the slightest gesture or word drew attention to her. She imposed the eternal serenity of the planets, and the comforting warmth of the celestial bodies...
She was a star among them !
— You talk about Energy... But at Mountain Glenn, I did not see you using your Aura or your Semblance.
— Because, just like the Grimms, we are deprived of it. Our body does not work the same way as you do. Only the inhabitants of Remnant are able to use these gifts, which makes you one of the few privileged to access Energy.
Summer remained silent for a long time, contemplating her hands from where she could feel the coldness of her power. The link that connected her to this "Flux" was much brighter than that of her friends.
— Because I'm a Maiden, right ?
The Avatar of Life nodded.
— Like your friends in the Tribe, we are able to feel the Energy that flows in you. But it is limited in you... Incomplete...
— And under your tutelage, will I be able to such power ?" she asked, referring to the universe around her.
— No.
Like a sentence to all things, the Woman in White closed her hands on the Sun, putting an end to the illusion in which the Huntsmen were plunged, making them return to the Vault.
— Just like Dust, a Maiden is limited to a single element, to avoid a single Maiden being tempted to dominate Remnant with too much power. But do not be disappointed, once your powers perfectly mastered, you will be able to freeze deserts if that is your desire.
— Freeze deserts ?...," repeated Summer without really believing it.
— Summer...
Raven made it clear to her friend that the discussion had to be put back on track. The proud warrior of the Tribe questioned the Woman in Black, still bathing in the well of Energy.
— This energy affects your pregnancy, right ?
Sélénée expressed a certain enthusiasm for the insight of the Huntress.
— Oh~... good deduction ! You are worthy of ancestors, warrior of the Tribe... The fact is that our body is so bathed in Energy that it is a poison to the development of a foetus. I must regulate it to keep only the bare minimum in case of problem, even if it means prolonging the pregnancy considerably... It's like playing the equilibrist : the slightest mistake and... Well, you get it.
— That's why you ended up in this state at Mountain Glenn," Raven continued.
— We all have been wrecked there, for me, it was just a bit more than others..." defended Sélénée with her ironic smile.
— It's painful ?
The question came from Summer. She had posed it without morbid intent, just by empathy for the sufferings of the Woman in Black.
— The last time I saw you, you...
— If you want to talk about my arm, it's nothing that Energy can't help me regenerate !" she assured, making a swinging motion with her arm.
— You were on the verge of dying...
This time, Sélénée did not have a mischievous smile in reserve to divert the subject from the conversation. With a gloomy face, she looked down at both hands. Especially the one she lost with the destruction of Mountain Glenn.
— I have spent my life suffering... But you don't have to worry about me.
— Not to worry…? But you are pregnant, damnit !" exclaimed Qrow, furious at being considered children by this woman still recovering." You should be safe, far from Salem...!
The response of the Woman in Black to Hunstman's considerations was scathing.
She burst out laughing without joy or mockery.
It was more like a cry of tears thrown back behind a curtain of black humor.
— You didn't have to listen when your teacher was talking, you... You don't know how easy Salem can influence Remnant. There are no limits immoral or ignoble enough to stop her. What she wants, she will have it.
— So what ? Everything is lost even before you start ?" Raven said.
— If so, do you really think we would be here to train you ?
Sélénée's piquant but honest repartee displeased Raven.
— If so, how are you going to train in your condition ?" she asked with a certain contempt in her voice.
— Raven, by Monty…," Taiyang sighed behind her.
— I already love this girl," said Sélénée.
After almost decapitating him with her scythe, Qrow was not sure that trying to provoke her was a good idea from her sister.
Ozpin knew it perfectly well, perhaps that was why he resume after his criticism sooner.
— I cannot speak for all of you, but according to Sélénée's state, I guess it takes at least a year for you to recover your Energy. Unfortunately, time is against us. Now that Atlas is interested in you, it will be necessary to defuse the situation there as quickly as possible before Salem makes things worse...
If the remark could have seemed accusing of Sélénée's actions, she only shrugged her shoulders and commented ironically.
— I didn't know that a little count could drive an entire army to nab me. But there will be plenty of time to train them.
— Time ?" repeated Raven." What are we talking about ? Three months ? Four ?
The Woman in White, who had now taken her place on the banks of the pond, said nothing. Her eyes slowly turned to darkness and their most loyal lover. It was from this dark shadow that a lifeless voice rose. Two words resounded in the vault.
— Three years.
A silence. Had they heard correctly ?
The Woman in Black now spoke in a slow voice.
— When I said that the pregnancy was prolonged, I did not speak in months... We take years to give birth.
And seeing their incredulous expression, even on the face of this "Raven", she could not restrain a wolf's smile.
— You better hang on !
PS: Hello everyone !
First at all, happy new year everybody ! Best wishes, health, all that... You know the song.
Secondly... You have no idea how much this chapter 24 has been hard and looooong to do! At the beginning of February, I had already finished the passage of Salem and Ironwood. I had only to finish the passage in the vault and suddenly! BLANK PAGE
Faced with a breakdown of inspiration, I took more than three months to finally find the words and establish a correct order in my sentences. I do not remember having lost so much time on one passage so far! And yet I have known moments where I can not find the words! ^^
Also, say hello to DistantWhite and Wicho Poncho for following my fanfic ! Thanks a lot ! :)
In the end, thank you for your reading and I wish you good luck if one day you happen to be in a situation similar to mine!
