Volume Four, Chapter Six: Resolve

re:Bound

Allison Illuminated

Chapter Publish Date: 3/10/19

Beta: Vixie

Where are we going, Bella?

You'll understand when we get there. Trust me.

Ruby frowned as Bella led her through the industrial district towards the wrecked part of Vale. They had been hanging out by the port after lunch when Bella had declared they had something else to do and dragged her into the city. August hung over the concrete in a shimmering haze, cicadas buzzing in the nearby trees. People around them seemed to be in good spirits. Ruby was too – a month and a half out from the attack, with relief efforts over and the rebuilding in full swing, life had settled back into the normal pattern of summer.

Isn't that crazy? It all still feels so fresh, and at the same time everything is back to normal.

Bella gave Ruby a wry smile, her hands buried in the pockets of one of Yang's bomber jackets. Well, that's life, right?

I don't get it. Ruby shifted closer to Bella to avoid a passing stroller, shooting a smile at the kid inside. Ooh, cute kid!

Don't worry about it, Rose. And here we are! Stopping short, Bella turned and pointed at a nearby skyscraper, a grand affair with modern glass and darkened steel shooting into the sky above them. Ruby craned her neck trying to see the top.

Woah.

Bella smirked at her over her shoulder. What, you've never seen a skyscraper?

No, I… I've seen the bottom, but I've never looked all the way up. It's so tall! Ruby stared upwards for another moment before a thought occurred to her. Why are we here?

Well, I might kinda own the entire building now.

Ruby stared at Bella.

Bella stared at Ruby.

"What."

"So, let me get this straight." Ruby followed Bella out of the elevator into a low-lit maintenance hallway on the fifty-forth floor. "The entire time you've been in my head – almost an entire year – you've been sitting Roman Torchwick's multi-million dollar criminal empire?!"

Bella's smug exuberance had vanished, replaced by a deep blush of genuine embarrassment. I didn't realize how much he left me, at first, she admitted. I knew Roman had a will, but I was too far gone in the fall to figure it out – more obsessed with getting revenge and all that. I didn't figure it out until I reconnected with Mom.The government nabbed a lot of it for posthumous evidence, and Cinder destroyed some assets to cover her tracks. Some of the associates we used to work with took parts they knew about. Mom and I decided to let those go; we figured if we ever want them, we'll just steal them back, right?

"Right?" Ruby echoed.

But Roman was smart. Most of what we owned wasn't even under his name. So when I opened my bank account in March, after the whole mess with the dance was over, I found out he left all of it to me. I- Bella took a shaky breath and shook her head. I told him not to. I told him that if he ever died, all that money would become fodder for the next person who held the bond. I told him it would paint a target on my back. I bet he only said he didn't to shut me up. He was an idiot like that sometimes.

Ruby could feel her grief but also her acceptance, and found herself lost on how to react. "How much are you talking about?"

Billions of Lien. Real estate in all four kingdoms. Tons of stock. We're fucking loaded, Rose, if that's what you're asking. Bella laughed. It's overwhelming. The worst part is most of it, Roman made legally. He was brilliant about financial stuff. The only reason he kept stealing after we got out of Mistral was for the thrill. I told him he would get himself killed, and he always said he didn't care.

Ruby stared at the floor and shuffled her feet, trying not to care too much and failing. I killed him.

I know.

It's-

Stop. Bella stopped short in the center of the concrete corridor and grabbed Ruby's shoulder. I don't blame you for killing Roman. I told him he was going to get himself killed, remember?

Yeah, I guess so… Lights flickered, whispering through the long shadows on the wall. Ruby closed her eyes, listening to the creaking of steel as a gust of wind rocked the building. "Is that why you didn't tell me about this?"

I always was going to show you Roman, but it's hard. For both of us. Bella shrugged, letting go of Ruby and leaning back against the wall. Besides, you've never cared about money. I needed to sort through things first, and the attack messed things up. I figured now was as good a time as any, before we go back to Beacon.

That made sense, but Ruby still felt like she was missing something. Wait, so that's it? We have lots of money? You could've told me that, dumbass, I wouldn't have cared. And why are we in a weird hallway, anyways?

The only way you can get to the penthouse is through the back corridor, Bella muttered. She stopped at an unremarkable gray door and pulled a keycard out of her pocket. Damn paranoid bastard.

Ruby blinked. "Penthouse?"

Bella smirked and pushed the door open. Inside, a lift glowed soft blue, natural light drifting into the shaft from above. Wait and see.

At her gesture, the duo stepped onto the lift and Ruby's jaw dropped. Bella's apartment was a grand studio, with an open kitchen and dining area that sloped into a sitting area with leather couches and a black and white zigzag carpet. To the left, a wide computer bank and holoprojector sat darkened in the center of the room, bulletin boards with maps and paper hanging from the surrounding walls. Before Ruby, windows sprawled out in one hundred eighty degrees, giving a panoramic view of Vale from high above the city.

"Wow," Ruby whispered. She stepped off the lift into the apartment, hesitant. Entering other people's homes had always set Ruby's social awkwardness off; it was one of the reasons she had had such a hard time making friends at Signal. Bella's apartment was too high-class; she was a stranger in its midst, even with Bella's emotions whispering home through their bond. "You lived here?"

Yeah. Way better than some tent in the middle of Anima, right? Bella followed her starstruck gaze around the room and could only shake her head. This was home, for a long time.

Home…

Ruby drifted past Bella, walking past the couches to the open glass pane. Pressing her hands against the warm pane, she looked past her reflection – silver gleaming in the sunlight where her eye should be – and out into the city. The three o'clock sun burned hazy behind the clouds, casting a midsummer lull over Vale. Ruby's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the city. Pock marks covered the ruins of the Commercial District, emptied craters left from where each massive Atlesian battleship had crashed. Scorch marks blackened the remaining buildings like lashes from a whip. Ruby could trace the main avenue where the protest had been, or what little was left of it. It was like looking at one of the old photos from the Great War in school, only this was real and so much worse.

This was destruction looked like. This was what evil left in its wake.

Rose…

"I hadn't seen it from above," Ruby murmured.

Bella walked to her side and lifted her chin, standing tall before the window. I didn't mean to make it fresh again. I…

Ruby clenched her fists against the glass, her knuckles dragging against the clear pane. If she shattered the glass, how long would it take to fall all the way to the street below? "This is why, isn't it? Why we go to Beacon, why people become huntresses. It isn't to be a hero, or to get stronger. It's to stop this from happening."

A cloud drifted to the side, sending sunlight beaming into their faces. The heat was harsh, but neither of them made a move to shade their faces. Bella's eyes were both pink, and she made no move to comfort Ruby. You have to see it for yourself, Bella murmured through their link. Augustus used to say that to me. You can dream and hope and train all you want, but until you see it yourself, it's not real. It's not yours. I remember the day I saw war for the first time – not violence, war. It was the first big battle against another major tribe, too big for me to take down, too many semblance to infiltrate. Augustus, he… he didn't fight. He took me, and we watched the battle from on top of a hill overlooking the plain. There was no strategy, no tactics. We lined up, they lined up, and they ran at each other and started hacking each other to death. That was the day he called me his Hand for the first time. War doesn't make sense. It just takes and takes and takes until there's nothing left to give. And that war, that battlefield, it's mine, Rose. I can never stop fighting, now, even if I wanted to. And she could see it, bleeding from Bella's memory into hers – how the open field burned, how bodies had piled in cairns only to be blown apart by dust. She watched them die from the hill, and didn't move, couldn't.

Bella pulled the memory back before it could become Ruby's, too. "Wait," Ruby whispered. "It doesn't have to be yours, I can-"

No, Rose. You already bear enough of your own burdens. Let me hold mine, if only so you don't have to.

Ruby let her fists fall to the side, brushing against the tattered edge of her cloak. Vale's scars didn't fade, didn't shatter like Bella's illusions. Her eyes glinted in the sun. "It won't happen again," she whispered.

I don't know if we can stop it. Bella reached out, and Ruby let her ease her fingers open and hold her hand tight. It might be too late.

"Then we'll train. We'll train, and we'll fight, and we'll stop it anyways." Ruby's eyes hardened, and her resolve steadied. "That's why I'm a huntress. That's why I can't give up, not now. And that's why we're here, isn't it?"

We have money. Resources. We- Bella's thoughts caught, and she swallowed. We can fight it. Both of us. We-

Ruby had never felt more certain in her life. Unable to verbalize her swirling thoughts, she slipped back into their mindstream. We can change things, Bella. We could change things.

Mom. I've already given her most of the property Roman had in Anima, but we-

-Salem doesn't have an army, right? And if we could fight against the Grimm-

-right, and we have Pyrrha and Mom-

-we could find the other maidens-

-kill Cinder first-

-how-

-army, Rose. A whole army-

-but she could burn them-

-no, but two maidens against one-

-but what about Salem-

-we'll defeat her too-

-this is crazy. You can't just beat the Grimm, they-

-I know, this is naive-

-stupid-

-if Ozpin couldn't-

-and just a few people pulled off the attack-

-we'll die-

-but this is worth dying for-

-it is-

-so it doesn't matter. We have the tools. This is our fight-

-our fight-

-so I guess we just have to win-

-then that's what we'll do-

The sun dipped below another cloud, shading the penthouse back into burnt gray. Ruby and Bella stared at each other, hand in hand, identical determined grins working their way across both their faces.

"We have to train."

And figure out how to convince Mom to fight Salem.

"Think we can do it?"

Well, there's only one way to find out.

Bella let go of Ruby and disappeared down a side hallways, leaving Ruby standing alone before the damaged city. Reaching behind her, Ruby drew Rising Thorn and activated the naginata form. The dark blade extended above her head, gears thrumming in her grasp. How would her life have been different if Summer was still alive? Would they have been able to stop the attack? Ruby sank into a black leather couch, running a thumb along the side of her blade.

"We'll protect people," she murmured to the blade, her eyes lingering on the rose insignia she had spray-painted onto the hilt in the spring. "We have to." I should go and visit Mom's grave, sometime soon. I haven't been since before the attack… Bella hummed in agreement in the back of her mind.

A few minutes later, Bella re-emerged from the back room. Ruby had spaced out, relaxed by the warmth and the sun. Rose, check it out.

Mmm… Ruby yawned and turned around in her seat. Woah.

Bella's old combat outfit was gone. In its place, Bella wore a brown jacket with a pink interior and exposed shoulders, a white vest, and matching white pants. She struck a pose and grinned at Ruby. What do you think? I've been wearing jumpsuits for a year now, I figured it was time for a change.

Ruby tore her eyes away from Bella's cleavage for long enough to be annoyed with her. You mean you dragged me here so I could watch you try on clothes?!

Pretty much, yeah. All of the, well- Bella eyed Rising Thorn as she gestured out the window. I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't trying to bring that up today.

"Why am I not even surprised?" Ruby sighed, slumping back on the couch. You look great, Bella. You could wear basically anything and you would look great.

Aw, that's the spirit. I take it you'll leave if I go through the other six outfits?

Yup.

No fun. Bella crossed her arms and shook her head. Well, at least we still can go shopping for you!

Dread washed over Ruby. Shopping? With you?

Bella walked over to the sofa and leaned over the back, smirking as Ruby cowered deeper into the cushions. She poked Ruby's nose, making Ruby flinch. You only have one combat outfit left, and I already told Tai not to order you another one. You can't avoid it! Besides, I remembered how much you wanted to go shopping with Weiss and Blake when the semester started. You like shopping.

I like shopping with Dad, when we finished in ten minutes! Not spending five hours looking for- for- Ruby blanched as she uttered the dreaded word. -lingerie.

Soaking in her fear, Bella cackled and dragged Ruby off the couch. C'mon, Rose. We can go save the world later. Right now, you and I have a date at Sapphire's!

"No!" Ruby cried, waving Rising Thorn as Bella dragged her back onto the lift. "Unhand me this instant, you- you- scoundrel! I will throw out all the ice cream!

Too late!

"Bellaaaaa!"

Needless to say, it was a long afternoon for Ruby Rose.

At the edge of one of Atlas' famed plazas, a famous tea shop with a pre-war facade was the center of a hive of attention. Atlesian soldiers in full armor stood guard by the door and in the corners of the outdoor patio. A small crowd had gathered outside earlier, climbing over a historical fountain and crowding the sidewalk to get a better look until harried waiters had turned them away. A meeting between the heiress of the SDC and the general of the Atlesian Military always made news, and following the attack, the people of Atlas were eager for any good news they could find.

Weiss and Winter payed the onlookers and the guards no mind.

"I can't believe he didn't disown me. I can't believe he was thinking about disowning me." Weiss leaned into the table, steadying a hand from trembling around her teacup. They sat close together, speaking in hushed tones for privacy.

Winter shook her head, staring into her drink. "He wants his control over you back. Once he realized I was in too deep with Ironwood, he disinherited me at the first opportunity he got. Clearly, he thinks he still has a chance to… mold you."

Weiss' lip curled in disgust. "I'll play his game," she whispered back. "My teammates will support me no matter what. All that matters is that he's letting me go back to Beacon, to my team. Everything else… It's a small price to pay." Weiss looked at Winter with steel in her eyes. "He won't change how I feel."

Winter nodded. "You've changed since I saw you in May," she noted, taking a sip from her tea.

Weiss shrugged. "You knew about the protest. About the massacre. Nothing I could have done would have stopped it. It was a battle I couldn't win, and we fought anyways. We fought, and my friends died and lost limbs and went comatose. What happened to me? Nothing."

"Survivor's guilt," Winter murmured.

"Maybe." A cool breeze whispered through the vines, blowing a strand of loose hair from Weiss' face. "I don't have time to feel guilty about things beyond my control anymore, Winter. I told you about our training mission. I was guilty for weeks, and for what? My 'dead' teammates turned out to be traitors who killed two of my friends. I- I can't go through that again. My team can't. We'll break. I can't linger on the past. I have to be a strong enough leader to not let it happen again."

Winter's face softened. "You've grown so much, Weiss. I could never have imagined my spoiled brat of a sister would come so far."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the backhanded compliment. "Becoming the leader of the SDC is a battle I can win. I won't give my inheritance up, not now."

"I would expect nothing less of you. You always were stubborn."

Sitting back in her chair, Weiss noted the lines under her sister's eyes. I've never seen her this tired... "How is your promotion?"

"Challenging." Winter sighed. "James trained me to take on his role for years, but I never expected to have to become a general so soon. The army is in complete disarray – we lost half of our navy. Half! Gods, a semblance of that magnitude… Such betrayal, I..." Weiss knew her sister was far too proud to show any sign of despair in public, but she still could feel it rolling off of Winter in waves. She reached out and touched Winter's wrist, and Winter gave her a small grateful expression. "Thank you. James was my mentor, my friend. If I had known his plans, I-" Winter took a deep breath and straightened in her seat. "I think I would have killed him myself."

"I'm sorry," Weiss murmured.

"Don't be." Winter lifted her tea cup and took another long sip. "Our situations are not dissimilar, Weiss. I will do everything in my power to ensure you are able to succeed."

"Tactical training."

"Oh?"

Weiss pushed away from the table, pursing her lips. She had been mulling over the protest for weeks, and Winter was her best bet for getting advice. "During the protest, my team split up, and that's why we got hurt. I saved a lot of lives, but alone I couldn't do anything for anyone further away from me than a few blocks. If I had made Yang and Blake stay with me, or if I had been on the front lines with Ruby and Bella, I could have-"

"Stop." Winter held up a hand and gave Weiss an intense gaze. "You just told me you can't linger on the past, so what is this? First of all, you saved hundreds of lives by stalling the Paladins and pulling people from the wreckage. I read your mission report. That is commendable in such a horrific situation. Secondly, I understand you are upset over your teammate's injuries, but when you have multiple priority threats, there will be times when you are forced to split up. Your initial decision to split up was correct, necessary. You have done a fine job as team leader, and I will not allow you to revise the past to fit your guilt."

"But-"

"No but." Narrowing her eyes, Winter leaned forwards. "If you want to drill tactics, work with your team and you will grow. However, that's not what your true concern is."

Weiss frowned. "But what if-"

"You want to get stronger, correct?"

"I mean, yes, but I don't see how that'll help my teammates if we get separated."

"This isn't about your teammates, Weiss." Winter's eyes met hers, searching. "This is about you. And I think you already know what I'm going to ask."

"What?"

Winter set her cup down. "Your semblance."

"My… semblance?" Weiss repeated.

Winter sighed. "From your tone, I take it you haven't thought about it since you left Atlas last summer. Have you worked on it at all?"

"Of course I have! I'm getting better and better with my glyphs! I've even started Time Dilation!" Weiss said in an offended tone, unable to meet Winter's eyes.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Okay, fine! I still can't Summon," Weiss admitted, crossing her arms. "You know I can't-"

"Enough with that. Every Schnee for hundreds of years has been able to summon." Winter's tone made Weiss straighten in her seat. "If you want to protect people, want to beat Father at his own game, you need to learn how to master your own powers." Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but Winter shook her head. "If you know about-" Winter's voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "Salem, you are in more danger than you can understand. Leadership is important, but never, ever forget that you are just as important as your teammates."

"I don't understand," Weiss whispered back.

"This is a lesson James taught me. It doesn't matter whether your troops will follow you into battle or how skilled they are. If you can't inspire greatness, if you can't lift every soldier from their darkest moment, you may win the battle but you will lose the war." Winter forced Weiss to meet her eyes. "You've got enough knowledge to command a country and the heart to make people follow you. Your teammates trust and love you, but that's not enough. You have to be strong, Weiss. You have to carry your team on your back, even when you're fighting alone."

The plaza bustled with noise and life around them. Dappled light filtered through the vines. "How?"

Winter rose to her feet and turned away. "Keep faith in your team. Never stop learning. But if you want to be strong, master your Summoning." Unclipping her sword, she plunged the tip in between the cobblestones. The icy projection of a Beowulf came to life beside her, mist steaming from its eyes. Nodding, Winter turned back to her sister. "Master yourself, and you'll win your wars, Weiss. That's how to lead. That's how you'll lead, once you figure it out."

"Winter?" Weiss murmured in near awe as Winter dispelled her illusion.

Winter smiled at her, and held out a hand. "Come on, there isn't enough space here. I'm sure we can find space in Father's forest to practice."

Weiss steeled herself and took Winter's hand, a swell of determination taking root in her chest. "Wait, Winter, before we go, can I ask you a question?"

Her sister paused and nodded. "Of course, anything."

Lifting her chin high, Weiss smiled. "Is there any chance you could get a high-end prosthetic right arm?"

She's gone.

Relaxing from her meditative pose, Pyrrha fell back against the soft moss beneath the great oak tree she had chosen for her training. The forest behind the Xiao-Long household was peaceful in the early morning, the dappled canopy above rustling in the wind. For the first time in six long weeks, her mind was quiet.

I did it. I blocked Cinder out.

After the attack, Pyrrha had been assaulted by a barrage of feelings and memories for Cinder, unfocused and violent. Luckily, the other maiden was unconscious for most of the first day, but even without Cinder actively attempting to invade her mind, Pyrrha had still been unable to control the flow of thoughts. Qrow and Raven had recognized the danger. If Salem had an in and could track Pyrrha's location, she could send assassins at any time. So, when Pyrrha had woken the day after, the Qrow, Raven, and Tai had spoken to her alone.

"You need a teacher," Raven deadpanned. Pyrrha hadn't moved from her spot on Yang's bed, clutching Crocea Mors to her chest like a lifeline. "We don't have the time to let you figure out your powers on your own."

"What happened to me?" Pyrrha whispered. "Why is there pressure-"

"It's a temporary block," Qrow growled. "An associate came in last night and used their… semblance to keep Cinder out of your head, at least partially." He and Raven exchanged a shifty glance that went right over Pyrrha's head.

"They managed to block Cinder's thoughts and her ability to track you." Raven began to pace, ignoring Tai when he tried to get her attention. "You still have to deal with Cinder's emotions, and the block will break down over time. You have to learn how to build mental defenses with your aura and magic. We have a teacher for you, but they won't reveal themselves until you can guarantee that you can keep Cinder out of your memories. Do you understand?"

Pyrrha didn't respond, and Tai stepped forward to grab his ex-wife's shoulder. "Rae, take it easy, she just lost-"

Raven shrugged his hand off. "Nikos. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes," Pyrrha whispered.

Raven nodded. "Good. See it done." Turning on her heel, the Nevermore Queen strode out of the room, Qrow and Tai following in her wake.

Now, Pyrrha could only wonder who would be able to teach her about her powers. Who would be able to teach a maiden? Another maiden? The mysterious person with the blue aura who had been able to block Cinder off? It made her head spin, knowing such a potent semblance had been in her mind without her knowledge. Mental semblances were controlled by the kingdoms – for one to be available so fast, Ozpin must have trusted them.

On top of that, knowing that the only thing standing between her and Cinder was her own mental defenses was terrifying. Ruby and Bella had been invaluable during her training. Pyrrha quickly discovered both girls knew exactly what she was going through, Ruby in particular. Ruby had very specific tips for blocking hostile presences. The anecdotes made Pyrrha's stomach churn, advice like never cut off your emotions and drawing your aura too tight is a bad idea and you have to shield yourself when you're sleeping, cause that's when it's easiest to get hurt. Not for the first time, she wondered about the true extent of what her best friend had gone through in the fall.

Nobody should be destined to be controlled by an aura bond, Pyrrha had decided. It isn't right. Even with destiny, all people should be able to think what they will.

If Nora or Weiss had listened to her cry for Ruby that night, neither of them had mentioned it the next day.

At the same time, Pyrrha had come to appreciate the powers humming under her fingertips, far more available and alive than aura. She was beginning to realize that she was one of the most powerful people in Vale. If Pyrrha had commanded awe before, now she drew a sort of unnerving reverence. People hailed her as the savior of Vale, the tragedy of Penny's death in the tournament finals all but forgotten in the face of her herculean feats moving wreckage with the relief effort and her 'double semblance.' Pyrrha didn't – couldn't – think about Penny. Her thin consolation was that the android girl would have died anyways in Harkan's EMP, or hijacked by the black queen virus, or- or-

Pyrrha couldn't take another loss, or she would break. So, she took in the admiration, let it fuel her, and told herself Jaune would be proud. She willed herself to forget.

And if mastering her powers was what it took to protect everyone from Cinder, from Salem, she welcomed it. She would be ready. She was ready.

Nobody else dear to her was going to die.

"Pyrrha."

Pyrrha tilted her head against a grassy root to see Raven standing above her, blood red gauntlets crossed over her chest and her sword at her side. "Ruby told you?"

Raven nodded.

Shrugging off her calm, Pyrrha rose to her feet and brushed grass off her armor. "I'm ready."

"Good." Drawing her sword, Raven twisted and sliced a portal open to her left. "Follow me."

Walking through Raven's portals was chilling, a brief path through hazy crimson thunderheads that sent goosebumps crawling down Pyrrha's arms. When they stepped back into the real world, Pyrrha welcomed the brutal heat. Arid tangy air assaulted her senses, making her scrunch up her face. I don't think we're in Vale anymore. Although, if you walked into those clouds, would you ever find your way back?

Pyrrha did her best to set her thoughts aside and focus on Raven. "Where are we?"

Raven turned and pointed behind them. A small old shack stood at the edge of the clearing they stood in, a rundown old shanty that appeared uninhabited. The windows were darkened; a loose tin strip of the roof creaked in the wind. "An old man lives out here. He fought under my father for years, wanted to retire as a hermit away from the kingdoms. By living here, he gets his peace and still serves the tribe." She gave Pyrrha a Beowulf smile, baring her teeth. "Few people – or things – expect an attack from behind if they try to attack frontier settlements at the edge of the Animan Wastelands."

Pyrrha's jaw dropped, and she gawked at the older huntress. "The Wastelands?! You can't tell me we're going out there, that's suicide!"

"Not while you're with me." Raven sheathed her sword, raising her Grimm mask over her red eyes. "We're two hundred miles from Mistral's nearest allied settlement and five from the closest village. Sometimes, the big Grimm get hungry and try to come west. I… deal with them."

"Deal with them?" Pyrrha echoed, staring at Raven in starstruck disbelief. "Those are hunter-killers! Some of them have been alive for centuries, and you 'deal' with them?!"

Raven smirked and turned away. "You'll see."

Pyrrha sprang after Raven when she disappeared into the forest. The ground cracked underfoot with every stride, brittle sedges withering in the brown clay. Poplar trees shot into the sky like nails, bleached and vicious. The forest was harshly bright, as if the environment itself rejected the human presence. Unnerved, Pyrrha poured her aura into her armor and shot forwards, ready to draw on her sword and magic at the first sight of Grimm. When she caught up to Raven, Raven gave her a curt nod that sent a slight thrill through her chest.

Out of nowhere, a group of three Creeps launched themselves at Raven. Pyrrha cried out in alarm, her corona exploding around her body, but before she could so much as draw her weapon, Raven had already turned all three Grimm to black smoke. "We have got to work on your reaction time," Raven muttered before taking off again.

The dry forest opened on a cliff, the beating sun hanging high over the edge. Below, the wastes spread out all the way to the horizon, red earth dotted with ragged shrubs and roaming packs of Grimm. Pyrrha caught her breath at the sight of a long trail of Goliaths in the distance, monstrous tusks curling back from their jaws. Luckily, Raven made no move to descend the cliff, instead stopping at the edge and turning back to the forest.

"These are the Wastelands?" Pyrrha walked to her side, taking deep breaths to control her fear.

Raven's bone mask burned in the harsh light. "Uninhabitable, filled with Grimm and shallow earth. They say this used to be part of the sea, before it dried up. There are miles and miles of caves, places nobody has ever wandered into and, gods willing, never will."

"You're my teacher, aren't you?"

"Took you long enough to figure it out." Raven tilted her head. "Didn't I tell you there's nobody but us for miles?"

When she puts it like that, it is kinda obvious. Pyrrha grinned and scratched the back of her head. "So, we're out here to hide my powers? I'm not sure if all this is necessary, I did kind of use my powers on national television..."

"Oh, we aren't out here to hide your powers." Raven removed her mask and placed it on the ground next to her. Meeting Pyrrha's eyes, the Nevermore Queen took three steps backwards and fell off the edge of the cliff.

"RAVEN!" Pyrrha screamed. She ran to the edge of the cliff, skidding to a stop at the edge.

From thin air, Raven rose in a blaze of blue flame, eyes burning with the magic of a maiden arms spread wide, chin tilted to the sky. Pyrrha's mouth dropped open in shock. Raven is a maiden?! "We aren't here to hide your powers," Raven called, her voice resonating in the flames. "We're here to hide mine."

When Raven descended to the cliff, Pyrrha stepped aside to give her room. A million questions spun in her head; after a moment, she settled on one. "Why didn't you tell me? You could have told me what to do before Cinder attacked, before Amber died. I could have stopped her. You could have stopped her."

Raven dismissed her powers and sank to the ground, gesturing for Pyrrha to do the same. "It's not that simple. Do you honestly believe I would have brought you all the way out here if it was?"

"Explain."

Five minutes later, Raven had given Pyrrha a brief outline of how she had gotten her powers and of the deception with Vernal. Pyrrha could feel her arms and neck burning in the sun. This is all ridiculous. Pyrrha understoodwhy Raven hadn't told her, but knowing another maiden could have helped her all summer but chose silence hurt. If she had just told me what to do, everything would have been so much easier!

"Do you understand?"

Pyrrha didn't understand, but she wasn't about to let Raven know that. "The last maiden died, you hid your powers from Salem by staying with the tribe, Salem knows your tribe has the powers but thinks the maiden is your associate. You hide your powers instead of using them for good because you hate Ozpin. Anything else?"

When Raven glowered at her description, Pyrrha held her gaze, unapologetic. If she thinks she's getting sympathy from me for hiding away when she could have fixed everything, she's crazy. Pyrrha didn't care how much Bella and Blake told her stories about the Branwen tribe; her high Mistrali birth was hard to shake, and she refused to believe Raven's actions with the bandits were a force for good. How much blood does she have on her sword? Even if she had been at the attack, would she have fought Cinder?

As if reading her thoughts, Raven leaned forwards and forced Pyrrha to meet her ruby eyes. "Think what you want of me, Nikos," Raven growled, "but you're the one who needs my help. I agreed to this because my tribe is about to fight a war, and if you go and get yourself killed, we're all going to die. Either you accept my help or I'll leave you here and you can get yourself back to Vale."

Pyrrha knew Raven would follow through on her threat. "I never said I wouldn't, did I?"

"Good." Raven sank back on her haunches. "Don't you dare look at me like I'm a coward again. I'm protecting more people than you can imagine, people who have been rotting in the wilderness while Ozpin sits on his throne and does nothing. Understand?"

Pyrrha's lips thinned to a white line. "I think I do."

Raven gave her a hard look before rising to her feet. "Now. What did the old fool tell you about your powers?"

Pyrrha blinked. What did Ozpin tell me? Uh… "I'm aura bonded to the seasons?"

"You're kidding." Raven snorted, shaking her head. "Okay. First of all, that's bullshit. There's no 'seasons' magic. The seasons are just something clever some ancient maiden invented to focus our powers. Our powers come from the relics-"

"Relics?"

"I'm going to kill that stupid old man when he resurrects," Raven muttered.

"Resurrects?"

"Gods..."

A second long explanation later, and Pyrrha was left speechless. That's why Salem wants the maidens? Because we're some kind of living key? And Ozpin isn't dead?! "Wait, so if I'm aura bound to a relic, what does that mean?"

Raven paced before Pyrrha, her thick black hair swaying behind with every step. "A lot of things. First of all, each relic corresponds to a basic dust type. So, yours is fire, and mine is air. Magic isn't unique to one type, that would be a semblance, but you'll be far stronger if you fight with your type."

"Okay." Pyrrha had already kind of figured that out, but hearing it out loud made a lot of sense.

"Second, each maiden has a primary strength granted by their relic based on its purpose. Summer is bound to the relic of destruction, so her attack magic is overpowered. Winter is bound to creation, so she's far better at changing matter, creating life, healing. I'm bound to knowledge." Raven paused and spaced out for a moment. "I know things, sometimes, things I shouldn't. Not about people, usually, but how to fix weapons, cure bad wounds, go places I've never been. When we were working to save Yang's life, I helped Silo conduct a manual surgery because using healing aura was too dangerous. I've never set foot in a hospital in my life."

That's incredible… Lost deep in her thoughts, Pyrrha took a moment to notice Raven wasn't continuing. "What about me?"

"Nobody knows." Raven shrugged. "Ozpin's the only one who knows where Choice is hidden, and even he isn't sure what it does for the Fall Maiden. Winter and Summer are opposites, but it's not like the fall maiden has less knowledge. The point is, your powers are whatever you make of them."

"What do the relics do?"

"No idea. Grant knowledge? Give choices?"

Pyrrha made a face. "So that's it?"

"That's it? This is magic, Pyrrha. I've been learning for a decade and I still don't know anything about it." Raven jabbed her thumb at the wastelands behind her. "Now, do you want me to show you how to use it or are we just going to sit here all day?"

Excitement overwhelmed Pyrrha's trepidation, and she nodded, pushing her qualms about Raven to the back of her mind. "What are we going to do first?"

"Simple." Raven pointed to the cliff and grinned. "I'm going to teach you how to fly."

What did it feel like?

Pyrrha smiled back, humming a few notes of Destiny Blue under her breath. "I already know how to fly, Raven."

Raven lifted an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Prove it."

Pyrrha let her aura come to life, the familiar flicker of power dancing in the corners of her vision. "Like falling, only you know there's going to be someone there to catch you," she whispered to herself. The wind blew gently against her lips, lingering in the heat.

Pyrrha took three steps backwards, fell for what seemed like eternity, and took flight.

[A/N] Update schedule? I don't know her.

For context – Bella's outfit is the one she gets at the end of V6 and Ruby's new outfit is her V4-6 outfit. Also, for those of you who enjoy my soundtracks, I went ahead and made the V4 one – it's up on my 'Tube channel, link in my profile. This chapter was originally a lot longer, but after it hit 10k with three scenes left to write I decided to just split it in half. I have the majority of the next chapter done too, so I should have it done before the end of March.

We're getting close to the end, guys. I know I haven't been as consistent with my uploads lately, but I've been literally hyper for like the last week in excitement to finally get to write the end of this fic. A year and a half of planning, and this is the last big hill before everything goes downhill. I can't fucking wait.

(please review!)

See y'all soon, Allie

Estimated Update Day: 3/23/19