"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"

Sherlock Holmes in The Sign of the Four (Doubleday p. 111)


Co-Author: Skyla Xerious

Editor: Allix Stowe

Beta Reader: demonic1556


XSRA's Flame Chapter 51: Dead Men Walk

3rd Person

"Why?!" Allix exclaimed, much unlike her usual self. "Why can't we see him?!"

Pacing back and forth, she swung her arms in agitation and internally screamed in frustration; the sound coming out as a muffled grumbly whine.

"Hey, we're all in the same boat here. Let's just, try and not jump to any conclusions." Weiss recommended.

Allix whirled around, "Conclusions?!" She responded on the border of hysterically, "My leader… is dead. And the officials don't even have the nerve to let us… his team… see him. Or even where they took his body." Emphasizing her words, she tightened her fists and threw herself down onto the couch next to Skyla.

The air in the secluded waiting room grew still with tension. An infirmary sign flashed with dimly lit red lights just above the cold door, and the white tiles below did nothing to help the growing frustration in all of team XSRA's heads.

"It's probably too gruesome." Yang tried to find an explanation.

"Gruesome…" Rex muttered, "Even if he has a god damn gaping hole in his chest cavity, we still want to see for ourselves. It's just wrong."

"It's cruel." Allix added.

Skyla stayed silent. She didn't so much as flinch when Allix impacted the couch, let alone listen to anything going on in the room around her. The world was hazy, the sounds blurring together in a mixture of background noise and annoying hums. Nothing seemed to catch her eye, or convince her to even think right now.

Her voice had long since given out on her. It left her.

This was an all too familiar feeling.

And she feels just as helpless as she felt then… back when her parents disappeared on her. Every night, she's convince her sister that they'd come back.

Like they always did.

What a lie that was. What a god forsaken lie, and yet… somehow… she kept it up for so long, that in the end, she started to believe it herself.

Even after the tears ran out, and the rivers dried completely, she made sure to look out for her sister. To convince her that even now, their parents could still one day show up.

And everything would be fine again.

She's taken it upon herself to be the strong one. To be the happy one. Even if anyone around her wasn't.

She'd cheer them up.

But now?

Where was the drive? Where was the reason? Why should she still lie to herself, even now. Her leader was gone.

Just like that.

"You're right. Something doesn't feel right about any of this." Weiss realized, turning to the greaving portion of a team.

Yang joined her teammate, a passed out Ruby in her arms, and stood strong before her friends, "Yeah, we'll figure it out."

Wait. Skyla struggled to take a breath. Wait. She stumbled onto her weak, buckling legs and looked around. "They're not telling us something!" She blurted out. "It has to be, t-there… there has to be something."

Allix reached up and tried to take the girl's hand, but Skyla moved away and to the door.

"Ashton could've stopped it. Like he did for Pyrrha." She continued, starting her own pace around the room.

"Even if he could've, that doesn't explain how the bullet moved." Weiss countered, "It could've easily went around him. Ashton probably realized that."

Skyla huffed and shook her head, "I'm going to talk to him."

"You can't just-"

The metal door that completed the waiting room as a whole was ripped from its hinges in a violent show of frustrated power. It's surface crumpled around Skyla's converse and tore out of its frame, only meeting it's end inside the opposite wall of the white hallway.

Blake flinched under the sudden bang, despite her ears staying flat atop her head and beneath her ribbon. The usual silence that she shrouds herself in was quickly becoming unnerving for the rest of the teens.

"It was unlocked." Weiss muttered in a small, barely audible voice.


"Why didn't you stop Zerath?!" Skyla screamed/asked. The door to Ashton's office embedded into the wall, but still on its hinges.

The door stopper didn't stand a chance.

"Hmm?" Ashton asked, spinning around on his computer chair and addressing his unexpected audience. On the four monitors sitting on his desk, three of were playing scenes from the tournament while one was switched to a muted news channel.

"You know exactly why we're here!" Yang said and slammed her fist down on his wooden desk, causing the whole surface to jump.

A sudden bright light lit up the room and shone brightly into the eyes of the announcer.

"TELL US WHY!" Skyla screamed, portable lamp in hand.

In front of him stood an angry Yang, a pissed Skyla, and a drowsy Ruby who had just recently been put down. Behind them stood Rex and Allix, Weiss at their far right, and far off in the door frame leaned Blake; her eye's glazed over in thought.

Ashton sighed and turned off his monitors. He looked around again at the faces directed toward his own, and realized the intent behind them.

"I couldn't." He stated.

"What do you mean you couldn't?!" Weiss demanded.

Silently, Ashton raised his hand and hopefully silenced anymore outbursts. "I was told not to intervene." He explained after a few seconds.

Weiss huffed and Yang flipped her arms into the air in exasperation.

"Of course." Weiss laughed dryly, "Ozpin always has a hand to play in all of this."

She crossed her arms and looked away.

"No."

Turning back, she watched as Ashton reached into his pocket and withdrew a compacted scroll. It had Beacon's logo on the back of it.

"Wait, that's-"

Skyla gasped, lamp nowhere in sight anymore, "Xera's scroll."

She reached over and tried to take hold of the small object, but the man holding it pulled his hand out of reach.

Anger flashed within her purple eyes before noticing what the man did next.

"Ozpin wasn't the one who told me not to." Ashton said, as he slid open the scroll and unlocked it. He turned the screen around and showed it to his small audience.

On screen was the music app, and a list of playlists were showcased as options to select. All of them were normal, but the top one was the one that was selected.

Every other playlist was titled, Favorites, My Picks, or Nightcore. The top one, however, was… different.

And it was the only one selected.

Don't get involved. The title was clear as day, and just beneath it was the playlist's description. If you do, innocent people die. Compliment the first song if you understand.


"Any chance you can play some music? My ear bud cords got sliced in my match with Rideat." Xera asked, looking up to Ashton.

Ashton met his gaze and turned to competitor number two, "Do you mind?"

"Does it look like I care?" Zerath's voice grumbled through the mic.

"Brilliant, let's do it!" Ashton smiled, disappearing into his familiar flash of white and focusing on re-materializing himself in front of Xera.

Xera stepped to the side and pulled out his scroll. He slid it open and opened his music app. No sooner had he done that did Ashton appear in front of him in a flash of white light.

"It's already set to a good playlist." Xera explained, handing his scroll over.

Ashton nodded and gingerly took the scroll into his hand, "I'll take good care of it. So don't worry."

In another flash of light, Ashton was gone.

He appeared, scroll in hand, back up in the announcer's balcony and situated himself at the far back. Placing the scroll on the table, he went to sync it to the Aero Sound System but stopped himself. Something caught his eye.

Exiting out of the options, he scrolled up and read the titles and description of the playlist.

Don't get involved? He thought to himself.

Why?

It's his job to make sure these tournaments are safe.

He dropped the scroll onto the coffee table and ran a hand through his hair.

This is crazy.

He couldn't… he shouldn't agree to this.

Ashton felt a pressure on his shoulder and he turned to meet it. Ozpin, his longtime friend, stood by his side and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Let Mr. Stark do what he needs to." He stated with a squeeze of the shoulder, then walked back to his seat.

Ashton's bangs fell in front of his eyes as he looked down.

He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

Turning his mic back on, he started the first song and inwardly sighed.

"Starset, nice choice."

Ashton complimented through the mic.

It's done. There's no going back no, and there's no stepping in…

no matter what happens.

Kid, I hope you know what you're doing.

That was his last thought, before stepping into the light and clearing his throat; a false but strong smile plastered across his trained face.

"Now, enough talk! Let's get this fight started!"


"H-he… he knew? Xera knew what was going to happen?" Allix asked, suddenly feeling a little light headed.

"He knew he was going to die today. Yes. And he specifically told me to stay out of it." Ashton spoke steadily. "Listen. It's been a long day…" Her met eyes with the teens, including Blake's in the back, "…get some rest. You can see your leader in the morning… after he's cleaned up."

Cleaned up. Skyla nearly choked at the thought. "I-is that why we can't see him?"

Silence once again settled over the group in a torturous tension. The atmosphere only seemed to linger this way as Ashton turned around and looked out the large windows behind him and into the arena below, "More or less, yes."


"You can't be serious. We're not actually going to go wait and sleep now, are we?" Weiss asked in a hushed tone, keeping pace with a rushed Skyla.

"Of course not." The girl grumbled, hands curled into tight little fists as she turned the corner.

"Listen, I'm going to make sure Ruby is okay. I'll take her back to our room and look after her." Yang stated and slowed down a bit. Ruby was in her arms again, but this time awake and aware of what was going on.

"Yang, really I'm okay." She tried to explain.

"Sis. You dropped like a rock back in the cue room." Yang looked down and tightened her hold, "You're getting some sleep."

Her lilac eyes then drifted from silver and met amber. She watched as her partner spaced in and out of deep thought. You don't have to act so strong you know. Yang thought as she walked past her partner, Please, don't shut us out again.

Yang turned the next corner and made her way toward the nearest exit.


Blake's POV (One Day before Tournament – Chapter 29: The Coliseum)

I smirked to myself and immediately asked my next question. "Is it a new transformation?"

Xera looked at me, eyes flashing yellow in shock for just a moment. Perfect.

"Maybe."

"That's cheating." I glared at him, confident in my information gathering. I know for a fact… source: Ruby Rose.

After a moment, he sighed. "Okay fine, yes. How are you so good at this?"

Then it dawned on him.

He knows.

It's not that Ruby's bad at keeping to herself, but he probably just figured out how much I can probably squeeze out of her before she stuffs her face full of cookies.

Especially if Yang is my backup.

"You talked to Ruby didn't you?"

Knew it. I looked away a bit, breaking eye contact for just a second before returning to his eyes, "Nope." I lied… and he knew it.

"Now…" I immediately cut back into the questioning, "…for my last question." This time though, I had a trick up my sleeve. I smirked, a devious expression crossing my features.

Maybe, just maybe… this'll work.

"Do you hide wings under that sweatshirt?"

He looked a little taken aback by this… and for a few moments, he was contemplating something.

"I can't answer that." He responded, keeping a monotone voice and a straight face.

Damn. I frowned again.

I hoped he'd give off just a small hint as to if I was right or not. I know his mother was a faunus, and that he wasn't adopted. But there was no way to know what Leona actually was. I've even known her for most of my years in the White Fang.

But not once, not even for a split second, did she ever reveal herself to me. Or anyone there.

So all I know is that he is a faunus, just not what kind.

I wish he trusted me.

"Well, you'll tell me when you're ready, only when you feel you can talk about it. Right?" I asked, genuine kindness passing over me. I didn't want to pressure him. But I do want him to put trust in me.

He smiled and nodded his head.

That smile seemed to dispel something dwelling in my heart, and I looked back at him with quickly manifesting ease. As if the world suddenly became warm again.

"Blake?" He spoke, almost inaudible but my ears picked it up with ease. I don't know why, but he likes doing that every once in a while.

"Hmm?" I responded.

He gave a cautious glance around, noticing all the people walking back and forth on the nearby side walk and the few people sitting at the other tables outside the café.

What was he looking for?

Suddenly, he stood up and took my hand. He pulled me back into the café and approached the woman we bought our food from.

"Can we get onto the roof?" He asked.

She was kind enough to show us the way up and give us some privacy. After stepping out into the brisk air, he looked out over the streets below then turned to me.

What's he up to?

"There's something I need to tell you before I tell the others. It does actually involve what you were asking earlier."

Is he… there's no way he's about to… please tell me I'm not dreaming this up.

I took his hands carefully into mine and looked into his eyes, "Only if you want to tell me."

"I do." He responded quickly.

I smiled, I couldn't help it, "Alright then."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "Well, it's about the tournament."

I nodded and waited, giving him all the time in the world.

The wind seemed to die down as quickly as the sunlight began to fade. It was as if the world knew something was going on and wanted to listen in on our conversation. I could no longer hear the people below, everything grew quiet.

"And, well." He hesitated, then re-opened his eyes before continuing, "It's also about my brother."

My voice got caught in my throat at those words. "Zerath?"

He nodded numbly and seemed to expect whatever feelings were about to course through me.

"The guy who shot you? The same guy who tried to kill us in the forest?"

Again, he nodded.

My next breath was shaky and my unease was immediately quelled when he tightened his hands around my own.

"Why? What about him?" I asked in the steadiest voice I could muster.

That… monster, he put Xera in the infirmary the last time we saw him. If those bullets hit anywhere else, anywhere vital, Xera could've been killed.

There's no coming back from that.

"He'll be entering the tournament." Xera continued with bated breath, worrying about how I'll take it.

"He'll try to kill you again!" I blurted out emotionally.

Damn it, why do I act like this?

"I know."

You know! Then why compete?! Why risk your life?! There are people who care about you now, people close to you. Why risk it all?!

"Then why?!" I voiced my thoughts again.

He couldn't be seriously considering facing his brother again. In fact, Ozpin will never allow someone like that into the tournament anyway… right?

"I'll tell you. Ozpin and I have been having meetings every night since I first saw my brother again. And we've come up with something…" Xera began.


Xera's POV (Five Days before the Tournament. The night of Chapter 24: The Aftermath)

My team quickly fell asleep. Whether that is because Skyla was stalking my date today, or because it's past midnight, I don't know.

But they were asleep.

I'm sure of it.

I silently slipped out of my covers and threw on some socks and sneakers before slipping out of the door. My scroll blinded my eyes for a second but I dimmed the brightness completely, then slipped the object into my pocket.

As quietly as I could, I made my way down the dimly lit hallways and found my way to the elevator.

This thing was located at the center of Beacon Academy, and there was only one place I needed to go.

Ozpin's office.

I called the elevator with the push of a button and the doors opened soon after. Stepping inside, I selected the top floor and waited in silence.

They need music in here… or something.

The elevator pinged and the doors creeped open.

It was a strange feeling, walking into Ozpin's room without the gears turning or the sun shining. It was so deathly quiet, it was unnerving.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Stark?" Ozpin looked up from the paperwork strewn across his desk. His white hair was only slightly disheveled and his coffee mug sat nearby on his large desk.

The steam rose out of it and filled the open room with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

"I think I've figured everything out." I started as I walked on the thick glass that made up the floor of the office. Below that were the countless gears that, for some reason, were a running theme for our Headmaster's office.

"I'm listening." Ozpin slid his papers away and took off his glasses. He rubbed the bridge of his nose slowly then replaced them.

He seemed tired.

"Alright." I took a seat in one of the chairs before Ozpin's desk and leaned back. "It all starts with one question." Leaning forward to emphasize the point, I continued, "How does one control a dark entity?"

Ozpin looked on with slight intrigue, before gesturing for me to continue.

"A kill chip." I said, before leaning back again, "There has to be a kill chip somewhere within my brother; the host body. If that's killed off, then he will probably be killed too."

The man took a sip from his mug, then set it down with a dully echoed thud. "Makes sense. How do you know this for sure?"

I hesitated, "I don't. It's an assumption, but I'm certain it's the right one."

"Certainty is a very rare feeling to come by. Are you sure?"

I nodded my head.

"Very well, I assume this fact will lead to more?"

Taking another breath, I moved on. "Well, if there's a kill chip. Then someone out there is monitoring him and keeping him at bay. So, with this tournament coming up, it'll open up the possibility of finally finding out where they're observing from."

Ozpin interlaced his fingers and pulled his lips into a thin line, "You want to find the people who are trying to use your brother to kill you?"

"Y-yeah, but that's not all. There are other reasons, it's just…"

"You want your brother back."

I looked away, but he seemed to get the point.

"Okay, but there will be rules. I'll fill you in, but first…" He nodded to me, "…please, continue."

I took another breath, this one shaky, "Sure."

Clearing my throat, I tried to relax, "I only saw one way to lure these people out. And that, isn't something I like, not at all actually. But, it's the only way…"

Pausing, I almost reconsidered saying this.

"…a public execution."

"You're a genius!" Ozpin suddenly spoke up in the quiet room, causing me to flinch and nearly fall out of my chair.

"W-what?!"

"You came to me because you need my help, more importantly, you need Glynda as well. And there's no convincing her of anything unless I'm involved." He elaborated.

Well, yeah. That's pretty much it.

"Yes."

"We'll assist you, but first… tell me how you want to go about this, public execution?" Ozpin settled back into a neutral voice and sat back in his own chair.

"Okay, well… firstly I'm going to need to speak with Zerath, and get him onto our side." I started again, "After I do that, I can actually pull of an 'execution'."

I lifted my hand and revealed a .50 caliber bullet nestled in my palm. It was large, but it was easy enough to borrow from Ruby. I'll give it back, after I practice enough.

Focusing my semblance, I lifted the bullet into view and pinched it between my fingers. "I found out I can do a little trick with objects. You know that I can clone myself into a hologram, but I can also…" I trailed off and focused on the bullet.


(Day of the Tournament. First break chapter. Chapter 32: Breaking Things Together)

After my team wandered off, I headed back to our dorm room and dug up that bullet I've been saving. After taking it out of the ammunition case beneath my bed, I focused and created a hologram of it.

I pocketed the bullet and stood up, then began putting focus into moving it. Anything, just as long as it moved.

Before long, I was able to maneuver it through my fingers with sloppy accuracy and fluidity.

I was so focused, I didn't even notice the door opening until it was too late.

"Oh cool! Shoot me shoot me!" A familiar voice exclaimed, causing me to look up. A happily smiling Skyla bounded into the room and landed at its center; arms out dramatically.

I chuckled, "What if it's not a hologram?"

Yeah, I'm fine. It's just Skyla right? What harm could she do?

"Trust me!" She cheered, looking up at the ceiling.

Chuckling, I sent the bullet her way and sent it straight there her, causing her to gasp. The hologram arced around after reappearing behind her, then came back to me.

Wow, sending it in a straight path was easier than I thought.

"Wooww! That tickled!" Skyla giggled.

I took note of that comment just in case, "Yeah. It looks real but it's fake." I said before dispersing the illusion.

She sat down on her bed and turned to me, "So why are you messing with holograms anyways?"

Shoot! She's onto me. She's totally onto me!

I steeled my nerves and shrugged my shoulders, before sitting down at the desk as casually as possible. "No reason. Just trying it out for fun I guess." I lied. "I'm kind of trying to gain more control over my semblance so I can eventually control my hologram." Okay, that one was the actual truth.

I found a random piece of paper and began writing random notes I recalled from a few lectures.

"Ohhhh so like when I try to become a monster by putting candy on my face and hiding in the bathroom to scare people." She suddenly piped up.

Glancing at her, I cracked a smile and shook my head. There were only a few incidents, but Rex has never been more scared than he was on that day. My hand stopped writing on its own, and I figured it was enough of an act.

"Sure… something like that." I mumbled with a soft laugh.

"Well, it worked for Jaune… except before he made it to the toilet he peed himself when I jumped out…. Oops." She said sheepishly then stepped out of the room.

Definitely nothing to worry about. She has no idea.


(Back to Ozpin and Xera)

Before long, I reached up and pulled a second bullet out of the one in my hand. There was no physical feeling to it, but it looked exactly like the first. "…I can create holographic clones of objects too. The only issue is… I can't get the original to disappear like I can with my body. At least… not yet."

I smiled as I levitated the holographic bullet into the air and moved it around a bit.

"This… just got interesting." Ozpin replied to my demonstration, amusement eminent in his voice.

"Yeah, but unfortunately I can't keep it going for long right now." True to my words, the bullet began to blur and it slowly faded away.

Dropping my hands into my lap and slipping the bullet back into my pocket, I continued. "So that problem will hopefully be resolved by my fight. However, I still need a way to make it look more… realistic."


(The next day. Four Days before Tournament. Chapter 25: Shut up and Dance with me)

"Do I need to worry about you telling people?" I asked.

"Nope, you can do that on your own. Just be careful. I may be a rare kind of faunus, but not as rare as you." Rideat let go of my shoulder and left the cafeteria.

Well, that was interesting. I thought as I placed my dishes in the plate return and left as well, heading in the direction of the forging room.

I may need a little back up on this plan. I'll need to talk to Skyla when she gets up, maybe she can help later tonight.

Maybe we can finally get Pyrrha to act on her feelings.

But for now, I have an explosives expert to find.

Walking down the halls, I made my way to the outer wing of Beacon and found my usual place to hang out. If I wasn't eating, I was trying to redesign my weapon.

The large scorched door creaked open as I pushed it forward. Immediately I was blasted with a wave of heat the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Out of all the rooms in Beacon, this was the only one that allowed student access 24/7. So it wasn't surprising to see someone in here so early in the morning.

I took a look around and spotted my target.

She was wearing scorched goggles over her eyes and in her dainty hands was her gleaming Magnhild. The thick black apron she wore was anything but clean, and the tools she was using were strewn out carelessly over the darkened workspace.

Her forge was one of few that was lit and fuming, the rest were silent.

"Hiya Xera! Didn't think you'd be up this early." Nora greeted, giving me a big wave.

I walked over and set my glass down on the table, eyeing her work for a few seconds.

"Are those new grenade prototypes?" I asked.

She nodded with glee and held up her multi-layered bouncing grenade shell. "Yeppers! I plan to use them in the tournament."

Hah, good luck to whoever you're facing then.

"Wow, those should deal some serious damage."

"Oh yeah!" Nora placed the shell back down and began rolling a new one, "These babies should bounce a few times before blowing. Hopefully, I can get them to ignite a layer with every bounce. That way, things can go boom-boom but with extra boom."

I cracked a smirk and waited for a few seconds.

"So? You're still here." She looked up at me, "What's up?"

She can be pretty down to earth at times, you know, when she's not with Skyla. Maybe the two radiate enough energy to hype the other up.

"I sorta need your help." I admitted. "You see, I need a small directional explosive for this experiment I'm working on with my weapon." I half-lied.

"Oh, sure thing! How strong do you want it?"

I thought about it and did the calculations, I also considered how badly this would bruise, "Strong enough to break through cloth, but not deal any serious damage."

She looked at me questioningly for a solid thirty seconds. There was no way she wasn't going to question me now. That was too obvious. Maybe I should've lied agai-

"Okay!"

And for the next few hours, we built twelve small explosives that were encased in such a way to ignite and blow outward in a focused direction. Two were extra; ten were what I needed for what I had planned.

"Thanks, you have no idea what this means for me." I smiled my thanks and placed all the explosives in a small pouch.

"No problem!" Nora gave me a sloppy solute then went right back to rolling more grenade casings.

She has no idea, I hope. Now… off to get recruit Skyla for operation Arkos.


Blake's POV (Back on the rooftop)

I took a slow, deep breath. My mind was having difficulty processing everything Xera's been saying. A public execution? Holographic bullets?

Explosives?

"So, wait. Let me get this straight…" I closed my eyes and recounted all the facts, "You want to fake getting shot and secretly recruited Nora to make it look realistic. And not just this, you also figured out how to create holographic decoys of objects, and will use that for the bullet?" I listed off.

"So far, you're spot on." I opened my eyes to catch a nod from Xera.

Okay.

The sun had long since set, and the rooftop was now only illuminated by the stars in the sky. Once bustling streets were now vacant, aside from one or two brave souls that still had errands to run.

"So wait, what about the gun shots? Wouldn't they be silent if you just send the hologram out?" I inquired.

"Blanks." He stated simply, "Fill a clip with blanks and it looks exactly like a gunshot, just without a bullet. Now that I actually can substitute a false bullet as well, it looks as authentic as possible."

I don't know if he's a genius for thinking of this, or just crazy enough to actually try and pull it off.

"A-alright." For the umpteenth time tonight, I took another deep breath, "So, the bullets go through you at the same time you detonate those directional explosives two by two?"

"Yes." He confirmed, "Front and back. All I need to do is set them up to a sequence and have someone else detonate them in sync with the gunshots."

He suddenly turned to me and my stomach did a flip.

"That's where you come in." Xera walked up to me, and this time, he was the one to take my hands, "There's no one else I trust more than you right now."

My eyes went wide and I stared back at him.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that." I sighed exasperatedly and pulled him into a tight hug.

I feel like Yang right now.

He leaned away first and looked me in the eyes again, his bright pink ones seemed to fix on me; ignoring everything else in the world.

"And to prove it…" It was his turn to take a breath, "…I'll show you something that no one else has seen since my mother died."

He stepped back and headed over to the center of the rooftop.

"One of the things that mom told me in her final moments was that…" He turned back toward me and gave me the most genuine smile I've ever seen, "…when it comes time, I will eventually show someone that I trust what makes me who I am."

"I'm supposed to be proud of it, and that I'm supposed to let it protect me and guide me. And that, to show them to someone, it proves the absolute trust I share with that person." He continued, and then began pulling his green sweatshirt over his head.

He'd about to-

He really is about to-

My thoughts ground to a halt in that very moment.

"That someone is you, Blake. I trust you with my heart… and my life."

He meant it figuratively and literally, and all I could do was watch.

He slowly lifted his sweatshirt over his head and let the cloth fall into a crumpled heap onto the ground. But I wasn't paying attention to that.

My eyes stared dead ahead, and my jaw hit the ground.

I hate to admit it, but my jaw hung as loose as I felt right then and there.

Xera unfurled his wings. Pristine, black, silky wings. They were wrapped around his body, tucked beneath his arms, and covered his torso. It would've just looked like some sort of soft wrappings, but they moved and twitched with every breeze coursing over the rooftop.

The feathers shuttered to life; each one fluttering and moving, and slowly… each wing stretched out to bask in the glow of the shattered moon.

Each wing spanned at most eight feet, but somehow he could wrap them entirely around his body without any excess beneath that sweatshirt of his.

My eyes, admittedly, roamed to the tip of each wing then back to his revealed chest. He didn't have prominent muscles, but he seemed well toned and had moderately visible abs.

Immediately my cheeks reddened and I moved on. I began walking forward, but stopped. "Do you… mind if I…"

"Go ahead."

Tentatively, and as gently as possible, I proceeded and made my way over to his side. With a soft touch, I reached out and let my fingers graze over his onyx feathers.

Nothing, that I have ever touched before, was as soft as these.

Slowly, I ran my fingers through the ruffles, taking in everything I could. With every feather I touched, warmth would spread though my fingertips. Like they were each individually alive and carried their own heat.

"Wow." I finally spoke, wanting to be wrapped in as many of these feathers as I can.

All of a sudden, the whole wing began to move. It closed in on me and Xera pulled me into his chest. The next thing I knew, both his wings were wrapped around my form and instinctively… not voluntarily…

I purred.

He chuckled at my response and began unraveling his wings from me, but before he could I reached out and held them close.

"Thank you." I mumbled against his chest. "For trusting me. And of course, I'll help you with your little scheme. But, if that monster hurts you, I'll tear his throat out and hang him with it."

"He's not as bad as you think, you know, when he doesn't have an evil thing inside him." Xera ran a hand through my hair and grazed past my ears, causing me to purr again.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" He spoke up.

"Sure." I responded mindlessly, a weird state of euphoria quickly engulfing me.

"Have you ever experienced flying over a city of lights before?"

No way.

I looked up at him and he had a huge smile crossing his lips.

"No?" I responded.

"Well…" He shifted his weight and I naturally shifted with him, "…do you want to?"

I inwardly squealed.

"Y-yes. I'd love to."

He laughed and swept me up in his arms. Placing his arms beneath my knees and my back, he held me bridal style and walked up to the ledge.

Peering over, I felt like we weren't as high up as we should've been. But that thought quickly left me when instead of stepping off, he surged into the air with speed.

I was carried upward at a steep angle and we quickly approached the clouds blowing over Vale. We broke through the barrier of misty grey and we're suddenly beneath the clearest shattered moon that I've ever seen.

Its fragments glittered with light, and the stars were beyond what anyone could physically count. Beneath us was a sea of clouds, each one lit up in such a way that it defined the meaning of beauty and celestial.

It was heaven on Remnant.

The beat of his wings became rhythm to my ears, and soon, we were at a constant even hover just above the misty sea.

With the way his wings were moving, I was surprised at how still we were in the brisk night air.

"Cool, isn't it?" Xera asked me.

"Cool? This is amazing." I replied.

I looked up at him and smirked, "You're amazing." And then I strained my neck up to kiss him.

He met me halfway.

It was the most amazing night of my life.


Xera's POV (Two days into the tournament, after the first bracket. Chapter 41: Brothers Reunited)

The araknik grimm collapsed to the forest floor. The red glow in its blood lusting eyes fading away as quickly as it had appeared.

My brother and I bumped fists.

"Man, it's been so long since we fought like that." Zerath admitted; the dark depth to his voice gone for the day. Soul-Slasher agreed after all to give him the day off.

Family comes first after all.

"Yeah, we make a great team don't we." I laughed, connecting my boomerangs back into place.

We spent the next hour or so hiking through the forest and back up the mountain Dante and I climbed. This time, the abundance of erebas was unnatural. It was almost as if we were getting attacked every thirty minutes.

"Yeah, sorry about all this." Zerath apologized as he tore through one of the panther-like grimm, "With this guy inside me, I'm sorta a pure source of negative emotion. I'm essentially a grimm magnet."

"That's gotta suck." I just now realized how bad my brother probably has it.

"Nah, it's great for practice. Terrible for camping though." He laughed dryly, and I did too.

We trudged up the mountain with fewer attacks, but we made it to its peak as cleanly as we could. Zyther made a move to greet me again but shied away under the presence of my brother. She decided to patrol the area instead of come any closer.

"Poor girl, she's usually so playful." I sighed, but moved on to show Zerath mom's grave.

The pillar of crystal-like ice stood as tall as ever against the falling light of the setting sun. Its icy blue now illuminated with a golden glow, as if the whole mountain top was set ablaze by its reflected light.

It was as if we were meant to be there, the both of us… on the anniversary of mom's death.

Zerath took slow steps up to the obelisk, careful not to break anything.

"It's durable, no need to worry." I commented, walking around him.

"I've learned to just be careful, unlike the other guy."

Twenty minutes later, and the sun was gone. I found myself sitting next to my brother on the peak's edge, overlooking the forest and the distant Beacon.

It was now or never.

"I know about the kill chip." I spoke up.

He was taken aback by the comment but subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck.

So that's where it is.

"How'd you know?" Zerath asked.

"Just an assumption, but glad to know I was right." I leaned back against my hands, "Listen, there's something I need to talk to you about. Something that'll benefit you, him, and I."

Zerath's eyes flashed red for a brief moment, and he quickly looked my way.

"I can deactivate it for you." I explained, "And then you can reap havoc on the people who tried to control you." I spoke as if I was talking to Soul-Slasher, but it involved my brother too. "But only if you agree to my plan."

My question lingered in the cold air. The darkness that fell upon Remnant suddenly became colder in those few moments.

"I'm listening." The darkness in his voice was back, and when I turned to meet his eyes; they were crimson red.

3rd Person (Final Fight of the Tournament. Chapter 50: Dead Man Walking)

It's the big day, let's hope everything goes well.

My brother and I have agreed to the plans, and also agreed to have an actual fight. My plan still worked, no matter who won in the end.

It all boiled down to one complicated series of questions. How do I convince an unknown third party that their assassin succeeded in the murder of me, and that their kill chip successfully terminated their assassin when the deed was done?

The answer?

Exactly what I'm about to do… here… on this day.

Those were my final thoughts when the music volume increased to rock the stadium, and Ashton began his countdown.


3rd Person (At the same time, at the Cross Continental Transmit Tower in Vale)

"Indygo! Crystal! I need you over here!" Ren called out. The room he found himself in was bustling with franticly working young adults and experienced teens. He was in one of the top floors of the CCT Tower.

A young man with blue hair and a young girl with pearl white hair came running up from their two computers to consult the boss.

"Listen, I need you two to focus on jamming every signal in the area except for the VCT broadcast. We need that tournament to be reaching our third party. But we can't let any signal reach the arena ground… copy?" Ren explained.

"Copy!" "Copy!" The two spoke in unison and ran back to the computers.

"It's time to turn Vale into the world's largest dead zone." Ren said to himself as he watched the workers work.

*BANG*

He turned and saw his lifelong friend, Nora Valkyrie, smash a plushy hammer into the desk of one of the hackers.

"Stop slacking off you slacker! WORK WORK WORK WORK!"

Ren grinned at the poor soul. That's what you get for not working up to the standards of Nora.

Well, only I can reach those. But enough with that.

Ren clapped his hands and all eyes turned to him, "Alright people! Our window is coming up, and we can't miss it. Beacon has hired you to do a job, so let's not mess this up! All focus will be on nothing else, we can't afford to miss this opportunity!"

If we don't, a man will die.

He and a select few were the only ones filled in on Xera's master plan. It was random, when he was called to a secret meeting late at night in the library. But now he understood the true weight of the situation.

Ren, Nora, Rideat, Pyrrha, and Blake are the only ones who currently know what's actually going on. Rideat for obvious reasons, Ren assumed. That kid can see auras, he'll know something's up. Pyrrha and Ren had a vague but reliable ability to aura signatures. So they needed to be informed too.

Blake, yeah that one was obvious.

But, the worst part was, no one else could know. Not even his teammates. If they knew, and the third party noticed their neutral expressions, it'd tip them off.

That has to hurt Xera. To have to put his friends through that.

Before Ren knew it, the time was upon them.

On screen, the final fight was coming to a close.

"Look alive people! We have to catch this signal!"

Whoever's sending out this kill signal, we'll find them.


(Back to the fight)

To Xera's side, Zerath groaned and finally came to. The blow he took to the head knocked him out momentarily and heavily disoriented him.

He rolled over, black clothes now ridden with ash as he rested on his back.

"Who was the clever one again?" Xera asked, stumbling over and offering his brother a hand.

Their eyes made the silent note that it was time.

Time to enact Xera's plan.

Zerath gazed up with his red eyes, staring at the hand stretched down to ask for his own.

Staying silent, he accepted the hand and was pulled to his feet; albeit slowly and with a lot of effort.

Xera patted him on his shoulder and began making his way out. His nerves must have been eating him up on the inside because he still wasn't feeling well. He could barely walk straight, but it was enough to keep him moving.

To keep up the act.

Thankfully, he had just enough aura left to conjure up a few bullets.

A few feet out, and he heard the sound of a clip falling to the ground.

By the time he'd stopped, the sound of metal sliding and clicking into place tickled his battered hearing.

Zerath primed his bolt back and slammed it forward, careful not to show the cameras the blank that was just loaded into the chamber.

Xera turned around, and was met with the sight of his brother. Rifle extended, lifted, scope trained at his chest.

The first shot silenced the entire stadium.

Xera brought his blade up and sliced at the bullet, only for his sword to pass harmlessly past it.

With great focus, Xera was able to move the bullet around his blade with struggled ease. It was subtle, but he saw it, and he was sure the cameras did too. It glided around his blade in a manor no bullet should be physically capable of executing.

His remaining sliver of aura disappeared in his effort to demolish the bullet, but the round was coated in a dark blue dust. It was something only unique to one brand in the world; Aura Nullification.

Or so it appeared.

Up in the announcement balcony, Glynda purposefully lowered the percentage on-screen. The aura level that was linked to her scroll dipped and vanished, simulating the last of Xera's aura disappearing.

It was an easy task. Just change a few numbers, and the crowds will bend to the idea of certain death.

Come on Blake, I'm counting on you for this part. Xera thought.

Down in the arena, the whistling bullet tore through Xera's sweatshirt and broke through his back. A geyser of blood trailing in its wake as it crashed into the revealed walls of the arena.

The packet of blood rigged to the small explosives worked perfectly. Nora did an excellent job with making them. He'll have to thank her later, again.

4 shots followed the first, all in rapid succession.

Two rounds entered at either side of his chest, puncturing straight through his lungs and blasting apart the stone wall behind where Xera stood.

Wow, nice touch Ashton. You even snuck in some explosives of your own. Xera could only imagine Ashton laughing hysterically and holding a detonator in his hand.

One more bullet blew through the phoenix's shoulder.

The last pierced his heart.

Every shot forced Xera back a step, he had long since dropped his sword. It wasn't until the last shot, that the world grew quiet. His vision blacked out as he fell to his knees, blood staining his sweatshirt.

The world slowed to a stop, and Xera fell to the ground; limp.

Unmoving.

On screen, his aura level read 0%.

Nonexistent.

Everything was perfect. Now to lay perfectly still, and predict when to activate that electrical charge we have hooked up to Zerath's neck; right next to his kill chip.

A few seconds passed, and Glynda decided it was now or never. She activated the charge and digitally lowered his aura levels to 0%. Zerath locked up instantly. The electricity coursed through him and threw his body to the ground. Moments later, he too lay still.

Whether that was through acting or because of the pain, no one would ever know.


(Back to Ren and his crew of hackers)

"Sir! They're bouncing the signal off of every scroll tower throughout all of Vale! I can't keep up with it!"

Ren rushed over and slammed his hands down onto the keyboard, "Step aside."

The man did as instructed and got up as quickly as he could. Ren plopped himself down and began typing at a speed that seemed inhuman.

"Come on…"

He grumbled, the screen he stared at constantly shooting across a map of Vale. With every changing image, a ping of red radar like dispersions blinked from tower icons. These people were careful.

"Come…on…"

He was getting close. He could feel it.

The screen was flicking between locations more rapidly now, getting to the point where the map was just becoming a blur.

"Come on!"

The signal dropped, it was dead.

The map stopped its moving, and Ren stopped typing.

"I got as close as I could." He sighed as he pulled out his scroll. He typed a message to Glynda and sent it quickly.

On his monitor was the bird's eye view of the Krono Desert, and within the sea of sand sat a large facility.

His message read: 'Not enough, but we have a lead now.'


(Present time, after the Tournament concluded)

"Oh, and you decide to tell us this now?!" Weiss exclaimed.

Skyla was looking particularly sheepish under Weiss's stern gaze. She had just finished recounting her encounter with Xera and his magic bullet.

She realized that it was probably an important and crucial fact.

"I just remembered, okay?! It's been a long day!" Skyla retorted.

"Yeah, well, not long enough it seems. Do you know what this means?!" Weiss countered Skyla's retort.

The girl in purple suddenly had a series of thoughts run through her mind like a sped up movie. She quickly stood up and stuck her fist into the air in triumph.

"Wait!" Skyla exclaimed, pulling her fist back down to her chest. "I think I've figured it out!"

Weiss could only sigh and rub the bridge of her nose, "No duh, Sherlock."


Now, be honest, how many of you saw this one coming. Not the whole, 'he's not actually dead' thing, but the 'how he did it' thing. I hope you know that I'm not lying when I say most of these scenes were already started or written prior to this chapter. Lots of hidden hints, and if anyone were secretly Sherlock Holmes, they would've been able to figure all this out already.

I don't expect anyone to do that, unless they enjoy it.

Andy! Quiet you, we've talked about this already. It was fun though.

But, I figured it'd be really enjoyable to dish all the facts out in a big, epic, reveal chapter. Sherlock style!

Seriously, this was a huge reveal that I've been planning for quite a while. Yeah, that's right. Planning.

Emphasis on planning.

I don't usually do that, so you know this is something big. Also, this opens up the door to the next story Arc. I can't wait. I hope you enjoyed this tournament arc, because it'll be a while before I do another one at such a great length.

Only The Baz can handle this much brutality... twice. Nah, but it will be a while before another one rolls around... say... maybe the Vytal Festival. Even then though, it might not be pure fighting but more focused on the festivities and characters.

You'll finally get to see Xera's backstory and understand his semblance more. Not just that, but Volume 2 will officially be under way and Vulderak will make another appearance. Remember him? Yeah, he's the dragon.

And I believe this should also be mentioned. The main antagonist is here! And he's fresh out of mercy. This guy will coexist alongside the actual antagonists of the show, Cinder, Roman, the White Fang, those will still be issues that need to be resolved. But they're more long term at the moment, for now I'll be running through both story lines.

They might even intertwine.

For those paying attention, Zerath is Subject B2; which hints at more subjects, as well as one before him in the 'B' (Beta) stage.

REVIEW! Let me know what's going on inside those heads of yours. Please feel free to let me know if anyone had their minds blown. Anything and everything is appreciated.

Favorite and Follow the story, I'll see you in the next one.

Cya XD