Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations coexisted in harmony. Together, they stood against the forces of Grimm, creatures of nightmare hailing from another world.

Only the Avatar could master all four elements. Only he could banish the Grimm. But when the world needed him most… he vanished.

Remnant learned to truly fear the Grimm. And just as it seemed like things couldn't get any worse… The Fire Nation attacked.

Fifteen years have passed since chaos descended upon Remnant, but now a new Avatar awakens: my daughter, a young airbender named Ruby. And although her airbending skills are great, she still has a lot to learn before she's able to save anyone.

But I believe that Ruby can save the world.


Book Three: Fire

Chapter Four: A Test of Strength


"Those meditating sessions you told me about, they don't seem to be having any great effect. You should try sleeping, for once."

Yang stared at Weiss in stunned silence. Never had she been more aware of the bars that separated them, and the hard stone bed that Weiss was sitting on. The humidity and coldness of the cell was difficult to ignore, too. And yet Weiss didn't seem to find what she'd said absurd at all. She simply stared back at Yang and took sips from her bowl of soup.

Yang blinked. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely," Weiss said matter-of-factly, putting her spoon down for a moment. "It's quite clear that you've been neglecting proper sleep. You've got bags under your eyes." Her eyes flitted up and down Yang's figure, her mouth forming a rigid line. "And let's not talk about your hair."

Yang palmed her head in reflex and ran a hand through her blond tresses, eyeing them nervously. "What do you mean? What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, nothing." Weiss took a big sip, then gestured emphatically at Yang. "Stay this course, though, and you'll soon become a walking shell of your former self. And that wouldn't do us any good, now would it?"

Yang let go of her hair and leaned back a little, frowning at Weiss. She couldn't deny that she'd been feeling a bit tired recently, though it wasn't entirely from a lack of sleep. The pain of her right arm was a constant drain on her strength… and her sanity, to boot. Now that she thought about it, the two problems were very closely connected.

But it was hard to spare a thought for her own wellness when Weiss was right there in front of her. What was a little insomnia compared to living in a dingy cell for a month straight? Yang shuddered just to think of the discomfort, the restlessness, the isolation. And Weiss was living all of those things every day.

"Oh, please. Stop looking at me like that," Weiss said, squaring her shoulders. "My living situation is no reason for you to let yourself go. In fact, it should be plenty encouragement for you not to do that."

"R-right," Yang said, rubbing her neck. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make things, uh… weird, or anything."

"No apology necessary," Weiss said. "Although, if you want to make me feel better, you could tell me about your firebending training. Have you had any success on that front?"

Oh, joy. Weiss couldn't have chosen a more souring topic of conversation. And the way she framed that question, it certainly added to Yang's disappointment, though she tried not to show it on her face.

"Nothing great," Yang said. "Still can't manage anything bigger than embers. And that's why the good arm." She raised her right arm and glared at it in reproach. "This thing still refuses to cooperate. It's completely useless. Sometimes I think-"

She cut herself short, realizing that she'd been about to say out loud that perhaps it would have better if she'd lost that arm altogether. After all, would she really be in a worse situation if that were the case? What was to say that it wasn't the reason she couldn't firebend anymore?

But Weiss probably wouldn't appreciate that attitude. She'd been drilling Yang about the virtues of hard work and persistence since she'd learned that her firebending was gone. If she thought Yang was starting to slack, she might just go on a tirade.

More than that, Weiss wouldn't like to hear any of that from Yang. She shouldn't. Weiss put on a strong front, but Yang knew captivity was taking its toll on her. The last thing she needed was to lose the one feasible hope of escape she still had.

Sometimes, Yang thought Weiss had more riding on her regaining her firebending that Yang herself had. It was why she was always asking about it, even if under the guise of counseling her.

"Nevermind. I've been training well enough, it's just a matter of keeping up the effort," Yang said.

"Exactly. You'll have a breakthrough eventually," Weiss said. "Though it wouldn't hurt to revise your sleep schedule…"

"This again?" Yang groaned. "Fine. I'll make sure to go to be extra early from now on. That good with you, Your Highness?"

"More than good, Princess," Weiss replied polishedly, and lowered her bowl to her lap as she gulped the last of her soup. "Speaking of. This was most delicious. Leagues above the meals I usually get, which granted, isn't saying much, but." She smiled at Yang and extended the bowl towards her. "Thank you very much for the kindness, Yang."

Yang stood and took the bowl from Weiss' hands, passing it over to her side of the cell room.

"Hey, it's no biggie. Bringing you this stuff makes me feel useful. Keeping things warm is pretty much the only firebending I'm still perfect at," Yang said. "I'll try and grab some chocolate from the kitchen to bring to you next time."

"That sounds wonderful, but please don't get yourself into trouble over me," Weiss said, raising a finger. "Having you to talk to is comfort enough. I would be devastated if something happened to you."

Yang nodded, and for a brief moment she caught Weiss faltering, fear and despair shining on her face before she regained her composure. Yang practically saw the thoughts inside Weiss' head then – if Yang was gone, then Weiss would be left alone, without hope of breaking out, and she might never learn what happened to her, and Ruby, and the entire rest of the world-

Yang really needed to get herself together, for Weiss' sake.

"I'll go return this," Yang said, shaking the bowl. "Then I'll get back to training. I'll come back tomorrow… with good news."

Weiss smiled at her, and Yang really hoped she wasn't giving her false hope.


The palace garden was probably not the safest place for Yang to practice firebending, but seeing as she would be lucky to set anything on fire in her current state, she wasn't too worried about that. And if something disastrous did happen, there was a pond nearby which she could borrow water from. Surely the beaver-ducks that lived there wouldn't mind it.

Oh, she was actually hoping something disastrous would happen. That would mean she was actually making progress.

The most frustrating part of her condition wasn't simply that she couldn't firebend. It made life much harder, and much more tedious, but she had learned how to live like most other people did. She could still function fairly well as a person.

What was frustrating was the fact that she had lost her bending so, so long ago, when she'd confronted her mother at the Battle of the Rift… but she hadn't lost it for good. No, she had recovered it briefly not once, not twice, but three times since then.

First, to deliver some swift justice on Cardin Winchester. Second, when she'd realized she had feelings for Blake. And third, when she'd fought Cinder to protect Ruby, her father, and everyone else.

It was obvious why her bending had come back all these times. In each of these moments, she hadn't been firebending for herself, but for others. For the people she cared about. She'd drawn her strength from them, and her fire had ignited once again.

It was maddening, then, that she was incapable of doing that now. Between breaking Weiss out of prison, finding Ruby and her dad, and stopping whatever the Fire Lord was up to, when had she ever had more motivation to firebend before? And yet she was still useless.

Still weak.

She kneeled and punched the grass with her Grimm arm. The shockwave was barely felt aside from a tingling on her elbow. Yang grunted and swung at the air with her good hand, hoping that if discipline wasn't going to cut it, then at least blind rage would produce some result. But all she got were embers in the wind, there for a split second before they faded away.

What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just do it already?!

Grunting, Yang got back on her feet and glared uselessly at the rows of colorful bushes in front of her, then started to swing her arm again. She'd keep trying and trying until either something happened, or she collapsed from exhaustion. What else was she supposed to do?

That was the plan, until she heard someone approaching her from behind, heralded by painfully slow clapping. Yang whirled around with a sneer on her face, prepared to shout at whatever courtier had been dumb enough to think it was a good idea to come near her, only for her jaw to drop as she recognized the approaching man. Silver hair, stupid face, insufferable smile…

"Woah, that was impressive!" Mercury exclaimed, and followed his proclamation with another clap. "That thing you did, with the, you know-" He shook his arm stiffly in front of him. "Just, wow. Right, Emerald?"

The green-haired thief halted beside him, a decidedly unamused expression on her face. She looked Yang up and down, then gave a slight shrug of indifference. "Impressive, pathetic, whatever you wanna call it."

Mercury elbowed Emerald lightly, much to her annoyance, then grinned at Yang. "Her words, not mine. So, how's it hanging?"

Yang was so shocked by their appearance that she didn't even think to be offended by their insults. She took a step back, reflexively hiding her right arm behind her, then frowned at Mercury.

"How's it hanging?" she repeated in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here? Just… how, why?"

"That's a long story," Mercury said. "I think so, at least. Maybe I'm just a crap storyteller."

"I don't care," Yang said, getting angry now that the shock was fading. "Explain to me right now how you're-"

She stopped speaking as she remembered that the last time she'd seen these two had been in Atlas, when she'd been hiding there with her father. The criminal pair had tracked them down and captured them… but they hadn't been alone.

A sudden cold took hold of Yang as she looked around the garden wildly. She took a step back, but her foot caught on a rock and she toppled to the ground, falling soundly on her butt. Mercury cackled at her and clapped, and even Emerald cracked a smile.

"Don't worry. Cinder's not here," Emerald said.

"Yeah, it's just myself and dear old Em," Mercury said. "No need to have a meltdown. Yet."

Yang glared at him, but she was still too shaken to speak coherently, much less stand back up.

"To answer your question," Mercury said. "We're here because we live here."

Confused, Yang turned to Emerald for clarification. Though she didn't like the thief either, she at least appeared more tolerable than her idiot partner-in-crime.

"Back in the Earth Kingdom, Cinder recruited us two to help capture you and your dad," Emerald said. "She said we would be rewarded, and we assumed that would mean riches, the usual stuff. Instead, we got a pass to the high life in Vacuo."

"Which, if you ask me, is much better than any amount of cash. Life here is so easy, it's absurd, and I can't get enough of it," Mercury said. "Of course, Emerald doesn't feel the same way, 'cause she was never after any reward. She just really, really likes Cin-"

"You shut up." Emerald pressed a hand against Mercury's cheek, effectively silencing him, and Yang found herself almost liking the girl. "Like I said, Cinder's not with us. I'm not sure where she is right now, actually."

Yang looked from her to Mercury, reluctant to believe any of what she was hearing. "If you've been living here, how come I haven't seen either of you around before?"

"We were on a mission away from the city," Emerald said, and a slight frown appeared on her forehead. "Cinder took us to some very… interesting places."

"Interesting?" Yang felt her Grimm arm itch. "Interesting how?"

Emerald's face closed up, and she walked away to inspect a lilac-colored bush, her back turned to Yang.

"Looks like you're not getting any more answers out of her, blondie. Emerald's a very sensitive girl, you know," Mercury said. He walked over to Yang and offered a hand. "You're getting your skirt all dirty. Here, let me give you a hand."

He winked at her, and Yang felt her rage boil over. She pushed herself to her feet and shoved him back with a palm to the chest. "So did you come here for a fight, or just to be an insufferable idiot?" She dragged her foot back, finding a solid balance. "'Cause either way, you're getting the same response from me."

"Woah, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Mercury said, raising his hands defensively. "Not that I'm against teaching you some humility, princess, but you're not exactly at your best right now. I mean, after what I saw earlier? You can't even bend. It just wouldn't be right."

"I don't need any bending to beat you into the dirt!"

Yang jumped forward, swinging a punch towards his face with her good hand– but her fist met only air, and then she fell to the ground as Mercury kicked out her legs from behind. Grunting, Yang got on her knees before jumping to her feet and throwing an uppercut, which he once again dodged by simply stepping back.

Before she could get her guard back up, Mercury drove the air from her lungs with a kick to her belly, then grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and shoved her towards the pond. Yang went stumbling away, hopelessly trying to regain her balance, but she had no time. Her foot met empty space, and she fell into the pond, sending water everywhere.

She emerged a second later, gasping for air while still recovering from the sting of his blows. Water filled her nostrils. Her clothes clung heavily to her skin, and her hair was plastered on her forehead. And if all that wasn't humiliating enough, the ducks were gathering around her, quacking in protest of her disrupting their home – as if it was her fault!

"Oof. That was rough," Mercury said, walking over to the edge of the pond. "How long was that, twenty seconds? Not a good showing. But also, not surprising." He grinned. "Maybe I should have let Emerald fight you instead."

Emerald joined him, rolling her eyes. "Why, so I could humiliate her even more?"

"You wanna take a crack at her next, then?" Mercury scoffed.

"No, I think I'll let you keep your record."

Yang wished she could wipe the smugness from their faces. She wished she could boil the water around her and throw it at them – she wished she could set their clothes on fire – she wished.

She sank on the water, simmering in useless rage.

"Emerald, Mercury. What's the meaning of this?"

Yang's blood ran cold. She recognized that voice instantly – how could she not, when she'd been hearing it in her nightmares for weeks. And when behind Emerald appeared those amber eyes, as beautiful as they were haunting, one of them hidden behind a cascade of raven hair, Yang found herself drifting away on instinct, until her back hit the end of the pond and she had nowhere left to go.

Cinder put a hand on Emerald's shoulder and pulled her aside, and the green-haired girl acquiesced with an uneasy step. "Were you tormenting the princess?"

"I… I'm sorry, Cinder," Emerald stuttered. "It was Mercury's idea."

"Is that so?" Cinder looked at Mercury, and her lips quirked with a hint of a smile. "Good on you. Although, there is something to be said about your creativity."

She stepped past the pair and crouched at the edge of the pond. Behind her, Mercury swelled with pride, while Emerald curled her fists and glowered at him.

"It's been some time, hasn't it, Yang?" Cinder said, her voice as soft as a falling leaf, and yet every word struck Yang like a punch to the gut. "We have so much to catch up on. Have you missed me?"

Yang tried to speak, but her teeth were chattering, and all that came out was an incomprehensible babble. Cinder's one visible eyes shone with delight, and this time she didn't make an effort of containing her smile.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite understand you," Cinder said. "Could you speak up a bit?"

Yang palmed blindly behind her, until her hands found solid land and she climbed hastily out of the pond, not having a care for how ungraceful that was. She got on her knees and looked up at Cinder, and every thought in her mind vanished in an instant. Fear was all that remained.

"S-stay a-away from me."

"Oh?" Cinder got up and folded her hands behind her. "That is a little uncalled for, princess. I'm just trying to make conversation, and you treat me with such hostility. I'm hurt." She tilted her head slightly, her gaze straying to Yang's arm. "But I won't blame you. Perhaps you're simply not in your right mind at the moment."

Before Cinder could say anything more, before she even knew what she was doing, Yang took off, her steps ringing like thunder in her ears as she ran, and ran, and ran-


"Mom!"

Yang slammed the door shut behind her. At the other side of the room, an inkwell shook on her mother's desk and toppled over, spilling ink all over the mahogany surface. It nearly reached a stack of important-looking documents before Raven righted the inkwell and moved it away.

Yang leaned her back against the door and held her chest, heaving for air. She heard a chair being dragged across the floor, and when she looked, her mother was standing next to her desk, facing her Yang with an incensed look on her face.

"Yang Branwen," she said, voice charged with impatience. "Would you care to explain yourself?"

Yang swallowed dry. She pushed herself off the door and took a hesitant step forward. "C-Cinder's here. She's back."

Raven's anger gave way to a tired understanding, and she gave a quiet sigh. "Yes, I am aware. She returned from her mission this morning," she said. "I intended to inform you, but as you can see, I've been busy."

She gave a glance towards her desk, then looked back at Yang, and not a word more was necessary to communicate how frivolous this interruption was to her.

"Is that all you came here for, to inform me of my own servant's return, or was there something else?" Raven asked.

It suddenly dawned on Yang just whom she'd come to for help. It wasn't her mother that was standing before her, but the Fire Lord. The distinction, if ever it had truly existed, had never been clear.

"N-nothing…" Yang managed to say. She grabbed her skirt nervously and twisted the fabric between her fingers. "But she's walking free…"

"And? You expect me to do something about that?" the Fire Lord said, all but scoffing at her remark. "Cinder is not a feral dog to be leashed and put in a cage, darling. And I can't have her followed everywhere either, even if she would allow it."

She was silent for a moment, before she walked close to Yang and laid a hand on her shoulder. When she spoke again, her voice was much softer.

"I understand you are afraid of her. She's given you good reason." Pity and shame flashed across the Fire Lord's features, and she looked aside. "Perhaps your fears would be alleviated if I posted guards at your door again?"

"No!" Yang's face flushed. "I told you, I don't need anyone watching me. I'm not a kid!" She removed her mother's hand from her shoulder and stepped away from her. "And I'm not afraid of Cinder."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her, but gave no objection. She didn't need to, when it was so painfully clear to them both that Yang was lying.

"How did you even come across Cinder? You are supposed to be taking dinner in your room at this hour. Resting." Raven's eyes flicked to Yang's arm, and her expression hardened. "You were training again, weren't you? How many times do I have to tell you-"

"I was training," Yang said. "I need to get my firebending back."

"What you need to do, daughter, is obey my orders and conserve your strength. You're weak. Keep straining your body and eventually you will damage yourself beyond recovery," Raven said. "I'll forbid you from leaving your room if I have to, Yang. Don't force my hand."

Yang clenched her fists. "You do that, and I'll just train in my room, and then in whatever hole you toss me in for insubordination."

She received the full wrath of the Fire Lord's gaze for that response, and Yang's stubborn spirit left her in an instant. But before she could apologize and promise she would never again disobey her, her mother turned her back to her and walked to her desk. She returned a few seconds later with a scroll on her hands.

"Well, since you're not weak, and you're not afraid, I have just the task for you," Raven said. "There's been a lot of unrest due to movements of the army and navy, and that's caused a surge in Grimm activity across the country. A horde's been gathering on an island near the capital, and if it stays unchecked much longer, it may grow into a problem bigger than we can handle." She handed over the scroll. "You'll stop that from happening."

Yang opened the scroll and read it over. It was a formal report from a scout who had been sent to observe the horde. According to it, the Grimm were indeed growing in number at an alarming rate, and worse of all, they were being led by some pretty nasty specimens. The kind even the most seasoned of firebenders could have difficulty taking down.

"Me?" Yang asked, feeling terribly embarrassed by how small her voice came out. "Are you sure I'm the best person for this?"

"Of course. Who can I trust more to put an end to this problem than my own blood?" the Fire Lord said. "Unless you don't think you're up to the task. I'll just send Cinder, then."

Yang rolled up the scroll. "No. I can do this just fine." She proudly raised her chin. "And I'll expect you to thank me for it when I return triumphant."

"Slay those Grimm, and I'll be more than happy to sing your praises," Raven said, smirking. "You'll leave at dawn tomorrow. There'll be a ship and a hunting squad waiting for you at the royal docks. Don't disappoint me."

Raven opened the door and gestured graciously at the hallway outside, giving a little pat to Yang's back as she stepped past her. Not a second passed after the door closed behind her, and Yang felt her heart drop to her stomach.

Oh, no.

What had she just gotten herself into?


Weiss startled awake as an unfamiliar noise reached her cell. She sat on her bed, raising her hands in a waterbending pose, even if she had no water at her disposal. Just acting like she wasn't defenseless made her more confident.

There was something coming up the stairs. Steps. Unfamiliar steps that couldn't belong to any of the guards or Yang. They were light, and quick, and… and they weren't so unfamiliar, after all.

Weiss rubbed her eyes, then swiftly returned her hands to their former position. She should know better than to get her hopes up. As if, with no explanation at all, Ruby would come running around the corner, her cloak swirling around her, to rescue Weiss after all this time…

Even so, a small part of her kept hoping.

The steps grew closer, and Weiss rose to her feet. She backed away slowly until she hit a corner. She drew in a deep breath…

A dog hopped over the last steps to her floor and looked around for a second, sniffing the air. When its eyes fell on her, its ears perked up and it ran over to her cell, lowering itself close to the floor at the other side of the bars.

"Huh?" Weiss licked her dry lips and crouched close to the animal. "A dog? How did you get all the way up here?"

She stuck a hand between the bars and, after some hesitance, patted the dog's head. It barked happily, and a sealed scroll dropped from its mouth. Before it could roll away from her reach, Weiss took it and unclasped it inside her cell, then took out the scroll.

Dear, icy Weiss,

I hope Zwei got this message safely to you and he didn't eat it or get distracted along the way. I packed a treat with this scroll, so please give it to him for a job well done.

Weiss looked inside the scroll's container and retrieved a bone-shaped biscuit. She tossed it to Zwei and patted his head again, then returned to reading to message.

I would have come to talk to you myself, but I don't have much time, and I'm afraid of bringing any attention to you. Cinder is back in town, and I don't like the thought of her visiting you.

Weiss swallowed dry. She didn't like the thought of Cinder visiting her either. She'd certainly given Cinder reason to be furious with her. If she came to settle her grudge, even the Fire Lord's protection wouldn't keep Weiss safe.

She almost regretted slicing Cinder's eye.

Stay safe. Yeah, I know that's a stupid thing to say, but you know what I mean.

I'll be gone for a while. A problem with a Grimm horde came up, and the Fire Lord is sending me to take care of it. It sucks, but I'm hoping this might help me with my firebending.

I'm sorry. I wish I could stay. But Zwei will keep you company while I'm gone. I know it's not enough, but he's a good boy, I promise.

Bestest wishes, Yang.

"That is not proper grammar," Weiss grumbled.

She looked around her cell nervously, suddenly aware of how tight and inescapable it was. She reached for Zwei and petted him with a trembling hand.

"Good boy…"


Yang stepped off the ship, her sandaled feet sinking lightly into the wet sand of the beach. She gazed at the island in front of her, with its dense jungles and mountains that seemed to touch the very clouds, and found herself rubbing her itching right arm. There was an uneasy sensation coursing through her body, like something was lurking just beyond the edge of her vision, something dangerous and unknown, and it got worse with every passing second.

She shook her head and took a slight step forward. Standing around was useless. She gestured over her shoulder, and her squad came down from the ship and grouped up in a circle around her.

Doubt trickled in as she stood under the gaze of the squad, but Yang tried to keep her face impassive. Her mother had spared no resource when gathering these dozen warriors. They really were the best in the nation – at least of those who hadn't yet left to join the Earth Kingdom forces, but still that spoke nothing of their prowess.

Yang had commanded troops in the past. For the longest time, she'd had a ship and crew all of her own, and she liked to think she'd done a good enough job. But she'd been a different person then, not to mention that she'd had her father at her side to help her. Nowadays…

Nowadays, she wasn't so sure. Of anything.

"Alright, guys, gals," she said slowly, stilling her arms at her sides to keep herself from rubbing her Grimm-fied limb. "We've got one job. We find the Grimm, and we kill them all. Preferably without them killing any of us."

Yang winced. That was probably not a good thing for a leader to say to her followers. And by the squad's silent but nonetheless very telling reactions, it seemed they agreed with her.

"A-anyway." She made to scratch her head with her good hand, only to realize that wouldn't inspire much confidence, and shifted sharply to point at the jungle ahead. "I figure the Grimm are hiding somewhere in there. It might take some time to find them, but…" She glanced at the sun. "We have the better rest of the day. And the sooner we start…"

Yang trailed off, not sure how to finish. Embarrassed, she gave a slight shrug and marched onward, and the squad followed her without objection.

To little surprise, navigating the jungle turned out to be a miserable experience. The soil there was barely solid, and every step meant sinking their legs up to their ankles in sticky mud. Yang really wished she'd worn boots for the trip, scalding sun and dry air be damned.

The worst were the vines though. Everywhere the squad turned, the damned things appeared in their way, wrapping around the trees and rocks and forming natural barriers that only gave way after a series of slashes or a prolonged stream of fire. It slowed their progress down to a drag, and it only made Yang feel more inadequate. The only way she could help was by poking the vines with her spears, and that really did no good at all. She gave up trying to help altogether after the first hour.

The deeper they ventured into the jungle, the worse Yang's arm became. It got to a point that the itching spread to the rest of her body, and every movement brought an overload of sensations. Twice it got so bad she almost collapsed into the mud, and if she had, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to get back up.

Yet for all the difficulties they faced, they finally did find the Grimm. One last wall of intertwined vines was burned to a crisp, and a sinkhole was revealed in front of them. Yang gestured for the squad to stop, then took the lead position, kneeling to look over the edge. She already knew what she would find.

The sinkhole was not terribly wide – by her very expert estimations, Yang would probably be able to run from one end to the other in a minute, if there was any ground to run on, that is – but it was so deep the light of the sun barely reached the bottom. The walls of the hole had corroded unevenly, forming a sort of spiral pathway. That seemed to be how the smaller and wingless Grimm got in and out of it.

And there were indeed many Grimm. Yang had read the reports over and over on the ship, but nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the horde below. They were so many it was hard to distinguish one from the other in the black mass they formed. If it weren't for their glowing red eyes, Yang might have mistaken them for a lake of contaminated water.

As she stared at the Grimm, something burst inside her. The itching turned to pain, and the world doubled before her eyes. The strength left her body, and she teetered towards the edge…

A pair of hands grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her away from the edge. Yang fell to her knees far from the hole and rubbed her eyes, then looked around at the concerned and skeptical faces of her squad.

"Are you feeling alright, Your Highness?" one of the women warriors asked, glancing at the edge. "You seem a little… out of it."

Yang hid her arm behind her back, wishing not for the first time she could will it out of existence. "I'm fine. Just got a little woozy, I guess," she said. "The Grimm, they're – they're down there, alright."

"Are we killing them now?" another warrior asked gruffly, wiping his moist forehead.

Yang felt her stomach turn. "I-I don't think that would be wise," she said, and struggled to find a reasoning why. "We don't have much sunlight left. The last thing we want is to fight the Grimm in the dark. I say we find a safe place away from here and set up camp. Then we plan for the attack tomorrow and rest up."

The squad nodded in silence, deferring to her decision, but she could tell they were disappointed. Some of them were angry at her, too, and she couldn't exactly blame them. Every minute spent in this island was hell. They were hoping to get back home as soon as possible, and so was she. But that didn't mean they could just throw caution to the wind.

Yes, that was why they were stopping for today. She was being cautious.

Just cautious.


Yang bit the inside of her cheek. She dropped the remaining half of her bread on the ground and held her stomach. Every bite she swallowed just made her more nauseous, and she had a feeling the next one she took would bring all the previous ones out into the open in a very un-princess-like fashion. Not that she cared to appear princess-like – it just wouldn't be a very pleasant experience.

If it were up to her, she wouldn't have eaten anything at all, so sick she felt, but she needed to build her strength for tomorrow. It wouldn't do to collapse in the middle of battle because of an empty stomach. Although at this point, she doubted she would be doing any sort of battling anyway.

Oh, how she wanted out of this island. When she got back home, she would lie down on her bed and never get out of her room again, pride be damned.

Except she couldn't, because she had people that depended on her. Very, very important, and dear, people.

Yang got up and turned around to walk to her tent, and groaned as her legs protested the strain of her own weight. She leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, hearing snippets of the conversation going on to her left. The squad had invited her to sit around the campfire and eat with them, but Yang had courteously refused, citing she wanted some fresh air instead. It wasn't entirely a lie, but the ultimate reason was that she just didn't feel comfortable around people these days.

It wasn't their fault. They weren't the ones with a grotesque, evil arm.

"-sent my wife away," a male soldier said. "No questions asked, just put her on a ship and sent her off to the Earth Kingdom. And then I'm supposed to be lucky one, right, because I was spared having to go too. Except it doesn't feel like that. I'd rather be at war at my wife's side than be left behind to worry about her."

"Same thing with my sons," a woman said. "Supposedly I'm too old. And yet I'm here, so what does that mean?"

"I just don't get it. First we lose at the Rift, right? We're pushed back a little, and I think, well, that's bad, but we have Atlas. We can push back. Except we never do," another soldier chimed in. "Then that whole White Fang business goes down, and the Fire Lord pulls everyone back, but not to go back home! No, we send more people there. Like that's gonna be any use."

"Truth is, this war never made sense in the first place. If the rest of the world has a Grimm problem, let the rest of the world deal with it. Or the Avatar. It's not our responsibility to protect everyone."

"You all have to face it, the Fire Lord's lost her marbles. I'd pay to see what's going on inside her head. I just want to understand a little, you know?"

"Well, you can always ask her daughter. She's right here, you know."

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm not saying a word to that freak, are you kidding me?"

Yang bit her lip. Her eyes stung, and she felt her a sharp pain inside her chest.

"Watch how you speak, man. She could hear you."

"So what? It's not like you're not thinking the same thing. I don't know what the hell happened to our princess, but that… thing, is not a girl anymore. Just being near her gives me the creeps."

"Still. Doesn't mean you can say that stuff. We don't know what she's… you know…"

There was a moment of silence, but nothing more needed to be said. Yang could feel the fear permeating the camp. It was only a matter of how much of that was just her imagination.

"I heard Cinder Fall was the one who screwed up her arm, and then gave her that new one… Or was it the Fire Lord?"

"The Fire Lord? She'd do that to her own daughter? She can't be that crazy."

"Well she was crazy enough to send her here, so…"

"You think she's not getting paid either?"

"Maybe it's a punishment thing. Or the Fire Lord is looking to do away with her. Wouldn't be that-"

Yang opened her eyes and wiped them with her good hand. She couldn't bear to listen anymore. Not for another second. She pushed away from the tree and stepping into the camp. The squad got silent as she stomped past them, some of them becoming paralyzed with fear.

Yang all but ripped open the entry to her tent. She stood before it, breathing hard, and looked over her shoulder.

"I want all your names," she said hoarsely. "All of them, on paper, by morning."

One of the soldiers stood up hastily. "Your Highness. We apologize if we offended you in any way. We were out of line, but please consider-"

"Stop." Yang raised a hand. "You're not getting paid for this job, are you?"

The soldier looked around at his companions, then nodded hesitantly.

"I'm gonna make sure you get recompensed," Yang said. "It's the least I can do to make up for you being stuck here with me."

She entered her tent and closed it behind her, then fell on her blanket and hugged her knees. She didn't hear another whisper from the squad, but it still took hours for her to fall asleep.


The sun rose again. The squad had a quick breakfast – Yang taking hers in her tent – then left camp, leaving it made for when they came back after the fight. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the sinkhole, and Yang started preparing for the slaying ahead.

Her plan was simple, but it would be no less effective for it. They had a clear advantage in terrain, with the Grimm having to run all the way up the sinkhole to get to them. That would give the squad ample opportunity to whittle down their numbers, and it also enable them to funnel the Grimm into a bottleneck.

The sinkhole really was a stroke of luck for them, Yang thought. If the Grimm had been nesting in plain terrain, she had no idea how she would have dealt with them. It would have required much more planning ahead, that was for sure.

Still, they were vastly outnumbered, and that made Yang nervous. A dozen humans against a hundred – and more – Grimm? The odds were not in their favor. The only reason Yang wasn't bailing was she'd seen how capable her warriors were yesterdays. They were truly powerful firebenders, not quite on her father's level – and certainly not Cinder's – but they were pretty close.

Not to mention she had an awfully sharp spear. Grimm beware!

"Okay, folks. We're here," Yang said, making a point of staying away from the edge. The tingling on her arm was starting to get painful again. "Let's get into position, shall we?"

The soldiers nodded at her command, then spread out in dutiful silence. Yang liked to think that was because they respected her a little bit now, and not because they were scared or disgusted by her.

Once everyone was gathered at the top of the sinkhole's spiral pathway, Yang walked over, standing just shy of the edge, and looked down. Her throat burned at the sight of the Grimm below, but she got herself in order quickly and raised her chin.

"Alright, now's the time. On my mark!" she exclaimed, and the soldiers raised one hand each. "One… two… three, FIRE!"

An explosion of yellow and orange blinded her as the squad fired all at once, the fire streaking down the sinkhole until it hit the bottom and scattered like deadly fireworks. The heat prickled at Yang's face, forcing her to take a little step backward, and she saw the air bending around her as if she were in a desert.

Black smoke rose from the sinkhole, and for a moment, Yang had the foolish hope that maybe all the Grimm had been killed by that initial attack. But then she heard the shrieking, and the ground started to shake, and out of the smokescreen and blazes came the rest of the surviving horde, still too many to count, running up the spiral to avenge their brethren.

"Stop their advance! Aim at the ground in front of them!" Yang yelled. "If they get to us, we're-"

Her voice cracked as a black mass came flying towards her, sharp talons coming at her face. She raised her spear a second before the small Griffon would have pierced her eyes, impaling him through instead.

"Uh, y-yeah. We're toast, or something," Yang finished hesitantly, then puffed up her chest and pointed at the squad. "You, and you, come here and focus on the flyers! Don't let them get near!"

The soldiers she's selected parted from the squad to stand beside her, then started to pick off the winged Grimm that tried to escape the hole. Meanwhile, the main squad kept firing at the advancing horde, slowing down their progress as much as they could, but the Grimm were relentless, running through the flames if they had to. Most of them could survive that, but it weakened them, and made them easy pickings for the next volley.

Yang gripped her spear tighter, sweat dripping down the back of her neck. They were doing it. Everything was under control. The Grimm would all be ashes before they got to the surface, and if they weren't, by then they would be so few it would be easy to dispatch them.

But then why did she feel so hopeless? She could barely afford to breathe, and her arm stung so bad even brushing it against her clothes was a nightmare. Even thinking was difficult…

"Just a little more…" she croaked, looking at the remaining Grimm, two thirds up the spiral. She doubted the squad even heard her.

And then the ground shook. The squad couldn't help but stop firing for the moment, trying to regain their balance. Like a war drum, the ground quaked again and again. Yang looked at her feet and gasped. It wasn't the ground that was shaking.

It was the entire island.

The trees behind them parted, and an otherworldly shriek hit Yang like a physical force. She turned around and choked in horror. A giant gorilla broke from the jungle, easily dwarfing her three times over. Most of its body was covered by bone-like armor, and everywhere else it had black fur that glistened like oil. Its red eyes burned out from its skull with primal rage.

"Beringel!" a soldier screamed, and the rest of the squad turned to look. They broke rank in a panic as the giant Grimm started running towards them, each step it took causing a quake.

Yang was rooted to the spot, unable to look away but knowing she needed to do something. A Beringel was one of the most dangerous Grimm species out there, and one of this size especially could easily wipe out the whole squad. And the rest of the horde still remained, about to surface from the sinkhole any moment now…

"H-hey!" Yang called, but the squad either hear her, or ignored her. She stood uselessly for a moment, then grit her teeth and ran over to the main group. "Hey! Stop panicking and focus!"

Finally, their attention turned to her, and Yang slammed her spear down on her ground.

"We're gonna split targets!" she said. "I want six of you back on the horde – stop the Grimm from coming up! The others are with me - we're gonna take down that monkey!"

The squad obeyed promptly, splitting off into two groups. Six soldiers returned to the edge of the sinkhole and started raining fire on the Grimm, forgoing finesse to just stop as many of the monsters as possible before they arrived.

Yang took the rest of the squad and ran away from the sinkhole just as the Beringel made one last leap and landed in front of them. She stepped back with a whimper, just barely dodging a swipe of the gorilla's hand that could have broken every bone in her body, then gestured panicky at it.

The soldiers behind her fired over her, showering the Beringel's with flames, but it only retreated a couple steps before roaring furiously and lashing out with a foot. It hit one of the soldiers, who went rolling away and almost fell off the edge of the sinkhole. Yang looked at him and paled.

"Crap…" She held her spear in front of her, eyeing the Beringel fearfully. "Just – just fire at it! Fire!"

Again, the Beringel was engulfed by flames, but that only served to make it angrier, it seemed. It reached for Yang, almost closing a hand around her, but she ducked under it and – fully believing she was making the biggest mistake of her life – stepped closer and thrust out her spear.

Somehow, through all the flames, and for all her nerves, her spear found a vulnerable spot between the Grimm's boney plates. She sank the spear until there was more of it inside the monster than outside, then jumped back, gasping for air. The squad ceased fire and watched with bated breath.

The Beringel lowered its hands to the ground, resting on all fours, huffing and hissing like a furnace… Then stood again, grabbed the spear on its chest, and snapped it in half. It tossed the broken steel aside, then stared at Yang.

She ran.


Her foot caught on a root, and she fell on the muddy water in a painful splash. Her eyes and nostrils flared as she resurfaced, groping blindly until her hand closed around a vine. Yang pushed forward, running as fast as her heart was beating, and still it that was not fast enough.

Close behind her, a tree came plummeting down, broken apart at its base. It crashed and split into pieces, pelting her back with stray wood, rocks and solid mud. She heard the Grimm's mad roaring, felt the weight of its steps shake her to her core. Its shadow stretched over her, blotting out the sun.

She jumped to the side just as it pounced, and the resulting waves knocked her off her feet entirely. Suddenly all she could see was brown and green, rushing at her and pushing her down further and further away from the light. Foolishly, she opened her mouth. A vile taste invaded her throat, but she couldn't care a bit, as a second later her breath left her.

She hit the back of her head against something, and everything turned black.

When Yang came to again, she was miraculously on solid land again. She didn't have time to marvel at her luck. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the hulking shape of the Beringel rising from the swamp water. It trashed in circles, knocking away everything in its path as it searched for her. Yang didn't give it time to find her, getting up and running off again, trying to keep the trees between her and it.

That didn't work for long. She'd barely gained any speed when the Grimm spotted her – she felt its eyes train on her – and came barreling after her, tearing apart every obstacle in its way. Yang whimpered hopelessly and kept running. What else could she do?

And then she couldn't run anymore. A rock wall appeared before her, and she nearly hit it face first. She gaped at it, raising her head higher and higher, expecting to see the peak, but her eyes couldn't find it. It was one of the island's many mountains, as wild in nature as everything that spanned around it.

Yang looked back, blind terror and analytical survivor instincts waging war inside her head. The Beringel would be on her any time now. She didn't have a minute, and she'd have even less once it got its hands on her. She didn't have anywhere to go. But she had to keep going, she had to get away as far as possible, no matter what she had to do, no matter-

The trunk of a tree shattered against the wall, missing her by inches. Suddenly, without a thought, Yang bent her knees as low as she could – and jumped. She grasped at the rocks for purchase, but the wall was too steep, and she started sliding down, down to where a merciless death awaited her…

She struck the wall with her right hand, and her fingers – her claws burrowed into the rock. She held on tight, pushing herself closer to the mountain with the strength of one arm, and flailed her legs until her feet were secured too.

Yang hung there for a moment, panic subsiding for a moment as she was rocked by what she'd just done. She gazed at her arm, expecting the pain to catch up to her any moment now, but it never did. There was no pain to be felt, it seemed, even though she'd broken through solid stone.

A roar from below woke her from her stupor. She refrained from looking down, knowing that would only serve to make her panic again. The Grimm would be getting the idea to chase her up the mountain before long, and she had no doubt it could climb much faster than her. She needed to get higher up before it was too late.

She looked up and quickly spotted a ledge not far above her current position. Gritting her teeth, she let her feet hang free again and slowly relaxed her hold on the rock… Then pulled herself up with all her might, and let go entirely. The mountainside became a gray blur before her eyes as she ascended, fast as a speeding dragon.

Dragonling.

Yang grabbed the ledge and pulled herself up. She rolled over and faced the sky for a moment, gasping for air. She felt exhausted to the bone, and disgusting, with everything from the jungle that clung onto her skin. But she pushed herself to her feet anyway, and backed away from the edge, feeling the mountain tremble as the Beringel started climbing up to her.

She looked over her shoulder, searching for anything she could use to slow down the Grimm, perhaps a rock or some such thing she could throw at it, but she was out of luck. But looking farther ahead, Yang saw a passage in the mountain – a narrow space where the rock seemed to have split apart by some natural occurrence.

She sprinted for the passage, and just as she threw herself into it, the Beringel came leaping past the edge. It landed, cracking the ground under it, and immediately charged towards her. It hit the mountain wall and realized the passage was too narrow for it to get inside, so it reached with its arm instead, but by then Yang was too far to be grabbed.

Yang stumbled away from the Beringel, staring at it apprehensively, almost expecting it to push apart the rock to get at her. Nothing else had been able to stop it before, after all. But as violently as it trashed, as furious as it became, the Grimm still couldn't reach her.

She grinned. "Not so tough now, are you? Big guy like you, letting a little mountain get in your way. What a joke!"

The Beringel roared, and Yang couldn't help but laugh. It didn't know words, but it certainly understood the gist of what she was saying, and it was mad.

"That's right. You're useless. It's what you get when you're all brawns and no brain," she said. "So how about you save yourself the humiliation and turn around, get back to your little friends-"

Yang shut her mouth, her eyes widening as she realized that though she might have escaped the Beringel for now, that didn't mean it wasn't a threat anymore. Her Squad was still out there. She was sure they had taken care of the remaining horde easily, but the Beringel would be another story. It would go back to hunt them down as soon as it got bored of her. Nothing would stop it now that it knew about their presence on the island.

She couldn't let them fall prey to this monstrosity. What kind of leader would that make her? What kind of person

Besides… She'd come to this island for a reason.

Rubbing her arm, Yang faced the Beringel again. This was the kind of stupid decision her father would chide her for. Or maybe the kind he would praise her for. Probably both.

"Hey, boot-face!" she screamed at the Grimm. "Pretend I'm wearing boots!"

She ran at the Beringel, jumped over its flailing arm, and kicked it straight in the face. It barely budged, but she used the momentum of the impact to leap over the beast before it could react, and landed behind it.

Yang jumped back, dodging the Beringel's arm as it spun around to face her, then stepped close and grabbed the broken cable of her spear, still lodged in its chest. She jerked back, ripping the spear around, then dove away again before the Beringel could grab her.

This time, she wasn't so fast. The Grimm took hold of her ankle, and Yang felt something snap as she was flung back violently. She landed under the Beringel, and it lifted its foot to stomp on her, but Yang slashed with her spear, rending the vulnerable flesh.

The Beringel stumbled back, and that gave Yang the opportunity to get back up. Pushing past the pain on her leg, she jumped, and throwing her whole weight into the motion, thrust her spear at the Beringel's forehead. Realizing what she was doing in the nick of time, the Grimm reared back and turned its head aside, and the tip of the blade only glazed its eye instead.

Meeting far less impact than she'd intended, Yang lost her grip on her spear, and it went flying out of vision. She landed on her feet and backed away hurriedly. The Beringel was hunched over, covering its pierced eye with a hand. Red waved between its fingers, a sign of both its injury and its inflamed fury.

Suddenly, it roared, and charged at her at full speed. Thinking fast, Yang jumped to the side and thrust her Grimm arm out. Her claws sliced at the Beringel's thigh as it sped past. It kept going for a while, then started to turn, but its leg gave out – and with an agonized howl, it toppled over and fell past the ledge, plummeting down onto the jungle below.

A moment later, the mountain shook with the impact of the crash. Yang fell to her knees and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears came to her eyes – tears of relief, of fear, of pride.

And then the mountain shook again, and a Grimm hand appeared on the ledge. Yang lay frozen, only able to watch in horror as the Beringel pulled itself back into the high ground, until it stood again. It had a nasty limp, and she had the impression that it couldn't see well at all, but… but it was still alive. It was still alive, and bigger and stronger than her by far, and she had no weapon anymore.

No. That wasn't true! She had one thing left…

Trembling, Yang stood up, and pointed her good hand at the Grimm. "S-step back!" she cried. "I'll burn you to a c-crisp! Step back!"

But try as she might, nothing came to her. Not even a spark. The Beringel smiled viciously at her, paying her back for her earlier taunting. Yang fell back to her knees, and sobbed.

An arrow whizzed over her shoulder and pierced the Beringel's chest. It looked past Yang, confused yet unharmed, before a bolt of lightning struck it squarely on the forehead.

"Allow me."

Cinder stepped past Yang, flicking her wrists. In each of her hands a blue flame came to life, and she cocked her head at the Grimm, beckoning it to come forward. The Beringel did her bidding and charged.

Yang lowered her head, protecting her eyes from the blinding blues that followed after. When she looked up again, there wasn't a trace of the Beringel left. Not even ashes.

"All taken care of, princess," Cinder said, looking down on her with a smirk on her lips. "Now, let's get you back home, shall we?"


"So, the Grimm have all been taken care of," the Fire Lord said, sitting impeccably at her personal desk. "Is that right?"

Yang nodded mutely, her eyes fleeing her mother's. She had made sure to know that every Grimm on the island had been killed before she left for her capital. Not that there had ever been much doubt about that. Cinder was many things, chiefly among them an efficient huntress.

"And there we no casualties?" Raven asked, with a tone to her voice that could almost be mistaken for casual. But her eyes remained sharp, not straying from her daughter's face for an instant. It was… distressing.

"No casualties. Lots of bruises, and a few broken bones," Yang said. And destroyed pride.

"Good. The matter is settled, then, at least for now," Raven said. "The Grimm will inevitably return, but that should take some time. We will be better prepared to exterminate them then."

She tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, and Yang immediately understood that she was not included in the we her mother was referring to. No, the Fire Lord has listened attentively to the hunt's report, and though she had said nothing of Yang's performance, it was clear that she didn't think Yang was apt for a similar job in the future.

"This will be all for today. I have matters of country to see to, and you've been always from your bed for some time," Raven said. "I believe it will be best if you rest a while. Recover your strength. We will dine together later."

The idea didn't please Yang in the slightest, but she was in no mood to act petulantly at the moment. She'd rather be anywhere else right now. Though as she made for the door, something inside her stopped her from leaving her mother's presence. She couldn't leave. Not without…

"You sent Cinder after me right away, didn't you?" she asked, turning back around to face the Fire Lord again. "She was supposed to do the slaying from the start. What was the point of me going there, then? Was it all just punishment because I defied you?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, as if Yang's outburst amused her, and it took all of Yang's willpower not to stride across the room to slap her on the face.

"You were supposed to slay the Grimm. I only sent Cinder after you to make sure you wouldn't die. Believe it or not, I do care if my daughter lives to see the dawn," Raven said. "Had everything turned out perfectly, you wouldn't have ever known she was there. But…"

Yang's face burned with shame. She looked to the side, fists clenched, before looking at her mother.

"I did what you told me to do. I rallied my people and killed the Grimm, and, bonus, got everyone out alive at the end of the day," Yang said. "You think just anyone could have done that? You think I failed?"

"Did I say you failed? Did I imply it?" Raven said, her voice and face hardening. "No. You did an acceptable job. But the truth of the matter is, you bit off more than you could chew, and now your pride is wounded, and you are blaming me for it."

The Fire Lord stood up and walked over to Yang, stopping in front of her. Yang took a step back, and her back brushed against the door behind her. She could feel the heat emanating from her mother, a sweltering power that didn't speak so much of rage as it did control.

"I told you you were too weak, but of course, you wouldn't listen." Raven leaned in close, smiling bitterly. "You never listen, do you, Yang?"

"I'm not weak," Yang said. "I'm just-"

"Then why did you almost let that Beringel kill you? Why didn't you kill it?"

Yang bit her tongue as a dozen rationalizations came jumping to her lips. It was her Grimm arm that was stopping her from bending - or the aftereffects of the medicines she'd been drugged with while she lay in a coma – or it was her mother, screwing with her head and robbing her of her usual strength.

All those words died in her throat. Yang bowed her head, and felt a coldness seize her heart. "Because I'm weak," she whispered. "I thought I could be strong for the people I need to protect, but I just can't. I'm not strong." She blinked, trying to keep the tears from spilling free. "I'm not sure if I'm anything at all anymore."

Yang covered her mouth with a hand – her good, normal hand – and stifled a sob. She was trembling at the knees, sure that she was about to crumble at the slightest force. But then she felt a gentle touch on her cheek, and when she looked up, she found her mother looking back at her, a strange warmth in her eyes.

"Now, you're starting to see," Raven said softly. "Be strong for others, and all you'll ever get for it is hurt. Be strong for yourself… and nothing can ever hurt you." She paused, running a hand through the thick of Yang's hair. "Nothing can ever touch you."

Yang closed her eyes, and for a moment, she felt like she could stay that way forever. Then she pulled away, her heartbeat heightening, and felt blindly for the doorknob behind her.

"I-I can see how well that's worked out f-for you," Yang said. Finally, she found the doorknob and turned it. She cast a final gaze at the Fire Lord and shook her head. "Don't expect me for dinner. I… I don't wanna be anywhere near you. Ever."

Raven linked her fingers behind her back, her stare turning cold again. "Whatever makes you most comfortable, my daughter."

Their eyes remained locked a moment more, before Yang turned and left. She stomped down the hallway, swearing to herself never to set foot inside that room again.


Yang reached the last step before Weiss' floor in the prison tower and shrugged her cloak off her shoulders. She had decided to be a little more careful with her visits to the princess now that Cinder was in town. Although she doubted this simple disguise would fool Cinder, it did at least make her feel safer, if only a little bit.

She folded the cloak under her arm and stepped around the corner. As soon as she did, Zwei made his appearance known, pawing at her ankles with unbridled joy.

"Woah, boy. Don't work yourself into a frenzy down there," Yang whispered. "Jeez. Either you really liked Weiss, or you really didn't like her."

She looked at the girl at the other side of the bars, and was even more unsettled to see the look of relief on Weiss' face. Not that she wasn't flattered, but… Well, she supposed she had made it seem like she was leaving on a very dire task, not to mention that Weiss might have thought it was Cinder that was coming up the stairs…

"Hey. Sorry for showing up like this. And for leaving without…" Yang stopped talking, leaning closer to the cell to examine Weiss' pale face. "Weiss, are you okay in there?"

Weiss blinked and shook her head. "Y-yes. I'm sorry. It's just, you caught me by surprise," she said. "And, well…"

She nodded towards a corner behind Yang, and the blonde turned curiously. As soon as she did, she froze, terror seizing her as she saw two amber eyes staring at her from the dark.

"D-don't…" Yang clenched her fists and pressed her back against the bars, putting herself before Weiss. "Get away from her."

"Yang, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" Weiss said in a hushed tone. "Everything's fine. It's just Blake."

Yang blinked, and the form in the corner became much more defined. Her terror faded, only to be replaced by…

By a long, exhaustive list of conflicting emotions.

"Blake?" Yang said, starting to think that she was having some sort of fever dream. "How - Why are you here?"

"That's… a complicated question." Blake stepped forward. "Long story short… I'm here to rescue you."


Oh, yeah, I'm sure that'll go swimmingly. Go, Blake, go.

I'm so very sorry for the lateness with this chapter. I went through some rewriting woes with this one, and getting to the finish line took more meandering than usual. Although I am quite proud of the whole Beringel chase/fight sequence!

For those of you who hate cliffhangers... Well, you're probably still irked by this chapter's end, but! Next chapter is a direct follow-up. Yup, Yang strikes again! Sorry, Ruby, you'll just have to wait your turn.

-Zeroan