Cinder couldn't help but to hurry up the broken stairs and floors of Atlas military base. Salem would have surely claimed Ironwood's office by now. She probably shouldn't have laid low for so long...but...she had to calm down first. Her master always knew how she felt and if she had to own up to her mistakes it was better for her to go in as in control as possible.

Reaching the imposant metal door the maiden sighed deeply, straightening her back and forcing her face to go blank.

'This is it.'

The hour of truth.

Gripping the handle of the relic even tighter, she pushed at the door with all the fake bravado she could muster...and immediately wished she didn't.

'What the...?'

Frozen at the doorstep, Cinder's eye widened comically at the sight in front of her.

She had expected Salem to be there in whatever outfit she saw fit for all she cared...but the blonde boy...that failure with a death wish, being tied up, with what looked like grimm matter, against the general's chair completely naked, wasn't something she was prepared for.

"W-why...I-...I mean..."

She stumbled over her words, as her head began to spin and a blush crept up her face.

Salem rose one eyebrow in silent amusement, beckoning her closer with a mere come hither motion of her hand. Flushing even brighter Cinder stepped into the room, trying to avoid the chained up boy's horrified expression.

Just what was going on here?

'A lesson!'

No...Salem wouldn't...right?

Not in front of...someone inferior to her.

Coming to a halt next to her master, she weakly offered the relic to her, but Salem gave no indication she would take it, instead she lazily leaned against the desk behind her.

The dark night sky still offered enough light to illuminate the room, giving it a beautiful, yet eerie hue.

"Try again, Cinder."

'Goddammit!'

Taking a deep breath, she tried to stop herself from grimacing while sinking obediently to her knees, still presenting the relic to the older woman.

"Very good", Salem said as she finally took what was offered to her, letting the other hand run over the maiden's hair.

It felt...possessive of sorts.

Cinder didn't dare to raise her head or even flinch for that matter, but the heat of embarrassment from being exposed like this to someone else...this boy of all people, that had build up inside her, deepened the red on her cheeks.

"S-stop...that..."

'Huh?'

The hand in her hair stopped abruptly, vanishing completely after only a second later.

Out of the corner of her eye Cinder managed to spot just who had been foolish enough to order her master to stop.

The boy...of course it was him.

The boy...with a death wish.

"How rude of me."

Salem's voice didn't betray any kind of emotion, her expression unfathomable and yet her tone managed to cause a small shiver to run down her spine.

Motioning for Cinder to rise, her master leaned back once more, a pleased smile on her face.

"Cinder, this is Jaune.

I heard you two have already been acquainted with each other."

Normally the maiden probably would have growled or retorted something haughty, maybe even with dry and bitter sarcasm, but the fact that she now had to stare at this boy...Jaune, in only his birthday suit made it kind of hard for her.

Salem reached for his chains and wound them tighter, the dark matter constricting around him, as she demanded with a dangerously soft edge to her tone:

"By all means, do repeat what you just said."

"St-ugh...stop...to-touching...her", he managed to groan out in pain.

What?

Was he crazy?

Cinder's gaze switched between her master and Jaune in anticipation.

If this was supposed to be a lesson, then she needed to pay attention.

"And why should I do that?

Does it excite you?"

Now it seemed to be Jaune's turn to sputter, his ears flushing a deep red, as his expression became somewhat troubled.

"Answer me, boy!", Salem all but ordered when he failed to respond.

Something on Jaune's body twitched to life at those words, but Cinder still refused to lower her gaze for even a fraction.

"N-no! I- she...just doesn't seem...to like it...so you should stop."

'...Oh?'

Was he implying she was forced against her will?

Salem turned to her with a mysterious smile, her voice warm and inviting.

"Do you share his concerns, Firefly?"

Firefly...

It has been quite a while since she had last heard the nickname her master had bestowed upon her.

Another hint...another pull.

She could feel Salem's desires curse through her, as she almost skipped into the older woman's waiting embrace. Leaning in she stood on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss onto her older woman's soft lips.

Crimson eyes lit up and immediately deepened the kiss...their connection, sweeping everything else away. Only at the edge of her mind did she register her cape being swept aside, as her bodysuit opened wide enough to reveal her partially scarred emblem on her otherwise smooth skin.

Breaking apart, Salem rested her head on Cinder's shoulder, her next words nothing more than a whisper, allowed for her ears only.

"What do you feel, Firefly?"

Fire.

Hunger.

Burning.

Craving.

"You!"

Her master hummed contently at her answer, letting her hands trail over the maiden's back lovingly, while kissing her neck. Cinder couldn't stop the purr from escaping her throat.

She felt safe and warm, wondering why exactly Jaune's presence had bothered her so much in the beginning. This was where she belonged.

Salem made her whole.

"Now would you look at that?

It seems like it does excite you after all."

Blinking owlishly the maiden peered at the boy to figure out what her master was talking about. She was almost frustrated about the interruption when she finally spotted it...her gaze dropping to the proud embodiment of his obvious arousal. Her face grew hot once more when she realized the state of her own dress and how it related to the situation at hand.

"T-that's just my...body, I-", Jaune stuttered, desperately trying to close his legs in a futile attempt to conceal himself, his eyes meeting Cinder's almost involuntary.

Salem chuckled at that, still running her hand over the maiden's bareback, pushing her closer to the chair, as if to put her on display.

"There is no need to deny your obvious attraction.

Cinder is a very beautiful girl after all."

As if to accentuate her words, her master spun her around, revealing her supple breasts to the boy, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"S-stop that! You're...you're forcing this on...her."

And yet he couldn't seem to avert his gaze from Cinder, his eyes darkening slightly, as he watched helplessly how Salem gently fondled her round mounds.

While trying to chastise him no less.

"You can't possibly hope to grasp the full extent, the meaning of our relationship, boy."

This time the maiden couldn't suppress the whimper as her nipple was teased oh so lightly.

Why...why did Salem…?

"This recklessness of yours is the same that her soulmate displayed.

Needless to say she paid the price for that."

'Ah…'

So this was about her again.

Jaune's legs twitched nervously, as he stopped himself from thrusting his hips, Cinder being so close to him right now that he may have been able to grace her with his tip.

With obvious hesitation he managed to tear his gaze away from the maiden's breasts, focusing on her face.

"You're...soulmate?", he all but whispered.

Something inside Cinder shifted, her gaze clouding over as she assessed the situation. Throwing a quick glance back towards Salem she spotted an all too familiar smile...one that made her absolutely drunk on power.

Oh how she loved feeling like this.

Being this connected…

Leaning forward she straddled the boys lap, running circles over his shoulder blades, humming softly at each suppressed moan she earned when she rocked against him.

"Do you believe in destiny?", she whispered against his lips, nipping playfully at his lower lip. Her right hand trailed over his toned stomach towards his erect member, giving it a nudge, as she observed Jaune's face being split between pleasure and horror.

"Oh, don't look so shocked. Did dear Pyrrha never reveal the truth to you?

She was mine, all along all mine and yet I killed her.

I chose my own destiny and now I'm living it...without her."

Her hand closed around his shaft, pumping it up and down with each sentence, earning her a soft groan from the boy beneath her, whose hips moved slowly to match the movement of her hand.

"I-I...you must have felt something for her." He still tried his hardest to get through to her, even while in the throes of passion.

"I know Pyrrha, if you truly are her soulmate...then...you just must have..."

Do you believe in destiny?

For only a moment Cinder could feel herself falter, lost by the memories of Pyrrha's last words...the acceptance...the hurt...her soulmate…

Hers!

And because of her she was gone...forever.

"I...did…", she murmured almost absentmindedly.

All of a sudden she had the urge to hug Jaune close, to hide, to cry...but as soon as she felt a cool slender hand on her back, every trace of that weakness was immediately washed away.

Curling her lips into a mean smile, her other hand massaging the boy's balls, causing his eyes to roll back and his breath to hitch, as he moaned loudly.

"I felt her warmth underneath my hand when I burned her from the inside out."

She sucked at the tender flesh of his neck hard enough to bruise as she sped up her pace, both of her hands working in tandem. Even hearing those words Jaune couldn't seem to stop his hips from chasing after every friction he could get.

"I felt her slip away and scatter through the wind like ashes of nothingness."

Licking the outer shell of his ear she grinded her own core against his member, feeling it hot and pulsing against her abdomen, as it tasted the softness of her skin. The way Jaune's hips jolted almost out of the seat only made her quicken the pace even more, her breasts pressing against his naked chest, as she rode him.

"I felt how the life was drained from her entire being and her forest green eyes glossed over."

With a painful grunt, she could feel him stiffen against her, as his seed spilled out against his heaving chest, his eyes squeezed close, a relieved expression adorning his face...until his gaze found Cinder's once more.

With a quiet chuckle she sat back up, adjusting her clothes, while mustering her work.

"I took something from you that was never even yours to begin with."

She didn't even quite know what she was referring to herself…

The high slowly began to ebb away...leaving a somewhat hollow feeling in its wake.

"...you...you're a monster..."

You turned yourself into a monster just for power.

His words managed to shatter any remaining peace she still had left.

Why...where those tears?

What…

She wasn't able to sort through her turbulent thoughts before Salem invaded her personal space again, massaging the nape of her neck.

"Better."

Arching subconsciously into the touch she chased the doubts away, while listening to Salem's soothing voice.

...of course, it may only be soothing to her in general.

"I believe he may have understood the foolishness of his demands now.

But did you?

Did you understand what I wanted to teach you with this?"

"Never underestimate the usefulness of others?", Cinder couldn't help but answer playfully.

Her master sighed, but the amusement never left her crimson eyes, as she shook her head.

"My terrible, defiant girl."

With a pout she nuzzled against Salem's cheek.

"How...not to kill them?"

"Try again.

You know how."

Sighing loudly she searched herself.

The reason, the lesson, her desires, Salem...it all mingled together.

The process wasn't painful, but it was always leaving her disoriented afterwards

Cinder felt it, the moment their hearts followed the same rhythm, the moment individuality ceased to exist.

"Break"

"Correct."

The voice startled the Maiden out of her concentration, as she peered up at her master with a weak smile.

"And you did it so effortlessly right now."

Did she?

'Yes...'

But was that truly...just her?

She knew what she agreed to back then...still...sometimes it scared her.

If you so desire, I will save you, child.

He said it's impossible though...

Nothing is ever truly impossible.

It only depends on what you are willing to sacrifice to see your wishes fulfilled.

With a quick, but tender kiss to her forehead Salem swept through the room, excusing herself amicably from the captive still bound to the chair.

"I hope you will rethink your priorities now and decide to take my generous offer. There is nothing for you to gain by refusing."

She laughed cruelly, as she ruffled through his blonde hair.

"Maybe young Cinder wishes to play with you further.

I will see you in the morning."

With those words she disappeared out of their sights, leaving Cinder, as bewildered as ever.

All of Salem's lessons had that kind of effect on her.

She had no intention of playing with him like Salem had suggested.

She felt...

'Drained'

The maiden had avoided talking about her soulmate in general. It had been a sore subject between her and Salem for quite some time.

If she had only stayed out of her way at Beacon, the redhead would still be alive and Cinder...

Cinder wouldn't need to feel-

'Enough!'

With a frustrated huff she turned towards the door as well. There was no use to ponder over such things. The past was the past.

"When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape, but rather some sort of final goal. Something you've worked for your entire life."

Cinder's eye flittered back to the still crying boy in the chair.

His voice nothing more than a mumble, but she managed to catch it anyways.

"That's what she, what Pyrrha believed."

Of course, her soulmate...

'Again...'

Clenching her hands into fists, she tried to find the same icy fire from before to destroy the boy in front of her, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

"Then she was wrong!"

Her voice sounded more convinced than she actually felt, yet it did nothing to quell the sudden spark that returned to Jaune's eyes, as he slowly shook his head.

"I trust in Pyrrha", he croaked out, his voice cracking, "If she tried to reach you, if you truly are her soulmate I will do so as well."

'What?'

After what she just did to him?

How absurd.

Utterly ridiculous.

Wh-

The audacity!

Cinder's aura flared up on its own accord, as her thoughts and feelings once again became a muddled mess, a cruel smile spreading over her features. Leaning forward she tilted Jaune's head upwards, her next words spilling out before she could truly think them through.

"You are wrong, too!"