A/N- Alright, we in there, folks. No turning back, let's do this.

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Chapter 25- Blood and Steel

"How have you been, Nichol?"

The guarded, spear wielding girl didn't dignify that question with a response, she just maintained her pose, the bladed end of her weapon pointed directly at her half brothers chest and hate in her eyes. She was trying to appear confident, though she'd feel more so if she'd had time to change into her armor before this. Nichol would have to make due with the grey tank top and black pants she'd been wearing when she'd gotten her brothers threatening message for now. That, and her aura would have to be enough.

"You know, you had me quite worried when you left," Sterling went on, taking a step towards his sister.

Nichol instantly raised her spear in response, the dust cylinders inside it whirring threateningly.

"Now is that really necessary?" The masked man said, raising his hands in a peaceful manner. "I just wanted to talk."

"Talk?" the silverette scoffed. "Is that why you felt it necessary to threaten my-" Nichol stopped herself short of mentioning her friends. She needed to keep Sterling's focus off of them and onto her. "... my life with your message?"

The hooded man lowered his hands slowly, "That was just to get your attention. Do you really think you'd have come if I simply asked nicely?" the Hand of Humanities leader said. Then, to Nichol's great surprise, he removed his golden mask.

Sterling's grotesquely scarred face made the silver haired girl flinch involuntarily. It wasn't so much because of the horror of it as it was the memories of the last time her brother had revealed his face to her. The savage beating that had followed still stuck in Nichol's mind after all these months.

However, to the silverette's even greater surprise, this time instead of a look of spite and fury, Sterling's face seemed to express sympathy for the person in front of him, a look Nichol had never thought her demented half brother was even capable of.

"Please, Nichol," Sterling said, his voice gentle, "hear me out."

Completely taken off guard by this, the spear wielder couldn't help but lower her weapon ever so slightly, the hate filled glare in her eyes weakening a bit. This... was not at all what she had been expecting. She'd been prepared to fight, bleed, and in a worse case scenario, die, here tonight fighting her brother. Instead, Sterling wanted to talk? What the hell could he possibly want to talk to her about?

"I suppose to start I should thank you," Nichol scowled at her brothers words, her guard lowered, but definitely not entirely down. "For taking care of that," he added, pointing at the spear the silver haired girl had leveled at his heart. "I was right to trust you with something so valuable. Although you were a bit... overzealous to start using it."

"You're not taking it back," Nichol said instantly, making it clear that no matter how "civil" her half brother was being, this was not up for negotiation.

What had started as an act of petty revenge was now a greater purpose than the silverette could have ever imagined. She knew if Sterling got a hold of this weapon again his plan would continue and faunus all over the world would suffer more than ever before. After years of doing nothing but hurting the animal-like race, Nichol was apparently now willing to die to protect them. The irony of this was not lost on her, but she ignored it. All that mattered was keeping this weapon out of the hands of the maniac in front her her.

Which was why when Sterling gave a confused look at her statement, Nichol didn't know how to feel.

"You think I came all this way for that?" the hooded man said, sounding mildly surprised. "That is just a weapon, one that can and will be rebuilt in time. You however, sister, are irreplaceable."

Nichol's arms slowly went limp as the realization took hold, the spear hanging loosely in her grip.

Sterling came all this way, tracked her across almost two continents, not to reclaim a weapon of unbelievable power, but to reclaim her.

His greatest tool.

Nichol felt sick to her stomach. Sterling wanted her to come back? After everything she'd done? After everything HE'D done!?

"Never."

The silverette spat the words from her mouth.

"I'll never go back with you."

Sterling sighed. "I understand why you feel that way, I know we didn't exactly part of the best of terms-"

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!" Nichol shouted, anger and indignation in her voice as she raised her weapon again. "And then you lied to me about it for years!" The only thing keeping her from flat out attacking the monster was the memories of the last time she'd rushed in and nearly gotten herself killed. She needed an opening before she struck.

"I did..." Sterling replied, seemingly unfazed by the yell directed at him, "and for that I apologize."

"Apolo... apologize?" Nichol said incredulously. How could one man possibly be so arrogant as to think-

The spear wielder stopped herself, again feeling her emotions starting to spiral out of her control.

"I understand that's not what you want to hear from me, but it's true," Sterling continued, much to Nichol's dismay. "I was rash in my decision, and I can never hope for you to forgive me for what I've done." The hooded man sighed, "I forgot all to quickly what the pain of losing a parent can do to a child."

Despite the seething hatred Nichol felt towards the man in front of her, she couldn't help but notice how genuine he sounded as he spoke. It was true, Sterling did know loss, having both his parents die within his lifetime. His mother when he was in his teens, and then his father -the Hand of Humanities leader before Noire- not long after Nichol had been born. The spear wielder knew firsthand what that kind of loss could do to someone. In that way, the two of them were a lot alike, but that didn't excuse a single thing Sterling had done...

... right?

The lines were beginning to blur in Nichol's head.

"What I've done to you was beyond cruel, it took me a long time to realize that, but I swear, things will be different from now on."

Nichol scoffed again. "So what, you're a changed man now? You really expect me to believe that?"

"Of course not," Sterling replied, "I never said I'd changed, merely that the way things are done will be different." The one eyed man began slowly walking around the ring of light cast down from the last remaining lamp in front of the airship port as he spoke. Nichol turned with him, always keeping her half brother in her sights.

"My mission still hasn't changed, the Grimmspawn of this world still need to be exterminated, I will always believe that," he stopped and turned to look at his sister, "and I also believe that deep down, you still feel the same way, sister."

Nichol's eyes widened at the claim. "That's... that's not true," she denied quietly, "I've-"

"Changed?" Sterling cut her off, finishing the silverette's sentence for her. "Perhaps, though not nearly as much as you think you have."

The hooded man resumed walking in the same circle as before, but this time Nichol's gaze didn't follow him. Her sight was instead locked in place ahead of her, a seed of doubt having been planted in her head.

"Think back to all those jobs I sent you on back in the day. They were given to you under a false pretense, I will give you that, but every single one of those creatures I sent you after deserved their fate."

The human supremacist held up a hand, "Murderers, thieves, slavers, dealers," with each word he raised a finger, counting off some of the most despicable professions in the world, "Remnant is better off without every single one of the Grimmspawn I instructed you to kill, and in your heart, I know you agree. You still believe in the cause, Nichol."

That seed of doubt inside the spear wielder took root and sprouted. She couldn't deny the legitimacy of Sterling's words. As much as she hated agreeing with him, the world was better off without those kinds of people, no matter what race they were.

"And when you did free Remnant from that filth, I know felt the same way I do whenever I complete a mission; Proud." Sterling raised a clenched fist to his eye level, holding it as if in triumph. "Pride in knowing the lives you'd saved and improved by performing such a service. Maybe my deceptions lead you to each target, but you cannot deny how good it felt."

Again, Nichol was disgusted at her demented siblings ability to read her. Back then, in those days she tried so hard to forget, when things got hard, when the burden of all the violence became too much to bear, and she felt like giving up, two things kept her going. First and foremost, the memory of her mother, and knowing she'd want her daughter to avenge her, for all the good that turned out to do. However, the second reason was the undeniable satisfaction she felt in such work. The justification she felt with each killing blow, knowing she was contributing to a noble cause... or at least she'd thought so at the time. It turned out- according to Sterling- that wasn't too different from his own feelings.

She felt guilty about her past, of course she did, especially after the time she'd spent here at Shade, but guilt was a past tense emotion. In the moment, as she'd been doing those awful things, Nichol believed, without even a sliver of doubt, that they were right and necessary.

Sterling took a step toward his morality questioning sister, into the ring of light around her. It was faint, but it almost seemed like the bulb in the lamp flickered slightly as the hooded man stepped under it, making the ring around Nichol seem to grow smaller and weaker as her sibling approached.

"You don't belong here, sister," Sterling said, his tone still sympathetic and pleading, yet at the same time, vaguely intimidating, "you belong with your family, doing what needs to be done, for the good of humanity."

"No... no, you're a monster," Nichol said, the rebellion inside herself giving one final push to try and overcome the apparent logic behind her half brothers statements.

The attempt failed however, crashing onto the rocky shore surrounding Sterling's argument as he continued to slowly approach the silverette.

"Yes, I am," he said, an unsettling calm in his voice, "we are, but you know what? We're necessary monsters. The kind forced to do the things no one else has the strength to do. We may be hated, exiled, and spat upon, but at the end of the day, we know we are right."

With one hand, Sterling pushed aside the spear pointed at his chest as he got closer to Nichol, stepping right up in front of her. The spear wielder could only stare blankly ahead, into the hooded mans torso as the last bits of her resolve began to crumble away.

"Come with me sister," he said, holding a hand out to Nichol, "you will be safe, and I swear there will no repercussions for your crimes against me. I'll even offer those... students you've become so fond of the same mercy."

That made Nichol's ears perk up. Her friends would be safe? That... was the whole reason she'd come to the airship port in the first place, right? To keep Sterling from hurting them. Now, her half brother was willing to give them a pass, something he'd never done for any faunus, and all Nichol had to do was go with him peacefully.

She could still try and fight Sterling, but ...

What if she lost?

What if she died?

That had always been a possible outcome of this altercation, Nichol had known that going into this, but the silverette had assured herself that if she did die, it was a price she was willing to pay, to save her friends.

But she wasn't ready.

It wasn't her fault, she just hadn't had enough time, and all the bravado and belief in herself in the world wouldn't change the fact that her brother was leagues ahead of her. What if she did fight, and she lost? What would become of the friends she so desperately wanted to protect then? Would Sterling go after them purely out of spite?

But say she didn't fight, say she went peacefully back into her old life, then Oran, Oreonna, and May would be safe, and no one would have to lose their life tonight. Wouldn't that outcome be preferable?

Sterling offered his sister a silver gauntlet covered hand, an eager smirk on his scarred lips. Nichol looked up into her brothers good eye, then to his outstretched hand, extended in acceptance.

Could she really just go back? Back to her old way of life? Is that where she belonged? Shade had been a nice dream for a while, sure, but it was clearly over now, one way or the other.

The Hand... they'd keep hurting the faunus, but... maybe if Nichol went back, she could try and change things from the inside, like Noire had tried to.

Like her mother had...

In that moment, something clicked inside Nichol's head.

She remembered the night that changed her life, saw her mothers lifeless eyes staring up at her from the floor.

Then she felt the dull pain in her wrist from her sword hand stabbing into that faunus over and over as she took her first life.

But the moment that stood out to her then, was Sterling, his arms wrapped tightly around his sobbing sister as he whispered in her ear all the things she wanted to hear. Promises of revenge, retribution, and blood, all for Nichol's mothers sake.

His first lie. His first manipulation.

And Nichol had almost just fallen into another one.

The lost look on the silverette's face morphed into an intense anger as her grip on her weapon re-tightened and she swung in a downward arc between her brother and herself, red fire dust tearing apart the cobblestone below and forcing Sterling to hop back, Nichol following suit, eager to put some distance between her psychotic sibling and herself.

The scar the spear wielder had left in the ground crackled with red energy as the two humans stared at each other from opposite sides of the circle of light. Sterling's mask was gone, not the golden one still in his hands, but the mask of compassion and caring he'd been using to try and trick Nichol. It crumbled away to nothing and was replaced by an aggravated sneer.

But that was nothing compared to the look Nichol was giving him in that moment.

"You really don't have an ounce of respect for me, do you Sterling?" Nichol said spitefully, red energy still gathered in her spears tip, "But that's okay, because I can assure you that the feeling is mutual."

The silverette felt the icy grip her half brother had on her soul disappear, and she banished all doubt from her mind at what she had to do now.

Fight, kill, and survive.

"I'm not the same child you manipulated so easily all those years. I've grown stronger, not just physically, but mentally, and your days of using me are over... brother."

Nichol took one final breath to settle her frazzled nerves. She'd nearly lost this battle before it had even started. The silverette had forgotten her half brother was just as skilled with combat as he was with manipulating others.

The hooded man narrowed his eyes at Nichol. "Fine then," he said, as he brought his golden mask back up to his face, his one, good orange eye shining through the blackness of its lenses, "I suppose that means its time for another lesson."

From under his cloak, Creeping Dread's blade popped out with a metallic 'shing', as the last remaining members of the Acier family finally faced off.

Sterling raised his weapon, and its golden blade flipped backwards so it was parallel with the outside of his forearm, the bottom of it's hilt bent around his hand, transforming into a pistol, which fired off a series of near silent shots from its long barrel.

The dust filled bullets reflected harmlessly off the silver barrier Nichol created in front of herself. The silverette responded with a swing of her spear, sending a trio of fire balls at the hooded man.

The shots were dodged effortlessly by her older sibling, he jumped and twisted in the air, the flames only barely managing to singe the ends of his cape. Once Sterling hit the ground, he rushed at Nichol, Creeping Dread out at his side as he ran.

The two clashed there in front of the dimly lit transportation hub, their weapons clanging off each other's as they repeatedly made contact. All the while, the spear wielder made sure to keep her eyes fixed on Sterling, never giving him the chance to use his semblance. The masked man would constantly try to roll and leap to the side to escape his sisters sight, but knowing how her brothers abilities worked was one of the only advantages Nichol had in this fight, and she was more than happy to take advantage of it.

However, in a head to head brawl, the silverette knew she wouldn't last long against Sterling. He was just too quick, and the way his cloak wrapped around his body helped him hide his movements. It was only a matter of time before he got a lucky hit in or she lost track of him in the dark. Nichol needed to keep this fight a long range one.

The two of them locked weapons, Sterling's blade pressed on the staff of Nichol's spear, between the silverette's hands. The masked man leaned in close as he applied more and more pressure in a display of strength, but Nichol was undaunted as her weapon's dust chamber rotated.

The spears head was pointed at the ground, and as her half brother turned when he noticed the gathering blue energy, Nichol struck, slamming the middle of her weapon into his masked face, seeing as how he'd been so kind as to lean in real close.

Sterling stumbled back, before giving a roar of indignation and went to charge back in. Nichol was having none of that however, and raised her weapon to the sky before slamming it to the ground and a wave of ice cascaded over the terrain.

Nichol had spent a lot of time watching Oreonna perform her dust spells, the way her black and white haired teammate wielded the elemental substance was a sight to behold. She'd probably be the strongest member of their team if the feline eared girl could ever get past her own insecurities, or at least, that was what Nichol believed anyway.

The silver haired teen wished she could have gotten the chance to see Oreonna reach her full potential.

While her own weapon might have lacked the precision of the cat faunus' violin, the silverette had still picked up a few tricks. As the wave of frozen dust washed across the ground, covering about a twenty foot diameter around her, Nichol raised her spear again and on command, four tall, thin pillars of ice appeared around the perimeter.

Fortunately for himself, Sterling was able to leap over the initial wave of ice, however his metal grieves didn't afford him the same level of traction as Nichol's practical boots, and he stumbled ever so slightly. Her opening found, the spear wielder pointed her weapons tip behind her while quickly switching the wind dust, and fired off a huge burst behind her, propelling the silver haired girl forward across the slick surface she'd created.

Watching Oran blast himself around the battlefield with his gauntlets had always looked very impractical to Nichol at first. The way the hyena boy rocketed uncontrollably through the air, with seemingly barely any care for where he ended up, hooting and hollering like a fool, it appeared to be nothing but a waste of dust. However, over time the silverette began to notice and appreciate that the act actually took a lot more skill and focus than she'd first thought, and even began to practice it herself in private... not letting Oran know, of course. She'd never have heard the end of it if he ever found out.

She'd always seemed to underestimated her partner... and taken him for granted.

The braids of hair on each side of Nichol's face blew back as she slid across the ice towards Sterling. As she flew forward, the silverette rotated the chamber in her spear again, this time to lightning dust. The curved tip of her weapon crackled with electricity as she swung it at her half brother.

The blow was parried of course, Sterling's reflexes were just too sharp, and despite the small shock he felt from the charged hit, he remained standing, but Nichol wasn't done yet. She zoomed past the hooded man after her attack failed, and reached out and grabbed one of the ice pillars she created, which were just thin enough for her to get her hand around. Using the momentum she'd gained, she swung around the structure she'd created, heading back towards Sterling, feet first.

The kick connected, both the spear wielders soles hitting her target right in the chest, and the masked fiend was sent reeling from the shot.

That was for Oran, Nichol thought, indulging a bit at the satisfaction she felt from landing the first blow in this fight. She wasn't about to forget that her life wasn't the only one Sterling had ruined.

She didn't celebrate long however, the silverette knew she had to stay on Sterling if she ever wanted to have a chance at beating him. So Nichol followed as her brother tumbled a cross the earth, out of the circle of ice, with energy still arching off her weapon. Sterling sprang to his feet suddenly and the two siblings charged each other once again.

This time, the hooded man swung low, looking to trip up his former disciple, but all he managed to hit was the staff of Nichols weapon as she embedded it in the ground and pole vaulted into the air above her half brother. Sterling looked up just in time to see the silverette switch to earth dust, heavy looking rocks gathering around the tip of her spear, making it look more like a hammer.

Doing her brothers dirty work all those years, Nichol had fought a lot of larger faunus, some even roughly twice her size. Their overwhelming stature never seemed to give them much an advantage against the silver haired girl though, they were too slow moving, and slow witted too. Knowing this, it would be easy to see why the silverette hadn't been too impressed with Maybelle upon meeting her. Just another brute with big muscles and a small brain to match it, that's all Nichol saw at first, the idea of following someone like that was laughable to her, however Maybelle was different.

She was big and strong, yes, but she knew how to throw that weight around with such skill that it made it clear why she'd been chosen to lead a team at a combat school. Maybelle had taught Nichol that being large and powerful wasn't a handicap, it was all about how you used it. But it wasn't just the size of her muscles that had made May a good leader, her heart was just as big as the rest of her. Without her compassion there was a good chance Nichol wouldn't have stayed at Shade as long as she did.

It was a pity all that kindness had gone to waste, but as the silver haired girl felt the weight of her rock covered spear begin to drag her back to earth, she was at least glad to put what the cow girl had taught her to use.

With a roar, Nichol spun downward with her heavy weapon, just barely missing her quick on his feet brother. However the shock wave from the spears impact with the earth was impossible for Sterling to dodge, as was the debris kicked up with it. As he raised his arms to block the small stones of the walkway that got kicked up, the silverette went in again with another electricity filled slash, this one however, made contact.

Sterling gave a yell of pain that Nichol took a bit too much pleasure in hearing. There was a flash of gray light as his aura took the hit and the hooded man stumbled back a bit.

Despite this small success, Nichol didn't dare get her hopes up. This was way too easy, something was wrong. Was Sterling... toying with her?

Whatever the case, the silver haired girl knew she had to keep pressing her brother. She knew Sterling was a schemer and didn't want to give him the chance to do whatever he was planning to do.

However, as she went to attack Sterling again, the masked man's free hand shot out from under his cloak, throwing something small at Nichol's face. She only got a quick look at the object, it looked round, almost like a pebble, but then said pebble exploded.

Blinding light filled the silverette's orange eyes and she quickly shut them instinctively, realizing her mistake too late. When she opened them, predictably, Sterling was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, that was certainly entertaining."

Nichol spun around, her brothers voice seeming to come from behind her, but there was no one there.

"Coward," the spear wielder said quietly, "resorting to cheap tricks like that? Am I making you nervous, Sterling?"

"Hardly," the voice seemed to come from behind Nichol again, but like last time, no one was there. "I just wanted to see what you've picked up in your time away. I must say, I'm impressed, sister. I can't wait to see you use those new skills of yours to fulfill my desires."

"Keep dreaming," Nichol sneered as she began turning in a tight circle under the sole streetlight on the path.

A dark chuckle filled the night. "We'll see about that, but I think that's enough playing around. It's time I reminded you of your place, sister."

Despite her confident tone, the silverette couldn't resist a chill running down her spine at her demented half brothers words. So he had just been toying with her, that was fine, Nichol was just getting started as well.

Suddenly, the last remaining light above Nichol exploded into sparks, and darkness swallowed up the remainder of the area around the spear wielding teen.

The chill Nichol felt grew to cover her entire body. It wasn't so much out of fear of the dark, more as to what her psychotic sibling was capable of in it.

There was a sudden burst of air over her left shoulder, then her right. Every time the silverette turned her head, Sterling was nowhere to be seen. How long did he intend to-

There was a sudden, ice cold wind at Nichol's back. She had no idea why, but her instincts screamed at her;

Focus all your aura on your back. Now!

So she did, just as she felt the tip of her brothers sword stab her right between her shoulder blades.

The attack didn't get past the silver haired girls aura, but the force behind it made it clear that of she hadn't been ready, she would have been skewered, right through her back.

Just like her mother had been.

Sterling was still trying to get in her head, and unfortunately it was beginning to work.

Nichol fell forward onto the ground from the hit, but quickly rolled onto her back only to see the masked man standing there, Creeping Dread still outstretched from the near fatal blow.

The masked man gave a short laugh. "Impressive," he said, sounding amused, "glad to see you still remember some of what I taught you at least. Perhaps if Noire had been as cautious as you, maybe she'd-"

He never finished the thought, as Nichol quickly got to her feet and attacked with a red, flaming, dust infused jab from her spear. It'd been an obvious taunt, meant to get a violent reaction, but the silverette didn't care. She threw everything she had at Sterling, blow after blow, each accompanied by a rage filled growl.

The emotional outburst did little against the masked man, as he effortlessly swatted each attack away with his weapon. Something was... different about how Sterling moved now, he seemed... somehow faster, even though the spears wielder never took her eyes off him, but Nichol's temper kept her from noticing as she kept attacking. This went on until eventually the two ended up with their weapons locked against one another again, and Sterling's gaze drifted to the self inflicted burn on his sisters arm, where her tattoo once was.

"We'll have to get you a new one of those when we get back," he said maliciously. "Though maybe this next mark I'll put on your face instead, so you never again forget who you belong to."

The fire in Nichols eyes exploded as she roared and shoved Sterling back with all her might, before swinging her spear and sending another huge wave of ice at her half brother, pointed shards shooting out of the deadly frost attack and threatening to pierce him.

The hooded man hopped back, nimbly dodging the pointy assault as it rushed toward him. Then suddenly he changed direction, running towards the attack, leaping in the air, and with one slash, he split all the spikes in half.

Nichol watched in shock at Sterling's display of speed and power. Something was seriously wrong here, he wasn't supposed to be that fast or powerful when someone could still see him. Granted it was dark out, the moon having been concealed behind the clouds overhead, but even without the enhanced vision of a faunus, the silverette could still easily make out her brothers form from this distance.

Despite this, Sterling bolted past the icy stalagmites he'd just split, and straight towards Nichol at astounding speed. Feeling slightly panicked for the first time since the fight started, the spear wielder spun her weapon around her, firing off orbs of dust of every type conceivable at her brother.

Sterling was undaunted by all of this. He dived past balls of fire, leapt over spikes of earth from below, sliced through pieces of hail the size of his torso, even electricity- lightning itself- he dodged like it was nothing.

Closer and closer he got to Nichol, who by now was starting to sweat. It didn't make any sense, where was this sudden burst of speed coming from? With no other recourse, the silverette created a barrier in front of her approaching half brother, hoping his momentum would make him incapable of avoiding slamming into it.

However, at the last possible second, Sterling leapt to the side, his body seeming to almost curve unnaturally as he did so.

Then, all Nichol did was blink, for maybe the first time since the battle started, and suddenly Sterling was on top of her.

She couldn't even get her weapon up in time to defend herself, the strike was too quick. One second Sterling was in front of her, and the next a searing, white hot pain tore across Nichols chest as her half brother rushed past.

The silverette's aura held up, if barely, to the ferocity of the slash, but it still sent her sliding across the ground on the unforgiving cobblestone. She ended up on her back, staring dazed, up at the cloudy sky.

"Did you think you were the only one training for this day?" Sterling said as he began slowly walking to his sisters downed form. "Did you really think a school designed to train halfhearted warriors would possibly compare the kind of preparation an organization like ours could provide?"

Nichol managed to prop herself up on her elbows, trying her best to look tough despite how this fight was clearly going at the moment. "No... there's no way you improved so much in such a short time," the silverette refuted.

The masked man sighed. "Very perceptive, sister. I suppose we're past the point of lying now anyway," he said stopping his approach and putting a hand on hip. "I guess the truth is that you've never truly fought me at my best before."

A look of surprise washed across the silver haired teens face.

"The truth is that in all the time I spent training you, I never once showed you what I was really capable of," Sterling said in a voice that had Nichol sure he was smiling under his mask. "Because I never trusted you. Nothing personal, I assure you, but that is the first rule of leadership; Never give those beneath you the chance to surpass you."

"You may have thought you knew how my semblance worked," the masked man went on, "that it only let me move faster when others couldn't see me, and that was it's limit... years ago maybe. Now, however, not only is that true, but the darker it is, and the harder it becomes to see me, the faster and stronger I get."

A new level of dread began to take hold on Nichols heart. At face value, she'd have assumed this was a lie, but after what she'd just witnessed, the proof was irrefutable. Sterling's lies and manipulation went so much deeper than she ever could have imagined, and beneath them all was a truth the silverette had tried so hard to ignore.

"Do you see now, sister?" The hooded man said in a sickeningly patronizing tone, "You never stood a chance against me from the start."

There it was. That nagging fear in the back of Nichols head that had been gnawing away at her all these months. That all that she'd done had been for nothing.

"Now that we've settled that," Sterling said, resuming his approach until he was standing over his younger sibling, staring down at her distraught face, "it's time for you to give up this empty rebellion and come home. You know I rarely give second chances, and I never give third, however I am willing to make an exception for you, dear sister." He offered Nichol a hand to help her stand. "Come back with me, retake your place at my side, as my strongest weapon."

The silver haired teen studied the extended hand for a moment, then slowly began to stand, ignoring the help Sterling presented. Her knees were shaking, and her arms felt heavy, but she kept her grip tight on the spear in her hand as she used it to brace herself and shakily rose to her feet. Her half brother watched the pathetic display with an amused expression.

Her head hung low, and her breathing was heavy just from the exertion of standing alone. The silverette could tell her aura was well into the red by now, her body still aching, all of this from one single hit from her brother. Yet, despite all of this, Nichol raised her weary head, looked her half brother in his good eye that was burning through the lenses of his mask, and gave her response.

"I'd rather die."

Nichol pulled the trigger on her weapons staff and held it in. The dust chamber began to spin again, but this time didn't stop on one type of dust, and soon all the cylinders on it began to light up.

A burst of energy came from the weapons tip that sent Sterling recoiling back a few feet and had Nichol struggling to hold on to the spear as it began making a very loud buzzing sound as the high powered engine spun faster and faster.

The hooded man tried to approach his sister, reaching out with his free hand to grab hold of her, but the constant force kept him from getting closer. The silverette held onto the weapon for dear life as she continued to hold the trigger down.

Nichols mind went back to the night her and Oran had worked on her state of the art spear, when she'd let her faunus partner take the engine apart...

But that wasn't all she'd had him do...


Holy grapes, Nicky, this thing is amazing! Did you really make this all by your lonesome?

It's Nichol, and... no, I... had some help...

Really!? Who!? You gotta introduce me to them.

That's not going to happen, Oran.

Awww, what? Are you afraid I'll embarrass you or something?

...

... You know what? That's fair. I've met me.

... Hm...

Oh my gods, did you just laugh!?

Don't be ridiculous. I hummed in agreement, you are embarrassing.

Oh no no no no no, I'm the one with four ears, and I know what I... huh...

What?

Nothing, it's just... there's some kind of limiter attached to the engine. Just surprised I didn't notice it sooner.

Is that... bad?

No, no, if anything it's a safety measure. Most weapons that use dust have them. This ones just... big is all. I could probably take it off no problem, make this baby really purr.

... Really?

Oh yeah, no prob. Without this little sucker holding it back you could do some real damage with this thing... ooooooor it could explode...

Explode?

Yeah, I'm thinking like a sixty to forty percent chance either way... You know, when I say that out loud it sounds like a really bad idea. Maybe I should just leave this little puppy-

No, take it out.

Uh... you did hear me say explode, right?

I did.

...

... what?

You, uh... aren't planning to go kamikaze on us, are you Nicky?

Nichol, and no. Our line of work is dangerous, you know that, Oran. I merely want to make use of every tool at my disposal.

... I mean, sure, but-

Oran... please...

... fine... but you have to promise me, no noble, heroic, self sacrificing mumbo jumbo from you. You're life is important, to... you know... people.

... I promise.


I'm sorry, Oran...

At this point, what did she have to lose? She'd thrown everything she had at her half brother and nothing had worked. It was time to use her trump card, time to take all the pieces off the chess board. Maybe it was better this way. Now Sterling wouldn't be able to get his hands on the weapon... or her.

The vibrations coming from the spear were so intense they were making Nichols hands go numb, but still she held on tight. She kept her eyes locked on Sterling, not wanting to give him the chance to use his semblance. The dust chamber on her weapon began glowing a bright white, lighting up the night sky, and the desert sand surrounding the two warriors began to swirl and lift off the ground.

Another intense burst of force shot out of the weapons tip as the engine began to spin even faster.

So this was it.

Ever since she'd first found out about the risks of removing the limiter on her spear, Nichol had a feeling things would end this way. The look of conviction in the silver haired girls orange eyes faded to resignation.

She was okay with this. This would be her redemption

This was for all the faunus she'd hurt over the years.

For her mother.

For her friends.

...

Strangely, as the silverette's thoughts drifted to her friends, a strange sort of resolve started brewing within her.

She... she didn't really want things to end like this.

Her team had given her a hope she hadn't felt in a long time. Yeah, things were a bit off a mess between them right now, and all of this stuff with Sterling certainly hadn't helped, but... she wanted to make it right.

She wanted to see Oreonna, Maybelle... and Oran again.

This energy coming from her spear was overwhelming, but... what if she could control it, or at least aim it.

Determination building inside herself, Nichol stood up straight, the whirring of the device in her hands deafening up close.

As soon as she made eye contact with Sterling, he stopped trying to advance towards her. It was like he could tell by the look in Nichols eyes what she was planning to do. He leapt back, hoping to use the force being pressed upon him to make a quick escape...

... and ended hopping right into a barrier Nichol had placed behind him.

You're not the only one who can improve their semblance!

Nichol released a hand from her weapon and pointed it at her force field before tightly clenching her fist. The edges of the wall of silver light she'd made curved inward, surrounding Sterling and blocking of all avenues of escape, except for the side facing Nichol, who now had her spears white hot, burning tip pointing at her psychotic half brother.

She may have learned a thing or two about controlling dust from her cat eared teammate, but this was on another level. Nichols teeth were rattling inside her skull, she couldn't feel anything below her shoulders, it took both hands just to keep her weapon steady, and every ounce of her remaining aura to keep the energy from going out of control.

But the glare, that stereotypical hate filled glare Nichol always wore, was as pointed as ever, directed right at her enemy.

Sterling was trapped, he knew that. His one burnt orange eye constricting as his mortality flashed before him.

With one final breath, Nichol released the trigger.

What was it Oran had said? A sixty to forty percent chance?

Time to roll the dice.

A crack of thunder roared across the desert, accompanied by a flash of white light that lit up the clouded skies over Vacuo.

And then, there was silence.

...

...

...

A cloud of sand and debris covered the airship port. After a moment, a faint coughing could be heard inside the cloud.

Nichol had fallen to one knee, using the staff of her weapon to stay upright as she hacked and wheezed into her free hand. She was exhausted in every sense of the word, still shaking, her ears ringing loudly, and her clothes had definitely seen better days, but she was undoubtedly alive.

The only question on her mind was, what about Sterling?

The silverette raised her head, straining her eyes to see past the fog of sand.

There, right where the hooded man had been standing, was a big, black scorch mark on the path, the cobblestone it was composed of shattered all over the place.

And at the center of it all, were the burnt remains of a gray cloak.

It was... over?

No. Nichol was nowhere near optimistic enough to believe that. Unless she saw a body, she would never believe Sterling was truly gone. Finding such a body was easier said than done however. The cloud of dust, sand, and debris made it nearly impossible to see anythin-

She couldn't see.

That meant-

"Enough,"

The voice coming from behind Nichol made the hair on the back of her neck go up straight.

She didn't even get to turn halfway before the first slash hit.

And it wasn't the last.

Nichol did her best to defend herself with her spear, but it all happened so fast.

A blur of gold and silver leapt past her too many times to count, each pass followed by a searing pain across the silverette's torso.

The remaining bit of aura Nichol had fizzled and died as the last hit had her spinning in place. She stopped herself just in time to look up and see Sterling standing right in front of her, his cape and hood gone, revealing his short silver hair and -now slightly damaged- armor.

Without wasting a second, Sterling kicked Nichol in the chest, hard, with his metal covered boot, sending his sister flying backwards.

As Nichol felt the air get driven from her lungs, she watched as time seemed to slow and the masked man raised Creeping Dread and swung, slashing at her hand, the one holding her spear.

Blood sprayed from the silverette's knuckles as Sterling blade cut through her now defenseless skin. However, more distressingly, Nichol felt her grip on the staff of her weapon release.

The silver haired girls eyes went wide as she helplessly tried to reach for the spear as she fell away from it, only to see her half brother snatch it out of the air.

She barely even felt herself hit the ground. The broken and beaten teen laid on her back in defeat.

She'd lost.

Everything.

Sterling studied the spear, seemingly appraising it for damage. The dust chamber looked a little beaten and dented, but as he tested the trigger, it still hummed and spun, albeit a little slower maybe. However it looked like all the dust inside had been spent, save for a few specks of ice. Satisfied one of his prizes seemed in relatively decent shape, he turned to the other.

"You know, we could have avoided all of this," he said, sounding slightly out of breath.

Nichol didn't answer, she didn't even open her eyes.

She was so stupid. Of course Sterling had survived her last ditch effort, she'd forgotten to close her barrier over him, and then she'd obstructed her own vision with the big flash of light and debris she'd kicked up, which gave him the perfect chance to slip out and leave his cape to make the silverette think she'd won. Then, with the cover Nichol herself had created, it was easy enough for him deliver a final blow.

She was a failure. Completely and utterly.

"You did fight well, I will admit," Sterling went on, "you've grown quite a bit since the last time we fought."

Nichol lazily opened her orange eyes, though she hardly saw the point anymore.

"It's not too late, you know? Come quietly and-"

"Shut up." Nichol gave a weak half cough, half sob as she stared off into space. "Just for two seconds, shut the hell up."

Sterling cocked his head to the side.

"I'm not going back. So you might as well just kill me now."

The masked man was silent for a moment, his expression unreadable, obviously. "Again, you misunderstand, sister," he said, walking over to his downed sibling and leaning into her field of view. "You are coming back, and I am done asking."

He reached down and grabbed a handful of Nichols short hair, lifting her off the ground slightly. "Even if I have to bundle you up like a package and drag you back, you WILL be coming with me."

The masked man let Nichols head fall back to the ground. She gave no response as her skull bounced off the unforgiving stone beneath, she literally did not have the strength or will to fight back anymore. Sterling took a few steps away before looking back over his shoulder at his sister.

"And your arrogance has cost you more than just your freedom."

With that cryptic threat, Sterling sheathed Creeping Dread and brought a hand to his ear. "Move in, begin placing the charges, burn the tree to the ground."

All Nichol could do was gasp quietly.

Sterling hadn't come alone.


Across the desert, surveying the giant oak that made up Shade Academy through a pair of binoculars, were five cloaked figures wearing golden half masks over their eyes. They were all members of Sterling's inner circle, all of them chosen personally by the man himself, and every one just as deranged and devoted to his cause as he was, not to mention their skill in combat, and each of them was carrying a large metal box on their backs.

"Let's go," the man in front of the group said to his compatriots, and they set out to their destination.


Nichol tried to stand, but her body was too sore to move. She had to get to the school, to defend it, or to warn them at least. She had just managed to get both shoulders off the ground before a metal grieve slammed her body back to the earth.

"Please... don't..." the silverette begged to her half brother as he stared down at her.

"This academy, as well as the others, have stood in affront to everything our group believes in for too long," Sterling said coldly, "and as it falls tonight I want you to sit and watch. I want you to know the price for trying to betray me, I never want you to forget that all of this was your fault."

Genuine, true, unmistakable fear tore into Nichol like a ravenous Beowolf. She feebly gripped her brothers metal clad boot, trying futilely to move it.

She'd just killed not only her teammates, but every student and professor at Shade with her- ultimately useless- defiance.

Her foolishness had just cost her everything.

Now she had nothing.

No strength,

No friends,

No hope,

Nothing.

Her life would belong to Sterling after tonight. She could keep trying to resist his influence, for whatever it was worth, but her half brother was nothing of not convincing. He'd break her, all it would take was time, and then he'd send Nichol right back out into the world, slaughtering faunus indiscriminately and without question.

Then one day, she would die, alone and forgotten. Maybe one of the many faunus she was sent after would take her out, or maybe Sterling would just grow tired of her.

That would be her life. Bloody and brutal, but mostly, completely and utterly pointless.

... and she'd never see her friends again.

Sterling cocked his head to one side, his obvious smile hidden behind his mask as he looked down on his sisters despair with glee.

But then...

Suddenly, Sterling's body contorted, as if he'd been struck by an invisible blow to the side of his head, and the masked man was sent rolling across the cobblestone.

The pressure on Nichols chest disappeared and she quickly turned her head towards the source of the attack. What she saw filled her with equal parts surprise and horror.

"I know this probably sounds cliché, but..."

An orange haired faunus stood there on the path not far from where the silverette laid, his mechanical fist still smoking from the blast of wind he'd just clocked Sterling with.

"My name is Oran Bellows, you killed my father, prepare to die."

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A/N- Aaaaand we're out of time. I'm the worst, I know. Please feel free to leave a review stating as much!