Chapter 93: Worst case scenario

-o-

Things in the house remained the same the following days. The workouts continued the same, although now Oscar had to survive Yang's barbaric exercise routine (never before has he been so close to moving on to his next life as now) while Ruby and him took a little more experience fighting without weapons. Even the latter showed great improvement in combat as our fights unfolded and the boy no longer had to turn to Ozpin for help. Qrow, for his part, was no longer successful in getting more allies from his list, which already had all the names crossed out, with Yang and Weiss the only successes at the end.

By then we hadn't heard from Lionheart about the operation to recover the Spring Maiden, so there was some expectation about when it would take place and then get ready for the attack on Mistral.

It was one afternoon when I had to wash the dishes after dinner. The pile of glasses, plates and pots were stacked up to one side of the sink in a titanic task that awaited me; although I think that was what I was telling myself to make it more interesting. That was already something I used to do when I lived in Aztlan or during my time in Patch.

I was already carrying some dishes when Weiss came to my side and fixed the sleeves of her dress.

"I'll take care of drying and tidying the dishes."

"I can't believe it. Weiss Schnee is going to wash the dishes. Call the press."

"Hey, do you want me to help you or not?"

"Ok, start with the ones I left to dry."

The task became more bearable with Weiss helping me and I honestly underestimated her as I thought she would end up breaking a plate or glass; which didn't happen.

"So how's everything going? Have you acclimatized to Mistral yet?"

"All good so far. It's good to be with everyone, although I still haven't gotten used to Professor Ozpin speaking through Oscar."

"Believe me, I still have a little trouble getting used to. And how are you doing with the maidens and the rest?"

"If you take into account what is normal for us, like Grimm, semblances and dust, one can believe that magic does not exist, but there is Professor Ozpin assuring the opposite and you who fought against Cinder, who has the powers of the Fall Maiden. I think I trust your words until I confirm it myself. "

"I hope you don't experience it first hand," I replied. "The power that Cinder had was something totally in any semblance I've ever seen."

"We will deal with her in due course. Together."

"And this time I won't lose anyone," I said to myself.

"What did you say?"

"I said watch out for the glasses," I cursed myself for talking too much. "I had to fight two Karens before I bought them."

"Didn't you say those were broken?"

"Yeah, but I don't feel like going to the store again and buying another pack."

We both laughed and went on with our work. It was good to have Weiss with us, and more so after what had happened. I still couldn't believe Jacques would take the title of heir from her and give it to Whitley. I felt partly responsible, since I had left her alone at the hands of this man, except for Klein, who had helped her escape from Atlas. Great, like my conscience didn't have enough to deal with.

"All good?" Weiss called out to me, making me put my thoughts aside.

"Yes, great."

Weiss watched me closely, "It's just that you've been lathering that dish for the last minute."

"You never know how dirty something is until you have to wash it," I made up the best excuse I could think of and laughed nervously, but that didn't seem to satisfy the girl.

"Kaiden, I know something is bothering you and we made a promise of no more secrets. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I took a deep breath and took the pot that followed.

"Several months ago, before I left Atlas, I had a talk with your father."

"Uh uh. That's never good."

"And it was not. He knows that Ironwood is my father and so he made a proposal: he offered me your hand in marriage."

"What?!" she exclaimed in scandal, dropping the plate she was drying; which I managed to catch with my semblance. "I'm sorry, but you mustn't be serious."

"I wish. He told me that he cared about your sanity and that you seemed calm when I was around. Bullshit. He only wanted someone to be his watchdog over you. But if I had stayed maybe I would have helped you and he wouldn't have taken the title from you. "

"Very well, listen to me carefully," Weiss ordered me, putting the plate down, taking my face in her delicate hands and making me look directly into her blue eyes. "You are not to blame for anything, since you had a mission to accomplish. Besides, I've always known that my father wanted some excuse to do it and pass it on to someone more malleable, like my brother."

"And what will you do about it?"

"When I left Atlas, I was just thinking about getting to Mistral and finding Winter to maybe join the army like her. But then I found out that Atlas had called all its troops back and I ran into Yang before we met with you now. I'll help any way I can to fight Salem and keep the world safe. I'll find out the rest along the way. "

"I still remember the Weiss who just wanted to become the ultimate hunter and just wanted to be perfect."

"People change. They mature and realize that there are more important things, like you."

"Like me?"

"When I first met you, you wanted to do everything on your own and you didn't trust others much. Before I knew it, you were already dating Ruby and changed for the better."

"Yeah, though I screwed it up."

"Don't be harsh on yourself. Ruby already told me what term you two are on. Once things settle down, you guys can discuss it better."

"I hope so. Hey, and how is Yang?"

"Why?"

"Because I spoke to her a few days ago and I sensed that she still resents about Blake leaving."

"I know, I talked to her about that. Yeah, she's still upset with Blake. She feels betrayed that she left, but I know she wouldn't have if she didn't have a choice. The only thing left for us to do is hope that she comes back one day and welcome her with open arms. "

"It's true. She just wanted to protect us from Adam and I understand her reasons for leaving, since I did the same for the same thing."

"Now you're not alone," Weiss consoled me. "We can face whatever is in front of us if we are united."

"Thank you, Weiss."

I dipped a finger into the foam in the sink and booped the girl's nose, leaving a white dot on the tip.

"Hey!" she complained before taking a lot of bubbles in her hands and throwing it on my hair.

"Hey guys. I have good news!" Ruby announced entering the kitchen before stopping. "What's going on here?"

By the time she arrived, Weiss had left a foam mohawk on my head while I had formed horns on hers.

"Nothing!" we both said in unison as the foam dripped off our heads.

"Well, Uncle Qrow got a call from Professor Lionheart. He says that we will meet tomorrow night with a group that will help us infiltrate the bandit base."

While Ruby and Weiss were fascinated by the idea, something made me uneasy. Lionheart finally gave hints of wanting to help us after the attitude that the man showed in our meeting.

Call me pessimist, but it was too good to be true.

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As expected, Qrow and Oscar (with Ozpin at his controls) were in the room. As soon as Ruby and Weiss left to break the good news to the rest, I turned to them for more information.

"So is Lionheart finally going to help us?"

"I got a call from him a few minutes ago. He says he will meet us tomorrow night."

I watched Qrow. Some of what he was saying seemed to be half-done.

"So is it true that there is already a group that will help us enter the camp?"

"That... is something I made up to worry Ruby. Leo rather just told me that it was something of the utmost importance to the Council and that he had to see us."

"If it was that important, he would ask us to go now and not until tomorrow."

"Exactly," Ozpin agreed. "Leonardo's attitude has surprised me. The way he has been doing everything is totally different from what was agreed in case of my absence."

"Should we still assume that he is still compromised after all?"

"I'm afraid so," Oz nodded, "as hard as I can say."

"Then we will still go, not knowing what will happen."

"We don't have a choice," Qrow replied. "He indicated that it was important that we all go."

The situation was complicated. Lionheart was finally calling us after this time and Ozpin didn't quite trust him. If the worst of all situations happened, whether there was an enemy attack or Lionheart would actually betray us, then we would be in a bind.

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The night passed very slowly in my opinion, with the wait for the aforementioned meeting approaching with every second that passed. I was barely able to sleep only to end up waking up very early in the morning. The rest of the day was spent in tension. Some prepared their weapons at Qrow's instructions, arguing that it was to make a good impression on those present at the meeting, although rather it was in case of having to go into combat.

The meeting was 30 minutes away when I met with Qrow again. To make sure everything was okay, I would go ahead and go to the academy before everyone else to make sure everything was clear. Should I find anything suspicious, I would contact Qrow and withdraw. If others asked about my absence, the man would argue that Lionheart had asked me to review some files on the computer before the meeting.

"Remember: you have 30 minutes to arrive, explore the ground, and then report back before meeting at the main building. If you see something, call me. Don't take action alone."

"And how come you don't do the recon? It would be easier if you go in bird form."

"Leo will be watching the cameras. If there is a group of boys in the entrance without me, that will put him on alert. Of all of us, you are the most suitable for stealth."

"Another reason to miss Blake," I said to myself.

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There weren't many people on the street when I walked out the door and the cool of the night hit me in the face.

The trip to Haven took about 10 minutes taking the fastest route over the buildings and using my gauntlets to reach the upper levels. Instead of entering the main entrance, I circled the walls of the academy and jumped through the area where there was no camera that could detect me. Once inside, I put on my mask and hood to blend into the shadows easier.

Once again I was glad I had my lenses repaired when the world went green from night vision as I moved between the buildings quickly, paying attention to any sounds that might be suspicious and any cameras that I had to avoid. There was no news around the entrance area, so the rest would have no problem when they arrived. I advanced through the facilities until I reached the central plaza that led to the main building where we would meet Lionheart.

It was then that I could see some movement around the CCT tower. I approached cautiously until I had a good view of what was happening. I had to hold my breath as I saw a group wiring up the rear of the structure, recognizing the uniforms and masks they were wearing.

The White Fang.

Several uniformed faunus were moving segments of cables and boxes inside the tower to the base. They wanted to do the same as in Beacon: destroy the only means of communication in the kingdom.

It was still too early for the attack, according to what Ozpin had predicted. Lionheart had any idea what was going on?

I was about to take my scroll to take a photo and alert Qrow when a voice spoke behind me:

"Who's there?"

There was Lionheart, with a huge shield on his left arm. The man was staring at me with the tool pointed at me. I couldn't just leave there and put him on alert. The best thing was to do time before the others arrived.

"Professor Lionheart, it's me, Kaiden Noir," I tried to calm him by removing my mask and hanging it on my belt. "I had a suspicion that something was going on at the academy and I came before the others. Sir, I just saw the White Fang planting explosives in the CCt tower. It's the same thing that was done in Beacon and they have to be stopped."

I said all this to gauge his reaction and find out how much he knew about this.

His eyes widened in surprise and he gasped before saying:

"You saw them?"

He could have said "You saw them HERE?" or something like that, but the way he said it was more like if he had his surprise discovered.

He knew it. The suspicion was correct. Leonardo Lionheart was a traitor and the meeting was a trap. I had to get out of there and tell Qrow but leaving would alert Lionheart, so I could subdue him sooner. However, I was unaware of the academy's rector's abilities, leaving me with no options but to escape.

It all happened so fast. My legs moved as fast as they could to get out of there, but suddenly my body tensed as I felt the electricity coursing through me and I fell heavily to the ground. I could hear Lionheart moving closer until I saw him in front of me.

"Why?" I gasp as I struggle to get up.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing he said before launching another electric shock at me before I was knocked unconscious.

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My head was pounding when I woke up. When my eyes stopped seeing dark spots, I was able to take a look at my surroundings. Everything was dark and I couldn't move as well as my hands, so I couldn't use my semblance and I couldn't turn to smoke if I was immobile.

Even if I could use my abilities, I wouldn't know where to direct them if I didn't know where the hell I was.

How long had I been unconscious? Had the guysl arrived? My heart began to pound desperately at the thought that Ruby and the others were walking into a trap.

I struggled against my bonds but to no avail. Then I noticed something, I didn't feel Requiem by my side, so I closed my eyes and concentrated on making contact with my sword. I could feel it to my right a few meters away.

'Req?'

'Kaiden ?! At last! I've been trying to make you react while Lionheart tied you to that chair. I could hurt the faunus when it took me, but I couldn't do anything when that thing took me. '

' I need you to cut off my bonds. '

"Call me. I'll try to do what I can."

I spread my hand as best I could and focused on having my sword. Something moved and the chair jerked violently as something hit my right. It didn't look like any tethers were being cut but the armrest seemed to have come loose. I began to move my arm from side to side, applying force to break the wood. I was successful listening to the wood give way and feeling my arm being released before using it to break the rest of my bonds.

Once free, I wandered around the place until I hit a wall. It was a small room, barely bigger than a janitor's room, that kept garden supplies from what I could guess after touching a sack of what I hoped was dirt. It took a few minutes until reaching a corner was my cape, gauntlets ,mask and Samaritan, which I grabbed and put on without wasting time before knocking down the only door in the room.

I checked the time on my scroll and saw that the others must have already reached the building, so I went to the nearest window to jump to the nearest building and rush to get to them and warn them of the betrayal.

When I got to the square, I had to debate whether to go my way or deal with the White Fang. The decision was difficult, but I had no choice but to go ahead and let the others know. That way we could organize ourselves better and have a better chance of avoiding the demolition of the tower, so I ran as fast as I could until I reached the main doors and opened them wide.

The first thing I saw was Ruby being hit by a fireball and thrown backward at me, so I rushed over to her.

"Ruby, are you okay?"

"Yes, but Lionheart is with Raven."

I directed my gaze to the center of the room. Lionheart was in at top of some stairs that descended on the sides and, at the bottom, was the worst aunt I could have (besides my Aunt Beatriz). To one side of the woman, was a portal from which several figures emerged.

"Hello, boys and girls," my blood boiled when I heard that voice. The same one I heard that night in Beacon when Penny was cut off, the same one from that tower when Pyrrha died, and the same one that day I regained my memories.

"Cinder," Ruby said hatefully, a feeling I shared.

The woman was different from that night. Her dark hair had been trimmed and the left side of her face was covered by a mask. However, a bitch is a bitch no matter what she wears.

Behind her came the girl who was with Raven and possible Spring Maiden, Vernal, along with Mercury, Emerald, and Ragna. The latter had not changed much, with his red hair tied in a ponytail and revealing a scar that crossed from the right side of his chin to the left cheek.

"Lionheart, you bastard!" I yelled at the faunus. "All this time it was you! You took them to Beacon."

"C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury scoffed.

Yang was about to pounce on the jerk, but Qrow stopped her, "Everybody, stay calm."

"Qrow, the White Fang is here. They want to demolish the communications tower."

The man turned to the faunus, "Leo, seriously, what did you do?"

The doors were opened again and heavy footsteps were heard. A large man dressed in a green suit came in and closed the doors behind him.

"The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds," the man reported. Then he looked at me, "We don't want any more snoopers around. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

The situation was getting worse every moment. We already had the idea that Lionheart had possibly betrayed us, but we didn't contemplate that he'd be with Raven, who, at the same time, would be in league with Salem. And if that wasn't enough, the White Fang was out to cut off communications across the continent.

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss summed up the situation better than I did.

"It appears so…," Ren agreed with her.

"Raven, tell me…," Qrow angrily called out to his sister. "How long have you been with them?"

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird," Cinder replied. "Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Well, Kaiden is right. Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, but Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, Professor? "

"Stop it," the faunus objected, as if those words had hit the mark.

"It was you… You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her," Qrow accused him. "I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!"

"Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart," Cinder spoke condescendingly. "I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

It was then that the woman's eyes fell on me, "Kaiden, I'm glad you're still alive. Every night I remember our last moments, like our kiss or when I killed your little friend."

"Shut your mouth," I roared. "You will pay dearly for everything you have done."

She laughed, "Of course not. I'm just getting started."

"What is wrong with you?" Jaune spoke, glaring at her. "How can you be so broken inside… To take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of ?! "

On the one hand I wanted to calm him down, but he had also been hurt. They had taken someone he loved from him. That guided him. That took care of him and taught him to fight. I understood it well. He knew what that pain was like and having to face the cause of it.

"All with that damn smile on your face!" my friend exploded with tears emanating from his eyes. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me? Well ?! Say something!"

Cinder remained silent, as if she only saw a child throwing a tantrum. Then she said a single sentence:

"Who are you again?"

At these words, Jaune drew his heavy sword and lunged towards her.

"Jaune!" I called out to him, prepared to tug at it with my gauntlet cord, when I detected movement toward me. I quickly drew Requiem in time to block Ragna, who was brandishing a scimitar.

"Hi Kaiden. I see you fixed your eye."

"Stand aside, Ragna."

"Of course not. We have something pending: your death."

Our swords collided again, the sound of metal echoing in my ears before blocking another attack.

"Nice sword you have there. Too bad what happened to the other one."

"Take a good look, Ragna, as this is Requiem. Repaired by Muramasa himself, your grandfather."

"Impossible. He is dead."

"You don't believe me? Look," I showed the base of my sword's edge, where the blacksmith's mark was. "He also left me a message for you: Leave your anger behind."

Ragna was stunned. I saw him stagger a bit before regaining his composure, "Even after he died, he still haunts me. I can't have a moment of rest without having to bear his damn memory. He just talked and talked, but never did anything else. He never taught me how to fight. He never taught me how to forge a weapon. He only treated me like his slave. That's why I killed him but now I really have to do the same with you to be free. "

His attacks resumed, now stronger and fiercer than before. Neither of us gave ground no matter how many times our metals collided. I only saw hatred in his eyes, blinding him from anything else.

The place was in chaos. Only clashing swords and gunshots could be heard. They were all in their fight. I could barely see what was happening and the situation with the others, but there was something that caught my attention.

I could see Jaune rushing towards Cinder, clinging to his sword in anger. I had to help him. She was going to be too much for him to contain, but Ragna didn't give me room to do something.

"Noooo!" I heard Ruby scream. Then it happened.

It was a blinding light that illuminated everything. I've seen it before. It was the same one I saw atop Beacon's crumbling CCT tower after Pyrrha died. By the time I could see, I felt my heart stop at the sight of Ruby on the ground.

"That light..." Ragna said angrily. "That damn light!"

He lunged for Ruby, but I got in the way.

"Stay away from her," I ordered.

"Because of her I have this," he pointed to the scar.

"And because of you I have mine, so we are the same."

Something changed in Ragna, as his attacks became more erratic and savage, as if he stopped fighting as a human and was only looking for bloodlust.

"She must not exist. She is an abomination!"

"Don't talk about her like that!" I roared, releasing the aura concentrated on my edge, lifting Ragna off the ground and throwing him through a wall.

I used that moment to head towards Ruby and I took Emerald away from Ruby. She was unconscious, but unharmed, so it was a relief to me. However, I was alarmed to see Jaune also knocked down, struggling to reach his sword while Cinder held him down. Without making much effort, she simply kicked him aside before raising her hand, from which a flame-born spear appears. With all the ease in the world she started walking towards Weiss, who was on the ground in her fight against Vernal.

The malicious smile on Cinder's face made me shudder. It was happening again. The same memory that haunted me for months. The moment I lost Pyrrha.

"Nooo!" Jaune screamed.

I had to stop her. Drawing Samaritan was going to take a long time, so I would have to use whatever I had on hand. My body moved on its own, throwing Requiem out to stop Cinder from doing the same. But I was very slow, by the time the blade hit the girl on her arm, the spear had already left her hand and then pierced Weiss from behind.

The room was silent, as if all the opponents paused their confrontations to observe the life that was fading in that instant.

Weiss could only watch the spear that sprouted from his abdomen with her shaking hand without knowing how to react. She didn't even make a sound, just stood still until the weapon went up in flames and she collapsed.

I could only watch helplessly as Jaune ran towards her while I held Ruby in my trembling hands.

Terror invaded me. The feeling was the same as before. The same helplessness. The same feeling of frustration. History repeated itself in the same despair.

Oscar was the first to get to me before Nora.

"Take care of Ruby," I asked them as I carefully set the girl down before running to Weiss's aid.

I quickly took off my cloak and tied it around her waist to stop the bleeding, but she had to be carried to safety.

"Weiss, please wake up," I begged her, seeing the color leave her face. "Don't leave me. Not you."

My pleas fell on deaf ears. Her breathing became weak and her pulse weakened. There wasn't much time and I didn't know what to do.

Many things happened but I didn't pay attention to them. I heard the big man roaring Ozpin's name and Cinder giving orders to Lionheart. That no longer mattered to me as I pulled hydrogen peroxide, gauze, and bandage out of my pocket to treat Weiss's wound. The fact that she didn't even complain when I applied the liquid made me shudder. Ren helped me when my hands were shaking more than allowed to apply first aid, tying my cape again to apply pressure to the wound again and hope that the bleeding lessened a bit.

"This is bad," Ren said next to me.

"No, no, no, no, not again!" Jaune exclaimed desperately. "Weiss, c'mon, please!"

"Make sure they leave Ruby alive," I heard Cinder say. "Once I return with the relic, we will take her with us."

There was something about the woman's tone of voice that made me sick. Maybe it was with the ease with which she spoke, not caring in any way that she just impaled my friend. Maybe it was because I hated her before that. That didn't matter anymore with my sanity snapping like a taut thread.

"You won't," I spoke, standing up and walking over to Cinder, unarmed.

Lionheart, Raven, Vernal, Emerald, and Cinder all turned to me.

"You're still here," she replied nonchalantly. "Where the hell is Ragna?"

"You won't take anyone else from me, your one-eyed bitch. Do you know why?"

"And don't know and don't care," she replied to me with annoyance.

The power that ran through my body was so familiar. I had felt it before. My mouth and nose were hungry for the fragrance of blood. My ears began to hear the screams of those I killed. Each limb was covering a dark aura that began to burn incandescently. So much power that it was accompanied by a thirst for blood that could only be quenched with the death of a single person.

I stare at Cinder and reply with a twisted smile, "Because I'm going to kill you. Do you hear me? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, CINDER!"

Then I fell into madness.