Chapter 4: Mistralian Blues

It was early in the morning, just a little after sunrise. The Pride was making excellent time, and the passengers were excited to finally reach Mistral. Levi himself was more than ready to tackle whatever this foreign land had for him, but he also decided to do something he hadn't done in a while. Train.

It was simple to forget one of the things he had been taught to do from an early age. The moment he could hold up a sword, he was swinging it and making sure his arms remained capable. Being on a ship didn't offer a lot in the means of physical training, so he decided to instead train his Semblance. He had his own form of training with his aura, meditation. Some would find it silly, but it worked wonders for him. Four hours of meditation a day had strengthened his aura, enough to allow him to project energy blades and dust-infused attacks, even allow him to take a rocket to the face. But aura was finite. It wouldn't always protect him, and that's where his semblance came in.

Glyphs didn't run in his family, not unlike the Schnees. His were, for lack of a better term, a watered-down version. He couldn't do the fancy things the Schnee Glyphs could do. But he could still make them do whatever he wanted, provided he had the dust. It had taken him years of mathematics, practice, focus, and the right application of dust to earn the effects he had mastered.

But there was something that had struck a chord with him. The words that Weiss had told him all of that time ago. "Hone your emotions, and make your glyphs an extension of your being."

"Easier said than done," he muttered under his breath, as he stood on the poopdeck of The Pride. It was the widest place for him to practice, and also the one where the least amount of people would interrupt him.

He had been thinking a lot about what Weiss had told him. He had a lot of anger in him, due to what had happened at Vale. But he also had other emotions, grief, stress, sadness, rage. It was hard to just pick one. He couldn't be angry all the time, but he knew that his emotions were directly tied to his Semblance, if not, they affected it to a certain degree. He needed to make sure he had strong control over them, as they were his lifeline. He wasn't going to let himself become a glass cannon if he could help it.

Taking a deep breath, he held his hand out focusing on the ground in front of him. A small, glowing glyph appeared on the deck, swirling a light blue in color. He channeled more aura into it, causing it to grow in size. It was a basic one, capable of doing nothing but produce light. It was a perfect circle, the outer edges filled with illegible runes. The thin lines extended downward, forming six even points, a large hexagon in the center of the glyph. This was the basis of all of his other glyphs. Particularly, the closest one to this one was his Green "Gale" Glyph, which he had created during his second year at Signal.

He stepped back a bit as he snapped his fingers, the action was enough for the glyph to disappear entirely. He focused his aura on his glove, reforming the glyph he had created, this time glowing bright green in color. It spun rapidly, the emblem in the center looking almost like the spokes of a wheel. A swirling funnel took shape, extending upward into the sky. He swept his hand upward, sending the glyph high into the air, keeping his focus as he made it bigger. He grit his teeth as the glyph started cracking, a sign that he was beginning to lose it.

"Come on, don't lose it now," he said, giving himself a pep talk. The glyph stabilized itself, growing larger in size, and with it, the funnel that had formed at its center. It had grown so large that it had started sucking in the smoke coming from the ship. With a flick of his wrist, Levi allowed the funnel to fully disappear, the cloud of smoke breaking apart into soft little wisps.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he decided to practice another glyph, one of the ones he enjoyed using. Making his way toward the back railing, he watched the stream being kicked up by the ship's powerful engines. He moved away from the center, toward the edges of the ship, before forming a glyph over the water.

Unlike the "Gale" Glyph, this one was a bright water blue. There was a glimmering marking at its center, having taken the shape of a large vase. Thin lines extended outward, toward the edges of the glyph. The runes had changed slightly, being written in a different font than the Gale one. He did the same thing as he had with his Gale glyph, focusing on making it bigger. With a slight flick of his wrist, a towering swirl of water shot out of it, being feed by the ocean. It looked almost like a giant pillar, the crystalline liquid reflecting the light of the rising sun.

Deciding to test his luck, he formed another glyph beside it, this one being white in color, a vibrant snowflake at its center. It spun rapidly as a funnel of blistering cold air flowing out of it. He channeled more aura into it, forcing it to grow inside, the ice dust he was using was beginning to freeze the water, turning it into a giant iceberg of sorts. Once the water had been frozen, he dismissed his water and ice glyphs. Spinning around on his heel, he formed a brown glyph in mid-air, throwing it almost like a disk at the iceberg, shattering it on impact. With a snap, a blistering orange glyph appeared beneath the falling ice, engulfing it in flames.

With a wave of his hand, the Fire glyph faded away, leaving nothing behind but chunks of ice and steam. He felt a little winded but was satisfied with his results. He heard clapping behind him, and whirled around, coming face to face with Neo, who had apparently been watching him. He rubbed his neck in embarrassment, tugging on his hood a bit.

"Erm… good morning, Neo."

She smiled, happily waving at him. She shortened the distance between them, glancing over the railing at the chunks of ice left in the water. She had an impressed look on her face, as she stared out into the sea.

"I didn't want to squander our time, you know? This trip has been a long one, but every aspect of it has provided me with a chance to better myself. If I'm going to go off against Cinder, someone who managed to bring Beacon to its knees and killed the best fighter from Sanctum Academy, I have to be ready."

She stepped away from the railing, giving the man a once over. She held her fist up, throwing a forward punch like a boxer. He wiggled his ears, understanding what she meant. "You wanna know how my hand to hand is?"

She nodded.

"Well, you've seen a bit of my fighting style, thanks to those bandits we fought. We managed to synch rather well. But it's clear you are leagues and bounds better than me. My mother always told me that I relied too much on my gunblade and on my glyphs. She was teaching me how to fight, but with her being a professor, it uh… sort of fell off." he said, tail drooping a bit. "I'm self-taught mostly. There was a karate studio in Vale and I watched from the window. Everything else is either from movies, TV shows or watching Yang destroy sandbags in the gym."

She had a look of intrigue on her face. He could almost hear her say "I see." as he shared his experience with fighting. He noticed she had adopted a rather odd stance, laid back, yet her legs were spaced apart, leading foot forward. Before he could even react, she threw a punch at him, which he instinctively deflected. He could feel the strength from that hit, his arms feeling like pins and needles for a moment.

"Neo, what the hell was that for?"

She didn't reply, rather she moved forward, aiming several swift strikes at his chest, all of which were deflected or avoided. He sidestepped, letting the woman dash past him. She jumped into the railing, using it as a springboard, jumping backward over him. She drew Hush as she did so, landing in a crouch before him.

He realized what she was doing, she was testing him. But he wasn't going to draw his weapon, listening to his mother for once. He relied too much on Shiva, so he was going to take Neo down with her help. He ducked down as he avoided her swing, throwing a palm strike at her chest, only for her to grab his wrist, redirecting his strike.

Levi spun on the front of his foot, aiming a sidekick at the woman who angled Hush in time to block it, being sent back a few feet. He darted forward, throwing a haymaker to her face, which she easily avoided. The following hooks and jabs all missed their mark, hardly even phasing the woman.

Finally, on the offensive, Neo calmly walked forward, taking Levi by surprise by her nonchalant attitude. He held his arms up, aiming to defend his face, only for the woman to jab him with her parasol. He deflected it with a semi-circular fist, leaving his chest open for a leg strike. He cried in pain, digging his heels into the ground as she aimed an uppercut with Hush, which missed him by a hair. He followed up with a low kick, aiming to sweep her off her feet, but she instead hooked his leg with her parasol, slamming her shin into his chest. He let out an oomph as he struck the ground, feeling some of the air in his lungs exploding outward.

His eyes widened as she jumped into the air, aiming a downward bicycle kick at his face. He moved in time to avoid it, her knee making contact with the wooden deck. Had it not been for her aura, she likely would have shattered it. He spun around, not giving her a chance to recover, throwing a heavy punch at the back of her head only for her to duck, grabbing a hold of his arm. She pulled downward, using Hush to send him tumbling forward. He slammed into the railing, the hit stunning him a bit.

Neo slowly turned around, head tilted a bit as she twirled her parasol around. She held her left hand out, giving him the universal gesture that meant "Bring it On."

Slamming his fist into the ground, Levi stood up, ignoring the fact his hood had been blown off his head. He didn't really care at the moment, he just wanted to bring the short woman down a peg. He threw a chain of speedy jabs forward, all of them blocked by angling her weapon. She leaned back into a backflip, kicking him in the face with her heels. She folded her arms, using them as a springboard to hop to her feet, following her attack with several jabs, spinning Hush around, she drove its handle into his solar plexus.

Levi ignored the slight pain in his gut as he broke through her attacks, finally landing a hit on her face. He followed it with an uppercut and then a cross to her unprotected chest. Neo grit her teeth, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"What? You attack me and suddenly you're the one who's mad?" he asked. She started running forward, throwing Hush into the air before dropping into a cartwheel. She used her momentum to drive her leg down on his shoulder, and though in pain, he managed to grab a hold of her leg.

He pulled his fist back, lacing his punch with aura as he drove it upward into her knee only for her body to shatter into a million pieces. Stunned, he looked around, his ears trying and failing to hone in on her movements. He cried in pain as he felt several jabs at his lower back, followed by a flying kick. He forced himself to spin around, keeping his fists tightly balled as he looked around.

Neo slowly walked forward, twirling her parasol before flicking it open. She gave him a smile, darting toward him, sweeping her weapon at his face, causing him to duck. She closed Hush, striking him in the side with it. She followed with a high kick, which he was able to catch. Using his strength, he spun her around, attempting to throw her, but she easily recovered, using a cartwheel to slow herself down. She decided it was time to end this spar of theirs.

Using her weapon to her advantage, she spun it around, driving the handle into his neck, causing him to cough loudly. She took a hold of his arm, using his leg as a platform, spinning around him. Using her weight, she not only pulled his arm back but also swept him off his feet, throwing him back against the nearby wall, his body denting the metal. A few of the passengers who had been out and about and even watching them cringed in pain. Levi slid down to the ground, clearly defeated. His aura crackled a bit but thankfully didn't break.

"Ow," he mumbled, feeling copious amounts of pain all over his body. Neo slowly walked up to him, a grin on her face as she stood over him. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I got my ass kicked by a girl who's shorter than me."

She gave him a lopsided smile, holding her hand out. He gratefully took it, helping himself to his feet. "You're good, Neo. Really good, where did you learn how to fight?"

Neo reached for her scroll, briefly typing out her message. "I had a teacher from Mistral teach me. It's called Capoeira, the art of using acrobatics, aerial maneuvers, and inverted kicks. My blocks and strikes come from another art called Baritsu, another martial art I happened upon. It's helped keep me alive."

"Wow… that's even better than my boxing, or my attempt at boxing. I could really use some work," he said, rubbing his neck. She reached up for his head, taking a hold of one of his ears, much to his annoyance. "Is there something wrong with them?"

"A Faunus has excellent hearing, and yet you didn't try to use it during that fight. I've heard tales of faunus who can hear the movements of people before they even make a move. Yet, when I used my Semblance and disappeared, you couldn't hone in on my movements. You should make more use of them." her scroll said, as she looked up from the device.

"I… well…"

She erased her message, typing out a new one. "You want to get stronger right? Well, I can't promise anything, but I've taken a bit of pity on you. If you want to even stand a chance at defeating, you know who, then you need to know how to fight. I can teach you."

He shook his head a bit, brows furrowing in confusion at what he had heard. Was Neo seriously offering to teach him martial arts? Sure, she had kicked his ass, but he wasn't that bad of a fighter. He had gotten a few hits in. his lips curved into a frown.

"Do I suck that bad?"

"Mmm… no. For defending yourself against Grimm, it's fine. Chained with your Gunblade and Semblance, it's more than enough. But remember, we aren't going up against just Grimm. We'll be going up against bandits, thieves, killers, and of course, Cinder herself. It would be for the best that you take everything you can get. Your semblance alone isn't going to stop her from shooting an arrow through your chest."

The scroll's mechanical voice lingered in his mind for a moment. She had a point. He wasn't going up against just Grimm anymore. A Huntsman had to be firm and capable of self-defense, especially against other humans. Things had changed, he couldn't just think about the Grimm anymore. He had to think about who he was up against. He nodded to himself, holding his hand out to Neo.

"Alright, I'd love for you to teach me a bit of what you've learned. We have a lot of time between us and Mistral. We might as well make the most of it, right?"

Neo nodded, giving him a devious smile. He felt a shudder go down his neck as she leaned forward, wiggling her brows a bit. "Uh… I don't like that look."

She hastily typed out a reply, holding out to him rather than having the device speak. "Prepare your anus. I'm going to kick your ass harder than you can imagine."

Levi let out a dry chuckle, suddenly fearing for his life. What the hell had he signed up for?

xxx

Port Ulysses was nothing like Port Vista had been. The southernmost port in Mistral was a bit more industrialized than the rest of the nation. Apparently, it had been built by both Mistral and Vale, wanting to keep good relations between the kingdoms. It was similar to Argus in that sense, only the town was a lot emptier than he had imagined. He and Neo disembarked from The Pride and were on their way, the vast wilderness of Mistral would be theirs for the taking, at least, that's what he had been hoping.

Levi was bad at hiding his feelings. Though he tried to look optimistic, he knew that he wasn't going to be as lucky as he had in Vale. It was a different landmass with different rules. He may have been a Huntsman-in-Training, but he knew that alone wasn't going to help him. The grief he carried with him along with the rage he felt toward Cinder was bound to attract Grimm. He knew it, and Neo knew it as well. After all, he knew she wanted Cinder dead just as much as he did, and that was bound to make their trip a lot harder than it needed to be.

But with no other options, the two opened their map and picked a direction. Mistral was on the other side of Anima. Between them was a mess of villages, towns, swamps, forests, rocky terrain, and various other ecosystems he only touched upon in books. It would certainly test his limits, and he welcomed it. He wasn't a kid anymore, after all.

"So, I was thinking." he began, grabbing Neo's attention. The young woman had been a few paces behind him, twirling Hush and looking at the scenery around them. The cobblestone path extended out of Port Ulysses, further out into the countryside. He lowered his map, giving her a firm look. "There's a small village named Konoha ahead of us. Should be about a three to four-day walk. We can stop there and take some missions."

She quirked a brow, giving him a confused look. "Why should we take them? Well simple, we will eventually burn through the funds we have. I saved 20,000 Lien to buy myself a good huntress, and thanks to you offering to accompany me for free, aided in our savings. Catching those bandits back in Sanus added to that as well. But we have a long journey ahead of us, could be six or seven months before we make it to Mistral. We need to be ready for anything."

He glanced back at his map, making sure he was staying his course. "I'm in need of some better armor, meaning I'll have to dip my savings into that. Shiva could use some upgrades as well. You should consider adding something to Hush."

She paused for a moment, reaching inside her pocket for her scroll. Closing her parasol, she hung it behind her back, hurriedly typing out a message. "I apologize, but I will not be adding any modifications to my parasol. She is fine just as she is."

"I get that, Hush works great for close combat situations. But eventually, you'll have to consider your options. Having a ranged weapon works wonders, especially when you have a slippery enemy who could be slowed down at a distance. It shouldn't be hard to add a firing mechanism to her."

"I said, she is fine as she is." she typed, giving him a glare for added measure. He held his hands up in defeat, taking a step back. "Hush has been my greatest achievement since I could fight. I am not going to add something I consider pointless just because you want me to have options."

Levi relented, returning his gaze to his map. "I understand. I just wanted to make sure you were safe, you know? Is it wrong for me to worry about my friend?"

Neo blinked rapidly for a few seconds, looking down at her scroll. Her thumbs were poised to type something out, but instead, she took a hold of his hand. She hooked her index finger around his, giving him a firm look.

"Um…"

She stepped away, sighing silently as she typed her message. "I'm going to teach you sign language. It'll be much easier to communicate, especially without this damn thing."

"That would probably help us both out, actually. It would be better for us to communicate in silence especially in dangerous situations," he said, giving her a nod. "Teach me. In return, I'll perform maintenance on your weapon."

She narrowed her eyes, her lip quivering a bit in anger. He held his hand out, adopting a more softened look. "Worry not, I'm not gonna add anything. I'll just make sure the parts are in working order. A well-oiled weapon is a happy weapon. I'll make sure that hidden blade of yours is also sharpened. I brought my kit with me, for Shiva, of course."

Neo remained still for a moment, before giving him a slight nod. They continued on their way, neither noticing the pair of glowing eyes watching them from a distance.

The crackle of the flames was rather soothing. It reminded Levi of the cold winter nights in Vale. He briefly wondered what it would have been like to live in a log cabin deep in the Mistralian wilderness. It sounded far more appealing than the city life, that was for certain.

Neo hadn't wasted a single moment of downtime. She had wanted to teach him sign language and she had meant it. She had grabbed a stick and had written out the letters in the dirt, standing over them. She had started with A, showing him the proper sign, which he mimicked. She had done this for every letter, and whenever he messed up, she would strike his thigh with her stick, making sure to channel aura through it. This had lasted for an hour when he finally begged her to quit because his leg had gotten sore. Even now, he was practicing all of the hand motions, making sure he had memorized all of them.

"You know, this is a lot easier than I thought it would be," he said, as he finished signing the letter Z. He started from the top, saying the letter before signing it. It was almost like flashcards, only instead of cards, he had his hands. "Were you born mute or?"

Neo stopped what she had been doing, glancing up at him. She had been frying some vegetables for dinner, using some steel chopsticks they had bought in Ulysses. She held her left hand up, signing her reply. He narrowed his eyes a bit but had understood what she had signed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's fair, there are things I don't like talking about either," he said, scratching his neck. He glanced up at the sky, being greeted by the shattered moon. "You ever wonder what shattered the moon?"

Neo sat back, shaking her head. "I asked my mother that question. She always told me the same thing. That it was a giant asteroid that had struck the lunar surface some five billion years ago. I didn't believe her though, I always felt like it was something else."

The ice-cream-themed woman quirked a brow, resting most of her weight on a single arm. She gestured for him to elaborate. "Well, think about it. We live in a world where creatures of darkness actively hunt us. Where people have physical manifestations of their souls and special skills no one else can replicate. You actually believe the moon was shattered by some gigantic space rock?"

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Nah… I think something else shattered it. I like to believe it was some creature, a dragon or something. Makes for an interesting tale, don't you think?"

He earned an eye-roll from his friend, who had returned to her cooking. She pointed to the salt, which he handed her. She shook a bit over the stirfry, grabbing a piece of carrot to taste it. She nodded, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Don't you like fairy tales?" he questioned, causing her to sit back down. She reached for her scroll, typing out her response.

"There was one that my friend used to read to me when I was little. It was called "The Infinite Man". It was a story of a man with the gift of immortality. He had been fighting the Grimm outside of a village and passed out from exhaustion. A young girl saw him and claimed he was magic since he took care of the Grimm without the aid of dust. He wanted to keep his skills secret but did indeed tell her he was magic. Eventually, he continued helping the town, and people began following him. They called themselves the Circle."

Levi leaned in a bit, as she typed out her next response, setting her scroll down to check on their food so it wouldn't burn. "Eventually, the man was poisoned by one of his followers, betrayed because he did not believe him to be immortal. The girl was saddened and on his deathbed, she was told to let him go, as he was just a man and not a very good one. He returned after many moons, in a body that was different. The little girl was now a woman, and the Circle had grown in size. One day, a man thought he was brave enough to take on the Infinite Man, claiming he wanted to do battle with a god. And so they fought.

It was a grueling battle that ended in his death. Years later, he reincarnated again, and once again he met the young woman, now an elderly lady. She had told him what became of the Circle. All of them had died, save for her, the one woman who chose to believe in him. He didn't tell her who he was, she already knew. But she also knew that if he told her, the truth would be too painful. He reached for her hand, but pulled it back, choosing to let her go."

Levi looked away from the scroll, as Neo started to plate their food. She had made some rice on a portable pot, topping it with the vegetables. He gratefully accepted his bowl, giving her a small smile. "My mother read me that one. She told me it was a cautionary tale, not to put all of your chips down on a single horse. Rather, not to pin your hopes on a single person, because that person could lead to your downfall. She said the Infinite Man wasn't a very good man. He was both a hero and a villain, hope and despair, life and death. For no matter how many times he came back to life, his actions, his presence, would always lead to death. It's an uh… rather sad tale."

"It is a truthful one. It serves as a reality check, dear Levi." Neo's scroll chirped, causing him to look up from his food. She had been looking away, holding the device out with a single hand, typing her next response. "It's there to teach us that in the end, we can only rely on ourselves and no one else. That having faith in people will just lead to hardship."

"I don't think so. I think the purpose of the story is to inspire us to move forward together, not to put our faiths and hopes into a single thing. That we should all work together to make the impossible, possible." Levi said, shoving another bite of food into his mouth, reaching for his canteen. "I mean, if that was true then, why do the academies put together Teams of Four? Why not just make single Huntsman and Huntresses? Because working together is better than working alone. It's all about who you trust after all."

The woman couldn't help but shake her head, holding her nose high as she glanced up at the moon. "Trust? Heh… I wonder how much you'll be able to trust if you find out the truth about me, dear Levi." she thought, deciding to focus on her food.

"There was another tale which was my favorite. This one was told a lot back in Eorzea, the nation that once housed my people. It's not known where the miqo'te originated from, but it is thought that they are descended from the God of Animals."

Neo tilted her head in confusion. "You probably haven't heard about the God of Animals, hardly any human ever has. He created the faunus, according to myth. He was capable of being both human and animal. He wanted his children to experience what it was like to be like him and thus, made them in a new image. Humanoids with animal traits. But it is thought that the miqo'te are directly linked to him. You see, like many a mortal man, he was swayed by a lady."

"So he was a horny god then?" Neo typed out, causing him to start coughing loudly. He struck his chest repeatedly, downing a bit of water from his canteen.

"No, he wasn't. He was just enamored by a lovely woman, one that no man could resist. It is thought she was human. He wasn't able to contain himself and thus came to her in human form. No animal traits being visible. He tried to woo her but she didn't buy his affections. No matter what he gifted her, be it flowers, food, gold, or jewels, it never really interested her. One night, many years after he had fallen in love with her, he finally threw in the towel, deciding to return to his realm, that which was named the Shallow Sea."

He paused briefly, setting his empty bowl down by the other utensils. He threw another log into the fire, stoking it a bit with a stick. "But before he left, he decided to travel the forest. Not as a human, but as something else. It was an animal that no one had seen before. He was beautiful, a striking, feline-like creature with a broad body, soft shimmering white fur, a black-tipped tail, and large folded feline-line ears. He had striking silver eyes, which reflected the very light of the moon. Yet despite how dangerous and ferocious this beast look, his heart was made of cold. Passionate and caring. He raced through the land, the same one he had ventured through trying to court the lady until he finally saw her. She was out for a stroll and had run into him, she had frozen midstep, taking in his alluring form."

He closed his eyes for a moment, his ears flicking about a bit. He could hear the crickets chirping, along with the crackling of the flames, and Neo's soft breathing. It was a bit breezy, reminding him of the cold winters back home. The same ones he had always heard this story too.

"Why do you look so sad?" the woman asked, as she approached the beast. He stepped back, fearful of the woman. He was scared, not of her, but of everything that had happened. Of all the rejections he had faced, he wanted not to experience it again. She placed a hand on his face, using her thumb to brush away his tears. "Are you hurt? Are you in pain?"

The beast didn't answer, he just ran away. But that had been his mistake, men had seen him and had grown frightful of him. They wanted nothing but his death, and so the town raised an army, wanting his head and his pelt. But the woman didn't want that. She tried to talk them out of it but they didn't relent. So, she decided to go and find him."

"This story sounds kind of silly, Levi. It seems to me like it's setting up for some really messy things later on." Neo's scroll said, causing him to frown.

"Just let me finish." he snapped, giving her a glare. He reached for his water, taking another long sip from his canteen. "The woman found the beast, who was about to jump into the sea. She thought he was going to take his own life, due to the fear he had instilled in the people. But instead, he decided to be truthful to her. He used his magic to turn back into his human form, the woman stunned. She recognized him as the man who had tried to court her, and now that she had seen the beauty he was capable of, felt shame at all of the rejections she gave him.

She heard the army not far and told him he needed to run, or they would kill him. He hardly had the time to tell her everything, but he held his hand out regardless. "Come with me, and I promise you I will tell you everything."

She was skeptical but took it regardless. He turned into an enormous eagle, taking off into the night, just as the army reached the cliff. The only thing left behind being a beautiful brown feather. The god returned to the Shallow Sea with the woman, and as he promised, told her everything. How he had fallen for her, and how he had tried to court her. But she felt bad, her heart felt like shattering, the guilt of everything washing over her. She turned to him, her eyes looking into his own.

"How can you still love a person who caused you so much pain?" she questioned, earning only a smile.

"It matters not what you did, but that you realize the wrongness of those actions. So long as you realize those actions are wrong and choose to better yourself, you shall earn forgiveness. The greatest act of love is being able to forgive those that have hurt you."

She embraced him, begging for forgiveness. But he had already given it to her, he had forgiven her long before she had ever spoken to him in a formal manner. She decided then to remain by his side and learn to love him as he did her. And in time she did. She fell in love, not with the beautiful beast she had met, nor with the god of animals, but with the man he was. Kind and caring. It is here, from their union, that the first miqo'te were created. They were followed by the faunus, the perfect union of human and animal."

He let the silence hang for a moment, briefly looking at his scroll for the time. Neo whoever was typing something out, and by the looks of it, it was very long. She finished what she was writing, holding the device out to him.

"So you mean to tell me, an animal god turned into a fluffy kitty cat, shagged a human, and out popped your people? Do you know how ludicrous that sounds? It's like telling someone a dragon shattered the moon. It just doesn't make sense!"

"You don't have to believe it, it's a fairy tale for a reason. Buuut, it has to make some sort of sense, I mean. Where do you think the faunus came from? You think some male human mated with a female animal and gave birth to a half-human, half animal baby? That just doesn't make sense scientifically." he said with a shrug, glancing up at the sky. "Not only that, but it does seem to make sense, all things considered."

He glanced at his hand, opening and closing it for a brief moment. "Miqo'te are unique, in the sense that we have both human anatomies and animal parts. But unlike faunus, we have both traits. Ears and tails. We have superior hearing, superior sight, superior scent. We have better reflexes, and can bring out the absolute best that dust can provide."

"Yet your fighting style leaves a lot to be desired," Neo said, causing Levi to look down at her, as she kept on typing. "You hardly used your hearing during that fight, and while your semblance is impressive, if miqo'te can truly do amazing feats with dust, I have yet to see them."

"Well, what do you expect me to do? My mother was the only other miqo'te I ever knew. I didn't have the luxury of being taught by a professional fighter. Not to mention I didn't get to practice with my semblance as much as I would have liked. My people have been hunted down for generations, and my mother's village was the last one that existed. There are no other miqo'te on Remnant. Hell, I might be the last one left." he said, bowing his head a bit, his ears flattening against his head. "I wish I could fight like other legendary huntsmen and huntresses, but I do what I can with what I've got. It's the only thing I can do."

He quickly rose to his feet, walking over to where he had placed his pack, pulling out a rolled-up sleeping bag. He unrolled it, unfurling it over a cleared spot beside the fire. "We should get to sleep, I want to be up at dawn so we have a full day of trekking. We have to make it to Konoha after all."

Realizing what she had said had angered her friend, Neo thought it best to apologize. She stood up, grabbing a hold of his hand. She gave him a tight hug, burying her face into his shirt. He stood still for a moment, his arms spread out, not sure of what to do. After a moment, he realized what she was doing, and decided to hug her back, loosening up a bit. "I'm sorry for yelling, alright Neo? I didn't mean to. Just like I'm sure you didn't mean to say what you said."

She pulled away, an apologetic look on her face. He gave her a pat on the head, forcing a smile onto his face. "Don't worry about it, alright? There's a reason why I'm In-Training right? That means that I will always have room to improve. And that's what I hope to do. I want to get better at fighting so that I can stand on the same playing field as…" he shook his head. "We'll get stronger, that way we won't be taken by surprise, got it?"

Neo nodded, giving him a wink. She walked back toward her log, holding her left hand out, signing out a phrase. "I'll take the first watch, you get some sleep. I'll wake you up in about four hours."

"You sure?" he asked. She nodded. He knelt down in front of his sleeping back, kicking the dirt off his boots before taking them off. "Hey, Neo?"

She looked up from her scroll, head tilted slightly. "I wanted to thank you. You have no reason to stick by my side, aside from shoving a knife through Cinder's throat. It's been a rough few months for me. Losing my mother and my teammates and my academy all in one night… It really served as a reality check. It easily could have been me, but it wasn't. I have something left to do in this world, and I don't want to squander it. You're my… friend alright? We may still be strangers, but I consider you as such."

He laid down, giving his pillow a few smacks before settling in. He turned away from the young woman, content with staring at the fire for a few moments. "Goodnight, Neo."

Neo didn't reply, choosing to remain silent. She looked down at her hands for a moment, opening and closing them, staring at every single digit. It had been a long time since she had been called a friend by anyone. She had Roman, yes, but he treated her more like an underling than anything. At least whenever they were in business mode. But when they weren't, he was rather fatherly to her.

He had taken care of her for years, ever since they had lost everything. It had been rough for them, but they needed to make a life for themselves. Finding themselves in Vale led to opportunities, and when they had unlocked their aura and semblances, things had clicked into place. Not having him by her side… it left her confused, vulnerable, alone. But now that she had met Levi, she didn't know. She was starting to feel something again. The numbness of his death was starting to diminish. She had been prepared to go after Cinder alone and let her know exactly what she thought of her, but now, she wasn't so sure.

There was something about Cinder she never liked. But she hadn't spent enough time with her to understand what. She knew she was dangerous, and she knew her benefactor was not to be trifled with. Roman certainly made no effort to upset her. He had spoken with Cinder's boss once, and when she had asked, she had told him a single phrase.

"Don't fuck with that woman."

Neo was still confused as to what that meant. Was Cinder's boss that dangerous? What were they getting themselves into? Could she and Levi actually stand a chance against Cinder and whatever benefactor she had? Neo wasn't so sure, but she wasn't going to give up either. She was back in Mistral, after so many years of being gone. She closed her hand firmly, her nails digging into her palm. She looked up at the fire, mouthing words she would never truly speak.

"For you, I'm willing to do anything. Anything."

"I thought you said you would wake me up in four hours," Levi said, glaring at the shorter woman who had her arms crossed in annoyance. She held her left hand out, signing her reply. Though he still had trouble reading her signs, he managed to get this one rather easily.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, not your fault you passed out. That's what happens when you spend too much time reading on your scroll," he said in a scolding tone. He folded his map, shoving it in his pocket as the two of them continued to walk. "Whatever, we're making good time. We'll just be a little late to Konoha. Rather than midday, we'll get there at night… when all the inns are rented out."

Neo bit her lip, giving him a bit of a sensual look. She slid her forefinger into the circle she had made with her right hand, wiggling her brows as she did so. "Oh… for fuck sakes. That is a thought I don't fucking need."

She elbowed his side, the expression on her face telling him to "Lighten Up" as they continued walking. He fixed his pack, not bothering to give her a proper reply. He opened his mouth to say something, only for Neo to hold her hand up. She pointed to his ears, eyes narrowed slightly. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on his hearing. That's when a familiar sound filled his ears.

Gunfire.

He opened his eyes a bit, slowly stepping away from the path, ducking through the trees, hand reaching down for Shiva just in case he needed her. As he kept moving, the sounds of gunfire got louder and louder, until he finally happened on the source.

"Quick! Don't let it get closer!" a man with a lever-action rifle shouted, as he fired at the Goliath. The large Grimm rose its foot, stomping it hard on the ground, causing it to shake. "Ah… shit! I'm out of ammo!"

"Do something! We hired a huntsman for this very purpose, we can't let our supplies get destroyed by this fucking thing!" another man, a merchant, cried out. The huntsman looked back at the man, clutching his rifle tightly.

"I was expecting Ursa, Beowulves, fucking Griffons, not a goddamned Goliath. I need 700 express to even come close to damaging this thing!" the man shouted, flicking his wrist, his rifle extended outward, the stock morphing into a battle axe. "God, just hurry up with that tire so we can get a fucking move on!"

"Easier said than done! I can't work when the goddamned ground is shaking!"

Levi was about to spring forward when Neo caught his arm, causing him to look back at her. She shook her head, gesturing to the road behind them. "What? You want me to abandon them?"

She nodded, pointing to the Goliath. She slammed her fist into her palm, grinding it a bit, before sliding her thumb across her throat. He stepped away from her, shrugging his pack off. "Even if we get hurt, we can't just let this thing kill them. Neo, I'm still a Huntsman, and it's my job to protect the people who need protecting."

She flicked her scroll out, typing out a message. "I thought you didn't care about being a huntsman anymore and wanted to just go straight to Cinder."

"Well, I did say that, but I was wrong. This world is in a shitty state, but we can make it less shittier. Cinder is just on the top of the list, we can still help the people, and I will. I'm not letting innocents die if I can help it."

He jumped into the fray, firing several gravity rounds at the Goliath's leg, just as he was about to crush the ax-wielding huntsman. The large creature turned its attention on Levi, raising its trunk up, letting out a trumpeting howl which sent all of the local avians flying off into the distance. The faunus dodged a swipe of its tusks, using a handspring to get some distance. Spinning around, he snapped his fingers, forming a brown-colored glyph before himself.

It glowed brightly as he channeled rock dust into it, sending a stream of sharpened rocks at the creature's bone-covered plate. With it stunned, he raced forward, jumping upward, his hand wrapping around its tusk. He flicked his wrist, shifting Shiva into its bladed form, just as he used a vermilion glyph beneath his feet, the combustion dust shot him into the air. A pull of the trigger sent him into a wild spin, striking the Goliath's face. He planted his feet firmly on its face, doing a backflip.

As he did, he returned Shiva to its gun form, unleashing a volley of gunfire at its face, successfully cracking bits of the bone plates. The goliath let out a screech, slamming its trunk into Levi, sending him flying back.

He spun across the ground, stabbing his blade into the soft soil as a means to stop himself. He looked around for a moment as the creature stomped its massive feet onto the ground. He bowed his head a bit, flicking his wrist. Several white glyphs formed before him, each of them spewing a stream of ice shards, striking the Grimm's hulking body.

"I won't be able to keep it at bay for long. It's getting ready to charge, and everyone knows what happens when a humongous Grimm elephant charges at shit." he thought, his eyes widening. A smile appeared on his face. "Of course!"

"Hey kid, I dunno if you have a plan but that thing isn't going to be held back by this ice for too long!" the huntsman said, having slid more rounds into his rifle.

"I have a plan! Don't you worry," he said, glancing back at the woods. "Neo! I need you!"

The young woman sighed, deciding to join her friend in battle. He tossed her a vial of ice dust, which she looked at in confusion. "When I say, you throw that dust at the ground with as much aura as you can."

She tilted her head, shrugging her shoulders. Levi swiped away his ice glyphs, holding Shiva up almost as a scepter. He channeled aura into it, using it as a medium to form a large water glyph beneath his feet. He lowered his blade, causing water to come spilling forth, covering the ground. He started running forward, leaving the glyph active as he shifted Shiva into its gun form. He jumped into the air, firing an energy bullet directly at the ground, the recoil sending him flying up.

He let out a cry as he slammed the trigger back, sending himself flying right at the Grimm's face. His blade stabbed right into its bone plate. He growled as he pulled hard, breaking off another chunk. The Grimm shook its head, trying to use its trunk to slam him down as he had down before. Levi however, leaped out of the way, using its tusk as a platform. He jumped forward, using a vermilion glyph to shoot himself forward.

"Take this!" he shouted, as he sliced the creature's trunk clean off. The appendage fell to the ground, fading into dark wisps. The Goliath let out a screech of pain, shaking the young man off. He rolled around the wet ground for a moment, firing back at the creature who started running right at him. "Now, Neo!"

He slid to a stop, just as Neo threw the dust vial down. It shattered instantly, the ice dust spread out, freezing the water Levi had created, creating a thick patch of ice between them and the Goliath. The creature, of course, couldn't react fast enough and ended up slipping on the patch of ice. Its massive body fell hard to the ground, one of its tusks snapping from its own weight. Levi moved toward it, using his Semblance to create a massive glyph beneath it. The glowing vermillion circle exploded with energy, sending the giant tusk into the air.

Using his Semblance as platforms, he climbed into the air, letting out a shout as he slammed Shiva's blade into the tusk. It flew downward with great force, stabbing itself into the Goliath's side. Spinning around midair, he pulled his weapon back, focusing on his violet glyph. He channeled combustion dust into it, changing the color to a deep violet gold. He shot downward like a rocket, pulling Shiva's trigger, sending himself into a spin. Channeling his aura into his weapon, he struck the flat of the tusk, sending it straight through the goliath's ribcage, piercing its heart.

He landed roughly on the ground, slipping on the broken remains of the ice field he had created. He panted for breath as he watched the goliath slowly fading away, the dark wisps that made up its body disappearing, leaving only the broken tusk behind.

"Fuck me, that was rough," he said, as he forced himself to stand up. He flicked his wrist, sliding his weapon into his holster. He turned to the others, who were staring at him with surprise. He tilted his head a bit, ears wiggling. "What?"

"Y-you saved us but… you're just a kid!" the huntsman said firmly.

"Aye, and an animal too! I wasn't expecting ya to save our kind!" the merchant added, causing Levi to glare at him.

"I'm a huntsman, it's all in the job description," he said, checking the cart over. He noticed something else he hadn't seen before, a pair of children, along with a visibly scared woman. He stepped up to them, looking them over for a moment. "Are any of you hurt?"

"N-no s-sir." the woman said softly, hugging her children.

"Momma, he has a funny face." the little girl said, pointing at Levi's markings. "Why is he wearing makeup?"

"Shush, it's rude to say things like that!" the mother scolded, looking back at the young huntsman. She grabbed ahold of her purse, pulling out some Lien. "I'm sorry, she's well behaved at home. Her father is still getting used to being kind to the faunus though. He didn't mean anything when he said what he said. I'm sure this will cover your services."

"Are you heading for Konoha?" he asked, glancing back at the merchant, ignoring the money the woman was handing to him. He gave him a nod.

"We're a few hours behind due to that Grimm. We were trying to avoid it but it clearly didn't want to avoid us. Why do you ask?"

Levi looked back at Neo, who had her arms behind her head, a look of intrigue on her face. He glanced back at the cart, which had a damaged wheel, clearly what the merchant had been fixing. He cleared his throat, standing up straighter. "Alright, rather than accepting your hard-earned cash, how about to pay us with a ride."

"A ride? To Konoha?" the wife asked.

"That's right. We'll help you fix your wheel, you give us a ride. Seeing as your hired hand here isn't enough to keep the Grimm away, we'll act as escorts. That's a fair trade I think?" he said. The man let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"We're paying Dyne here 500 Lien a day for his services and you two just want a ride?" the merchant asked. Levi nodded, causing him to laugh louder. "Suit yourself kid. Help me with this cart then, when I say, you lift. Miss, I want you to hand me that spare wheel when he does."

Neo nodded, grabbing a hold of the spare wheel. The merchant told Levi to lift up the cart, which he did with relative ease, being helped by his semblance of course. Neo rolled the wheel in place, allowing the man to quickly replace it. Levi set the cart back down, wiping the sweat from his brow. "There we are, good as new."

"Hey boss, we should get a move on, yeah? I don't want to be out here anymore, in case more Goliaths show up." Dyne said, resting his rifle against his shoulder. Levi rolled his eyes, ears twitching a bit.

"Trust me sir, if another Goliath happens upon us, we'd be able to hear it. You'd have to be blind and deaf in order to miss it." he said. Neo hid her silent laugh behind her hand, jabbing the young man in the side with her elbow.

"Well then, now that we're fixed, it's time for us to go. The lady can ride upfront with my wife and children. There's enough space in the cart for you and Dyne." the merchant said, earning a nod from Levi. "Thanks for before. We were in a pinch and you could have easily swindled us."

"It's not an issue sir, I'm a huntsman, after all, it's my job to help those in need," he said with a smile.

"Pfft, there's no way you are a pro. What school did you graduate from?" Dyne asked as they climbed into the cart. It wasn't long before the merchant started the dust-powered cart, moving them up the path.

"I didn't," Levi said sadly. "I was a second-year at Beacon Academy."

Dyne's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Beacon Academy… you were there when…"

"Yeah, and I lost my teammates and my mother that night. I would rather not speak about it if possible. Graduate or not, I am a huntsman and my job is to protect people from the Grimm." he said firmly.

He spent the ride in silence after that. Too much had happened in such a short amount of time for him to want to speak again.

xxx

"We should be in Konoha by tomorrow morning. Thanks to you and Miss Neopolitan, we've had a smooth ride. Smoother than usual." Abacus, the merchant, said. They had stopped at a clearing for the night, having made decent time. "I can't thank ya enough, Mr. Levi."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad we were able to help you all out of a tight spot," he said happily, helping the man with some folding chairs. They had set up a camp, having started a roaring fire. Neo and Lotus, Abacus' wife, had been preparing dinner, all while their children Dawn and Dusk ran around the camp. "I will admit, you are a tough bunch. Anyone would have given up the moment a Goliath showed up."

"Bah, it'll take more than a giant Grimm to scare me. I was more worried about my wife and children than I was about the supplies. But I also can't risk not delivering these things." he said, sighing audibly. "The fall of Beacon has hit everyone hard. Trade has become harder than ever, with the negativity floating around, it's attracting more Grimm."

He brushed his hair out of his face as he sat down, glancing up at the sky. "It was just… terrible. One second we're watching a fight, the next we see a girl being torn apart. Then the Grimm attacked, Atlas's military turned against the Civilians and then nothing. Without the CCT, communication between Kingdoms is impossible. Reception was shoddy before, but now, you'll have to climb a mountain to even get one bar. Makes trips to the latrine rather difficult."

"Uh… don't you have a wife for that?" Levi asked, causing the man to laugh.

"Can't ask my wife to wipe my ass for me all the time. 'Sides, I was talkin' more about reading material. It's even worse now that General Ironwood has issued an Embargo on all Atlassian Goods, primarily on dust."

Levi's ears perked up a bit, this bit of news was new to him. "Atlas issued an embargo?"

"Indeed they did," Dyne replied, sliding rounds into his rifle, giving his lever a pump to eject a spent shell casing. "The good General believes the kingdoms are gearing up for war. Two weeks ago, the Schnee Dust Company announced that all overseas operations were to be shut down and that all Dust Mines were to send their cargo directly to the Kingdom of Atlas."

"That means no refineries, no transport of raw dust and that also means the Huntsman and Huntresses don't have dust to defend themselves," Lotus said, handing Neo her knife. She dropped the cuts of meat onto the pan, a satisfying sizzle filling the air. "The Mistral Council wasn't having any of it, so told Atlas they would be keeping the mines open and distributing the dust to the populace of Mistral, as per the usual agreements. The General didn't quite like that."

"That's… unfortunate," Levi said, frowning. "It'll certainly make our journey a lot harder."

"Journey? Where exactly are you going, lad?" Abacus asked curiously. Levi sat up, stretching his arms a bit.

"Haven Academy. Me and Neo are… searching for someone."

"Hoo… you are quite aways away from there. You ain't gonna find much there kid. Haven Academy is closed for the time being. With Beacon being down, and Atlas having an embargo, Haven and Shade are the only academies still in operation. Thing is, Headmaster Lionheart has been acting rather strangely."

"Cowardly you mean?" Abacus said, reaching inside the cart for a bottle of sake. He pulled the cork with his teeth, pouring some into a glass. "That bastard doesn't know shit. He thinks the way to prevent war is by cowering behind the safety of his academy. That ain't gonna do him any good, especially when all of his students are out for the semester."

"Well, I mean he has to be planning for something right? He's part of the council, maybe he can get more Huntsman and Huntresses out to work in Mistral." Levi said, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, maybe. There's been a rise in missions lately, and a distinct lack of Huntsman to take them. I haven't spoken with a few of my colleagues in weeks. And with the CCT being down, I doubt I'll be able to speak to them in a long time." Dyne said, resting his rifle against the back of his seat. "If I were you kid, I would head straight to Atlas. Might be safer than roughing it out in the wilds."

Levi spared a glance at Neo, who had a firm look on her face. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes looking directly into his own. The look told him everything he needed to know. He shifted his gaze back to Dyne, giving him a small appreciative smile.

"Thanks for the warning, Dyne. But we'll take our chances with Haven. Not like we're staying there for long. We're just looking for someone is all."

"A friend?" Lotus asked, causing Neo to slam her knife hard against the cutting board. Her hand shook a bit, having taken the woman by surprise. "N-not a friend then?"

"It's… complicated." the faunus muttered dryly. Abacus handed him a glass, filled to the brim with sake. "Um… I'm not old enough to…"

"You see a cop anywhere?"

"There's a licensed huntsman right over there."

"Kid, you survived the Fall of Beacon and likely killed more Grimm in one night than I have in my whole life. Do whatever you want." the rifle-wielding man said. Levi nodded, gratefully accepting the drink.

"Thank you."

"Excuse me, Mr. Levi. I have a question."

He looked up from his glass, giving Dawn a smile. She was a cute little thing, about seven years old with long vibrant purple hair just like her mother. She had glimmering blue eyes and a bright smile on her face. "Why do you wear makeup?"

"Honey, I thought I told you not to ask that!"

"It's alright, Lotus. She's just curious." Levi said, taking a long drink from his glass. He set it down beside him, lifting Dawn up onto his knee, making sure she was comfortable. "Well then, to answer your question little miss, it's because of my tribe. I'm not like other faunus, I come from a long line of very rare faunus. We're known as the miqo'te."

"Miqo'te?" she asked, head tilted in confusion. He gave her a nod.

"That's right, we're not like other faunus, for one, we have these fluffy ears atop our heads that allow us to hear virtually anything around us. And we have this-" he paused, using his tail to tickle her nose. She let out a cute little sneeze, rubbing her nose with her hand. "-A tail. Normal faunus have one animal trait, we have two. But there aren't a lot of us left in the world, these markings are to identify which tribe we come from."

"What tribe are you from then?" Dusk asked, having sat down on the floor in front of the young man. Levi's ears wiggled a bit as he looked at the sky.

"Uh… well… that's a good question. You see, my mother told me she was part of the Hearth clan. We use these special red markings underneath our eyes, along with the white outlines. The Hearth clan was founded waaaaaay back in the past, back when Atlas was still a part of Mantle. While originally from Eorzea, our clan was founded in Vacuo, after the First Great War."

"What happened to your clan? Is it still around?" the little girl asked, causing him to frown.

"No… it isn't. You see, there were these marauders, they came after our people. My mom was pregnant with me when this happened. She was forced to run, in order to save my life. From what she told me, our entire clan was killed in one night. Not only that, but the other Miqo'te clans around Remnant have also disappeared. There might not be any more of us left."

"Oh, that's so sad. So you don't have a mommy or a daddy?"

"Or cousins, uncles, and aunts?" Dusk continued, causing the young man to shake his head.

"Nope. I have no family, my mom died during the Battle of Beacon. I'm just a tumbleweed blowing in the wind. But I'm not all too bothered, I have friends after all. Miss Neo is my friend, and we're traveling Mistral together, so I'm not alone!" he said happily, ruffling Dawn's hair. He set her down, adopting a stern look on his face. "Now, you two wash your hands. I can tell dinner is going to be ready soon and it isn't healthy to eat with dirty hands."

"Aw, alright. Will you tell us another story later?" Dusk asked, earning a nod from the young man.

"If you eat all your veggies and show me a clean plate, I'll tell you another story. Is that fair?" he said, holding his hand out. The little boy nodded, giving it a shake, earning a toothy grin from the miqo'te. "Excellent. Run along now, those hands better sparkle!"

"Come on sis, let's wash up!"

"Ow, don't tug so hard!" Dawn cried, as she was pulled away by her brother. Levi chuckled, looking up at Abacus, taking a hold of his sake.

"Your children are wonderful. I can tell they are going to grow up nice and strong, maybe even become a Huntsman or Huntress."

"Thank you, Levi. Honestly, I hope they don't choose that path, the world is dangerous enough as it is." Lotus said.

"That sadly isn't for you to choose. Our generation will decide the future of Remnant, and if it'll be safe for them or not. No one will ever be ready to tackle the world. After a while, you just sort of do." Neo's scroll said, causing the adults to frown.

"You gotta point there little miss, I certainly didn't choose this life. I just did it to make money for the family. Sucks to see the world in such a shitty state."

"Mmm… maybe after I make it to Haven, the world will be a little brighter than before. I certainly hope so, at least." Levi said, gulping down the last of his sake, shuddering a bit. "Ah… that's good, way better than Junior's top-shelf crap."

"Careful, don't let him or the Malachite Twins hear you. They might just kill you." Neo's scroll chirped, the woman giving the miqo'te a wink.

"How about we focus more on dinner eh? No use thinking about dark shit. We'll have us a good meal, Levi will share a story with us, and then we'll watch the stars for a bit." Abacus said, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"Looks like I'll have to sift through the data banks for another story, hehe," Levi said, breaking into giggles.

It had been a while since Levi had felt so comfortable, even Neo seemed more relaxed than normal. As they sat down for dinner, Levi began telling them another tale, one from his early days at Beacon Academy. They all failed to notice the glowing pair of eyes watching them from the trees. They hung in the air for a moment before fading away, just as fast as they had arrived.

A/N: Well, this will be the final update before my big trip. I did import Chapter 5 on here, so depending on how things turn out, I might end up posting it next week. I'm hoping to get some work done while I am away, though I know I'll likely be distracted. I haven't seen my mother or my sisters in literal years so I know the first few days are going to be hectic and likely won't get shit done haha.

I don't have much else to say, aside from I hope you like this chapter. It's been a blast to work on, though I'll be honest, most of Volume 5's events have been a tough time to work with. I am covering stuff from Volume 4 as well, just keeping it all on a stable timeline, but it's been a challenge lol. Anyway, that's it for now. Maybe if things go well, I'll post Chapter 5 soon. See you all when I see you!