Chapter 6

The night of the dance.

With Natasha, Mick and Reed heading for the ballroom, Kuni stood atop a rooftop nearby, donning her work attire. Blending in with the darkness around her, Kuni saw her team enter the ballroom.

"Once you three check in, keep an eye out for Oz." Kuni said into her earpiece. "Let me know if he leaves early. I'll meet you guys inside shortly."

"Don't screw this up, Kuni." Mick told her. "We won't get a perfect opportunity like this again."

Kuni grinned behind her mask as she vaulted to the other side of the roof.

"C'mon, Mick. This is me we're talking about here."

"See ya soon, Kuni." Natasha said before the three of them went silent.

Turning to Beacon tower, Kuni began to make her way there.

Running across rooftop after rooftop, Kuni made it to the base of the tower in less than a minute. Glancing back, she saw the silhouette of someone running along the side of a building across from her.

"It seems we aren't the only ones on a mission." Kuni said into her ear piece.

"Is it a problem?" Reed asked.

"Doesn't seem so." Kuni replied. "It'd be smart to keep our eyes peeled, though."

Pulling out her grappling gun and a kunai, Kuni took multiple steps back before throwing her kunai as high up as she could, which was roughly halfway up the tower. Teleporting to her kunai, Kuni immediately aimed her gun to the top of the tower and shot the grapple, hooking it to the roof.

Reeling herself up, she stopped once at the window to Ozpin's office.

"Hm." She took a quick glance around the room. "I'm not seeing a way in without breaking the glass or taking the elevator."

"Thought a great thief like you always came prepared." Reed mocked.

"I do."

Reaching into her pocket with her free hand, Kuni pulled out a glass cutter. Attaching it to the glass, it cut a circular hole, allowing Kuni to push her way inside.

"He's gonna know someone was in here, but we'll have our info." Kuni told the others.

"Hurry up, Kuni."

Walking over to the table, Kuni cracked her knuckles before pulling out the scroll Ai had given her, Kuni plugged it into the table. Instantly, the holo computer appeared, showing the countless files Ozpin had.

"I'm in."

Tapping away at the holo keyboard, Kuni opened one of the files labeled WHTE. A picture of four people appeared, each on having a red X across their faces.

"Team WHTE." Kuni read softly. "Sent on a mission to retrieve... Creation..? Hunter returned with the Relic in hand, later dying from his injuries."

Kuni was visibly confused as to what exactly it meant.

However, that confusion only increased when she saw the date was labeled over one hundred years ago.

"This is impossible..." Kuni said softly.

Opening another file, she saw it was similar to the first.

"Team PRPL. Sent on missions separately to stop agents of Salem. Only Lilac returned." Kuni read. "Lilac later left Ozpin's service to live out her life with her husband."

Moving on to the next folder, it was still more or less the same.

"Team FLCN."

Moving on, there was another team.

"Team STNE."

And another.

"Team ALYX."

"Team SNDL."

"Team RAZR."

"Team STRQ."

The next folder caught her eye.

"Salem." Kuni read before opening it. "Salem is my biggest regret. Because of me, she is what she is now. The Queen of Grimm. Mother of Evil. But I knew her as the Girl in the Tower. It wasn't a fairy tale, but more of an autobiography. Salem was the girl in the tower, and I was her knight. That was until my first untimely death."

Kuni grew more and more confused as she read.

"When I died, due to sickness, Salem was driven mad. She begged the Brothers to resurrect me, but was instead cursed with immortality." Kuni read. "After who knows how long of living alone, she tried to undo this curse by entering the Pools of Grimm. But that only cursed her further. Now, unable to die, she wishes to end the entire world in hopes of ending herself. The Brothers then sent me back to Remnant with the task of uniting humanity, to prove their creation wasn't flawed. To do this, I have to unite the four Relics. Creation. Destruction. Choice. And Knowledge. However, if I unite them before uniting humanity, the Brothers will destroy Remnant, deeming it a failed experiment. Salem knows this, which is why I must find a way to stop her. All of this death, all of these students I sent to their demise, is all because I rescued a scared girl locked inside a tower."

That was it for that folder.

Looking to the scroll that was plugged into the console, Kuni had no idea if what she'd just read was true or not.

She didn't have any time to react as the elevator doors opened. Professor Goodwitch walked into the office, seeing Kuni standing over the holo computer.

Instantly, Goodwitch drew her riding crop, pointing it at Kuni.

"Who are you?!"

Kuni glanced from Goodwitch to the scroll connected to the console. Her first instinct was to quickly extract the info and bolt, but having just read all those files, another part of her wanted to confirm if they were true or not. More specifically, the bit about Salem.

"Is it true?" Kuni asked.

"Is what true?"

"Salem." Kuni glanced at the holo computer. "This file here says some immortal woman is dead set on destroying the planet. It sounds-"

"Insane?" Goodwitch finished for Kuni. Lowering her riding crop, Goodwitch let out a sigh. "Why are you here?"

Kuni hesitated, unsure whether or not to tell the truth. Taking a minute to think about it, Kuni reached up and gripped her mask.

Again, she hesitated.

Either Ozpin is batshit crazy, or that file is a hundred percent true.

With a sigh, Kuni removed her mask, simultaneously making a choice to abandon her mission.

"I'll tell you the truth for the truth in return." Kuni told Goodwitch.

Goodwitch nodded her head.

"I can call Ozpin up here to explain in more detail if you like." Goodwitch offered.

Kuni took a deep breath before placing two fingers to her earpiece.

"Change of plans." Kuni told the others. "I'll update you guys in a bit."

End of chapter 6