Wrote this one while participating in the Kentaro Miura vigil going on in FFXIV.

Heart.

Heart?

Heart is gone.

…

Have to make new heart.

How make heart?

…

Cinder's eyes snapped open, pain coursing through her body. The world around her was black, the world above an ever-shifting orange. She opened her mouth, gagging as vile water filled her.

She swam, swam toward the orange light piercing through the darkness of the water. She sputtered, hacking, and coughing when she breached the surface, spitting out the water, her throat burning. She treaded, looking up, at the giant burning tree.

She screamed, grasping her chest, feeling it tighten. Something was moving beneath her fingers, bits of her chest squirming. She grimaced, and turned toward the shore, swimming toward it. She collapsed onto the sand, shivering.

Cinder craned her head, looking at her chest. The flesh had turned black, like that of a Grimm, and she traced a finger over her ribs; they had been set back in place, no longer jutting forward. She rested her hand against her chest, exhaling when she felt a heartbeat.

This thing inside me, it keeps fixing me whenever I get hurt. If Salem-

"You're still a slave, just to a new master."

Cinder's hand slid off her chest, resting on the damp sand. She stared up at the roof of the cave, watching the tree burn down.

This thing is a leash. Salem only needs me alive so she can get the Relic from Vale, she didn't do this to benefit me.

She looked at her Grimm arm before tracing a finger over the Grimm side of her face.

If this is still me.

Her hand traced down to her chest, resting on the hole in her dress where Raven had ripped her heart out.

If this keeps going, keeps changing me, will I still be Cinder? Or is Cinder as dead as Chūjō is? If the Grimm lack souls, what's going to happen to mine once this thing fully takes over?

She lay on the beach, watching the flames, feeling the water lap at her feet whenever a stone or branch fell into the lake. She turned, laying on her side, looking up at the cave walls. Light filtered dimly from a crack in one of the walls. She got to her feet, stumbling as she walked toward it, squeezing through.

The stone walls were slimy and cold as they pressed against her, tugging, and ripping her dress as she left the cave.

Raven rested her hand on Omen's handle, her other hand hanging by her side as she stood before Taiyang. He opened and closed his mouth several times, words unable to form as he gaped at her.

"How much of that did you hear?" she asked.

"All of it."

She grimaced. "Well, I guess you know why I acted the way I did when we were together."

"Have you always been-?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you left?"

Raven was quiet a moment, looking away. "A part of it. My clan needed me."

Tai frowned, taking a step toward her. "Our daughter needed you more."

"She wouldn't have needed me at all if you weren't so weak."

Tai pointed at her, scowling. "You don't get to shit talk me after everything I've went through because of you. After everything Yang was put through because you couldn't be happy with me."

Raven sighed. "Fine."

"What, no snappy comeback?"

Raven shook her head, beginning to walk, passing Taiyang. "I don't have the energy to argue with you."

He looked back at her. "Where are you going?"

"Your house. Or technically my house since I was paying for it until I left." She looked back at him, at the dumbfounded look he had. She motioned to the flowers he had dropped. "Pay her your respects, Tai."

Weiss set the Dust crystals and vials into Myrtenaster's case, the shattered remains of her sword resting within. "I don't think any of you realize how hard it was for me to leave, and you're wanting to just waltz back into Atlas?" She felt Blake rest her head on her shoulder, and she sighed, feeling some of the tension disappear at Blake's touch.

"I'm not excited about it either, but with the Vault damaged and Vernal dead, we can't just leave the Relic out in the open like this. Atlas is the safest place we can be right now while we figure out what to do next." Qrow said.

"How are we going to get in? Atlas' border is closed?" Ren asked.

Qrow pulled out his scroll, holding it out as a hologram of a map materialized. It was of the coastline of Northern Mistral, the city of Argus illuminated in red. "Argus is pretty much an Atlesian colony, it's military has been stationed there since the War, and even before then due to it being the main trading port, it's ended up with a different culture than the rest of Mistral. One that's a lot more friendly to Atlas, and I'm sure the feeling in Atlas is mutual. They claim that Atlas pulled back its entire military, but I've heard rumblings that there's still a military presence in Argus, even a few Specialists and officers are still there apparently."

"And how are we going to convince them to help get us into Atlas?" Weiss asked.

Qrow cocked an eyebrow at her, Ren, Pyrrha, and Nora looked at her flatly, Ruby gave her a sad smile, and Yang rested her leg over her knee, smirking.

"So how much is your family gonna give us for saving you?" Yang teased.

"Hopefully, this isn't too much of an inconvenience for you, Miss Schnee." Weiss looked over, watching as Oscar walked into the room, the Relic resting against his hip. Wait, not Oscar, Ozpin. Ozpin stood between the sofas and chairs. "Once Haven has been repaired, we need to head for Atlas as soon as possible, the longer the Relic is out in the open the more we put it at risk."

Pyrrha looked up from her spear, her whetstone in hand. "What does the Relic do, exactly? You still haven't told us."

Ozpin nodded, and unhooked the Relic, holding it up. The blue orb in its center glowed, and Weiss cocked her head, watching the smoke like substance within the orb swirl and move. "The Relic of Knowledge does precisely what its name implies; it provides knowledge. Ask it any question, and you shall be given an answer." He set it on the coffee table in between the sofas, and it floated above the wood. "It will not however have an answer for things that have not happened yet, and it will only answer three questions at a time before going back into hibernation."

Nora clasped her hands together, looking at each of them. "So what are we going to ask first! Do questions within questions count as multiple questions?"

Ozpin chuckled and shook his head. "All three questions have been asked for this century, I'm afraid. It is totally useless to us, and Salem, for right now."

Pyrrha frowned. "If it's useless right now then why go through so much trouble to get it?"

"Because while the Relics each have their own individual uses, it's their combined power that makes them a threat, and what Salem needs them for." He replied.

"So, let's keep it safe, everyone!" Ruby exclaimed.

Ruby went to the pile of snow the old woman was pointing at, Qrow and her team heading for the train, beginning to sort through the wreckage. Yang hefted up a piece of wreckage, allowing Weiss and Blake to search beneath it.

Ruby glanced up at the old woman as she started to brush snow aside. "So, who are you?"

"Maria Amaryllis, at your service!"

Ruby yelped as Oscar sprang up from the snow, shaking the excess off. He looked around, groaning, and rolling his shoulders. "You okay?" Ruby asked.

"I'm fine, the snow broke my fall." He replied.

Ruby looked over as Yang grunted, tossing the bit of wreckage aside, Weiss and Blake carrying their bags.

"Well, this is just fucking great. Stuck in the middle of the woods, with hordes of Grimm nearby, and two defenseless people to protect."

Maria looked over at Yang's general direction, shaking her scythe in the air. "I'm no more helpless than you are!"

"Yang, calm down," Qrow said.

Yang grunted, pulling something yellow from the snow. "Calm? Oh yeah that's exactly how I should be after a train crash. We have no food, shelter, or supplies in a freezing forest, and since Oscar decided to follow us instead of staying safe in the first two train cars like we wanted him to then that means if we die out here than that stupid hunk of metal is going to be waiting here in the woods until Salem finds it."

"We still need to search the rest of the train, there might be some food or things we can make a fire from," Ruby said. Yang growled, and hefted up on the yellow object, yanking her motorcycle free of the snow. Ruby looked over at Oscar, cocking her head as she looked at the vacant spot on his hip. "Where'd the Relic go?"

Fear flashed through Oscar's green eyes. He patted himself down, spinning, looking around. "No, no, no, no!" He fell to his knees, tossing up snow. Ruby backed away from him, glancing around.

There was a blue glow coming from a pile of snow, and she went to it, moving the snow, and pulling the Relic free, holding it in the air. "Found it!"

Oscar looked over at her, relief washing over his face. Yang, Weiss, and Blake were trudging over, carrying bags and Yang pulling her bike along.

"Excellent. Now, if you would be so kind, hand it over."

Ruby hesitated, looking at Oscar's eyes. "I think I'll hold onto it for right now, encase the Grimm show up, I'll have a better chance of protecting it."

Oscar's lip curled and he stepped toward her, holding out his hand. "The Relic is incredibly dangerous and it my burden to carry, now please, hand it over."

"How is it dangerous if it's used up all its questions?" Yang asked, coming to a stop. Weiss and Blake set their bags on the back of the bike, and Blake looked at them as she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.

"T-the R-Relic is h-hibernating, w-why does it m-matter if Ruby carries i-it?"

Oscar snarled, storming toward her. Ruby backed up, feeling the wind buffeting her, her cape whipping around her, the snow flurrying past Oscar. "Give it to me! Right-!"

Oscar's eyes changed from green to hazel, the fury replaced with fear, his body trembling.

"He's lying to you. The Relic, it still has two questions."

"What?" Weiss asked.

"Why would he lie about that?" Yang asked, moving away from her bike.

"The Relic doesn't answer the questions, there's something living in it that does. And he's afraid you'll release it." Oscar yelled, grabbing a hold of his head, his eyes flickering between green and hazel. "Ruby! Its name is Jinn! Say it! Say it befo-!" Oscar's eyes turned green, and he snarled, lunging toward her.

Ruby yelped, quickly stepping back. Yang ran toward them, her aura arm forming as she grabbed Ozpin from behind, wrapping her arms under his and behind his head and lifting him into the air.

"Don't say it! You don't know what you're doing!" Ozpin screamed.

"Ruby, say it!" Yang yelled.

Ruby swallowed, feeling her cloak flapping around her, the wind cutting through like an icy dagger. "Jinn."

The wind stopped, snowflakes frozen in midair, her breath no longer misting out. The Relic drifted from her hand, blue and green smoke leaking out as it rose into the air. Ozpin thrashed against Yang's grip, yelling as it rose higher, a shape forming from the smoke.

Ruby felt her jaw drop as a giant nude woman began to materialize. Golden chains snaked their ways over her hips and around her wrists and ankles, her hands running up her chest as she moaned before stretching her arms into the air.

The woman looked at her, offering a smile. "Hello, Seeker of Knowledge, my name is Jinn."

Cinder shifted the umbrella she carried, the rain pitter pattering against it. The streets of the Upper Levels were crowded, people smushed together, or huddled beneath the entrances of various shops. She held the umbrella with her human hand, the long sleeves of her dress falling past her wrist, her Grimm arm hung by her side, obscured by her sleeves. The mask she wore was intricate, the design mimicking the old style of make up worn hundreds of years ago.

She had done this song and dance a few times long ago, when her father brought her to the city during one of his business trips. The intricate hairstyles, long flowing dresses, and forms of make up where something she saw regularly back then.

She glowered at the few women who snickered at the short hair she had. She might have dressed the part, but the hair was a dead give away she was putting on an act.

Just have to hope that informant thinks I'm making a fashion statement.

She took a turn, the damp streets lit up by the neon signs and glowing Dust crystals of all the various restaurants and clubs. She stopped before the building that she had heard about in the Lower Levels; the Glittering Spider.

The shape of a spider was lit up over the glass door, shifting between various shades of black, green, red, and white. She collapsed her umbrella and went inside.

Fusion jazz played within, accompanying the clinking of glasses and forks, the chatter of dozens of voices. Various businessmen and women sat at the bar and tables, talking with people dressed in expensive robes and dresses.

A woman in a suit appeared before Cinder, shoving a platter of eel in front of her. "Care for some shirayaki?" she asked. Cinder shook her head, noting the spider earring the woman wore. She moved through the crowded tables, toward the one near the back. A large window sat behind the table Lil Miss Malachite sat at, two gothic lolita's flanked both sides of her, several guards standing before her table. She stopped before the guards, resting a hand on her hip.

"Bring her up," Lil Miss called out, beckoning toward her with a hand. The guards moved aside, eying her as she went to the table. Lil Miss had a plate of food before her, the red goth to the side was on her scroll, looking bored, the white one on the other side looked only slightly less bored. "Come a bit closer," Lil Miss said.

Cinder went to the tables edge, grunting as Lili Miss' hand lashed out, clasping her chin and dragging her face closer to her. Lil Miss looked her face over, inspecting her. Cinder yanked her head free, scowling. Lil Miss didn't seem dissuaded by the look, sitting back in her seat.

"What was that for?"

"Hard to make out that face with half of it hidden by that mask, needed a better look. Need to know who you are."

"And who am I?"

"Cinder Fall, wanted terrorist in two separate kingdoms." Lil Miss started to eat. "Lucky for you, the police haven't asked for my help in finding you, so I'm not inclined to share the fact your alive and in the city to them unless they ask me. So," she pointed at her with her fork. "Why are you here?"

Cinder set her scroll on the table, swiping to the picture of Ruby. "I need to find out where she is," she said.

"What for?"

What will killing Ruby solve? I won't ever be the same again.

"Personal reasons," she replied.

Lil Miss shrugged, and took her scroll, looking the picture of Ruby over. "Should be an easy job, but give us a few days. One of my spiders will contact you once we find her." She slid the scroll back to her, and grinned. "Be about ten."

Cinder took her scroll, pocketing it before pulling out a purse full of lien and tossing it onto the table. Lil Miss opened it, sorting through the money. She finally nodded, giving Cinder a smile. "Pleasure doing business, Miss Fall."

Cinder left the table, shooting a glance at each of the spiders, at the earrings marking them. She snatched a piece of eel off a plate, taking a bite from it as she left.

The rain was coming down harder, the streets thinned of the crowd that had been there earlier. She finished off the eel before opening her umbrella, stepping into the vacant street, the rain plastering against her.

Ruby gaped as Jinn floated before her. She glanced aside at the others, they were seeing this too right?

Weiss' mouth hung open, a bit of drool running down, her cheeks flushed red. Blake's ears were perked up, her arms still wrapped around herself. Yang was gawking, even as she held Ozpin in place. Qrow was looking away, and Maria, despite the blindfold, was staring at Jinn, her expression unreadable.

Jinn looked away from Ruby, her brow furrowing, and her lip curling when she looked at Ozpin. "Hello again, brother."

"Brother?" Qrow asked.

Ozpin snarled, glowering at Jinn. "Do not mock me," he spat.

Jinn laughed, resting a hand over her lips. "I did no such thing, twas a simple greeting, old man."

Ozpin looked away from Jinn, ceasing his struggling and laying calmly in Yang's arms. "Ruby. Please, do not ask her anything. This is dangerous, you have no idea what you are doing. I have kept this secret for a good reason, like I have with everything else. If you use her you will doom yourself, please, return her to the Relic."

Ruby looked up at Jinn. Jinn looked back at her, smiling coyly. Ruby took a breath. "Jin… tell us what Ozpin is hiding from us."

Ozpin screamed, his voice being silenced as the world around them disappeared, replaced with a black, starless void. Ruby spun around, looking around; every inch around her was filled with pitch black nothingness.

Jinn's voice rang out around her. "This… is going to be a long answer, young Seeker."

Ruby hissed, shielding her eyes as a blinding light exploded, the inky void being filled with stars.

"One that begins, with the birth of god."

I preemptively wrote most of the next chapter a while back just duo to it being a different style and it is easily the chapter I am most excited to release, so hopefully shouldn't take too long to release.