I do not own RWBY or Fate universes. Enjoy reading!

Chapter Nineteen: Discussion of Revelations

As the dining room wasn't in a state to hold a conversation, everyone had reconvened themselves to the second-floor living room. I had opted to stand behind Weiss as there weren't that many seats to go around. Once everyone has settled down, Weiss and I were 'filled in' about what everyone else knows so far.

Ozpin, who had taken control of Oscar's body, took the lead in explaining about the existence of Maidens, Magic and Salem. Qrow also contributed his knowledge regarding about the Relics and how the Branwen twins received their own magic from Ozpin. Of course, much of it wasn't any new information that I haven't informed Weiss about…though I'll have to somehow reveal the Ozpin's secret out to the others. But I think the best time to do that would be after we retrieve the Relic of Knowledge.

Turning my attention back to the conversation at hand, Ozpin had just finished up his explanation to Weiss. "…Now, Miss Schnee. Before we continue to the next topic, do you perhaps have any questions you will like to ask of me?"

In response, Weiss had momentarily stared down at her clasped hands before she looked right up at Ozpin with newly hardened ice-blue eyes. "…I do have one. Were you aware that Salem was after the Relic and the Maiden underneath our own school?"

I did admit I was a bit surprised by her sudden cold behavior though I didn't show it openly. But Weiss did have a fair point here. Even if the schools were purposely used to protect the Relics, it does not excuse the fact that students were put in constant danger. Adding in the fact that the comatose Fall Maiden and Relic were in the same place and it really puts Ozpin's own judgment into question. Even Cinder herself thought Ozpin was quite arrogant to put the Fall Maiden underneath his own school.

The others seemed to have reached the same conclusions as I did and they all looked at Ozpin with complicated expressions. However, the man in question remained calm despite of the piercing gazes upon him.

"…Yes, I was aware of it."

"…Why? Why would you risk putting everyone in such danger?" Weiss asked with a tinge of raw emotion in her voice. The others had various levels of hurt on their faces; some of them even looked quite infuriated by Ozpin's own admission. The memories of that very night were apparently still quite fresh in their minds.

Ozpin looked down with an unreadable expression. "…I held the heavy responsibility of keeping the Relics and the Maidens from Salem's grasp. As you now know, the schools were meant not only to train the future huntsmen and huntresses, but protect the Relics as well. In a way, you are correct that all of you were unwitting guardians."

"T-then why…why have you chosen Pyrrha to become the next Fall Maiden?!" Jaune demanded at Ozpin in a sudden outburst. "Why would you risk her life even more?!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha spoke out sharply as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Jaune's eyes blinked at Pyrrha's slight touch before realizing that he had been yelling. He then sank back down on the coach wearily. "Hah…I'm sorry…I just don't know what came over me…"

"No, you are correct, Mister Arc," Ozpin interrupted him with a heavy sigh. "I had chosen Miss Nikos here as the potential Fall Maiden due to her character and most importantly, the willingness to put others before herself. But after reflecting upon the past events, I…may have regrettably placed a much heavier burden on Ms. Nikos than I have realized."

"But Professor Ozpin, you didn't force me to do this. I chose this for myself." Pyrrha protested.

"Yet it would have been a choice that would have made you suffer nonetheless," Ozpin bowed his head to Pyrrha before looking back at Weiss once more. "…As for why I had placed the Maiden and Relic in the same place, I had no viable choice at the time. The Relic can only be assessed by the Fall Maiden, who was incapacitated at the time. And Beacon Academy was the only immediate safe place to protect the Fall Maiden. James had offered me later to move the Fall Maiden to Atlas instead, but having two Maidens in the same kingdom was much too risky in my view. Yet…I could not say this was a better choice in the end."

"It does not erase the fact that I had made a foolish mistake in letting things go too far before it was too late. I have failed in my duties as your former headmaster…and I can understand if you cannot forgive me for that," Ozpin's hands then tightened on his sword cane grip. "But trust my words, I will not let humanity fall because of her."

There was a moment of silence as Weiss was in deep contemplation after hearing Ozpin's words. As for myself, I was a little troubled at Ozpin's determination to defeat Salem. His regrets about putting others at risk were genuine; there is no doubt about that. Eons of losing close allies and friends to Salem's machinations would put an immeasurable toll on his psyche. I don't think I could have done much better if I were in his shoes.

But in the end, Ozpin is just a person with no good cards in his hand. For every determined choice he makes, desperation always seems to define every one of them as well. If there was a choice to defeat Salem by sacrificing his allies, then Ozpin will most likely take it. Thus he needs to see hope…

Weiss then exhaled softly as she looked back at Ozpin. "…I admit I am a bit upset about this revelation. I did not plan to fight in a secret war when I decided to attend Beacon Academy. Nor did I wish to know that our headmaster was putting us in constant danger."

"I understand that and you…" Ozpin started to speak.

"However!" Weiss interrupted him sharply. "We cannot change what has already happened. I do not wish for Salem to win here and I don't believe my friends will back down either. I will fight. But…I do expect that you will not put us in any more unnecessary danger. Is that clear?"

Ozpin pauses over her words before he eventually nods. "Understood, Miss Schnee."

Weiss nods in satisfaction. "…So I assume that Salem will be after the other Relics?"

"Yes, though I am not quite certain which of the Relics she will be after first. Communication between the kingdoms has been difficult and any activities possibly associated with her cannot be derived accurately from the local news. That is why it is crucial to retrieve the relic from Haven Academy as soon as possible," Ozpin replied.

"And that is why we have to find the Spring Maiden first?" Ruby asked.

"That is correct," Ozpin answered. "The Relic cannot be accessed without the Spring Maiden, so we will have to find the key before she does. And I'm afraid we do not have that much time."

"As for Spring's location, I have a sneaking suspicion that she has been hiding out with Raven and her tribe. But my sister isn't cooperating with me and it is likely we would have to use force," Qrow informs us. Yang had notably flinched at the mention of her mother. I guess that meeting went well as expected.

Qrow then scowled. "But Leo isn't helping matters there either. Said he had to speak to the council or something first. Oz and I have tried looking for independent huntsmen ourselves…but we haven't found anyone available."

"While that may be the case, I do have some confidence of acquiring more aid in time." Ozpin said as he suddenly turned his gaze upon me. "Speaking of aid, might I speak with your companion here?"

Weiss and I looked at each other for a moment before I nodded. I slowly made my way around her to join into the conversation, as the others gazed upon me with interest.

"Your name is Gray Pendragon, correct?" Ozpin gently asked me.

I nodded. "It is, and it's nice to meet you, Professor Ozpin."

Ozpin gives me a small smile. "I do have a few pressing questions to ask of you. I hope you can understand this."

"I have no objections. But in return, I do have a couple of conditions of my own," I stated.

"What are your conditions?"

"Before I answer your questions, I want everyone here to promise me that whatever is mentioned here does not leave this room," I said seriously. "The information I may tell you cannot be leaked at all costs."

Ozpin nodded understandably. "That is reasonable."

"I also wish to have another meeting with you to talk about rather…sensitive topic," I said uncertainly.

Ozpin paused as the others shifted in their seats at my words. "…Is this something that cannot be spoken out with everyone else here?"

"It cannot be spoken right now. Though I do promise to everyone that it will not remain a secret for long," I eyed the others carefully. Weiss nodded at me with some understanding.

Ozpin hummed as he mulled over my last condition. "…I can grant that. Is there anything else, Mister Pendragon?"

I shook my head. "I know I am asking a lot here, but I do have my reasons."

"I understand," Ozpin said. "There are some matters that could cause a lot more harm if they are spoken out too soon. Now, are you willing to answer my questions?"

I nodded. "You may ask me."

But instead of immediately diving into the questions, Ozpin first scrutinized me with his eyes. I blinked as I glanced at the others for an explanation, but they seemed just as confused as well. Even Qrow didn't look like he had an idea of what Ozpin was looking for.

Ozpin studied me carefully for a little longer before he spoke up. "…I imagined that we haven't met before, correct?"

My brow rose in confusion. "I believe not."

"Strange…you are certainly someone I haven't met before. Yet there is something about you that is…intriguingly familiar to me," Ozpin spoke out slowly.

"And…?" I said as I was unsure where his direction of thought was going.

"But it seems clear to me now that you have something that I know very well. I imagine you know this already. You possess magic," Ozpin stated firmly.

Everyone else's eyes then swerved towards me in surprise after hearing his statement. I was caught by surprise as well. It was definitely not something I would have thought he would seen about me.

"Wait, what?" Jaune spoke out in disbelief.

"He…has magic?" Ruby questioned as she looked over me curiously.

"Hold up! I thought you said that you knew everyone who had magic in the first place!" Yang asked Ozpin.

"That was true. But it is difficult to deny the feeling of magic overflowing from him…which truthfully perplexes me," Ozpin replied before he narrowed his eyes at me. "So how do you have it?"

I have a strong feeling that his question was not asking of 'how I possess magic,' but rather 'who gave me magic.' It would be a reasonable assumption, albeit incorrect, if he had thought I somehow gain my magic from the Brother Gods or Salem. But it was still surprising to hear I was practically a magic beacon to his senses. He had never shown that sort of ability in the show. He certainly didn't sense Cinder while she was under his nose as the false Maiden. Then again, Ozpin has probably never met a Servant before, a being practically made of magical energy itself. But how do I go around explaining about the source of my magical energy?

…Perhaps giving a demonstration would best way to start here.

I slowly raised my hand in the air, causing the others to look confused at my movements. That confusion immediately turned into shock as blue-green sparks suddenly erupted out of my palm as I channeled the flow of magical energy throughout my body. I mentally ran through the tracing process as the wild magical energy slowly condensed, weaving itself into my chosen mental image. When I was done, I was left holding an ornate steel dirk in my hand.

The young teenagers, save for Weiss, were unable to form any words as they gazed upon the weapon in my hand with awed expressions. Qrow and Ozpin also had surprised looks on their faces at my sudden demonstration of my tracing ability.

Ruby was the first one to break out of her stupor. Her silver eyes glittered with bright stars as she suddenly got up really close to me…or rather the dirk in my hand. "You can create weapons?!"

"Is…that real?" Ren then asked me. I simply confirmed his words by pressing the blade tip gently on the tabletop, leaving a slight yet visible dent in it.

"…Wow," Jaune swallowed after seeing it with his eyes. I smiled amusingly before I felt something tugging at my sleeve. I looked down to see Ruby with her eager expression and twitching hands. I guess she really wants to hold it.

I chuckled as I gently relinquish the dirk to Ruby, who immediately accepted it with utter zeal. She gushed over it as she expertly twirled it around in her hand, its blade gleaming under the light. "It's real! A real weapon made from real magic!"

I smiled at her cute antics before turning my attention to Ozpin. "Yes, I can do things like that."

"Was that conjuring?" Ozpin questioned me as his eyes glanced at the dirk with interest.

"It's something similar. It is a spell called projection. But yes, I can re-create certain objects with magical energy. That is a temporary copy of a dirk I came across once," I explained to him.

"That is quite impressive for someone as young as you."

I waved it off. "I am just amateur. I generally use my magical energy as a way to greatly boost my physical abilities instead."

I then glanced at the others, who have gathered around Ruby and looking at the dirk with similar keen interest. Actually, Ruby was hugging the dirk like it was her precious child. I guess she likes any kind of weapons she comes across. However, something about this situation was quite puzzling for me…

"Hmm…I thought you guys would be less surprised by this demonstration. Surely, you have seen a more impressive demonstration of magic by one of them at least?" I pointed at Qrow and Ozpin respectively.

The others looked at each other and shook their head in denial. Qrow and Ozpin looked away somewhat embarrassingly. My eyebrows lifted in slight surprise.

"Well, Ozpin did reveal he was a magician…" Pyrrha slowly answered.

"…but truthfully we actually haven't seen any magic from them," Jaune finished for her.

"I have seen it from my mother, but they haven't done anything to actually prove the existence of magic to the others," Yang gradually frowned in thought.

"I'm afraid it hadn't crossed our minds at the time," Ozpin explained to the group. "You see, my magic reserves have been dwindling over time, thus I cannot use it freely."

"I can understand that, but what about him…?" I asked as I pointed at Qrow. "Surely, such an ailment doesn't afflict him."

"Uncle Qrow…may have been drunk at the time," Ruby answered for me awkwardly. The said man was now taking a swig from his flask… Right. Why am I not surprised?

"And it's real magic! Who wouldn't be so surprised?!" Nora added giddily.

"That's true," I nodded my head in agreement. "Well, I believe it is important to support extraordinary claims with extraordinary evidence. But trust is important as well. In short, I do indeed possess magic. Yet I did not receive it in the same manner like the Maidens or your Uncle."

"Then you are saying that you are born with it naturally?" Ozpin asked me with interest.

"Not quite. While I cannot explain the exact details of how, I was once a normal human that has inherited the traits of another being who had possessed great amounts of magical power. In a way, my body now produces huge amounts of magical energy." I explained. This particular topic was a bit uncomfortable for me to explain as I wasn't sure what I was really in the first place. I was not a real Heroic Spirit, yet I am not a Demi-Servant either. I would have to say that I was somewhere in between.

"I see…I thought I knew everyone with magic," Ozpin said slowly. "But no humans should have that much magic power."

"Well, you aren't incorrect about that. I am not exactly… human anymore," I confessed.

The others paused as they gave me questioning looks at my statement. "What…do you mean by that?" Ruby carefully voiced out everyone's shared question.

"I don't have a real corporate body. I am actually a spirit in some sense," I clarified for them.

"L-like a ghost?" Nora then asked hesitatingly.

I nodded. "You can say that. But a Servant would be a correct term for me."

Nora tilted her head curiously at me. "But aren't ghosts supposed to be…you know, more see-through?"

I smirked at her reasoning before I suddenly dematerialized into my spirit form; catching everyone else by surprise. "Wha…?! Where did he go?" Nora exclaimed as she looked around frantically for me to no avail.

I moved a few steps to Nora's side before turning back to material form. "I'm here…"

"Gah!" Nora jumped and hugged Ren tightly in fright. "A ghost!"

Weiss lightly snorts at my prank. I admit I will never get tired trying to jump-scare people. It was too much fun.

"Coooool!" Ruby exclaimed. "You can turn invisible!"

"I do have to agree with my sis on that," Yang chuckles at Nora's expense. "…But what do you mean by Servant? I feel like you aren't just one of Weiss's many butlers and maids."

"Hey!" Weiss protested at the stub.

"Servants are the beings who have left their mark in human history. Many of them are heroes from the legends," I explained to Yang. "They can be summoned through rare cases."

"Heroes! You mean they actually existed?!" Ruby spoke out giddily. "Does that mean you are one as well?"

"You could say that," I answered. "Though it would be more accurate to say I am an embodiment of the legends surrounding the actual hero itself."

"Summoning magic? Like elemental spirits?" Ozpin inquired me.

"It is a bit different. Heroic Spirits are entirely woven from ideals of people instead of being power into a given form. In other words, they exist if people believe they once existed in time." I said as I glanced at Ruby notably.

"So you are saying if we believe in them, they do exist?" Ren surmised thoughtfully.

"That is somewhat correct," I answered. "Their souls are removed from the reincarnation cycle and immortalized as Heroic Spirits in the Throne of Heroes. It is there that they are summoned into vessels as Servants. So that is how they can interact with both spiritual and physical realms."

"So I assume Miss Schnee here is your summoner then," Ozpin said as he glanced at Weiss's direction. Weiss nodded in assent.

"I was able to summon Gray here with my semblance…though it was not entirely intentional," Weiss confessed.

"I'm fully aware of Schnee family summoning abilities. Yet I somewhat doubt it has to do with your actual summoning situation," Ozpin pondered. "And if you were a notable hero from the legends, then I would have certainly heard someone like you in my past reincarnations."

It was then I dropped the next bomb on them. "Well, I wouldn't be so surprised. I did come from another world, after all."

The sudden silence in the room was quite deafening. Was it really that surprising after hearing everything else?

"…I'm sorry, but I believe you said you came from another world." Jaune spoke out in disbelief.

"You didn't hear me wrong," I answered seriously.

"…How?"

I crossed my arms. "That I am not quite sure myself. I suspect that something had connected me with Weiss's summoning technique around the time Beacon was attacked."

Everyone, except for Weiss, blinked again at me. Then everyone immediately spoke out at once.

"I-it was you! You are the one with that cool wind sword!" Ruby exclaimed in realization with her finger pointed right at me. "You're Saber!"

"Wait?! You are that guy?!" Yang blurted out in disbelief.

"So you were the one who saved me that night…" Pyrrha spoke out.

I smiled grimly. "Well, I did help out. But I think you should thank Ruby more for saving your life there, instead."

Ruby fidgeted nervously at my statement. "But…I didn't really save her. You did."

I shook my head. "You managed to drive off the enemy before she managed to hurt Pyrrha at the last moment. I do give credit where it is due, even if you weren't quite aware of your own actions."

"So my younger niece wasn't kidding when she told me that a shining knight in armor killed that Wyvern…" Qrow stroked his chin in thought. "…You were that knight."

"Guilty as charged."

"But wait, where is your armor and awesome wind sword?!" Ruby questioned me eagerly as she examined all over my figure, trying to spot where I could have hidden them.

"I still have them. But they are just hidden away for now. I normally can summon them at will with my magic," I replied.

"Then you can you show me?! Pretty please?!" Ruby begged me.

"Miss Rose, while I am sure while 'Saber' here may be willing show you, I do have a few more questions I would like to ask him first," Ozpin interrupted her.

Ruby looked a bit sheepish as she realized that we were in a middle of a discussion. "Oh…yeah."

"Don't worry about it. I will make sure to show to you at another time," I reassured her.

Ozpin turned to me with a complex expression on his face. "Now, you said that you were not quite sure about the circumstances of your summoning."

"You are correct. While I am not sure about the how, I do know at least why I answered her call. I did primarily answer to help Weiss out, but I did have another purpose in my summoning."

"What…may be that purpose be?" Ozpin said his words carefully.

"I am supposed to protect this world from being destroyed by an alien threat, though I have no clue on its identity." I stated bluntly.

There was another period of deafening silence in the room at my statement. Though it didn't take long for things to get very loud.

"What do you mean the world is going to be destroyed?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"An alien threat? Are you sure about that?" Qrow asked me disbelievingly.

"Aliens? Are they green men like in the movies?! Are they going to take our brains?!" Nora questioned me feverishly while Ren tried to calm her down unsuccessfully.

"How are you supposed to protect the world?" Ruby asked.

"What do you mean' you don't know?!'" Yang then asked incredulously. "Wouldn't that be like the most important thing to know if the world is going to be destroyed?!"

…But it was getting a bit loud here for me to answer anything frankly.

"SILENCE!" I raised my voice, causing everyone to quiet down immediately. I then took a deep breath to calm myself down before speaking.

"…Like I said, I don't know who or what I am supposed to fight against. My summoning has been less informative than I would like it to be," I answered patiently. "But what I do know is that it will destroy the entirety of this world itself if not impeded. I suspect it is likely more dangerous than Salem herself to warrant my summoning."

Ozpin had a troubled expression upon hearing my words. "This is quite…unexpected. Yet it is all the more reason that we should secure the Relics."

I deeply frowned. Was he thinking about summoning the Brother Gods? "I honestly doubt if those Relics will even help that much. There are reasons why summoning Servants are normally rare rituals in the first place."

"Are they truly rare?" Ren asked me. I nodded seriously.

"Servants are, in lack of a better word, powerful. They could easily change the entire landscape in midst of their battles and distort human history. While not all are equal in strength or skills, they are beings that no normal humans can hope to match equally." I explained. "They are normally summoned to protect the world from certain destruction. So by being summoned here, it means the situation has gone beyond humanity's control or something else has gone very wrong."

"That can't be…" Ozpin denied my words. I looked at him grimly.

"It is the truth…and I fear that things have already started," I turned my head towards Qrow. "I have noticed that the people in Mistral seem a bit…uneasy. Perhaps it has to do with general unrest in Mistral, but I suspect something bigger is at play. Do you happen to know anything strange occuring in the past few weeks?"

"…Perhaps it will be easier to let you read this first," Qrow replied as he took out his scroll and handed it over to me. I raised my brow questioningly as I nonetheless accepted the scroll from him. I glanced at the glass screen with the bolded news lines shown to me.

'Dangerous Night Fog Descends on Mistral.'

'Seventeen People Hospitalized from Fog Poisoning.'

'Mistral Council Orders a Mandatory Night Curfew Till Further Notice.'

"…When did this happen?" I questioned grimly as I scrolled through the news. People dying in Mistral are nothing new (for being a prime hub for underground city crime)…but this seems quite strange and concerning. It almost sounds too eerily similar to a certain Heroic Spirit I know…

"I don't know when exactly, but it said the fog had appeared a couple months ago," Qrow grimaced as he stared down at his flask. "While huntsmen can resist the poisonous air with their Aura, civilians cannot do the same. Thankfully, it isn't strong enough that civilians can't find shelter in a short time…though I heard there were a few unlucky souls from rumors."

"I also observed this poisonous fog contains essence of magic in it as well… do you perhaps know why?" Ozpin asked me. I inwardly flinched as I felt the questioning glances.

"I may have a vague idea of how this is happening, though I may be wrong," I answered reluctantly. Hopefully, I was wrong in my assumptions.

"What is it?" Qrow asked me seriously. "If there is something out there hurting people, we have to do something about it."

"…It is likely a Servant is responsible for this. And of all the Servants I know, this one is particularly dangerous to civilians," I answered grimly.

Ruby immediately stood up. "Then let's stop them!"

"I do not recommend it," I immediately shot down her suggestion. "I don't think you guys should handle this by yourselves."

"Why? And are going to tell us who this Servant is?" Yang asked me suspiciously.

"…I am not entirely sure, but I believe the Servant is Jack the Ripper. A servant who was a serial killer," I answered slowly. "While this particular Servant is likely weaker than I am, it will nearly impossible for you to defeat it by yourselves. Assassins are quite nasty in that regard."

"I'm sorry, but did you just say a serial killer did this?!" Jaune stammered out unbelievingly.

I nodded seriously. "That is why I am a bit surprised that no one has been killed with their guts torn outside their bodies. Jack the Ripper isn't exactly what you call subtle," Jaune grew green upon hearing my words, though Pyrrha attempted to placate him.

"But we have a responsibility to uphold as huntsmen. We are supposed to protect the people." Ruby stubbornly insisted. I shook my head negatively.

"I do appreciate your good intentions. But you have no idea what you are up against. Let me tell you this again, no human can stand on equal grounds against a Servant." I explained. "That is why it would best to leave this me. You guys would be likely unable to do anything on your own."

"Is that so?" Yang spoke up challengingly.

"That is not a personal opinion. That is an undeniable fact."

"Then I will break that fact myself." Yang rose up and walked right towards me. She only stopped before me as her lilac eyes glared into my own green eyes. I have a slight feeling she is trying to make a statement...but for what exactly? Maybe I should probe her and others a bit.

"Yang, he is not wro..." Weiss attempted to say before I gestured her to stay quiet. Her lips pursed, but she stayed silent at my request.

I looked at Yang seriously. "It would seem that you will still fight even if I object."

"Well, yeah. How can I just stand by while people are getting hurt like this?" Yang replied. "But would it really hurt you to get some help here?"

"Then I will ask you a question in turn. Are you prepared to take a life if necessary?" I said impassively.

"…What?" Yang questioned me with wide eyes. The others had similar forms of expressions on their faces. I knew it was unusually cold for me to do this, but I had to set expectations for the future.

"It is unfortunate to say…but you will find yourself having to kill and maim people if you want to save the world. If you are not willing to do that…then I suggest that you let me do the job." I said rather coldly. "Otherwise, you and your friends will die meaninglessly. No Servant can be killed half-heartedly. Any mercy would be seen as a weakness here."

"How can you just say that!? Aren't you supposed to be a hero?" Yang accused me.

"I do not take pleasure in taking another one's life. But there are beings that would do everything to destroy you and will if you hesitate. Not everyone wants to be saved." I replied darkly as I turned around to let them digest my words. I don't know if I could call myself a hero. But I certainly don't want my allies to get killed from such hesitation.

I am sure that many of them understood that reality. Qrow and Ozpin probably had ended many lives to uphold this so-called peace. The others have seen death and destruction from their enemies. They will be forced to choose to kill others to save others. It is not the idealism that Artoria would have wanted. But it was the thing that she had to do to save her kingdom. Weiss even knew this as well as she contemplated upon my words.

But there was one person who refused my very words, no, denied it. I guess I had to expect it from someone like her.

Ruby stood up from her seat and glared at me. "…I disagree."

"Oh? You disagree about saving others?" I glanced back at her with hidden interest. Ruby Rose…probably the one of the few people I have seen with such pure idealism in both lives.

"Yes! I mean no! No! I…I know I want to save others, but I don't want to hurt others if I can…" Ruby trailed off uncertainly. "It is just not right."

"Even it would give Cinder another chance at killing one of your friends again?" I asked inquisitively as I subtly glanced at Pyrrha. I didn't mean for the conversation to steer this way, but I was curious enough of what Ruby will have to say.

"…No. I will make sure that my friends will live instead." Ruby said with a determined look as she made her way to Yang's side. She took her sister's right hand firmly in support. "It doesn't mean that we will give up in saving others. We will just find a better way together."

"...Ruby," Yang softly spoke out as she glanced at her younger sister.

I stared at Ruby for a few moments. She reminded me too much about someone else in Artoria's memories. Yet she wasn't broken as he was. But how far can she go like this, I wonder? "Then you can join me if you have the will."

Ruby blinked at my sudden concession if not expecting it. "D-does that mean you are willing to let us help those people?"

"Of course, but I expect you guys be ready for anything. But we will have to do this tomorrow night," I spoke out in a lighter tone. I had relented easily for several reasons. I could still protect them somewhat. And I can see whether they can hold themselves up against a Servant. I strongly suspect it is not likely the last time that we will have to face other Servants.

"Why not tonight?" Jaune asked me. "Wouldn't people get hurt if we let this go for longer?"

"That is a fair point. But it would be more dangerous for us if we didn't prepare beforehand. While I can see why we should do this soon as possible, that is no reason to go blind into unnecessary danger. In any case, I still would choose to see you guys safe first," I explained.

Ozpin took this chance to interject into the conversation. "Mister Pendragon is correct here. While I understand you wish to help out… I do sense it is not yet urgent at the moment. It would best to rest for tonight while we can and use this time to catch up with each other. It's been far too long since you have all been together. Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment."

I nodded in agreement before I remembered something else I needed to say. "There is one last thing I would like to talk about. I wish that you can call me by 'Saber' when we are with others. I revealed my True Name to you guys because I do trust you, but there may be enemies who might benefit from knowing my name; especially my last name. So please refrain from calling me other than 'Saber'."

"Is 'Saber' like your codename?" Nora asked.

"Exactly," I affirmed.

"That sounds so cool! Hey, Renny! Why don't we come up with our own codenames?" Nora suggested to her partner.

"That sounds like it would be a bit complex to remember," Ren noted dryly.

"Aw…come on, Ren. I could be called Queenie and you can be Rennie?!"

"Well, I think code names should be a little less obvious."

I smiled as I quietly took my leave from the room as the others chatted animatedly with each other. I spotted Weiss giving me a momentarily look before she turned her attention back to her friends. But my smile dropped as I contemplated on the seriousness of my next apparent task. I didn't think I may have to fight another Servant in this world. But I have a feeling this means something more than what it seems. What it may be troubles me the most.

I just hope I didn't make the wrong decision here in bringing them along into this chaotic mess. Then again, perhaps they were already doomed to this kind of fate.

It is nice to post something again in a long time. No, I am not sick, but thanks for asking for my well-being. Sorry for not posting anything for a while.

A lot of procrastination and writing block issues on my end, so I haven't actually gotten around in writing a lot. But I have been mulling around with the future storyline plot and other future stories in my head for a while. Might as well try to continue writing and posting. This chapter took a while to write and the dialogue and interactions weren't ideal…but I think it is okay to post it for now.

A side note: If you haven't already read it, I have posted a new story called "Flight of the Qrow." There is only one chapter available right now, but I hopefully will post more chapters soon.

As always, please favorite and follow me and my stories if you can and stay safe out there.