The Lonely Goddess

by Sybaen

A goddess creates the world of Remnant, intent on becoming friends with the characters. But when her plans begin to tear apart at the seams, she has to accept that she might not have as strong a grip on Fate as she'd thought. With Ozpin prying into her secrets, and a team she hadn't been expecting, will she be able to walk the razor's edge and save them all in the end? (Bumbleby)

28. Slim Margins

After lunch, the two teams made their way to the final class of their first semester, Miss Goodwitch's combat class. There was a general air of excitement surrounding the students as they all filed into the large half-circle stadium. Unlike Port's or Oobleck's classes, Goodwitch didn't assign grades. Instead, each student would be assigned a ranking based on their performance during their spars during the year.

Violet sat down in the middle and leaned forward against the railing, propping her head up with her hand. Her team took up the spots next to her while Siren sat behind them, all eagerly keeping an eye on the large holographic display currently appearing blank behind Glynda, who stood down on the stage watching the students file in.

Ruby giddily drummed her feet against the floor, practically dancing in her chair in barely suppressed elation, "Ooooh~ I can't wait!" her head spun to look at Violet, eyes shining, "Where do you think you'll be in the ranking?"

Violet couldn't help but smile at the energy that ebbed off Ruby in waves. She placed a finger to her chin, pretending to think about it, "I would guess second, after Pyrrha," Violet leaned back and shot Yang a smirk, "I wouldn't put it past Yang to edge me out, though. I might have won our one on one, but she's beaten full teams more consistently than I have."

The blond beamed proudly, accepting the praise, "Damn straight!" then turned back to look at Pyrrha with a nod of acceptance, "No chance we're higher than Pyrrha. I can agree on that much."

Pyrrha rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, a light tinge of red heating up her cheeks at the attention, "You never know…"

The entire group shared in a laugh, with Nora patting Pyrrha roughly on the back, "Don't be modest, Pyrrha."

Weiss sat with her arms crossed, patiently waiting for class to begin and for the leaderboards to be revealed. A tiny smile curled the corner of Violet's lips when she noticed the heiress's foot tapping unconsciously against the floor.

"As long as the eight of us are at the top, I can live with wherever I'm placed," Weiss announced glumly, her eyes peering up towards the board, "God knows we deserve it after all the training we've done this semester."

Violet grinned, 'I won't argue with that.'

The final students made their way into the stands, and the bell rang, announcing the beginning of class. Glynda's eyes roamed over the awaiting students, many of them perched at the edge of their seats. With a satisfied smile, the combat instructor swiped a finger across the overlarge scroll she held. With a brief flash, the list of students' rankings appeared, starting at the top and working its way down one at a time.

#1 - Pyrrha Nikos

#2 - Violet Regalia

#3 - Yang Xiao Long

#4 - Weiss Schnee

#5 - Nora Valkyrie

#6 - Blake Belladonna

#7 - Lie Ren

#8 - Ruby Rose

#9 - Cardin Winchester

The rankings continued being revealed one by one as Violet sat back in her seat, a self-satisfied smile working its way to her lips. She glanced around at the various expressions on those around her, relishing in the emotions displayed.

Yang raised a congratulatory fist in her direction, and Violet bumped it with her own. Nora leaned across Ren's lap to glare at Weiss, her eyes issuing a silent challenge to the prim and proper heiress. Weiss shied away from the glare with a timid smile of her own, seemingly pleased with her own ranking. Ren simply nodded wordlessly, content with his placement among the rest of their teams.

Violet flashed Cardin a thumbs up, glad that her help hadn't gone unrewarded. Cardin returned her gesture with a nod, though he bit his lip when he turned back to the board.

'Can't win 'em all, Cardin. You'll get the chance next seme-'

Violet's train of thought was interrupted as Glynda cleared her throat, drawing the attention of all those gathered, "As this is the last day of the semester, we will be forgoing your training for the Vytal tournament. Instead," she waved a hand towards the rankings, "You will each be allowed to issue challenges. If you would like to improve your ranking by attempting to defeat the person directly ahead of you, then I will allow the spar. A small dose of aura boosters will be provided after each fight, so that each spar may be completed with the combatants at their full potential."

Cardin's eyes widened, and he shot a glance over to where Ruby sat, while the young reaper's eyes looked to Ren thoughtfully.

Glynda continued, eyeing the students for a moment as several eyes darted around the room, scoping out those that were ahead of them on the leaderboard, "We will begin with the top of the board," her eyes fell on Violet, "Miss Regalia. Would you like to challenge Miss Nikos?"

Violet gave Pyrrha a lighthearted shrug, "One more, for old time's sake?"

Pyrrha giggled, "I don't think a couple months counts as 'old times', but I would be happy to take you up on the offer."

Violet turned back to Glynda with a nod, "You heard her!"

"Well then. Prepare yourselves and return to the stage. In the meantime, we'll continue down the list," her eyes shifted over to Yang as both Violet and Pyrrha got up to leave, "Would you like to challenge Miss Regalia, Miss Xiao Long?"

Yang snorted and shook her head, watching Violet head to the locker rooms with a spring in her step, "I'll pass. We just had our last spar recently. Not much would have changed since then."

"Very well," Glynda's voice drowned out as Pyrrha and Violet allowed the door to close behind them, both walking to their lockers that were only separated by a few others.

Violet sighed, quickly changing into her combat outfit and double checking Zenith. Her tutors had always drilled in frequent weapon's maintenance, and Violet was loathe to not take those lessons to heart. She'd had weapons break in more than one life that resulted in her death.

"So, any tricks up your sleeve that we haven't seen yet?" Pyrrha eyed Zenith cautiously, likely thinking back on how Violet had defeated Yang before.

'You'll find out soon enough about the real tricks I have hidden…' Violet thought idly, realizing with some minor trepidation that the fact she was a maiden would need to be revealed to team Siren soon enough. She could hardly hide it while they were out in the field hunting down Torchwick. A life and death situation was not the time to be surprised by your own companions.

Violet smirked, "I've been doing a lot of training with my semblance, actually. I hope you're ready for an entirely new Violet."

Pyrrha strapped her greaves to her legs, shifting them into place before grabbing up Milo and Akuou. Her eyes glimmered with the smile she shared with Violet, "Perhaps my days as the 'Invincible Girl' will finally come to an end. Sure you're up to the task?"

Violet laughed, "Only one way to find out, eh?"

The two left the locker rooms, back to the crowd of students that waited with bated breath for the spectacle to come. Violet breathed out a long breath of her own, closing her eyes as she did to try and concentrate on the fight that was about to take place. Pyrrha took up her position across from her, nearly twenty feet between the two of them that either could cross in an instant.

"Whenever you're ready, Miss Regalia," Glynda chipped in from the sidelines.

Violet kept her eyes closed a moment longer, taking one final deep breath before opening them to nod. She didn't take her eyes off Pyrrha, choosing to focus her mind entirely on her opponent. Pyrrha's eyes widened for a moment, noticing the look on Violet's face. With a smile of her own, the Mistralian champion shifted into her combat stance, shield held at the ready and sword poised to strike.

Violet flexed her semblance as the timer counted down.

'Time to see how much I've actually improved.'

With a loud blare, the fight began.

Violet immediately dropped the mass from her entire body and launched herself forward, crossing the distance faster than she ever had before. Zenith came down in a wide arc, flashing through the air in an attempt to crash down against Pyrrha's defenses.

Seeing the power behind the blow, Pyrrha sidestepped and raised her shield, managing to deflect Zenith so that it glanced off the side. The greatsword slammed into the arena floor, its weight shattering the tiles beneath. Violet immediately removed its mass and pulled it back up, only barely managing to get it between herself and Pyrrha as her sword struck out like a viper.

Steel streaked off steel with a loud screech. Violet took the moment to spin on her heel and swing Zenith wide once more, this time in a horizontal slash that whistled through the air. In the moment before it struck Pyrrha's shield, Violet exerted her semblance, robbing the mass from Pyrrha's weapon and shield to add to Zenith.

Pyrrha felt the sudden weightlessness of Milo and Akuou, eyes widening in surprise and with reflexes born of countless fights, she dipped backwards in the last instant, allowing Zenith to skim across the top of her shield and pass overhead instead of colliding full force against her.

With Pyrrha completely off balance, but Zenith in no place to capitalize, Violet let go of the greatsword with her offhand and added its continued momentum to her own body, transferring the mass to her hand as she punched downwards at Pyrrha's exposed form.

Green eyes flickered in her direction, not losing track of what Violet was doing for a moment. Pyrrha allowed herself to fall to the ground and rolled sideways, narrowly dodging the fist that crashed full force into the place she had just been. The tiles beneath their feet shattered, sending chunks flying off in every direction while Pyrrha jumped to her feet and resumed her combat stance.

She tested the weight of her sword and shield, grimly realizing the tactic that Violet was utilizing. With their mass lowered to such an extent, Pyrrha would have no choice but to dodge. Her shield would stand little chance against the sheer difference in mass that Zenith now had, and with Violet's ability to control it at will, she could effectively retain her speed at the same time.

'This fight is far from over,' Violet chided herself. Pyrrha was still going easy on her, as far as Violet was concerned. At any moment, the magnetic fighter could take full control of the fight by robbing Violet of her weapon, rendering her advantage moot.

'I might not be able to win… but I will make you go all out,' Violet thought fiercely, dropping back into a stance of her own with Zenith held out to the side.

Pyrrha cautiously began to circle, keeping herself light on her feet while Violet kept a close eye on her stance. With only the barest hint, the slightest twinge of muscles, Pyrrha prepared to launch herself forward, and Violet put her next plan into action.

With her focus entirely devoted to her semblance, Violet took all of her own mass, along with both of Pyrrha's weapons, and shoved it into the tip of Milo. Pyrrha gasped in surprise in the middle of her dash, the end of her sword dipping drastically and planting itself in the floor. Violet chose that moment to dart across the intervening space and strike. The sharp edge of Zenith collided fully against Pyrrha's shield, the power of the blow knocking her backwards and separating her hand from her sword, which remained buried in the arena floor.

Violet pressed the attack, forcing Pyrrha to dodge and rely on her shield alone to parry the greatsword. Each strike promised devastation if it were to land. Yet, now lighter on her feet without her weapon in hand, Pyrrha was more evasive than ever.

Violet concentrated, and robbed the mass from Pyrrha's sword once more. Her own weight and the additional mass from the much lighter weapon returning wholly, ready to be used. Violet struck out a few more times, aiming not to land a true blow against Pyrrha, but only to put her off balance. It proved to be a difficult task, but after a quick series of strikes, her opportunity finally arose.

With Pyrrha's shield knocked to the side, and her feet positioned to dodge Violet's next attack, Zenith struck downwards. As the muscles in Pyrrha's legs flexed, getting ready to dive out of the way, Violet took all the mass she had gathered, and forced it on to the Mistralian.

Pyrrha gasped, her legs staggering beneath her as she suddenly weighed more than twice as much as normal. That single moment was all Violet needed for Zenith to connect. The forty pound blade struck against Pyrrha's aura mercilessly, knocking her to the side in a roll. Violet instantly felt the strain of Pyrrha's aura fighting against her own to stave off the effects of her semblance, and dropped it, sweat beading her forehead and breathing ragged.

Pyrrha struggled to her feet, also exhausted from the exchange, and looked to Violet with a wary eye. She wouldn't be able to use the same tactic again, not now that Pyrrha would be on the lookout for it. Violet glanced at their aura readings and breathed out a sigh of relief. With Pyrrha in the orange, it was the lowest that anyone in class had ever managed to get her.

'She has to take it seriously now…'

Pyrrha returned to her combat stance and wiped her arm across her forehead, ridding herself of the sweat that had collected there. She grinned tiredly and nodded, silently telling Violet that she was ready to continue. Violet resumed her own stance and nodded in return, smiling at the fire in Pyrrha's eyes.

The quiet whistled of steel was Violet's only warning before Pyrrha's sword collided with her back, sparking against her aura and staggering her forward. It rippled outwards from the point of contact while Milo continued past into Pyrrha's hand. The Mistralian champion surged forward in a flash, raising her sword to strike.

Violet raised Zenith in time to block, the force of the blow dropping the greatsword further down towards the ground. Pyrrha spun and raised her shield high, bringing it down towards Violet, the edge streaking towards her exposed shoulder. In the same instant that Violet robbed it of its mass, the shield blackened with a dark aura, signalling Pyrrha's semblance coming into effect.

The shield struck with nearly as much force as it would have otherwise, speed making up for the lack of mass and dropping Violet to one knee with a pained gasp. Pyrrha took that moment to roll over the top of Violet and strike once more, her blade now in her hands while slashing across her back.

Violet took the brunt of the attack and rolled forward, separating herself from Pyrrha and swinging Zenith upwards in the same motion, aiming to strike her across the chest. The black aura surged around Zenith, robbing it of its speed so that Pyrrha could block more easily and parry the greatsword to the side. Violet could feel Pyrrha's semblance overriding her own control.

With no other choice, Violet allowed Zenith to fall loose and dodged backwards, out of reach of Pyrrha's follow up slash. The tip of the blade whispered past her throat, creating a tiny spark against the barest edge of her aura. Violet rubbed a hand across her neck as she stood, remaining on guard for Pyrrha's next move.

Pyrrha took her opportunity to relieve Violet of her weapon. In a quick dip, she used both her sword and her semblance to flick Zenith through the air. Violet sighed as it crashed to the ground outside the bounds of the arena, leaving her entirely bereft of a weapon.

Violet raised her hands, fingers unclenched so that she could focus on diverting the attacks that were sure to come her way. With a raised eyebrow, Pyrrha nodded and returned to her stance, preparing to bring the fight to a close.

While it had truly been a few life times since she fought with only her hands, Violet had spent many of them with that as her only weapon. It appeared that Pyrrha knew what to look for, as Violet's stance betrayed her skill. The Mistralian's eyes narrowed, and she shifted lower, focusing more closely instead of believing the fight already won.

With a quick surge, Pyrrha lunged forward in a quick jab. Violet sidestepped and brought her aura protected hand up to knock the sword to the side, using it as a barrier between herself and Pyrrha's shield. Violet stepped in closer and added her weight to her fist, striking a blow against Pyrrha's exposed side that knocked the air from her lungs.

Pyrrha took the blow in stride, though, flipping her sword into a reverse grip to stab backwards into Violet's back. Both of their auras shimmered in the exchange, quavering with a tense fragility. Violet grabbed Pyrrha's wrist and spun, attempting to twist her arm and break her hold upon her sword. Pyrrha recognized the maneuver and moved with Violet, then bashed her shield against her chest to separate them once more.

Violet breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling with each painful gasp. Her eyes glanced to the monitor, taking a second to gauge their aura levels. Pyrrha's had fallen to twenty percent, while Violet's was at seventeen.

'One more blow… I can't even count on my aura to protect me. I'll have to dodge.'

Pyrrha took that moment to check on their aura readings as well, then resumed her wary stance. They both knew that fifteen percent was the threshold for defeat, and the near hopeless predicament that Violet was in. Getting in two hits in before Pyrrha's one was a feat that no one aside from Yang could have hoped to accomplish.

Violet couldn't help but smile, 'Isn't this when things are the most exciting?' All thoughts of boredom had long since vanished in the fight, leaving the goddess with an elevated level of excitement.

The two slowly paced in a circle, eyeing each other from the mere five feet that separated them. Brilliant green eyes narrowing the instant before she attacked, Pyrrha was the first to make a move. She dashed two steps forward and brought up her shield between the two of them, going for a shield bash that would be difficult to evade. Violet brought up her open hand, and used her semblance to remove the shield's mass in order to parry it safely.

With Akuou out of the way, Violet brought her other hand up in a straight jab, aimed at Pyrrha's chest. Her sword flickered into the space between, forcing Violet to divert her own attack and grab Pyrrha's wrist once more instead. She pulled herself in close, denying her opponent the opportunity to attempt another strike with her shield, then added her own mass to it as a precaution.

Pyrrha let her shield fall from her hand as the weight increased drastically, then struck out with a punch of her own to try and force Violet away. Violet parried the blow then spun once more, replicating her move from earlier. However, with Pyrrha in the mindset to once more deny Violet the chance to disarm her, she wasn't prepared for Violet's actual plan.

Instead, Violet dropped low and swept her foot out, catching Pyrrha off guard and knocking her off her feet. She landed heavily against the shattered tiles below, her aura flickering weakly from the shards that cut into her back and her sword skittering across the floor.

Violet struck out, her fist screaming downwards, promising victory.

Pyrrha's hand raised, the black aura appearing once more.

Akuou flew from its place on the ground to slam against Violet's hand the instant before her fist could connect. Her aura crackled as the heavy shield bashed her hand away, diverting it into the floor and lowering Violet's aura past the threshold.

"And that's the match!" Glynda shouted loudly.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Violet collapsed next to Pyrrha on the ground, breathing out pain-filled and ragged gasps. She turned to face the Mistralian champion, both remaining where they were. Violet laughed, managing to suppress the groan that threatened to take its place, and breath out a deep sigh.

"...Good… fight…"

Pyrrha smiled weakly, her chest also rising and falling heavily, "...You… too…"

After a few moments, they both helped each other struggle to their feet. Even with her current physical exhaustion, Violet could still feel some of her semblance left over. With an arm around Pyrrha's shoulder, she gave her a wink and used her semblance to remove the mass from each of them.

This time, Pyrrha's aura didn't struggle against the intrusion. With a weak smile of her own, they set off for the locker rooms, shoulder to shoulder. They paused only to gather their weapons, carrying them tiredly, and in Violet's case, dragging Zenith along the ground.

Violet collapsed on one of the benches the instant she was close enough, and Pyrrha followed suit. Violet leaned back against the locker behind herself and used the sleeve of her coat to wipe the sweat from her forehead, finally managing to catch her breath.

"That was intense," Violet admitted with a smile, "I nearly had you there. Nice move with the shield. I didn't even see it coming until it was too late."

Pyrrha laughed tiredly, "It's all I could really do. Milo slid too far away to return in time, and you don't wear any metal armor," she eyed Violet sideways with a smile, "That wouldn't happen to be intentional, would it?"

Violet smirked, "It might be~ I used to wear gauntlets when I was training, as something to focus on and transfer mass to more easily when I punched. Once I figured out how to replicate it with just my fists though, I stopped needing them."

"Have you ever considered using bracers? You'd have something else to fall back on and steal mass from when you needed it."

Violet shook her head with a laugh, "Most people can't disarm me with a wave of their hand. Besides that, Zenith is usually enough. Anything more would be overkill."

"I thought you liked that sort of thing?" Pyrrha jokingly mocked, "No kill like overkill, right?"

Violet raised her hands defensively, "Even I have my limits, as surprising as that might be. What I really need to focus on is raising my tolerance and manipulating mass more efficiently."

Pyrrha nodded, "You were definitely using your semblance more aggressively. I didn't expect to suddenly weigh twice as much."

Violet laughed, "That was a gamble. I was lucky it paid off as well as it did. I half expected you to just stop my sword right then and shrug off the effects," she eyed Pyrrha sideways, a question that she'd always wanted to ask coming to mind, "Why do you hold back so much? You could have ended that fight so much sooner if you were trying from the beginning."

Pyrrha sighed, leaning back against the lockers as Violet had. She took a minute to answer, her face shifting slightly to one of discomfort, "Not many people know this, but… I didn't unlock my semblance until after I'd already won my first championship. Even with nothing, I managed to hold my own and persevere. I trained harder than anyone, and when the time finally came… gave it my all in order to win," Pyrrha glanced over, "Putting that much effort into something and prevailing despite the odds not being in my favor was the best feeling in the world. Over the next few months, I unlocked my semblance and trained with it…" she shook her head, "My fights became so much easier. I don't know if you'd understand… but it took all of the challenge out of it. I won all of my practice bouts without any real effort, and that pride that I had felt before… it wasn't there anymore. So… I stopped using it, at least to its full potential. A little nudge on my opponent's weapon here, guiding my shield back to my arm there… I only ever use it to the point where it's necessary. It lets me continue feeling that pride over my victories."

Violet laughed internally, 'I understand better than you realize, Pyrrha. What you're describing is the thing I've spent the majority of my existence fighting against… boredom.'

Instead, she nodded, "I think I get it. It isn't as thrilling when there's no challenge involved."

Pyrrha smiled, "I'm glad you understand."

Violet stood shakily, offering a hand down to Pyrrha, "I suppose we should watch the rest of the fights. Nora looked about ready to fight Weiss right there in the stands."

Pyrrha accepted her hand and climbed back to her feet, swaying only slightly on exhausted legs, "I wonder if Weiss will challenge Yang? It would be nice to see where each of us stands, since we may end up fighting each other in the doubles' rounds."

Violet held a hand to her chin in thought, "True, but Weiss has only beaten Yang once out of their fights, and that was mostly because she didn't know anything about her semblance yet. The element of surprise is pretty much gone, at least until she learns to do more."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha frowned, "Weiss seems like she has a fairly good grasp on her semblance."

Violet shook her head, "The Schnee semblance is pretty famous, actually. They all have the same one, passed down through the family. If Weiss is anything like them, she should be able to learn how to summon."

Pyrrha's eyes widened as they began to walk towards the door and back out on to the arena floor, "Summon?"

Violet nodded firmly, "Any grimm she's killed can be brought back to fight for her," she eyed the heiress up in the stands, barely managing to ward off Nora, "If you want to beat us in the tournament, then I'd suggest you focus on that. Another few months, and I might actually be able to beat you on my own. That leaves Weiss and Yang as the wild cards, but yellow beats white as is. Even if I can't beat you myself, Yang and I together should be enough after she's taken care of Weiss."

Pyrrha nodded in understanding. The idea was simple enough, especially for the seasoned competitor's mind. If Violet was certain of Yang's victory, she could try and delay Pyrrha as long as possible and force a stalemate until her teammate would arrive as back up. At that point, the disparity between Pyrrha and Violet would mean little. Team Vibrant would take the victory easily enough.

"Thanks for the tip," Pyrrha eyed Violet curiously, one eyebrow raising, "Why are you giving me tips, though? Don't you want to win?"

Violet smiled and patted Pyrrha on the back as they began to climb the stairs to where their teams were seated.

"Not without a challenge, Pyrrha. Not without a challenge."

Pyrrha resumed her place next to her teammates in the row above, while Violet sat back down next to the rest of team Vibrant. Yang put her on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her after the loss.

"You were so close!" Ruby cheered from her place further down, leaning forward to look past the rest of the team, "I really thought you had her there at the end!"

Violet shook her head, "Not close enough. I've got a long way to go before the Vytal tournament if we want to win."

"I'm sure you won't disappoint us," Blake replied confidently.

From there, the spars continued. Nora ended up challenging Weiss, but was soundly defeated by the heiress's debilitating combination of both gravity, and speed glyphs. The sheer difference was more than the rambunctious Mistralian could overcome.

After their bout had ended, Cardin challenged Ruby. While Violet had been training Cardin during spars for the last couple weeks, she had no qualms about cheering on her teammate wholeheartedly. To many people's surprise, Cardin faired better than they had been expecting, but ultimately lost in the end.

Cardin refrained from acting out after the match had ended, and instead thanked Ruby for the match. He kept his head high as he returned to the stands, and was congratulated for his efforts by his team. Violet clapped a few times when he glanced over as well, a gesture of good faith and moral support.

'Maybe we should work on unlocking his semblance next?'

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ruby began to skip past. Violet clapped her on the back as she did, earning herself a smile from the young reaper. Ruby plopped back down in her seat, still slightly red-faced after the fight.

"Never doubted you for a second, Little Red."

Ruby scoffed and waved her hand through the air, speaking a little breathlessly, "Piece of cake!"

The rest of the class continued to spar for the next few hours, keeping the entire congregation there to watch while people vied for better placements. Vibrant and Siren spoke amongst each other while they kept an eye on the fights. They collectively chose to cheer for whoever happened to be the underdog.

Time seemed to fly by, and before long, the final spar had been completed. Violet eyed the list and smiled, 'Have to give it to Glynda. She certainly knows her stuff.' Out of all the spars that had taken place, only a few had ended in upsets. The rankings remained much the same as they'd started, a stark reminder of how well the seasoned huntress could size up competitors.

As the majority of the class got up to leave, Glynda called out loudly over the mass of students heading for the door, "Would team Vibrant and team Siren please remain. The rest of you may leave."

A few of the other students shot their teams curious frowns. The members of team Siren mimicked their expressions, confused that they had been told to stay while everyone else was allowed to leave. Violet waved for them all to follow and headed down to the arena floor. She stood with her hands behind her head, waiting for the room to be cleared and for Glynda to begin.

Once the final student had exited, Glynda swiped a finger across her scroll. A thick bar slid out from the wall and barred the door shut, blocking out anyone that may have tried to reenter afterwards. She stood tall, eyeing the eight of them in front of her, before shaking her head minutely.

Glynda looked at team Siren in particular, a little off to her left while Vibrant stood to her right, "It has come to the Headmaster's attention that the four of you will be joining team Vibrant in their… after school activities… Beginning next semester, Professor Ozpin will be granting you access to this room after combat class, so that you may practice team tactics in order to heighten your team's cohesion."

A few members of team Siren paled, and Weiss hesitantly stepped forward, "You mean… he approves?" her eyes flickered over to Violet, looking to her for confirmation.

Violet nodded in return, "There's a lot that we need to explain," she shifted back to Glynda, "How much is he allowing, exactly?"

Glynda sighed, her normally uptight demeanor dropping for a moment as a hint of sadness passed across her features. Her eyes returned to Violet's, her mouth pursed in a thin line, "Everything."

Violet could tell that the professor shared in her desire to protect the other students, though Violet herself was likely on her list as well. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Glynda, forced to include so many that were so young when she knew the true dangers that lay ahead, 'And with Ozpin's theory that 'the goddess' might try and make things more dramatic… I wish I could offer you a few comforting words…'

"What do you mean by 'everything'?" Pyrrha spoke up, frowning in confusion between Violet and the combat instructor.

Violet sighed as well and raised her hand. Small sparks of amethyst colored lightning danced across her fingertips, and her eyes lit up into a bright neon. Weiss and Pyrrha stepped back in surprise, while Ren stoically remained where he was. Nora's eyes widened while she leaned closer.

Violet smiled despite herself.

"The real question is... where do we begin…?"

---

So close, Vi. So close. Of course, if Pyrrha had been truly trying from the beginning, then Violet wouldn't have stood a chance without dipping into her 'maiden' powers in retaliation, which she would never do in a spar. Zenith is just one big hunk of steel, after all. Highly magnetized steel. Due to its components, it's actually easier for Pyrrha to control than anyone else's weapon.

Aaaaand now team Siren won't be kept in the dark any longer. The first semester is over, and a couple familiar characters will be introduced. The next chapters will likely focus less on Violet, as Siren comes to terms with what they've been told. I may also devote half a chapter to Blake and Yang's day out to further that along, while Violet and Ruby are given a bit more time to interact with each other as well in the other half. (And Ruby begins reading the book)

We'll see how it goes. I don't plan this story chapter by chapter, but rather have overarching ideas and moments that I want to bring to fruition. I like delving deep into the characters themselves and letting the story flow from there, taking a natural course based off their interactions.

As always, thanks for reading,

- Sybaen