There were a couple lines added to the end of the previous chapter. One at the end of Violet's perspective, and one at the end of Ozpin's. I updated to have them included almost immediately after it was released, but some of you are a bit too quick on the draw for me and would have read the unedited version. If you want to pop back and read them, go for it. If not, just know that Oz turned around to find the exit blocked by Violet's ice. Aaaand, continue~

Ozpin froze mid-stride, his cane lowering to rest back on the step next to him. He turned with a curious but guarded glance, eyes only for the young maiden standing on stage. His gaze met hers, two points of blazing amethyst set above an apologetic smile. She stood with one hand raised, aimed at the door behind him. The rest of team Vibrant stood nearby, all having noticed by now what she had done.

Ruby's eyes had widened, her feet backing away the smallest step in fear and trepidation. Blake stood next to her, uncertainty plastered across her face, but also a firmness to her stance. Yang was the most stoic of all, leveling him with a pair of untrusting eyes that searched for truth while her hands remained clenched into fists at her sides.

The wizard's hand gripped the end of his cane tightly, and he raised it to cut off Glynda as she began to speak vehemently, undoubtedly questioning the young maiden's motives. Ozpin raised his opposite hand and let out a small cough, clearing his throat and making sure to maintain his composure before speaking.

"May I ask why you have decided to trap us in this classroom, Miss Regalia?"

Ironwood and Winter were the last to notice, along with all of team Siren who had been focused on those around them during the development. They turned to the maiden with various levels of surprise and caution, though it was the Atlesians that made up the latter.

Violet's hand dropped, the opposite raising in its place to scrub through her hair while she adopted an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Headmaster. There's just a few questions that my team and I wanted to ask. The answers to which are rather important, all things considered…"

'Questions?' Ozpin's mind scoured for what they might ask, hoping to have an advantage before the question was even posed. 'What could have possibly caused this sort of reaction?'

Ozpin opened his mouth only slightly before he was cut off by James, the stern man stepping into Violet's field of view, "Miss Regalia. You have no right to demand anything of your Headmaster. Your powers should not be used in such a manner." His voice was gruff and unyielding, a man of higher station attempting to suffocate possible dissension.

"Seeing as it involves my life, I think I have every right, General. I apologise for the abruptness of it all, but… I hope you'll forgive me when you hear what it is that I need to ask."

"Violet! What are you doing!?" Weiss hissed, worriedly eyeing the adults in the room, but mostly her sister whose hand had drifted back down to the pommel of her sword. Winter's eyes were narrowed, her experiences with the maiden's typical attitude nonexistent aside from their brief spar.

"I'm listening, Miss Regalia," Ozpin sighed, shifting in place so that he was no longer angled towards the exit. Some of the tension deflated from the students, but the adults remained on guard.

The room quieted for a few seconds, Violet struggling in her attempts to pose the question. Both Blake and Ruby eyed her worriedly, obviously uncomfortable themselves with the way they had chosen to challenge the Headmaster.

"Who is Salem?" Yang blurted out roughly, surprising those who already knew and drawing confused glances from those that did not. "My mom told me a bit about her when we met. I wanted to hear what you had to say… Is she real?"

Ozpin's hand clenched the end of his cane more tightly, twisting in place as the only sign that his emotions had become unchecked. 'Damn you, Raven. That is not a name that should be thrown around lightly!' No wonder team Vibrant was so on edge. Depending on what information they'd been told, partial or otherwise, the existence of Salem was a terrifying prospect.

Still, he had to commend Violet. If she already knew, she was doing a rather fine job at not showing it.

Regardless, there didn't appear to be any recourse to the situation aside from the truth. Abusing his station to deny them an answer would be far from ideal. His students would resent him for leaving them in the dark with incomplete knowledge, left only with the fact that he had been unwilling to trust them.

Ozpin allowed the grasp on his cane to loosen, setting it to lean against a nearby seat. He reached up and pulled the glasses from his face, then used the cowl around his neck to wipe them as he thought of the best avenue in which to answer. Finally placing them back on, he raised his eyes once more to those gathered below.

"May I ask what your mother told you, first? If she has given you conflicting knowledge, statements that are not factual, then I would be inclined to clear up any misinformation before filling in the rest."

"So that you'll know what parts you can keep secret?" Violet raised an eyebrow, calling him out on exactly what he'd been planning. "I don't think so." Yang nodded firmly in agreement.

"Do you think so little of me, Miss Regalia? Truly, I thought we were on better terms than that," Ozpin confided honestly. He had been planning to leave out as much as possible, but it would have been for the childrens' sake, not his own. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders in defeat. "If that is how it must be, then so be it."

"Oz!" Ironwood interjected, a hint of anger in his voice, "You can't really be considering giving in to their demands, can you? Salem's existence-"

"Has already been revealed to them in some capacity, James, whether we like it or not. Our best course of action is to clear up any confusion or doubt, so that we may all move forward with a unified goal in mind. All I wish is for allies to remain allies. Is that so wrong?"

Ironwood glowered for a few long seconds before giving in with an angry huff. He settled back into place and gestured for Winter to do the same. "Do what you must."

Ozpin nodded, turning back to the students, "Now then, on the topic of Salem. I can assume some of the things that your mother may have told you, excuses for why she ran, ways to plead her case and get you on her side." He raised a hand to quell the angry retort on Yang's lips, "I do not fault her for leaving, Miss Xiao Long. I only wish to remind you of why she revealed Salem to you in the first place. It was not out of some deep seated need to protect you. It was for her own gain, to protect her image and to lessen her own blame in abandoning your family all those years ago."

Yang seethed silently, kept at bay by a hand on her shoulder from their leader.

Seeing there was to be no outburst, he continued, "Salem is many things. None of which give inspiration to young hunters in their endless fight against the Grimm. Despite what she is, and the things she's capable of… the Grimm still must be kept at bay. If the world was to know of her existence, it would breed fear, panic, and hopelessness. For that reason, before I speak any further, you must all promise not to tell a single soul after we leave this room. The name of Salem must never leave your lips, not for any reason, aside from behind closed doors with those who already know."

The members of team Siren glanced around at their fellow students, seeking direction. The members of Vibrant had eyes only for Violet, who simply nodded, accepting his terms and gesturing for him to continue. "We won't tell anyone. Not without your permission."

"Very well," Ozpin spoke with a tone of finality. He waited, allowing the gravity of the situation to fester before speaking once more. Truthfully… he wished his students never had to hear this.

"Salem is immortal. She both commands, and manipulates the Grimm to her own design. She seeks to tear apart the very kingdoms that humanity has built, and bring untold destruction in her wake. She is thousands of years old, and employs those that are easily fooled into her flock. The woman that attacked Amber is undoubtedly one of her servants, sent to steal the powers of the maiden to strengthen her cause."

Silence followed his speech, each student standing in fear, doubt, or confusion at the statements he had made.

"Th… This is a joke, right?" Weiss looked to him with an expression that he was familiar with, eyes pleading for comfort, for him to take back everything he had said and return her to the welcoming peace of ignorance.

Winter sighed, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder, "It isn't, Weiss. Salem is the true evil of this world. Until she is killed… no one will ever be safe."

"But… if she can't be killed," Nora spoke up in horror, looking to Ren for guidance. The boy seemed more numb than usual, standing stock still while processing the information he'd been given.

"She can be killed," Violet surprised him, flashing Nora a comforting smile before returning her questioning gaze upon the Headmaster. "You think I can kill her, right?"

"I am sorry to place so much responsibility on your shoulders, Miss Regalia, but… yes. Destroying Salem's body has proven to be impossible. She regenerates from all damage done to her physical form. However, we believe that your flames will be able to destroy what we cannot. Her soul. The manner in which it kills Grimm, leaving them as husks that do not dissipate, gives us all hope. Hope for a final conclusion to this war."

Violet laughed shakily, eyes drifting off to the side while her hand rubbed against the back of her head, "That's… a lot of responsibility to give a seventeen year old…"

"Indeed."

'If you are what you claim to be, that is…'

"What made her?" Blake asked, finally gaining the courage to speak as well. She shrunk slightly when multiple eyes turned towards her, but all immediately returned to him, awaiting his answer with baited breath.

"Salem has existed since the beginning of Remnant itself, as far as history is aware. She is older than humanity and faunus alike, a being that has seen thousands of years of history pass… and never swayed in her one true goal."

"And you want to let Violet go with us to Mountain Glenn!?" Weiss uttered furiously, glaring up at him in confusion. "What if she dies before she has a chance to stop Salem!?" Several other students appeared to agree, sending the same questioning eyes in his direction.

Ozpin rubbed his temple, "Believe me, Miss Schnee. That has been a constant state of worry on my part, and for everyone that knows the truth of the matter. Unfortunately, there are… extenuating circumstances outside of our control that prevent Miss Regalia's exclusion… She must gain the skill required in order to defeat Salem, mustn't she? If Headmaster Ironwood and Specialist Schnee were capable of bringing Miss Regalia down, then I don't like her current chances against a being as ancient as Salem. She must develop as a maiden, through thick and thin, one trial at a time."

"Or she dies, and we forever lose our best chance at bringing peace to the world…"

"I'm not going to die, Weiss," Violet laughed nervously, raising her hands to the rest gathered in the hopes of assuaging their fears. "Seriously, Ironwood and Winter are two of the best hunters on the planet, and even they couldn't take me down without getting a few scrapes of their own. Aside from that," Violet turned back to Ozpin, "nobody knows what I am outside your inner circle, right?" she paused, raising a finger to her chin, "Other than Raven, anyway…"

Ozpin frowned, "And Roman Torwick, and Neopolitan. Two that I would much rather not be privy to such delicate information. They are hardly loyal to the cause, after all. Only to saving their own skin."

Violet gave an embarrassed, half hearted chuckle, "Sorry…"

"Do not apologize, Miss Regalia. Learn from your mistakes and keep your secret closer to your chest in the future. There's no telling who may end up spreading such knowledge to our enemy, and Salem will not afford you the time to gather your strength."

"Yes, sir…"

"Is that everything?" Yang asked, a hint of suspicion remaining in her tone. "You aren't leaving anything out that we should know about?"

"Nothing that pertains to the situation at hand, Miss Xiao Long. You know what you must about Salem. Truly, there is nothing more that needs to be said."

Ozpin turned slightly after giving his students a few moments, waiting for any further questions to be sent his way. When none were, he gestured to the door behind himself, "If you wouldn't mind, Miss Regalia? Despite having the weight of the world on our shoulders, Glynda and I do still have a school to run."

"Oh, y-yeah," Violet raised a hand and waved it across the door, particles of ice evaporating to nothing in an instant and unblocking their path.

Ozpin walked up the few remaining steps to the door, pulling it open before looking back over his shoulder to share with them a cautionary glance, "Remember. Be careful when discussing this. Your rooms are mostly sound proofed, as long as the volume of conversation remains at a reasonable level. See that it does."

Ozpin spared them a stern gaze, hoping to instill upon them the true gravity of the information they'd been imparted with. The students all readily accepted. Ozpin nodded and left them to it, exiting with Glynda in tow, and his mind on this unfortunate development. It pained him to know that his students would now be under the weight of such knowledge, but…

'They would have needed to learn the truth eventually…'

The remote in Cinder's hand began to melt, black plastic slipping between tight fingers to run between them and drip upon the wooden floor. Each splatter brought a renewed hiss, steam rising up and drenching the room in a burning stench. Her hand closed fully, the last dredges running free as she forced herself to release it, eyes glaring at the screen in front of her.

"White Fang hideout ransacked. Atlas military equipment seized."

The headline played across the bottom of the screen over and over, video above showing the mechs being loaded aboard the Mantas and ferried up to the awaiting battleships. Cinder seethed, her plans, painstakingly coordinated, falling through once more. She had to forcibly calm herself as her hand drifted down to her scroll, the heat emanating off it sparking against even her own aura.

Getting herself under some semblance of control, she withdrew her scroll and dialed her contact, the one responsible for the travesty that lay before her. The call went through, dial tone playing repeatedly while Cinder's patience wore thin. Finally, as the edges were beginning to blacken, the call went through.

Torchwick appeared on screen, his eyes wide despite his attempts at controlling his emotions. He smiled nervously, offering up a small wave that he'd never have done under normal circumstances, "H-Hey! Cinder! I was just going to ca-"

"Roman."

The singular name cut him off entirely, his eyes widening further and throat bulging as he gulped. Cinder could see the sweat dripping from his forehead, the terror clear in his eyes.

"You've failed me, Roman. This was your last chance."

"W-wait, Cinder! There's more I could do! I can still be of use-"

Cinder's eye lit, maiden powers coursing through her veins as her temper flared, "No, Roman. We're done. You have shown your worth, and I have deemed it lacking. If it hadn't been for your little friend, I would have ended you already."

Roman raised his eyes, glancing to his surroundings as if he expected attackers at any moment, "Well then, if that's how it's going to be…" He returned his attention to the scroll, narrowing his eyes with clear disdain, "I hope you fail. You've brought me nothing but grief ever since you swaggered into town, thinking you owned the place. I've spent far too long making a reputation for myself to have that all thrown away because of you. They'll catch you, Cinder. Long before you have the chance to find me. You'll be a bad memory, one that Neo and I will joke about in years to come."

Cinder glared as he rambled, but ultimately knew that they were the words of a soon to be dead man. A smug smile crossed her face that still betrayed the pure hatred she felt, "I will find you, Roman. The White Fang will scour every inch of this city. We know all of your contacts, all of your safehouses. I will tear apart everything you have built, and then...? Once you're in my hands…" She raised one, flame scorching the air, then closed her fist to extinguish it in an instant. "Enjoy your last few days alive, Roman."

Cinder hung up the call and dropped her scroll on the table in front of her, taking a few seconds to calm down. The man behind her shifted uncomfortably, reminding her of his presence. News of the Paladin's recovery had been brought to her by an escaped member of the Fang, having seen the entire confrontation himself and managing to slip away in the ensuing chaos.

"Who was it?" Cinder asked simply, sitting back in her chair.

"S-some H-Hunters, and a uh, s-school kid," the petrified faunus replied, feeting shuffling in the desire to leave.

Cinder grimaced, "Did the child have purple hair? She's proven herself to be far too big a nuisance to ignore any longer."

"N-no. This girl was blond, same as one of the huntsmen that showed up."

"More of them?" Cinder sighed. 'How many children is Ozpin willing to risk? I thought he would be more concerned for his students' well being...' If she recalled correctly, the thorn, 'Violet', did have a blond teammate as well. Mercury had told her as much in his reports before he'd died. A pity, to lose such a valuable asset.

And now again, she had lost. This time, the means with which to expedite the operation in Mountain Glenn. The Paladins would have been an unmatched utility in clearing the place of Grimm, and rubble blocking the tracks. Cinder brought a hand up to scrub it across her face in annoyance, 'Setback after setback… I need to take their focus away from offense. They believe themselves to be untouchable. That I couldn't seek them out and put an end to them myself at any moment…'

As the news reel continued to play, Cinder watched a pair of huntsmen step from the building into the street. One of them a blond man she didn't recognize, the other the one that had interrupted her while extracting the maiden powers from Amber. Cinder scowled, watching the two acting so nonchalant, completely free of fear that she might attack in kind.

'No more.'

If she wanted her plans to remain unhindered, Cinder herself would have to go on the offensive. Mercury and Emerald had failed, much to her surprise. Surely sending any of the White Fang would end with much the same result. A crimson flame danced across her finger as her eyes settled on the blond.

'The father to the one on her team, perhaps?' The smouldering glare on Cinder's face gave way to a grin, eyes still burning with malice in the light reflected from the flame in her hands. 'That would certainly make them think twice about attacking me again.'

"Tell Adam to hunt down Torchwick's allies. All of his contacts, anyone that's done business with him. I want them all wiped off the face of Remnant. Once that's done, track down the man himself and bring him before me," Cinder raised her hand, allowing the flames to coalesce before firing a bolt at the men on screen. The fire struck, flames lighting it up instantly, causing the electronics to let out a few last pitiful flickers before dying completely. The faunus behind her whimpered, nodding fiercely.

"I'll be on a little hunt of my own in the meantime."

Sorry the chapter is a bit short, but I messed up the ligaments in my elbow at work. It's a bit painful to sit in my usual way to write at my desk, unfortunately. Heh. No pain, no gain, right? It's started to clear up now, and having the weekend off will help a ton, but I still wanted to get this chapter out before it gets too late in the day.

Thanks for reading,

- Sybaen

I also wanted to address some complaints over Violet losing in the 2v1 last chapter. Whenever you're looking at the Goddess's actions, you should always keep in mind exactly what it is she's fighting against the most. Boredom. Violet isn't interested in winning every engagement she goes into. Her willingness to fight Pyrrha over and over and still lose should be evidence enough of that. Even without winning the fight, Violet did still win, however. She got exactly what she wanted out of it, which was for her teammates and Siren to stop treating her like something that needed to be guarded at all times. They got a clear idea of the level she's at, and know that they themselves don't really compare.

Also, she really hasn't used her maiden powers in tandem with her regular fighting style much, either. She's fought people with just her semblance the vast majority of the time, and only really trained with the maiden powers against the Grimm. She shouldn't be expected to be a master of blending the two the first time she's attempted it. If you'll notice, she spent so much time focusing on showing off her maiden powers that she didn't even think of manipulating the mass of Ironwood and Winter, or their weapons. There were many things she could have done to swing the fight in her favor. Again, she's just inexperienced at blending the two at the moment. She'll get better, just like she has against Pyrrha.