Third POv
"Alright, so, this will be the last character introduction that you will be seeing for today. After this, you will all retire in the rooms that are located in the hall to the left, we will continue this tomorrow." Shadow said as he continued to make Glynda's drink.
"Though it is a bit different from what you have seen so far." Shadow stated, getting curious and confused expressions from the audience.
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"Let's just say...uh...You guys are going to see a bit of forgotten history. Well, in that universe at least."
But before anyone could ask, the screen of the TV started to flicker and soon they were greeted by sand. Lots and lots of sand.
THIRD POV
In the desert of Vacuo lies a small village. This village is located in the far end of the Kingdom which is nearly isolated from the rest of Vacuo. Guarded by a large infestation of Grimm, never-ending sandstorms, scorching heat from the sun, no water for miles, and almost no means of transportation through the environment.
"Holy-would you take a look at those!" Ruby said as they saw the not-so-modern village.
"Judging by the structures, the building must have been at least a hundred years old." Weiss said as she examined the buildings and the environment "Probably dating from the Great War or further back."
"Now we know what Shadow meant by "Different"" Blake said, getting nods from the rest as they wondered why they're being shown this.
A perfect place to be stranded on while being Grimm food, isn't it? This village was the other side of this, it's been here for generations upon generations living with these conditions, thriving, surviving, it's been here before 'The Great War' had begun. The village consists of both old and new stone buildings, houses, stables, a blacksmith, barracks, shops, a market, and hell even crops. Men, women, and children roam through the village, as the village's soldiers are patrolling the perimeter with, admittedly some not-so-impressive weapons that are made from iron and wood and other materials. While some soldiers wear worn out and somewhat bulky armor, while the civilians wear regular clothing that is made for the desert.
"Is it me or this village seems a bit...old fashioned?" Emerald said as they got a good look on the village's activities, the clothing, and even weapons.
"Yeah, I'm going to clarify things up on this point." Shadow said, getting their attention. "The village you're seeing right now is a forgotten village that dates back before the 'Great War' had begun. It was soon buried in history after the war and slowly drifted away, but it still thrives until this day secretly." He finished, gaining shock from the crowd.
"Wait, so you're saying that we are watching an ancient tribe that is a whole new other part of Remnant's history?" Winter said.
"Yep, pluss, this is where we will meet our last protagonist." Shadow said before noting something. "Though I gotta warn you guys that this village has a few drawbacks."
This village may seem to be an ordinary village, but with a slight kink. The village has a tradition to use old weapons. What that means is no guns, no hybrid weapons, no technology. Believing that people had grown soft and weak because they have machines to protect them.
"Wait, what!?" Ironwood, Ruby, Winter, Weiss, and pretty much everyone who gained the information.
"They don't have guns!?" Sun said towards Shadow.
"Yep. This village was so isolated within the deepest parts of Vacuo it basically is, well, time travel if you believe in that shit." Shadow said. "That means it doesn't have electricity, motorized vehicles, robots, guns, high-tech devices such as scrolls, no video games, and NO HYBRID WEAPONS." He finished leaving everyone in the room shocked and speechless. Especially Ruby whose draw went down and down in disbelief as each statement was made.
" And did you guys catched the part that they also keep tabs on the modern Era and basically called you out by being soft and weak?"
"WHAAAAAATTTTTTT!?" That was the last straw for Ruby as she quickly went in front of Shadow's face with surprising speed that could match her Semblance.
"What do you mean by that!?" She yelled, getting surprised looks from the crowd, except Ozpin and Shadow. One looks at her with sadness, while the other looks at her passively. But this was all ignored by the young Rose, who didn't let it down.
"What do you mean by hybrid weapons being WEAK?! That is an outrage, a SCANDAL, and just FULL ON BLASPHEMY!" The sentence from the young Rose got a few sweat drops from the audience as they should've known that she would've asked about that. While some, (Ironwood and Winter) wanted answers.
Though Weiss huffs her chest in pride as she manages to incorporate some linguistic terms into the young Rose.
"It said what was said when you gained the info." Shadow said getting Ruby off of him as he stared at her. "The village believes that the modern world has become weak and pathetic. Relying too much on your current technology that it made them soft. Especially in Altas. "
"Hey you listen here, Atlas has one of the most technologically advanced city in all of Remnant." Ironwood said with a glare, only getting a raised brow of boredom from Shadow.
"And yet, despite what you said, you still got hacked, infiltrated, and lost the spear." Shadow reminded him of his failure, grating Ironwood on his nerves.
"Real technological advancement there, Woody." He sarcastically said.
"Damn straight." Qrow said with a smirk. Earning a glare from Winter and Ironwood. He had been saying that even if Atlas's tech were good and beneficial, they weren't everything. Like those robot soldiers that they made. They got hacked, attacked Beacon, and are just basically tin-can compare that to a regular human.
"You listen here y-" Winter started after sending a glare to Branwen, but immediately shut up by tape on her mouth.
"Look, as much as I would love to give all a piece of my mind, and trust me it is A LOT. I feared that we were dragging this a bit too long than we needed it to be. As for your question, Ruby. Yes they believe that hybrid weapons are worthless. Well, to them at least. Seeing how they are raised by a tradition that you guys would be seeing in the next few scenes later, you just have to keep quiet and accept their way of living." Shadow said as he carried Ruby bridal-style and dumped her on top of Weiss.
The others were silent and nodded as they agreed to it. They won't be getting anywhere if they just pause and question. Though it would be a lot difficult to do it. But who knows, maybe they can learn a thing or two. Even if it didn't exist in their universe.
Weapons they think have no equal. But not them, they stick with the old ways. The tradition of becoming a proper warrior is to face death itself with no armor, no machines, and no easy kill. Everything is earned, not given.
At this statement, it got a few nods from Adam, Raven, Cinder, and Neo. Especially the last one. They knew how difficult it was to earn something that is almost out of reach. Adam was his leadership in the White Fang, Raven was the truth of Ozpin, Neo was surviving in the criminal world, and Cinder was the maiden powers.
They knew that nothing in life comes free. Something needs dirt, sweat and grime to achieve their goal. That is what they know. Even the world they live in is not pretty.
Down to the street, a child was running happily along with his friends as he was swinging a wooden stick as if it was a weapon. The child had tanned skin, black hair, a pair of blue shorts, and brown sandals, and was shirtless. The child started playing with his friends and began swinging his stick, while his friends were doing the same thing as they started playfully swinging their 'swords', laughing and having fun fighting each other.
This scene causes several lighthearted chuckles and smiles from the "good side" of the audience. Watching the kids playing on the streets gave them a sense of happiness on seeing that despite this village being old school, and admittedly they thought it would be a lot stricter than this, it gives them a sense of relief seeing that there is a sense of normality like any other.
"This isn't so bad." Blake said, getting nods from them.
"Cole." A voice called out as the child's name Cole looked back and saw his older brother, Andy Breeze. Andy was in his twenties, wearing boots, jeans, a button-up shirt, and a cloth mask. Andy can only give a look to his brother, making Cole sad and saying goodbye to his friends and going to his brother. Once Cole was on his brother's side, the two started to walk towards the road as Civilians (Both faunus and humans) roamed the area, some carrying heavy objects, while others socialized with each other, shopkeepers selling their food and supplies.
"Hello~~" Coco said as she tilted her sunglasses when she saw the older man on screen.
"Oh Coco…" Velvet muttered.
"What? You can't stop me from liking what I'm seeing, Velv." Coco said,crossing her arms. "Besides, it's not like I didn't see you roaming your eyes on Aleister's chest."
"I DIDN'T!" Velvet said with a red face, making Coco smirk and gave her a look that said 'Don't try to deny it', causing the rabbit Faunus to blush further.
As this was going on, the Faunus in the room looked around the village's bassiling crowd with awe expressions. They saw the villagers happily walking around while doing chores, strolling around the market and just acting normal despite them seeing that there are Faunus in the crowd.
"They look like they didn't mind at all." Ghira said as he saw a group greeting a Faunus family on the spot with pure, genuine happiness.
"It's as if racism never existed inside the village." Blake said, feeling happiness, relief, and a bit of pain. She was happy that the scene that they are seeing is showing that humans and Faunus are capable of peace and harmony and coexistence. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel envious towards them that they manage to feel like they don't have nothing to fear, nothing to be paranoid about, no need for them to feel like that they are just a menace to society.
Here on the screen, on what she's seeing, the humans are expressing genuine happiness and acceptance for them and are treating them equally as if they were one of their own kind. It hurt her that they experienced the very thing that all Faunus kind fought for: that was to be accepted with open arms. She never gets to feel that, even when she meets her team she still feels like she is different from the rest of the world. Being judged and discriminated against just by existing.
It hurts every single day when she thinks about it.
"That's nice." Adam said feeling….happy? Yeah, happy. Happy to see that Faunus is getting along with humans in the scene. Which is pretty ironic that it's coming from the one who loathes them and wanted to make Faunus the dominant species in Remnant.
Though, if he's gonna be honest with himself, he doesn't know if he could ever forgive them. Yeah sure he changed since his death and met Pyrrha, but he can feel like a part of him still bears the feeling of resentment towards humans and the pain that they put him through. Especially the Schnee's
Adam's left eye twitches a bit as he takes a look at the Schnee family.
Most of them are major scumbags in his books. Using Faunus as slaves to mine iff resources that they needed to run the company. Adam felt his hands balled into fist as he felt a familiar sense of rage as he remembered what they did to him and his family years ago. How he pleaded for their captures for food and water, how he begged them to save his sibling. And most of all...How they branded him with their insignia with a branding iron like they own him.
Adam grits his teeth as he stares at them with hate, but then stops as he feels a hand cover his. He looks down and sees it was Pyrrha who gave him a concerned look and soon his anger dissipates. No...that was not him anymore. He might still hate the Schnee's but he'd learn long enough that letting your hatred consume you would lead to nothing but trouble. He had to thank Pyrrha for that and setting him straight.
Besides, maybe not all of the Schnee's are bad. Weiss is a perfect example that she is NOT her father.
Adam gave a gentle smile at Pyrrha with a slight nod too, causing her to smile at him before they turn their attention back to the scene
"Cole" Andy calls his sibling again as the boy looks up to his brother. "What have I told you about skipping training?" Andy questions his brother as Cole just looks to the ground
"Never skip training if you want to survive" Cole muttered making Andy nod and they arrived at their house. The two went into the training ground as Andy tossed a bo-staff to Cole, while he had a shield and sword.
"Alright, let's repeat what we learned from our previous session." Andy said as he got ready and Cole just nodded as they charged towards each other.
(Timeskip A few Years Later)
Early in the morning in the village, the sounds of metal against metal can be heard from the Breeze house and a few grunts. In the training area, we saw Cole and his brother fighting each other. Cole had grown through the years as he was now in his teenage years of 16; wearing a pair of brown pants and boots, a white long-sleeve shirt, a pair of black fingerless gloves, a scarf wrapped around his neck, a small leather pauldron that had bronze plating on top that connects to armor sleeve that is made out of the same stuff. Underneath them is a light-blue collared vest with gold trimmings to the edge, while on the back of the vest reveals a tail-coat that reaches up to his calves. He had a strap running towards his torso and his symbol, which is a two-headed eagle holding two swords, attached to his belt.
Cole dodges a strike from his brother, who has aged rather well for the past few years only dawning some wrinkles and a few grey hairs. Cole swings his spear and deflects another before Cole went in for his attack, he started swinging his spear around, trying to distract his brother, as he quickly went into a slash but was quickly deflected by Andy. Cole quickly recoils his weapon back before releasing a barrage of stabs to his brother, who is having trouble keeping up with the attack from ever hitting him. With one final push, Cole applied some aura to his attack which sent Andy back as his aura protected him.
"Damn, look at them go." Sun said as they all mesmerized with the spar and was impressed with Cole's ability to use the spear in such a proficient way.
"He's using the spear's length to his advantage to put his brother away, but to execute a relentless amount of strikes like that is impressive on its own," Winter said as she analyzed the fighting stance.
"The strikes are fast and efficient. It looks like he's built for speed and efficiency." Tai said as he analyzed the fight. "Unlike his brother, Cole is more of the speed department and tends to keep his distance, knowing that if he's not careful Andy can go in which he can use to turn the tides into his favor." He finishes, getting a nod from the rest as they watch the fight go on.
Cole didn't stop and continued to relentlessly attack Andy with some series combinations, before stabbing his spear to the ground and using it as leverage to land a kick to Andy and knocking down his weapon out, before delivering his final blow to the chest, sending Andy to the ground with a groan. But soon he started to chuckle as Cole offered a hand and he took it.
"You improved. And here I thought that I would be able to beat you again" Andy chuckled, while Cole gave his own chuckled and smiled
"Not this time. It was either luck, skill, or maybe that your old age is catching up to you" He joked before finding himself on a playful headlock
This scene gave a short laugh to the audience on seeing the two brothers interact with one another.
"Who are you calling old, huh!? Just because we're a few years apart doesn't mean you can call me an old man" Laugh Andy as he ruffled Cole's hair. Cole releases a laugh of his own before he got released from the lock. The two brothers have smiles on their faces as they sit on the bench.
"Today's a big day, isn't it brother?" Andy asks, making Cole nod in confirmation
This caught the audience's attention when Andy said it.
"Big day?" Emerald asked.
"It's the day where they become warriors in their village." Shadow said, as he turned his attention to them.
"Wait, you're saying that they're not part of their village forces?" Ironwood said with disbelief. The question just got a nod from Shadow before he replied.
"Yeah." He said. "In this village, it has a test that you have to take, like a trial if you would like to take it. The test is a brutal one and if you pass it then you're a 'Warrior', but fail then you're dead."
"Figuratively?" Pyrrha asked
"Nope." Shadow simply said, shocking them. " The test is to rule out the strong from the weak. That's how they manage to do so for hundreds of years now.
"That's absurd!" Weiss yelled. "So they would just let them die and not bat an eye!?"
"It's how they've been raised to do it." Shadow nonchalantly said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"I like the sound of it." Raven said, causing her brother and Tai to glare and sigh, respectively.
"Of course you would." Qrow growled at her.
"You never really see it do you, Brother." Raven said snidely, causing him to grit his teeth. Qrow never likes how Raven just thinks the strong should be on top. He remembered how she would berate anyone who can't seem to finish the job, she would call them weak, pathetic, and useless. It grates on his nerves every time he witnesses it and this goes towards him too.
He just wishes that Raven got that little thought of hers crushed.
"Yeah, today's the day I would become a warrior of the village, while you become chief and soon to be a father" Cole Said as he remembers Andy's wife got pregnant, and boy was he ecstatic. Cole chuckled as he remembered the time that his brother was so shy to even meet his crush-turned-wife that he and his friends had to set him up every time.
"Congratulations!" Ruby said, making the rest look at her weirdly.
"...You do realize he can't hear you, right Ruby?" Weiss said.
"uh...Oops hehehe..I got a little carried away there." Ruby sheepishly said, getting a laugh from the rest.
"Well, how can I say no to that? My brother becoming a soldier, me becoming the chief of the village, and soon a father. I wonder if mama and papa would say if they're here with us" Andy sadly said as Cole just solemnly nodded. When he was a young baby, he and Andy lost their parents during a Grimm attack on the village. Their father was the chief and rallied the town to fight them, along with their mother. Many had lost their lives and suffered from extreme casualties, along with half of the village being destroyed. But they prevailed and now they are back on track. But the initial thought of their village made Cole wonder, he wonders if there is a better way to fend off the Grimm. Andy looked at him and saw the look that he knew all too well.
"Cole, don't..." Andy sighs as Cole looks at him
"But Andy, think of the village. If we had technology like the rest o-" But he was cut off by his brother who looks at him
"Cole, that's enough. What you are saying is going against everything that our tribe stands for, what we built, what we accomplished, it goes against the very foundation that made our village the only surviving tribe in Vacuo for the past decades." Andy said making his brother groan.
"Wait, I thought the village was shut off from the rest of the world. How did they know about the current situation in Remnant?" Whitley asked.
"Don't know. The village may have been locked away from the rest of the world, but that doesn't mean that they didn't keep tabs on what's going on in the modern era." Shadow said, making some of the people raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know? You know about the people that we are watching, and yet you don't know how they managed to keep track in the modern world?" Whatts said to him.
"OK, OK, I do know how they done." Shadow said.
"Then why did you say that you don't know?" Marrow asked
"I'm fucking lazy and tired right now on explaining shit to you guys." Shadow said, causing them to sweat drop, or look at him with baffled expressions.
"Andy, I know, but think of it. If we have accepted the technology and weaponry that the kingdoms have today, then it would be easier to fend off the Grimm." Cole said, understanding where his brother is coming from.
"Hmm… Not a bad idea, to be honest." Fox said. "It would be beneficial for them."
"But it would mean that the village would not be happy about it. Neither would Andy" Weiss said.
"Yeah, but Cole does have a point, though. I mean, you can't just keep sticking to what works. And it seems to me that this wasn't the first time that this conversation has happened." Blake said, getting nods.
Cole knew that his village survived through millennia worth of attacks (Both Grimm and the Environment, sometimes even people) and is still standing today because of their traditions. But Cole notices that maybe it's time for a change, a change that could benefit the village to survive longer, strive harder. But the problem is that no one in the village is willing to change, they've seen what happened to Vacuo when Atlas and Mantle decide to exploit their resources for themselves leaving Vacuo to rot and only side with Vale during the war.
"He does have a point on when they were being exploited by them in the past." Everyone, especially Shadow, looked towards IRONWOOD who was the one who said it.
"Sir?" Winter said in disbelief.
"As much as I love Atlas and would do anything to protect it , I will not just blatantly ignore her past events that had transpired." Ironwood said toward the specialist. "Especially the bad ones. I can clearly see why his brother and the village view Atlas as such."
"Huh, and here I thought he would worship it with all the fibre of his being." Mercury muttered, getting nods from his group.
Years went on and the world is changing around them, new dust, new vehicles, new communication, new weaponry. But his village? They didn't need it, they didn't accept the new technology like the rest of the kingdoms did, thinking that over the years those kingdoms grow too accustomed to it, making them weak, vulnerable, lazy. (In their words.) That's why they refuse to change, thinking if they accept their help they could be exploited and soon taken over and they would become lazy to do anything about it. After all, the village is the only place in Vacuo that is rich in dust, water, and food, which is a paradise for people who live on the continent.
"I kinda want to disagree with that." Jaune said. "I mean, sure they were robbed by them in the past, but to think that they become lazy? That is going a bit far."
"Though it does have a point though." Tai said. "Even if we get a lot more advanced than the village, we can't get carried away by the technology that we're using."
"Your just saying that, because you got scammed on the net once." Raven said, causing the people to chuckle
"There is no way I'm going to let Mantle, Atlast, or any kingdom takes advantage of the village, Cole. End of discussion" Andy said, making Cole sigh, looking at his brother as he knows that the conversation is over. He just watches as Andy walks away
"Why does he have to be so stubborn?" Cole muttered to himself before he left the training area. The festival would be starting soon in a few hours, he needs to get ready.
"All right let's see the 'big day'" Ren Said as they waited for the event to take place.
(A few hours later)
The festival is on their way as the entire village starts to celebrate their new chief and the soldiers of the village. The place was lit with multiple decorations, foods, drinks, and events for the people to enjoy. Cole was in the gate of the village, the area was filled with soldiers and civilians as he got his spear and crossbow ready along with his brother who has his sword and shield.
"The village is beautiful." Velvet said as they stared in awe at the village's celebration.
"They look so lively too. This event must've been very important to them." Fox said.
"Of course it is." Weiss said "They're crowning a new leader during this event. If Andy manages to succeed, which I have no doubt he will, then they will have a feast."
"If he manages to do so." Coco said, remembering that Shadow said that people had died in this event making them warriors. She just hopes that Andy got out ok during this.
"Don't worry, he has his brother to back him up." Sun said to her reassuring her.
The current chief of the village, Javier Solomen, came to the younger brother. Javier is a 70 years old man wearing a simple outfit, a pair of pants, boots, a button-up shirt, and a vest coat.
"Welcome everyone. Today we all know that is a special day. A day that comes once every decade. The day that we have to crown our new chief!" Javier claimed making the crowd cheer and the two brothers smiled at each other. "Our tribe had been standing in these very lands for generations, breathing, striving, facing dangers beyond those who would fall after so much. And it is all thanks to our tradition, the ways of our ancestors that have kept us alive. We had never strayed from the path that our people had made , that it was built with their blood, dedication, and sacrifices that they made so that we stand here today!" Javier exclaimed, getting a louder pop from the crowd
"The other kingdoms had become frail, lazy during the years, building machines that they've thought can protect them, thinking that they had exceeded far from being primitive. But not us, we have survived this long with no use of their weaponry, without their machines, WE are the living proof that machines are useless to that of humans or Faunus, and that we have survived without them by following our ancestor's footsteps and never stray from the ways of our roots." The chief said as he approached the Breeze siblings with a cup of glowing orange and yellow liquid.
"Uhhh...What's that?" Jaune asked.
"You'll see." Shadow said.
"With this Formula created by our ancestors, drink it... and your aura would be stripped away temporarily" Javier claimed as the brothers look at the bowl
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted in disbelief.
"That formula can take away their Aura!"
"How is that even possible?!"
The people roared in surprise, making Shadow sigh again.
"The mixture is made out of a specialised plant that is VERY rare and hard to grow." Shadow stated. "When grinded into a paste, mixed with purified water, ferment for two years, add some other ingredients, then it can take away your Aura temporarily. That is why there were deaths in the try out. The power that you need to use your Semblance, protect yourself, and do impossible feets, are all gone." Shadow said, shocking them further.
"No Semblance…" Ruby said
"Or Aura…" Pyrrha said
"Things just got heated on whatever their task is." Coco said as they felt concern for the two brothers.
"Are you two ready, to face your destiny?" he ask the two getting nods of confirmation from the brothers as they both drank from the bowl as they felt their auras being taken away as the crowd saw their auras glow before it disappeared. The brothers then turned around to face the dessert and felt the wind starting to pick up. Soon, the sand started to flow as both Cole and Andy put their mask on(Cole using his scarf while Andy using a piece of cloth). They grabbed their weapons as they heard the chief.
"OK, I know that we are about to know what they're task is at any moment. But what is the usual task to do to make them a warrior?" BLake said.
"It really depends on the ones taking it." Shadow said. "With their Aura being locked away, along with the fact that the weather in Vacuo is no easy matter, the bar of survival decreases tremendously if not careful. But the village steps it up, by going over the weaknesses and try to out-weight the person to make sure to give them a challenge."
"But isn't it sabotaging?" Kali asked, getting a shake from the host.
"No. They had to make sure that you have to be strong enough not just to survive, but to protect as well. Because the village is just not a place where people live. It is family. A place where you either have to die and protect from any possible dangers." Shadow said, getting nods from the rest on why this is so important.
"Go forth in the desert and find the blind worm that has terrorized our village long ago" Javier said, getting nods from the brothers and Knowing which grim they're going to kill as it was the same Grimm that attacked they're village years ago. They sent some scouts to search where it lay and it was only 3 miles away from the village. They tried to kill it before once the village was repaired and the soldiers were healed but with to success, as it managed to dive through the sand and use the sand storm to it's advantage on delivering the kill.
The brothers nodded and soon grabbed their horses and rode into the sand storm. Javier and the village watch as the two brothers rode off, with Javier looking at them with concern.
"May the gods and your parents bless you through your task" He muttered worried for the sake of his friends' family.
"Oh shit…" Sun and team CFVY said in despair.
"They're dead." Adam said, causing the others to glare at him.
"What do you mean by that?" Blake scowled.
"You guys don't get how trouble and dangerous a Blindworm can be." Sun said towards them with a rare sight of seriousness.
"He's right. A Blind worm is a Grimm that lives in Vacuo." Yatsuhashi said. "It is a type of grimm that uses the sand to its advantage and is very difficult to take down."
"Is it that hard?" Weiss said.
"Yes, even with Aura it's difficult." Fox said "But it is a clear suicide mission to go after one without it, since the hide is tough and not to mention in digs deep in the ground completely to get out of sight."
"Not to mention they grow to large sizes that can rival buildings from cities. " Adam said as he remembered his time encountering one.
"If you guys say it was that dangerous, then…" Weiss said before they shifted their attention to the duo with concern expressions.
They need all the help they need.
TO be continued….
And that is for part 1 of this chapter, guys. I hope you guys enjoyed it and normally I would have placed the entire thing here by now, but since the original chapter is just as long as the previous ones, I decided to split this part into two pieces. And maybe I gotten a bit lazy during the end, since it does kind of felt a bit rushed.
But anyways, I hope you guys like it, and leave a comment on what you guys think and also feel free to leave criticism as long as they are honest, not offensive in anyway, shapr, or form, and straight to the point. Well, BYE!
