About an hour later, the bullhead touched down at Shade Academy just outside the walls. On the ground, there was a huge crowd of students and other individuals waiting for them. They were cheering loudly as Teams COAL and IRON stepped out of the airship along with Tsukiko and Caelius. Colby addressed the crowd.
"It is over!" he proclaimed. "The Wormwood Cannon has been destroyed! Garrick is dead, and Vacuo yet lives! Long live Vacuo! Long live Shade Academy!"
The crowd cheered. COAL, IRON, and company could hear "Long live Vacuo!" and "Long live Shade Academy!" mixed in with the cheers. Then, Theodore walked up to the airship to address everyone.
"These students deserve our utmost respect for the extraordinary valor that they have demonstrated tonight. They have ventured deep into enemy territory to save not just their friends, but our entire kingdom. We should all strive to follow their example."
"It's not just us." Colby replied. "We couldn't have done it without the aid of Shade Academy. Good students of Shade, know that your actions tonight have helped save the future of an entire kingdom, and indeed all of Remnant. This victory belongs to all of us."
Theodore spoke up again. "I've commissioned a fleet of airships to take the Beacon students back to Vale in the morning. Once they return to Vale, they will get to work rebuilding their school. Beacon Academy will rise from the ashes of the Fall thanks to your efforts."
Everyone cheered again before Theodore turned to Colby's group once more. "You have my sincerest thanks. Now go get some rest. You deserve it."
Colby's groups all returned to their dorms, where they were able to rest more easily than any night since before the Fall. Despite that, they still had a few questions lingering in their minds. Just who was this "Salem?" Who had she sent to betray Beacon? What was she plotting next? But they knew that by saving their friends and Vacuo, they had taken their first step toward stopping her. Once Beacon was rebuilt, they could figure out their next steps to saving Remnant from the Grimm Queen.
The next morning…
The fleet of bullheads that Theodore commissioned to take the Beacon students home landed outside Shade's walls and the Beacon students all packed their things for the return trip to Vale. The members of Team COAL decided to take a moment to say goodbye to their friends from Shade before they left, starting with Professor Theodore. They walked up to his office to speak to him one last time.
"Thanks for helping us," Colby said. "We couldn't have saved our friends without you."
"No, it is I who should thank you," Theodore replied. "Without you, our city would have been wiped off the map. You saved millions of lives last night."
"We had help from Team IRON. And the Summer Maiden." Colby paused for a moment before remembering what Deegan had told him about the "Queen" mentioned in W's letter. "But the White Fang are just pawns. We know about Salem, Professor. Deegan mouthed off about her before he died. We need to prepare for whatever she does next."
Theodore's eyes widened when he heard Colby say "Salem." "So you know about Salem?" he asked nervously.
"Indeed we do," said Lily. "We know that she's the leader of the Grimm, and that she inserted Deegan into the White Fang as a mole. She was responsible for the murder of Gallus Flavius, the attempted bombing of Shade Academy, and the Wormwood Cannon. I've calculated a 95.3% chance that she was also responsible for the Fall of Beacon, or at least involved in it in some capacity."
"I think you're probably right," said Theodore. "However, that changes nothing. Your task now is to restore Beacon to glory as a shining beacon of hope to the people of Vale."
"That may be the case," replied Autumn. "But we've proven today that Salem CAN be defeated."
"We kept her at bay, sure," Theodore replied sadly. "But defeating her won't be so easy. Now isn't the time to go on the offensive. Don't let Salem distract you from your task. That's exactly what she wants."
"Well, alright," said Ouranos. "We promise that we'll turn Beacon back into a strong, reliable ally. The greatest Shade has ever had." He paused for a moment. "Speaking of powerful allies, however, we have the Maidens on our side, right? Who are the other three?"
"You aren't even supposed to know that Tsukiko is the Summer Maiden," Theodore replied. "To reveal the identities of the other Maidens would put their lives in danger. And yours too if anyone figures out that you know who they are."
"Fair enough," Colby replied. He was a bit irritated, but he trusted Theodore. Plus, he figured that rebuilding Beacon was more important than knowing who the other Maidens were. "Well, we just want to let you know how much we appreciate you lending us your support. I promise you, the sacrifices you made for us will not be in vain. Beacon Academy will rise up from the ashes of the Fall, and its students will fight alongside Shade's once again."
"I know they will," Theodore said with a smile. "Take care of yourselves now,"
"We will, headmaster. Goodbye," Colby said as he and his teammates left Theodore's office and went down to Team IRON's dorm to talk to them one last time before they went back to Vale. They knocked on the door when they arrived, and IRON let them in.
"Hey guys," Colby said to them. "We want to let you know how much we appreciate your help. You saved our lives back on that train, you know. We couldn't have accomplished our task if it weren't for you."
"Any time, friends!" Irving replied happily. "When we fought in the Vytal Tournament before all this chaos started, I knew that you were no ordinary team of students."
"You aren't so bad yourselves," said Autumn.
"Why thanks," said Oakley. "But it was your bravery that accomplished all of this. Very few huntsmen would have even tried after what happened in Vale. I know that if the Fall of Beacon had happened in Vacuo, I would have just given up."
"I nearly did as well. It took encouragement from a friend to keep me going," Colby said as he remembered the words that Jaune had said to him at the refugee camp after the battle at Beacon. "Someone who's not with us right now. I hope he's okay."
"I hope so too," said Naseem. "But his encouragement is further proof that the students at Beacon are always there for their friends."
"Indeed we are," Lily replied with a smile. "And I can see that the students of Shade are just as loyal to those they care about."
"Yes," said Ray. "You may be from a different school than us, but you're our friends. If you should ever need our help, we'll be there for you."
"Thanks, Ray," said Ouranos. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. We may have saved Vacuo, but the fight against Salem is far from over. We're going to do our best to rebuild Beacon so that Vale can once again help in humanity's war against the Grimm Queen. In the meantime, we hope you'll continue your training to be the best huntsman team you can possibly be."
"Will do," Irving said happily. "But if you need us, you know just where to find us."
"And you know where to find us," Colby replied with a smile. The eight students all leaned in for a group hug, and then the members of Team COAL headed toward the door.
"Stay safe, Team IRON," Colby said as he waved goodbye. "And keep fighting the good fight!"
"Don't worry about us," Irving replied. "We'll meet again, friends!"
Team COAL walked out the door. They had one more person they wanted to say goodbye to before they began the return trip to Vale, that person being Tsukiko Tachibana. They went to her dorm and knocked on the door.
"Hey there," Tsukiko said with a smile as she opened the door. "Come on in," she said as she opened the door.
"Hi, Tsukiko," Lily replied. "We wanted to say goodbye before we went back to Vale, and thank you for lending us your aid. Your Maiden powers really saved us during the attack on Shade and our assault on the Wormwood Cannon. We couldn't have won without you."
"You're welcome, friends," Tsukiko replied happily. "But you deserve some thanks too. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have even known about the Wormwood Cannon until it was too late."
"Like I said, this victory belongs to all of us," Colby added. "We may come from different kingdoms, but nothing is impossible for the huntsmen and huntresses of Remnant as long as we work together."
"I hope you're right," Tsukiko replied. "But if the Grimm really have a queen who can destroy one kingdom and come very close to destroying another, then we've got a tough job on our hands."
"That's why we're going to rebuild Beacon," Autumn said. "We'll rebuild Vale's line of defense against the Grimm, and then we'll figure out how to defeat Salem."
"I know you will," Tsukiko said proudly.
"But what are you going to do now?" Ouranos asked.
"Right now, I want to get some rest!" Tsukiko said. "All this fighting has really worn me out!"
Everyone laughed. "I think he meant to ask what you would like to do in the long term, Tsukiko," said Colby.
"Well, I intend to complete my training here at Shade Academy," Tsukiko replied. "Then, I'm going to take over as Matriarch of the Tachibana Clan. And I want to have a daughter to pass my Maiden powers on to when I die."
"Well, good luck," Lily said with a smile on her face. "And please, don't stop striving to be the best huntress you can possibly be. With the Summer Maiden powers, you have the potential to become one of the most powerful huntresses in Remnant. We could really use those powers in the fight against Salem."
"Oh, I know," the blonde girl replied. "We need you too. Over the past few months, you accomplished what most huntsmen and huntresses would have called impossible. If we're going to win this war, we'll need people like you."
"Well, we won't give up. And after we reopen Beacon, we'll be sure to train more huntsmen and huntresses to follow our example and keep fighting for what's right no matter the odds."
"I wish you the best of luck," Tsukiko said with a smile. "If you ever need the power of the Summer Maiden on your side, you know where to find me."
"And you'll know where to find us," Colby replied happily. "Stay safe now, Tsukiko."
"I will. Come here, Colby." She leaned in to give Colby a hug, and then did the same for every member of Team COAL.
"Goodbye, Tsukiko," Colby said as he and his teammates left her dorm. Then, they went back to their dorm, grabbed their things, and headed outside toward the fleet of airships that Theodore had hired to take the Beacon students back to Vale. They waited for the other Beacon students to arrive and boarded one of the bullheads once the other students had all arrived. Once everyone had boarded the airships, they all took off.
"I hope the Atlesians don't remember us stealing their jeep when we left Vale," Colby said to Lily.
"Don't worry, they have much more important things to be worried about," Lily replied. "Even if they do remember, I'm sure they'll understand once they learn about our mission."
The airships flew over the ocean separating Vacuo and Vale. Team COAL remembered their time swimming at Vale's beaches during the warm months. They hoped the town had made some progress rebuilding itself since they left.
After flying for about two hours, the airships flew over the island of Patch. This island was home to their friends, Ruby and Yang, whom they hoped were okay. But the trauma of losing an arm had to be devastating. And for all they knew, Ruby may never have woken up from her coma after the battle. The members of Team COAL all considered themselves very fortunate to have come out of the battle without any major injuries.
The island was also the home of Signal Academy, where Colby had received his primary combat training. It was where he'd received his nickname, the Gray Lightning, for his speed and maneuverability. He'd seen Ruby and Yang in the hallways from time to time, but he'd never gotten to know them very well until Beacon. He hoped that they'd recovered as much as they possibly could and could live safe lives, and wouldn't blame them if they gave up on being huntresses. He'd nearly given up on being a huntsman himself.
After flying over Patch, the airships finally approached mainland Vale. Looking out the window, Team COAL could see that a few buildings were being rebuilt but there were still some with such damage as broken windows, holes in their roofs, and crumbled walls. Team COAL knew it would take a long time to rebuild the city. Beacon itself had likely suffered the most damage.
As the airships flew over the city, the radio came to life. A male voice began to speak. "Team COAL, this is Colonel Heron. The commander of the Atlesian garrison left to protect Vale after the Fall of Beacon." Team COAL was alarmed when they heard this. It seemed the Atlesians hadn't forgotten them.
"We are aware of your mission to Vacuo," the voice continued. "Communication between the kingdoms has been slower since the CCT network was taken down, but the headmasters have been writing to each other after the Fall of Beacon. General Ironwood has pardoned your theft of one of our jeeps, and You've been cleared to land at the Vale City airport."
"Thank you, Colonel," Colby replied.
"There's someone on the ground who wants to speak to you," the man said. "You'll know her when you see her." The radio turned off, and the airships went down to land. Everyone got out, including Team COAL. When they left their bullhead, they saw a tall woman with short, blonde hair and glasses. They immediately recognized her as Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon's combat professor and Ozpin's second in command.
"Team COAL," she said as she approached them. "I'm so glad you're all safe. I was afraid we'd lose you when you were out on your mission."
"And we were afraid we'd lost you during the Fall of Beacon," Lily said. "But now that we're back, we can help you rebuild the school. Us and the students we rescued."
"I would appreciate the help, Miss Renarde," Glynda said. "I'm the new headmistress of Beacon, and I'm working to get Beacon rebuilt and reopened." She paused, and then her expression grew a bit less happy. "But I hope you all realize that however noble your intentions, your actions were very reckless. You stole an Atlesian jeep, walked across a desert that was home to some of the most dangerous Grimm in Remnant, led the students of another school into battle that some of them didn't survive, and caused the deaths of hundreds of White Fang, both directly and indirectly. You broke just about every school rule in the book, and could have gotten yourselves killed on multiple occasions."
"We do, ma'am," Colby said as he braced himself for a punishment. Part of him was enraged at the prospect of being punished despite everything he'd done, but he was satisfied that he had at least done his part to save the future of Vale.
"And do you also realize that I have the power as headmistress of Beacon to expel you all?"
"Yes, headmistress..." Colby's heart sank. Had he gone through all this just to get expelled? If so, he took comfort in the knowledge that he always had Shade to go back to.
Glynda's expression suddenly changed to a proud smile. "That is why you all deserve to be honored for your courage and dedication to the ideals that all huntsmen and huntresses stand for, despite the potential consequences and no matter the odds. Your valor has saved this school."
"Thank you, Professor Goodwitch!" Autumn shouted happily as she ran up and hugged Glynda. Her teammates soon joined her, and Glynda hugged back.
"No, you're the ones who deserve thanks," the headmistress said with a smile after the hug ended. "The school has rented out an apartment building on the eastern outskirts of town for those who are helping to rebuild Beacon. I've set up my office in the Vale City Library, and that's where you'll find me when I'm not at Beacon."
"You can count on us, Professor Goodwitch," Colby said to her. "We'll rebuild Beacon to be stronger than ever before."
"I know you will. Good luck to you all."
Team COAL walked away from Professor Goodwitch. In the crowd, Colby saw his father Corbin. He went to talk to his dad.
"Dad?" he asked.
"Yes, son?"
"My teammates and I need to go rebuild Beacon. I'm glad you're alive and I'm sorry our reunion had to be so short, but my school needs me. My city needs me. All of humanity needs me."
"I understand, son," Corbin replied. "It's what a true huntsman would do."
"I'll still visit you on weekends when I have the time," Colby said with a tear running down his right cheek. "Now go see my mom. She'll be thrilled that you're back."
"Okay, son. I love you."
"I love you too, dad." Colby hugged his dad and then continued on his way to the apartments Glynda had told him about. They were out on the far eastern side of town, close to the forest that surrounded Beacon. When they were on their way to move into their room, they encountered a familiar face.
"Cardin Winchester," Lily said as she approached one of the boys in the hall.
"Team COAL?" Cardin asked. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"We weren't sure we'd ever see you again either," Lily said. "Seems you underestimated us faunus girls."
"Yes, yes I did," Cardin said sadly. "Listen, I want to apologize for being a racist jerk. I mean it. This disaster has really given me time to think about my life. I've been a colossal jerk, and I want to say I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted," Autumn replied. "Just think twice next time before being mean to your furry, feathered, and scaly friends," she said happily as she wiggled her dog ears.
"I definitely will."
"You know, I would have given up had it not been for the encouragement of Jaune, Nora, and Ren," said Colby. "Where are they? I'd like to talk to them."
"I don't know," Cardin answered. "They just...left a couple weeks ago. I don't know where they went."
A/N: This fic took place over a period of 2 to 3 months, and the timeskip between Volumes 3 and 4 is 6 to 8 months. RNJR is already in Anima at the beginning of Volume 4, and they're implied to have been traveling for a while. For the purposes of this fic, they have already left Vale.
"Really?!" Colby asked. "Shoot. I hope they're okay."
"Don't worry, Colby," Lily said. "Our friends are tough. They'll be fine. And besides, we need to focus on rebuilding our school."
"You're right," Colby replied.
"I'll go help you," Cardin said. "Beacon was my home too, you know."
"Good to hear," Lily said. "Let's go."
Everyone left the building and walked up the road to Beacon Academy. Many other Beacon students went with them. As they did, they remembered their trips to and from Vale before all this chaos started. They had so much fun in the city on the weekends, especially during the months before and during the Vytal Tournament with all its festivities. With those memories in mind, they told themselves that once Vale was safe again, there would be more weekends like those.
The students finally arrived at what remained of Beacon Academy to find that although a few areas looked like the wall had been put back together, the place was still very much in ruins. There were bricks, stones, bits of shattered glass, and pieces of the wall everywhere. "Well, we know what we need to do," Colby said. The students saw that there were tools lying around, and they grabbed some and began working on rebuilding the walls of Beacon to make it a bulwark against the forces of evil in Remnant once again.
"Allow me, students!" Glynda shouted as she approached them from behind. With a flick of her riding crop, she telekinetically lifted up a bunch of bricks and put them together, adding to a wall that looked like it was still being reconstructed. It looked like her semblance would indeed be useful to the reconstruction effort. "Just keep an eye out for Grimm. We still find them crawling around these ruins once in a while."
A few days later…
After a few days, the weekend arrived and Team COAL decided to visit Colby's parents in Vale. Their house had survived the Fall with relatively light damage, and it was still very much livable.
"Colby!" Chryssa Castanho called out when she saw her son. "You did it. You not only saved your friends, but you found my long-lost husband. Now, we're a family again."
"I didn't do it by myself, mom. I had my friends to help me. True huntsmen and huntresses look out for each other. Right, dad?"
"You got it, son!" Corbin replied happily.
After leaving Colby's parents' house, the team decided to go to Patch to visit their friends, Ruby and Yang. They couldn't imagine what the two girls had gone through. Team COAL had been fortunate enough to survive the battle uninjured without losing any members or having their team split up. To have the team broken up or lose a member like JNPR did would be the greatest loss of all. They were happy to see that the ferry to Patch was up and running again, and tried to think of some kind words to say to their friends as they approached Patch.
After reaching Patch, the team made their way to Ruby and Yang's house and knocked on the door. They immediately heard a familiar bark belonging to their friends' dog, Zwei. Ruby and Yang's father Taiyang Xiao Long came to the door and opened it after picking up Zwei.
"Team COAL?" Tai asked. "What are you all doing here?"
"We're here to see Ruby and Yang," Colby explained. "Are they here?"
"Yang's here," Tai answered. "But Ruby isn't. She left a couple weeks ago with Jaune, Nora, and Ren."
"Huh?" Colby asked. "Where'd they go?"
"Ruby left a note. Said she and her friends were going to Haven Academy in Mistral."
"Oh," Colby replied. "Well, I'm glad they haven't given up." Colby wished he could talk to them, but he felt a bit better now that he knew where they were going. He was confident that they could make it to Haven on their own. It couldn't be more dangerous than his own trip across the deserts of Vacuo.
"Could we go talk to Yang?" Colby asked. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see us."
"Sure," Tai said. "But don't talk too much about the Fall of Beacon. She's still very shaken up about it."
"Don't worry, we won't."
Tai smiled. "Good. I'll call her in here." He turned toward Yang's room. "Yang, you have some friends here to see you!"
Yang entered the room. As COAL's friends had said, she was missing an arm. The sight of the one-armed girl reminded them of the corpses they'd seen at Beacon and during the battles in Vacuo, many of which were missing one or more limbs. But she was alive, and they were grateful for that.
"Team COAL," she said with a slight smile. "It's good to see you all again."
"It's good to see you too, Yang," Lily replied.
"Maybe we should sit down," Yang said to them before leading her friends into the living room, where they sat down on the couch and the chairs in the living room.
"The surviving members of JNPR gave me and Ruby your apology, Colby," Yang told COAL's leader. "Don't worry, we forgive you."
"Thank you," Colby replied. "I'm sorry it took such a catastrophe for me to realize that friends and family are more important than fame and winning."
"I understand, Colby. I was easily the most competitive member of my team."
"I realize now, however, that our task as huntsmen and huntresses is to work together for the good of Remnant and those we love."
"Indeed," said Lily. Did Jaune, Nora, or Ren tell you where we went? We went to Vacuo to save our friends who were captured by the White Fang. We did it with the help of Shade Academy."
"They did tell me. I'm glad you're all safe," Yang said before pausing for a moment. "And thanks for coming to visit me. You all are good friends." She paused again, and the look on her face turned into a frown. I just wish my friends were as good as you." A tear started to roll down her cheek. "Blake just...ran away after the battle. She didn't even say goodbye. Weiss's parents took her back to Atlas. And now Ruby is gone. All my teammates left me when I needed them the most."
"Blake was scared, Yang," said Ouranos. "We're all scared. This is a scary new world that the Fall of Beacon has created. But all we can do is keep fighting to make it better. Ruby understood that, which is why she went to Haven with Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Blake was wrong to run away, but think about how scared she must be. Try to forgive her."
"I suppose you're right," Yang replied. "But my days as a huntress are over. I can't fight with just one arm, you know."
"They make artificial limbs in Atlas. Maybe you could try to get one?" Lily suggested.
"Do you have any idea how much that would cost? There's no way I'm getting one of those. It's nice thought, but there's no way I could afford it."
"We'll be fighting for you no matter what, Yang," said Autumn. "It's what friends do for each other."
"Thank you all," Yang said sadly. Everyone leaned in to hug her.
"There is one thing you can do to help us," Colby said as he and his teammates let go of Yang. "Do you know who the traitor was who set up the Fall of Beacon? We need to find this person and bring her to justice. At least we think it's a her. It sounded like a woman giving that speech after Penny was killed. Also, could you tell us exactly how Pyrrha died? It'll help us get some closure."
Yang shook her head. "Sorry, but I didn't see the traitor myself nor did I see Pyrrha die. Ruby hasn't said much about it either. She was really shaken up."
"Well, we don't blame her," Lily responded sadly.
"I wish I could do more to help," Yang replied.
"Just live your life to the fullest and help those around you as well as you can."
"Well, I'll try," Yang said sadly.
"Hey, I know what'll lighten the mood!" Autumn shouted happily. "Let's play Remnant: The Game!" Team COAL loved playing Remnant: The Game with their friends back at Beacon.
"Yeah!" Yang shouted happily. "But I could use a hand getting out the board!" she laughed. Everyone helped her get out the board and the cards. "Wait though," she said as they got it out. "It's a four player game."
"That's okay," said Ouranos. "You all can play without me."
Everyone started playing. The game lasted for a while, with Colby and Autumn being eliminated first. The only real contenders were Lily and Yang, as the former always beat her teammates due to her semblance and Yang was just really good. But in the end, Lily was victorious.
"Lily, you've got to stop cheating with that semblance of yours," Yang said half-jokingly.
"It's not cheating!" Lily giggled. "You wouldn't object to me using it in an actual battle, would you?"
"Hey, everyone," Tai said as he walked in. "How'd you all like to stay for dinner? I could order some Papa Jaune's Pizza!"
"That sounds fantastic!" Colby replied happily. "You know what they say." He started singing in a deep voice. "PAPA JAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUNE'S PIZZA IS THE PIZZA YEAH FOR YOU AND…"
"MEEEEEEE!" Yang replied in a high-pitched voice.
"Alright, I'll get us some!" Tai said. Everyone sat around and talked for a while before the pizza arrived. After eating dinner, Team COAL said goodbye to Yang and her father and returned to Vale. As they sailed back across the water to Vale, Colby thought of the perfect way they could honor those who had died during the Fall of Beacon.
The next day…
Team COAL returned to the construction site the next morning, looking around until they found a large slab of marble among the building materials. "Ready, Ouranos?" Colby asked.
"Ready." Ouranos said as he picked it up. He carried it to the center of the place where the courtyard used to be and put it down. After that, he and his teammates engraved the following words onto it.
"IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE BRAVE HUNTSMEN AND HUNTRESSES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES DEFENDING BEACON ACADEMY AND THE KINGDOM OF VALE ON THE NIGHT OF THE VYTAL TOURNAMENT ATTACK. MAY THEIR SACRIFICES REMIND US TO LIVE EVERY DAY TO THE FULLEST, TO LOVE, CHERISH, AND PROTECT THOSE AROUND US, AND TO NEVER GIVE LESS THAN OUR BEST, FOR WE CAN NEVER KNOW HOW LONG WE HAVE LEFT TO LIVE ON THIS EARTH."
Under this, they engraved the names of every huntsman and huntress they knew who had died on that night, including those of Pyrrha Nikos, Professor Ozpin, and Penny Polendina. Everyone else saw what they were doing, and started engraving the names of the huntsmen and huntresses they knew. Once they were done, Team COAL added the words "YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN" on the bottom of the slab.
"It's beautiful," Glynda Goodwitch said as she approached, holding back tears. "I can't think of a better way to honor those who sacrificed themselves for our school."
"Indeed," Colby replied. "Well, there is one better way," he said. "To keep fighting for what's right, no matter the odds. To create the better, safer world that they gave their lives to create."
"Yes," said Glynda. "But for now, we need to get back to work." She turned away to keep working on the reconstruction.
Team COAL stood there for a moment, admiring the monument. Colby held Lily's hand while they stared at it, and eventually the team got back to work themselves.
"You know we'll have to tell her we know about Salem eventually," Lily reminded Colby.
"Yeah," replied Colby. "But not now. This place is too public and the moment was too solemn, but we should eventually. And more importantly, we should remember that rebuilding Beacon is only the first step toward finishing what Pyrrha, Ozpin, Penny, and everyone else started. It is only after we defeat Salem that the world they fought for will finally be a reality. But for now, we must rebuild Vale's shining beacon of hope."
To Be Continued...