That was the ancient civilization's name: Greece. An entire country filled with history and death. Long before the time of huntsmen and huntresses. Something told Sera that the Grimm hadn't even existed yet. Thousands of years of the human race being ruled by the Titans, then the gods of Olympus. The knowledge fitted into Sera's mind like she'd suddenly regained a part of herself. She knew this history, even if everyone else has forgotten.

Long ago, there were the two Brothers. The Brother of Creation, and the Brother of Destruction. Two more beings were born of Creation: Ouranos and Gaea, the sky and Remnant itself. Although, back then it wasn't called Remnant, was it? No, in Ancient Greek, "Gaea" translated to the word "earth."

Mother Earth and Father Sky had children of their own: The Titans. Cronus, or Kronos, was the eldest. The Lord of Time. For some strange reason, Gaea convinced her children to kill their father and cut him up with his own scythe. Much later, Cronus and his wife Rhea birthed the gods. Cronus, being the sicko he was and knowing that the gods would overthrow him, ate his children. Rhea hated that. She hid little Zeus away and tricked the Titan lord into eating a rock instead. Big dummie, right?

Then Zeus went on to trick his father into throwing up the other gods who, being immortal, had lived and grown within their father's bowels. Then, the Titan War. Gods versus Titans in an all-out battle of the immortals. The gods won. The Olympians ruled the human race, namely the ones in Greece, as that was where their home, Olympus, resided.

And for some reason…they vanished. But Sera now knew why. Salem had shown her. The Brothers gave the human race a hard reset, and the Olympians fled. To where, she did not know. But from what her dream had suggested, it appeared they were on Olympus.

Zeus had appeared to Sera in Salem's castle. She was convinced it was him. From his regal appearance and the way his presence felt, she knew it had to be true.

But why? Sera was supposedly the last descendant of Cronus, his sworn enemy. Perhaps the sky god felt that Sera could be of use to him. She didn't know, but she intended on finding out.

Sera set down the cup of tea she'd been drinking and looked up to meet Raven's eyes. The Maiden looked rather shocked, as if the entire planet had been swept from underneath her.

"That's…unheard of. Are you sure you're not just making this up?"

"Believe me, I lack the creativity to come up with this kind of mess. All these names and stories in my head… they're real."

"But… How? If there were ancient gods who ruled over a civilization, we'd know it." Raven blinked.

Sera chuckled. "I think the Brothers would've gone to extreme lengths to make sure they were forgotten."

"For what purpose?"

Sera shrugged. "Maybe the Brother of Creation regretted being held responsible for all that's happened because of them. I know I would."

Raven rubbed her chin. "Perhaps. But it's still far-fetched. Where have the monsters of that time gone? They wouldn't just disappear."

Sera smiled. "They didn't. They adapted. Reborn anew. We fight them today."

"You don't mean…?"

The huntress shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe the Grimm have just took on their forms and such. I, for one, have killed two that resemble older monsters. You know of one. The Minotaur Grimm," Sera said and picked up her cup. "And a Hydra."

Raven held the sides of her head. "This is too much. How are you handling all this so well?"

Sera shrugged again. "I have a feeling I've had a long time to accept it. I still don't remember anything from my past, but… I know that I grew up with all these stories, somehow. Someone must've been, I dunno, preparing me? It's the only logical conclusion I can think of."

Raven nodded. "It all fits, though. Maybe…maybe you are meant to retake the world for the god and Titans."

Sera slammed her fist onto the table, causing a crack to erupt underneath it. "No. I refuse to be some tool for something like this. This is my life, and I'll do what I damn well please with it."

Raven looked rather shocked by Sera's flare of anger. The look in the amnesiac's eyes was downright livid.

"Well, all right then," Raven said. She didn't know what to make of the girl before her. And deep down inside, she was kind of scared of her.

Sera crossed her arms and glared at the table like everything was its fault. "I hate this. This feeling, like—"

"Like you have the whole weight of the world on your shoulders and everyone expects you to do what they want you to do, rather than what you want to do?" Raven asked.

The amnesiac picked her head up, her expression softening. "Exactly that."

Raven smirked and brought a cup of tea to her lips. "You get used to it. But you're right. It's your life. Do what you want with it, and don't let others dictate how you live."

Sera met her eyes with a curious gleam in her eyes. "Is that the real reason you ran away? Because you hated that people were telling you what to do with your life?"

Well, you're the Spring Maiden, and you have responsibilities to the people of this world, Sera thought.

Raven twirled a finger on the tabletop. "You're not far off, actually. I just wanted to live my life. I didn't want this…power. These responsibilities. But when they became mine, Ozpin and Qrow were very fast to boss me around. So I left."

"Still, that was a pretty harsh call," Sera noted. For a minute, she thought she'd made a mistake. Raven's eyes brightened and she clenched her fists. After a heartbeat, she sighed and uncurled her fingers.

"You're right. But it's too late for apologies. I'm not exactly welcome anymore, am I?"

"Maybe you could fix that," Sera suggested.

Raven narrowed her eyes at the huntress. "What do you mean?"

"Give up this…this life and go back to Tai and Yang. Apologize. Make amends. You could help us in the fight against Salem." The words flowed from Sera. She was sure that this woman could be accepted again by huntsmen and huntresses, even if she was a renown criminal now.

Raven looked rather blindsided, and even tempted. Sera hoped that she'd accept, but she probably should've known better. Raven sighed and shook her head.

"No, that's not going to happen. Even if I did apologize to them, Yang wouldn't accept it. Not after what I told her before."

Sera's shoulders slumped, but she should've known better. Part of her just wanted a Maiden on her side. Another part wanted Yang and Tai to have closure. They of all people deserved it.

"Fine," Sera sighed and leaned onto the table. Raven raised an eyebrow in response.

"You're not going to argue?"

"What's the point? You're probably even more stubborn than Yang is."

Raven gave a small smile. "You're probably right." Then Sera stood and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"I'm going to rest for a while. That little stunt you pulled earlier wasn't exactly the best idea for me," Sera turned to head towards her assigned bed. Raven considered saying something but thought better of it.

. . .

The next two days flew by relatively quickly. Sera did absolutely nothing but walk around the camp or help out with menial tasks where she could. The bandits typically avoided her, which was fine by Sera.

She was beginning to feel more like herself as well. She could go a while without having to sit down or lean onto something to rest. She typically didn't see Raven too much, which was also okay with her, but it'd be nice to have a familiar face around.

Sera didn't know what to make of the Spring Maiden. On one hand, she didn't deserve to have anything to do with Yang anymore. She lost that opportunity whenever she left. But on the other, she was kind enough to allow Sera to stay and recuperate. Then again, the only reason she did that was because she wanted to recruit her.

It was on the third night that Sera became restless in her sleep.

Images of Sera's enemies flashed through her mind. She hated every second of enduring her dreams. She was forced to sit and watch as images of Salem, Cinder, Tyrian, Hazel, Adam, and all sorts of Grimm played in her head.

After a particularly vivid replaying of watching her fight against Cinder on Beacon Tower, Sera sat bolt upright in her bed and scanned the room for threats. After a moment, she sighed and sank back into the mattress.

Moonlight streamed through the windows. Great, it was the middle of the night.

Sera groaned and rolled out of bed. She considered just turning over and going back to sleep, but she was awake now.

She stumbled towards the door and stepped out into the large main room. Raven wasn't anywhere to be seen. Duh, she was probably asleep.

The amnesiac yawned as she approached a cooler near the low Mistralian table. If she was going to be up for a bit, she might as well have a drink.

The refrigerator-like cooler was half her height and its silver casing glinted in the dim light, and when she opened its door, its contents surprised her.

Bottles of water, a few packages of cold-cut deli meat, some plastic containers with leftovers inside, and…

"Oh my gods," Sera gasped. Without a second thought, she snatched the lone glass bottle out grinned. The deep purple liquid sloshed, and the glass was cold. Bold white letters splayed on the front of the container: People Like Grapes Soda.

Sera smiled wide and effortless popped the cap. Throwing back her head, she downed half its contents in seconds. After taking a moment to catch her breath, and to take her time and enjoy the rest of the soda, she wiped her mouth and grinned.

"Now that's what the doctor ordered," Sera smiled to herself and took another gulp of the purple caffeine.

"Looks like I'll have to start hiding my stash," a voice spoke from behind. Sera spewed soda. After wiping her mouth and turning around, she was shocked to see Raven standing there, an amused smile on her face. But what startled her the most was that the bandit leader was wearing pajamas.

Sera's eyes scanned the black and red nightgown. In cursive, the letters R.B. resided just above Raven's heart. Seriously, who wore monogrammed pajamas?

"Sorry. Couldn't sleep. And this stuff…" Sera glanced at the half-empty bottle in her hand. "This is my weakness."

Raven laughed. A good, hearty laugh. It reminded Sera of Yang.

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't sleep either," Raven leaned against a dresser.

"So, what's up?" Sera asked as casually as she could. The Maiden shrugged.

"Had the same idea as you, I guess."

"Oh…" Sera looked back at the inside of the small fridge. Without realizing it, she'd taken the last bottle of grape soda. "I mean, you can have the rest of this, if you want."

Raven looked confused for a moment. "Oh, no, not that. Although, that was my last one. I'll have to get the others to pick up some more on their next supply run."

"And by 'pick up,' you mean 'steal'?" Sera raised an eyebrow. Raven smiled. The amnesiac shrugged and took another swig of her favorite beverage. "So, what're the plans for tomorrow?"

"For you? Nothing, I guess. Although, we could use another pair of hands for that supply run…"

"Not a chance," Sera smoothly replied and downed the rest of the soda.

Raven smirked, "Figured not."

A few more moments passed before either of them spoke again. Raven looked like she was debating to say something or not.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sera asked and twirled the empty bottle between her fingers.

It took a second for her to reply. "How're you feeling? Like, back at full strength?"

"I dunno," Sera blinked. She flexed her arms and legs. Her back was still stiff, and her legs wobbled slightly. She wasn't sure if that was the tiredness or the caffeine. "I'm gettin' there."

Raven nodded and gazed out of an open window. Surprisingly, no bugs were going into the tent. "If I told you I had a pretty good idea where Qrow was going…"

Sera perked up and gazed at the Maiden.

"What would you say?"

The amnesiac narrowed her eyes. "I'd say I'd like to know so I can meet them there as soon as possible."

Raven nodded. "Thought so."

"…You're still wanting me to join your 'tribe,' aren't you?" Sera asked. The bandit leader nodded reluctantly.

"They respect you, after that scrap on your first day. I've heard the talk around camp. If you were to actually join… Well, you'd make a good replacement for Vernal."

Sera scowled. "I don't want to replace anyone. I just want to get back to my team."

"And you can as soon as you're ready—"

"I am ready, Raven. In fact," Sera straightened and glared at the bandit. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

Raven winced, as if she were truly disappointed. "As you wish." Was all she said before she turned around and went back into her room.

Sera cracked her knuckles and gazed out at the broken moon hanging in the sky. Her expression softened as she imagined her teammates. "Girls, I'm comin'."

. . .

Morning came fast. After Sera and Raven's little discussion last night, the amnesiac forced herself to get some sleep. She thought she wouldn't be able to because of the sugary soda she'd had, but over the last several months, she's noticed that People Like Grapes seemed to calm her nerves more than just about anything else. Maybe that was why she like it so much.

And now, she stood at the gates of the Branwen camp with a canvas pack slung over her shoulder. She was outfitted in travel clothes—a white shirt, olive-colored cargo pants, brown hiking boots, and a warm black jacket that was meant for extreme weather conditions. Her gun belt hung on her hips and her half of Ember Celica was hidden beneath her jacket's sleeve.

After tucking her white hair into a loose black beanie, Sera turned to the crescent-shaped group of bandits that was seeing her off. Raven stood at the front of them, her Grimm mask tucked under one arm.

"Well, this is it," Sera stated as she rested hand on the dark hilt of Silver Linings. In a non-threatening way, of course. It was more of a relaxed posture.

Raven nodded. "So it is." Then she tossed a tall wooden staff to the amnesiac, and she caught it with ease. It was sanded and polished, and the grain of the wood mesmerized Sera's eyes. It was a walking stick, made from cedar.

Sera looked up questioningly, but the Maiden spoke up, "Trust me, it'll be easier with that."

She shrugged and planted the walking stick in the dirt. Taking one last glance at the group of dirty, grimy bandits, she turned away and made her way out of the gate.

The amnesiac held no sentimental value with these criminals, but still, she was a little reluctant to go. She thought of a few people she'd grown to know in the few days she spent here. Like Daisy, the little girl she helped repair an old bicycle with. It took Sera by surprise that they had children in such a place, but she became rather fond of the young girl with brown pigtails and a smile that missed two front teeth.

Sera gripped her new walking stick tighter and trudged into the forest. Mistral wasn't too far away. From there, she'd hopefully board either an airship or train and make her way north. From what Raven had told her this morning, that's where Qrow and her team would be—Atlas.

It wasn't much to go off of, but it was all she had. She also hated that Raven couldn't just poof and open a portal straight to them, but she'd accepted that it was more trouble than it was worth. Yang might kill her if she found out that the amnesiac had been shacked up with the one woman she hates the most.

Sera sighed and adjusted her pack and kept walking. Sunlight poured through the trees and showered her in warm light.

This, Sera thought. Is not going to be a fun time.

. . .

It took several hours of walking, but finally, she entered the city of Mistral. Some citizens did a double take when they saw Sera, murmuring to each other when she passed.

They probably recognize me from the fight, she thought. But if that's the case, why are they acting like this?

She made her way to the house she and her friends had stayed in before the fight. The place was empty, but something was odd. It looked like someone had been living in it. Blankets were spread on a couch in the living area, some cabinets were open in the kitchen, and there was a small pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

She ignored it and trudged into her room. It looked exactly how she'd left it. She was only here for one thing anyway.

Sera pulled out the box she'd gotten from Lavender in the market and put its contents into her pack—her gifts for her team.

There were five necklaces in all, each of them identical. The chain was silver, but the pendant was the real eye piece. It was a rose—Ruby's personal emblem—except it had multicolored petals. Most of them were red, but one was yellow, another white, then black, and finally purple. They were the team's personal colors. Sera wanted to give the necklaces to them when the team reunited, but now she wasn't sure if that'd ever happen.

She sighed deeply and exited the house, heading back to the center of town.

After asking a few reluctant people around the market area, Sera discovered that airship services were currently down. Probably has something to do with the attack on Haven. But she did find out that the train stations were still open for business. That was probably why Ruby and the others had taken the ground transport rather than the air.

Nevertheless, she made her way towards the train station. Luckily, Raven had spared enough Lien to get her a ticket. Unluckily, there was a problem.

"Sorry, miss. Atlas's borders are closed. No one gets in or out except for the military," the man at the ticket booth explained.

"Seriously? Ugh, dammit, Ironwood…" she muttered.

"Were you still wanting a ticket? There are plenty of other places that trains are traveling between," the booth worker said kindly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah sure. You got a map?" Sera asked. Ten seconds later, she was inspecting a large map of Remnant that hung on a wall not far from the ticket booth. Her eyes scanned the area around Atlas.

"All right, if I were Qrow and I needed to get into Atlas, where would I go…?" She wondered aloud. Her eyes fell upon a dot on the map near the ocean. It was still in the kingdom of Mistral, but a logo on the city she inspected indicated that there was an Atlesian military base there. In fact, it was the only military base outside of Atlas.

"Okay, that's a likely place… But how would they convince them to give up an airship? Unless…"

It took several moments and a lot of her brainpower, but a lightbulb went off in the huntress's head. "Unless they had a certain heiress of a certain famous corporation with them. An heiress whose father would just love to take her back to the castle."

Excitement filled Sera's chest. She knew this was what they'd done. Only Qrow could come up with a bird-brained scheme like this. Well, Ruby could too.

Sera grinned and ran up to the ticket booth, Lien in hand.

. . .

Mistralian trains are fast. After Sera had bought her ticket, she boarded and took her seat. Luckily, she had enough Lien for a private booth, but she should've sat down sooner. These trains were built for leisure and comfortability, but whenever they take off, you'd better be sitting or hanging onto something.

Sera wasn't so lucky. She'd just set her pack down put away her walking stick when the train lurched forward, sending face into the glass window. While families were waving good-bye to their loved ones, they got a great view of the huntress's face mashed against the window.

After freeing herself from the cursed glass, she sat on the cushioned bench and sighed. This was it. She was on her way to her team. All she had to do was enjoy the ride, and she'd be there within the day.

If only she knew that that wasn't going to be the case.

Sera spent the next few hours gazing out the window, daydreaming what she'd say to her team when she saw them, and wiping down Silver Linings with a rag and gun oil, kindly gifted to her by Raven Branwen.

Whenever a trolley loaded with food and snacks came by, she didn't hesitate to load up on as many goodies as she could. She was especially delighted that, upon her request, she was brought an entire case of People Like Grapes.

After kicking her legs up and relaxing into the seat with a bottle of grapey goodness in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, she sighed contently. This is the life, she thought.

She gazed out the window and chomped on her pizza. The train was winding the side the side of a snowy mountain now, but something nagged at Sera in the back of her mind… Almost like a sense of déjà vu, only she knew it wasn't her that experienced this, if that made sense.

Before she could think on it further, someone knocked on the door of her booth. Sera looked up to see a young man with chocolate-colored skin and a kind face smiling awkwardly as he slid open the glass door.

"Yes?" Sera raised an eyebrow, not moving from her relaxed position.

"Uh, hi. I heard there was a huntress on board, and I figured I'd introduce myself," he leaned into the booth, half his body sticking in. Holding in a sigh, she waved him in and gestured at the seat across from her. The man ducked in and sat where she'd indicated. He seemed all right to her. His face and voice were kind enough, and she figured some company couldn't hurt. He was decked out in clothes meant for cold weather, which made sense since they were currently riding in the snow.

"I'm Jimi," he stuck his hand out.

Sera shook his hand, "Sera."

He nodded and relaxed. "So, Sera. Where you headed?" he asked.

"To find my friends," She responded. She didn't want to give away too much information, considering she didn't know this person.

"Separated?" he asked. Sera laughed dryly and set down her soda.

"You could say that."

Jimi drummed his fingers on his lap like he was nervous. "What's it like, being a huntress?"

Sera shrugged. "Dangerous, full of Grimm and bandits that could kill you at any moment. Sleeping out in the cold, days or weeks at a time without a warm meal. Going from town to town where people don't know you or care to know you."

Jimi nodded. "Sounds rough."

"I love it," Sera told him. He laughed in response.

"Yeah, you look like you do." Then he looked out the window again, not saying anything else for a while.

"Where're you from?" Sera asked, deciding to break the silence.

"Mistral. Going up to visit some family for a while. You?"

Sera's expression faltered. She considered saying Vacuo just to help the conversation along, but she remembered what she'd said to the group of huntsmen and huntresses the night Beacon was attacked, proclaiming it as her home.

"Vale." She mumbled. "I'm from Beacon." Jimi turned to look at her, a sad expression on his face.

"Sorry. I bet it was—"

Sera held up a hand to silence him. "Don't sweat it." He nodded, and she was thankful that he didn't press any further.

The huntress was about to politely ask him to leave, but the train lurched forward to the side before she could.

"What the-?" She asked. Something large and black passed by the window. Sera immediately pressed her forehead to the cool glass, her eyes scanning outside for threats. Then she saw it. I giant, flying Grimm with the body of a feline and a wingspan of at least fifty feet. Its spotlight red eyes glared at the train as it swooped in for another attack.

Dozens of smaller Grimm joined in. An entire flock of gryphons that followed the big Grimm's lead. She'd never seen any Grimm like it before, so she quickly decided to call it "Mittens."

"What was that?!" Jimi demanded as he regained his footing. Sera scowled and grabbed her jacket and gun belt, quickly slipping them on and throwing the sliding glass door open.

"Stay inside," She said, then ran for the nearest exit.

"Wait!" Jimi exclaimed, but Sera didn't listen. All she knew was that she had to protect this train. Because if she didn't, well… it's a long way down this mountain. And judging by the way Mittens kept ramming the side, it intended to send us on a ride.

She halted at the door, remembering one of her dreams. She slapped her own forehead and groaned. Damn it, she thought. That's what it was. I saw the others fighting atop a train, defending it from flying Grimm. Apparently, they like to attack trains.

Sera kicked the door open, and blistering-cold wind hit her face. After recovering from the initial blast of freezing air, she jumped straight up, and onto the top of the train.

Icy wind ripped at her clothes and blew her hair in every direction. The tops of the train cars were blanketed with thick snow.

Sera's teeth chattered, but she was thankful for the winter jacket. She glared up at the flying masses of black, one of them significantly larger than the rest.

Mittens the flying lion roared a challenge at the short huntress. The train curved to the left on the icy tracks, and Sera struggled to hold her balance. She gritted her teeth and drew Silver Linings.

Again, she regretted dropping her sword at the fight in Haven. Its rifle form would be extremely useful right now. Plus, the sword would do some major damage if she could get Mittens grounded. (Or was it trained?")

Nevertheless, she held the revolver at her hip and fired off several rounds at the Grimm. Most of them missed, due to the rushing wind and definitely not Sera's aim. She'd kick anyone's ass who said otherwise. But one Dust round caused the beast to roar. The bad thing was that it sounded annoyed rather than injured.

The Grimm turned its spotlight-like glare at Sera. She had time to think uh-oh before it roared again, and a dozen gryphons squawked and turned in her direction.

Sera fired off the rest of her rounds and quickly reloaded the weapon. By time she looked up again, they were already on her. She rolled to the side, almost falling off the train, and came up with Silver Linings aimed at the nearest baddie.

A well-placed shot to the head brought it to the ground, its lifeless body dissipating as the wind blew it away.

"One down," Sera muttered. "About twenty to go."

The rest of the initial wave of Grimm squawked and charged her. Some dive bombed while others loped across the narrow train car. Sera gritted her chattering teeth and spun Silver Linings in her hand. "Just another day in paradise."

She dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe from a gryphon and firing into its side. The creature groaned and slipped off the side of the train, black blood spilling onto the snow.

After getting back to her feet and spitting out the snow from her mouth, she slammed her free hand into the next opponent. It made a pained growling sound and shot into the air.

"Oh, no you don't," Sera growled and fan-fired her weapon until the gryphon was brought down to the train car.

Its allies didn't like that. Several gryphons swooped down, biting and scratching at Sera's head. She had to dive into the snow to avoid being sliced into some Sera Sausage.

The Grimm roared and prepared to make a second dive. Sera sat up and looked to the sky. A pile of snow sat atop her head and on her shoulders. Shaking it off her body, she jumped to her feet. She was about to draw Silver Linings again, but instead she groaned loudly and slumped her shoulders.

"Snowball," she muttered. "If Qrow or Yang saw that, I'd never hear the end of it."

The gryphons dove, their claws ready and their eyes glowing with hatred. Something made Sera turn her head. Call it some sort of sixth sense, but as soon as she saw the tunnel that the train was about to pass through, she grinned. It looked a few feet taller than the train, but she couldn't be sure. With what she was planning, well, she hoped it was tall enough.

Sera jumped to her feet and waved her arms. "Hey, you big ugly chickens! Come get me, free huntress meal right here!"

The Grimm roared and tucked their wings in, gaining speed and diving faster. One little problem: they were gonna reach Sera before the tunnel could.

"Uh-oh!" Sera exclaimed and turned, sprinting through the snow and towards the tunnel entrance.

She could feel them on her back. She had four, maybe five seconds before they reached her.

She jumped to the next train car, almost falling off the train entirely, thanks to the wind. After landing on the car and rolling, she came up running. The tunnel was getting closer, and the Grimm seemed to notice what she was planning.

"Come on, you stupid pigeons! Look at me!" She shouted and fired a few rounds at them. Their focus went back to her. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The tunnel was getting closer. She'd slam into the mountain in about five seconds if she wasn't careful.

Sera looked back at the Grimm and gritted her teeth. They were right behind her.

She turned and allowed herself to fall into the snow. While staying as flat as she could, she aimed Silver Linings at the flock and fired.

They squawked in alarm. Some got shot, others scattered. Too late, though. Darkness enveloped the young huntress, and she could hear the sound of several bodies slamming into the mountain. She picked her head up enough to see where she entered. Black vapor fell to the top of the train. Some of it had blown away in the wind, but there was enough for her to see that her plan had worked.

Grinning to herself, Sera relaxed into the snow, ignoring the cold that enveloped her. She closed her eyes momentarily, and when light suddenly washed over her again, they shot open. The cloudy sky above her was gray and devoid of color. She could've stayed there for longer, but not two seconds later, a large shadow passed over her.

Sera shot to her feet and gripped the hilt of Silver Linings. The harsh wind blew the powder snow off of her instantly.

The large lion Grimm roared loudly and swept low over the train. Several more gryphons appeared from behind the mountain, joining the remaining ones in the sky to form a small cloud of black dots in the sky.

The huntress's eyes never left the larger Grimm. It glared hatefully at her and tried to swoop in to ram the train. Sera wasn't having any of that. She fired off her entire cylinder at the beast and it diverted its path. If it wanted the train, it'd have to take her first.

Focusing solely on the larger Grimm was a mistake. Before she could register the gush of wind that came from the left, something large and feathery slammed into her side.

The gryphon roared in her face and tried to snap at her, but luckily, she was strong enough to hold the beast at bay. The Grimm had tackled her from the side and immediately pinned her down on the snowy roof of the train. Sera struggled to get it off of her, but this thing was stronger than it looked.

Its razor-sharp claws dug into her legs, but she didn't feel it. She silently thanked the heavens for aura.

When she heard another chorus of roars and squawks, Sera looked up to see the rest of the flock going in for the kill. Strength surged through her body, and Sera kicked the Grimm off her. She rolled to her feet and brought her elbow down onto its large neck, and the beast's red eyes lost its glow.

She'd just turned around to face the rest of them when something large and heavy landed behind her. A deep growl emanated from within something's throat, and she could feel a pair of eyes boring into her back.

Sera slowly turned around to see Mittens towering above her. It was easily fifteen feet tall, maybe more. Its feline head was the size of a small car, and its midnight-colored fur shone in the light. Up close and personal, she finally realized what this Grimm was: a Manticore.

Its bone mask did nothing to hide the rage and fury in its eyes. Its tail flicked left and right restlessly as it growled down at her.

"Hey, kitty," Sera said. She'd meant to sound like she was talking to any regular house cat, but her voice came out as a timid squeak.

It growled and raised its massive paw, its chrome-colored claws glinting in the light.

She couldn't jump to the side. She'd either fall off the train or be batted by the Grimm's paws. She considered leaping back, but she was afraid it'd pounce. So, she did the logical thing: she charged.

Sera stepped inside of its paw strike and kicked it in the chest with all her strength. Mittens roared like a panther and went into the air, its massive wings beating gusts of wind down to Sera and making her struggle to maintain her footing.

Without wasting a breath, she drew Silver Linings and plugged the beast with a few fire Dust rounds. Its fur ignited in various places, making the Grimm roar in pain as it landed on the train car again to extinguish the flames.

Sera spun her revolver and holstered it. She rolled up her right sleeve and cocked her arm. Ember Celica expanded until the full-size gauntlet was on her wrist.

The amnesiac grimaced slightly. She'd rather have the owner of the weapon here to fight with her, but for now this was all she had.

Mittens roared at her and pawed the snow, the flames finally put out.

"You're mine, kitty," Sera muttered and raised her fists, mimicking the pose that Yang always took.

It charged her, but she was ready. She stepped inside of its attack and thrust her fist upward, delivering a powerful blow to its furry stomach. Mittens roared in outrage and swiped at her again. Sera caught its large paw and twisted, using its momentum to bring her feet under the beast's jaw.

The Grimm seemed surprised that she wasn't dead yet. Whenever Sera landed on the snow in front of it, Mittens seemed to look at her like, Seriously? You're still kickin'? Pun intended, of course.

Sera grinned at that. Yang would be proud of the pun.

Mittens roared again, its large wings raising on either side of her. Dumb move, though. As soon as it did that, the wings caught the wind, and Mittens surged towards Sera. It face-planted in the snow, and she had to resist the urge to laugh. Instead, she rushed forward and planted a foot on its head. She instantly drew Silver Linings and hammer-fired four rounds into its skull. But that was all she could manage before the Grimm shook her off.

Without thinking, she leaped straight up in the air. Only then did she realize her mistake. The rushing wind caught her and blew her backwards, tumbling head over heels on the train car. She was lucky the wind was blowing head-on, or she'd likely be reaching the bottom of the mountain much quicker than she'd like to.

Shaking the snow out of her hair once again, she looked up to see the Manticore right in front of her. Its tail slammed into her chest and sent her sprawling again. Her purple aura flickered from the force of the blow, but she got up again.

She fired a round from Ember Celica, but the Grimm simply closed its wings in front of it like a protective shield, and the blast did no harm. Why did this Grimm have to be smart?

That was when Sera was forced to remember that this wasn't the only Grimm she had to worry about. The flock of gryphons swarmed around her and the Manticore, squawking and roaring like they always do.

While she was distracted, the Manticore rushed her. Its massive paws slammed her to the ground, but not before she raised her hands just in time so that they didn't crush her.

She was wrestling with the beast now, trying to shove its heavy paws off her chest. She gritted her teeth and glared at the Manticore, then she smirked.

STOP!

…Nothing happened. The rushing wind continued to blow in her ears and the sounds of the annoying gryphons was still present. Then she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, as if an icy poker was jabbing away at her insides.

She gasped painfully, and that was all the Grimm needed to push its paws all the way onto her. The sheer weight of the beast crushed her chest and pushed the air out of her lungs.

What's wrong with me? Sera thought. Why isn't it working?

Maybe she was still weak from her battle in Salem's castle, but she had felt fine. She thought she was back to normal, though evidently not. Or maybe Salem had done something to her so she couldn't use her semblance? If that was the case, why was she able to use it in the fight? She didn't know, and it would've worried her immensely, but she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Sera gritted her teeth and tried to pry the paws off of her, but it was useless. The Manticore had won, and it was taking its time with killing her. Its large ugly face growled not five inches from her own. It looked like it was inspecting her. Maybe it saw Salem in her face. Hopefully not, Sera thought. Last thing I want is to actually resemble her, without the freaky paleness and red eyes.

She tried to wriggle her arm out to draw her gun, but her arms were pinned now. She was afraid that if she let go, it'd crush her without hesitation.

The Manticore made a deep rumbling sound in the back of its throat that could've been laughter. Sera was about to risk it all and let go to use Ember Celica, but she then heard the familiar sound of a blade sinking into flesh, and Mittens reared back in pain. Sera took her chance to roll to her feet and back away from the Grimm.

Another slicing sound was heard, and the Manticore went limp. Its lifeless body slumped forward. The red glow in its eyes dimmed, its body already dissipating into darkness.

Sera's eyes scanned the beast for why it had suddenly dropped dead, and she'd got her answer as soon as she lifted her eyes to meet her savior. Standing on top of the snowy train car was the last person Sera expected to come to the rescue. A frilly parasol rested on her shoulder, her lips danced in a smirk, and her different colored eyes gazed at the amnesiac.

"Neo?" Sera asked, hardly believing what she was seeing. The ice cream girl gave a small smile and approached her. Sera immediately surged forward and hugged the shorter girl, catching her off-guard.

"Man, it's good to see you! How've you been, you fantastic little scamp, you," Sera smiled and held Neo at arm's length. She smiled and shrugged, but Sera couldn't blame her for not speaking. She was mute, after all.

Then something dawned on Sera. "Wait! We'll talk later, there's still…gryphons…around…" The words died in her throat. As she looked around, piles of dissipating darkness lay in the snow.

"You killed them before saving me?" Sera's turned to her. Neo simply shrugged with her hands raised, as if she were saying, What do you want from me?

Sera groaned and shook her head. "Come on, let's get back inside before we get frostbit up here."

Neo nodded in agreement. Unlike Sera, she was not wearing any winter clothes. Instead, she was garbed in her usual white, pink and brown clothing.

As soon as they entered the train, a wave of cheering and applause welcomed them. People patted their backs and gave their thanks as Sera led the way back to her private booth. Luckily, Jimi was no longer in there. As nice as he was, Sera was in no mood to talk to strangers. She just wanted to warm up and converse with Neo, then quite possibly take a nap.

She was still worried about her semblance, but she'll freak out about it at a later time. After pulling a spare coat out of her pack and giving it to Neo, the ice cream girl brought out a scroll and began typing. That was how she and Sera communicated, except Sera could speak.

Neo showed her what she typed. What happened to you?

Sera sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Then she went on to explain what she had gone through ever since waking up in Salem's. Neo had gone pale at the mention of Raven, which didn't surprise Sera. Upon Ruby and Yang discovering that Neo had joined their cause, they didn't hesitate to tell Sera their experiences with her. One of which included Raven saving Yang from being killed by this short, seemingly harmless girl. At least, she looked harmless.

By time she was finished, Neo looked like she'd been hit with an airship. She managed to type out a single word: Speechless.

Sera snorted, "You're always speechless."

Neo narrowed her eyebrows and pinched Sera's arm.

"Ow! All right, fine. I'm sorry," Sera rubbed her sore arm. Apparently, aura didn't protect you from being pinched by a four-foot-tall girl. She looked up to meet Neo's pink and brown eyes. "What about you? What happened after Haven?"

Neo shook her head and began to type quickly, her fingers nimbly flying across the screen. Five minutes passed, but finally Neo handed the scroll over for Sera to read. Basically, she'd been staying in Mistral in the house that they had stayed in. After the battle, Neo had slipped away and waited for Ruby and the others to leave town. Why she didn't just go with them, Sera had no idea. Probably something to do with her past with Roman.

Neo had stayed in the house, trying to investigate what the White Fang were doing after a large group of them had been arrested. Being who she was, she managed to dig up that Adam Taurus had disappeared without a trace.

Sera clenched her fist at the mention of him. The piece of trash was the reason why Yang was missing a limb, along with whatever he did to Blake. Yang had told her that Adam and Blake knew each other. During the Fall of Beacon, they'd spoken like they had a bitter past. One thing she knew for sure was that Adam Taurus was the worst kind of scum. And people like him always got what was coming for them.

Anyway, Neo had spotted Sera boarding the train during a trip to contact some old "acquaintances," and she slipped on board just in time for the train to take off. So basically, Neo was a stowaway.

Sera suggested hiding her, but the ice cream-themed girl shook her head and smirked. In an instant, her hair lightened until it was as white as snow, and her eyes took on a deep shade of violet.

Sera blinked as Neo typed out a quick message: "Hey, big sis."

The amnesiac smiled, then it was quickly replaced by her narrowing her eyebrows at Neo. "Why didn't you do that before? You know, changing your features. You wouldn't have had to hide."

Neo blinked and stared out the window. She brought lifted her scroll once more. Didn't think about it.

Sera laughed. This girl was a trained assassin, capable of blending into any crowd and striking without anyone noticing. She'd beaten Yang in hand-to-hand combat with extreme ease, yet she didn't even consider using her abilities to hide in plain sight on the train.

"Hold on," Sera dug out a spare change of clothes that matched the ones she currently wore. Paired with the jacket she'd given to Neo earlier, they really would appear as sisters.

Neo frowned and took the clothes.

"There's a bathroom a few doors down," Sera noted. The ice cream girl nodded and disappeared from the booth. Barely a minute later, she returned, and Sera gasped.

The clothes were a size too big, so they hung loosely on her small frame, but other than that she looked like a miniature Sera. Her hair and eyes matched, but the length of her hair had remained the same as before it changed color. Neo looked like the younger sister that Sera never had.

"You're like a mini me!" Sera laughed. Neo fidgeted where she stood and smiled nervously. A sudden tap to the glass made them both jump.

He was visible in the see-through glass, and Sera had to resist rolling her eyes. Jimi had returned. Again, not that she didn't like the guy, but she detested people she didn't know. Anyone could be working for Salem, trying to get in close enough to strike. Although Jimi didn't exactly look like assassin material, you could never know.

Sera slid the glass door open enough to poke her head through and faced the young man. "Hey, this isn't really a good time—"

"That was amazing, what you did! If we didn't have a huntress on board, this train would've been toast! I couldn't see anything, but it sounded awesome!" He praised.

Sera smiled. Hey, it felt good to have this kind of reaction for answering the call of duty. "Thanks, but seriously this isn't a good time. I'm just catching up with my friend—er, sister here."

Jimi looked past Sera to see the shorter white-haired girl. "I thought you boarded alone," he blinked.

"I did," Sera nodded. "But it turns out that she boarded the same train. Small world, huh?" She chuckled nervously. But he seemed to buy it.

"Uh, well okay, then. If you're busy, I can visit later—"

"No, that's okay," Sera cut him off. Hey, she was getting tired of being nice. She was at her limit for niceness for the day. Jimi tried to speak again, but Sera slid the door closed and turned to Neo. She was looking at her, her arms crossed.

"What?" Sera asked. Neo shook her head and sat down. The amnesiac sat across from her and leaned forward.

"Okay, so the plan is to somehow find Ruby and the others when the train stops at its destination. If my hunch is right, they'll be there trying to get an airship to Atlas. With a little luck, we'll find them and regroup."

Neo listened carefully, nodding occasionally as Sera explained the game plan. Once she was finished, Neo raised her hand like students do in class, signifying that she had a question.

What if we don't find them?

Sera sighed and leaned back. She'd been wondering the same thing, but she was trying to be positive for once. "We will find them. If I know that old man, and I do, he's doing exactly what I said he is. They'll be there." She tried to sound determined and confident, but there was still that nagging sensation in the back of her head.

What if they're not there? The trip will be for nothing, it said to her.

Then we'll find another way. Contact General Ironwood somehow, Sera replied.

Yeah, but what if—

Shut up, she told it.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the shadow pass by the window. Neo was frantically looking out the window and trying to get her attention, but too late.

Something big slammed into the train. It knocked Sera out of her seat and sent her sprawling. Before it could do it again, she scrambled to her feet and searched out the window.

Something roared somewhere above them. It sounded bigger than a Manticore.

Sera turned and grabbed her gun belt. Neo tapped furiously on her scroll, Another attack so soon?

"Looks like it. It sounds bigger than the last one, so we better get up there fast—"

It slammed into the train again, knocking them off their feet. Sera cursed and used the wall to climb to her feet. She glanced out the window again, and she saw it.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she had to resist clamp onto her gun belt to keep from dropping it.

The beast roared again, this time so loudly that the windows shook violently and threatened to burst. That's when she heard the panicked screams of the other passengers. She didn't blame them, because the thing that was flying towards them for another attack was a dragon.

It wasn't as big as the massive Wyvern during the Fall of Beacon, but it wasn't little. This dragon was an actual dragon, with four legs and a pair of giant leathery wings. Like all other Grimm, its color was as black as midnight, and white bone armor covered various areas on its large body. Its sinister white and red mask covered its face and snout. A pair of malevolent red eyes seemed to glare exactly where Sera was on the train.

"That's not good," Sera squeaked. The dragon roared and beat its giant wings. It was easily a hundred feet long, so it made the Hydra Grimm look like a wimpy younger sibling.

It swept over them, but Sera got the feeling it would be back soon. She looked out the window and down at the mountainside. If it intended to slam into the train… Well, that wouldn't be too good.

Sera grabbed her pack and walking stick. She had the feeling things were about to get bumpy.

"Go tell the other passengers to brace for impact!" Sera shouted. Neo waved frantically and gestured at her mouth.

"Oh… right," Sera mumbled and threw the door open. Before she could charge out the door, she went weightless. The train was thrown to the side, and Sera flew back, slamming into the wall behind her. Neo was tossed to the ground, but she was quick to get to her feet.

"Quickly, we have to…" That's when Sera felt the train shift. It groaned against the tracks, and Sera suddenly had a pretty good view of the ground from the window.

"Oh, SHI—" Sera managed to scream before the ground rushed towards her. She heard the sound of metal being crushed, and suddenly the train was flipping, flipping down the mountainside. Passengers screamed. Sera gritted her teeth as she and Neo were tossed around the booth, slamming into the floor, walls, and ceiling.

Then the train slammed into the ground. The sound was awful—metal being ripped apart and crushed, glass shattering and exploding, and trees being blown down.

Something large and heavy slammed into Sera's head and she her eyes rolled into the back of her head.