Because Salem will kill you!
Those words rang through my head for what seemed like hours. I hadn't left Summer's realm, staying instead with her to comfort her. We were both sitting down, our backs against each other. Summer sat with her hood covering her head and hugging her legs. I had one arm resting up on one knee with the other by my side while staring at the ground, thinking nonstop about Salem.
Who is Salem?
"I should have told you when we first met."
Summer's voice startled me. I blinked for a moment, surprised, then I realized I had asked my question out loud.
"Why didn't you?" I asked, turning my head enough to see her. I could see her tense up slightly.
"I didn't want you to accidentally say something to anyone who we couldn't trust and put you and Azura in even more danger. Salem could have people anywhere, even at the Academies. If she found out that I was a part of you she could send someone to kill you..."
Summer noticeable tensed up at the thought of what could happen to me.
"She's that dangerous?" I asked. Summer turned around, her hood unable to hide her tear-covered face.
"She is the most dangerous person on Remnant," She said, wiping the tears off her face. "She will do anything to win, and she'll kill anyone who stands in her way. There is so much more to this than you realize. There are things that only Ozpin can show you, things that I cannot put into words. Only a handful of people know about Salem, and most of them are aligned with Ozpin."
Summer's statement about how most of the people were aligned with Ozpin caught my attention.
"Who does know? About Salem and whatever else I haven't been told?" I questioned. Summer closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"Glynda Goodwitch, the headmasters of the other three main Academies, my husband Taiyang Xiao Long, our former teammates Qrow and Raven Branwen, and four individuals who use power borrowed from Ozpin called Maidens. Almost all of them are with Ozpin. Raven went into hiding after learning about Salem. I don't know exactly how many people are with Salem."
I perked up at the name Taiyang Xiao Long, instantly realizing the connection to Yang.
"I'm assuming Taiyang is Yang and Ruby's father." I said. Summer nodded her head. I finally realized why Summer wanted me to protect Ruby. Ruby and Yang's parents were aware of Salem, with at least Summer fighting against her.
There was a lot to take in with what Summer had told me. While I was told that I needed to talk to Ozpin for more answers, I still felt Summer could tell me more, even if it wasn't related to Salem.
"Is there anyone or anything else I should know about?" I asked. For a moment Summer looked as though she couldn't think of anything, before the expression on her face changed noticeable, as if she had just realized something important.
"I'm not sure if he knew about Salem or not, but you should talk to Grane Frederick." Summer said.
"Grane Frederick?" I questioned. I hadn't heard of anyone by that name in the three months since Azura and I came to Remnant.
"He attended Beacon at the same time I did, and now that I think about it, I'm sure he knew a lot about the gem," Summer explained, "He was also a really good fighter, we took part in sparring matches against each other a couple times. I never beat him, very few did. He's the one that took a fragment of my soul and put it into the gem you found in that cave."
I immediately took interest in Frederick. If he was the one that brought Azura and I to Remnant then I needed to learn everything I could about him. Though I could see in Summer's eyes the emotional toll I had inadvertently put her through. And it would also be important for my team to hear everything from Ozpin and, if even possible, Summer.
"If Frederick has anything to do with the gem then I need to know everything you know," I stated, getting to my feet, "But not now. You can tell me and my team everything you know when we talk to Ozpin."
I helped Summer get to her feet. Upon getting to her feet Summer wrapped both of her arms around me. I promptly returned the hug.
"From now on I won't leave you in the dark anymore. I will tell you everything I know about Grane and Salem. " Summer said, her voice slightly muffled. She then pulled back from the hug and took a few steps back, looking me in the eyes. "I promise."
"Thank you." I said, giving Summer a smile. I closed my eyes, once again leaving Summer's snowy realm.
I slowly opened my eyes to, recognizing the ceiling of Team ALAN's dorm room. The only light in the room came from the outside, where the light posts lit up the school grounds. I looked to my left and saw the three of my teammates lying down on their beds, fast asleep. I quietly grabbed my scroll from the nightstand next to me and looked at the time. It was a little past one in the morning. I put the scroll down on my chest and ran my fingers through my hair, taking a deep breath.
How am I gonna tell you guys…
I placed my scroll back on the nightstand and rolled over in my bed. With everything Summer told me still running through my head, I drifted away into an uneasy sleep.