Four Months Later

I'll be honest, I only knew how long it'd been for three reasons. One, our mode of transportation kept changing, two, the Inbetween, and three, the fact that I actually had a rough beard on my face now. It was short, thankfully, and covered my lower face, making me look like I was some unemployed character in a sitcom. Except I wasn't unemployed, I was a prisoner that had been held captive for four months. I think it took so long to get to where Orchid wanted me to be taken because she was actively trying to keep Cinder and the others off her trail. So far, she'd managed, but it seemed she'd reach the end of the line for where she wanted to be.

The deserts of Vacuo, I could tell just from the heat. I was being kept in a compound, somewhere, I couldn't tell where. It wasn't in the city, and Vacuo was the kingdom I knew the least about. It also seemed that Orchid had changed her tactics, upon seeing that physical torture was no longer working, she began to resort to… gentler attempts at persuasion.

The compound saw a marked increase in my quality of life. I had a room, for one, although I obviously didn't have access to my weapons or my clothes, just a pair of white trousers and an equally plain T-shirt, and I actually had a bed and some privacy. It was part one of a concentrated effort to win me over through bribery and gentle tactics.

For example, Orchid didn't drop her interest in me, instead she changed how she handled it into more 'normal' flirting and offers of a wonderful life should I just work with her. Of course, I hadn't budged, and she moved on to trying to talk me into working with her by saying she'd spare Shi and my other friends if only I gave her Cinder. Of course, I hadn't budged on that either.

Physical torture still came around sometimes, I think it was part of their psychological warfare tactics. One day greet me with warmth and kindness, the next greet me with a dagger and anger. It would have worn me down, had I not been going to the Inbetween every night.

I don't think I will ever really be able to repay Alex for what they've done for me. Not in this lifetime, at least. Although, be it misfortune or fortune, I will have plenty more to live through. Even if and when I beat Salem, I doubt that the cycle will stop.

Will I ever truly get to see my family again? That's a question that lingered on my mind more and more as the fusion came closer and closer to its zenith, yet there was no answer to be found in the dull walls of the room I slept in, nor in the sky I saw through the barred window. I don't think anyone has an answer for me, other than maybe the God of Light himself, but try as I might, I haven't been able to get him to return my calls.

Instead, one day, I found myself sitting in bed and staring at the ceiling. The bed wasn't super comfortable but it was better than the floor. I had to wonder where they had gotten it from, but… I think that that question is better left unanswered, I know for certain I wouldn't like the answer.

My mind drifted to my family again, thinking about them and wondering how they were doing. Not just the ones on Earth, but Shi, Cinder, my team, and the rest of my friends. They were all my family just as well, yet, I was taken out of my thoughts by the man in the mirror.

"You know, you have more family now too."

'Are you going to say that we're family now, Oz?'

"That would be a bit of an understatement. No, given that you and I are now one and the same, you should know that I… or rather, we… have a daughter."

That momentarily caused my eyes to widen, that was the first I had heard of her. Yet, now that I knew of her existence, memories were starting to filter in. Memories of a girl just a year younger than me with platinum blonde hair and silver eyes, 'Who… is she?'

"Vesta Ozpin. Glynda and I made an effort to never bring her up at her request, she has always been something of a free spirit. She loves us, but she also was tired of people thinking she hadn't earned her place in the world because of who her father is. The last time I saw her was… a month before the festival."

'She didn't attend?'

"No, she never liked the idea of being in the spotlight, 'just more people to judge' she would say."

'I take it she didn't go to Beacon, then.'

"She's attending Shade, she said it was the only real choice to make because Shade doesn't care about titles or family names, just who you are and what you can do. I can't say I blame her."

'I see…'

"...I brought her up because I'm worried, Neve, worried and afraid." That surprised me, he was never one to admit when he was feeling worried or afraid, but here he was, "I'm afraid that I might not get to see her again before…"

'Before we step into the reflecting pool.'

"Yes. I… I haven't had to think about mortality in thousands of years, Neve, and now I am faced with the unassailable conclusion that, regardless of who we become at the end of this, I will not be there. You will. In that way… I will be gone."

I took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a small frown playing on my face, 'You won't be gone, Oz. You'll be part of me.'

"...I suppose you're right. Yet, I'm still uneasy, I'm still worried, because I know that I, as I am, will likely never see her again."

'...If I can help it, you will, we're in Vacuo. If I can find her before the fusion completes, then you can talk to her. If not, well… I'll tell her that you love her. That I love her, as weird as it will sound.'

"Thank you, Neve."

We fell silent again and my thoughts lingered on Vesta, a girl I had never met and yet felt an inextricable link to. In a very, very strange way, she was my own flesh and blood. I knew what Oz was feeling because I would have felt the same thing had I known I was going to die back on Earth before getting to say goodbye. I meant my promise, and I intended to fulfill it.

The only thing that took me out of my thoughts next was the sound of knocking on the door. Few people knocked before they entered, it wasn't Orchid, she did as she pleased. Haimon or Astra? Possibly, but I knew next to nothing about them, the knocking was firm yet gentle, that left one logical choice, "Hazel?"

The door opened and in stepped the giant of a man, he was alone. He didn't look at me with rage, as he shut the door behind him he spoke, "You're living better than you would have in Evernight, boy." He took a couple steps forward before stopping and crossing his arms, remaining close to the door, "I'm surprised Ozpin hasn't taken over your mind and body yet."

In spite of my circumstances, I chuckled and shook my head, casting my gaze downward, "You'll never have to worry about that." After a few moments, I looked back up, "Ozpin isn't the one taking me over, I'm taking him over." Hazel's confused and shocked expression told me to continue, "I'm…" I tried to think of how to word this, "I'm not like the others. My soul is… different to those who came before. When Ozpin merged with me, it became apparent that… Whatever, whoever, we become at the end of this. It's not going to be him."

Silence fell over the room for a full minute before Hazel spoke again, "...How do I know that I can trust you? Ozpin lies, I didn't need Salem telling me about the extent of what he's done to know that."

My frown deepened, "You don't have to believe me." I met his gaze, unwavering, "I know you're afraid of her, you think she's a force of nature, but tell me, Hazel… When she died, what killed her? Humans? Huntsmen?"

Hazel gritted his teeth and stomped forward, grabbing me by my collar and lifting me up, "Watch your tongue, boy! You don't deserve to talk about-"

I cut him off, "It was Grimm! Who controls the Grimm? Salem! The witch who wants to destroy the world!" The shock was evident, so I pushed on, "Don't you see, Hazel? Salem doesn't just want to beat Ozpin, she wants to destroy everything, herself included! All because she threw a temper tantrum and tried to kill the Brother Gods in an age long past! If you don't believe me, then hunt down that psychopath Tyrian and ask him. He might be a lunatic, but he has never once told a lie."

I expected Hazel to punch me or throw me against the wall. I don't know if it was the honesty in my eyes or the unwavering resolve in my voice, but all he did was drop me back onto the bed. Then, he turned around, "We'll see what he has to say about that. If you're lying…" He left the threat unspoken as he stomped out.

When I was alone again, I let out a sigh of relief and laid there staring at the ceiling, "Fucking hell…" I closed my eyes, "...This would be a lot easier if I had the Relic of Knowledge with me, and hadn't spent its questions…"

"You've given him something to think about. Encouraging division within their ranks is the best chance we have right now, until the others get here."

'Yeah… I just hope it won't take them too much longer…'

Cinder POV, The City of Vacuo

We had been pursuing Orchid and her subordinates for months at this point, and I was nearing the end of my rope.

I had anticipated all of this to be over within the span of a couple weeks, the fact that we had been pursuing them for four months and had gotten nowhere was frustrating to no end. From one end of the world to the other, I followed the trail of magic, unfortunately though no spell lasted forever.

The tracking spell had ended awhile ago now, and we had only been able to stay on their trail by luck, rumors, and torturing any White Fang member I came across for information. Emerald and Mercury had joined us some time ago, and to say they were upset that I ran off without them was something of an understatement. Yet, I was glad to have them. They were both very well versed in tracking, Mercury more so than Emerald, but they both proved welcome aid to our search.

We eventually made our way to Vacuo itself, and it was unlike any other city I had been to before. Vale and Atlas were carefully planned and constructed cities complete with government institutions that provided safety, security, healthcare, and much more to their citizens. Vacuo was not like that. It was a maze of crude and haphazard architecture and improvised structures. We got lost in that city more than once, and in the month we'd been in the city looking for clues there had been two sandstorms and an earthquake, which had destroyed a few sections of the city. Remarkably, they were quickly rebuilt.

Rainstorms were, paradoxically, not as uncommon as one might have thought, but that wasn't always a good thing. Sand and rain didn't mix very well, and when it rained it was advised to not leave the place we had taken up residence, a home in the shadow of Shade Academy's massive ziggurat that we only had access to because of help from an unexpected ally.

Roman Torchwick had been on an extended vacation in the city, likely mingling with the Vacuan Cartel to expand his criminal connections. I hadn't expected him to want to help, but when we told him Neve was being held captive by Salem's new Maiden, he was all too happy to offer us access to one of his homes. Apparently, he had been living like a king in this city, a lack of law enforcement other than the hunters and hunters-in-training provided by Shade was beneficial to him. I suppose, in that way, it was beneficial to us as well.

The home was built in a traditional Vacuan style, Neve had once off-handedly called Vacuo 'Arabian' before correcting himself. I had no idea what that meant, but I assumed he knew something about the culture that I didn't.

One cold night I found myself standing out on the second floor balcony of our temporary home. I had added a cloak to my outfit, a simple beige affair with a hood so I could protect myself from sandstorms better. My mind wasn't on sand that night, no, it was on Neve. I hadn't seen him in so long, and I had to admit that it was hard to not waver sometimes. What if he had been broken? What if he was so far gone that we'd never find him?

…What if he was already dead?

I knew I shouldn't have been entertaining such ideas, and yet I was. It couldn't be helped, I knew I should have had more faith, in a way I did, but the thoughts kept creeping into my mind. It was such a buzzing and consistent problem that I ended up isolating myself from everyone else even more than I normally would. Emerald tried to comfort me, but what could she do? What could she say? I didn't blame her for not having any words of encouragement that worked, after all, she wasn't as close to this as I was.

None of the others up to that point had really caught wind of my doubts, how could they? I'm not an open book, I keep my cards close to my chest, because showing my doubts meant showing weakness. It meant letting Shi, whose birthday was just a couple weeks away, know that I was worried that she might never see her surrogate father again.

I had been standing out there, leaning on the railing and staring at the stars, for well over an hour. I had expected to just be alone with my thoughts all night, and then I heard the glass sliding door open. I sighed and tried to mask my frustration, "Emerald, I told you-" I was cut off by a voice I hadn't been expecting to hear.

Violet Merino's voice was softer than normal, gentle amusement laced into her words, "Did no one ever warn you about making assumptions?" My eyes widened and I turned around to face her.

A small, sad smile played on her lips as she closed the sliding door behind her and walked over next to me. She leaned on the railing and stared up at the stars. Her outfit had remained much the same, albeit she too now wore a black cloak. "I noticed that you've been… struggling. I get it, cause…" She looked at me, her smile not wavering, even as her voice took on a sad undertone, "So have I."

I stared at her for a few seconds before averting my gaze and staring down at the streets below, mostly empty at this time of night, "...You did lose your leader, and your friend, but… What I'm feeling is-"

Violet cut me off, "That's…" Her voice was shaky, "That's not… all he is to me." Once again I looked at her, my eyes wide with confusion and surprise. Her smile wavered, she closed her eyes and looked down, "I… Uhm…" She took a deep breath, "Before I knew who you were, that you even really existed, well… He… He was there for me when nobody else was. I was wavering, weak… I still am, really." She laughed a mirthless laugh, "When I broke down, when I felt I was surrounded by the demons of my past in the unending darkness…" She squeezed her eyes shut and I could tell she was trying to fight back tears, "...He held up the torch that made the monsters go away."

I didn't move to say anything as she continued, "He was there with unwavering support, kindness, and hugs." She snickered, a grin played on her face even as tears began to fall, "The hugs were great… When he hugged me and whispered to me, telling me it was all okay. I… I…" She opened her eyes and looked at me, "I fell in love with him."

Her confession hit me like a freight train, but as jealous of a person as I am I couldn't bring myself to be angry with her. She hadn't made any moves on him, they're good friends, and… I understood exactly what she was saying. Yet, I still had a question, "...Why tell me all of this?"

Violet covered her mouth and suppressed a giggle, as if it was obvious, "Because I'm afraid too. I already promised myself that I'm not going to pursue him, that he deserves to be happy with you, but… that doesn't mean that the love I felt, that I feel, just… went away. I still love him, and I know that maybe I'm the last person who should be consoling you, you're his… his fiance." She sounded as if she was restraining a great deal of sorrow, breathing that title, "I'm just a stupid girl who fell in love with the wrong person, but… I think we're the only two on the planet who can understand what we're feeling… Because we both…"

I finished her thought, "Love him." I wasn't someone who let people in easy, Neve was an exception for… reasons I still don't fully understand. Maybe it was how kind he was, maybe it was the look in his eyes, or maybe I saw the same thing in him that Violet did. I sighed, "...You're right. I'm… I'm afraid that he might already be dead, or maybe Orchid found a way to… to break him." The idea made tears well up in my eyes, "I-I know Neve wouldn't break like that, but… He's still only human."

Violet did something that I hadn't been expecting. She stepped closer and placed a hand on my back, "Yeah, but he's also Neve." She spoke as if that answered everything, "He fought his way through Beacon, slayed a dragon, and survived a falling elevator, just to help you. He's… He's also got Ozpin, and… I think because of all of that, he will make it through. We will see him again. I know we will."

Neither of us said anything for a while after that, we just looked up at the sky and watched the stars. Vacuan nights were nothing if not peaceful. Cold, but peaceful. Violet's hand remained on my back, the Faunus' tail swished and wrapped itself around me. I normally abhorred physical contact with anyone but Neve, but I decided that night that I could make an exception for her.

…It probably should have been strange. I was finding solace with a girl who professed that she loved the man I loved, but that really didn't matter, at that moment. We were both hunting for him, both trying to get him back, and in that way he was our link. Maybe I was growing soft, once upon a time I would have burned her for admitting how she felt, but… I didn't. I blame Neve.

Eventually, though, it got late enough that we both needed to sleep. She was the first to step away, "...I should get some sleep." She smiled, "...Don't worry about me making any moves on him or anything. I'm… not that kind of person. If you were worried." Then, she turned and started to walk to the sliding door.

I heard it open, she said, "We'll find him, and then… We'll go out for frappes and steak." She walked inside and slid the door shut.

I couldn't help but look forward to that day.

(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

The Vacuo House

While Cinder and Violet were having their talk, a certain girl who should have been sleeping was up and about.

Shi had gotten what she wanted a couple months ago, a scythe! This one was smaller than the one Ruby had, but she understood that it was because she was still not as strong as her. Her scythe's body was a burnt orange with black accents along it. It looked fairly similar to Crescent Rose, but smaller and with different colors. Additionally, it had different functions.

There was the scythe component, of course, but then it could also transform into a gunblade, just like the one Ruby had made for her before. Aside from that, it had the ability to shift into a sniper akin to Ruby's, and finally it could fold into itself for storage.

Shi had felt bad that Ruby made her two separate weapons and Cinder had given her a third, but they both assured her that trying out different types of weapons was natural. Ruby was also more than happy to be able to flex her weapon making skills that she had not gotten to use other than for herself and for Lunus.

The red panda girl was training on the roof of the house. She really missed the open field that she trained in from inside Mistral, but she had gotten used to Vacuo without complaint. After all, they had to be there in order to save Neve, and she wanted to see him again. Not just because she missed him, but because she wanted him to be there for her eleventh birthday, which was coming up in a few days. She had no idea if he'd get back in time, but she could hope.

She was moving through various attacks she was taught by Ruby and Qrow, part of learning to be good with any weapon was developing muscle memory. Shi had an idea of what that was, but it wasn't super clear to her. All she knew was that she needed to practice over and over in order for something to become second nature to her.

The only sound that echoed throughout the night was the swishing of her sword and the sounds of exertion she made as she kept practicing with all her mind. She knew that Auntie Cinder would be upset if she found out she was training that late at night, but she had to! If she was going to see Uncle Neve again, she needed to be as strong as possible!

However, her work was interrupted when she heard a voice from the doorway, "Shi?" It was Ruby, and when Shi looked, she saw that Lunus was there too. Both were in their normal outfits in spite of the time of day, and Ruby held a look of concern in her eyes. The two of them walked over to her, "You know you should be in bed right now…"

Shi shook her head furiously, her hair swishing behind her head, "I can't yet! I need to keep training so I can help save Da- Uncle Neve!" Her eyes burned with the fire of determination she usually carried, "I'm not anywhere near as strong as everyone else! I need to do this!"

Ruby and Lunus shared a sad smile, with Lunus adding some levity to the situation, "You're definitely strong enough to knock any first year at Signal out of the park." He chuckled and knelt in front of her to be at eye level, "Trust me, Shi, Ruby and I know what you're going through."

To punctuate this, Ruby walked over next to her, knelt down, and wrapped Shi in a sideways hug, "Shi… I lost my mom when I was a bit younger than you, I know what you're feeling right now… Neve might not be gone, but you're worried he might be, and that scares you. It… It scares all of us. Nobody wants to lose someone they're close to."

Lunus followed up the tag-team intervention, "Ruby and I trained as hard as you did, every day… We got sick sometimes because we'd stay out all night and train." He chuckled, "We used to call ourselves the Heroes of Tomorrow. I guess that tomorrow is today, but…" He smiled, "You're the Hero of Tomorrow now, Shi, but that doesn't mean you should be missing out on sleep, or on meals, because you're training. It's one thing to want to improve, it's another to get so focused that you start to hurt yourself indirectly…"

At this point, Shi was looking down in a mixture of contemplation and sadness, because as much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew they were right. She sighed, "I… Okay…" She huffed, "I'll go to bed…" Ruby and Lunus both smiled and allowed her to go.

Only when she was gone did their smiles drop slightly, Ruby's most of all. Lunus asked, "Do you think she's going to listen to us?" They both knew the answer to that question, after all, Shi was just like they had been.

Ruby took a deep breath and then sighed, "I hope so… But I don't think she will." She deflated and looked down, "She's so focused on her goal that she won't stop for anything. We were like that, Yang was like that, and… It took aging and getting more mature to actually stop and think." While there was no argument that all three of them had become great fighters because of their drive, they all had missed out on the more carefree and relaxed parts of childhood, it was something they couldn't get back.

They just hoped that Shi wouldn't lose it too.

(The following is part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

Neve POV, The City of Progress

To this day I still haven't entirely wrapped my head around the Inbetween.

I could handle the fact that I was in basically a modern city, I could handle that everyone that lived there was in some way magical, but there was just something slightly… off about it that I never fully understood. Maybe it was just the fact that I wasn't supposed to be there, or at least, I wasn't a permanent resident.

I tried not to let that put a damper on my time there, though, Alex did everything they could to make sure I didn't let whatever happened the day before get to me. We played games, went out into the city, and sometimes just talked. That day was one of the days we went into the city.

The place had bars, nightclubs, and just about everything you'd expect out of a city. I never particularly cared for the nightclubs or anything like that, not really my scene, but I always have appreciated a good drink. Especially because getting drunk in the Inbetween had absolutely no repercussions on my actual physical body. I didn't know why, but I didn't question it.

We ended up in a rather cozy bar, I was drinking a strawberry sunrise while Alex went on talking about something they saw in some other world they were visiting once. She said, "So then, I'm standing there, right? And he tells me-"

Before he could continue, the door to the bar opened and the chattering of patrons began to die down, only to be replaced with mutters that, from what I could tell, were a mixture of reverence and confusion. I turned to look at who it was, and I couldn't believe my eyes.

Unmistakable brown eyes blinked as he looked around, his face just as soft, although his eyes belied a keen alertness. He looked… more haggard than the man I knew back in my world. Caine wore a charcoal colored cloak that had a silver clip on it that went down to his lower back and had a hood, which was pulled up at that moment. Beneath it, he wore a light-gray jacket without a zipper, leaving it open, the gray of the jacket only broken by deep blue accents and linings on the top of his right arm, from his shoulders to his fingers. Over the jacket were two dark gray plates on either side of it, down the entirety of his top right arm from shoulder to fingers. Light gray pants and dark blue boots joined the ensemble, and the final primary feature I noticed was the midnight blue silk belt that wrapped around his waist.

His outfit reminded me of the one that belonged to that obscure Vacuan finals contestant from the show. I had to wonder who picked it out for him. Yet, my thoughts quickly shifted back to the fact that he was there, even if he was clearly not the same Caine. He looked around before his gaze settled on me, he walked over to the table Alex and I were sitting at and he spoke, his voice still just as soft as it always was, "Excuse me, but… I need to talk to Neve for a bit, Alex."

Alex, surprisingly, just nodded and smiled, "I'll be back, don't keep him too long Aladdin." Then, she puffed away.

Caine sighed, "I'll never understand what they mean when they say that." Then, he sat across from me, "You're… the Neve from World One, aren't you?" I wasn't sure how to tell if I was, and the curious look in my eyes caused him to smile sheepishly as he lowered his cloak, small mouse ears twitching, "Ah, right. Uhm… Neve Osiris Cadere, right?" At this point I couldn't even bring myself to be surprised, so I just nodded. He sighed in relief, "Great, just the man I needed to see."

I leaned forward a bit, "You needed to see me? Why?" I sipped my drink before continuing, "You look different from the Caine in my world, he's… a bit troubled, but he's a good guy."

Caine tilted his head, "That was something I was seeking you for. I wanted to know how your Caine behaves. I would ask one of the spirits, but… They love being coy, they rarely tell me anything without a bit of a run-around first."

I hummed, "He gets visions of different worlds. He talked as if he recognized everyone even if me and my group were just meeting him for the first time. Jinn also seemed really interested in him, for some reason."

He blinked before frowning slightly, "...I see. So that's what happened…" He looked down for a moment, "I feel bad for him, my actions caused pain to another version of myself. It feels… weird to say that." He looked up, "I… do have something that I wanted to show you, as repayment for giving me this information."

So he was the reason for the visions? I had to wonder why, but I could ask him later. My curiosity turned to what he was offering, "Oh? What'd you want to show me?"

Caine reached out towards me, "Close your eyes." Hesitantly, I did as he asked, and felt his fingers connect with my forehead.

Suddenly, my mind was filled with a scene that played out as if I was standing right there. There was a flash of silver light, and then I watched as Violet collapsed on the ground, sitting lopsided as she covered her eyes. She sat at the very top of the ziggurat that was Shade Academy. I couldn't hear what she said, but as I stepped forward and saw a blade black as night sitting on the ground that I recognized as the Relic of Destruction. The last thing I saw was blood running down her face from her covered eyes before the vision ended.

I gasped as the vision ended, my eyes wide, "Wh-What? What was that?" I blinked a few times and stared down at the table, "Violet, the Relic of Destruction, the top of Shade Academy…"

Caine just smiled sadly, "I wish I could tell you, but I was given the ability to show you a vision in exchange for giving me the information I asked. I didn't see what your vision was, but… I hope you can find a way to use this information to your advantage."

My mind had a million questions that didn't seem to have an answer, so I settled for one that I could get an answer for, "H-How did you show me that? Who gave you the ability to do that?"

He blushed and looked away, "Jinn. She's… Well. I won't tell you my story right now, it'd take too long and you've only got so much time. Maybe I can share the whole story eventually, should you ever reach beyond the veil for a longer period of time."

I stared at him for a few moments before I nodded, "Okay. I guess we can talk about that later." I thought for a few moments, "So… You and Jinn, huh?" The blush on his face told me everything I needed to know, in spite of everything I grinned, "You lucky dog. I dunno how you did it, but nice work."

Caine laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, "L-Like I said, story for another time." He went to stand up, "Seek me out in the City of Knowledge, after all is said and done. Then I'll tell you my story." I nodded and he smiled before hurrying out the door.

The grin on my face faded as Alex returned, now my mind was back on Violet. Alex tilted her head, "What happened?" I explained everything to her, and when I was finished he said, "Woah… That's heavy." Then she smiled, "Chin up, though. Maybe you'll be able to stop it from happening. We just need to get you out of there."

I blinked a few times, usually whenever we talked about me getting out it was 'you need to get out' or 'I need to get out' never 'we', I had assumed Alex would be unable to help me at all. Tilting my head ever so slightly, I raised an eyebrow, "We?"

Alex nodded, smiled, and said, "Yep." With a poppin' P, "You'll see once you wake up right about…" She checked an imaginary watch that didn't exist on her arm.

"Now."

Orchid's Compound

When I woke, I found that it was still night outside. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, yawning as I did so. When I opened them again, Alex was standing there with a genuine smile on her face, "The idiot finally, finally took it off and left it behind. I'm technically not supposed to intervene in the physical world beyond what I've already done, but…" Her smile brightened a bit more, "The Relic of Progress will always find its way back to the one it's bonded to. I'm just the delivery person."

Instead of just handing it to me, they stepped forward and knelt on the bed, clearly intent on putting it on me himself. I smiled softly and closed my eyes, bowing my head slightly and allowing them to slip my talisman back on. She slipped it on and then said, "Welcome back…" I opened my eyes and immense relief rushed over my features as I was greeted by something I had come to miss.

Initializing…

Step One: Magical Attunement… Complete!

Step Two: Unpacking Soul-Bound Parameters… Complete!

Step Three: Complete sanity check on host… Complete!

Step Four: Load HUD… Complete!

Step Five: Load additional HUD Elements… Complete!

Step Six: Updating Status in the Inbetween… Complete!

Step Seven: Creating New Quest… Complete!

Host recognized!

Welcome back, Neve Osiris Cadere!

New Quest Obtained!

Step Eight: Freedom!

With the Relic of Progress returned to you, you now have unfettered access to magic once again. Now all that's left is to break out of the compound you're locked in and get back to your family!

Rewards

5000 Lien, 4 Dexterity, Freedom.

Penalties for Failure

No Money, No Friends, A Return to Captivity, Possibly Death.

The textboxes vanished, revealing Alex, she was smiling at me and, strangely, had tears welling up in her eyes. She looked incredibly happy as she spoke, "...Glad to have you back." I reached out and pulled them into a hug, one they happily returned, "Now we can put an end to this nightmare, together."

I couldn't help but grin, "Yeah, together."

We let go and they stepped back with a grin of her own, "I'll be right with you, even if you can't see me." Then, she turned around and walked forward before vanishing. I stood up while my grin faded to a smile, the weight of the relic was a warm comfort to me.

"Now we can escape this compound and begin making our way to Vacuo."

'Yeah, you'll get to see Vesta after all.'

The door was, of course, locked with more than a few locks on the other side. I channeled some of the Talisman's magic and placed my hand on the door. Magic worked to break the locks, and once they were destroyed the door opened easily.

I stayed low, putting my stealth skills to use for the first time in a while as I stepped outside of my room and looked around.

I was in a building made of stone, with a path on my right and a path on my left. I needed to get my cane first and foremost, as well as my blades if they hadn't discarded them. I knew Orchid was keeping The Long Memory, she had bragged about making it her 'prized possession' more than once.

The trick was finding it. Well, it would have been…

Pivotal Information!

The location of your cane has been tracked and the directions to it have been added to your HUD as pivotal information.

I couldn't help but smirk while reminding myself I needed to buy Alex some drinks after all of this was over. I followed the directions by heading to the right and creeping through the compound, being careful to avoid windows that were letting in too much moonlight. I had no idea why I hadn't heard a single person up to that point, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. At least, not until I had my weapons back. For once I was grateful that Orchid loved taunting me, if she hadn't wanted to do that she might have just gotten rid of my weapons.

As I closed in on the place where my weapons were kept, I found myself ever more grateful for the lack of people, because eventually I discovered that I was being directed to Orchid's bedroom. Indeed, inside the disarmingly normal looking bedroom for someone like her, I found that she had my cane and blades as trophies. I took them and smiled as I felt the familiar weight of The Long Memory and Horizon. I sheathed the serrated blade (luckily she hadn't discarded the sheaths) and held my cane in my right hand and horizon in the left. Then, I made my way out. The pivotal information updated, now providing me with directions to the exit.

When I exited, I found that they were exaggerating when they called it a compound. The building I was in was just one in a small cluster of stone buildings that were walled in with a gate. I had to assume that this place used to be some fort or small town at some point that was abandoned or overrun.

It was empty as well, at least, I thought it was at first.

The main courtyard that led outside held a figure I hadn't expected to see.

Clad in an asymmetrical black blazer, suit jacket, dress pants, and black shoes, he rested his hand on his katana as he looked in my direction. I recognized the outfit as having been his second one from the show.

I stopped a few feet from him and frowned, "Do you consider this awkward in any way?" I brandished my cane and pointed it at him, "To have done to you what you did to Blake? I've heard what she says to you."

Adam gritted his teeth, "Orchid didn't do anything to me, human." He lowered his stance and grasped the hilt of his blade, "I was told to keep watch while the others were away, and now you have two choices. Go back into your cage where you belong and stay there, or I can drag you back there myself."

I scoffed and lowered my own stance, "At least my cage was nicer than the dog house you live in." Then, I leaped forward, attempting to get the first strike in by raising my cane and swinging it down towards him. He unsheathed his katana and slashed it at me in one smooth motion. Our weapons connected, and when they did time seemed to slow down as text overlaid in front of the image of the White Fang symbol.

Adam Taurus

Commander of the White Fang

The Flaming Bull

Time sped back up and we both leapt away from each other. We began walking in a circle, waiting for an opening, Adam having sheathed his sword while keeping a hold of its grip. Adam chuckled, "So you chose the hard way. You would have made a good member of the Fang, were you not a human." He said the world human with great disdain, nothing that I wouldn't expect from him.

I snorted, "And you would have made a good huntsman, a good hero, if you weren't… You know, a manipulative weirdo."

I hadn't expected Adam to be phased by my snide remark, but if I had been I would have been disappointed. Instead, he smiled a twisted smile, "Look who's talking, Ozpin." Then he leapt straight at me, unsheathing his blade and slashing at me. I blocked with my cane and struck out with Horizon, managing to hit his arm.

He responded by firing two rounds of fire dust at me using Blush, the first one connected with my stomach but I managed to deflect the second one with Horizon. Then he swung Wilt at me again, a move I managed to catch with my cane. His blade began to glow red and he released a pulse of energy, causing me to skid back on the gravel beneath us before he leapt forward again, intent on keeping the pressure up.

He swung down at me, an attack I blocked with Horizon before pulsing out a wave of kinetic energy using magic, grinning as he was sent flying back. A taste of his own medicine, I used the opportunity to race towards him myself. I closed in while channeling fire dust into Horizon, slashing outward and sending a wave of it forward, causing Adam to brace himself to tank the hit. I thrust outward with my cane and managed to connect it to his chest, jabbing him several times in quick succession, the final hit sending him skidding back.

Adam wasn't going to let me stay on the offensive forever, though. Instead he growled and slashed out with his blade, sending a wave of red energy out towards me. My body appeared to remain still while blurring into an afterimage of me dodging beneath his slash and the several follow up waves of energy he sent at me. Then I leapt forward and swung my cane at him.

He blocked it with his sword before kicking out and connecting to my stomach, sending me stumbling backward. Then, he threw Wilt towards me, connecting with my chest and only being blocked by my aura. It spun in a circle in the air before retreating back to its master's hands. Adam raced forward and slashed outward from further away, his own afterimage appearing in front of me and completing his attack. I blocked, and then several more afterimages appeared after that I had to move quickly to block before he sent yet another small wave of red energy out at me, causing me to stagger.

I recovered just in time to see him send a wave of fire dust at me. I kicked on my semblance and waved. As the fire dissipated from the cold, I closed the distance between us and struck with Horizon. He blocked my blade, along with the follow up attack I made with The Long Memory, causing me to swear under my breath. I mixed my semblance with ice magic, a blizzard exploding out with the force necessary to push him away from me.

Our arena was now a full on blizzard, the wind whipped and had a chilling bite to it that thankfully didn't bother me. Snow fell in the desert and the ground began to ice over as the flurry formed rings around my body, orbiting me like planetary rings as I sent a blast of ice magic out towards Adam again. He blocked with his blade, but the sheer force and amount of ice and snow that was sent at him sent him flying back until he slammed into the wall of the compound.

I checked my magic and aura, 60/100 for my magic and 150/200 for my aura. Both were ticking down thanks to my fusion of semblance and magic, a potent if expensive combination. Expensive in more ways than one, as Adam recovered and sheathed his katana, I knew he had stored up a great deal of energy from that. Energy that he used to send a massive wave of red energy towards me.

I slammed my cane into the ground and knelt, a green shield forming around me just in time. The blizzard mixed with the dust and cobblestone torn up by the attack prevented either of us from seeing the other, and it hid the outcome of the attack from him. I allowed the shield to fade away and jumped through the blizzard, closing the distance towards him…

Only to be hit by a powerful force that sent me flying backward, I landed on my feet and my eyes widened. I saw Haimon there, his two large blades drawn, he was fully armored and ready for a fight, "Hm. Couldn't handle him on your own, Adam?"

Adam growled, his mask had fallen off in the struggle, revealing his branded visage, "I had it handled. Aren't you supposed to be with the others right now?" He sheathed his blade, keeping his hand on the grip.

Haimon grunted, "Your beloved wished for me to relieve you of guard duty. I see that I got here just in time." He stared at me from underneath his helmet for a few moments, "Let's get him back into his prison and call it a night." I didn't let my eyes widen at that, I still remembered that night when he cut the rope on that elevator. I could have died right there, but I didn't. I tightened my grip on my weapons, trying to keep my hands from shaking. I didn't die that night.

I'm still here.

Both of my adversaries charged forward towards me, I gritted my teeth and reignited my semblance. It mixed with ice magic and created yet another blizzard that I used to bog down the armored knight. The freezing cold would be enough to make his armor uncomfortable, and if I went far enough I could break it, but that would take a lot of energy. Energy I was quickly losing.

Adam was still mostly unimpeded, he reached me first and struck outward with his katana. I intercepted his blow with my cane before pushing his blade up and striking at his chest with Horizon. I managed to connect, then stepped into his guard and delivered another powerful slash to his neck. It connected, only stopped by his aura, before he jumped back.

Haimon finally reached me, charging forward and bringing down one of his greatswords. I couldn't reasonably block it, so instead I stepped to my left and dodged, ducking as he swung the next one horizontally at me, and only being hit when he kicked his leg out. I grunted, but before I could put distance between us Adam closed back in and thrusted forward with Wilt, hitting my chest.

I let out a pulse of energy that pushed both of them back and glanced at my numbers again, breathing heavily from the exertion. 30/100 for my mana, 80/200 for my aura. I wasn't necessarily close to defeat, but I knew that that could change very quickly if I allowed it to. I was going to have to fight with everything I had in an effort to put an end to this sooner.

I gritted my teeth and pressed down on the lever of my cane, the gears beginning to turn. I wasn't going to use all the energy I had, but I needed to use some of it. Using my talisman's remaining mana to fuel the attack I was planning, I pointed my cane at the two of them and sent a concentrated wave of kinetic energy towards them.

I didn't see what happened immediately, but when the dust settled I saw Adam was kneeling down, having been thrown back against the wall again. His aura shimmered and dissipated, which would have been great!

…If it wasn't for the fact that Haimon was standing stock still, as if he hadn't just been hit with a wave of magical force. My eyes widened and I was filled with a small amount of fear as he removed his helmet, his armor was damaged and cracked, yet he seemed fine. He dropped his helmet, "Hm, that was a clever move. Were it not for my semblance, I would have been seriously injured by it."

I had no idea what his semblance was, but I didn't have time to ask. Adam staggered to his feet while Haimon hurried towards me, his emerald green eyes betrayed no emotion as he brought down his weapons towards me. I jumped to the right to avoid them, however once they connected with the ground a pulse of gravity dust erupted and sent me into the wall of a building that was on my left.

"Neve, this isn't going well. I could-"

'No! If you take over when we're so close to complete fusion, you know what will happen! I'll handle this!'

"...Very well."

Adam was coming up on me, so I did the best thing I thought I could do in order to make him less of a pain in the neck. As he swung his blade, I channeled the full might of my semblance and swung my cane at Wilt. The result was the sound of ringing steel as his blade was shattered into a million pieces, causing his eyes to widen. My cane connected with his head and in response he fired a round from Blush, sending me into the wall again before I managed to roll just in time to dodge another attempt to shoot me.

I attached Horizon to my serrated blade and threw said blade at Adam. It connected and allowed me to pull myself closer to him, delivering a strong swing with my cane that caused his aura to break as he staggered back and fell on the ground.

Haimon, who had been approaching while I fought Adam, stabbed out at me, an attack I managed to dodge by rolling to the right, behind him. I recovered, rising to my feet as I stabbed at his arm. I managed to connect with Horizon before he pushed towards me, barreling into me with his massive frame before elbowing me in the jaw, sending me staggering back. My aura read 20/200, in the red.

Haimon took advantage of my staggered state to swing his blades at me, letting out another pulse of gravity so that when they connected with me they sent me flying back at a greater force. I hit the wall of a building parallel to his side of the courtyard and gasped in pain, my aura shimmering and fading away.

I fell to the ground and gasped in pain, starting to lose consciousness and cursing myself for being too weak.

The last thing I saw before my vision faded was Ozma, kneeling next to me and looking down at me in concern.

I gasped and sat up straight and looked around.

I was in a strange forest, a calm lake was reflecting the moon and stars, twinkling with beauty. I looked around, eyes wide, and then I saw him.

Standing a few feet away from me, his hands on our cane in our usual pose, was Ozpin. His eyes were closed and he was looking down at the ground. I wasn't sure what was going on. Was I dead? Was I dying? Was I…

…No, no no no…

Before I could say anything, he spoke, his voice bore a strange mixture of melancholy and resolve, "...I need you to make me a promise, Neve." I staggered to my feet, but before I could say anything, he continued, "I need you to promise me that if I do this, if we do this… The man who I leave behind will do it. He will save Remnant and… look after my daughter for me."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "Oz, I… You don't have to do this. We'll just find another way out! I… I made you a promise!" I meant it with all my heart, "I… I don't want to be a liar again, Oz." My voice was shaky, "And… I don't want you to go." I had gotten used to him, in some strange way his companionship and second opinion offered me great comfort.

Ozpin didn't look at me, "...Neve. If we don't win this fight, I have no doubt we will not see another chance to escape until well after the attack on Vacuo. By then, our fusion might be complete anyway. I… We need to save our daughter, and everyone. So, I ask you, Neve… If you were able to take another step, could you do it?"

Finally, he raised his gaze and met mine, "Could you save Remnant?"

The sinking feeling in my heart told me that there was no way out of this without going through with what he had planned. My voice was breaking up with sadness when I spoke, "...I can't, but… We can. He could."

I blinked and Oz wasn't there. I looked around and finally, I noticed what the body of water truly was.

It was the reflecting pool.

Looking back at me was Ozpin, my own reflection spoke to me, "Then… submerge yourself. Allow the emerald curtain to rise and reveal the man, the hero, behind it." I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut, fear had a vice grip on me. I had no idea what completing the fusion so abruptly would do to our psyches, but I knew that things would be different. Yet… We had no choice. I started to walk into the water, and kept going…

…Until I was completely submerged.

We woke with a gasp, a rush of energy flowed through our body.

Host Fusion Complete! Welcome…

Neve Ozma Cadere!

We still felt each other, for a few moments. As our aura flared and we began to stand, we spoke, our voices layered, "...This is not how our story ends." We directed our gaze to Haimon, who's eyes were wide with shock, "You will not end our journey!" Our Aura and MP refueled, we made our move.

A blast of snow and ice shot from the Relic of Progress and our hands, the force of the attack so powerful that even Haimon couldn't withstand it, being pushed back against the wall closest to him. Then, we leapt forward and stabbed outward with our cane, jabbing into his chest and releasing a pulse of kinetic energy so powerful it caused his armor to shatter and for the wall to break, sending him flying into the building.

We raised our hand and brought it down, a powerful wind blowing with such force that it caused the stone building to collapse in on itself, and just like that, Haimon offered no more resistance. Was he dead? Was he unconscious? We didn't know, nor did we have the desire to check at that moment.

We, or I, looked around. My mind was confused and the abrupt completion of the fusion caused several of my memories to collide into one another in a mess of my different lives. Our abrupt powerful attacks had drawn not just on the talisman but on our own magical reserves, and now in spite of being physically healthy, I felt incredibly exhausted.

I started to stagger towards the exit, the red haired man was laying on the ground, seemingly unmoving. I remembered the names of several loves that I had gained over my thousands of years, "Elizabeth, Ivy, Alex… Glynda, Cinder… I'm coming home."

The new me made it out of the compound, "M-My daughters… Where…" I felt tears welling up and spilling out, "Where did they go… Salem… Salem she…" I remembered the destruction of the Kingdom of Everday, the kingdom Salem and I ruled over by pretending to be gods.

My mind's eye was filled with the image of a more recent pair of family members, "Vesta, Shi… I'm coming home… I'll… I'll be there… soon." I made it a few feet into the sand before I collapsed face first. In spite of the new fusion's strength being restored, the sudden shock and trauma caused by the abrupt completion caused immense fatigue.

Fatigue that soon left me in the darkness.

(The following is not part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

The deserts of Vacuo were silent, save for the howling of wind and the movement of feet on cobblestone.

Adam Taurus stood back up and, wielding what remained of his blade, fully intended to finish the job. He didn't care if Orchid would be mad at him, the man he and Haimon had just fought had crossed him in such a way that he couldn't suffer him to live anymore. He took several slow, calculated steps towards where Neve had fallen, fully prepared to end it all.

He made it out of the compound and drew closer to the collapsed form of his enemy. He raised his blade…

CRACK

Only for a shot to ring out and shatter the silence. A dust round slammed into Adam's chest, causing him to stop and gasp in pain. He looked down at where it had hit him and muttered, "...Oh."

CRACK

A bullet connected with his head and caused it to explode, blood coated the dunes as his body collapsed to the ground.

Two figures stood some distance away, standing atop a particularly tall dune. Only one of them held their weapon.

The figure was wearing an emerald green cloak that covered all of their body, hiding their clothes, a hood hiding their face from view. They were holding a rifle that was embellished in a floral pattern, gunmetal gray with the embellishments black against the shining body of the weapon. It had a large knuckle guard that reached down the bottom of the rifle, just behind the trigger. The figure pressed on it and the weapon shifted into a walking cane, the metal retracting and shifting to reveal its gray-black body.

They were not alone, and the next figure's body wasn't hidden underneath a cloak. He was a fair-skinned young man, standing around 5'10''. He had windswept dark red spiky hair and bright silver eyes. He wore a white shirt, black pants, combat boots, and a red fur-collared bomber jacket. He had a sheath tied to his right thigh. His most notable feature was a pair of white snow owl wings that were folded up behind him.

The cloaked figure spoke, their voice revealing them to be a woman with an equally womanly voice that was filled with concern, "That's him! It has to be!" She raced forward, retracting her cane and sticking it to her side within the cloak.

The wind blew back her hood, revealing silver eyes filled with concern and platinum blonde hair that reached her upper back. The rest of her cloak billowed behind her, revealing her white blouse, long emerald green slit-skirt, a pair of dark blue stockings, and a pair of black combat boots.

When she reached Neve, she knelt down and turned him over. He had his cane clutched within his hand, and that was all she needed to see. She took hold of him and pulled his unconscious form into a tight hug as she squeezed her eyes shut, "It is! W-We need to get him back to Vacuo, quickly!"

The boy with owl wings bore a worried frown, "D-Do you think he's…?"

Tears began to stream down the girl's face, "I-I don't know, b-but, even if it's finished…"

"...My father is still here, he has to be."

Author's Notes

I'm going to address a concern I've heard voiced, but if you're worried that Neve is suddenly not going to be himself anymore, don't be. I'm not going to delete his character and replace him with Ozma, and his behavior towards the end is due to, as the story says, the abruptness of the fusion. I would say he's 33% Oz and 80% Neve, at this point. So don't worry about him losing development or something like that, I wouldn't do that to a character I've spent so long building up.