The initial part of my flight in the direction of the escaping villagers wasn't a worry, I managed to find them fairly quickly.

The villagers along with Vesta, Gray, and Damian were all elated to see me as I touched down in front of them. Their elation started to mix with concern as they saw I was carrying Shi, so I abated their worries by smiling warmly, "Don't worry. She over-exerted herself, that's all. She should be back at it after she's had some rest."

One of the village people, a woman, asked, "Are you her father?" When I nodded, there were murmurs of confusion before I specified that she was adopted. After that, the woman said, "You're a very kind man. The mothers of the village can take turns carrying her until she wakes up, it's the least we can do for our savior."

I was happy to accept, considering that my arms were getting tired. So, I handed her off to the woman and then started leading the pack of villagers along with the other three Huntsmen-in-training.

…Was I a Huntsman-in-training anymore? I was fairly certain once I talked to Theodore, it would be trivial to get elevated to a full Huntsman. Classes had likely already started again back at Beacon, and there was no doubt in my mind that Teams RWBY, CALM, and JNPR missing so much would be a problem. I'd like to think we'd proven our mettle as Hunters, not to mention what I had going for me at this point.

I contemplated this while we walked, right up until I was pulled out of my thoughts by Vesta, "Neve, er… Dad? What's the plan when we get everyone to Vacuo?" It was a valid question, and concern, if the tone of her voice was anything to be believed.

I hummed, "I'll talk to Theodore and get them setup with the supplies they need to return to their normal lifestyle, should they wish to, however, I'll advise them that it might be more prudent to wait until the Grimm activity diminishes. There's a storm approaching and the best thing most anyone could do is hunker down and prepare themselves."

Vesta nodded, "That sounds smart." She looked ahead, "We've had our own share of troubles here in Vacuo, even before this whole mess with the Grimm. There was this organization known as the Crown that was hell bent on restoring the Vacuan monarchy, and they were no pushovers."

The Crown! How could I forget about them? It sounded like they were already gone, at least, "I see. What happened to them?"

When I asked that question, Vesta and Damian's faces grew mournful. They were silent for a moment before Vesta began to explain, her voice soft and distant, "Well, we did. Our teammates Peregrine and Rook along with us. The Crown had the ability to control people's minds, binding them to their service. We set out to stop them on our own, two years ago now."

Damian picked up, "It took a lot of work but eventually we tracked them down, but… We let our guard down and Rook was enslaved, made to attack Peregrine. The two of them were… well, they were in love. She won the fight and killed the one controlling him in the process, but… Rook died. After that, Peregrine went on a rampage. She… Well, she killed the person who claimed to be the rightful Queen and saw the people that followed her of their own free will either imprisoned or, if they had preferred death, killed."

Vesta finished the story, "After that, Peregrine left and started to wander. I don't know what she got up to, nor where she is now, but… Things were never really the same for her. I hear she's moved on—gotten a girlfriend—at least apparently she had last time we talked to her." She sighed, "I hope she's okay."

…I hadn't thought about Peregrine in awhile, which made me feel awful. We were kindred spirits, literally and figuratively, but we took very different paths in this life we'd been given, it seemed. I hoped I would be able to see her again eventually, wherever she was.

The topic shifted and Vesta asked, "So… You've been busy, huh? Did Shi come around before or after the initial… happening? What's it been like for you?" She seemed incredibly curious, which was understandable. Vesta didn't exactly know anything about me, even if I was her dad now. I've never quite been able to fully get over how weird that is.

So, I answered as best I could, "Before. I saved her from some slavers and got her home. I had taken to training her, at her own request, then her parents died during the Battle for Beacon." I frowned and lowered my gaze in mourning for a moment, "I felt it was the right thing to do. To adopt her and raise her as my own." There was more to it than that. I wasn't so selfless, I also did it because she reminded me of my sister, "She's been through a lot, but… she's got great potential. I just wish she didn't have to get put through hell just to see it realized."

I had a lot on my mind about Shi, so I kept talking, "She's going to be an amazing Huntress one day, and I fully intend to sign her up for Signal Academy in a year, once she turns twelve. After that? Well…" I hummed, "She's got a very powerful semblance, although it seems to harm her whenever she uses it, so she'll need to learn caution, something she lacks right now. She… had to grow up way too fast, and I think that's part of the reason why she's in such a rush, because in her mind, the sooner this is all over, the sooner things can be normal."

Vesta regarded me for a moment before asking, "And… will things ever be normal again? It seems that things are getting stranger every day: The Grimm, the people, everything." She gestured widely with her arms to make her point, "It feels like everything is changing."

I understood what she was talking about, even with all the work I've done keeping the academies from falling and protecting the relics from Salem's hands, things were still changing. The wicked witch would keep making her moves until she was completely rebuffed, and even then she'd just wait another century before coming back again. That is something I can't allow.

Before that, though, there was a lot of work to do. I smiled as I looked up at the sky, the stars on full display due to the lack of artificial light, "Everything is changing, and though the waters may be unrelenting and harsh, the path we take rife with challenge, I believe the end result will be better for us all. Nothing good can come without change, and though not everything will work out in our favor, and sacrifices will have to be made, I think that it will be well worth the cost."

The others were silent for a few moments, so I looked to see what they were doing and… they were staring at me? Vesta and Damian both seemed a bit shocked, causing me to furrow my brow in confusion. Vesta blinked a few times then looked away, smiling, "He really is part of you."

I stared at her for a moment before nodding my head and smirking, "Yeah… he is."

Silence fell over us as we continued to walk. Eventually, I spotted the first of the familiar faces. It also happened to be the one I was hoping to see the most right now. Cinder was standing over the body of what I recognized to be the Hound, panting heavily while staring down at it.

She was so focused on it she didn't even notice us approaching. We came to a stop and I took a step forward, "Cinder." Suddenly she whirled around, her beautiful amber eyes widened and began to tear up. I opened my arms, "What took you so long?"

In a flash she was in front of me and wrapped her arms around me, "Neve, you're okay!" I'd never heard her so excited before, although she was quick to get it under control as she squeezed me, "Never do that again, getting captured all for the sake of finding out that bitch's plan. We were worried sick." Then, she pulled away slightly and looked me over, "I see your outfit didn't survive. Luckily, I made you a new one in anticipation of this, and…" She looked at the beard on my face, "You're going to shave."

That elicited a laugh not just from me, but from the whole caravan. I grinned at her, "I missed you too, Cinder. Love you dear." I smooched her cheek and she muttered a complaint about my face being too scratchy. I let her go and then looked towards the woman carrying Shi, "The village folk have offered to take turns carrying her to Vacuo for us. Don't worry, she's not hurt, she just… unlocked her semblance and overused it."

Cinder looked shocked, "She unlocked her semblance? How? What is it?" She was clearly incredibly curious.

As our group continued on, I began to explain, my grin fading to a smile, "We were attacked by a Wyvern, and I was prepared to fight it on my own. It got a couple lucky hits on me, but before it could do any serious damage, Shi arrived and intervened." My smile was tinged with melancholy, "I promised I would keep her safe, and there she was trying to save me." I laughed softly, "She shouldn't have felt the need to do that, but, at the same time… I knew in my heart that she would, that if anyone got to me first it'd be either her, you, or both."

Then, I moved on to explaining what her semblance is, "It seems to be Thermokinesis, and very powerful Thermokinesis at that. It may even be the creation of new heat and cold, for all we know. Half of her body can heat things up and control fire, the other half freezes things and creates ice. It looked like when she was using it she had to increase both sides to use one to maximum effect, but I don't know if it will always work like that. It's… incredibly powerful." The memory of the Wyvern's corpse impaled on a giant glacier was still fresh in my mind, "And you know something, Cinder?"

She was already watching me curiously, so I explained, "Her eyes change color on each side. One turns to a glowing amber and the other turns ice blue." The look of shock on her face was something I wish I could have taken a picture of, "Yeah. I always knew she viewed us in high regard, but to the point that her very soul would manifest what equates to a combination of our semblances?" I grinned and looked forward, "It's… shocking, to say the least, and very heartwarming."

Cinder looked down, "Yes… yes it is." She looked like she had a lot on her mind, but typical to her, she wasn't going to express it in public. Instead, we just turned our focus back on the path and kept going.

The next group we met with was another filled with people I couldn't wait to see again. It took awhile to get there, but it seemed they were already making their way towards the direction of the camp anyway. I saw my team again for the first time and grinned, seeing the rest of my team filled me with unrepentant joy. Emerald and Mercury were there too, hanging back with smiles on their faces.

They looked tired.

Violet was holding Suncutter at her side, Lunus was still carrying Selene, and Jeanne had Alba Mors in her hands as well, although the second they saw me their eyes widened. Lunus and Jeanne put their weapons away, while Violet just outright dropped hers. They all raced over to me and I realized they were not slowing down, so I held up my hands and waved, trying to get them to slow down, "Guys, guys! I-"

All three of them (even Lunus, uncharacteristically enough) tackled me to the ground and yelled, "Neve, you're back!" in almost perfect sync. Being caught in a tight group hug like that, there wasn't much I could do. Violet said through tears, "You're such an idiot, you know that? What are we supposed to do without our leader?"

Jeanne, sniffling and blubbering in a manner I would call exaggerated if it weren't Jeanne, agreed, "Yeah! Do you have any idea how weird it's been?! It's like missing a puzzle piece, it just doesn't work!" That analogy was all too familiar, a feeling I knew well, and yet I still had trouble completely wrapping my head around just how much they cared, "Don't do that again!"

Lunus was the one who got the others off me and helped me up before he properly hugged me, "Good to see you man. Things haven't been easy without you around calling the shots." He chuckled, "We just kind of went along with whatever Cinder said, none of us are good leaders."

I returned the hug, "Good to see you again, Lunus." Then, we let go of each other and I shared a hug with Jeanne, I spoke softly, "Come on, Jeanne, stop crying, I'm right here!" She hid her face in my shirt as she sniffled, so I started rubbing her back, "It's alright."

Jeanne sniffled, "I know! That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to cry, you've been gone for so long!" She took a deep breath, "It's good to have you back." She let go of me and stepped back with a smile on her face, eyes red and face stained with tears.

I grinned at her reassuringly, "Tis good to be back." Then the moment I turned around I was wrapped into another hug, complete with a raccoon tail wrapping around me as Violet buried her face in my shirt. I just smiled warmly and said, "Hey, Violet." before I returned the hug.

She wasn't crying as hard as Jeanne was, but I knew she was the type of girl who bottled things up, "When you said you'd be gone, we thought maybe a month tops. You're not supposed to be the one in danger, y'know? You're the one who saves others, saves… us." She sounded hesitant, like 'us' wasn't the word she really wanted to use, "Never, ever, do that again. My heart couldn't take it."

There was only really one thing I could say, "I'll try my best." It wasn't a promise, but I couldn't in good conscience offer that promise without knowing what else might come next.

After that we started to travel again, Team CALM once again reunified and ready to keep going. Violet picked up her weapon along the way and sheathed it on her back as we passed by where she dropped it. No doubt the nomads felt safer with a growing number of Hunters around to protect them, and that number would only grow. Violet said, "I'd ask you what happened, but… I think we can save that story for when you're back in Vacuo. Roman Torchwick's been letting us stay at one of his places."

That was both surprising and not surprising at all, I nodded, "I'll have to thank him when we get back." I looked down at my feet, "And get some shoes." I'd been going this whole time without any shoes and honestly I was a bit tired of it, "At least aura stops me from hurting my feet." That was when Aura herself appeared, although downsized to be 'just' seven feet tall instead of ten. She patted my back and gave me a thumbs up, causing me to grin, "Thanks, Aura."

The team and Cinder started to catch me up on everything that I had missed. They had been following Orchid and her crew all the way here, and thankfully they didn't run into any serious obstacles. Team JNPR along with Caine and Ozza were in Atlas, apparently working to help ensure Atlas would come to the aid of Vacuo if and when the attack happened. That made me realize I was going to have to talk to General Ironwood and Theodore both once I got back, good thing the CCTS was still functional.

Team RWBY was the next group we met with; they and everyone else had apparently been fighting large swathes of Grimm that were trying to stop them from reaching me. I was just grateful that everyone was okay– exhausted and sore, but okay nonetheless. I shared a hug with Ruby and Yang easily, with them stating they were happy to see me okay, followed by Weiss, and then…

Blake and I stared at each other for a few moments. She was easily the best friend I had on Team RWBY, not that I'm not friends with the others—I am—but she and I had been training partners for months before she vanished so suddenly. I smiled and stepped forward, pulling her into a hug, "It's good to have my training partner back, Blake. I hope you haven't been slacking."

Blake's uncovered ears folded down slightly, "I haven't. I'm sorry for running off after the Battle for Beacon. I-"

I interrupted her, "Had things to take care of back in Menagerie, don't worry, I had a feeling." She looked surprised before I grinned, "Are you forgetting who you're talking to?"

She just smiled as the surprise faded, "Yeah, I shouldn't have been surprised." She let go and together all of us continued, we weren't that far from Vacuo at this point. It had been hours, the sun was starting to come up, and I knew Shi would probably wake up a bit later, she was clearly very spent. It was at this point that I gave Shi's scythe to Ruby so that the weapons expert could safeguard it until Shi woke up.

It was clear that everyone had a lot of questions, and I knew what they pertained to, but they would have to wait until after we were all back in Vacuo in that home that Roman had offered us. Luckily, Vacuo wasn't that far away, and apparently we were expected.

Standing at the gates with his arms crossed was a man with dark, close cut hair that is almost shaved off. He wore a checkered vest that showed off his wiry thin frame, but he still had very obvious muscle. He was damn near chiseled, it kind of made me jealous if I'm being honest.

He was wearing an ankle length gray-blue cape that reminded me of an overcast sky clasped onto his shoulders with a silver chain, a silver belt with a round buckle, matching boots, and bright white slacks with deep pockets. Finally, he was wearing red gloves that were decorated in dust crystals.

Theodore grinned at the approaching group, "I knew you'd all make it back safe! I could hardly believe my ears when I heard you were really here." He looked at me, "It's good to see you again, old friend. Although… I guess young friend, now." He smirked.

There were three people around him, on his left was Qrow with a smile on his face. He had apparently been busy taking care of a Grimm incursion that sprung up around the same time as when the others got news about me. Standing behind him was Peregrine, wearing a small smile on her face with her arms crossed.

The last person was one I felt I should recognize, in spite of them being a total stranger.

She is a moderately tall and… well filled out woman. She looked like she was middle-aged but clearly the years had been good to her. Her fairly long hair is blue, matching her deep blue eyes. She was wearing a dull gold cloak with a turquoise under color, she was also wearing brown combat boots, her pants had a baby blue design on the right leg that looked like a fractal pattern, akin to snowflakes, on her left leg was a red and green design, a floral pattern of thorny vines going all the way down to her boots with roses dotting along the way.

At the end of her short sleeved blouse I could spot an undershirt with sleeves that held the same floral pattern as her left leg, albeit with leaves instead of thorns dotted in deep purple belladonna lilies along her right arm, bright yellow sunflowers went along her left.

I could also see earrings made of gold with blue gems in them, which felt strangely familiar to me once again. Her arms were crossed as she smiled, "So you're the group that my dear Cobalt told me so much about over the scroll." Her smile turned into a grin, "Name's Aurum Lazuli, you can just call me Aurum. Nice to finally meet you all."

I recalled Cobalt mentioning he had an aunt but I hadn't expected to meet her here and I hadn't expected her to look so… that. I nodded to Theodore, "It's a bit different, but we can talk about that later." Then I looked at Aurum and stepped forward, holding out my hand, "Cobalt mentioned you before…" Then I recalled some further memories and smiled, "The work you've done is highly appreciated by everyone. Vacuo is much safer with skilled Hunters on standby."

Aurum glanced down and seemed to stare at the Relic of Progress for a moment, which just made me raise an eyebrow. She pulled me into a hug, "Interesting necklace." She muttered.

My eyes widened for a brief moment before I returned the hug, "Interesting earrings." I knew exactly what she was referring to, and it seemed that she had me marked right away.

Aurum responded, "Let's not make things Inbetween us complicated, eh?"

I smiled as we separated, "Sounds good to me." I played off the interaction while the others looked puzzled. I was already changing my attention to Theodore, "I appreciate the welcome wagon, Theodore, but I think everyone here is exhausted, as am I. How about we meet again tomorrow?"

Theodore nodded, "I mostly just wanted to be here to see your arrival, we can talk business after you've had a day to rest. You guys, nomads, come with me, we'll get you sorted out." He turned and waved before heading back into the city. The nomads followed him, handing Shi off to me while each passed their gratitude to us. Aurum, too, went back into the city. The woman was strange, very strange, but I wasn't going to pretend to know everything about the Inbetween.

Hers was perhaps a story for another day, and not mine to tell besides.

We started into the city, with Qrow saying, "Good to see you again, kid." He smirked, "You're tougher than you look, although the beard does add a few points." I rolled my eyes and chuckled. There was no way anyone could know that I had help in my corner, the only person who might learn was Cinder, because she already knew of my unique circumstances.

Peregrine, who was currently walking hand in hand with Jeanne, agreed, "I'll admit, I was worried." Then she added, "We'll have to catch up at some point, although it'll have to be later. I came here when I heard you were missing but by the time I got here the others were already on their way to get you. Now that I know you're safe I'll need to head back to Atlas, I've got some business to take care of there."

Jeanne seemed disappointed, which was understandable, but Peregrine was a busy woman and no doubt had her own things to worry about. I was in agreement with her, "Maybe after I get things squared away over here I'll head to Atlas, depending on how things go. We'll catch up then." Peregrine then added, "Vesta, Damian," she looked at her teammates and smiled, "We'll catch up too, I missed you guys."

The Vacuo house looked nice and well put together, certainly big enough for all of us, which was good. Qrow and Peregrine had to leave for business, leaving me with… well, everyone else. Cinder carried Shi upstairs to her room so she could get some proper rest for a bit, which was good because it meant I could talk to her more privately about everything.

For now, everyone gathered in the living room, which was large. All of the floors were made of stone that felt rather warm, meaning it was likely infused with dust of some kind to keep it warm in spite of the cold nights. There were three couches in the middle of the room, all in an incomplete square around a coffee table with a couple armchairs on either side of the incomplete square's entrance. There was a Holo-TV on the wall, and overall the place looked fairly wealthy.

Everyone else took their seats while I stayed standing, taking out my cane and resting in my usual pose with it. This situation reminded me of the night I talked to them about letting Orchid capture me in the first place, and that felt so, so long ago now. I spoke warmly, "It's good to be back. Thank you, all of you. If it weren't for all of you, I would no doubt still be in their grasp, or dead."

Everyone seemed happy to have me back, although there was a jade elephant in the room to talk about. Violet was the one to ask, she looked incredibly nervous, "Is the fusion… still going, or?"

Suddenly their moods shifted and I understood why. I nodded slowly, "I am still me, Neve, but Ozpin is no longer present as a separate person. He's part of me now." I raised my right hand and placed it over my heart, "With our souls fused I have much greater access to magic than I ever did before, along with his thousands of years of memories and experience, it pains me to say that this might be a good thing." I looked away, "I miss him, I do, but he knew what he was doing. We were in a fight, and it was desperate. I was trying to fight Adam Taurus and Haimon Nikos. They almost got the upper hand, but he didn't let them."

Blake seemed surprised, "Is Adam…?"

Vesta answered her question, "He's dead. He was getting ready to kill Dad so I shot him in the head. His aura was gone, so it went right through him."

Jeanne groaned and rubbed her face with her hands, "It's so weird that you call him Dad, it's so weeiirdd!" She sighed, "I know Neve is technically your dad, but it's still so strange."

That got me to snicker while Vesta just laughed. Blake seemed conflicted with the news on Adam's passing, and of course I knew why. She remembered when he wasn't a psychopath, and when he wasn't under Orchid's thumb. Now he was gone, and we could all agree that was for the best, but she no doubt didn't feel like celebrating it. I continued, "I don't know whether Haimon is alive or dead, so I'm going to say we continue to operate as if he's alive so we don't get blindsided."

I started to pace, "There's more, as well. I had heard talk while I was imprisoned about plans for an attack on Vacuo." This was news nobody was surprised to hear, although it still weighed heavily on all of us, "We need to help bolster the city's defenses and prepare. Orchid is the Summer Maiden, there's no doubt in my mind she will try to take the Relic of Destruction." Memory of the vision I saw flashed in my mind, "We need to do everything in our power to make sure it never leaves its vault in Shade. To that end, we'll be working closely with Theodore in the coming weeks. We will have to dig our heels in and prepare for everything."

I stopped pacing and smiled, "What that means for right now, though," I cast my gaze across everyone, "is that if nothing else, we have some time to prepare and time to catch our breath. I recommend that all of you try to rest, or sleep if you wish; you've been up all night after all." I grinned, "Tomorrow we'll be back in action. Again… Thank you all. I wish there was more I could do to really show how much it means to have all of you by my side."

Yang was the one to make a quip, "Thank us by not getting captured like that again." She smirked, "I'm going to need your help mastering my new powers after all." I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised that Raven gave Yang her powers, it certainly worked out in our favor.

Everyone separated after that, either going to get sleep or going to try and find a way to not sleep, depending on who they were. Me? Well, I had my own things to do. I was heading upstairs when Cinder stepped outside of Shi's room, having just finished making sure the girl wasn't hurt. When Cinder saw me she wordlessly grabbed my hand and dragged me off towards her room.

Once we got there, she shut the door behind her. Her bedroom was pretty standard. The bed was twin-sized, and there were curtains that were drawn shut, a desk against the wall opposite to the bed, and a wardrobe. She wrapped me in a tight hug and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't have to say anything for me to know why she wanted to come here, because she didn't want anyone to see her crying. The sniffling she was doing led me to believe she was doing just that.

I wrapped my arms around her and whispered, "It's okay, Cinder. I'm back. I'm still me." I whispered, "I still love you, don't worry about that." I had a feeling she might have been a bit worried about what would happen when the fusion completed, if I would suddenly drop her because Ozpin loved Glynda.

However, I love Cinder, I always will, and while thinking of Glynda is strange for me, it's not love. She's still, in my mind, just my teacher, and thank God for that, honestly. I don't want to know what it would have been like if my opinions on people like Glynda changed completely overnight.

She let out a sigh of relief and I knew that she had been worrying about it, "Thank the Brothers… I was afraid I'd lose you." She took my hand and guided me over to sit on the bed so we could keep talking. She leaned into me, "But you're here now and I never want to risk losing you again. I know the work we do is dangerous, I know that death could be around every corner, but… I still hate to imagine it. If something were to happen to you I would burn down Evernight myself."

I wrapped my arms around her and closed my eyes, leaning against the wall behind me, "If she did anything to you, I would be burning it down myself." The Relic of Progress felt heavy on my neck and I just hoped that what Jinn showed me wouldn't come to pass, yet it was looking more and more likely that it would. She couldn't predict the future, but she could show me how to do what I needed to do.

I just didn't like the answer I received.

Cinder moved to kiss me, pressing her lips against mine, and I reciprocated. She leaned into me, pressing my back against the wall in the process. Her kiss was hungry, desperate for what she'd not had in a long time, what I hadn't had in a long time, love. I couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of my heart. After a few moments, we both pulled away and smiled at each other.

I felt there was a lot I needed to say, so I started speaking softly, "When I was trapped in that hellhole, you were constantly on my mind." I reached up and ran a hand across her cheek before leaving it there while she stared at me with a soft smile, "All I wanted while I was there was to be back with everyone, but you most of all. Life just isn't the same without you, Cinder." I smiled, "We have our ups and downs, no doubt about it, but… If I was sent back in time to the moment I first arrived, I would go to work at the Changing Seasons every time. I would work as hard as I needed to in order to show you that I love you."

She was starting to tear up, and my smile grew a bit sadder, "One day… This journey of ours will end." I took a deep, shaky breath, "I don't know how, but… I know that if something happens to me, that you'll take care of Shi and you'll never, ever give up." She was crying now as she buried her face in my shirt. I whispered, "There might come a time when all of this is just a distant memory, and maybe I will be too. The first day we met already feels so far away… But no matter how far away the memory gets, I hope you'll always hold what we've been through in your heart."

Finally, Cinder sobbed, "Don't talk like that… You make it sound like you could die." She knew I could, but that didn't make it any easier, "When all of this is done, we'll be together, and we'll see Shi off to school together. We'll see her graduate together, and maybe…" She looked up at me, her face stained with tears, "...Maybe there'll be another, a little boy or girl with my eyes and our hair color, your damn selflessness and my pride…"

Her own voice was hushed, as if she were telling a secret, "They would grow up surrounded by family and friends, people who truly care about them. They will never want for the things I wanted for, they will live a life free of strife with the ability to choose where they want to go."

She closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder, "Then, maybe Shi will read them our story, and maybe what happened these years will never, ever leave memory. Even when we've left Remnant, and the name Salem is told as just a fairy tale to scare children into behaving, even then. That's my hope, my wish… All I want as my reward for what we've gone through… Nothing more."

I knew full well that maybe what she wanted wouldn't come to pass, but maybe it would. Maybe these words that I'm committing to memory really will live on that far. If that is the case, if someday Shi is reading this, or Cinder and I's child, or… anyone. I hope it finds you well, and please never stop trying. If you get one thing from this book, then let it be that.

We held each other and sat in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. There was a lot that we felt that we just couldn't put into words, how much we missed each other and how happy we were to be together again, the relief, the hope… It was all there.

And we shared it, we lived it, until eventually we both found ourselves falling asleep.

By the time I woke up it was dark outside. I realized that I had probably slept clear through the entire day, but I didn't mind, I needed that rest.

Cinder was still sleeping, so I moved carefully. Thankfully at this point slipping away and getting her to lay down wasn't difficult. She knew that I'd likely be up first, I was sure, and while I would have stayed there normally, at that moment there was someone else I needed to see.

The other most important girl in my life right now.

When I stepped out of the room, I saw most of the doors were closed and the lights were off. Only one had the lights on, and it was cracked open a little bit. I could hear Shi inside, humming to herself while she seemed to be fiddling with her weapon. I pushed open the door and asked, "Hey, sleep well?" with a smile on my face. She was, indeed, sitting on her bed, still in her traveling outfit, tuning her scythe.

She didn't even wait for me to close the door, she moved her weapon off of her lap and bolted at me with all the speed of a ten year old with an aura and wrapped me in a tight hug. I laughed, "Shi, let me get in the door first." I was able to move us a few paces forward just so I could close the door and then I returned her hug, "You've been busy, haven't you?"

Shi responded without speaking, "Mhm." She hugged me tightly, and I could feel that she had gotten physically stronger than she used to be, "I've been training every day, 'cause I wanted to make sure I was strong enough to get you back. Auntie Ruby and Uncle Qrow have been teaching me how to use Theta, that's my weapon."

I nodded and knelt down so we were eye to eye, not unlike when I first met her. Indeed, the girl I saw now was very different from the girl I knew back then.

"Mister? Am I gonna go home?"

Far from the scared and shivering girl in the tattered dress, in the span of two years she had changed so much, and I knew she would change even more. I smiled, "You've been overextending yourself, haven't you? Working too hard." Shi at least looked sheepish as she was called out.

"I'm gonna be a hero like you one day! Then I'll be keeping you safe! That's a promise!"

I gave her a hug again and spoke softly, "Once you told me you were going to be a hero, didn't you?" She hummed in agreement and I chuckled, "Well I think that's a little silly…" I let her hang onto that for a moment before I said, "You're already a hero to me, Shi. You're on your way to becoming an amazing Huntress, and when you go to Signal some day, you'll show them what you're made of. I'm very proud of you."

Shi pulled back enough to stare at me in shock, "Do you really mean it?" I nodded and she beamed a bright grin at me, "Thanks Dad!" She let go and stepped back, "Wanna see Theta? She's super cool!" She? Ruby was rubbing off on this girl, one might say too much. Still, I nodded and stood up before following her over to where Theta lay.

It was still the same scythe as before, of course, a black mechanical body with gray accents. She picked it up and shifted it, turning the weapon into a gunblade, "I didn't wanna stop using the gunblade Auntie Ruby made me, so she found a way to repurpose the old one!" Finally, she shifted it into a sniper-rifle, one that was much more slender than Crescent Rose's sniper form, "It's also a gun! Auntie Ruby said it used… fifty-caliber rounds? She said the bullets are big, so I should only fire it when laying on my stomach or when the bipod is on something so I don't hurt myself."

That slippery little…

I wasn't going to get rid of it now that she had it, but I was certainly going to lecture Ruby about giving Shi a weapon she couldn't handle yet. Since she was teaching her how to use it as well, I supposed I would go a bit easy on her, she was at least being responsible.

Well, as responsible as you could get, giving a ten, soon to be eleven, year old a high-caliber sniper-rifle.

I spoke as she began setting Theta back down, "It's a very elegant weapon. Similar to Crescent Rose and Harbinger but different enough to be its own thing." I smiled, "I know you've got the dedication to stick with it, if you really want to." I hummed, "I'm going to need to get back to training you, it's been too long." I walked over to her bed and sat down, "So, Shi… How have you been feeling?"

Shi folded Theta and sat next to me, "I'm doing good!" She smiled, but I could tell she was hiding sadness beneath it. Sadness, worry, so many emotions that someone her age didn't need to be feeling.

I frowned softly at her, "What'd I tell you about lying, Shi Cadere?" I adjusted slightly so I was looking at her completely.

Shi sighed and looked down, "Don't do it." I nodded and she looked away, "It's been really hard." She looked back at me, and somehow the fact that light seemed to disappear into her irises made her look all the sadder, the only glint I could see was square in the middle, punctuated by the glistening of tears that were welling up, "I kept asking when we'd get you back but nobody had an answer. Eventually I stopped because I knew what the answer would be."

She wrung her hands as she continued, "It was so… frustrating, because they almost never told me anything because they thought I couldn't handle it." She stared at her hands, "She's only ten! She doesn't need to know, if she does she'll cry and get really depressed." Slowly, she formed fists and clenched them tightly, "As if it's not my dad that's missing!" I'd never heard Shi this angry before, just how much was she holding back? Admittedly, I felt guilty for doing the same thing to her.

Still, I didn't interrupt her, "Well I heard everything they said! My ears are really good, y'know!" The red panda ears atop her head twitched as if to emphasize her point, "And you know something?" She stood up but remained looking away, "I never said anything! I could have, but I didn't! 'Cause I knew we had more important things to worry about! I wasn't gonna stop until I got you back, and I wasn't gonna do anything to make it harder on anyone. They think I'm just a kid, that I can't handle any of this!"

She deflated slightly, "...I know I'm a kid. I can handle it, though…" She sat back down and looked at her hands again, her right hand had small embers dancing around in it while her left hand had visible icy mist swirling in it. Her right eye had changed color to maroon while her left had changed to a deep blue, "I have my semblance, I… sort of know how it works, but I don't know everything about it." She closed her hands and her eyes faded back to normal, "Doesn't the fact that I'm here, that I'm fighting and training super hard, mean anything?"

After a heavy sigh she squeezed her eyes shut and sniffled, "I just want to help you guys save everyone so we can go back to having a normal life. Is that too much to ask for? I just want to go back to Patch with you guys so we can be happy and we don't need to worry about stupid evil people with their stupid plans to end the world."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug, one she reciprocated immediately. I spoke softly as I rubbed her back, "There's nothing wrong with wanting this to be over, we all do. It's true, you're still young, but what you want is a very grown-up thing." I looked up at the ceiling for a moment as I recalled those earliest days once again, "When we first met, you told me you would become a hero, a Huntress, and you know what?" I chuckled, "I believed you, I still do, but…"

I closed my eyes, "I wanted you to live a normal childhood, I didn't want you to have to experience the things you have. You're already far more grown up than most your age, and that's not necessarily an entirely good thing. It means you can handle tough situations, but it also means you're going to have to deal with a lot of pent up feelings when you get older."

What happened to her was perhaps all too common around Remnant. On Earth people made it their mission to protect the innocence and safety of children, to a fault sometimes, but on Remnant even the young had to pull their weight. In a world where your village could be attacked by Grimm at any moment, everyone needed to be ready to act, to move, to fight. Ren and Nora are a perfect example of this, they didn't get to have childhoods, and now I wondered if Shi would get to have one either.

Probably not. At least, not one as holistic as I had wanted. I felt like she had more to say, and I was right. Her voice was shaky to a point that it hurt to hear, "I-I just wanted you back. I missed you. I missed you reading me bedtime stories, I missed you telling me how to do things, I missed your hugs, I missed everything. I was afraid… I was afraid that it might be like…" She didn't need to finish the sentence, I just squeezed her tighter.

I wish I could properly express to you just how much it meant to me to be back, to hug Shi again and hold her, to be able to tell her everything would be okay. I would do anything for her, I'd give up everything for her, and I'd do it with a smile on my face, because while everyone mattered to me, Shi and Cinder were the ones who truly pushed me to keep going. That's why, if it would keep them safe…

I was prepared to do whatever I had to. Even if they might hate me for leaving them, I would do it, and I would never forget them, not one word, not one day.

…But nothing was guaranteed, and maybe I will earn my happy ending in the end. For now, I just had to keep fighting, so I said softly, "I'll… be honest with you, Shi…" Before, I hadn't wanted her to know about what was going on, but she had to, there was no reason to hide anything from her anymore, "We've still got fighting left to do. Vacuo will come under attack eventually and we need to be ready to defend it with everything we have. After that, we need to be ready to try and stop any further attacks, wherever they might happen. We need to beat them at every turn, and if we don't, well… it's not going to end well for anyone. But it won't end like that, because I won't let it, and I know you won't either. I just need you to make me a promise, okay?"

She looked up at me and nodded, so I continued, "Promise me that you'll never give up. Never, not even after all of this is over. You'll face a lot of challenges in your life, no matter how difficult things get, you should always try your hardest to push on, and to do the right thing. Can you do that?"

It took her a few moments while she stared at me, as if she was trying to discern some kind of hidden meaning behind my words. Ultimately, though, she just nodded firmly, "Mhm, I promise! I'll never give up, and I'll always keep trying as hard as I can. One day, when I'm older, I'll even be the one keeping you safe! And if you're ever in trouble… I'll do whatever it takes to save you!" I believe her, I believe her with all my heart.

I grinned, "Good, I know that if I'm ever in trouble, I know it'll be okay because I'll be able to count on you." I looked at the door, "Are you tired, Shi?" She shook her head, so I looked at her, "How about we see how far you've come? I need to talk with Headmaster Theodore in the morning anyway, and we're not too far from it. We can go to Shade and train some in the meantime."

Shi looked positively ecstatic, "That sounds awesome! Okay, we can go training! But… You'll need shoes, and…" She scrunched her nose, "You smell bad."

Oof.

I laughed, "Okay, I'll see about getting some clothes and taking a shower, then we'll get going. So you'd better be ready when I'm done, okay?" She nodded dutifully, so I got up and left her to prepare.

No sooner than when I left, I heard Cinder speak softly, "Planning some father-daughter time?"

I looked over at her and nodded, smiling, "Wanna come? I'm going to train her over at Shade, at least until the sun comes up."

Cinder crossed her arms under her chest and, surprisingly, shook her head, "No, I think Shi would love to spend some time with just you after not seeing you for a few months." She smiled, "I just wanted to tell you that I figured that your old outfit was destroyed, or taken, so I made you something new." She pointed over to a door that I assumed held the bathroom, "You'll find it folded up in there for your shower." She smirked and turned around, "And, Neve… Hurry up and shave."

I rolled my eyes as she walked away before smirking and making my way into the bathroom. The only reason I didn't smell worse was because I was actually 'allowed' to bathe maybe once every couple weeks. Orchid said it was because she wouldn't flirt with someone who was unwashed.

Honestly, if I had been a bit more spiteful and stupid, I would have refused to shower on that principle alone, but I knew better than that.

The shower was absolutely divine. I made sure to use the shampoo I was fairly certain was Lunus'; one time I used Yang's and that was not an incident I'd like to repeat, especially now, when apparently she had become the Spring Maiden after Raven's 'untimely' death.

…I should have been more surprised about that news than I was, but honestly it was an amazing thing, and I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Once I was finished, I dried off with a tiny bit of magic and then got dressed.

On went a soft white undershirt, a pair of black, loose dress pants that felt incredibly comfortable and a pair of black boots. There were two more primary components to my outfit, a white short-sleeved dress shirt with fall leaves and snowflakes woven into it, and an emerald green cloak with several loose scarf-like ends to it that hung down to my sides. I decided, however, to not wear the coat today, given that it's Vacuo and the rest of the outfit would do just fine. I certainly loved how it looked, though; one consequence of my fusion was that I found green much more appealing as a color, and Cinder knew that. That's probably why she added it, even if she didn't like the association.

There was also a pair of black gloves and a familiar pair of armguards, holdovers from my old outfit she must have remade. I put those on and found I also had a beige cloak that looked made to help weather the Vacuan heat. It clasped together over my right shoulder, the clasp itself being silver and fairly simple.

I was sure I still had copies of my old outfit, but… Given the urgency in which everything happened, I wouldn't be surprised if they were left in Mistral, if only just to avoid carrying more than was necessary.

…I'll admit, I missed my scarf, but that was another thing I could get later, and besides, again, it's Vacuo. Instead, I just took my cane and clipped it to my side.

Strangely, it was at this point that the quest I had chose to finish.

Quest Completed!

Polaris

Reunited with your family and back in the saddle, things seem, for once, right in the world.

Rewards

New threads, a long-awaited reunion, and a new scroll.

New Quest Obtained!

The Storm That is Approaching

You're well aware of the fact that the peace you've earned will not last forever. You must use the precious time you have as best you can, preparing yourself and everyone around you for what's to come while still taking time to remember that you're still just human.

Rewards

1000 Lien, Being Prepared, Possible Victory in the Coming Fight, more rewards depending on your method of completion.

It was all too true. Although I wasn't sure exactly when Orchid would strike, I had a good idea.

Much like Mistral in the other timeline, I knew the odds of her attacking during the school year were low. If she did, she would face far more opposition than she would otherwise. She would want to strike when the next break hit, no doubt, which started in December.

…That was also my birth month, I just hoped she had the good decency to not attack on my birthday. Knowing my luck, she probably would.

"And for my next trick…" I snapped my fingers and my beard was gone and I was clean shaven once again. My hair also shortened back to its original length and thinned out slightly. It may have looked similar to how it usually did before all of this, but I kind of needed that at that moment, to feel normal. I checked my pocket and sure enough I felt the familiar weight of a scroll in it. I had grown to miss having one, but didn't check it at that moment, however. Finally ready, I stepped out and knocked on Shi's door, "Ready to go, Shi?"

Her response was quick, "Yeah, Dad!" before she opened the door. She seemed to be wearing the same outfit, albeit much cleaner so it was probably a different set. I didn't see Theta, so I assumed it was on her back under her cloak. I smiled down at her and beckoned for her to follow, then I started downstairs, with her following and saying, "You look cool now, and don't smell." matter-of-factly, which just made me chuckle.

"Thank you, Shi."

When we got outside I took my cane off my side and extended it, using it for its intended purpose even though I didn't need it at all. Old habits die hard, I suppose. Shade was massive, the ziggurat reaching high into the sky. It was a bit of a maze, with everything split into three tiers that had lots of twists and turns, but luckily I knew where I needed to go. After all, I remembered building this place.

There was an arena made out of a sand pit that was normally reserved for students. I didn't feel too bad about using it considering the time of day. As we moved to the middle of the arena I said, "Alright, now, when I say go, you're going to come at me with everything you have. Try to control your semblance, though, we don't need glaciers the size of Shade causing problems for the students." I knew it was asking a lot for her to have control over her semblance this early, but she had demonstrated some level of control, which was likely innate. It needed to be honed, and now was the perfect time.

Shi nodded, "I'll do my best!" She didn't seem too worried about hurting me, which was good, we both had our aura and I had far more experience and skill than she did, there wasn't much she could do to hurt me right now barring a surprise of some kind.

"Good! Ready? Go!"

She didn't waste any time in rushing me, a bit direct to say the least. She raised her scythe and swung it at me, but I caught the crook of it with my cane and pushed it away before leaping back.

To my surprise (and amusement), Alex decided this was an important enough fight to warrant time slowing down. A symbol that was half a snowflake, half a flame, appeared before text appeared on top of it.

Shi Cadere

Member of the Saviors of Remnant

Hero of Tomorrow

Time sped back up and I couldn't help but grin as I gave Shi advice, "Charging at your opponent is a good idea if they aren't expecting it or are primarily a ranged fighter, but don't forget to use every advantage you have over an enemy!" To that end, as I touched the ground Shi shifted her weapon into its gunblade form and fired fire dust rounds at me.

I dodged one and deflected the other, it crashed into the wall of the arena before it exploded. I encouragingly said, "Good!"

Shi stepped forward with her left foot and several ice spikes began to emerge from the ground, rapidly approaching me while her right side ignited with flame. So it seemed she did need to use both at the same time!

I jumped to the side, still smiling, "Good! That's far more controlled." I wasn't attacking her on purpose, this was about seeing what she could do, not what I could do, "Try some fire, this time."

She did as I asked and swung outward with her scythe, sending out a wave of flame my way. It washed over me, although naturally I didn't let it injure me, "Yes, Shi! Good, how do you feel?"

I saw a look of contemplation cross her face, "I feel a little tugging in my heart anytime I use it, but I don't always feel tired. Right now I'm fine!" She seemed excited to keep going.

I obliged, gesturing for her to attack while saying, "Be mindful, your semblance appears to have a downside. Overuse can result in injury to yourself, aura or no, and that will drain any aura you have left even more. You don't want to become someone who's over reliant on their semblance."

She charged at me again and swung at me again, this time with her gunblade component. I blocked it and she continued to swing at me, each attack being blocked as I backpedaled slowly with my smile never fading. Unexpectedly, she activated her semblance and let a burst of flame burst towards me, enough to obscure my vision.

When it returned I saw her closing on me with her scythe component and this time she managed to connect a hit with my arm. She seemed surprised at this as her eyes widened, like she couldn't believe she had managed that. I smirked, "Not bad, you managed to connect. Now, let's keep going…"

For the next couple hours we trained, with Shi attempting to hit me followed by me giving her advice. Sometimes, I would change it up and go on the offensive, but I never put any real force into the attacks, instead swinging my cane like one would a sword and restraining myself so she had a chance to dodge, block, or riposte. It came fairly easily to me, I would have been surprised, but hey, I used to be the Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

…Even with everything that's happened, that's still weird to think about.

After the two hour mark, Shi looked positively spent, although of course she still wanted to keep going. One of her sides was emitting embers while the other was emitting icy mist, and that was enough for me to call it. Just to be sure, I took out my new scroll, which seemed to be a much more advanced version than the one I had before, likely Atlesian in make, and held it up to Shi, checking her aura.

Sure enough, she was in the lower yellow. She hadn't used her semblance much at all after the first hour mark, and I couldn't help but feel like if she had she'd be in the red, so, I called it, waving her over to me, "We're done for now, Shi. Training is important, but after a certain point you'll be too tired to continue."

Shi huffed, "Awh…" Yet, she obeyed, folding her scythe and putting it on the small of her back before walking over to me, "What do we do now?"

I heard Theodore's voice, "Now, I think your father has business to attend to." We both looked and saw Theodore sitting on one of the raised stone benches that were situated atop the walls that made the arena. He looked at me, "Am I correct?"

I nodded and responded, "Yes, but Shi is coming with me. It's bring your daughter to work day, and she's privy to everything I am anyway. She won't interrupt, will you?" I looked at her and she shook her head, causing me to smile, "Good, now let's get going."

Theodore didn't seem too bothered by me bringing her along, although there wasn't much he could say even if he was. Shi had talked about being upset that she was left out of the important conversations, so what better way to get her used to things like this than by having her observe? He mentioned that Aurum and Rumpole would not be in attendance, as they were busy on a mission clearing our Grimm nearby, which was fine by me.

Theodore's office was fairly large. Two equally large doors led into the center of the room, and the office itself had various portraits of different members of what had been Ozpin's group as well as other people important to him: Ozpin and him shaking hands, a portrait of Lionheart, another of Ironwood, another of Qrow… There was also a picture of a young girl in a checkered dress holding a pet dog and various Shade academy staff on display.

Theodore himself pressed a button on his desk, causing a Holo-screen to appear in the center of the room. We stood in front of his desk, with me in the center, Theodore on my left, and Shi on my right. My hands rested on my cane, as I waited for the call to go through.

It didn't take long. After a moment the faces of Ironwood and Glynda appeared. Ironwood had his beard now, although he looked far less tired and downright overjoyed to see me. Glynda had a small, somewhat sad smile on her face. Theodore was the one who opened the conversation, "It's good to see you two again. It's been too long since we've been able to meet like this. As you can see, our dear friend has resurfaced, although from what I've been told, it's a bit different this time." He looked at me, prompting me to speak.

I nodded, "Yes. The Ozpin you knew is no more, but he is part of me. I have all of his memories, all of his skills, everything. It's… a long story as to why it happened this way, but all you need to know is I am just as competent and just as willing to step up."

Ironwood suddenly gained a look of recognition in his eyes, "I remember you, you were at the Battle for Beacon, weren't you? And that girl… You were trying to get her to safety, correct?"

That sort of question was to be expected, so I nodded, "You weren't around for a lot of what happened after, but yes. I saw you at Amity, and this girl here is my adopted daughter, her name is Shi Cadere."

Nervously, she waved, "Hi."

I smiled, "Shi here is aware of everything I am, why she's here is a story for another day, but rest assured that she will cause no trouble. Now, what's the situation in Atlas and Beacon?"

James went first, "Atlas has been dealing with a string of attacks and robberies we believe were perpetrated by the White Fang and other organizations on their payroll. The team you sent here along with Qrow's apprentice have been hunting for Tyrian Callows for months now, but he's yet to turn up. We have reason to believe he's involved in the aforementioned attacks, but we have no solid evidence yet. However, should Shade need our assistance, you need only say the word."

Glynda followed up, "Nothing to report here, classes have resumed as normal. Although the students dearly miss Ozpin." Her smile grew, "Alas, they make do with me. Perhaps your team along with the other teams that are helping you should be made into fully licensed Hunters? You're clearly much too busy to attend classes, and you've done far more than a lot of experienced Hunters would in their entire lives."

That was a fair point, and also would come in handy for shoring up income whenever we needed it, not to mention the inherent trust that came with being fully licensed. I nodded, "Yes, I think so. We will have to arrange for a ceremony of some kind, perhaps you'd like to come to Shade and do the honors yourself, Glynda?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I'd be honored. It will be good to see Vesta again. When should we have it?"

I hummed and recalled that Shi's birthday was not that far off, "September 28th will do just fine." Shi looked at me in surprise, which just caused me to smirk, "We should be able to hold a rather grand celebration for all of us. It is, after all, Shi's birthday."

Glynda seemed fine with that, James said, "I would love to be there myself, but affairs in Atlas demand my attention. Onto more pressing matters, what do we know about our enemies plans?"

That was a good question, "While I can't say for certain as to when they will do it, I know they will want to attack Shade. Orchid Grove, Salem's maiden, will want to claim the Relic of Destruction, and it's likely she'll plan to mount an attack when Shade is not as packed with students and faculty."

Theodore rubbed his chin, "A great deal of the faculty take their vacations in December, if they're not otherwise doing work hunting Grimm. They tend to return in January to prepare for the next wave of applicants that will be taking initiation in March. Given the volume of students that apply, it's an effort that takes all of our attention."

Well, that more or less settled it, I nodded, "Then it's likely the attack will occur in December. We have at maximum three months to prepare, depending on how late into the month she plans to attack. James, I will need you ready to deploy Atlas' finest to Vacuo the moment you've settled things there. The citizenry might take issue, but they will be thanking us later. Glynda, you will need to prepare Vale, and Beacon, to bring in refugees and transfers. Regardless of if we win this fight or not, I don't doubt that at least some of the citizenry will want to seek greener pastures after such a close brush with death."

Nods all around, Theodore asked, "So, what should we do, then?" He seemed like he already knew, he was probably just asking as a formality.

Exactly as I would expect from him. There was only really one thing we could do, "We need to shore up the defenses of the city and the Academy. If need be, I am prepared to relocate the relic, doing so with my magic wouldn't be too difficult. However, I would prefer not to do so unless absolutely necessary. With all of that said, I believe this meeting is adjourned." The call ended and I turned to Theodore, "Now, old friend…"

"Let's get to work, shall we?"