Winter Schnee sat across the table from one of the science team. He sat there, stroking his black hair. His mustache was kept nicely kempt. He looked right at the Schnee, sighing as he leaned back in the chair. He knew this day was coming, the first murder in Nova Atlas' history. They would blame him first, suspect him first above all others, and now he sat here in this room. If he was right, which he rarely wasn't, if they thought he was guilty from the jump they'd just shot him. After all, the collar around his neck deactivated any of aura abilities. He was, for all purposes, defenseless and unable to retaliate.

"Dr. Arthur Watts," Winter Schnee called his attention, "Let's be frank you used to serve Salem."

"That I did, would've served heard right till Atlas's destruction, but then again, my file already lists that. I'm not counted as one of your survivors, part of Operation Paperclip. You could put a round through my head, wipe your hands clean, and it wouldn't change what's going on now since I'm not your killer." Watts responded, completely open to Winter Schnee.

"Had it been my choice we'd dumped you out of Nova Atlas two years ago." Winter told him, and leaned forward, "Since we're being candid."

Arthur chuckled, looking right into her pale blue eyes, "You think I know who did it?"

"I think you do," Winter affirms his suspicion, "After all who gains the most?"

"Well certainly Salem, she feeds on misery, the spell that made her a Goddess. You know well that it came from Jinn, and I of course asked the right question for her." Arthur crossed his legs as he spoke, relaxed and totally casual.

"The mere fact that you're breathing is under our leisure, why are you so casual about that?" Winter inquired, raising her eyebrow.

"Why not, nothing I can do about, as I said you can put a bullet in me, and no one would bat an eye. I have question, that silver-eyed girl, she's nearing ten years old, correct? Soon she'll be brought into your little mockup a Huntsman Academy. Using my data from the various Grimm I've seen," The good doctor stated as he continued acting nonchalant. "Salem will come for us all eventually."

"She can't enter this dimension without Ambrosius." Winter argued lightly, pointing out a glaring flaw in his point of view.

He merely laughed at notion, "A dying demi-God vs. The New Goddess of Death itself. My money is the on the very being that stole The Gods' very life force."

"How would she even know what spell to use?" Winter inquired.

"She doesn't need a spell for that, you're basically using Ambrosius to rip the space-time fabric. You're tearing holes, holes that leave a paper trail, Schnee." Arthur told her in reply, and then promptly put his feet on the table. "This little collar on my neck is such an annoyance."

"Good, least of your worries if we find out you had hand in this conspiracy." Winter retorted as she adjusted the file in her hand, "Arthur do you have any idea who it could be?"

"Pietro was always too trusting," Arthur comments as he looked at the one-way glass window. "Polendina, how is project Penny going?"

He got no response, making grunt, "Sour sport."

Winter slammed her fist on the table, "Do you think this is a game?!"

"Why yes!" He shouted back at her, smiling brightly, "It really is a game, Schnee! The Game, you vs. the spy, and you are currently down several scores. Welcome to the game where it only takes one true victory to win the war."

Collecting himself, Arthur thought, "You say that Tier One foods are the ones that got tainted. Low level, nonfatal means, otherwise you'd be having a funeral for your dear little sister. Let's say that Pietro's food makers are the main reason Tier One foods exist. Taking raw ingredients, some engineering robotic magic, and then you got your higher-class foods. Where no resource is wasted, the taste compared to Tier Two, even Tier Three, is absolutely divine."

"The leadership eats Tier One products. Filet Mignon counterparts, 'Fresh' Salmon, Cake, some very good coffee." The doctor then smiled darkly, "If your culprit was able to poison food from Tier One, why hasn't just put the poison in all foods at the quantity needed for death?"

Winter scrunched her face up in thought, "I don't know honestly."

"Because why would you kill the ship? It's much sweeter to test lesser versions of a poison on higher ups, and then see the first death of a lower tier people. You spread chaos, you make them question leadership, revolt." Arthur connected the pieces and then smiled, "The ultimate win condition for your enemy is to delegitimize you as a leader."

Growling, Winter got up from her chair, pacing the room. Dr. Watts simply sat, with his feet propped onto the table. He hummed a tune, a jazzy musical note, and watched Winter began making connections. Dr. Yumiko worked directly under Ghira when it came to agricultural studies. She watched as Arthur grabbed her file, reading it. Noting a raised eyebrow and whistled as he started looking at her list of education.

"Top of her class in Biological Engineering, Theoretical Papers on Hybridization Fertilizations, if she wasn't your first victim, I'd tell you that this was a slam dunk case." He said, throwing the file back toward Winter's end of the table.

She stopped pacing, noticing what he said, "First victim?"

"Do you think Salem's spy is going to tie up one loose end?" He laughed, smiling as he remembered working under The Witch. "She'd kill entire villages if she believed one of her own was a traitor, I think your Dr. Yumiko Midori was indirectly involved."

"Bullshit," Winter curses at him, "Why would she betray us?"

"Um, indirectly, perhaps good old Ghira feels that his Faunus are getting treated horrible on Nova Atlas?" Watts inquired, crossing his legs now, "Most of them are laborers."

"Skilled laborers," Winter corrected as she sat back down, "They're given Tier Two foods."

"Hmm, yes good old Tier Two. Tea, slightly okay coffee, basic supplemental nutrients, oh at least they don't eat the protein sludge served the prisoners of Tier Three." The scientist took out a cigarette from his pocket, "I think if I recall the ratio of Tier One food usage was seventy nine percent human, such a high rate."

"Most humans saved were specialists," Winter points out, "It's just how the cards were dealt."

"Pfft, yeah, and I still serve that crazy bitch on Remnant? Please, Schnee, let's be realistic. There is a class divide, a racial divide still. Dr. Yumiko was a Faunus. She was the first one murdered, out of our entire band merrymen, a Faunus bites the bullet first. Quite scandalous, especially on a human majority council, and if you don't seem proactive then eventually others will figure that you just don't care." Arthur countered before taking a drag of his cigarette.

He then smiled, looking it, "I mean cigarettes are a Tier Two, and last I check I'm prisoner, an unregistered prisoner."

"Why would you want us to remove privileges from you?" Winter asked.

He chuckles, "Because think of it this way, what if it got out, I was here? Not only here, but healthy?"

"The more you talk like that, the more I think you have skin in this game." Winter states before getting up, "That's all for now, Doctor."

"One last piece of advice, Schnee." Arthur called out to Winter before she walked out. "Assuming makes an ass out of you and me."

She ignored his piece of advice, walking out of the cell. They deactivated the hard light cuffs, allowing him to freely move around the room once more. Qrow, Ghira, and Winter observed him. Watching as he walked over to a bookshelf, getting a book on aquaculture out. Ghira noted that he seemed calm, too calm, perhaps he knew the spy after all. However, given what they knew now, they had piece together a very loose jigsaw.

Qrow took a very deep breath, "Bastard has a way with words. Just listening to him makes my skin crawl, why James wanted him alive is beyond me."

"His data on Grimm has been essential in training the next generation of Huntsmen," Ghira points out as he looked Qrow. "Without live opponents, we have to rely on the digital nano copies."

The head of security grunts, and went back to watching, "I still don't trust the bastard."

"I can look into Dr. Yumiko's studies, and I did ask her to study the last occurrence of blight." Ghira told Qrow, taking his leave.

Winter looked at Qrow, she then sighs, "It never gets easier."

"No," Qrow shakes his head, "It doesn't."

Pietro sat in his wheelchair, looking over files with Ghira. He was impressed by Dr. Midori's work, and Yumiko had been such a godsend to the ship. Her death would only make the goal of survival much more difficult. He poured Ghira a cup of coffee, both of them sitting at living room of Pietro's suite. Ghira took a drink from it, sighing in relief as the hot liquid splashed down his throat. The man took look at the file, Project Cannibal, and picked it up. The grimly named document wasn't so grim, in fact it was wonderous.

"Incredible insight, she was looking for a way to modify Phytophthora Infestans. With it, she aimed to cause genetic clone of the blight to feed on itself. Rapidly, ensuring that there was no catastrophic loss of crop if blight would occur in the cycle." Pietro read and explained to Ghira.

Ghira sighs, "There was also mentions of Citrus Blight. I think she was going for the homerun on this."

"She was getting close too, these latest studies show a success rate of the Anti-Fungus at eighty percent. However, there's something trouble here. She was also studying edible fungi, how they could be grown faster. She was researching Amanita Muscaria, interesting. Not as a food source, but as a herbal source." Pietro stated, reading the file.

Ghira noted the picture of the mushroom on his tablet, they were the same ones that were pulled from Yumiko's body. He sighed, closing his files. Watts had started them in this general direction, and as Pietro closed his file, he took another sip of his coffee. The thought stuck to his head, but something didn't seem correct, because nothing pointed toward Pietro's people. The key card usage, the fact that Tier One goods are all handled robotically. It made zero sense that this was connected to what's been happening.

Pietro reopened the file, looking at a data pad, "My God. I know why this is connected, because Amanita Muscaria causes symptoms of the illness that's been going around. Vomiting, fever, shakes, dehydration, and in the worse cases hallucinations. Didn't young Weiss recently go into the hospital because of her hallucinating her late brother?"

"Yes," Ghira realizes grimly, "She did."

Pietro coughed, and then coughed again, "Wait a minute…Belladonna do you feel like something is wrong?"

Ghira began to sweat, realizing, he hit the emergency dialer on his scroll. He failed to get up properly from his chair, hurling across the floor. He collapsed down, looking at the reflection of himself in the steel flooring. He could've sworn that he saw Kali standing next to him, his late wife. Foaming at the mouth, Ghira managed slam his scroll into his mouth, his teeth biting against it as seized. Pietro screamed as he felt as if his skin was melting, his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Security crashed through the door, securing the area. Winter and Qrow looked at their councilmembers, both of them out of it. Medical personnel immediately came in. she looked at her head of security, who looked mortified. Qrow checked their pulses, Ghira's was strong, but Pietro's was weak. He looked at the security camera in the room, nodding at one of his operators. She began to extract any data she could from it. Winter looked at the carnage and realized that whoever was behind this had successfully gotten to them.

"Damn it all," Winter growls while exiting the room, "I'm going to get that bastard."

Arthur Watt's cell door opened. The light cuffs appearing on his wrists. He sighed, rolling over on his very uncomfortable bed. He looked at Winter Schnee, who seemed furious, especially at him. The man felt himself yanked up, thrown into a chair. She got out one of her swords, pointing at his neck, but if he was scared, he never showed it.

"Well, this certainly was a rude wake up call," Arthur admonished Winter, only to have the blade pressed into his neck a little.

She looked him in the eyes, "You tell me right now you didn't give anyone a signal to poison Ghira, and Pietro!"

"I didn't give no damn signal to anyone, who could I?" Arthur argued, holding his hands up. "Please get your fancy butterknife off my neck, Schnee."

"I should just cut your throat, better feeling than a bullet in your damn skull!" Winter yelled.

"Then you'll have killed an innocent man in these matters. I can't do nothing from here, I'm powerless." He argued as he leaned back in his chair, waiting to see what Winter's reaction would be.

She glared, pulling the sword back, "You're such fucking snake."

"That I am, I will not deny that, probably greatest snake the entire annals of human history. I not only got a free ticket off Remnant, but I also get to successfully screw over both sides in the process. After all that's all I ever was good at. Conning my way," Arthur shrugs while chuckling, "Worked successfully for a time."

Winter put her sword away, "You're going to tell everything you read. I know you're a savant. Everything in that file you read Ghira, and Pietro were mulling over briefly before getting sick."

"Sick you say," Arthur realizes with a hum, "Well now, your spy is testing how well he can get to you."

"Why me?" Winter inquired.

"Well, forgive me for saying this, but Schnee you are the head of the house now. You're the captain, the fearless leader, your target number one at all times for these plots." Arthur states as he looked at the files on the table.

She glared at him, waiting for him to stop, "Are you done with the chiding?"

"Project Cannibal was a stroke of genius, even by my standards. Such a simple, yet complicated, solution. Why not make the fungus that causes blight eat itself? Phytophthora Infestans is the most common blight, something that has killed your recent of potatoes and tomatoes. Unfortunate, but good old Dr. Yumiko actually developed a strain mixed with one other fungi." Arthur pointed out to Winter, opening file with his conjoined hands. "Amanita Muscaria, you ought to read the symptoms."

Winter sat down, reading the file, her eyes widened at the information. Every bit of the information matched Weiss's illness recently. She took a deep breath, leaning back, and then looked at Arthur. The man whistled, enjoying this sit down. Winter Schnee got up, sliding her chair back in. she moved to walk out, but then stopped, turning around.

"You already figured it out," She accuses him.

Arthur shrugged, "Maybe I did, but you're giving me too much credit at this point. I would look at who did the last maintenance of Pietro's suite."

"Fine, I'll play your game, but if I find one shred of evidence linking you to the culprit, I'm going to kill you painfully." Winter threatened, walking out of the room.

Arthur laughed, shouting toward her, "You sound just like him, James, must have been so damn proud of you!"

Winter wanted to just walk back into the room, slash his throat open, but held herself back. He was goading her, coaxing a response out of rage. She didn't give in, and she wouldn't let him have the satisfaction. Instead, she walked onward, and began to get to work inside of her scroll. She began requesting documents, inspection listings, her hunt was now going to start in earnest!

She was marched into the interrogation room, slammed into a chair. Hard light cuffs around her, she moved her orange hair from her face. She looked at Qrow Brawen, noting that he seemed tired. Her aqua colored eyes were red, lack of sleep. Ren was at their suite was getting ready for his morning shift as a breakfast chef for the security guards and officers. They were in Proving Ground students, but she chose to take an apprenticeship in engineering simply because she loved messing with electronics. She took it, easily enough, even building her own grenade launcher from scratch using fabrication equipment for her chosen weapon.

"Nora Valkyrie," Qrow said her name as he looked into her eyes. "You're being investigated as part as system fault error that resulted in two hospitalizations."

Her eyes widened, she looked off to right, "Oh crap I knew there was something wrong."

"What do you mean?" Qrow inquired, bewildered by her response.

She took a deep breath, "I sort of rushed fixing the food dispensary in C-sector!"

"What, no, that's not it. However, um thank you for that piece of information." Qrow said, already looking toward the glass shaking his head.

There was no way this girl, freaked out as she was, was the culprit. The girl seemed on the verge of crying because she was terrified. The door opened, revealing a large plate of pancakes. Qrow had them sat in front of him, watching her mouth water. He gave the guards in the recording a signal, and her hard light cuffs turned off. She reached over, taking the plastic knife and fork. He nodded, and without much fanfare she consumed it all in one go. His eyes widened, and he found himself chuckling.

"So-sorry," Nora apologizes, "I missed breakfast this morning."

"No issues here," He handed her a paperwork, "You were contacted Pietro personally to fix his dispenser. He trusts you."

"I know, I heard he got sick, is he going to be alright?" Nora asked.

"We hope, turns out you installed a faulty part for the liquid part of the dispensary." Qrow showed her a photograph.

She looked at it, "Is that a red mushroom growing out of it?"

"Yes," Qrow answers her, "I need to know who gave you that part."

She nodded, looking at him, "It was four months ago. I got the part from the old parts chief in Oobleck's shop."

"His name?" Qrow inquired.

Nora answers, "Vern, Vern Blackthorn."

"Thank you," Qrow said getting up, "An officer will be in to release you."

He walked outside of the interrogation room, looking at Winter Schnee. She was furious and ordered several soldiers to bring her Blackthorn. Qrow walked with her, making sure to stay unheard as he they dipped into an empty room. He closed, locked the door, and looked at her.

"Blackthorn worked in Oobleck's sector three months ago?" He asked her.

Winter nodded, "He was dating Yumiko at the time as well. He requested off when we found her body. He swears up and done that he though she walked away completely."

"You believed him?" Qrow inquired.

"Of course, I didn't, but people date and break up all the time. I didn't put much stock into it, and besides I didn't know that Yumiko was missing, that was Ghira's sector. Well, if he supplied the part, that means he's guilty. Nora Valkyrie has earned some time off after this incident, let's see that it happens." Winter tells Qrow as she waited for contact from her soldiers.

Qrow took a deep breath, "Dr. Yumiko was pregnant at the time of her death."

Her eyes widened at the information, "Sick bastard killed her while she was carrying his child?"

"Possibly, it was too earlier to tell." Qrow told her, but then sighed. "I'm ready to get this over with."

"Commander Schnee," Her scroll came to life.

Winter grabbed it, answering it, "Go for Schnee."

"Blackthorn is missing." It answered.

"Fuck!" She yelled, her and Qrow running out of the room.

Arthur Watts had music blasting in his room, smoking his last allotted cigarette. Wind, Earth, and Fire blasted in his room. He coughed, waving his cigarette smoke away from his face. He saw a young wolf Faunus standing in his room. He had green eyes, black hair, wearing a military uniform. He looked at Watts, pointing a handgun at him. Arthur Watts laughed, and he looked at Blackthorn. The young man bared an uncanny resemblance to similar Faunus that had once served Salem.

"Well fancy seeing you here," Arthur commented as he noted the gun. "Finally given hope for these people, better to turn back to Salem's ever-loving embrace?"

"I wanted to believe that we could find a new home," Blackthorn said as he locked the door behind him. "I have seen nothing but dead worlds. I fear there is nothing, but death, and that is the end of us all."

Humming, Arthur just chuckled, "Well duh. You die, everyone dies."

"Not Salem, perhaps her path was the right way. She saved her followers from this fate," Blackthorn stated as he walked around the room.

Arthur took a drag off his cigarette, "Ah you diluted moron, why kill Dr. Yumiko?"

"I loved her, I loved her with all my heart! I didn't want our child to be raised in this hell, constantly looking for dead worlds until we fucking starve to death!" Blackthorn screamed.

"So, why come to me? Do you think I got some master plan to contact Salem, get myself back to her embrace, with the silver-eyed girl in tow?" Arthur inquired.

"No, I didn't come here for that, I came here to execute a fucking traitor!" He screamed at Dr. Watts, holding the gun up.

Arthur just took a long drag of his cigarette, "No, I am no traitor to that psychopath."

"Tell me how the spell works, Watts!" Blackthorn yelled as he pressed the gun to Arthur's forehead.

"No," Arthur bluntly refuses, "Because I don't see any Gods around here to draw from."

"What are talking about, that spell made Salem a Goddess!" Blackthorn screamed, he breathed hard, "I can only save what's left if I become a God."

"You see that's not how spell works. You need the presence of God to use it, because it doesn't outright kill the God, or make you one. It simply an exchange, a tit for that, simple trade. Salem traded her remaining humanity, in doing so made The Gods mortal. You have nothing to trade, because you have no customer to trade with, Blackthorn. The doesn't work with freeloaders!" Arthur's spat as Blackthorn started to pull the trigger.

The gun was shot out of his hands, making him wince in pain. The young man turned toward the culprit, finding Qrow standing there. Arthur springs into action, grabbing the bastard by the throat with his forearm, he noted that his hands weren't cuffed with hard light. Blackthorn tried to plead with Qrow, but Arthur yanked hard back, snapping the faunus's neck with audible pops. He twisted, breaking the bone further, making sure there was no way that bastard could survive.

The scientist kicked him away, spitting on his corpse, he bent down and picked up his cigarette. He took a drawl from it, sitting on his bed while staring at Qrow. He put the cigarette out after next puff, blowing cloud of smoke all around the room. He was breathing hard, but he kept his calm. Several guards came in to secure the body of Blackthorn.

Arthur looked at Qrow, "Hubris is the number one killer of us mortals, isn't it? He wanted to cause an uprising on Nova Atlas to start a new cult more than likely. Fool, that spell doesn't work like that all."

"Why tell us now?" Qrow inquired.

"Because our recently deceased bastard was your navigator," Arthur points out, "How many probes were lost over the last two years?"

"Oh no," Qrow realizes as he looked at the body, "He may have just killed us all if Salem can find her way into here."

"If, let me tell you a friendly piece of advice, it isn't if she can it will be when." Arthur told Qrow while laying down, he looked at the man. "Consider this a warning, Qrow Brawen, she'll be coming for us when that cage Summer Rose put around her falters."

"How would you know about that?" Qrow inquired.

Arthur laughed, "Because that psychopathic bitch took The Dark God's powers in totality. The only God alive is The Light God, but I think you got an idea where he might be."

"That necklace around her neck," Qrow realizes as he sat back against the wall, "She sealed him in there?"

"Imagine you just watched your brother, a being you thought invulnerable, becoming withered and die in front of you…how do you even muster up a defense? Salem played them, like she always did before, but this time it was for keeps. I hate to give her anymore credit, but when it came to the wire, Salem wanted it more than even The Gods themselves." Arthur explained to Qrow, and he looked up at the ceiling, "I honestly thought she would use the spell to kill herself too…she could've, but in her hubris of wanting revenge she made it where she can longer die."

"Then why does she want Ruby?" Qrow inquired.

Arthur laughed at that question, "Because its an equal trade. She wants to trade bodies with Ruby Rose, Light can only trade with Darkness. Poor Rose, she is being hunted, and unknowingly someone became Salem's best hound to date."

"This information on The Gods can't get out," Qrow told one of his guards, "Destroy all recordings, and of Salem."

"Yes sir," The guard said, giving a salute.

"Is it true, Qrow," Arthur asks as he looked at his long time enemy, "Are we just seeing dead worlds?"

Qrow looked at Arthur and nodded. The scientist looked at him with a sad expression on his face. He got up from the bed, getting a book on physics. Arthur Watts looked at the Huntsman, watching as he started to exit the room. The door closed, and unlike before he just sat there with no smartass remarks. Opening the book, he started to read, perhaps there was something more he could offer them then just this. He then began writing down notes.

Arthur Watts could feel it, a storm was coming, and with it the fate of everyone would be sealed.

Time marches on…and on the desolate world, darkness rose once more.

Dark lightning coursed through the skies. Dead grass flowed in the wind as massive dark tree rose in the distance. The crystal around her neck glowed brightly, she inserted it into the tree. The cage of light no longer holding her down as much, she was still bound to this world. Remnant, this dying world, five years after her conquering of it. She stood at the tree, where her cultist slept in cocoons of dark mass. She snapped her fingers, several of them dropped down toward the ground.

They cracked open, spilling out her chosen Knights. People she had gifted the powers of darkness, her ability to control Grimm. The first to stand up, greeting her, was Cinder Fall. She was her second, having harmonized with her Grimm modifications in the cocoon. She sported pale white skin, dark amber eyes full of power, and black sclera. She wore a robe similar to Salem's, her hair adorned in the same ornate style. The only difference besides eye color was that her remain dark as midnight on this desolate rock. Cinder Fall, the owner of all four maidens' powers.

The second cocoon spilled fourth a man with brown hair. He had pale skin, golden eyes with the same black sclera. His scorpion's tail stood up, dripping with violet-black venom. His white, sleeveless shirt, revealing a toned man with muscle. His right hand was adorned with ring, while his left bared a small bracelet. Gifts from her grace, symbolizing his status as one of the few amongst brothers and sister of night to be called leader.

With a crack, the third cocoon revealed a horrific sight. A man with a dark body, stubble on his face. His gray hair was unkempt, metallic arm covered is the viscous material that Grimm were made from. His one human eye, blackened sclera, betrayed the demonic mishappen eye on the opposite side. The being bowed, forcefully at first, but then willingly as the pain rocked his body asunder.

Finally, one last cocoon dropped down. A woman with red eyes emerged, jet black hair flowing down her back. She held a sword, a long katana. Her eyes scanned the area, her black veined skin pulsated with power. She stood up, sheathing her blade into a scabbard made of Grimm bone. She looked at Salem, bowing before her on her knees.

Salem, The Goddess of Darkness smiled at her Knights. "My prison will soon fade, my most loyal followers."

"The Light God's power is fueling my dark tree, soon I will amass an army of Grimm unimagined even by The Dark God himself. I shall lay waste to all of creation in the hunt of the last silver-eyed user. I shall have her body, and soul, I will either have my death or I shall bring DEATH to all of creation! Every world will burn, laid desolate, broken, and burned. No man, woman, or child shall survive! If I am forced to be beholden to eternal life, then I shall see all mortal life burn!" Salem declared as she made several large titan Grimm rise up.

They began to fly, countless Grimm on them, as if manning it for combat. She turned toward her followers. Beseeching them to lead one of the four titans, which walked to and did so. Mounting their heads, they made all cultist and Grimm roar for war. She stood there, hands up into the air. Her black veins pulsating with power as the sky rippled above. She screamed, bound still by the cage of light, unable to leave. However, she smiled as the sky ripped open. The dark void from five years ago made its presence known.

"GO NOW, BRING ME RUBY ROSE, OR BURN ALL WORLDS!" She ordered them in a deep demonic voice.

The titans flew into the sky, disappearing into the portal. She smiled, laughing madly as she refocused on the crystal necklace. She poked it, bringing visage of The Light God up in chains of darkness. She smiled, looking at him with dark intentions. She manipulated the chains, cutting into his wrists, neck, and legs. Causing him searing pain, the poor God screamed in anguish. Tormented by failure, he could only watch from the sealed necklace as Salem made him suffer, and with his suffering came an influx of dark energy to fuel her tree.

Her tree of destruction, as she foresaw visions of on every world. Where fruits of power would blossom, and she would consume once freed of her cage. Damn Summer Rose, and her last spell, although it proved useless a permeant means of containment. She would kindly greet that woman in hell, perhaps when free she could resurrect her spirit, torture her in the form a Grimm? Although she hated this life, she admitted that the depravity of creative punishment as a Goddess intrigued her more than enough to keep from immortal depression taking hold.

However, troubling, a vision had appeared to her one night. One of a fox with nine tails rising against her with a silver bird at its back. She scoffed, vision or not, she was a Goddess now.

She would not be denied…

*Once again a small author's note.*

Two for one special, I changed the timeline a lot now in the Broken Fox Part two. I had to agree that maybe a hundred fifty years was stretching. However, we're nearing the end of the divide. I'd say we have two chapters, one from each side left before I can successfully join their universes. As you can see, there was a time skip in this chapter, we've jumped three more years into the future, at least from Salem's point of view. Let's see next time on how heroes respond to the march of time.

Thank you for continued support!