Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all doing fine!

Chapter 85 is here and I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks again for following/favoring/ reading the story for one more year. I sincerely can't believe it's been almost one year and a half since I first decided to start writing down this idea that came to my mind. I am really grateful for everyone who spent even one minute into reading the story. I, will also now shut up and let you read, instead of rambling again.

As I said, next week I am taking a break from writing due to work, so next update will be on January 6th. Until then, be healthy and have a great Christmas!

"To be honest Ms. Valkyrie" Doctor Van Ochre mumbled after he finished examining her "besides being a little exhausted, you seem perfectly fine to me" he combed his grey hair with his wrinkled fingers.

"Maybe I just got well right now?" Nora gave the man a huge smile and hoped he would buy it. She knew she was a terrible actress; as a matter of fact she counted on passing by as too stupid to pull such an act.

"Or you were just overreacting a few minutes ago when you screamed and flailed around the waiting room, scaring the nurses" he stared at the huntress "in any case, I will examine you once more to be sure."

Turning around, he stared at the door "Nurse!" he shouted and Nora heard the door open "where is the patient's medical record? I thought I was pretty clear when I asked for it ten minutes ago!"

"I am sorryyyy!" all of a sudden, Nora's heart stopped as if an invisible hand was clutching it. The nurse's voice was young, as if belonging to a teenage girl, carrying with it an air of kindness, pride and-

"PYRRHA!" dropping any kind of act, the girl jumped up to stare at her long dead friend, whose nostalgic voice had just been heard. She stared at the nurse's direction, eyes filled in shock and anticipation.

Of course Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen. The only people besides her were the doctor and a short, black haired nurse whose face didn't even come close to the amazon's. Both stared at her outburst in confusion.

"Are you ok, Miss?" the nurse's voice was kind and girly, but not even close to the fallen warrior's. Nora wasn't really used to being at a loss for words, but only managed to spit a 'yeah, fine' before laying back.

The nurse smiled at her and then got out to get the medical records. For a split second, the huntress thought she saw a deep red ponytail wave at her back before Dr. Van Ochre moved between them.

Outside the room, Ren and Erik who had heard the ginger head's cry ran at the nurse as soon as the door closed. "Excuse me" the magenta-eyed boy asked "I heard my wife cry, is something the matter?"

"Oh, she just got startled, it's nothing" she smiled at him and moved away. Ren turned at his friend, a serious gaze in his face "Nora getting startled for no reason is a bad sign. We should warn Lumia."

There was nothing more to say. Erik stood by, trying to connect to the ginger girl. "She is conscious and her mind is properly working." Ren nodded "I will ask the nurse when she returns, to let me in. I am still concerned."

Erik nodded back "I am going to bring Lu here. We have given her more than enough time as it is" and left the waiting room before he picked up his scroll and texted his partner.

'Something is off; are you done?'

He stood by a column, waiting for the response. A minute passed, but no reply came. Why isn't she picking up? There was no commotion, so she was probably hiding or- could she be using it for her hacking?

He had a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling. Focusing his mind, he decided to use his semblance and send her a telepathic message to fall back, or at least call him.

A couple seconds passed by and his scroll rang. Without even checking it, he answered it "where are you, Lu?" "Inside your mind."

The scroll fell from his hands. The voice was heavy, deep and guttural as if created by something without throat. It carried so much power in its short phrase, the brown-haired boy stood shocked for a second.

"You better be careful" the voice sounded again, this time from his back. He reacted in instinct, jumping away from the source- and coming face to face with the same nurse that assisted Dr. Van Ochre.

She was smiling at him, holding Nora's file in her left hand and his scroll in her right. "Ah…" he mechanically accepted it "thanks a lot about that. I apologize for making a scene- I am just worried for my friend."

"Oh, there is no need to worry" she replied, gazing at him with a pair of large, round eyes that one could easily think would get her a lot of admirers when paired with her thin lips and cute smile.

That wouldn't work on Erik, however. Because, deep inside the brown irises that stared at him, he saw something. A hollow feeling surged through him, as if he had just come face to face with a polished doll.

A creepy, smiling, overly polished doll, designed to appeal to his very tastes. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to bring these to the doctor or he will be very mad" she stepped away and walked in a cute manner.

What is going on here? Did I imagine that? Trying to calm down his very confused mind, he opened his scroll. And became even more confused. There was no signal at all, despite him having used it just a minute ago.

Ok, if he was alarmed before, now he was on full alert. Deciding to trust that Nora and Ren would be fine together, he ran up the stairs to his partner, an unsettling sensation spreading inside his mind.

-o—

Lumia, as a matter of fact, was as much confused as her friends, albeit for a much different reason. Her deep green eyes were fixed on the PC screen in front of her and the results it displayed.

Hacking the doctor's computer had been a walk in the park and finding and downloading the patients' files into her laptop had been as easy as breathing.

She had then picked up her stuff, left the doc's office and, in order to be as less conspicuous as possible, sat in the waiting room. The plan was for the doctor to see her when he returned and her asking him one more time in order to look stupid and desperate, aka harmless to him.

Meanwhile, she took advantage of her free time to read the files she had illegally downloaded in her laptop. She opened Jaune's and started reading, only to get extremely confused and alarmed at its contents.

The first confusing thing was that the first file about Jaune was labeled as 'January 6th, 86'. She wasn't completely sure, but she was under the impression that Jaune had been first administrated before New Year's.

Deciding to not make assumptions based on impressions, she opened the file.

'Subject showcases very high mental resistance and displays extreme determination. They possess a high risk to the process' success and, thus, must be carefully monitored and kept under tight surveillance.'

What the heck is this? She was truly and honestly confused. This was wrong, on so many levels. This was by no means what a high-profile clinic's medical file should be.

She was no expert, but she had seen enough of them in the SHU to know they were more detailed, filled in exact descriptions of the patients' condition, along with detailed instructions on the nature of their treatment and countermeasures against possible side effects.

What alarmed her the most, though, was the context of this hastily and ill-prepared report. Why are high mental resistance and determination detrimental to Jaune's recuperation?

She spared a look around and, after making sure the doctor wasn't coming yet, turned back to the confusing file. The words 'treatment' and 'tight surveillance' stood out in particular. Was Ruby aware of this?

She closed the file and moved on to the next one; January 7th, 86. Before she opened it, a thought crossed her mind and she decided to make a quick check of the files' dates that marked Jaune's visits.

Janauary 7th, January 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th… wait a minute. There was a file for each day of the month after January 6th! She scrolled down and, to her absolute terror, found a couple files noted as February 4th and 5th.

Ok, she wasn't sure about Jaune's daily habits and how often he was seeing Dr. Van Ochre, but those two visits were nearly impossible to have happened- he had been training in Cypress with Nora's division on the weekend between February 3rd and 5th!

With trembling fingers, Lumia opened a file. What was she going to see inside? For some reason the disparity between common sense and the files scared her even more than being found out at this mom-

"Common sense is a misconception born out of the fragility of human mind" the voice from before returned, startling her.

"As such, there is no greater fear instilled in the heart of mortals than admitting its faulty logic" the voice continued, its deep and inhuman guttural sound cutting through her nerves like a sharp blade.

"Who are you?" she whispered. Nobody could be seen around, so she knew that whoever the voice belonged to could either sense her or read her thoughts somehow "what do you want from me?"

There was no reply. I guess they can't hear me- or don't want to let me know they can. Her more-than-slightly trembling index pressed enter and opened the February 5th file.

'The subject remains stable and optimistic, despite having completed 30 days in solitary confinement. Day after day, delving into his mind is becoming increasingly difficult, as he seems to be able to withstand the mental assaults by summoning positive thoughts on demand.

Thus, we are taking a more aggressive approach. From today, we are reducing his food and water supply to the bare minimum and regularly disrupt his rest by sending in the Nurse to conjure images of his past.'

"What the fuck is this again?" she couldn't stop the voice from climbing up her throat. This was not even remotely a treatment! It was torture! What had they been doing to Jaune here? And-

What is that 'confinement' crap? If he has been confined in this place, then who is the Jaune we have been talking to those past two months? Or am I reading too much into it? Maybe it's some special treatment-

She slapped her face. No, calm down Lumia! In such cases, there are only two things you can trust; your comrades, and any facts you know. Getting confused is not going to help you understand the situation!

Deciding she had read enough for now, she sent a copy of Jaune's files to her scroll for easy access and put her laptop back in her bag. Let's try organizing what we know before the doctor returns…

Jaune's first report was a few days after RWBY returned to Vale, which barely makes any sense. There are files on a daily basis, even on days I am sure he wouldn't be able to attend. She noted in her mind.

In addition, all files are unscientific and talk about him as if he is a lab rat in a cage, as if he never left this place… which contradicts everything I know even more. In that case… who is wrong? Is it me or the files?

She took out her scroll. This demands further investigation, but the first priority is to inform Velvet about this. She should at least pretend to be sick or something, until we meet up with her.

'NO SIGNAL' she clicked her teeth. How was it possible for a high-class clinic in the outskirts of the third largest city in Remnant to have no signal? This is no coincidence; I have to talk to the others right now!

All of a sudden, the sound of footsteps reached her ears. They seemed to come from the corridor just behind her. She stood up, but as she did so, she realized something; the steps sounded a little too like splashes?

As if someone is moving on top of a wet surface with heavy steps. She took a step forward, in order to check the corridor from around the corner, but heard a loud splashing sound from beneath her as she did!

Lumia stared down- and came face to face with a massive bloodstain. She raised her wide-opened eyes to see around and saw that a huge pool of blood was slowly pouring out from the corner!

And, from the corridor, just around that corner, the same heavy, wet footsteps echoed, coming closer to her with every passing moment. Is this even real? No, stay calm! No matter what you see, stay calm!

Bracing herself for what she was about to view, the black-haired girl let three wet, bloodied footsteps behind her as she ran around the corner to face the unknown entity that walked unfazed inside a pool of blood.

Her great mental strength and resolve were the only things that kept Lumia Starlight from screaming as she let her gaze fall on the bright, bloodstained corridor and its single occupant.

The cleaning lady from before, boots and uniform soaked in red blood, stood over a large blue bucket that had turned sideways. Her horrified eyes saw thick, fresh blood spreading out from it in huge amounts.

The woman turned around and stared at her, holding a dripping mop in her hands. Her eyes were glassy and as empty as her doll-like smile, as if devoid of any soul.

"Oh goodness, I just spilled my bucket; how careless of me!"

-o—

"Excuse me Miss" Ren's voice was as calm as ever as he approached the black-haired nurse "could you please have the decency to at least tell me what is happening with my wife in there?" he pressed on at once.

The pretty, smiling face turned at him and answered at once, not even slightly annoyed by his tone "as I told you, Mr. Ren, your wife is fine, if only slightly scared. There is no need to worry about her" she smiled.

Ren's brows furrowed. During his short career as a huntsman, he had come across many fake smiles, used by a lot of people for a lot different purposes, so he knew this woman was currently playing nice with him.

But, as she curtly bowed and walked past him, he couldn't shake a very important feeling she gave him. He had never seen before such a smile; so hollow and empty as if the one giving it didn't even know how to.

In addition her eyes were so void; he had almost seen his reflection in them. If one thought about it, she was more a scary cute type than an enticing one. The way she had pronounced his name was so off…

Ren's magenta streaks opened wide in realization. I never gave them my name and Nora is using hers; how did she know? He turned to the examination room's double doors and soundlessly moved next to it.

Maybe he was being paranoid. Maybe all that Erik and Velvet told him about Jaune were making him paranoid. Maybe the woman was just a fan of his and had recognized him from the papers.

But he knew he wouldn't be able to get her soulless stare out of his mind unless he confirmed that Nora was safe and sound. The door was unlocked- that was strange. What sort of seasoned doctor leaves it-

A loud crash, accompanied by a low gasp of pain and the sound of glass being broken made Ren slam open the door and run through the ten-meter corridor that separated it from the examination rooms at once.

He rushed in the opening and came face to face with a bewildering and alarming situation. Nora was up, holding a broken chair in her hand and having the remains of a pair of handcuffs hanging from her left wrist.

On the other side of the room, Dr. Van Ochre was slowly getting up. He had a huge bump on his head. Next to him, the doll-like nurse stood. Her smile was unflinching and her expression unchanging despite the very obvious fact that Nora had just slammed the doctor on the floor.

Everything paled, however, in comparison to the large broken syringe that was on the floor, and the deep black, murky goo that spread from it, forming a small, pitch-black pool that oozed with hate.

"Ren!" she gave a faint smile "this bastard tried to inject me with this!" He assumed fighting position at once, slowly moving next to Nora while not letting the suspicious duo out of his eyes even for a moment.

None of them had their weapons with them, but they were far from helpless, as their enemies would soon realize. If they underestimated them, they would pay the price for it.

"Oh" a familiar voice surprised him. In a split second, the nurse's face had changed. Her hair was now a splendid long red ponytail and her eyes were a vivid shade of green staring at him.

Nora stifled a gasp, making the boy understand she had seen her too.

"I think you are the ones underestimating us, Ren" the voice that came out from Pyrrha's mouth was identical to how he remembered her- bright and powerful, with a shred of dignity and full of vigor.

But it was lacking. For all its skill to mimic Pyrrha, this thing lacked the kindness and warmth the girl radiated during her life. More accurately, it lacked any sort of human-like warmth, he thought.

Nora gritted her teeth. How dared this whatever-it-was to pose as her friend! "I am breaking their faces, Ren. Don't try to stop me" she broke the chair in half, grabbing a leg to use as makeshift club.

"I agree; they are too dangerous to be left alone. But be careful. I have no idea what they are capable of." Plus, she had replied to his thoughts, hadn't she? Is there a chance she is reading my mind?

"More or less, yes" still dressed in the nurse uniform, 'Pyrrha' took one step forward. Next to her, Van Ochre eyed them with caution. "Don't we have the other two to deal with? Should I do it?" he asked.

"There is no need to do that on our own; we fed everything to the cleaner for a reason after all" she replied, her smile widening in unhealthy- and inhumane- proportions.

"Who are; no, what the fuck are you?" Nora took one step forward to match her. "How many are working in this place with you and why?" she took another step, her rage fueled by the all-widening smile.

"My, Nora" she narrowed her eyes in a haughty mannerism. "I am me and nothing more. But I am" her mouth opened, revealing a black hole- an empty, endless pit, filled in swirling, pulsing malice and death.

"I am an endless pit; an eternal, never ending well of death you can't even comprehend. My very existence, my ancient power is sworn to condemn you all, savoring the agony of your futile last stand."

Nora froze on spot. As 'Pyrrha' spoke, her face contorted and twitched. Small bone appendages formed on her forehead, tearing her flesh and covering her skin, dyed red in the fresh blood that ran down her head and adorned her thin, wide mouth, now filled in large human teeth.

The couple stood firm, but they could both feel the invisible hand of terror slowly grasping their hearts, ready to clutch and drag them to an endless pit of despair. The doctor was simply standing away, smiling.

"I am your ancestors and your children. I am your lovers and your enemies. I am your God and your demise. I am the one who shall drag pathetic humanity down in the bottomless pit that gave me my name."

She- no, IT, cracked its head and the disgusting sound of bones rubbing on each other filled the room.

"I am Avyssos, and you are my sacrifice."