Chapter 19 – Fractured Bonds

Salem

He whimpered… the pain was indescribable…

In a dark cell, Adam laid with blood smothering his body, and he continued to whimper. Curled up in the corner, he was shaking erratically, like he had been left in the Atlesian Wildlands to freeze to death. Only it was fear, the cold touch of fear, it lingered, just like the pain under his hot sticky blood.

Salem walked out from the cell where Jaune was standing guard, holding the Relic of Destruction in his hands, blade pressed against the ground. He turned his head to the whimpered cries from the other cells down the hall. "Come, I think our work here is done." Salem stated. She walked away and closed the door, with blood dripping from her pale fingers. She held out her hand as she approached the door to her bedroom, and she pulled a cloth to her grasp. She used magic to dampen the cloth and wiped the blood away as she stood at the foot of her bed.

But as she calmly cleaned her bloodied hands, she sensed something was amiss. She turned and saw Jaune stood there in the doorway, looking… confused. "What is it?" Salem asked.

"I… I don't understand…" He grumbled as he pressed his armoured hand against his temple. "I do not understand why I am here… you created me and gave me a mission… to retrieve the Relic of Creation. But here I stand… here you keep me. Why? May I ask?" He inquired, she folded her now crimson cloth together and set it down on the table.

"I cannot risk you, Jaune. Your existence is crucial, and I have made you incredibly powerful. But you are not invincible. I cannot risk your destruction; your existence depends on the succession of my plan. So we will wait until we know for certain where the Relic of Knowledge is located. We know it is indeed in Vale… but if I send you to go after Team C.P.P.R now… you may not be able to retrieve it." Salem explained.

"What do mean?" He asked with confusion.

"Ozpin designed the Vaults to only be opened by specific maidens. Summer already granted me Destruction from Vacuo. And using this I have been able to open the Vaults at Atlas and Mistral to retrieve Choice and Knowledge. Of course… Ruby Rose ruined that plan." Salem explained. "But Creation can only be opened by Fall… and those fools have the Fall Maiden with them. Why waste the opportunity of letting them do all the heavy lifting for us?"

She then caressed his cheek gently and smiled. "Never underestimate the usefulness of others."

"Then why do you continue to keep Adam Taurus alive?" Jaune asked.

"He is a symbol, for the Feral Ones. He keeps them under my thumb, and in combat he is exceptional. Killing him now would be hasty… but torment? Discipline? Well… nothing in my code forbids me from doing as such." Salem explained as she walked past him, yet he still seemed… confused.

She stopped and looked back at him. She exhaled through her nose and sat down on the edge of her large bed and crossed one leg over the other. "Yet… something still troubles you."

He stumbled but found his words eventually. "W-What… who… am I?"

Salem raised a brow. "I do not understand."

"I… I do not know who I am. I have faint memories… flashes… of who Jaune Arc used to be, but they are not my memories. It was never my life… I do not know what I am." He stated his voice was similar to Jaune's, but it was darker. Much darker, and that was not due to magic, it almost sounded like a completely different person, but in Jaune's modified body… and apparently… even some memories.

Salem pushed her hands against her legs and stood up and walked to the doorway. "Come. I believe it is time you had a brief history lesson."

She and Jaune both walked through the halls of Evernight, down the stairs and following the torches that had glowing purple flames that danced back and forth. Salem approached one room and she opened the heavy door with ease, Jaune followed into the next room. It was a huge Circular Library, filled with hundreds of thousands of books of great knowledge, large and circular with Eight massive Stone Statues of what appeared to be Knights. But Knights from a time nobody had ever known. Jaune stared at the statues, then turned to look at the Dark Queen who stood before him.

"Do you know who these men and women are?" Salem inquired.

"… no… your grace."

"That is because there are no history books in this era that remember them, because all the historians who could are all long dead. In fact… there are only two who remember the era of which I speak of. Myself… and Ozma." Salem explained as she gestured to them. "This building… Evernight? It predates most structures in this world, the history held here is unlike any other in the world. It was old even in my time when I was born."

Jaune just listened as Salem paced back and forth, telling him the tale. "In fact… this was the very chamber I used to practice my dance routines when I was a girl. You stand in the castle of which… I was born."

Jaune looked at her in surprise. "My father… was an overzealous man, one who never wanted anything to happen to his little girl. He wanted to protect her from the monsters out there in the world, from the Grimm and the men who sought to hurt me. The beautiful daughter of a powerful duke… so he chose Eight of his Knights. And they all swore to protect me."

She approached the statues and looked upon the first, and she closed her eyes with what appeared to be sadness. She pressed her hand against the stone. "The leader of these knights – was Ranked as Inquisitor. And his name… was Ozma."

Of all the things Jaune was expecting, that was not it.

"He cared for me a lot, and the young impressionable girl that I was? I cared just as deeply for him. Then you had the Seneschal, his right hand. She was incredibly skilled in combat, and many feared her. There was also the Zealot, the Spartan and the Executioner. Alongside the Berserker and the Shogun." Salem explained as she listed them, stopping at the seventh – the Shogun.

"They defended this castle against many threats and continued to serve me. Of course… Ozma and I… we became closer, forming a bond stronger than just duty." Salem explained, her eyes glowed fiercely, and she clenched her hands into fists. "But that was all a long time ago, and eventually… that world and everything I loved… was gone. But I wanted to hold onto the memory of my Knights, and even after my world came crashing down into nothing but ashes… their name deserved to live on. So I continued to enlist those I believed to be worthy of replacing those who came before." Salem explained.

She approached Jaune and gently pressed her hand against his chest plate. "And you… are my new Inquisitor."

His eyes widened. "You do not have your legion yet, but in time you will. And with them we shall carve a new world from this… one that will be better than both mine and yours." She explained to him. "One where dear Ozma… cannot interfere ever again." She assured with certainty in her glowing red eyes. "Do you understand who you are now, my Knight? My Inquisitor?" She asked.

"I do, your grace. Thank you." Jaune answered, sounding uncharacteristically emotionless. Salem walked past him, but he still stood there, and his head turned to one of the statues. "Your Grace?"

"Yes?" Salem asked.

"You missed one of them… the Eighth. Who was the Eighth Knight?" Jaune inquired, Salem turned and smiled.

"Ah yes… how could I forget?" Salem remembered as she approached the statue. "The most dangerous of them all…"

She turned.

"This… was the Deacon."

The name caught his attention. "He was the most unpredictable, and that was why so many feared him. Because he would spill so much blood that those who would try and come for me, or defy me, would never dare to challenge me again. That was why he was called the Deacon – for he was my Messenger."

She smiled at Jaune, walking away. Jaune stared at the Deacon's statue, it commanded respect, then he walked away to join Salem. The Dark Queen concluded with one final statement about the Mysterious Deacon.

"Who knows… perhaps he shall rise again someday."

Blake

Leaving the Summit's Claim was always hard, but this time it was harder.

It was not like most times before, because they were not going to return unless they defeated Salem. It was like leaving home to join the Academies once more, but this time… it was to face the evil that took it all from them. "Thank you, Li. For everything." Blake softly said to him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. He smiled as he held her close.

"You needn't thank me, Miss Belladonna. You found this path all on your own, I was merely a stone you had to step over." Li explained with a wise smile. She couldn't help but reciprocate. Li looked past her and saw his Son and Daughter-in-Law. They both approached him, and he gave them both warm hugs. "Please… be careful."

"We will. We've got each other, we've always been able to keep each other safe." Nora assured, and Li smiled as he gently squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm sure my grandchild shall be a warrior thanks to the two of you. In a way… I hope Salem falls before the child is born. I doubt even she would be able to stop them." He chuckled, which made them both laugh.

"Goodbye, Dad… I love you." Ren softly said as he hugged his father. Li held him close, and they pressed their heads together.

"Worry not, my son. We shall meet again, and when we do… I will bring all the greatest warriors I can muster… to face Salem together. This I promise." Li assured as he held his fist to his chest.

"Then we look forward to it." Nora smiled, the two of them followed Blake, Yang and Weiss. But as Oscar walked past Li, the old warrior stopped him.

"Ozpin…" Li spoke, and the old Professor took control of Oscar's body. His eyes shimmered briefly, and he turned, looking at the Summit's Mentor. "I know who you are, and that you are hardly an angel… none of us are. But make sure that you keep them safe, for they are all my family. You do not want to find out what I can become if anything happens to my son or daughter-in-law. Do you understand me."

A dark side in Li seemed to return there for a few moments, the Fallen Angel of old. Ozpin looked back at him and nodded his head slowly. "They are my students… I do not intend to fail them. So you have my word – I will protect them." He promised, Li stared at him for a few moments but eventually nodded his head. Ozpin gave Oscar control once again.

"Good Luck, Mr Pine. And for the record… you are part of that family too." He assured, which made Oscar smile.

"Keep Vernal safe, please? Amber and Vicky too?" Oscar inquired.

"You have my word." Li promised.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too… I have a feeling things are only gonna get harder from here." He said with a sigh, and Li nodded his head in agreement.

They set out into the wild together, headed to South-Eastern Anima where they could find the Great Savannah Plains of Anima. A beautiful landscape, so they say, one where wildlife of great variety lived, and even greater Creatures of Grimm.

They followed the paths, it was always the best way to find their way there, but they were always on alert just in case. The Grimm or the Black Gallows were always a threat and could ambush them at any given moment. Or… even the Feral Ones.

As they walked, Weiss approached Blake as they followed the path together. "Hey… Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something? About the Feral Ones?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Why… why do you think they serve Salem? You said that they were once the White Fang, but the members become too violent and fanatical, and were exiled from the Fang, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Gods… that's insane." Nora shuddered.

"Tell me about it." Yang agreed.

"But why serve Salem? They never cared for equality, just spite against Humans. And anyone who stood in their way." Weiss said.

"Well… for that very reason. Salem needed firepower and reinforcements to hold onto power, she had the Black Gallows, but the Feral Ones were different. They are a cult at heart, and they now have the one that they worship." Blake explained.

"They've gone from fighting against Tyranny to becoming the very ones dishing it out." Yang sighed. "I kinda feel bad for them."

"Don't. People like that? They're the reason why people feared the White Fang and helped validate Humanity's Campaign against us. They think that simply reflecting the damage Humanity put us through would allow for change… but it doesn't… it simply makes things worse."

Blake slowed down and she pushed her hand through her hair. "It's why I hate it whenever I hear the news reports. Massive improvements made to Faunus/Human Relations. End of Faunus Racism. It never ended it; it just made the racist ones hide. But once we kill Salem… I know they'll start talking again." She sighed, continuing to walk on. "Nothing's changed… it's just been paused."

They continued to follow her. "This is why we need the White Fang. If we can destroy Salem, we can stop the Feral Ones too, and actually make some real progress to our goal."

"I had a feeling there was a more personal reason behind you wanting to get the White Fang on our side. You're thinking of the future… smart." Nora said with a smile.

"Blake is right, we can't just expect our problems to be fixed even if we kill Salem. She's laid seeds into our society… chances our we'll have Acolytes of Salem afterwards who want to continue what she did before." Ren agreed.

"It's a delicate circumstance… ugh… I wanna punch something." Yang groaned, which made them chuckle.

"Yeah, never thought that the old days of killing Grimm in the Emerald Forest would be so appealing now." Weiss agreed.

As they walk, Nora gently touched her growing bump. She was three months pregnant now, and Ren was constantly close to her. He gently held his hand to her belly too as they walked. "Hey… are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, y'know… pregnancy stuff." She giggled as she walked, Yang looked back at Nora and slowed her roll.

"Are you two… sure you wanna come with us? I mean… y'know…" Yang awkwardly asked as she gestured to the mother-to-be.

"It's okay, Yang. I know my limits and I know when to retreat, my aura is keeping me and the baby safe. We wouldn't have come if we weren't sure we could help. And besides… you three on your own out here? Without me? Hell… you'd never make it back." She joked with a big smile.

Yang couldn't help but laugh. Nora was always great for that, no matter how uncomfortable, awkward or even negative things could get, she could always crack a smile.

Night fell, and by the woods they set up a campfire for the night. Nora was comfortably laid down beside her husband who gently caressed her pregnant belly. "Have you two thought of a name yet?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Not yet, we don't even know the gender yet." Ren answered.

"Oh it's a girl, I'm calling it now. And when the girl is born? We're calling her Freya." Nora clearly already made up her mind.

"Was that an idea or has it been decided?" Ren asked her and they both chuckled.

Oscar looked at them and could hear Ozpin in his head. "It's… nice to see this." Ozpin said.

"What do you mean?" Oscar inquired.

"I knew those two back when they both formed their team in the Emerald Forest. I knew they had known each other for a very long time, and from the very start I knew Nora pined for Lie. But… to see this? The two of them… married… and having a baby? It helps me remember why I do all this… so then couples like them get the chance to be happy. To raise a family, free from the horrors of Salem and the Grimm. It's why we must win." Ozpin explained.

The sound of wildlife surrounded them, owls hooting in the trees, distant elk in the woodland calling out. And the distant call of a Nevermore somewhere. It was miles away, but the sound was always unmistakable.

The burning logs popped and cracked as the fire burned away at them.

"Any of you wanna have a family some day?" Nora asked curiously.

"Yeah." Yang answered. "Someday… I've always wanted to be a mom."

"You kinda were, to Ruby anyway." Blake commented.

"I guess that's where it comes from. It was… tough… looking after Ruby for as long as I did when Dad was shut down. But… I never hated it. I loved it." Yang admitted with a happy smile on her face. As they talked, Weiss turned her gaze to Oscar who was fiddling with his watch again. She couldn't help but giggle, which got his attention.

"What?" Oscar asked.

"Your watch." She laughed. He looked back at his old mechanical watch on his wrist once more, smiling back at her.

"What's wrong with my watch?" He asked.

"I have seen you messing around with that watch, every single day. For the past six years, you have been winding up that watch." Weiss began, which made Yang chuckle too, and Ren smiled.

"I've wondered this myself." Yang agreed.

"I'm missing the point here?" Oscar chuckled nervously.

"I mean… that thing looks so old. You could sell that watch for so much Lien these days, yet you don't. You have your scroll and that tells the time instantly for ya." Yang commented as she flicked hers out, showing the time.

"Yet there you are, still messing around with that old watch." Weiss said which made him laugh.

"W-What can I say? I like the classics." He shrugged.

They all chuckled then he glanced back at it. "Thing is… this isn't originally mine. It's my Aunt's. She always loved to collect these things, old stuff. I mean you should have seen the house I used to live at, old stuff everywhere. Grandfather Clocks, boring old kettles… that kind of thing." Oscar began to explain as he continued to mess around with it. "And I always asked the same thing. Auntie why do we always use this old stuff? It keeps breaking! It's so slow! Waaah!" He laughed and so did everyone else.

He then turned the hands around and it landed on the right time. "That's when she told me why. The world moves forward, you can't stop it, and it will always advance. And it will leave things behind… it's our duty to remember these things. It's why we were gifted with knowledge, because with knowledge comes memory. If we forget where we began… then maybe, we forget who we really are." Oscar explained, and they smiled at his speech. "But honestly? I think she was just weird and liked old stuff better."

They all laughed at that.

"She was a wise woman your Aunt. I wish I could've met her." Blake smiled.

"With how much you love Books? She would have talked your ear off." He chuckled.

They continued to sit together and enjoy the campfire, but as the time went on as they talked, something hit Blake. "Oh… heh… I just remembered."

"What's up?" Yang asked.

"Today… is my birthday. I can't believe I forgot about that… with everything going on I… never thought about it." Blake said.

"Holy shit, Happy Birthday Blake!" Weiss beamed.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday." Ren smiled back. Yang reached into her bag, and to all their surprise she set something down on her lap. She touched it and felt the wrapping paper. Blake gasped and looked right at Yang.

"Happy Birthday, Blake." Yang smiled.

"You… remembered? After all these years?" Blake asked.

"Of course, how could I forget?" Yang asked with a bright smile which made Nora smile at the two of them.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Nora teased.

"Oh, right." Blake looked flustered as she started to open up the wrapping paper. Oscar and Weiss laughed when they saw it. Blake ran her fingers across it and shook her head, feeling the bumps and able to read the letters through touch.

"Ninjas of Love – Definitive Edition?" Blake laughed hard, which made Yang blush and smile back at her.

"Always knew that was your favourite." Yang teased.

"Thank you, Yang… but… I dunno if I will be able to read it." She sighed.

"Open it." Yang said, so Blake did… and she felt the writing.

It was in Brail.

"Wait… where did you get one of these copies?" She asked.

"Li's library. He had a lot of books in Brail in there. Was amazed when I found that one." Yang chuckled.

"So… Li likes Ninjas of Love huh?" Nora teased as she glanced at Ren.

"Dirty old man." Weiss teased.

"Alright, alright." Ren chuckled. "I doubt he reads it."

"I dunno Ren, your dad is a mystery." Weiss teased, making Ren just roll his eyes with a laugh.

Blake held the book in her hands and looked at Yang. "Thank you, Yang… it really means a lot. Even if it is a little… dirty." She joked, in which Yang winked back at her. She then rested the book on her knees as she thought. "Twenty-seven years old… sure as hell feel a lot older."

Ozpin quickly took control of Oscar. "Oh don't even start with that." Ozpin chuckled, immediately returning control to Oscar once more. Blake giggled at Ozpin's comment.

"Yeah… I guess everyone are children compared to you." She teased, which made Ozpin chuckle in the back of Oscar's mind.

As they sat together, Yang looked out at the beautiful sky. "It's like old times…"

It fell silent, and she looked at Blake and Weiss, their faces changed. They looked at Yang and the two of them stood up and walked away. "Wait I…" Yang sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. Nora and Ren looked at each other and laid down together to go to sleep. Yang just buried her head in her hands with regret. "Shit…"

Ozpin took control as he looked at her. "Don't worry, Miss Xiao Long. They will forgive you in time."

"I didn't mean to bring back bad memories by saying that… I just… remembered that night we were with Oobleck in Mountain Glenn. I just… wanted to remember the old days." She sighed. "But even those memories are tainted now… because of me…"

"You cannot expect things to change immediately. Things like that… it takes time." Ozpin explained. "Believe me…"

"I just… thought Blake and I made progress." Yang sadly said.

"You have… you're just going to need to make some more." Ozpin assured, Yang looked at where Blake and Weiss were stood as they talked, away from Yang. She then looked at Ren and Nora who were now asleep.

Yang laid down onto her sleeping bag, staring up at the Shattered Moon.

"It was nice while it lasted… I guess."

Eryka

Home…

Lakeview Manor…

Dulcis flew across the night sky as the two of them approached the large manor. The pebble driveway wound up to the front gate, and it was opened, and wrapped in vines. Eryka touched them and noticed the lack of rust here as well. "She was here. Doing the same thing, making the place look like it was abandoned for years to keep people away." Eryka explained as they walked inside. They kept their weapons at the ready whilst Dulcis circled the sky.

Eryka followed the driveway, and she saw something before her. Ghostly memories, seeing herself as a child carrying a much younger Neptune Vasillias away when they escaped. She stopped and looked back at the gate, and Winter stopped. "Eryka? Are you… okay?" She asked her with a nervous tone in her voice.

"Yeah… yeah… it's just that… this place holds a lot of memories for me. Not all of them are good." She said as she walked onwards. The pebbles crunched beneath her boots as she approached the structure. She turned her gaze to the way she last came in here… once there were guards all over the place. She always had to fight her way inside to speak with her mother, and like last time… those talks usually ended in arguments. She kept on walking though and kicked the door open with ease before Winter could say anything.

Winter held her sword up and looked around. She looked at the roots and vines that covered the walls, finding bullet holes hidden behind them. She crouched down and found the spent bullet cartridges on the floor. She held one and sniffed it, finding the sent of used fire dust. "Yeah… the Black Gallows must have followed her here too, but it didn't end well for them either."

"No sign of any dead soldiers yet." Eryka explained.

"Or Grimm." Winter added.

"I wouldn't doubt that they're coming. If the Black Gallows couldn't do anything then Salem will definitely send some of her forces to hunt her down. We should be fast." Eryka agreed. She pushed past the fast accelerated bushes, and she found the kitchen. The same one she immediately made a sandwich in when she last came here, when she spoke with her mother before heading to Beacon to help Neptune and secure the situation there.

The day she would eventually meet Winter Schnee for the first time. Who would've ever imagined that those two would have fallen madly in love with each other?

Eryka opened the fridge that was held shut by the vines, cutting them loose with her sword, and she found that the power was still on as well, and still had some food inside. Alongside some drinks. She picked up one of the orange juice bottles and drank some of it. "Well… she had to get out of here fast, she didn't even take any supplies."

Eryka threw the Orange Juice to Winter and she caught it, drinking some of it. "Lavinia won't mind, right?"

"Ah she has enough money to afford Orange Juice." Eryka chuckled as she continued to look around. As she stood in the kitchen, she had another memory come flying back. Seeing herself chasing her baby brother around, giggling as they played.

Hey no running!

Lavinia's voice echoed in her mind as she remembered her past. "It was so happy once…" She said with sadness and continued to look around. She walked through the large kitchen, ducking under the branches that burst through the walls, and she found herself in the old living room.

One more memory returned. She saw the ghostly apparitions of herself and Neptune sat together on the couch, watching cartoons together. But she could still hear her mother in the other room.

I don't give a damn about what they say! Get the money from that town by any means necessary! If they refuse, go to the town and ransack it. Take whatever you can that will satisfy the debt that they owe us.

How they feel? Business doesn't give a flying fuck about feelings, not a single one! If we start letting morals command us, then we might as well be digging our graves ourselves!

Now get that debt from them… or I will make sure that you will be in the ground in their place.

Despite how much Lavinia wanted to keep her business and Criminal Life away from this house, she failed. It always snuck its way back to their lives sooner or later, and Eryka always remembered hearing her mother saying such terrifying things.

"Did you and your Dad talk much? Back when you lived here?" Winter asked her as she followed Eryka.

"We talked but… well… the older I got the more I realised that he was terrified of Mom. Every year he just… degraded. In the end we had a Babysitter look after us most days, either he was never here or… Lavinia was always at the Cartel. Neptune would always ask me where's Mom and Dad? I could never answer that… because I never knew." She sighed as she kept walking through the house.

"I think I'm starting to understand why you took him away from here when you left." Winter replied. "It's one thing to hear you tell me the stories… it's another to actually see the place where it happened."

Eryka walked out of the living room and found the hallway that lead back to the front door, and also found the stairs. She looked up them and closed her eyes, her fists shook slightly. But Eryka walked up the stairs, keeping Slice 'N Dice close. She walked up the steps and held her sword up, ready to cut down anything lurking in this old house.

But there was nothing here.

No Grimm… and no soldiers.

In fact there was not a single body anywhere. "This doesn't make any sense. Where the hell are the soldiers?"

"I don't know." Eryka answered, she kept walking through the house, and she found her old bedroom. She stopped in front of the door, and her hand shook slightly. Her heart started to hammer, but she swallowed thickly and pushed the door open. She looked inside… and flashes of memory returned.

The Intruder who glared down at her when he tried to stab her in her sleep, and when Lavinia brutally killed him right in front of them. The event that scarred them for life. She stood in front of her old bed and clenched her fists, then looked at Neptune's bed. What surprised her most… was that his side was not touched. Not a single piece of vegetation could be seen. Eryka then saw something that made her eyes widen… she reached over and picked it up.

An old photograph of Neptune when he was little. Tears streamed from her eyes and she held it close to her chest, then she smashed the frame against the floor so she could keep the actual picture.

"Hey… are you okay?" Winter softly asked her as she gently held her shoulder. Eryka nodded her head and wipe the tears away.

"C'mon… we need to figure out where she went." Eryka was never one to open up about her feelings to people, but Winter was one of the few she trusted. The two of them left the old bedroom, then approached her mother's office.

As she approached, another memory appeared. Not long before she ran away with Neptune, many men showed up, armed with guns, and she could hear her mother arguing with them.

The Vacuo Mafia

The same ones she had all executed to take the power they had on Vacuo. Knowing what she did? What she was capable of? It terrified Eryka, and lead to her running away with her baby brother. And it all came spiralling from there…

Falling into a life of crime, becoming a pit fighter, joining the Branwen Tribe… and eventually… finding the Summit's Claim.

Eryka opened the door, and she froze. "What is it?"

"Nothing… I just… I've never stood in mom's office before." She revealed, and she walked in and saw her old maps. They were of Remnant, and the Four Kingdoms, showing the places her Cartel had power. She had power everywhere, she was the most powerful woman in the whole world – before Salem.

"Gods… I always knew she was powerful… but she really had every single Kingdom under her thumb." Winter commented.

"I guess we now know why Salem wanted her taken care of. She is probably the biggest threat to her rule with the power she has." Eryka stated.

Winter narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, looking closer at the board. "What?" Eryka asked.

"That's weird… she has a pretty big mark right here in Vacuo. But… there's nothing out there, just the Dune Sea. Maybe some old buildings near the old city but… nothing of value. Just Grimm." Winter commented, then Eryka's eyes widened.

"Maybe not… maybe there is something out there, a place she could move her Cartel to whilst she plans some kind of counterattack? Lavinia is not the kind to back down from a fight. Especially when she has been beaten down." Eryka explained.

"Vacuo's a long journey to go on a hunch." Winter stated.

"I know… but it's something." Eryka explained, but she looked at the mark and sighed. "But… you do have a point. That mark is old, she would have marked that a few years ago. Doesn't mean it isn't possible. But…"

Eryka paused and peered round Winter's shoulder and walked over to something else. "Gods you cannot stand still today, can you?"

Eryka approached a piece of paper nailed to the wall and she looked at it really closely, and she held it in her hand. "Not a spec of dust… this must have only been here a few days…"

"Just like the vines." Winter commented. "What's on it?"

"Looks like coordinates." Eryka answered, Winter took it and used her Scroll, scanning the coordinates on the piece of paper. The map started to calculate the location… and it marked it.

The location was… weird.

"The hell? It's not that far from us… it's just a shack." Winter stated.

"You sure it's right?" Eryka asked.

"Yeah, it's accurate… maybe that's where she wants us to go. Do you think she knows we're looking for her?" Winter asked.

"Maybe… she knows we're alive. Why now though? How did she know we were looking for her now?" Eryka wondered as she paced around the room.

"Well… we know she has spies everywhere. Maybe she even has contacts in the Summit's Claim? To keep an eye on you?" Winter suggested, which made her scoff.

"Sounds like her." She said, hard to tell if she felt comforted or disgusted by the idea. "Okay… we go there… and pray it isn't a trap."

Ruby

The walk through Mistral was painfully awkward and quiet, but eventually they left. The walk through Anima was worse, at least there was the stress to keep them company… now it was just silence. Cinder walked ahead of the team, and they stared at her, with some anger in their eyes.

Yet the tension was not just against Cinder, but it was felt between others. Between Penny's fear of Pyrrha, her guilt of killing her in the first place, the divide back in the Wildlands between Ruby and Pyrrha? Pyrrha and Cinder's gripes, and Ruby's anger at her for what she did ten years ago?

This team was a volcanic mess, and any moment now… something was gonna cause an eruption.

Cinder stopped and pointed ahead. "There… that'll do for the night." Cinder assured.

It was an old run-down shack, the bricks were covered in moss and other vegetation, the roof was partially caved in and all the windows were broken. "Scenic." Ruby scoffed.

"Hey, if you wanted the five-star experience you should have become an actress or some bullshit. Now come on." Cinder commanded as she walked towards the building, forming a pair of dust swords just in case there was a Grimm in there.

But it was clear, not a Grimm in sight, so they all got ready for the night, making a perfect campfire and letting in burn. Ruby laid down; Penny snuggled up close to her then they both went to sleep whilst Cinder was keeping watch.

It took her some time, like always, to go to sleep. It was never easy to sleep out in the cold like this but having Penny beside her definitely made it easier to relax. For a time… because as she slept a darkness lapped over her like a cold wave. She looked around, finding Penny, Pyrrha and Cinder were all gone, and she was alone. "Guys? Where'd you go? Guys?" She called out.

Only… she wasn't alone.

She heard the whispers and they caused hairs to stand on end. "Valravn… Valravn… Valravn…"

And from the darkness he returned, chimes dangling from his body and eyes glowing red behind that horrifying Raven Skull Mask. The sound of Corvid Birds echoed around him as he emerged, staring at her. "Tattered and Broken the wilted rose falls, lost and alone, with all who cared lost to the winds of betrayal." He spoke, voice dark and croaky.

"Get out of my head you bastard, you're dead!" Ruby yelled in anger.

"Our Body may be rotten and forgotten… but our soul lives on within your memories… forever and ever…" Valravn whispered as his hand reached out to her, but she gritted her teeth in anger and drew Black Thorn, firing them at her old dead enemy that still haunted her. He vanished into thin air, and Corvid Birds flew outwards from where he was stood. She looked around as they all circled her.

Then she saw the Jackdaw descend, and in a puff of black smoke, the man himself stood before her, top hat in hand. "It doesn't matter how hard you try to bury us, how much you try to make yourself believe we're gone… we will always be a part of you." Jackdaw assured with a smirk. "I always wanted the best for you… just like I did for your mother."

"Get out of my head." Ruby commanded.

"I know you hate me… but please Ruby…" She heard Qrow's voice behind her and turned, seeing him knelt behind her with his hands held together. "Don't… don't shut me out… please don't forget about me…" He cried.

She looked at her hand and saw the still sealed envelope stuck to her hand. She could not rip it off, it just would never come loose from her fingers. The only way to let it go was to break the seal and read what was inside.

"You will never heal if you don't close the book." Raven said as she stood behind her.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAAAAAD!" Ruby wailed, she fell to her knees, and cried, looking at the darkness beneath her. Suddenly his skeletal hand erupted from the darkness, and it was Valravn once more. The Branwen Siblings all became swallowed up inside him as he lifted her off the ground.

"Blood spilled over the innocent flower… now blossoms into something far crueller." Valravn growled, and in her nightmare his mask now became his real face, and the beak opened up with hellish teeth inside and belching flames. She screamed in fear as Valravn transformed into a giant horrifying monster with huge black wings, and a long black tongue flicked up at her.

"You cannot escape your fate! You will never see your loved ones again! Succumb to your despair!" Valravn roared, and his voice had echoes of Jackdaw, Qrow and Raven inside. He then dropped her, and she plummeted into his massive jaws. She screamed in terror as she fell down his throat and his jaws slammed shut above.

Ruby gasped sharply, sitting upright suddenly and panting. She turned and found what triggered that nightmare…

… the sweet and gentle sound…

… of old rusted windchimes.

She looked over and saw Cinder sat with her leg stretched out across the frame of the broken window, still keeping watch. "That looked like it was one hell of a nightmare." Cinder commented, glancing at her.

Ruby looked over at Penny who was still fast asleep, she gently caressed her shoulder. Ruby then wrapped her arms around her knees. "Yeah…"

"Valravn?" Cinder asked.

"H-How did you?"

"I saw you stare at the Windchimes… it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, ya know?" Cinder stated. Ruby glowered at the Fall Maiden then turned to her bag and saw that the letter Qrow wrote her was still in there. Still unopened.

She shoved it deeper in the bag and looked away.

Wind wailed against the old broken glass panes, the gentle patter of rain mingling with the snapping crackle of the fireplace. A warm amber glow overtook the room, a dimness matched with comfort that seemed to always without fail make the eyelids heavy. Some drops of rainwater fell in on occasion through the damaged roof, but luckily the area they were in was nice and dry.

Ruby turned to see that Cinder was not the only person still awake.

Pyrrha sat on the sill by the window, knees hugged to her chest as her eyes darted from raindrop to raindrop. The way they raced one another down the glass, eventually their paths converging. She frowned, looking over to the room.

Then her eyes found Cinder's. Staring back from the broken window frame, still keeping watch. They were all like raindrops on a window. Eventually, their paths converged. One way or another, she, Ruby, Penny and Cinder would always be drawn back together.

Ruby glanced at Penny, gently stroking her hair. "Looks like Penny's the only one getting some sleep."

Cinder lifted her chin, and a bemused smirk graced her face. Pyrrha huffed, resting her chin atop her wrists. She hugged her knees a little tighter, looking to the two swords in their makeshift sheathes. They were just lent silently still in the corner, by Ruby's bag. Right next to the Relic of Knowledge. It looked dull and old, yet mystical. Unsuspecting, but also mysterious.

"Can't sleep either, champion?" Cinder cooed. Pyrrha shut her eyes to sigh. Great. Now they had to talk.

"Don't really want to."

"Mmm. Well, I'm up and about, I can keep watch if you want to shut your eyes for a bit." Cinder almost sounded sincere. Pyrrha blew a few strands out of her face, a stray flicker of lightning lighting the room white for but a moment. "Or do you not trust me?"

"As far as I can throw you." Pyrrha quipped, swinging her legs over the edge of the sill.

"Aww, you still don't trust little old me?" Cinder pressed her fingers to her collarbones. "Was it... me taking you in? Lying to Killian to protect you? How about forgetting the needs of an orphan so I can gallivant off with you on some kind of suicide mission!" Cinder was now nose to nose with Pyrrha, every word punctuated with a step out of her chair.

Pyrrha shrugged. "You killed. Tried to kill me. Made me rip Penny to shreds. Forgive me for not believing this little stunt with the girl."

As she went to walk past, Cinder caught her arm.

"She... is worth... ten of you. And a million of me." She snapped, Pyrrha ripping her arm from her grip. Cinder opened her mouth to say more, but froze, shutting her lips and pacing back to the chair. She stood beside it, frowning at Pyrrha, silence seeming to mingle with the heated stare forever.

Then Cinder gripped the back of the chair, lifted it up overhead and slammed it down into the oak floor in a deafening bang. Pyrrha frowned deeper as the loud bang caused Penny to yelp awake, Floating Array suddenly forming together and aimed at the door.

"Ruby, your turn for watch duty. Now no one gets the chair."

"Mature." Pyrrha scoffed.

"I'll clean it up-" Penny softly said, being responsible.

"No, Penny, no you won't. Cinder made the mess-" Ruby defended.

"Like hell." Cinder scoffed.

"Stop being a child, for once!" Ruby barked.

"It's okay, I-I don't mind cleaning it up-" Penny innocently assured.

"Go back to sleep, Penny!" Pyrrha snapped by accident.

"Hey! Don't yell at her! She's done nothing wrong!" Ruby yelled, eyes shimmering silver. Pyrrha looked back at Ruby and she sighed, stepping back, noticing how scared Penny was of her in that moment, more than… Cinder. "You too, Cinder. You've done enough."

"Oh back off little red." Cinder spat from the sill.

"What. What did you just call me? WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Ruby yelled with rage, aiming Black Thorn at a nonplussed Cinder. Pyrrha threw her head back with a heavy groan.

"Enough!" Penny snapped, stood by the broken old bed, fists at her sides. "I-I'm sick of this fighting! We have a bigger enemy, not each other! We're supposed to be a unit, a solid team!

"Please. We're three victims and a murderer." Ruby mumbled, lowering her Revolvers and sitting in the corner, pulling her hood up and hugging her knees.

Cinder laughed at that.

"Pots and Kettles, Rose." Cinder growled.

"I did what I had to. To protect the people I care for." Ruby explained.

"You keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night… but by the looks of it… you can barely get by, can ya?" Cinder questioned. "And besides… none of us are innocent. You had the nerve to judge me back there? At least I'm not a ticking time bomb. Or a girl with the power of a Homicidal God inside of me. We're all a mess." Cinder explained.

They fell silent, then Cinder sighed.

"We're all Victims." Cinder grumbled, looking out the window. "Just one of us did something about it."

Pyrrha paced up to Penny, placing a hand on her shoulder, only for Penny to whine and bat the hand aside. The mechanical girl frowned, sitting on the bed with a creak and rolling onto her side, facing the wall. Pyrrha closed her hand, looking over her shoulder at Cinder.

They were quiet for a while before Cinder started to speak again.

"Hatred breeds catastrophe. Flames that burn ever so bright and harsh, for but a moment. Then in the embers you look upon your works... and weep? Cos that fleeting, rapid bout of hatred, levelled everything you know and love. And ripped down the hopes of change." Cinder's eyes were glassy as she seemed to recite something, a manuscript from memory. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Or some shit."

Ruby sat up, swivelling her legs off of the bed. She stared at Cinder for a long while, as she gazed out that stormy window.

"Never took you for a book enthusiast." Ruby said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Cinder answered. "And… well… Salem had a beautiful library. Probably the only thing I miss about that place."

Cinder smiled as she looked up at the stars, peaking between rain clouds.

"They held each other close and turned their backs upon the end. As the darkness swallowed the sun, and the Grimm blocked the skies… the decadence and the innocence of mankind no longer had meaning. It mattered not who had the power, or who ate what, or who came from where. In the end, it didn't even matter, because the end claimed them all. All but a lonely girl… lost… and broken… who would forever be haunted by their words. Words of Judgement. That would be all she remembered… as the darkness continued to swell… leaving her with nothing but rage. Rage… Rage…"

They all looked at Cinder with surprise at how… educated… she really was. "Salem is many things… but she always made sure I was raised well enough to know how important literature was."

Ruby glanced at her. "Why did you do it? Attack Beacon? I mean… I know you did it for power… but what then? Once you had that power? What were you gonna do?"

"What does it matter? It's all gone now. Salem's won. The world is hers, and us?" Cinder spat the words with venom. "Us?!" She whipped around to snarl at Ruby, glare with tears that spoke the opposite of her rage. "What're we, huh? The rag tag group supposed to save the world? Please."

"That's exactly what we are. Whether we like it or not, here we are." Ruby sighed. Cinder chuckled.

"Answer me this." Cinder pointed at Ruby, swiping her nose before settling her arm in her lap. "How?"

"Huh?"

"How? How do you plan to kill what can't be killed? Change her? Make her see the good of life? Good of humanity? Stop kidding yourself."

"Then what do you suggest, huh? What's your plan to win?" Ruby frowned. Cinder wet her lips.

"I don't think there is one. I don't think there's some golden ticket to kill Salem. I damned as well can't. No one can."

"Then why are you here?" Penny asked, Cinder fell silent.

"Good question. You volunteered." Ruby stated.

"You clearly care about this world and the people in it. I don't think you're as bad as you keep making yourself out to be." Penny stated, then Cinder laughed at her.

"This world can burn for all I care. I don't care one wit about the people… not Vale or Mistral, or Vacuo or Atlas. All of it can be destroyed… I couldn't care less. The only reason I'm here is because I want Amber to grow up in a world without having to be afraid of that monster. Nothing else matters." Cinder stated as she looked back out the window at the rainfall.

Ruby looked at Penny and they held each other close whilst Pyrrha sat there on her own, clasping her hands together.

"I don't think that's true, Cinder. Because if it were… then you wouldn't have saved me. Or Weiss. Or Blake. Or even Vernal and Oscar." Pyrrha explained, Cinder just ignored her words as best she could. "I don't know if I trust you… but I know you're not who you were. And I know that you care. So think on that." Pyrrha said as she walked over to the corner so she could get some rest.

Cinder sat there and reached into her pocket and looked at the picture she took with Amber. She smiled as she looked at the kid.

This is all for you, kiddo…

I'll do anything for you.

Anything.

Author Note - The dynamic of Team Copper is so interesting to explore, because of how they are all linked to each other in some way. I felt their section in this chapter perfectly encapsulated why. Penny being scared of Pyrrha and Cinder, Ruby being mad at Cinder, Pyrrha being mad at Cinder, Ruby and Pyrrha's anger towards each other, Pyrrha's Guilt over Penny.

There's just so much fun stuff to explore there and they make for such a cool team. I hope you all enjoy this team as much as David and I do!

Lots of fun character interactions here, Eryka's backstory got to flourish some more here with her returning back to her home with Winter. Always love that kind of stuff. And Blake, lots of fun stuff there. Poor Yang, she just wants to relive the old days but, sadly those old days are ruined because of what happened six years ago in the Atlesian Wildlands

And of course... Salem. If any of you followed David's artwork for Eclipse... I think you may have noticed something interesting in that part. I was grinning away writing that, knowing what will happen in these last two acts for Eclipse.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt