Chapter 33 – A Story of Opposites

Killian

His onyx eyes… tired and mad…

The fallen Commander of the Black Gallows stared ahead from his landed Wasp, feeling the grains of sand beat against his cheek, and he sighed, lowering the scope of his rifle.

"Ever wonder what it's like? To be so close to the end of your life?" Killian spoke to nobody in particular. "… a story of opposites…"

"Never in my life have I felt so at peace, than when I nearly died. Than when I felt my lungs collapse as the Grave Dust started to tear me apart." He touched the respirator on his chest, breathing hoarsely. "It's like… the nearer you get to death… the closer you want to be to it. For all your problems in the world to just… fade away…"

He closed his eyes, then clenched his hand into a fist. "But then – there's this… feeling… a thought… the catalyst of your survival."

He saw it all.

Every moment in his life.

When he felt this way, when he refused to die, fighting to the very end if he had to, killing people and monsters in ways that could give even the strongest soul nightmares. "A rage, a desire to fight, to survive. It lights your nerves on fire, and drives away all logical thought… just makes you fight and fight until your enemy lies dead… and you standing over them."

He saw himself standing over the dead, of all the people who tried to kill him.

"And all the while you hear that same question lingering in the back of your mind… Have you had enough yet? Do you finally want to rest? It's funny, you could go an entire lifetime without ever facing a choice like that, but the first time you do… it changes you forever." Killian explained, opening his Onyx Eyes and staring down the barrel.

"I am not the one who dies… that is what I have learned, and despite everything you have done for me… I will not allow you to drag me down with you."

He stared directly at her as she walked with the others.

"My Dear Sister…"

Blake

Night fell on the Desert of Menagerie…

Blake's team readied themselves. It was now or never. They had to reach Sienna, whether or not the Former High Leader wanted them to. Blake pushed her earplugs in to protect her senses from the Sonic Device that Ilia had at the ready to use against Sienna so they could get close enough to her without getting shot. Yang revved the engine whilst Blake got onto the back of the Hover Bike. Ren and Nora did the same on theirs and Weiss and Oscar as well. Ilia mounted onto hers and she nodded to them.

"You all ready? This is gonna be very risky." She warned.

"Ilia… the entire world has been trying to kill us. We're kinda used to being shot at on sight." Weiss chuckled. Ilia nodded her head.

"Fair enough."

Their Hover Bikes activated, a bright purple hue pulsed across their vehicles, the thrust from the Gravity Jets blew the grains of sand across the floor. "Ready… go!" Ilia commanded, then the team all roared up the Sand Dune and jumped high in the air before landing back down on the sand. They shot forward, leaving long clouds of sand in their wake.

"Anyone else already feeling the crosshairs somewhere around here?" Nora asked, pointing to her forehead.

BANG

A bullet shot straight past them right as she said that, narrowly missing Nora's forehead, the incoming round came from the same place as Yang spotted before. Sienna hadn't moved from where they last saw her. She was confident.

Hell, she was always confident in herself.

It was one of the things I kinda admired about the woman.

Nora aimed Stormur Skeggox over Ren's shoulder in Grenade Launcher form, and she fired it from time to time. Not to hit Sienna, though. They were way too far away for her grenades to reach her. No, this was to make her job a little harder, and to make theirs a little easier. The grenades exploded, kicking up plumes of sand that clearly made Sienna struggle to nail accurate shots.

The high calibre rounds still came at them, glowing red with heat, and still only missing them by mere inches. She was an excellent shot, a terrifyingly excellent shot, in fact. Blake never realised she was such a skilled Marksman.

Weiss stared ahead, seeing the glint of her scope from here, shining the moonlight off the lens. She fired once again, and Weiss ducked down, only just missing her and Oscar. The bullet whistled off and ricocheted off a rock which stuck out from the sand, sending it flying off into the distance.

"How close are we for your loud thingy to work?" Yang asked, swerving from time to time to avoid the incoming bullets, even firing some shots back, using the muzzle flash of Ember Celica to blind Sienna for a couple of moments. Of course, from here, it was not very clear if their efforts had any actual effect on her aim. But it was worth a try.

Ilia pointed ahead. "See those natural land pillars ahead of us? We need to get past them. Once we're there, it will be in range!" Ilia called back, roaring down the dune just in time to avoid one of the incoming bullets.

Ren drove downwards whilst Nora continued to fire more grenades into the sand to cover them as best she could. Shot after shot came flying through, and they headed into the formations of rock that Ilia mentioned. Luckily, these massive formations of sandstone acted as the perfect form of cover to keep them out of Sienna's view. "Keep moving! Don't stop! We've just gotta clear these pillars and Ilia can activate her gadget!" Oscar called out as he held on, watching the glint of the scope which was following him now.

He swung and hit the bullet at the perfect moment, sending it shooting off and into the top of one of those pillars. It blew some chunks of sandstone apart, throwing the rubble down into the sandy sea around them, causing critters hiding under the surface to scatter. Their Hover Bikes easily crossed this terrain, gliding between the pillars.

Yang drifted across the dune, digging her heel into the sand to turn them around even faster. Then she hit the thrusters. Blake wrapped her arms around Yang as she held on tight, headed directly for Sienna. Now they could tell the scope was on them. The glint of her scope was so bright that Yang squinted her eyes.

Sienna fired at them, scraping the side of their bike as Yang moved to the left. Blake fired in the direction she heard the gunshot, and her bullets were reaching, but Sienna had more than enough time to avoid them. But it gave them time to get even closer before she could get another shot in.

Ilia reached into her pocket and held the device as they got closer to the edge of the Desert Fingers, and she just dodged another incoming bullet.

"Gods, Sienna…" Ilia panted to herself. She shot out from the fingers first, and then she smirked, raising the Sonic Device above her head and hitting the button.

The humans couldn't hear it and luckily, neither could Blake. But the screeching sound was at such a specific frequency that it could temporarily deafen Feline Faunus. From atop her mountain, Sienna grabbed her ears and yelled in distress as the high-pitched shriek seemed to bury itself deep inside her head.

Ilia smiled, turning to everyone. "It worked! Let's get her!" Ilia called out.

Yang accelerated ahead with Ren and Weiss, and they swiftly disembarked once reaching the base of the mountain. They all looked up and saw the sharp rocks, and as Ilia arrived, she sighed, tapping the side of her device, finding the battery had died. "Cut it close… but we've got some better chances now. Just remember… Sienna Khan is still one hell of a warrior. Don't think we're out of this yet. She'll know this mountain like the back of her hand and probably has a bunch of traps waiting for us." Ilia explained.

"We're gonna have a nice long chat with her. Starting with how to greet people without trying to kill them." Nora scoffed as she got off the back of their bike, spinning Stormur Skeggox through her fingers, now in its axe form.

The cold air made their skin prickle with goosebumps, but it wasn't just the cold that made them feel this way. They saw the dead bodies at the base of the mountain – both Feral Ones and White Fang. Some were old… very old… and others were not. All had been shot and only made it here. "Gods…" Weiss gasped. Ren approached the corpse of a Feral one and found there was a piece of paper nailed to his ribs.

Betrayer

"She's only done this to the Feral Ones…" Ren noticed, seeing that the White Fang soldiers who died here had no sort of label on them. In fact, they seemed to look more comfortable and at peace, whilst the Feral Ones died where they laid, and she did nothing with them.

"Ilia… how many people tried to reach her?" Blake asked.

"Hard to say… lots of people venture into the desert. Few return… and in the dunes? With the sand always moving? The bodies just tend to… disappear… not the case on a mountain though." Ilia explained.

"Are we sure she will even help us? What if she's too far gone?" Oscar asked, resting his hands atop the Long Memory.

Blake and Ilia fell silent at that question. "Let's just hope she's not." Blake said.

"No… at first I wanted to believe you, but… after this? Seeing how ruthless she is? I know Sienna was never afraid to get her hands dirty, but this is insane. Killing both Feral Ones and White Fang without mercy? Are we sure that's someone you want leading the White Fang? You think she's even capable of doing it anymore?" Oscar questioned. Yang sighed, nodding her head.

"He's right… I'm sorry, but he is…" Yang said.

"So… what do we do if she is too far gone?" Oscar asked Blake, and she bowed her head.

"I… I don't know." Blake honestly answered it wasn't exactly what they were hoping for. And considering how things were looking… it didn't make any of them feel entirely at ease. "But she's our best shot. She's the only people the White Fang will follow now… and we need someone who is willing to do anything. You said it yourself, Oscar. You know how to kill Salem now. We know it is possible… that has to be enough to convince her." Blake explained.

"Let's hope so." Oscar sighed, tightening his grip on the cane. They walked up the side of the mountain, clambering up the sharp rocks, checking to make sure there were no traps lying in wait.

Even now, with all this cover… they still felt like Sienna was watching them at all times.

Weiss pressed her back up against the wall then peered around it, checking to see if there were any traps waiting for them. But down there, she found nothing at all. It was a completely clear path.

An awfully ideal path.

Blake walked ahead, but Weiss held out her arm to stop her. She crouched down and threw a rock down the path, when suddenly a collection of spears erupted from the ground. They then saw the skeleton of a Feral One still skewered to these spears be yanked out from a Desert Bush.

"Good thinking, Schnee." Ilia gently tapped her shoulder as she walked ahead of them, Lightning Lash tightly gripped in her hand. She focused her enormous eyes as she walked ahead of them. Blake stayed close, Gambol Shroud drawn and at the ready. They turned around the corner to see Sienna in a dark shroud. They could not see her face, hidden by a hood and a face mask – but they knew it was her.

"LEAVE THIS PLACE!" she roared, cutting the cable on a huge crate, sending it toppling down. It slammed down against the floor and opened up, unleashing a pair of Giant Mantises on them. A threat that was not of the Grimm variety, but was in fact merely wildlife that lived out here. They hissed and roared, slashing their long claws together before they both launched forward.

"Look out!" Yang yelled, grabbing Blake and they both leapt out of the seven foot tall insect's path. It slashed its claws through the rocks, cutting clean through them. It turned and screeched, stabbing at Yang repeatedly. She crawled backwards across the floor until Nora launched Stormur Skeggox into the beast's chest. The blade cut deeply into the chitin, green blood squirted out but it handn't seemed to be affected by the axe outside of the damage.

Then it shocked them. It grabbed the handle of the axe with its sharp arm and ripped it out of its chest with ease, and tossed it across the floor. Nora gasped, extending her hand, calling the axe back to her, only for the Mantis to bat it aside as it jumped at her. She rolled backwards and as she rose; she smashed Magni across the side of its face, breaking off one of its mandibles. Green blood splashed across the wall, but the animal just kept on coming.

It stumbled across the floor, and as it turned, Nora caught Stormur Skeggox as it flew into her hand, crackling with pink electricity, and she brought the enormous blade down onto the back of its neck. She slammed the whole beast's body down against the floor, beheading the monster instantaneously.

She spun her axe through her fingers triumphantly, smirking with pride.

The second Mantis sprinted terrifyingly fast at Weiss, slashing its blade-like claws at her, hissing with every swing it made, but she jumped and flipped backwards, casting multiple glyphs which fired icicles at the creature. They shattered against its strong chitinous body, but Ren sprinted and slid underneath it, slashing Stormflower across the legs, bringing the Mantis down. It hit the ground hard but still snarled in fury, slashing its blades, but Ilia leapt over its head and wrapped Lightning Lash around its throat, sending a single powerful shock into its body.

Killing it instantly.

Ilia panted, turning to the large box that Sienna had those beasts contained inside. "Wow… I'm impressed. Never seen someone manage to capture mantises like that before."

"I don't remember there being so many." Blake commented.

"They weren't, not originally. But without Huntsman around to cull their numbers, they have been spreading like wildfire, killing so many. Sienna isn't the only danger out there in the sand, remember." Ilia explained. Blake walked over to Yang and helped her back up to her feet.

"Easy to forget that there are animals outside of the Grimm that would happily eat us." Yang chuckled, taking Blake's hand and getting back up.

Ilia walked up the stone path of the mountain, and as they turned the corner, they reached the area of the mountain that Sienna was situated.

But she was nowhere to be seen.

The team walked out and looked around, weapons at the ready, and Blake listened carefully. That's when she heard incoming footsteps, and she turned, raising Gambol Shroud and stopping the incoming bullet from Sienna's Rifle. The bullet bounced off and exploded into the cliff face above them. Sienna jumped off, and she flipped through the air, suddenly drawing Cerberus Whip, and launching multiple explosive blades towards them.

"Scatter!" Oscar yelled, jumping and rolling out of the way.

Yang tumbled across the ground, then turned to see Sienna suddenly throw her chain towards her and wrapping it around her neck. Yang gasped for air as Sienna jumped and spun through the air, yanking Yang forwards. As Yang flew towards the Former High Leader, Sienna roundhouse kicked her in the face, knocking her onto the floor. Yang rolled out of the way as Sienna drew her pistol and shot at Yang's face, only missing her by an inch.

Blake launched Gambol Shroud at her, wrapping it around Sienna's body to restrain her, and she snarled with anger. "Sienna! It's me! Blake!" Blake screamed, but Sienna just snarled with fury, spinning on the spot to yank Gambol Shroud from her fingers.

"Dead people wearing dead people's faces!" She yelled, sounding insane.

As the ribbon loosened around her, Sienna slashed Cerberus Whip at Blake, smacking her repeatedly with the long chain, and as she slammed Blake up against the wall, she turned to see Yang and Ren both charging towards her. Sienna jumped and bounced off the wall, kicking Yang in the side of the face and flicking her chain, throwing an ice blade at Ren. It froze onto his leg, making him helpless as Sienna rolled across the floor towards him and thrusted up, sending both boots up into his face.

Ren staggered across the floor and turned as Sienna launched dust projectile after dust projectile at him. He dodged some, but an explosive blade hit him directly in the chest. His aura flickered, and he crashed against the wall with substantial force. "Ren!" Nora screamed, then her scars glowed bright pink, and she spiralled Stormur Skeggox through her fingers and blasted a powerful pink beam of energy directly at Sienna.

She turned and her eyes widened, being smashed through a rock and tumbling across the floor on the other side. She snarled, gritting her teeth together as she charged at Nora Valkyrie.

Nora launched Magni towards Sienna, but she rolled underneath it, and Sienna threw Cerberus Whip forward, wrapping it around Nora's muscular hand. But Nora grinned and wrapped the chain around her arm, before grabbing it and yanking Sienna towards her. Nora thrusted forward, pummelling Sienna backwards, before jumping up and slamming Stormur Skeggox down into the ground with so much force that lightning exploded out, blowing Sienna backwards.

Sienna then stared at her, and noticed the bump, and it seemed to make her hesitate for a moment. She turned as Oscar suddenly charged at her and moved shockingly fast, like he had been in a time vortex. Every single strike was fast. He looked like motion blur. He then smashed her in the chest with the Long Memory, and Sienna growled, about to attack again, until Ilia wrapped Lightning Lash around her, and shocked what remained of her aura, breaking it and knocking her unconscious.

Sienna dropped to her knees, then onto her back. Smoke steamed from her body and they all panted with relief.

They all looked at Ilia and she sighed.

"Let's tie her up… talk to her when she wakes up… maybe we can get through to her." She suggested.

Eryka

Lavinia stood over her daughter, then her burning blue eyes extinguished.

And in that instant, the Magma Storm faded away as well, leaving behind the huge spires of black glass where the searing lightning bolts came crashing down around them. Lavinia extended her hand to Eryka, and she took it, being pulled up to her feet and right into her mother's embrace. Eryka's eyes widened with shock from this. Her mother was never really big on hugs. Despite knowing that her mother did care about her, Eryka still felt intimidated by her mother's presence.

Even now, that fear remains.

If not, even more so now that she knew her mother was a Fully Realised Winter Maiden. "Glad to see you're still breathing, Eryka." Lavinia said to her, letting her go.

"Thanks… you too…" Lavinia looked past her daughter to see Winter. The Specialist looked back and just gave a nod. But her interest was piqued when she spotted their guests.

"Robyn Hill… my, my, in the flesh as well. My informants let me know my daughter had guests, but to think the long dead Huntress was here as well? This really is quite the day, isn't it?" Lavinia chuckled as she approached Robyn.

"Well, it was a big surprise for us, too. Eryka told us about what you are… about what you did back at your old base, and your home." Robyn explained.

"Ah yes, Salem and Killian thought they could remove me from the picture so she could have full control. Fools obviously forgot that the Underworld never goes down without a fight and we know what they're doing long before they've even launched the attack." Lavinia explained. "And besides, I had a feeling Salem would come after me eventually, considering the power I have. I'm amazed she never thought to pursue me earlier."

Lavinia glanced up to the sky, and she narrowed her eyes. "Come on, I don't control all the weather patterns out here, and controlling that Magma Storm for as long as I did was not the easiest endeavour. I'll take you inside." Lavinia said, gesturing to them.

She did a double take at Saphron, Terra and Adrien. "You have a small family with you?" She asked Eryka.

"They got involved and Killian knows… Terra, the dark-haired one… is his Foster Sister." Eryka explained.

"Right… well, I can see how that would make things awkward. We're safe here, and by the looks of it, you weren't followed. But if you were… well, we'll be ready for them." Lavinia assured, walking Eryka, Winter and Robyn.

They approached the structure built into the old mountains, nearly buried in sand and surrounded with huge horizontally windswept spikes of black glass covering the peaks. But the entrance was secure, most likely needing to be kept that way after storms. It was an ancient structure, like a temple, and as they walked inside, they saw that the Vasillias Cartel had been using the space inside to their advantage.

"What is this place?" Robyn asked.

"An old temple. There used to be many old cities out here in Vacuo. This was from a time before the land was a desert, before the U.G.R whittled it down to the grains we walk on." Lavinia explained, walking down the steps. They saw how much they stored here, and it was way bigger than they expected. There were multiple hidden chambers underneath the surface. "The place we use as the front door used to be the very top of this castle. The dunes have buried most of it, but we've cleared out lots of room.

Winter slowed down, staring at the wall, seeing old shrines to two people.

Salem and Ozma…

… but to them, without seeing Jinn's vision, she could not even recognise them. Salem looked so different back then.

"We saved most of our firepower and got it all down here. There's a bunch of openings hidden around here that we use from time to time to get airships in and out." Lavinia explained.

"How long have you known about this place?" Winter inquired.

"A long time. We've got a bunch of different locations dotted around Remnant in case one falls so we can relocate. This… wasn't always my favourite, a bit grim, but it does the job." She shrugged her shoulders.

Eryka slowed down with Dulcis sat on her shoulder, staring down another path to see their army of vehicles. Tanks, airships, even a Dreadnaught. "This place is enormous."

"Off the radar and more than enough space for my forces. And then some… we saved a bunch of different groups when Salem killed those who wouldn't follow her rule. Which were a lot of them. Most Criminal Organisations are formed because they hated the leadership that came before. We weren't interested in going from one corrupt system to a tyrant."

They all approached her makeshift office, where Roland Vasillias was waiting. He gasped the second he saw Eryka and ran to her, immediately wrapping his arms around her in an affectionate hug. Lavinia smiled to see their broken family back together… in some way. Eryka could feel it in the air, and she looked at her mother. "Eryka… I wanted to say…"

"Mom… please…" Eryka didn't want to sound cruel about it, but thinking about Neptune… it just hurt too much for her to handle. "Look… we came here because we need your help. The Cartel's help."

Lavinia accepted that Eryka didn't want to talk about Neptune, not yet anyway, and she heard them out. "Against Salem?"

"Yeah." Eryka flatly answered.

"Heh… well, we've already been ahead of you there. Been attacking Black Gallows convoys and Feral One patrols around Vacuo for a while now. But I imagine you're not interested in Hit and Run attacks, are you?" Lavinia presumed.

"No, we're going to kill Salem." Eryka answered.

That made Lavinia chuckle. "You always have been one to go straight for the hardest target, haven't ya?"

"We've already got another team out there finding out how to do it. They've got the Relic of Knowledge and are tracking down the Relic of Creation. If we can find a way to kill Salem, we have to take it. She is gonna end up burning Remnant down, and we all know it." Eryka explained, and Lavinia nodded.

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it. I've seen people through everything they had at Salem and nothing ever worked. Landing blows that would kill a normal human… but… she isn't human, not anymore. I don't even know what she is… but she's powerful." Lavinia stated, crossing her arms.

Lavinia stared ahead, and she sighed. "You really think it's possible?"

"Well, when Ruby Rose herself is out there… with Pyrrha Nikos… I think anything is possible."

That got her attention.

Lavinia turned around swiftly. "Pyrrha Nikos? But she's dead. I saw her corpse in Beacon."

"Long story… honestly I don't understand half of what she told me, but I promise you I'm not bullshitting. She's alive, with Cinder Fall and Penny Polendina and they're out there right now." Eryka explained.

Lavinia walked back and forth, contemplating what they've told her and she mumbled softly. "Maybe…"

"Mom?" Eryka asked.

"Are you gonna help us?" Winter asked.

"It will take time for me to assemble my forces and fill them in… but yes. I trust you, Eryka, you've never been a good liar. And besides, I've been wanting to get some payback against that bitch for a long time." Lavinia explained.

Then she smirked. "And thanks to our new arrival… we know the layout of her castle."

Robyn, Eryka and Winter's eyes widened. "Um… excuse me?" Winter asked. Lavinia smiled, and she walked ahead.

"Come on… see for yourself."

They followed Lavinia down the stairs and they eventually reached another room. There were multiple Armed Guards stood there, but they stepped aside when Lavinia approached. Eryka looked at them and then they walked inside.

And they couldn't believe who was sitting down in the room.

"Poor one-armed bastard. We found him washed up on a beach. Must have only just escaped. He's got some stuff to say you're gonna wanna hear." Lavinia explained. Eryka walked past her and she gasped, blue eyes widening and mouth hanging open.

"Cardin…"

He lifted his head. He now had a beard and was covered in scars. Clad in just some rags that had been torn up… and they saw so many horrible signs of torture on his body. From cuts to burns, whips and even a brand on his spine. His arm was still missing after Salem had impaled him onto the ground and pushed his arm away when Beacon fell.

But…

… he was one of them… one of the teams who were all presumed dead after Beacon fell.

Team C.R.D.L and Team S.S.S.N.

Which meant…

"Holy shit… I… how are you even…" Eryka couldn't find the words, crouching down in front of him and gently squeezing his shoulder.

"Eryka… by the gods I thought you were dead…" Cardin stammered. He sounded so weak. But judging by the food and drinks, they had been nursing him back to health.

"Not yet… seems you're not either."

"Not… just… me…"

Her eyes widened, and for the first time in years, she felt hope. She turned and stared at her mother, seeing that same expression she had on her face.

She looked at him.

"Cardin… is he alive? Is Neptune alive?"

"They all are… but…"

"What? What happened?" Winter crouched down beside Eryka.

"We saw an opening and tried to make a break for it, but Salem and her Abductors stopped us… I only just escaped, but they were all dragged away. I had to run, they begged me to… so I could let someone know…" Cardin explained, coughing.

"And that's how you found my mom." Eryka pieced it together. "They're alive… he's alive… we… we have to go there now. We have to!"

"That's why you were already prepared to go. You want to get your son back." Robyn realised, smiling.

"I've made many mistakes. To both my children… if I can at least give my boy a second chance… I'll take it." Lavinia stated.

Hope…

It was the very thing they needed.

And then it was dashed away.

BANG!

A gunshot rang out, and Eryka spun around… and before they realised it, an explosion rattled the entire building.

"Black Gallows!" someone screamed. Before they were shot down, Eryka sprinted round the corner with Robyn, and saw Clover Ebi and the other Ace Ops stood there.

With Dutch.

He looked at her and he knew… it was time… no more hiding… he had to stop playing both sides. "That gunshot came from outside…" Robyn realised.

"Go! We'll handle the Ace Ops." Eryka assured, and Lavinia emerged with them, her eyes burning bright blue.

"You've got some nerve to come into my new home and making a mess at the door." Lavinia threatened, lightning crackling across her fingertips. Winter spun her sword through her fingers, ready to fight beside Eryka and the Happy Huntresses whilst Robyn investigated the other gunshot.

So we were followed…

… for fuck's sake.

Terra

Moments earlier…

She sat with Saphron and Adrien, happily holding the boy close as they sat there, waiting to find out what the results of this mission were. She then reached into her bag and revealed something she found on the way here. It was a shell fragment.

"Whoa… what is it?" Adrien asked.

"That is the shell fragment of a Flatback Slider." She answered with a smile. "You ever heard of them before at school?"

"No…" He answered.

"Oh, you'll love them." Saphron whispered, gently bouncing him on her knee.

"They are giant turtles." Terra put on an exaggerated voice, smiling.

"No way, you're kidding." Adrien giggled.

"Not at all, kiddo, they're real. We probably drove over one. They spend most of their time underground. They only move when they need to, but they are beautiful animals." She explained to him, waving her arms around to help him picture just how gigantic the things were.

"Have you seen one?" He asked.

"That's right. In fact, your mom and I did." She revealed. He smiled with wide eyes as he looked up at Saphron.

"Uh-Huh." Saphron nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"This was before you were born. We came out here on a vacation together and decided we wanted to help out some of the Nomads. They live out there in the dunes with their caravans, surviving on their wits. Sadly, a lot of them struggle to get the necessary food and water that they need. So we helped them, did the good thing, and brought a group a couple of large tanks of water and some food to get them going through their trek." Terra explained, and Adrien smiled.

He was so inspired by his parents; he wanted to be just like them.

Saphron hugged him tight, kissing the top of his head, then Terra placed the Shell Fragment in his hands. "That was when we saw it… this gigantic animal. We thought there was an earthquake at first, but then we saw the sand dunes… begin to rise." She explained, and his eyes widened with wonder. "And that was when the Flatback Slider revealed itself to us. It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. It was huge… covered in scars from things like Blind Worms that attacked them. But even those giant Grimm couldn't even hurt the giant Turtles."

"Wow…" Adrien gasped.

"One day you will see one too. When all of this is over… I'll take you back to these deserts when you're older. And you'll get to see one too." She promised, winking at him.

He bounced with excitement, like he wanted to grow up right then and there. She ruffled his hair, then stood up.

"Alright… I need to take a leak. Be right back." Terra promised.

"Okay, be safe." Saphron smiled as she walked away from them. Terra approached one of the guards.

"Excuse me… is there a toilet around here somewhere?" She asked.

"Yeah, just down that hall and to the left." He assured, she turned and saw the external hall where she could see the dunes. She walked out there and approached the toilet. She took a few minutes to relieve herself and then came out to return to her family.

Then she heard the gun click behind her. "Turn… Around…"

She felt her blood run cold and realised he had been waiting for her. But she steeled her nerves, and turned around with a scowl, facing Killian with his Chrome Pistol pointed directly at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was pale… he looked bad. His hair was dishevelled and the look in his eye said it all.

He had lost his mind at long last.

And Terra could easily deduce what was holding it all back… it was her…

"Hello, Nathan." She greeted, but she did not hold her hands above her head, she just stared him down.

"Damn it, Terra… I told you to stay out of this. I didn't want you involved in all of this… I never wanted it to come to this…" Killian stated. His hand was shaking, but his finger was on the trigger. Terra knew there was no way she could draw her gun on her hip fast enough, but she could at least try, just only when she had the chance.

She scoffed. "Did you ever really know me? I was never one to look the other way. I never could. If I see something is wrong, I will do my damndest to put it right. It's why I became a detective… I didn't want bad people getting away with the terrible things they did. I just never expected that you were one of those very people I had sworn my oath against. My own brother…" Terra explained, sweat trickled down from his body and he was wheezing, and he gritted his teeth.

"You endangered your family for what? Pride? I am doing what I have to do to keep the people of Remnant safe." Killian explained.

"Safe? Stop lying to me, Nathan. Stop lying to yourself… we both know why you're doing this. It's why you became a soldier… it was always your worst quality, one you never could quite accept yourself." Terra explained.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You have always wanted power…" Terra stated. He stared back at her and he sighed.

"Yeah… I have… because I alone know how to use it best. The world is cruel, and the only way to make a cruel world better is through force. Ask the White Fang, where did they ever get with their peaceful negotiations?" He questioned, but she just glared right back. "I will do whatever it takes… and I will sacrifice whoever I must. Even you…"

She just scoffed, shaking her head. "I know…"

Terra swiftly reached into the back of her pants and drew her gun, firing at him and he fired as well. Killian yelled in pain as her bullet grazed across his cheek, but when he fired, he shot her in the chest. She gasped, and the impact made her stagger backwards, tumbling off the edge and down the dune. She rolled down the grains of sand, leaving a trail of blood as she reached the body.

She groaned in pain, holding her chest as she tried to get back up, but she immediately turned and aimed at him, but he shot the gun out of her hand whilst covering up his cheek, activating his aura. He slid down the dune towards her and kept his gun pointed at her head. "You really think you're going to take this world from us? From Salem? From Watts? From Tyrian? From ME? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" He questioned, eyes wide with madness, teeth gritted.

She stared up at him as blood leaked from her mouth, but she showed no fear.

"Yeah… finally… after all these years, ever since I was born… yes. I know who you truly are, Killian." His eyes watered as he kept the gun on her head and he crouched down, and his voice broke as he spoke.

"I had to choose, Terra… I had to choose. I had to decide whether I let Tyrian do this… or I do it. But I knew what that also meant… I had to choose between my duty and you. But I held it off for so long… and now… this has happened. My love for my sister… blinded me of my duty." Killian stammered, rising high as tears trickled down from his eyes.

"What the hell does that say about me?" He asked her.

She just stared back at him and held out her arms, ready for him to kill her. She closed her eyes and exhaled…

BANG

He fired, and the bullet went straight through her head and out the other side. Her body fell lifelessly into the sand, blood pooling from the back of her head and entry wound.

Killian shook violently and he unleashed a haunting scream of anguish, dropping to his knees before her body, burying his head in her hands over what he had just done.

And it all made sense now.

His life…

… family and duty…

… it was always a story of opposites.

Author Note - Goodbye Terra...

Killian has crossed the line now, the man has finally completely lost his mind. His days are numbered now, and killing his sister was undoubtedly the last straw for his sanity. The man is nothing but the monster inside of him now.

And amongst the tragedy of that ending, we do have hope as well. Teams C.R.D.L and S.S.S.N are still alive... they can save them, they just need to kill Salem first.

And hope it isn't too late for them.

And they have found Sienna! Was really fun writing her in action again, always had fun describing how she uses Cerberus Whip, really fun weapon to use.

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

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt