Nicholas Schnee was dead, to begin with. There was no doubt about that. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of this story. Despite this, Jacques Schnee and his heir, Weiss Schnee, never removed his name from their company. The company was the Schnee Dust Company. Sometimes people called the business Schnee, or even the SDC, but they answered to both names. It was all the same to them.

Nicholas Schnee was dead as a door-nail.


A cold wind blew across the grounds of Beacon Academy. It caught delicate snowflakes in its ethereal grasp, spinning them into artistic ribbons of white before carrying them to a destination unseen. The ground glowed white, they sky was a lovely light grey, and the tower of Beacon seemed to twinkle and sparkle like a shining monument to hope and prosperity.

Ruby Rose pressed her nose against the glass of her dormitory window. The glass was chilled cold, but she did not care. She took in as much of the outdoor scenery as she could, her silver eyes shifting every which way, before her warm breath created a wall of fog in her view.

"Yang!" the peppy young girl exclaimed. "It's snowing just in time for the Holiday!" She peeled her face from the window and bounced excitedly, her red hood and cape swaying and bouncing with each ecstatic bound. She clicked the toes of her black and red combat boots together, pigeon-toed as she squealed in happiness.

Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older but just as fun-loving half-sister, was almost as excited as Ruby, if for no other reason than because Ruby's enthusiasm was a joy to behold. The tall blonde smirked as she admired the cold exterior and the prancing red-and-black goofball in front of it. It had been a difficult couple of months for both of them, especially Ruby. They were just finishing up their first semester at the acclaimed Beacon Academy, where the were training to become warrior Huntresses. Ruby, despite her young age, had been named leader by the headmaster Ozpin, and it had proven to be a steep learning experience for her and her new team. Even Yang had to adapt to now taking orders from her little sister. She was glad to see Ruby's stress wash away ad her to be so ecstatic.

Blake Belladonna could not help but curl her typically solemn mouth into a small smile upon hearing Ruby's cheers. She never took her yellow eyes off her book, and only lifted her free hand to either turn the page or scratch carefully at one of her cat-like ears concealed under her massive black bow, the most prominent trait of her Faunus heritage.

"Oh, won't it be great to see Dad again?" Ruby mused, placing her hands on her cheeks. "And Zwei! I wanna cuddle him!" Ruby nuzzled her cheeks further into her hands, pretending she was hugging her little grey corgi tightly. With the semester ending, it was time for everyone at Beacon to have a break for the much-loved and much-anticipated Holiday season, where all could spend time with their loved ones and celebrate all they wished to celebrate.

As Yang shook her head happily and reached down to pack more of her clothes into her bags, she heard a click and a creak. Her purple eyes glanced up at the one entering their dormitory room.

Some of the chill from outside seemed to creep into the room. An ice storm had rolled into their safe living space. Its cold was felt by all three girls in the room, and it blew through and past them, yanking the door closed as it entered.

Weiss Schnee liked the cold. Her entire image was based around it, after all. The emblem of her family and birthright was a snowflake. Her hair was white as fresh snow, and her eyes were an icy blue. Ice Dust was the one she preferred best in combat. It was only providence that her mood and demeanor were just as cold. She carried her own low temperature always about with her, and it did not thaw one degree during the Holiday.

Yang and Blake knew immediately to not engage with the Snow Queen, their teammate, when they saw her cold and stern. They had seen little of her humanity during their first semester at Beacon, and as soon as snow began to fall any attempts at kindness or understanding she had made were rendered obsolete by a newfound bitterness. It was only her partner, Ruby Rose, who, despite being the most affected by Weiss' criticisms ad cruelty, always made the attempt to break through, and that included now. As Weiss sat on a chair in the corner and began polishing her ornate rapier Myrtenaster, that Ruby called to her.

"Happy Holiday, Weiss!" she said in a cheery voice.

Weiss' chilled eyes moved up from her weapon to her teammate, the faint outline of a scar over her left framing it, and she muttered, "Whatever."

Both Blake and Yang knew that Weiss had wanted to be leader of their team. She was so used to getting everything, and so expected to, that her not receiving the highest rank of the four of them led her to resentment.

"Come on, Weiss!" Ruby said. "Even you have to love the Holiday!"

Weiss huffed. "No, I really don't. 'Happy Holiday'. It's just an excuse for the riffraff and the common folk to celebrate what little they have, instead of trying to improve their situations. We in the higher classes of society have a term to refer to such nonsense: 'Humbug'."

Ruby smiled a sad smile. "What's the point of having things to appreciate if we don't take the time to appreciate them? We have all year to try and better ourselves, and this time is when we get to reflect on all we've done and feel good about it. Plus, its a time when everyone of every Kingdom, Academy, or even species," she glanced over to Blake, who nodded back to her, "can share a common mindset and common care. And even if pausing conflict and understanding each other a little more was all the Holiday did for us, I would still love it!"

Yang set down a tee shirt and clapped. "Well said, sis!"

Weiss huffed again. "You handle the Holiday however you handle it, I'll handle it the way I handle it."

"But you don't handle it at all!" Ruby pointed out. "Don't be so glum, Weiss!" She pranced over to the sitting Weiss, who was made noticeably uncomfortable by her approach, recoiling slightly in her seat. Ruby bent over and placed her hands on her knees. "You're not leaving the school this Holiday, are you?"

Weiss paused a bit, a slight shine passing over her eyes. "No," she replied in a voice neither cross nor calm.

Ruby put on her cutest, most friendly face. "Why don't you come with Yang and I back to our home in Patch? I'm sure our dad wouldn't mind another guest. Blake's coming."

Weiss looked fully up from her rapier and glanced over at Bake. The black-haired Faunus girl shifted on her bed, but nodded slightly as she took her eyes away from her book and locked them with Weiss'.

"Yeah," she confirmed in a quiet, shy voice. "My parents are all the way in Menagerie, so I had nowhere to go this Holiday. But Yang and Ruby contacted their dad, and he's going to let me stay with them."

Weiss scoffed. "Yeah, no thanks," she said. "I'm going to stay right here and train. Actually make something of myself."

"Careful, Weiss," Yang muttered, her eyes shifting hues from lilac to red. She had seen Ruby take enough abuse at Weiss' hands and was about to do something about it.

Before a confrontation could occur, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Ruby called, hoping the visitor would alleviate the tension in the room. She moved away from Weiss and stood straight for their guest.

A tall redhead pushed the door open, her green eyes full of light and warmth. She smiled and raised her hand in a simple wave.

"Hello again!" she said in a chipper tone.

"Hey guys!" Yang said, her eyes shifting back to their normal state while she stood up. Pyrrha Nikos walked inside the room, followed closely by her teammates: the tall, muscular blonde boy Jaune Arc, the short-statured but highly energetic Nora Valkyrie, and the stoic, formal Lie Ren.

"Hey!" Jaune replied, lifting his hand like Pyrrha had. "We were just stopping by to see what you guys were up to."

Yang shrugged and motioned towards her bags. "Ruby and I are headed back to Patch to spend the Holiday with our dad, and Blake's coming with us. How about you guys?"

Pyrrha replied first. "I'm headed back to Mistral to spend time with my parents."

"One of my sisters is hosting the get-together in Atlas this year," Jaune said. "My whole family will be headed there."

Nora sheepishly pigeon-toed as she scooted next to Ren. "We… don't really have anywhere to go," she said. "But Professor Ozpin and the teachers are putting together an event for students that can't leave the school. They're going to host a big dinner in the amphitheater, and then have a present swap and games."

"That all sounds like so much fun!" Ruby said, hopping around.

Jaune looked over to the Ice Queen sitting in the corner. Despite the look of disgust on her face, Jaune was willing to risk speaking to her. "How about you, Weiss?"

"Weiss is too grumpy for the Holiday," Ruby interjected, putting on a fake grumbly voice and face while mockingly crossing her arms.

"I'm not grumpy, I'm rational," Weiss snapped back. "I'll tell you what the Holiday is. It's just another training day. And all you idiots that go around telling each other 'Happy Holiday!' should have some sense knocked into you!" Jaune gulped, unaware he had struck such a nerve.

"Weiss, if you want to join us at the celebration tomorrow, you can," Nora said. She grinned. "There's a gift swap!" she said in a slightly singsong voice, attempting to convince the white-haired girl. "You bring something in all wrapped up, and then you get to trade it with someone else's present and see what you got each other! It's like a little mystery!"

Weiss sighed loudly as she stood up. Ruby hunkered down and backed up when Weiss poised her rapier in front of her eyes, testing its weight and observing her polishing job, ensuring not a single speck marred her perfect weapon.

"I like to pride myself in thinking I'm an accomplished, if not shrewd, businesswoman," Weiss remarked. "I was raised to be one on top of my Huntress studies, you know. And I know a bad deal when I hear it. How do you know what's under the wrapper? What insurance do you have that it will be of value or of practical use? Where I come from, a gift is either a marketing ploy to forge artificial bonds or a stupid waste of time and money." She swung the rapier down, then sheathed it in a loop on her dress belt. "Besides, I don't 'make merry'" she said, using her fingers to create air quotes to emphasize her quotation, "during the Holiday myself, why would I go through the trouble of making other people 'merry'?" She brushed her long hair off of her shoulder and arced her back. "Now, good afternoon." With that, she marched out of the room, pushing past Jaune and Nora as she cleared the doorway and strutted down the hall, watching her form.

Yang's eyes turned red once more. "Ooh, she makes me mad!" she exclaimed, ready to burst into flames.

Ruby, unafraid of her sister's fiery Semblance, skipped over, leaned down, and quickly wrapped her arms around Yang's neck, hugging her.

"Calm down," she said nonchalantly, having dealt with her sibling's quick temper and hotheadedness most of her life. "Think about Dad. Think about Zwei." Yang did just that, and, after taking a few quick breaths, cooled off as her eyes shifted back and her face relaxed.

"You're right," Yang said, a smile on her face. She reached up with one of her arms and patted Ruby on the head. "We're gonna have a great time."

Jaune glanced out the dormitory window. "I just hope the weather holds out. I heard a big snowstorm will be headed in tonight."

Pyrrha had not taken her eyes off the hallway since Weiss left. "I feel sorry for her," she said. "She must be lonely."

"Yeah," Nora said, cocking her head. "Who doesn't like the Holiday season?" She looked up at Ren as if she were expecting an answer, but he just shrugged.

"She might come around," Blake remarked, closing her book and sitting up from the bed. She slipped the book into a small black backpack that already held held all the things she'd need for her trip.

Yang shoved a bundle of shirts into her bag, then looked over at Ruby. "Are you packed yet?"

Ruby glanced up and over at the heaps of clothes on her bed. Her large red scythe, Crescent Rose, was propped up in the corner.

"Yes," she stated before pausing. "Mostly. Almost. A little bit. Slightly. No. Not at all." Yang sighed.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Jaune said. "I'll stay here and help Ruby pack. I want to talk to her about some team leader stuff anyway." He turned to his team, specifically to Nora and Ren. "How about you guys head into town and get some things for the gift swap?"

"Excellent idea," Ren said, turning to march back to their team's dormitory across the hall.

"Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!" Nora cheered. "I'm gonna get you a lotus comb, Ren!" She skipped after him.

"That kind of ruins the whole 'mystery' aspect you were hyping up…" the others heard Ren add across the hall.

Pyrrha shook her head and turned to Yang and Blake. "Would you like to come with us?" she asked.

Yang shrugged. "Sure. Sounds like fun. I can pick Dad up something while we're out." She looked over at Blake. "You in?"

Blake smiled slyly and rolled her eyes. "Sure," she said in an amused tone. Yang reached up and pulled her coat off of her bed, a thick, glossy yellow coat with beige fur around the neck and wrists. Even with her Semblance, she had to have ways to keep warm. Blake grabbed a heavy black jacket lined with buttons and straps, pulling it on as she and Yang joined Pyrrha and walked out the door.

"Pick up something for me to give to Dad too!" Ruby called after Yang. "I'll pay you back!"

"For my team," Jaune called as well, "I want to see coats and gloves before you head out! I don't want to come back to a bunch of depleted Auras and frostbitten faces!"

Ruby chuckled, and Jaune smiled back. Aside from Yang, Jaune was her oldest friend at Beacon, and the fact that they were both leaders gave them all the more reason to hang out together.

"Sorry about Weiss," Ruby mentioned.

Jaune waved his hand. "Can't hurt to try," he said. "But Weiss will be Weiss."

Weiss kept a steady pace as she walked across the campus. Her footfalls echoed in the hallways of Beacon, her mind trying to concentrate on keeping her movements dainty and light befitting her upbringing, but with presence and authority. She had to ensure her reputation just with passing glances alone. As she marched out of the living quarters and towards the classrooms, specifically headed for an empty room where she could train, she noticed something different about her surroundings. Hanging on the top of the walls, up upon the crown molding, were strands of green tinsel and garland, dotted with colored lights. She scoffed. So it was not bad enough that her team were buying into this miserable time of the year, but the school decorator. She would have to write a strongly-worded letter tomorrow.

Weiss closed her eyes and shook her head as she cut through the amphitheater. She opened them only to see a flurry of color. She felt a stagger in her steps as she was caught off-guard. The large room was lined with garland, and green wreathes decorated with red bows were situated on the windows and walls. A long wooden table ran from one end of the massive room to the other, topped with silver and gold decorations. On the large stage where Professor Ozpin had stood during their first day now stood an absolutely gargantuan tree, no doubt fresh from the Emerald Forest. It was covered from base to top with glittering tinsel, baubles and ornaments of every color of the rainbow, and hundreds and hundreds of electric lights. What decorations were not yet placed were currently in the process of being put up by an army of faculty and students. Two other students were situated at the base of the tree. A short, red-haired girl in a white dress handed a large ornate golden star decoration to a tall snake Faunus boy beside her, sporting a purple jacket. He crouched down, then leapt dozens of feet into the air, reaching the top of the tree and quickly placing the star on the tip of the tree. He landed with a thud, and the redhead embraced him, the two hugging passionately.

Weiss felt nothing short of disgust at the display of Holiday cheer all around her. She quickened her pace, but her eyes never left the garish tree, causing her to bump into someone. She skidded back slightly and was about to yell at whoever was in her way, but he spoke first.

"Whoops! Sorry about that, Miss Schnee!" the jovial voice of Professor Peter Port rang out. The rotund man's grey mustache twitched with every word. "What a wonderful time, isn't it?"

"That's debatable," Weiss remarked, careful to watch her tone around authority but evident in her disinterest in the conversation. "Good day!" she said quickly as she returned to her brisk pace and hurried past the teacher and out of the amphitheater.

Finally, Weiss found herself in the quiet and solitude of the academic portion of the school. She briefly passed the library, and placed inside to see more garland, more wreathes, and a smaller but equally as decorated tree at the far end. She pressed forward, growing ever more desperate to escape the Holiday cheer, and finally settled on a nearby set of double doors that she new lead to a lecture hall with a lot of open space. She shoved the doors open and barged inside, catching her breath and allowing the doors to close behind her. She heard a shuffle and paused, but moved forward until she rounded the row of seats and made it to the front of the room.

"Oh, Miss Schnee," a dignified voice said. It was Professor Glynda Goodwitch, standing behind the desk and with a small stack of papers in her hands. "I was just on my way out. Did you need to see me?"

"Oh, no," Weiss said, standing tall and making her panting less noticeable. "I was just looking for a place to train. Would it be okay if I used this room?"

"As long as you don't cause any damage and clean up any that you do, I don't see why not," Goodwitch replied in a curious, but still sophisticated tone. She raised an eyebrow over her thin pair of elliptical glasses. "I would have thought you would be with your team and fellow students, preparing for the Holiday."

Weiss scoffed, a little smile on her face as she waved her hand. "Not for me, no. I prefer to spend my time not engaging in tomfoolery and instead practicing my skills. Surely a dignified combatant such as yourself can understand that."

Professor Goodwitch tapped the papers in her hands against the top of the desk, straightening them. She turned and began her authoritative walk towards Weiss.

"I can appreciate the thought process," she said, earning a bit of a victorious smirk from Weiss until she continued, "but even I take the time to celebrate and give thanks for all I have. Besides, when you're a Huntsman or Huntress, you never know how many Holidays you have left." She gave a nod to Weiss and walked past her and out the door. Weiss waited until she heard the door close and the sound of her high heels dissipate before dropping her form and groaning out loud.

"Am I the only logical one in this whole school?" she thought aloud. "In this whole city?" She shook her head as she pulled out her rapier. With a grunt and a sigh she muttered, "Bah," and then added on a decisive "Humbug."


Weiss wiped sweat from her forehead as she lowered her rapier. She was getting tired. After a couple of incidents where she almost caused some damage, mainly the attempted summoning of a Boarbatusk Grimm avatar and another where an Ice Dust crystal exploded in Myrtenaster's chamber, on top of her exhaustion growing heavier and heavier, she made the decision to wrap up training for the night and continue in the morning. She turned her blue eyes up to the clock in the corner of the room. She was surprised that she had stayed so late. She sheathed her weapon and yawned, stretching her sore arms as she began her long walk back over to her dormitory. She pushed the doors of the lecture hall and found herself in a dark, eerily quiet hallway. She was not one to complain about some peace and quiet, however. She decided to enjoy herself as much as she could during her trek.

Knowing there were no eyes on her, she did not worry about keeping her stance proper. She still carried herself with dignity, as she knew it best and still held a degree of personal pride, but she allowed her body to relax a bit after hours of nonstop movement. She allowed her arms to swing. She allowed her shoulders to hunch. She twisted and turned her head to hear her stiff neck crackle and pop. She sighed deeply as she looked around the dark halls. It was such a different feeling walking around Beacon at night.

Before long she crossed trough the now-empty amphitheater. The decorating had long since concluded, and despite the walls and massive tree being covered with electric lights, they had been shit off during the night. There was the occasional bit of light reflecting off a window or metal surface that twinkled on the glitter and garland, but for the most part, only the dim outline of the objects of the room gave any indication that they were there. Weiss scoffed aloud at the garish Holiday displays before attempting to turn her attention to something else. However, in the dark, there was not much to see. So instead she concentrated on her footsteps, listening to how loudly they echoed despite her light steps.

As she split her attention between where she was walking and how it sounded, a curious noise caught her attention. It sounded like footfalls, but they were heavier than her own. She assumed an echo at first, but the pattern was far too irregular for that. There was someone else in the amphitheater. She quickly adjusted her form and glanced behind her without stopping, hoping to at the very least get a glimpse at her unknown companion. However, as soon as her head turned, the mystery footfalls ceased and she saw nothing but unmoving darkness behind her.

Weiss turned her head back and shook her head. "I must be more tired than I thought," she whispered to herself. She sighed and yawned again, patting her mouth with her hand as she did so.

There they were again. Weiss stopped mid-yawn, almost choking on her own breath. She swore there were more footsteps. She could not tell how close or far away they were, as they all echoed the same volume in the large room. Weiss stopped moving, allowing her own footfalls to be removed from the equation, but felt a stone drop in her chest when he heavier steps continued.

Weiss whirled around to look behind her, but as soon as her body moved, the phantom footfalls once again silenced suddenly, and Weiss saw nothing. She squinted, her eyes gradually getting used to the dark, but still saw no one. She raised a hand up and rested it on the handle of Myrtenaster before very slowly turning around and beginning to walk again. She was almost at the dormitory hallways. She quickened her pace, her eyes shooting around in every direction. She was not one to be paranoid, but if someone, or something, was following her she was admittedly more on her guard than usual. Her thoughts ranged to everything from a student playing a prank to a Creature of Grimm loose in the school. As she pondered the possibilities, she heard them again, except there was no mistaking now. They were right behind her.

In one swift motion, Weiss pulled out her weapon and spun around defiantly, thrusting her rapier forward to confront her stalker. When she did the footsteps stopped, but she could ever-so-slightly make out the dim, barely visible shape of a person, much taller than she, in the blackness. Just as she was about to say something, she blinked, and it was gone.

"Wha-" Weiss muttered, stepping back. She was beginning to feel sufficiently frightened, and opted that her tired, sleepy mind and body were altering the shadows around her. "It's nothing but echoes and sleep deprivation," she rationalized. She sheathed her rapier and turned back around, but despite her logical conclusion, moved at a rapid pace down the halls towards her dormitory.

She felt a twinge of relief when she rounded the hall into the one where her room was. She saw the darkened doors of Team RWBY and Team JNPR's doors at the end of the hall, and hurried over to them. She came to a stop in front of her dormitory door, panting slightly. She cleared her throat and reached down towards the doorknob.

She blinked a few times. She knew that her eyes had to be playing tricks on her now. Instead of the plain bronze orb that typically served the general purpose that a doorknob would serve, she thought she saw a head resting above the lock on the door. A familiar face. A face she had seen a hundred times. It seemed to have a faint white glow about it, and looked at her like the portrait of the individual she had seen so many times before. The hair was unkempt but elegantly flowed, and a pointed beard. She closed her eyes and rubbed her left one, certain that these hallucinations were somehow a byproduct of her old injury. When she opened her eyes again, her hand was hovering over a simple spherical doorknob. She sighed shakily and grasped it, and with a quick motion, turned it, opened the door, entered, and closed the door again in less than a few seconds.

Weiss pressed her back against the door, breathing heavily through her nose. She had to get to sleep. She felt her long hair brush against her clothes as she stood straight and attempted to regain her composure. She reached up and gently removed the small silver tiara from her head, which allowed her hair to hang down freely across her back. She stepped forward and set the accessory on a desk, running her hands through her hair. The tiara rustled a paper on the desk as it was placed.

It was only then that Weiss realized she did not hear the rest of her team. Usually she could hear the sounds of her sleeping roommates, from the barely perceptible breathing of Blake to the deep breaths and sighs of Yang and the murmurs and occasional snore from Ruby. However, the room was completely silent, save for the faintest sound of snowflakes brushing against the window.

Weiss glanced down at the paper on the desk. It was too dark to read in its current position, so Weiss reached down and noisily picked it up. She squinted, as the only light was the moonlight coming through the window. It read "Dear Weiss, we're staying out later than expected, picking up some extra gifts and getting some hot cocoa with JNPR. We'll be back before morning. Have a good night, RBY." The handwriting was likely Blake's. Weiss rolled her eyes, frustrated at her team's continued insistence on celebrating the Holiday. Typically she would like the solitude, but tonight, maybe based on the fright she had given herself in the halls, the company may have not been so bad.

Still, Weiss decided to make the best of her situation. She completely dropped her form and etiquette to lurch sleepily over to the pile of suitcases and bags situated next to her bed. She opened the one designated for her nighttime wear and pulled out her pajamas: a faded blue nightgown with short sleeves and white trim and display the Schnee Crest on the upper-right chest. She glanced over her shoulder and out the window as she did this, seeing the entire grounds completely buried under snow. The wind had picked up as well. She had heard talk of a snowstorm moving in, and it looked like the reports were true. She slowly went over and shut the crimson curtains, completely darkening the room.

Weiss then prepared for bed putting away her combat gear in her suitcases and propping Myrtenaster against the wall between her bed and the bookshelf beneath the window. She yawned again as she slid under the warm red sheets of her bed, melting her tired head against the pillow as she closed her eyes. However, as tired as she was and as much as she wanted to sleep, she could not. She felt like she was being watched. There was an air of discomfort to the silent room, an eeriness that she did not understand. Her eyes opened and she sighed in frustration, sitting up and careful not to hit her head on Ruby's strung-up "bunk bed" that hovered above her. She reached to the top of the bookshelf and picked up her Scroll, opening it. Light blue light flooded into the room as the device turned on, and Weiss squinted in the light. The time was late, but Weiss decided that if she could not sleep, she might as well still try and relax. Keeping the Scroll open to provide her with light, she scooted over, reached far, and grabbed a book that had been sitting on top of the bookshelf. She thought it was one that she had been reading, but discovered too late that she had picked up one of Blake's books. Fortunately for her it was not from Blake's 'private' stash, so she decided to conform to what fate had provided her and opened it up, beginning to read the story of a pair of siblings that sold their prized possessions to get gifts for one another. It was sappy, but Weiss tolerated it in fiction.

However, Weiss had only gotten about a chapter in when she heard a noise. Her eyes left the pages and looked up at the door. They were heavy footsteps, and they were approaching her door. She held her breath, unsure whether to move or freeze. The footsteps grew louder until they were unmistakably inches from the dormitory door. Part of her assumed it was one of her teammates returning, but she still had the urge to reach for Myrtenaster. However, before she could come to a decision, they went quiet once more. The second Weiss began to exhale, there came another sound: a knock at the door. However, this time, there was no mistaking it for a meager tired hallucination. It was real, as real as the book Weiss held in her hands. She could see the door vibrate as it knocked. After a few seconds of silence, the knock came again.

"If you're anyone else but a member of Team RWBY, go away!" Weiss called, annoyed. "We're trying to sleep in here." Weiss hoped that pretending there were more people in the room would dissuade the visitor from continuing. If they were a friend, they would certainly feel bad for waking up several people. If they were foe, they could be frightened off by the prospect of multiple Huntresses-in-training ready to strike.

Weiss' gambit was an intelligent one, but unfortunately for her it did not work. A knock came again, this time with more power behind it.

"Go away!" Weiss screamed.

The knocking silenced. Weiss sat ready with bated breath to yell again, but no new knocking came. Weiss' eyes remained locked on the door, ready for whatever may come. There was a flicker, and Weiss thought she had blinked until it happened again. Her eyes left the door and she looked down to see her Scroll flicker on and off, the light flashing like a candle in the wind. It blinked off for about five seconds, then illuminated again and remained that way. Weiss sighed as she looked back up at the door.

It was open.

Weiss had not heard the knob turn, the latch click, or the hinges creak. She held her breath as her blood ran cold. She scooted as far back into her bed as she could, her heart racing in her chest. Whatever it was, it was now in the room with her. She could not bear to be kept in the dark, both literally or figuratively, any longer. She quickly grabbed her Scroll and thrust it in front of her, using it as a flashlight to illuminate the dark room.

There was a figure, standing next to the doorway and the desk. It was human-shaped, but the light revealed no detail. It began to move slowly towards the girl, heavy footsteps rustling the carpet.

"Stay back!" a terrified Weiss called, hoping someone would hear her. She lunged for Myrtenaster, grabbing its hilt and pointing it at the intruder. "Don't take another step!"

The figure kept moving, seemingly not heeding Weiss' warning. However, as it got closer to her and the light, Weiss could begin to make out features of its face and attire. It was vague at first, but she soon recognized it. Reflective, ornate armor. A red cape with a fur collar. Flowing hair, a well-trimmed pointed beard, and kind eyes. However, it was transparent; the colors of its form were opaque and she could see the door and desk through it. Still, she recognized them.

"G-g-grandfather?" she stuttered, not lowering her rapier.

A slight smile spread on the figure's lips. "Hello, dear."

Weiss shook her head. "No, no, no."

The figure of Nicholas Schnee tilted his head. "You don't believe in me."

Weiss cleared her throat. "I don't," she replied with as much defiance as she could muster.

"Why do you doubt your senses?" asked the ghost.

Weiss shook her head again. "Because there's so much that could be affecting them right now. I'm tired. I'm angry. I inhaled some Dust while I was training. You're just some stray Ice Dust and my sleep-deprived hallucinations."

The figure of Nicholas Schnee chuckled. "Oh, dear girl. Ever the rational one. Still, I'm surprised you remember me so well. You were very young when I passed."

Weiss' eyes widened in disbelief. She lowered her weapon slightly.

"Do you believe in me or not?" the spirit asked.

"I guess I have to," Weiss replied. relaxing her outstretched arms. She set the Scroll down on the bed, still letting it illuminate the room and the ghost, and lowered her rapier, though she kept her grip on it.

"What are you doing here?" Weiss asked.

"I have always been here," the ghost answered. "I have watched over you, your brother, and your sister. I may have been little more than a thought then, but now I take a form that you can see."

"And why is that?" Weiss inquired.

The ghost paused. "Do you believe in destiny?" he asked.

"In some regards," Weiss replied, "in others not."

"Well, your destiny is one of great importance," Nicholas said. "But a cage is keeping you from fulfilling it. A cage and chain of your own making."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Chains and cages? What are you talking about?"

The specter gave her a look of saddened whimsy. "I wish I could put it in kinder terms, but I'm afraid I need to drop formality, even with you, my family, my flesh and blood." He leaned forward, a look of seriousness in his kind eyes. "There is something you must do to free yourself and be set on the right path again. It's of the utmost importance."

"What?" Weiss asked, leaning forward as well. "What?"
"I came to warn you," the Schnee ghost said, not really answering Weiss' question. "Tonight, you will be haunted by three spirits."

Weiss' blood ran cold. "Is that related to what I have to do?" she asked.

Nicholas nodded. "It is."

Weiss leaned back and once again shook her weary head. "I'd rather not."

"I know it's hard, but you have to trust me on this," the spirit assured. "Expect the first ghost at one o'clock."

Weiss shrugged, confused. "Can't I just see them all at once and get it over with? I'm a busy woman, you now."

There came no answer. Instead, the ghost of Nicholas Schnee slowly backed away, becoming more and more translucent as it continued seemingly sliding over the floor, the faintest sound of heavy footsteps as the figure vanished.

"Farewell…" a final whisper came as the figure disappeared. Finally, the door shut on its own, and all was silent again.

Weiss trembled under her sheets. She carefully placed Myrtenaster back where it had been, then tossed the book over and onto Blake's bed adjacent to hers across the room, and slammed her Scroll closed and threw it onto the bookcase with a clatter. As the room went dark again, Weiss threw herself under the covers and buried her face in her pillow.

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep," she repeated in a tired, but frightened whisper over and over.

Finally, her mantra seemed to take effect. Her consciousness faded and she fell into deep sleep.