The docks of Beacon were empty when she landed. It was a strange sight: so different from how lively it once was, yet fitting. Yes, she thought to herself as she walked towards Beacon Academy, arriving in silence was far more fitting for her goal. Less distractions.

She looked to the grand arena hovering high above. It was only afternoon, but the air buses departing glinted in the sunlight like stars. Perhaps she was simply early, then. Good. She had many contacts in the Atlesian security force that were providing key information for her mission.

Winter narrowed her eyes. Through those contacts, she knew he was on one of those ships.


Altes Versprechen

Old Promise


"Miss Nikos, a word please!"

"Will this affect your plans for the future!"

"Do you have any words for your opponent!"

Pyrrha kept her head down and lips pursed tight as they walked out into a hallway where the walls were a mass of shouting people, microphones and flashing lights. Ren kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Jaune even keeping his shield out to lead the way. After a couple complaints from him, Nora was fortunately kept from breaking anyone else's camera.

She could tell she was calmer about this than she had any right being: courtesy of Ren, most likely. The only thing better than always being able to keep a straight face was a Semblance that helped others do the same. She envied that about him.

But even his Semblance couldn't hold back the storm of emotions in her heart entirely, especially when Pyrrha herself did not know how she felt. Every part of her pulled in a different direction: the side of her that took so much pride in her title was heartbroken, yet the student of Beacon was relieved. The daughter of her parents was ashamed, yet the girl who was terrified of her first commercial was free. The only thing she did know for sure was that nothing was likely going to be the same.

After what felt like an eternity down this walk of shame, they'd managed to get into an airbus. Empty, thank the Brothers.

Only there could she collapse into one of the hard, uncomfortable seats.

Nora was the first to approach, sitting down beside her. Jaune dropped down on her other side, bruised and still left panting from the match itself. They'd left almost immediately, yet Jaune was still willing to make sure they got out just fine.

"I'm..." She took a shaky breath, and realized just how much she underestimated Ren's Semblance. "I-I'm so sorry for just running off like that."

"No way!" Nora shot that down in an instant and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Those reporters were like a pack of vultures: we weren't gonna go anywhere if we didn't leave A-S-A-P! I call that good thinking, Pyrrha~" Nora winked to her with a knowing smile.

"I'd have needed two shields to get us out of there," Jaune joked.

Pyrrha tried to smile, but like waves breaking across a beach, her emotions came flooding through. A lifetime of accomplishments, a lifetime of loneliness, a lifetime of stress crashed down onto her, yet through teary eyes, she managed to smile. The "Invincible Girl" was dead, and the world hadn't ended. Yet, for how much she feared and dreamed of this day, it was only now that Pyrrha realized that she hadn't even thought of what she'd do next.

And somehow, that scared her more than losing her title ever did.


As it turned out, mentioning that she was friends with Pyrrha Nikos was all Jacques needed to hear for him to allow Weiss and Ruby back down to Beacon. Unfortunately, according to him, he had plenty of time to wait to continue their conversation: this was a brief respite for Weiss. Still, it was one she would take, especially hearing her friend might've needed all the help she could get.

She and Ruby jogged down the long dock: a few people had already begun to return to Beacon for a variety of reasons, but not enough for her to miss the golden hair of her teammate.

Yang whistled and waved them down, Adam standing beside her. He was flipping through his Scroll by the time they returned.

"News travels fast," he said. "Barely five minutes, and these two are are all over the network." Countless angles, but all with the same image: a dark-skinned man dressed for a jazz band with his hand held up by a girl in pastel colors fit for a pop star. Orange hair in large, flamboyant ponytails, and a cat tail the same color. A faunus not just in Atlas Academy, but as one of their representatives to the world. It was more than a rarity.

He might've cheered for them upon her revealing that to the crowds. He may or may not have cheered louder when he heard even one 'boo' coming from the Atlesians.

"Ugh, I feel like such an asshole, too," Yang groaned as the four of them made their way towards the academy itself. "I was just talking about how she was the 'Invincible Girl' and now this happens!"

"I suppose we know who was tempting fate then, don't we?" Weiss teased.

Ruby looked back to throw her own two cents in, but paused. Adam had remained behind, his gaze firmly locked on one of the airships waiting at the platform, landing ramp deployed. Elegant, curved wings masked thrusters still glowing a faint blue. Silver armor plating was polished to a mirror-sheen. Even landed, it looked like a bird wanting to take flight.

Yet those blue ribbons gave it away: an Atlesian Specialist.

As Weiss looked back, the same word passed hers and Adam's lips both. One in an excited call, the other in a quiet, snarled growl.

"Winter."

Weiss broke away from the group, jogging up to the grand airship while Yang looked over to Ruby, confused.

She shrugged. "Dunno. I'm sure she'll be fine? Maybe?" Ruby had about as much of a clue as Yang on what was going on. "I'm sure they'll catch up with us. Come on!" The two went in the opposite direction, jogging around the various people mulling about.


Weiss' excited jog—almost a skip, really—was brought to an abrupt halt by a soldier hurriedly marching down from the landing ramp. He raised a hand for her to stop.

"Please step away from... Oh! Miss Schnee." The soldier stood at attention. "My apologies, ma'am, but if you are looking for Specialist Schnee, you've just missed her."

Weiss deflated and sighed. "Oh. I see. Do you know where she might have gone?" she asked, looking to the soldier with hope in her eyes.

He turned his head up, likely looking around, yet it was always hard to tell with the blocky, angular helmets that even covered their eyes. "Sorry. Classified information—oh, nevermind, there she is. Right over there!" He pointed further down the docks.

Weiss' heart sank. One soldier beside her was yanking Ruby roughly to her feet and shouting because, considering the fallen guard and pair of robots beside her, she hadn't been paying attention and bowled over a number of people. She couldn't hear what Yang was saying, but even with her back turned she could see the frantic hand movements of someone trying to explain themselves.

And Winter herself wasn't looking particularly pleased.

Considering how Adam was all but stalking closer, it looked like he was, more than likely, about to escalate the problem even further. Joy. Wonderful first impressions... but none of that mattered because her sister was here!

"Winter!" Weiss called and raced closer.

Her sister looked up, and with a sharp wave of her hand, the soldier let Ruby free, and the one on the ground swiftly got to his feet. The robots were much slower on the draw. Ignoring Yang entirely, she marched forward, her face impassive despite the giddy grin on Weiss' own.

"Oh, it is so wonderful to see you again!" Weiss skipped to a halt just before Winter, trembling with excitement. She gasped, then hurriedly curtsied to her. "I-I mean: your presence honors us, dear sister."

Winter's eyes, the same color of her own, still felt cold as steel as they looked her over, then the two sisters dusting themselves off behind her. "This must be your... 'illustrious' team you have written to me about, I assume?" She couldn't have sounded less impressed if she tried.

Yang gave a half-hearted wave. Ruby did a marginally better curtsy, that is, until she nearly fell over somehow trying.

Winter's gaze found its way back to Weiss. "How appropriately... underwhelming."

Weiss could see the look of surprise on Yang's face slowly twisting into annoyance. She sent a pleading look Yang's way, but while Yang didn't snipe back, she crossed her arms under her chest and sneered. But that mostly silent conversation between the two did not pass Winter by.

"Is there a problem, Yang Xiao-Long?" she asked without even sparing a look in her direction.

Yang sought to rectify that however, storming around to Winter's side even as Ruby unsuccessfully tried to drag her back, only getting yanked along with her. "Yeah, your nasty attitude, for one." She jabbed a finger at Winter.

She was unfazed. "My respect goes to those who earn it. No other." Winter's gaze had stayed locked onto Weiss. "And after that display in the Vytal Tournament, I find myself lacking plenty of it."

Weiss flinched and looked away.

"Hey!" Yang placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "We won that fight!"

There were two seconds of silence as Winter watched Weiss for a response. Only when it was clear she wasn't getting anything from her sister did she finally meet Yang's annoyed glare. "Is that what people from Vale call a victory? Two fallen and with one enemy having needed to strike herself down in her own foolishness? In Atlas, it would be called an embarrassment."

Yang scowled. "Now hold on: 'big sis' or not I'm not gonna sit here and just—"

"I apologize." Weiss cut them off. Though Winter raised an eyebrow and her teammates looked to her in surprise, she continued, gaze focused on the ground. "I apologize for my failure in the tournament, and will seek to rectify that immediately," she said evenly.

Winter watched her with an unreadable expression for a second. Then, her eyes flicked over to the docks, where Jacques' airship still sat. No doubt he was keeping an eye on them. She scoffed.

"That explains a lot," Weiss heard Winter mutter under her breath. Before she could mention it, Winter sighed. "Such a thing is to be expected against your betters, however. The odds were stacked against you." She waved behind her towards her troops. "Leave us."

Machine and man saluted, then continued their march towards the academy proper.

"You missed twice. Impressive for the situation. I suppose I have nothing to blame but bad luck, then." Her gaze was still stern, even if her tone had softened. "You've grown much since we last saw one another," she admitted, smiling.

Weiss straightened up, looking at Winter and, for a split-second, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even then, she was already cheery. "Of course! I am proud to say that we are the absolute top of our sparring class. The rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too: I have even begun to master time dilation in my spare time."

"And yet it seems you still have much to learn of social life," Winter noted, her smile growing more sly. "What of your hobbies? Your friends? Your exposure to the culture? All the things you have seemed to miss marking down in your letters. Well, beside your opinions of your team leadership."

Ruby leaned in. "What kind of opinions?"

Winter looked to Weiss. As did Yang. And Ruby.

Weiss cleared her throat. "Changed ones," she stated confidently.

None of them seemed to buy it.

"Hm. And for one so quick to defend you, it seems you left Yang Xiao-Long out of your letters entirely," Winter commented, seemingly finding it funny when Yang crossed her arms and stared down at Weiss, waiting for an excuse.

Weiss didn't even bother. "Well, then I suppose I should introduce them!" She just ignored it completely. "Please. Ruby, Yang, meet my sister, Specialist Winter Schnee. Winter, meet my leader, Ruby Rose—who is mostly different from my first impressions sent via letter—and Yang Xiao-Long, her sister."

"You're missing one." Adam, no doubt having been watching, stepped out from the crowd, expression impassive.

Weiss looked back and smiled just a little more. "Of course, my partner—"

"Adam." Winter narrowed her eyes.

"Winter." Adam did the same.

"Oh, you two know each other?" Weiss asked. A second passed. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you two know each other?!"

The two stayed glaring at one another. "We had history in our youth," Adam said, tone not betraying any emotion.

"Quite a lot of it," Winter added.

Beside her, Weiss could practically see cogs turning in Ruby's head before she covered her mouth. Even then, she could still hear a quiet: "Uh-oh."

In the seconds of tense, icy silence, Weiss had time to think. They weren't murdering each other, so maybe Winter didn't know who he was? Or was she respecting the fact she thought he was a friend? Would that matter? Did Winter think she knew? What would she even—

"Alright," Yang said, "I'll ask it: were you two dating or somethi..." Yang's last word tapered off to a sigh as Adam and Winter's arctic glares focused on her, and she felt her soul physically attempt to escape her body.

She waved her hands in defense and stepped back. "Okay, okay! Absolutely not! Hey, that's cool, that's fine!" Yang awkwardly laughed and grabbed onto Ruby's shoulder. She leaned down and whispered something to her in a hushed tone.

Ruby nodded fervently. "Oh, wow, uh, we had something to do right about now that's... not here!" she declared. "Farewell, goodbye, pleasure hearing you, gotta go!" She and Yang took one step back and then were gone.

Weiss looked from where the two filthy abandoners once were back to Winter and Adam, who hadn't taken their eyes off one another even now. She prepared to risk saying something.

"I will be here for some time, Weiss," Winter said. "We will reconvene later this night. Twenty-hundred hours sharp."

Weiss gaped for a moment, but found it in herself to bow. "Of course, Winter. I shall not be late." She rushed off.

Weiss doubted Winter would ever try to just attack in the middle of Beacon Academy: perhaps whatever 'history' they had really wasn't about the White Fang? She could only hope. Surely, Yang wasn't right...

She shuddered at the thought.


People walked past the two on all sides now. None bothered to stop. None stared. Not a soul there was under the illusion that this was any business of theirs.

But after silently killing one another with glares alone proved fruitless, Adam and Winter were left to speak.

"Four long years, and we finally speak again," Adam finally said.

"I was hoping two years ago would have been the final time you would speak at all," Winter hissed back.

Despite himself, Adam smirked. "Then you have no one to blame for yourself."

Winter scowled, but kept her voice even. "And I will be sure to rectify that, this time."

"This time? Are you going to try and fight me here?" Adam held his arms out, Wilt held tight in his hand. "Are you going to try and fight me at all? Weiss and I have become such good friends," he all but purred.

Winter's hand drifted towards her saber. Her aura flickered across her, strong enough to warp the air with its activation. With her gaze turned to daggers aimed at his chest, she growled: "Keep her name off your tongue, monster."

Adam's finger was already on the trigger. "Such boldness, Specialist," he spat, "to call me that when you've been gladly working for monsters your entire life. Let's cut to the chase. Tell me, Winter Schnee: what have you come here to do?" His eyes burned a fierce crimson as his own aura roared to life.

"Or are you just going to keep wasting my time?"

Like a spell had been broken, eyes were drawn to the pair. People that had once just been walking past them granted a wide berth. The crowd slowed, yet none dared to step beyond the invisible line the people had drawn. Winter's fingers brushed her saber's handle. Adam slowly lowered his arms. A second of silence.

Someone broke through that invisible arena around them. Adam shot a glance over his shoulder: he could feel it.

The interloper less collided and more dropped onto Adam, leaving him stumbling forward. Ready to drag whatever idiot did that right into the fight with him, even as they threw an arm over his shoulders to steady themselves, Adam growled and sent a glare that could kill a lesser man down at the imbecile.

"Whoops, sorry 'bout that," he slurred. The man, reeking of alcohol, looked up at Adam with gray, feathery hair and red eyes that struck him as familiar. He chuckled, completely unfazed by the nearly-corporeal anger around the man he clung onto. "Must not've been watching where I was going!"

Adam unceremoniously shoved him off and straightened his coat. "We were in the middle of something!" he hissed.

Blinking slowly and without comprehension, the drunkard slowly looked between them. Recognition hit him like a very slow-moving brick. "Ooooh, oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice!" He stumbled and put his hands up. "That's my fault..."

He stepped closer, dropping a heavy hand on Adam's shoulder. "By the way... be careful around that one." He thumbed over to Winter. "Let me tell ya, the stick up that one's rear end is... whew."

"I am standing right before you," Winter said through gritted teeth.

Insulting Schnees or not, the drunkard was getting more and more on his last nerve. Adam got ready to push him away again, but the man let him go and squinted at Winter.

"... So it would seem! Must be a blizzard rolling through, what with all the Schnees." He chuckled at his own joke.

"Enough of your immature games, Qrow," Winter ordered. "What do you want?"

And now Adam was on guard, weapon gripped tighter. Rival, enemy, it didn't matter: he'd never heard of him and she didn't seem to want him dead. They spoke like coworkers who hated one another, not true foes. Was this another Atlesian Huntsman? He could spot some kind of weapon—a short, yet wide sword?—behind a tattered, red cape, but that was the only thing that looked worth noting about him. A gray dress shirt and black slacks were very unassuming wear for a Huntsman, though...

"I'm just here to see my nieces! Not everything's about you and your pack of sellouts, Snowflake," 'Qrow' replied with a rugged smirk. He snapped his fingers, then turned to Adam.

"In fact, you're on their team, aren't ya! Think you can help me find 'em?" It was only surprise that left Adam not jamming an elbow into the drunk's chest when he threw his arm back around his shoulders.

Adam looked to Winter, who glared back. The crowd around them had long since moved on. Even her glare lacked some of the hatred it carried before.

The mood was ruined.

"Get your arm off of me and I'll consider it."

Qrow laughed and harshly patted his back. "Deal! Come on!" He dragged himself past Winter, leaving a seething Adam to follow behind.

He stopped only once, just beside Winter. The closest they'd been since his blade was at her neck.

"This isn't over," he growled.

Winter only nodded.

In a sense, Adam thought as he stormed ahead of Qrow, this was breaking his promise. There would be one last meeting... but frankly, Adam didn't count this one in the first place.

"I'm curious, Qrow: are you Taiyang's brother?" At least small talk would keep his mind off of the inevitable.

Qrow burst into laughter. "Oh, Brothers, no! I guess if you want to get all technical, Ruby's not my niece."

Adam stopped.

And, with a grin all too knowing for someone as drunk as he seemed, Qrow offered a hand. "Qrow Branwen, nice to meet ya."


Ruby was distracted by their uncle and Weiss was with the rest of Team JNPR with her so-called 'improved supporting skills'. That left Yang free, and right on time, too.

"Are we gonna have to do the whole 'beat each other up to stop you from leaving and doing something stupid' thing again?" Yang asked, watching Adam stare out of the window in thought.

"That must've sounded a lot more concise in your head," Adam replied, sitting on his bed with his head supported on his fist. He didn't bother looking over.

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "And that sounds like avoiding the question. Are you gonna do something stupid or not?"

Adam watched the clouds for a second longer. "That depends on Winter."

"Does that 'history' with her have anything to do with—"

"You were wrong," Adam interrupted. For a ghost of a moment, there was only the breeze blowing through the open window. "When you said that I should slow down and let others help. Most of the time, I would agree, but I believe there are times that something must be done alone. Personal matters, meant for closure. For your own sake.

"It's why if, this summer, you said you were going to search for your mother alone, so long as you planned to return, I wouldn't blame you."

He didn't see how Yang balled her fists, nor the hardening of her gaze. To bring her up, even when he knew...

"But I would also be the first to offer assistance, if you asked for it." Yet that left her surprised.

"Yang." Adam finally turned to her, eyes not the angry red she'd expected but a sharp, determined emerald. "This isn't about the White Fang. It isn't about the Specialists. Isn't about humans and faunus. This is about Winter, myself, and something that has needed to be done for ten years."

He rose to his feet and walked closer, each step with purpose. "All I ask for are two things: that you forgive me, and that you will not try to stop me."

The same man who lied to her about her mother, who was apparently seen so highly by her, that knew how much she wanted to find Raven only to not so much as mutter a word of it, held his hand out to her.

"Can you promise me that?"


"Your dad killed his."

The sun was setting, casting their dorm in dull, orange hues. JNPR had set off for food with Ruby, and Qrow had his business to take care of. Adam was nowhere to be found. She and Yang were alone in their room, behind a locked door.

And Yang had just told her that her father killed Adam's. Like saying the sun would rise tomorrow.

Weiss furrowed her brow. Surely, that couldn't have been right. She was misunderstanding it, clearly: there were darker things that her father was hiding that only Winter had seen, and there was no doubt in her mind these days that there was no shortage of faunus dead in mine collapses or simple abuse, but...

Yang sighed. "It wasn't an accident. It wasn't a 'misunderstanding', or just how he ran the place. According to Adam, he personally gave the order to kill him."

Her stomach twisted, and she took a shaky step back. While her mind frantically searched for something—anything—that could explain it, Yang's words pressed down harder on her.

Jacques was a murderer. Her father.

Weiss collapsed onto Yang's bed. It made sense, didn't it? What was a war without casualties... and her father was never one to take an attack sitting down. But to know that war claimed the life of her partner's father? She buried her face in her hands. One question rose to her mind.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Quietly, enough to where the just wind blowing through nearly drowned it out, Yang muttered: "Great question..."

Still, she sat down next to her, shrugging. "It's bound to come out eventually. Might as well let you know now instead of when, well..."

This changed so much! He wasn't just a faunus, just a faunus revolutionary, or even just the leader of an entire branch of the White Fang. Adam was a vengeful son and Jacques, his target. Despite what she knew, despite what her father was, her blood still ran cold at the thought.

"You don't think he's going to go after him, do you?" Weiss asked.

Yang was quiet for a moment. "Not him."

Weiss furrowed her brow again. What did she...

Winter.

Her eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet. "Where's Adam? Right now?"

Yang shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal.

"This isn't a game, Yang! They know each other: what if they're fighting right now!"

Yang brought a hand through her golden locks, but didn't look at Weiss. "Is that... really so bad, though?"

She felt her stomach twisting again, yet rather than her blood running cold, it burned blazing-hot in her veins. "Have you lost your mind!"

Yang put her hands up in her defense. "Woah, woah, slow down there. I'm not saying that they are right now, but that's what Adam and I did, and that worked out pretty well, didn't it?"

"That's because the two of you are dumb and immature!" Weiss stomped her foot down.

Yang let that one pass. "Sure, but those two have to get it out of their systems somehow."

"By risking their lives? That's absurd! And if you won't stop it, I will." Weiss stormed off to the door, pausing with her hand on the handle. She kept herself from trembling, even as she knew she was still on the brink of hyperventilating. "Because if one of them gets hurt, I... I won't..."

She flung the door open and rushed out.


"She won't forgive you," Yang said from the doorway.

Adam sighed. He'd remained in one of the various weapons labs in Beacon, having taken apart and inspected Wilt and Blush down to the individual screw in the time Yang was gone. He'd just finished putting it back together.

"It was expected. Family is not something that can be broken easily." He thumbed over one of the two snowflake-adorned cartridges he'd planned to bring with him. He had only two left, after that. He doubted he'd ever receive more. Adam paused, then glanced over to Yang.

"Sorry."

Yang shrugged. "It's not your fault my mom left." Her smile was strained. "Right?"

Adam shook his head and pocketed his magazines. One in Blush. One extra. Both of Weiss'. The tournament had required that she make one using tournament-legal, standardized Dust, but this was the real deal. It only made sense in any contest with Atlesian students that money not be able to buy power. Of course, the real world was not so kind: he held no doubts that any Dust Winter had would be the strongest money could buy. So was his.

"Thank you for trying: it was more than what I asked for." He checked his weapon a last time, then walked for the door.

Yang stepped aside, but grabbed onto Adam's shoulder as he passed. He didn't look back.

"So... is that it, then? You did hear me, right? I don't mind you going off alone, but if you seriously try to kill her, that's it, Adam. RWAY's done. Weiss won't forgive you for it, and while I'm keeping it steady right now, I don't think I'd be too talkative either if you killed a friend's sister."

Adam contemplated just pulling away then, but refrained. He sighed. He wouldn't need to risk death if he'd just called his own Fang defectors for a doctor to be hiding on site, but even that would leave too much of a trail.

"I told you: that won't be up to me."

"Are you even sure you'll stop?"

Adam scoffed. Now, he pulled his arm away. "I won't need to. I'll know from the moment we arrive."

Yang turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "And how will you know?"

"Because she'll be watching me the second I step out into the open."


If there was anything good about the Vytal Tournament going on, it was that no one even cast a glance in the direction of an armed young man walking through the streets. The dying sun beat down on his back as he found his destination in Vale: a simple cafe. The streets were packed, the café no different, but most were inside watching replays and predictions for the next fight. The tables outside were almost empty, and that was where Adam took his seat.

He ordered two cups of tea and waited. Enjoyed the wind blowing by. Watched the faceless crowds mull by.

Adam drank his tea, placed down his lien down and left. The second cup grew cold as he walked away.

"If she finds me in public, she'd want to talk."


He couldn't afford to have even a fleck of rust on him. The sun left long, deep shadows as Adam rushed from target to target, blade ripping through each with ease, pellets deflected before Adam even recognized they were being fired. Some would consider such strenuous exercise before a likely fight to be a poor idea. Frankly, he felt stronger than ever.

Before he left the gym, he cast a glance over at one of the many fighting rings. Here, too, there was no one. The gym was almost entirely empty: he preferred it that way.

Unfortunately, the person he was looking for wasn't there either. So he kept moving.

"If she arrives at a gym, then she wants a fight."


He didn't need to risk anyone becoming targets. That's why, although he walked through territory that 'belonged' to his defectors, Adam stuck to alleys. Avoided Fang just as much as he avoided those with his black armbands. Soon, he was approaching the wall sealing Ildaite Ward away. Few approached here, and for good reason.

Adam heard skittering along the ground behind him. A twist of his waist and a flick of his wrist, and a Grimm spider leaping for him dissipated into black smoke, cut clean in half. One of many, most likely.

Here, where the sun was just a memory in the dusk sky, Adam waited. He checked his Scroll. Sent a final message. Moved on.

"If she arrives in the alleyways, then she wanted a fight without rules."


"But if she seeks a place with no witnesses nor rules?"

He would've preferred dawn, Adam thought to himself. Before the sun was in the sky. Instead, the shattered moon had now overpowered the sun. Adam walked through a mall that once held life and joy, but was now little more than an abandoned and possibly Grimm-ridden husk, just on the other side of the barrier. Just inside Ildaite City itself: everything was legal in a land utterly abandoned by the law.

His boots clicked against the tiled floor of the second story, echoing throughout the walls. The only light came from the ceiling above, dominated by a series of skylights, many broken. Underneath, he swept glass away from a pair of benches sitting back-to-back and took a seat, right in the middle of the long corridor.

Not even a minute had passed before he felt the heat of someone else sitting on the bench behind him. Caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye.

And through the reflections of glass doors to gaudy little souvenir shops he cared little about that had remained intact, he and Winter watched one another.

And despite himself, Adam smiled.

"Then she wants one thing: to kill me."


"And if she does?" Yang had asked.

"Then I have no intent to force some deathmatch."


"If you're reading this, then I was a liar. I've either fallen or have vanished. I don't ask for forgiveness, because there was no remorse. I don't even ask for understanding. I only ask of you two things: burn this letter, and never look for me.

"- Taurus"


"Y'know Rubes, some might consider your habit of getting comfy in your teammates' beds creepy," Yang said with a snicker as Ruby flopped down onto Adam's bed.

"I don't feel like climbing up on mine, though," Ruby groaned and rubbed her stomach. "I didn't know bowls of noodles even got that big..."

"Is it that you don't feel like it, or is it because your bed's still covered in dirty clothes?" Yang challenged, grinning.

"Hey! They're clean... mostly." Ruby stretched herself out and crawled up to rest on the pillow. "I can put them up later." Her fingers passed underneath the pillow only to hit something. Curiously, she pulled it free. An envelope?

Yang started pulling down Ruby's clothes from the hamper her sister called a bed. "Uh-huh, right, that's what you'd say at home, too. And who was doing all the work then?"

Ruby didn't say anything.

"Uh-huh, like I thought..." Yang turned to find Ruby with a hand over her mouth and wide, horrified eyes scanning over a letter.

The door was flung open, Weiss on the other side, panting, eyes frantic and with another paper crumpled in her hand.


"Weiss, if you have been given this letter before 20:00, then I request two things from you: the first is to wait for my arrival, and the second is to forgive me. This was necessary."


"I became an Atlesian Specialist for revenge." Though the two were almost back-to-back, they watched one another only through the reflections of the doors and windows around them. "To take from you even a fraction of what you had when you slaughtered my team—my friends. There is no noble pursuit. No righteous cause, other than to end your destructive path once and for all. Every time I believed I had located you, I would order that base to be burned to the ground. Every time you were rumored to be on the battlefield, I led the charge. All of it was for this."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "And how many innocent faunus perished because of your anger?"

The reflection of Winter scoffed. "None that I would truly call innocent at all. Terrorists. Sympathizers. Those who turned a blind eye. They were collateral, and as long as their hands carried even a fleck of human blood, I hold no remorse. Are you any different, Taurus?"

He watched her reflection carefully. Every shift of her hand or breath taken the slightest bit too quickly. Adrenaline fine-tuned his senses to a sharpened point.

"No. I became a White Fang soldier for revenge. I wanted your kind to suffer as I did, I wanted you to suffer as I did. Every stockholder, every guard, every foreman who fell to my blade is one I feel nothing for. So long as my people were free and you knew what it was like to have so much taken from you, I would have been satisfied. Though my blade no longer serves that ignoble pursuit, I feel no remorse for the fallen."

The reflection of Winter sneered, even as she watched him as carefully as he did her. "And what of my team?"

"They served Atlas. They died for it. Nothing more."

A tense silence filled the air. Even through the reflection, Winter's eyes blazed with fury. Then, suddenly, it settled.

"Are you telling the truth, or telling me what I want to hear?" she asked.

"Are you?"

Winter finally turned to him. "Does it matter if I am?"

Adam matched her gaze. A silent answer in his eyes and her own. No.

The two stared through one another, emerald through ice, ice through emerald.

"You are a fool if you had ever believed I knew of Altebrucke."

It was sudden, yet somehow expected.

Adam did not doubt Winter. Not now. Not when there was no reason to lie about that. "It would have changed nothing. I would have fought your family's injustice, no matter what." It was still felt strange to let it go: a weight he was unsure he wanted lifted. Another fragment of his former self gone. Yet, it was one he found changed nothing.

"And you would answer to your crimes, just as you will now. By my hand."

And despite himself, Adam smiled. Only a tilt up at the very corner of his lips, but a smile nonetheless. Good. They were doing this. No further dancing around it.

"And you will suffer for yours. For all that you have done to the faunus."

Adam looked Winter in the eye as they stood, and Winter did not break their gaze as they turned to face one another. Step by step, they walked back.

One step. Adam knew he could simply run. Find his men. Find his troops.

Two. But what would it accomplish?

Three. Better yet, was that even what he wanted?

Four. No.

Five. He could see it in Winter's eyes, too.

Six. There was no forgiving what they had done.

Seven. No forgetting.

Eight. Altebrucke was just a convenient excuse.

Nine. One obsolete in the face of their history.

Ten long years of it.

They lunged.