Editorial Note:
Before we proceed with the next chapter, I would like to add an extended excerpt from one of Headmaster Ozpin's logs, which occurred during the meeting Pyrrha attended shortly after the end of the preceding entry. The extract provides vital information, insights, and context behind the events that would shortly be recounted in these accounts as well as providing the reader with a deeper understanding of the Maidens and Ozpin's intergenerational shadow war against Salem, uncovering secrets that were hidden from the world at the time.
These details will become more pertinent and important as we progress through the archive.
The Ozpin Logs: Passing of a Torch
So far, the festival has been nothing short of convivial as it should be, with the only incident so far being Qrow's confrontation with Winter Schnee, and even that was not disrupting enough to spoil the people's enjoyment of the festival and nobody was harmed from it apart from one of James's expendable war machines.
It does not mean we can take any respites, however. The festival was always a recurring event for our adversaries to take advantage of. Salem's previous attempts of taking action during the festival are far from her last. And as such, even in a time of peace, we still need to remain prudent until we are certain that Salem and her forces have been defeated once and for all.
Our successful countermeasures against The White Fang and Merlot did not stop James from deploying more of his security forces in Vale for the festival, knowing Salem's forces are afoot if recent incidents are any indication. This along with the Watchers discovering possible planned attacks on the festival and continued terrorist threats from the White Fang. It appears as if having a major White Fang outpost cleared and stopping Merlot were not enough to make the festival any more secure from potential attacks. If anything, it made James and the United Councils Committee more concerned than before.
The recent drug epidemic in the kingdom was not helping matters, and the government, the committee, and our Huntsmen guardians are doing everything they can to end it. I have to congratulate Jaune once again for his contribution in exposing one of the sources responsible for it—thereby accelerating the progress of ridding the drugs from the kingdom.
In any case, the tournament was booming with activity—with the second round coming to a pass as audiences from all over the world watched in the thrill of the exuberant matches involving two members of one team against another pair. Among these matches include Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos competing against Flynt Coal and Neon Katt from Team FNKI of Atlas Academy. As expected, Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos stood victorious during the match and it was still a compelling battle as the fascination of the matches involved was not about the outcome of the battle but about how they would remain triumphant against their opponents, no matter the odds.
Both Arc and Nikos never ceased to amaze me. They have given me nothing but good impressions over these months despite their individual flaws, especially the former's. Pyrrha Nikos, in particular, made a perfect candidate that I did not waste any further time in selecting her to become the next Fall Maiden. Though there were several other viable options, the girls of Team RWBY being potential candidates, for example, Pyrrha was simply unmatched, even surpassing her more experienced upperclassmen.
She was perfect. Her combination of skill, intelligence, and altruism are all qualities that made her a very suitable candidate and there was no reason why I should not choose her as the next Fall Maiden. I approached her for a secret assignment a few days prior which she gladly accepted.
After the second round of the tournament concluded, I summoned her to my office. There were three individuals in the room. Pyrrha, myself, and Qrow, who was still in a bitter mood, especially concerning James. I congratulated Pyrrha for her victory during that round as she informed me it won't be her last battle during the tournament as she was selected to represent her team for the finals involving matches between individual members of one team.
"Well, it comes as no surprise that they have chosen you to move on to the final round of the tournament. Your performance was exemplary."
She humbly nodded, "Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I would have never made it this far without my teammates."
"Hey, cereal girl, I know you guys are really that great and all, but I think you're giving them too much credit. I'm sure you would have got here without their help," Qrow stated, leaning against the column behind my study, speaking with his rough voice that was distinct enough that you could tell that he was him, drunk or otherwise. "You can thank your track record, your semblance, and maybe your partner's good luck charm that he inherited from his daddy, and his stupidly powerful laser gun for that. Not to mention, Oz's downright idiotic matchmaking system."
"Now, now, Qrow. I know you're still upset but we don't want Miss Nikos here to feel unwelcome now."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced," Pyrrha said as she turned toward him.
"The name's Qrow. Spelled with a 'Q' by the way, in case you want to write that down." [1] He replied, his disgruntled tone remaining unchanged.
"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine." I informed Pyrrha, "I'm sure you have heard of him from an incident roughly two days ago?"
She took a brief moment to look back at that occasion before recognizing the name that was mentioned to her. "You must be Yang and Ruby's uncle from what I've heard."
"You really are that bright for a cereal mascot," He snickered. "Yes, you are looking at the one and only Uncle Qrow." The hostility remained in his voice, but it was alleviated to an extent. "Now give this girl a prize by telling her what this is all about now."
"Please, take a seat," I told her. She promptly complied before I made my inquiry. "What is your favourite fairy tale?"
She appeared puzzled at my question. "I'm sorry?"
"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood," I elaborated. "Surely you must remember some of them."
Although she remained slightly confused over the seemingly abrupt question that she was never expecting, she nonetheless answered. "Well, there's The Tale of The Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower..."
While all three of them hold some meaningful relevance for me, I suggested a much more pertinent tale. One that is one of the key factors to the very meeting she was present at. "What about The Story of the Seasons?"
"Well, of course!" she answered before recounting the tale, or at least the more popularized, gentler version of it that is often considered as the defined retelling of the story, contrary to the original version which was relatively closer to what truly happened.
It was a story about a callous, elderly hermit who refuses to leave his own house when he is visited by four travelling sisters, each representing one of the four seasons. The sisters performed acts of kindness towards the hermit as they encouraged him to embrace the world around him. This gave the hermit a positive outlook toward humanity. To repay the kindness of the four girls, the old man gifted them with supernatural powers that they would use to help others until their time comes to a pass.
"Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Four Maidens," she concluded. "My mother loves that story."
I gave a smile, showing how impressed I am with her knowledge of the story. "Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?"
She resonated a brief laugh, thinking that I was making a jest. "You're not that old, Professor."
"Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?" I shifted to a more solemn tone.
After noticing that I was being serious with my word. She hesitated, glancing around the room before replying with utmost scepticism. "I beg your pardon?"
"What if I told you that there were four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without Dust?" I asked her rhetorically.
She was still confused as she continued to inquire about the subject matter. "You mean like a Semblance?
"Like magic."
She paused, unsure of what to answer. "I…"
"Yeah. First time hearing this, it's pretty crazy," Qrow interjected.
"You're serious?" She turned back to me
I sternly stared at her uncertain gaze. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
She took a moment to absorb that question before conceding. "No," she silently stared into the ground, at a loss for further words, putting the office into a moment of silence before she gave another question, "What does this have to do with my assignment?"
For me to answer that, she had to answer this question first. "Are you familiar with The Ruinous Powers, Miss Nikos?"
Her gaze returned to mine. "I never heard of them. I take it that they have something to do with magic?"
"You're not mistaken. I do not blame you if you are not aware of them. Knowledge of The Ruinous Powers is dangerous enough in itself. But if we are to proceed, I am going to need to explain them to you. I trust that you would acknowledge the risks that we will bring to you and that you're going to keep this between us for everyone's benefit?"
She gave a single nod without a word. I gave her a content look, impressed with how she was approaching this so far despite how dangerous this is. This was one of the reasons why I have chosen her for this affair. This shows how ready she was regardless of the circumstance.
"Very well, then," I began to divulge to her the beings in question. "The Ruinous Powers are four daemonic entities from a realm known as The Warp. Their powers are fueled by everyday emotions, and as such, that makes them more dangerous than the Grimm. Not only that but the Grimm are also allured to their powers for that very reason," I explained, standing up from my chair as I walked to the window behind me. "They are known as The Gods of Chaos. Khorne, The Blood God; Tzeentch, The Changer of Ways; Nurgle the Plague Lord; and Slaanesh, The Prince of Pleasure. Although all four of them have their distinct motives and agendas, their unholy powers and influences combined can bring forth what I could only describe as a catastrophe that can bring about the end of our world as we know it [2]."
I stared at the view of the Academy from my tower as I continued my lecture. "The Warp, the dimension they reside in, is the source of all the magical powers the Maidens possessed." I continued as I turned back to face her again. "And while we're on the subject, let me tell you that many fairy tales were originally quite grimmer. These kinds of stories tend to be expurgated, having been softened and given happy endings to make them less appalling so that they no longer feed the Grimm by inspiring fear. The story of the Four Maidens is one of them."
This caught her interest. "Really? Then how did the original tale go then?"
"In the original story, they were depicted as unfortunate women who were cursed by an evil wizard with dangerous powers that they may use to bring havoc on every path they take until they eventually die, in which their powers pass to another host in a never-ending cycle. The women who possess these powers were regarded as witches and are often treated with contempt by the average man that they were often hunted down and treated like monsters."
Pyrrha stared at me as she listened while I walked back to my study, sighing to myself that I have to recall some unpleasant memories that always haunted me every single day. "Today, they are considered an urban legend as sightings of their power have become much rarer over the past few ages. And the recent sightings have only been dismissed as semblances. Although the story was told to be grim due to the limited understanding of how these powers work, most of it was true."
It should be noted that the softened version of the fairy tale was interestingly closer to what happened in reality. The old wizard was desperate in looking for young women worthy enough for these powers in the fight against the increasing darkness. However, he failed to take into account that these women, no matter how pure they may be are still vulnerable to the same darkness they were supposed to fight, and the world feared them as they were not ready to witness such power. Lessons were learned that day and it was a mistake that unfortunately had to be accepted.
I continued, "The Maidens truly are cursed with magical powers and they do get passed into another host upon death, and it was true that they were persecuted during those days. Since these powers came from The Warp which is tied to the Chaos Gods—the powers they hold are daemonic in nature. But that's not to say every host is inheritably bad, some only wanted to go on with their daily lives while others genuinely wanted to use these powers for altruistic means. And we are here to make sure that these powers are only used for good. If they don't then they are in danger of being corrupted by The Ruinous Powers of Chaos, making them closer to putting the world to an end."
As I finished explaining to her the truth about the Maidens and their powers, I returned to my chair. "Now do you understand what is at stake here?"
She remained speechless, pondering on everything she was told. "I don't… know what to say."
"I know this is a lot to take in, but we need you right now, and you're one of the few who are qualified enough to take up this task," I said. "So please, Pyrrha, the fate of the world is counting on us."
She gave me a hesitant look, taking a short time to reflect on it before finally giving a proper response. "What do you need me to do?"
I presented a content smile as I answered, "We need you to be the next host of the Fall Maiden's Powers."
She was shocked upon hearing that revelation, as well as confused over my use of a plural pronoun. "We?" She uttered a moment before turning to the elevator when Glynda and James finally arrived. Right on cue, I may add.
"Sorry we're late," James apologized as he and Glynda stepped out of the elevator.
"Professor Goodwitch? General Ironwood?"
"Fret not, Miss Nikos. We're still the same teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon." Glynda reassured her.
"Except we've got a little part-time job," Qrow added as he stood beside the two.
"We are the protectors of the world," James followed.
"And we need your help," I finished.
It took a short moment for her to contemplate. "I know you have a lot of questions, Pyrrha, which is why we would like you to come with us. There is something we would like to show you. We will tell you everything you need to know." I stood from my chair and led her to the elevator.
We brought her to the vault located on the lowest underground level of the Beacon Tower which was only accessible to a few individuals. Almost all of those aforementioned individuals were present during that particular moment.
We explained to her the procedures of the Maiden's powers, elaborating on how they transfer to another host. We told her that they not only transfer to young women specifically upon death but who were in their final thoughts as well. Otherwise, their powers get transferred arbitrarily to another young woman which makes it more difficult to track down. Fortunately, such occurrences are rare. However, it also meant that our enemies are just aware of who the next maiden is, and in those circumstances, we had to act with haste.
"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?" Pyrrha questioned.
"Honestly, we've run out of time," Qrow answered candidly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent, cultists are spreading, and Chaos is getting closer into dooming us all, and it's not going to be long before the peace we've been enjoying for so long gets thrown out the window."
"You're not talking about a war?" she further asked after receiving that impression.
"Not a war between nations," James replied.
"We can fill you in on the details once we know that you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens has been attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen," Qrow stated.
When we finally arrived at the edge of the vault's hallway, we approached the two pods attached to a large machine between them. One of the pods was empty while the other stood upright and was occupied. This was when Pyrrha met Amber for the first time.
"Is that..." Pyrrha uttered after seeing her lying unconscious inside the pod's glass window.
I made a regretful sigh before I finished her sentence. "The current Fall Maiden—Amber Burnell."
Amber was still in the state she always has been since we found her; lying unconscious inside one of the pods that were continuously maintaining her life through the use of her aura with nothing but undergarments and a burn mark on her face which she received shortly after being put unconscious.
"She's... still alive."
"For now," James added. "We're using state-of-the-art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is... unprecedented."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked apprehensively.
He made a regretful sigh, "Well, we don't know what will happen if—when she passes."
"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?"
"Look who's been listening!" Qrow exclaimed before whispering to me. "She is smart."
"Under normal circumstances, yes." James nodded, answering Pyrrha's question. "But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." He turned back to Amber. "And to make matters worse, no one's seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."
"Her assailant…" Pyrrha followed.
"And that would not bode well for any of us," I stated.
Pyrrha looked down for a moment to cogitate before she stepped in front of Amber's pod. She put a hand on the window as she continued to ponder the revelation that was given to her. "So if I were to obtain her powers, wouldn't that mean I would have some sort of connection to The Warp that you mentioned?"
As much as I was impressed that she was able to follow all the information that we gave to her, I was regretful that I had to respond with the harsh truth. "Sadly, yes. Being the source of all magic where the Chaos Gods also reside, it is one dimension that is too precarious and enigmatic to a normal human mind. One would require strong mental willpower to withstand its effects. This is one of the reasons why knowledge of The Warp is better off being hidden from the rest of the world. Chaos is already growing stronger every day through mere emotions, and things will only escalate if they become public knowledge as it would bring in more deliberate worshippers who wish to see them conquer the world. And that is something we cannot allow to happen."
"So that means her attacker now has some connection to The Warp through the Maiden's powers," she mused.
"Correct, which is why we need to take immediate action as soon as possible."
"There are already several Chaos cults scattered around Remnant for years now. Worshipping either one or more of the Chaos Gods if not all of them," James explained. "Most of the people who are aware of them believe them to be nothing more than strange if aberrant pagan cults, and we are doing our best to keep it that way. They seek the Maidens since they view their connection to The Warp as keys to their religion. And as such, we cannot allow them and their powers to fall into their hands."
Pyrrha's hand withdrew from the window. "How do you know all of this? Especially if most of this is supposed to be forbidden knowledge," she queried.
"This Order has been around longer than you can imagine, all I can say for now is that we have our ways," I answered. Although I can tell her more about the Order in a way she can comprehend, it was still something she was not yet ready to hear. "And there is also a significant portion in The Watchers who are also aware of Chaos and are doing what they can to counteract them, even having an entire division dedicated to tracking and hunting down Maidens in hopes of subduing them. Despite our mutual goals to stop Chaos for the sake of global stability, we tend to disagree on what methods need to be utilized, which is why I prefer to remain ahead of them."
"From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge," Glynda stepped in. "But as you now know, there are those who are hungry for power that seeks the Maidens to inherit their strength. Hence, we removed them from the public eye and their existence eventually faded to legend."
"Every legend and fairy tale had to start from somewhere, even the craziest ones are told because of this. This group was founded so that neither the Maidens nor the people end up destroying the world along with themselves," Qrow described, pulling his flask and taking a drink from it before continuing. "The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history; that includes religion. [3] Why else do you think that we don't want the rest of the world to learn about all of this?"
"It would cause widespread panic. And we all know what that would bring to The Ruinous Powers and the walls of our kingdoms." I concluded before going back to the topic of the Fall Maiden. "Which is why we would like to—"
"I'll do it," Pyrrha interjected, earning our collective attention. "If you believe that this will help humanity—then I will become your Fall Maiden," she asserted. Although we expected her to take up the task, we were not prepared to hear this declaration. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
As much as we were elated that she decided to accept a pivotal responsibility, there were still some ramifications to be wary of due to how delicate this was, even to the likes of her. "It is, but I am afraid it is not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you will not be able to inherit her power naturally," I explained to her. "However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."
"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used." James explained, "We've made significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it."
"Capture it and cram it into something else," Qrow added before looking at Pyrrha contemptuously. "Or in your case—"
Pyrrha took a moment to absorb that statement before discerning what he was trying to convey. She turned toward James. "That's—"
"Classified," James interjected.
"...Wrong!"
"The feeling is mutual," Glynda glared at James beside her before looking back at Pyrrha. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."
"And these are indeed desperate times," James stepped in. "We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to,"
"Her aura…" Pyrrha perceived.
"Her life would become intertwined with yours. The question is, what would happen to you?" I asked rhetorically especially since I have informed her of the dangers of the Warp. It was a risk she needed to take. "You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos. There is no guarantee this transfer will work. And there is no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."
She looked back at Amber again to contemplate before staring back at us as I continued.
"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move. And there's no telling when their next move will be…"
She kept looking at us silently before giving us a nod, a response that was adequate for the time being. The meeting concluded afterwards. Everything that needed to be said was pronounced. While it was safe to assume that she now inherited the position especially after telling her sensitive information, it was ideal to allow her to finish the tournament before we carry out this procedure.
I admit it was regretful giving someone who has a bright future ahead of them such responsibility. But this is what Huntsmen are made for; to give out their lives for the sake of a better world. And I know that she will fulfil her duty.
=o=
1. Had he told Jaune sooner about that, it would have saved me from some work, even if most of them were just a simple change in letters.
2. Commonly known as Chaos Undivided. It remains regarded as a theory, however, as the Chaos Gods and their followers are often in conflict with one another.
3. It is worth mentioning that any religions which do not worship the Chaos Gods are actually often the main source of denying them power due to people channeling their emotions to different gods instead (whether they exist or not), rather than refusing to believe them at all. This was a common misconception prior to that discovery when it was usually thought that the gods were powered by mere belief.
Sorry this took a couple of months to update. College has been kicking my ass a lot this season and I barely had any time for myself at all. So I hope these next few chapters are worth it, even if they didn't have that many changes from the original. I didn't want to fix what's not broken and I'm saving the more drastic changes for later chapters.
Now for those who are wondering what is happening in this chapter and why is there suddenly Warhammer stuff in this story, I am going to paraphrase my old author's note from where this chapter was originally from:
I've always intended to have Salem to be in bed with the Chaos Gods when I first started writing the original fic back in 2018. The fic first came to concept before anyone knew Salem's endgame and backstory and I decided to make Salem their champion of Chaos in Remnant. Being heavily inspired by a series of novels from 40k, I've already made several references and allusions to Warhammer so I thought that making Chaos exist in this universe will tie everything together. I thought of it as a way to make my story somewhat unique aside from being based on the tone and format of Ciaphas Cain, which as I mentioned before, has already been utilized in some other fics. Plus, I didn't want to keep adapting canon storylines for too long so I settled for this. When things were revealed on V6, I only had to make a couple of adjustments.
It should be noted that the Chaos Gods here are more based on their Warhammer Fantasy incarnations rather than 40k since Chaos in Fantasy are from a more self-contained setting, and I only called the Realm of Chaos as the "Warp" (which is more of a 40k term) because it rolls off the tongue better than "The Aetheyr" or "The Immaterium". The idea here is that The Ruinous Powers invaded Remnant's realm after destroying the Warhammer World in the End Times and the Brother Gods are doing their best to push back their influences with whatever they could with Salem and Ozpin being proxies in the struggle for power over the realm. Don't ask about Age of Sigmar, I never really cared much about it and it's simply not my cup of tea.
Now the inclusion of this may admittedly appear sudden and abrupt. I tried to do my best to foreshadow it naturally, but since this is a story that primarily took place in some clueless blond idiot's narrow perspective, there just wasn't much room for me to add enough of them while trying to make sure they wouldn't without coming off as unsubtle. So you'll just have to bear with this. Then again, the introductions of the maiden and relic storylines in canon were sudden too so what the hell.
Rest assured that you do not need to be a Warhammer fan to understand what all the fuss is about with Chaos and other stuff from their universe. There will be plenty of explanations that will help you put to speed especially since most of the characters don't know much about them either. In fact, Pyrrha in this chapter is meant to be just as shocked and confused as the audience is.
Anyways, I hope you have a good day and I hope this didn't give you too much to bear. The next set of chapters will come out in a couple of days or so, assuming college doesn't take away too much time as I hope.
Baj baj for now.
t. Rade Blunner