Chapter 31 – A Proposal
Maria
The winds howled, and the temperature was getting closer and closer to freezing, if it wasn't already. Carmine shuddered, hugging her knees as she leant her back against the wall, whereas Maria didn't seem fazed by the cold one bit. "Gods… how are you not freezing?" She trembled.
"You're from Vacuo. You're used to the hotter climates. I bet if things were reversed, and we were in the Desert I'd be asking you the same question." Maria chuckled. "Plus… I've been stranded in these Mountains more than once in my years. That and Dragonspire Keep is very familiar to me." She explained.
"Ozpin sent you there? Because of your eyes?" Carmine presumed.
"Something like that. I spent roughly a year here during my years at Beacon, learning about my eyes. Kragen taught me a lot of things, showed me how to control the light inside me and how to direct it. His lessons really saved my life." Maria explained.
"In a year? That's impressive." Carmine chuckled.
"He only taught me the basics. And it wasn't a year straight. Since I had no family and few friends, I didn't really spend my months off school between breaks in a lonely cabin. I was more than happy to come here. Plus, the views were always nice." Maria shrugged. "If I hadn't… I'd probably be dead right now."
"Did you ever get attacked after you graduated? By that Salem woman? Or her followers?" Carmine asked.
"Well, I never officially graduated. I was expelled." Maria answered.
"Whoa, what the hell f-for?" She shivered.
"There was this prick… Blizz. Nasty bastard, rich parents, never got a stern talking to in his life. Pretty sure he was Atlesian, honestly. Dude was a racist to the Faunus to the bone, or anybody that was different to him. And gods forbid you were a woman. He'd be harassing you every second he could. Except for me because the one time he slapped my ass and called me names, I fed him his teeth." Maria answered.
That earned a chuckle from Carmine.
"But… one time he just… made me snap. He hurt one of my friends… a girl who was too scared to ever say no to him. And every day… I'd see her with a new bruise, like she was on the verge of tears. And she wouldn't even talk to me about it… was too scared to admit it." Maria explained. "So one day, a bunch of us were sent on a training mission into the Emerald Forest."
"What happened?" Carmine inquired.
"I made sure he didn't hit her ever again." She answered. "We were attacked by Grimm, a lot of them, and I was fending them off, but a Boarbatusk broke his aura and gore him. He was laying there, bleeding out, and begged me to save him as Grimm surrounded him. I could have… but I didn't. I walked away, and let the Grimm tear him apart." Maria explained, with an emotionless glare in her eyes.
Carmine fell silent with shock in her eyes. "Problem was, that they installed cameras into the trees of the Emerald Forest to keep an eye on us. And it saw the whole thing… and instead of risking my friend being tied to his death, I created the lie that it was because he bullied me for the colour of my eyes. I knew it was gonna get me kicked out of the Academy, but I didn't give a damn. And despite all of Ozpin's attempts to stop me from being expelled, the Council overruled him."
Carmine still remained quiet, then exhaled, looking at her. "Well, for what it's worth… I think you did the right thing."
"No, I didn't. I could have done things better… could have hurt him… humiliated him, made sure he'd never hurt her again without killing him. I don't regret leaving him to die, but I'm not blind to the fact that I could have done things differently. The scary part is that I chose to do that. I've always had a dark side… guess watching your parents be tortured to death by Salem's followers… getting their eyes slowly gouged out… at such a young age… it fucks you up in the head." Maria stated, clenching her hands into fists.
Maria exhaled, letting a cloud of cold mist leave her cracked lips. "Oz still helped me though… even after all that. He gave me that little cabin, helped me fix it up, made sure it was near town and had plenty of resources there to keep me going. And I used my skills to be a Huntress. And eventually I came back to Dragonspire Keep to learn more, to train more in every way I could."
Maria shook her head sadly. "I don't know why I was so angry at Oz when I saw him again… he did more for me than most. Maybe I blamed him for not doing more… for her."
"Her? You mean your friend?" Carmine asked.
"Yeah." She answered.
"Why? What happened?"
Maria looked at her. "She committed suicide a few weeks after I was expelled… he spent so much time focusing on me, instead of trying to help the poor girl who was really suffering. I didn't deserve that cabin and all the kindness… she did." Maria revealed, and Carmine closed her eyes with grief.
"I'm so sorry."
"Yeah… me too.
The two sat there in silence, but quickly drew the weapons when they heard someone approaching. Maria aimed both her Scythes out the end of the cave they were holed up in and trudged up the slope towards the snowstorm. "Maria! Carmine!" The familiar voice of Ozpin called out through the storm.
They saw him trudging through the snow, using his cane to keep himself steady in the wind, covered in snow himself. "Is it really him? After seeing those Demons can we be sure they're not trying to lure us out?"
"Why would they bother? He's got the Relic." Maria stated. She walked out and waved him over. "Oz! Over here!" She called, and he rushed towards them, walking into the warmth where the little campfire they fashioned could be found.
"Thank the gods you survived." Ozpin sighed with relief.
"What happened back there? Did you lose the Higher Demons?" Maria inquired.
"Yeah, something like that… I used the Relic to show me what was ahead of me… and I saw Mistral was already extinguished. And it is… the City is gone. We can only hope enough people got into the Vault in time now." He explained.
"Gods… that's it… it's just Atlas left." Carmine stammered.
"Assuming it's even still standing." Maria added.
"I used that to my advantage and kept the two of them focused on me, and I used my semblance to fast-forward through time to make the journey a little faster. And at the last moment I jumped off the train, and it hurtled with the Demons into the city."
"Okay, that's good… should buy us some more time, right?" Carmine asked.
"Yes, it won't be long until the Higher Demons can return to Remnant, but we have a head start to reach Dragonspire Keep." He sighed. "Not what I was hoping for… but Vir Nominis Umbra has forced our hand to bring the Relic there… with the other two still there." He sighed, shaking his head.
"Things are going exactly as that bastard wants, aren't they?" Maria guessed.
"It certainly feels that way… but we won't be alone in the Keep. Hopefully, we can get the Relics out of there before Vir Nominis Umbra even realised we went there." Ozpin hoped.
"Lots of hopes being thrown around here…" Carmine sighed, sounded defeated already. "But like you said, what other choice do we have?"
"I just hope my students and friends are still alive… they're some of the most talented people I have ever known. The world will be such a lonelier place if they're gone." Ozpin admitted as he rubbed his hands over the warm flames.
Carmine and Maria looked at each other and nodded.
"We'll wait for this storm to pass… or to weaken a bit at the very least… and then we get moving. We need to reach Dragonspire Keep as fast as we can. Agreed?" Ozpin asked them.
They nodded their heads in agreement.
Whether or not this was exactly what Vir Nominis Umbra was planning… it was the only option they had left.
Jaune
The walk back to Dragonspire Keep was a cold one, especially amidst this storm, but eventually, they returned with the survivors of Argus. Jaune panted as he approached the enormous gates, passing by the many workers and soldiers still getting the defences prepared for an attack. The soldiers, Acolytes of the Rose, Silver Eyed Warriors and White Fang alike, with survivors from the Mistraalian army and Atlesian Military, all working together. And as the survivors from Argus walked by, they all could see the same expressions on all their faces.
The awe of surviving such a devastating attack.
Who would have ever imagined that the day you would see strangers would be so relieving?
Glynda walked with Jaune to the gates, where they saw Qrow stood atop the structure with Mazen beside him. "Open the gates!" Qrow called out, and the immense doors opened. Many soldiers inside armed to the teeth, but were ready to take in more people. The huge Colossus walked inside as well, and she turned to see the two remaining damaged Colossi from Atlas were here as well.
Only two… out of the ten they originally had.
Glynda looked at the refugee surviving soldiers from Atlas, seeing some of them still being fed and treated for their injuries. "Are these… all that's left from Atlas?" Glynda inquired fearfully.
Jaune nodded his head. "Atlas… Mantle? They're both gone… Umbra has the Relic. We held the Oncoming Shadow off for as long as we could, but he still defeated us." Jaune explained to her, and her eyes widened with disbelief.
"The entire kingdom…" she stammered, shaking her head. Hearing those words clearly made the people of Argus be filled with fear as well, but then they heard Kragen's voice speak up.
"And yet here we stand. Vir Nominis Umbra may be in the lead right now, but we are not out of the fight. Not yet." Kragen assured with a confident smile.
Glynda beamed brightly, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. The Colossus crouched down beside the two others, and the cockpit opened and a long ladder descended for Cordovin to slide down and join them. She rolled her shoulders, relieved to leave the mechanical workings of the vehicle for a bit. She walked across the snow as Glynda hugged Yenna and the Architect as well.
"So this is the fabled Dragonspire Keep? I heard so many stories of this place as a child… to think it was actually real." Cordovin chuckled.
Qrow walked down the steps towards Glynda as well. "Good to see you're still breathing, old friend." Qrow said with a smile.
"Qrow." Glynda greeted with a bright smile, also sharing a warm hug with him as well. He furrowed his brow and looked around.
"Wait… where's Ozpin?" He asked.
All eyes fell upon Glynda. "He stayed behind, with our friends we picked up along the way. Bought us time… he used the Relic to focus all the Grimm on him, and when we were safe, he used a spell… it destroyed the entire City of Argus. It's gone." Glynda explained to them all.
"Another city gone…" The Architect sighed, pinching his brow.
"Umbra… he doesn't have the Relic, does he?" Yenna asked with concern.
"I doubt it. He wouldn't have cast that spell without protecting himself and your friends. Most likely has bought himself some time." Kragen reassured, walking out of the way so the soldiers could help the refugees of Argus. The many people and soldiers walked ahead, and Kragen pointed Ebony Duchess towards the large castle entrance, built into the mountain.
"Please head inside where it is warm. We have food, water and plenty of nurses to help patch up anybody who is injured." Kragen promised, which seemed to raise everyone's spirits.
"Gods, I could use something to eat." Glynda chuckled.
"Go on, you look like shit." Qrow winked.
"Screw you, Qrow." Glynda laughed, joining the people of Argus. Kragen watched them go, and he exhaled shakily, seeing so many people being back in his Castle like this? It was a strange feeling, one that made him feel more and more nervous by the second. But he shook it off and walked away from them.
Jaune looked around, seeing some of the friendly faces they recognised, but certain ones were missing. "Wait… where's Ruby and Oscar?" He asked.
"Yeah, and what about Weiss? Coco and Fox?" Pyrrha added.
"They're on patrol, keeping an eye out for any activity. We have them linked up in case anything happens. They volunteered… Weiss especially. I think she just needs something to do." Kragen explained, shrugging his shoulders.
"Can hardly blame her." Ren agreed.
Yenna tilted her head when she noticed Nora. "You okay, Valkyrie? You're strangely quiet."
"Huh? Uh… yeah… just… thinking." Nora awkwardly said before walking away slowly. Kragen furrowed his brow, then turned to Ren.
"She's got some things on her mind. We'll go talk to her." Jaune assured, and Qrow patted him on the back as he walked with his team over to her. Nora sat down on one of the benches, rubbing her knees repeatedly.
Ren sat beside her and affectionately put his arm around her shoulders, and she melted into his side, closing her eyes, feeling safe whenever he was with her. Pyrrha and Jaune both crouched in front of her, Pyrrha holding her hand as well. "Things got tense back there with the Lord of the Wood…" Jaune said.
"Yeah…" She sighed.
"Look… we will find a way to get rid of this curse. After everything we've done up to this point? We can do this, I know it."
"Stop saying that, Jaune… you and I both know that we don't know if that's true." Nora sighed.
Jaune looked at Pyrrha, and then her green eyes widened.
"Well, then why don't we ask the expert?" Pyrrha asked.
"Huh?" Nora asked, then Pyrrha pointed across the courtyard to Kragen, who was speaking with Yenna.
"He's the man who figured out how to break Ozpin's curse. He knows more about Demons and magic than any of us, he made the Maidens. He's a wizard! If anyone can tell us if our plan has a chance of working, then it's gonna be him." Pyrrha explained, then Jaune smiled at her.
"She's right. We should talk to him. Get his opinion." Jaune agreed.
"But… what if he says there isn't a way?" Nora asked.
Jaune struggled to find an answer to that question, but he just looked at her. "There's always an answer. We just have to find it. We know how Umbra works, and nothing he creates has no weakness. Hell, even he has a weakness. We just don't know what it is yet. So does this curse." Jaune explained.
Nora exhaled shakily and nodded her head.
"Okay."
Ruby
Ruby and Oscar walked together across the mountains near the Castle. The frigid chill of the storm continued to brush against them, but soon they felt the winds die down, and the storm receded.
And at such a perfect moment as well, since they were nearing the top. Ruby looked at Oscar curiously. "So?" She asked.
"Huh?" He replied.
"Don't go, huh? This was your idea… what's the surprise?" Ruby asked as she nudged him.
"C'mon, that'll ruin the whole point!" Oscar chuckled, a bright smile on his face, making Ruby blush.
"Okay, so where're we going?" She asked.
"Ah, you know… off the beaten track. Somewhere we're not supposed to." He winked, making her smirk.
"Noooow you're talkin'." Ruby chuckled, and as they walked up the rocks and snow, Oscar jumped up one and held out his hand, helping Ruby up some of them, like a gentleman. Then the rocks smoothed out, and from here out the climb was a lot easier.
"Ever had that one thing you always wanted to do before you died, Ruby?" Oscar inquired.
"Well, my boyfriend is a time traveller, sooooo…"
"Still trying to make me blush, huh?"
"Trying?" Ruby giggled, and he immediately started blushing.
"Shit, you got me there." Oscar chuckled nervously.
"But… yeah, I've had a few. Haven't ticked them all off though… what about you?" She asked him.
"Same thing, really. Not all of them ticked off the bucket list. But I'm hoping I might get one ticked in a moment." He explained. She could sense his nervousness in his voice.
"What are you up to, Pine?" She teased.
"Many things!" Oscar laughed in a bright tone.
They continued to scale the peak of the smaller mountain, and finally they reached the top. Ruby's eyes widened at what was at the top. The snow was littered with gorgeous pink roses. "By the gods… are these…"
"Lunar Roses. I thought I saw all of these on our way in… I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them." He said, then he crouched down to one of them and plucked it from the snow. "Hey… c'mere." Ruby turned and Oscar caressed her cheek, then he affectionately fitted the rose on top of her ear.
"Thanks… how do I look?" She asked, holding out her arms, and Oscar was blushing more and more at how beautiful she was.
"Amazing…" He answered, sounding short of breath.
"You okay?" She asked. "Is the air getting too thin?"
"Huh? Oh no… no… just…" He stammered as he fiddled with his pocket, then he turned away from Ruby and saw the view. "Wow…"
Ruby's silver eye widened in awe when she saw the clouds part, and it overlooked the gorgeous landscape of Anima, glowing a beautiful orange as the rising sun shone across the land, making the lakes shimmer. And from here they could even see Lake Matsu in the distance, with its gorgeous floating islands.
From up here, it would be very easy to forget that the End of the Universe was drawing nearer and nearer, and that millions of people had already died in a few days.
But they didn't want to think about the Shivering Dominion right now.
Not the Oncoming Shadow.
And not Vir Nominis Umbra.
"It's incredible…" Ruby felt lost for words.
She heard the sound of the snow crunching beside her, and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you-"
Her eye widened and her heart skipped a beat, and tears welled in her eye. Oscar was on one knee, and in his hand was an engagement ring, adorned with a beautiful ruby in the centre and forged from gold and silver.
"Ruby Rose… ever since the day I first met you, I've loved you. And I have loved you every single day since. On your good days and your bad days, you are and will always be the most important person I have ever known." Oscar said, his voice trembling, whilst Ruby was nearly about to faint from how unexpected this joyous moment was.
"My life never made sense before I met you… when I started hearing Ozpin in my head, I thought I was going mad. When I met Qrow, drunk in that bar? I felt like an idiot." Ruby giggled. "But the second I saw you? I dunno… it was like everything in my life finally started making sense. I know things have been bumpy along the way… but if I had to go through it all again… just to be where I am with you right now? I'd do it in a heartbeat. Forever and ever."
Her heart was hammering.
"I don't know how things are gonna play out… but it doesn't matter to me. Because no matter what happens, I wanted you to know just how much I love you. And if you would do me the honour of marrying me."
Ruby laughed, sniffling and wiping tears away, and she crouched down and caressed his cheek, stifling through her tears of joy. "Yes… YES!" She laughed, making him laugh as well, and they shared a long and passionate kiss together. Ruby laughed between their kisses, embracing him tightly as they shared this loving moment together.
Once they finished kissing, they pressed their heads together and couldn't stop smiling. She held out her hand, and he carefully slid the beautiful ring onto her finger. "It fits perfectly." She beamed.
She kissed him again, exhaling shakily. "Well… fair play, Oscar… I'm a mess now." She giggled.
"Glad I don't disappoint."
They wiped the tears from their faces and stood back up, and Ruby couldn't help but stare at the ring. She never imagined this day would ever come, and seeing that ring? It was like her eye was just glued to it.
"And… since we're up here… I guess there's one thing we should settle, once and for all." He said, sounding mischievous. Ruby turned with a raised brow. "Not saying you're not fit as hell, just saying some of us can't exactly do the tango." He said, scuffing his boot across the floor.
"What are you…"
"So… let's find out who's really the fastest one." He said, point out towards Dragonspire Keep. "You and me, race! First one to the gate wins."
"Okay… what's the prize?"
"Bragging rights?"
"Sounds good." Ruby chuckled. "Although, just so you know? A lot of people have seen how fast I can go, sweetie. They all seemed impressed."
"Yeah, but I've actually seen you dance, Ruby." He leaned towards her. "No comment."
She gasped, mouth agape and eye wide. "Oh… oh okay, Pinecone. You're going down." Ruby laughed, stood beside him.
"Just so you know, I will also take first dibs on the cookies for the rest of our lives if I win, too." He added.
"Get your fighting talk in now, twink. You're gonna be grovelling at my boots."
The two prepared for the race, hands against the floor and legs ready for a fast sprint, and they looked at each other with adoring smiles.
"On go." Oscar said.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"GO!"
They both blasted forward, Ruby in a flurry of red petals, effortlessly flying across the rocks and diving off the side of the cliff, whilst Oscar blasted through slowed time. He did not fully stop time, and even in this slowed state, she was still quicker than he expected. But he was fast on his feet as well, and easily vaulted himself over the rocks, sliding down the slope and catching onto one of the tree branches, swinging himself forward.
He rolled across the snow and kept sprinting, whilst the tornado of rose petals continued to dart across the land, then she burst out and corkscrewed through an archway, rolling across the floor before flashing ahead once again, leaving a trail of red petals in her wake. The storm of petals blasted further across the snow, past a babbling brook of icy cold water, and then she flew up to the top of the ridge, where the large flat plain of snow leading up towards the Castle was.
As she arrived, Oscar was right next to her. They were neck and neck. The two zoomed across the snow, kicking up up behind them as they shot towards the gates, passing by the soldiers and workers, surprising them.
Then they finally reached the gate, and Ruby's hand touched the door first.
"YIPEE!" she screamed with joy.
Oscar panted, sweating as he nearly fell over, but Ruby caught him. She smirked and booped his nose. "Don't worry, I won't be too mean." She giggled.
"I never should have put the cookies on the line." Oscar chuckled, pressing his head against hers.
The doors opened, and they turned to see Qrow stood there with his arms crossed. "I thought another snowstorm was coming… but it was just you two." He sighed, shaking his head. Then his eyes spotted the engagement ring and then he stared at Oscar. He looked stern at first, but then he smiled and walked towards them and gave them both a warm hug.
"I couldn't have asked for anyone better for my girl." Qrow said to Oscar, making him smile.
"What's going on?" Yang asked, walking over to them. Ruby smiled, and she walked over to Yang, and showed her the ring. It was like Yang's eyes became giant pink hearts, and her cheer of joy echoed across the entire castle.
Umbra probably heard her scream of joy from the Charred Forest.
It was that loud.
Nora
Nora held her forearm as she walked.
Not everyone was having as happy of a day as Ruby Rose and Oscar Pine, and she still could feel that cruel curse burning into her soul. She winced as she thought about the nightmare, seeing that Totem form inside of her and destroy her body. Ren held her hand as she walked, whilst Jaune and Pyrrha were at the front, walking past the Argus Refugees. The smell of fresh food was always such a calming aroma for everyone, knowing that their starving bellies would be filled. Glynda was sitting with Cinder, talking with her about something as they walked, and Kassius was in here as well, helping Yatsuhashi and Velvet tend to the survivors as best he could.
Despite how much they wanted to ask him right away, they knew they had to speak to the wise old wizard first. They continued towards the doors, and opened them, finding the large room inside, where more people were, and right at the end was the last door, which lead to the war room. They knew that was where he would be, looking over the plans of the Keep to make sure everything was going according to plan.
And that they left no blind spots for Vir Nominis Umbra to take advantage of in case he attacked.
Nora looked up at the giant statues of heroic Silver Eyed Warriors, every single one of them with legendary stories behind them. And not only that, the statues of petrified Grimm as well, trophies of the legendary warriors who came before them.
Jaune approached the door and turned to Nora. "You ready?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
He pushed the doors open, and as they hoped, it was only Kragen in here, looking over the plans. He looked at them and held his hands behind his back. "Team J.N.P.R. How can I help you?" He asked, as friendly but also as formal as ever.
"It's… about Nora." Jaune began. "About the curse the Lord of the Wood put on her."
"We want to lift it." Pyrrha stated. He nodded his head and walked past them.
"Come, follow me." He said, opening the door and walking towards the stairs. "I'll assume you're behind me."
That snapped them out of it and they followed him up the stairs, walking up one of the towers. In each room were pleasant bedrooms, some of them were ones already claimed, as they could see from one open door where Yang and Kassius' clothes were, Blake and Sun's, Ruby and Oscar's, and so forth. As they walked to the top of the tower, he opened another door, which had a large walkway across the roof, and crossed into a T-Junction, to two more towers before the castle was built inside of the mountain.
They walked towards the tower at the point of the triangle, and approached the door with him, and he opened it, revealing his bedroom. They were surprised my the pleasant aroma, not what they were expecting. "As you can tell, Yenna has made herself at home again. Been so long since I've been able to smell her perfume in here." Kragen chuckled.
"How's she settling back in?" Jaune asked.
"Like centuries hadn't passed. When you live immortal lives, somehow the years don't seem to hit you like it normally would. Centuries for us didn't feel as long as it would imagine." Kragen stated. "Everything used to be so slow… now everything is moving fast."
"Tell me about it." Nora sighed, following Kragen. He sat her down on a comfy chair, and he started boiling some water for them.
"Coffee?" He asked them.
"Uh… yeah please." Nora agreed.
"Five sugars, I assume?" He asked with a smirk, and she chuckled, nodding her head. "How about the rest of you?"
"Yes, please." Pyrrha answered. "One sugar please."
"Yes please, black with no sugar, please." Ren answered.
"Same as Pyrrha, please."
"Mixed bag, I love it." Kragen chuckled, yet despite how different all their orders were, he made all of them without mixing them up at all. He gave them all their coffees, most likely being appreciated for simply warming their cold bodies up. Kragen sat in his chair and rested his coffee on his knee.
He cleared his throat and looked at her. "So… you wish to lift a curse? One created by a Higher Demon?" He asked.
"Yes… you were the one who figured out how to lift Ozpin's curse… and their curses were made by Umbra and Higher Demons. If anyone could have some insight on this… we imagine it'd be you." Pyrrha explained.
He smiled and nodded his head. "Clever thinking. It also means you know to treat this subject with care if you're coming to me about it."
"Well… we don't really know the full extent of the curse. But… Nora figured something out about it, in a nightmare she had recently." Jaune explained.
"In a nightmare?" He asked her.
"Yeah… this morning I woke up from it. I saw the Lord of the Wood and the Whisperer… it felt like a vision of the future. I saw Dragonspire Keep, completely destroyed… everyone dead… or dying… and the Lord of the Wood completed the curse. My body was melted and ripped apart and turned me into the same totem I found in the woods." Nora explained. Kragen nodded his head, understanding.
"So the totems are what happen to people who can't escape the Lord's Cursemark." Kragen confirmed.
"Have you seen anything like this before?" Ren asked.
"In a way." He answered, standing up from his chair. "Another Lesser Demon, a Dream Hunter. They live in your dreams and torment you with nightmares until you cannot take it, and when you die, your body would freeze solid, forever showing your pain. But that was only a Lesser Demon, so the key was simple. You learn the victim's trauma that it creates nightmares from, and help them face their trauma head on. Giving the Demon nothing to feed on and starving it." Kragen explained. "But a Higher Demon like the Lord of the Wood? That's very different. Their curses are far more complicated, and the answer is a lot harder to find."
"What do you mean? I always assumed it was the same as what I experienced with the Onyx Phantom. You have to destroy the fragment of the Demon to free yourself from it." Pyrrha asked.
"In your case, yes, but the Lord of the Wood and the Onyx Phantom are two very different entities, and their arts of cursemarking can vary massively. Having completely different weaknesses and strengths. In your case, the Onyx Phantom used that fragment of its psyche to take the reins of your body, so to speak. But this curse is different. It acts more like a target, allowing the Lord of the Wood to target her. Normal Leshens can do this, but breaking that curse is simple. You destroy the Totem that the person touched to get cursed and grant the Leshen immortality until it kills them. But from what you have told me… your totem, you touched, broke the second you touched it, didn't it?" Kragen asked Nora.
"Yeah…"
"Then that means the Lord is using a more advanced technique of Leshen Cursemarking." Kragen explained. "So whatever the key to breaking this curse is, it is not tied to a specific Totem like usual."
He walked back to his chair and sat down, sipping more of his coffee. "You must remember as well – curses from Higher Demons follow a very specific and dangerous rule. Complexity through Simplicity."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"The answer to how to lift a curse is usually so simple you would never think of it. It took me nearly a century to figure out how to lift the curse that bound Ozpin. The Architect and I had to lure Vengeance to where we were, and then we needed to show him that Axzura was not the one responsible for his family's death, and convince him that his desire for revenge will never be sated when under this curse. And revenge will not bring them back. Then he had to break it… all I did was crack the curse enough for him to free himself."
"So we need to be very careful." Jaune sighed, pushing his hand through his hair. Kragen leant back into his chair.
"Although… this nightmare of yours… have you ever had this happen before?" Kragen asked her.
"No… never. Like I've had nightmares of when I touched the Totem and when Kuroyuri was attacked… but nothing like this." Nora answered.
"Hmm… perhaps the answer lies in there. Maybe you didn't find the way out of the path the curse was setting. You were following a path paved with the intention of killing and consume you. Perhaps you need to find a way to find another way out, not following the path." Kragen explained.
"But how am I supposed to do that?" Nora asked.
"I'm not sure… but think about how the nightmare played out and find out if there are ways that you might escape. Every curse has a way out. If there's one thing I've learned is that curses are like a test. If someone can beat the curse, then it will break." Kragen explained.
"Vir Nominis Umbra never makes things impossible." Jaune stated.
"Precisely." Kragen agreed.
"What if… we had Hyde follow her in there?" Pyrrha finally asked.
"Hyde?" Kragen inquired.
"Kassius told us that when Cardin was infested with a Hym, Hyde was able to get inside of his aura and kill the Hym that was affecting him. What if we can get Hyde in Nora's aura and he holds off the Lord of the Wood in her nightmare? Maybe it will be enough for her to break free from the curse?"
Kragen tapped his finger on his mug as he pondered the idea. "It's possible… the curse definitely would never expect another entity to invade it like this. But once again, remember, the curse will not let you go easily. It is entirely possible that attacking it like this could have dire consequences." Kragen warned.
"As in, it could kill me?" Nora asked.
"Possibly. If it fails, then the best-case scenario is that you are still cursed and nothing changes… worse case? It kills you anyway. But we just don't know." Kragen explained.
"Gods…" Jaune buried his head in his hands.
"Curses are very finnicky and difficult to figure out, especially ones made from ancient entities like this. And they are never forgiving." Kragen stated. "But… I'm not against trying this. The truth all comes down to you, Miss Valkyrie. If you wish to take the risk."
"Will I die for certain if we don't remove the curse?" She asked.
"The Lord of the Wood is gunning for you. The curse is acting like a target. It's entirely possible that he already knows that you are here, and thus, Umbra. We may already be out of time, we may not be. The spell cast around the castle kept us safe for a long time, but in all honesty, I just don't know if Umbra has always been able to see us here or not. He could be coming right now… whether or not we do something about this." Kragen explained.
"… but if we don't try? The Lord of the Wood will not stop until it kills you." Kragen assured.
Nora exhaled shakily, staring at her hands, then she clenched them into fists.
"Then we do it."
Ruby
Yang sat beside Ruby, looking at the ring on her finger. "It's such a beautiful ring. He must have bought that a few days ago, before all of this started." Yang said, glancing over at Oscar, who was talking to Emerald and Neo.
"Wait, so he didn't talk to you about it?" Ruby asked.
"Nope, I think he talked to Qrow… but no, he said nothing to me. Probably because I wouldn't be able to keep quiet about it. My baby sister is engaged!" She squeaked. Then her face hardened. "Before me…" she grumbled.
Ruby raised a brow. "Huh?"
"You always one up me!" Yang laughed. "Gonna have a few words with Kas."
"Oh, boy." Ruby chuckled.
Suddenly the massive bell in the steeple of one of the Castle Towers tolled, getting all of their attention. They all stood up and Ruby launched herself up onto the wall and aimed through the scope of her rifle, staring down…
… Ozpin.
"Professor?" she gasped.
Now all three Relics were in one place.
She knew in her soul that this was going to be bad news…
Author Note - The gang's all back together... and it may not be a good thing this time
Ruby and Oscar's engagement scene was so sweet to write, despite all the darkness happening in this Act I love that moment because of how gentle and good it is. Just a loving moment between two people who would die for each other and being able to express their undying love for one another.
And then we have Nora, hopefully their plan can work. Going to Kragen was a very wise choice, if anyone knows about curses it would be him after all. I will always love writing Kragen, he is such an approachable and friendly old man.
Sorry for this chapter taking so long to come out, that Heatwave was brutal and did me in for the whole week XD. But things are normal again so back to fun :)
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
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Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt