Chapter 33 – The Cursemark

Nora

I don't know if I'm ready…

Nora stood in the bathroom, her skin still damp from the shower she just had, and her fresh clothes folded in the corner. But she was just staring at her own reflection, thinking about what she was risking. She closed her cyan eyes, shakily exhaling, closing her hands into fists as she stood there. She opened her eyes and stared at the Cursemark burned into her sternum. It was always a mark she hated to show; it took her so long to finally show Ren the thing… and now would be the day she'd finally face it head on.

Yet… she was still terrified.

What if we fail?

Am I still just gonna stay cursed until it kills me? Or will I just… burst into roots and become a totem?

In front of everyone…

… in front of Ren?

I… I don't want him to see me like that.

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, forcing those thoughts down, before turning to her clothes, putting them on.

It doesn't matter… either way I'll die if I do nothing… I'd rather die trying to beat this curse than just giving up.

I'm Nora Valkyrie.

I never give up.

She zipped up her jacket and stared at herself in the mirror, narrowing her eyes at the Lord of the Wood she saw standing behind her. She knew it wasn't real, just another hallucination… and even though deep down it sent shivers up her spine, she just stared back at the Higher Demon.

She turned and walked to the door, not even questioning if it was there or not.

She opened the door and saw everyone was here. The only people missing were Weiss, Coco and Fox, who were still on their way. She wanted to wait but… considering how dire things are? They didn't have time to wait. "Crazy to see so many of you here." Nora chuckled.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sun asked with a chuckle, smiling at her. "We're with ya to the end." He promised. Glynda approached her and held her hand.

"We're gonna be here every step of the way." Glynda promised. Then she looked at Ren, who was sitting by the bed with a loving smile. She exhaled shakily and nodded her head, feeling a lump in her throat… but not of fear, just… happiness.

Even should she fail… she knew she was surrounded by the people she loved the most.

"Thanks… but… if we fail… and I start to… if it turns me into a totem… please look away. I don't want any of you to see me like that." She begged them. Ruby smiled and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around her dear friend. She didn't say a word, she just hugged her, which Nora melted into, tears streaming from her eyes.

Ozpin held both his hands atop his cane. "Are you ready, Miss Valkyrie?" He asked her. The two broke their hug, and she sighed, nodding her head.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She agreed, walking towards the bed, where Kassius was sitting on, ready to lie down beside her. Nora approached the bed and sat down. Then Kassius jolted, his eyes glowing fiery orange. She looked at him, and immediately could tell that Hyde was in control now.

"I know you already know the risks… but I still feel the need to warn you. This will not be as easy or even as simple as it was for me to free Cardin from the Hym. That was just a Lesser Demon. All I had to do was kill it. The Lord of the Wood is a higher demon, and I expect this is going to be an even greater ordeal than we might expect. All I will be capable of is keeping the Lord of the Wood's fragment off you, buying you time. You need to find a way to break the curse, figure out what the trick is. Find the nightmare that you've been suffering, and fight back." Hyde explained.

"What happens if the Lord of the Wood destroys you?" Yang asked Hyde.

"Nothing will happen to Kassius, per se… we will be kicked out of her dream… but Nora will be alone. And… well… you already know the risks if we fail." Hyde explained to her.

"Either it turns me into a Totem right now… or I remain cursed, to die another day in the exact same way." Nora answered, shuddering at the mere thought of it.

Being here? At Dragonspire Keep?

I've got… a terrible feeling.

"But what other options do we have?" Ren asked.

Silence filled the room. "None… apart from hoping that this preordained fate the Demons have set in store for you is false." Kragen answered, sat in his chair.

Nora nodded her head. "I've lived my whole life with his Cursemark gnawing at me… I'm done hiding from it. I have to beat it. I have to try." Nora said.

Ozpin smiled and nodded his head at her.

"I'm so proud of you, Nora…" Ren softly assured, squeezing her hand.

She looked him in the eye, smiling, and caressed his cheek before kissing him for a few seconds. They pressed their heads together, and she smiled. "In case it goes wrong… I just want you to know… I love you. So much… never forget that." Nora begged, and he smiled.

"I'll always remember." He assured.

She looked out the window at the beautiful view as the sun began to set behind the horizon. "Okay… I'm ready." She said to them all, and Hyde laid his head against the pillow and opened his palm to hers, and Nora held onto his hand. She closed her eyes, then suddenly her pink aura glowed, as did Kassius' amber aura.

Yang sat beside Kassius, holding his hand whilst Ren did the same for Nora, never leaving her side.

The Dreamwalk… had begun.

Hyde

He woke up immediately inside of Nora's mind, and he looked around, seeing something he never expected. He stood tall, holding onto his hooked cane in one hand, flames burning around his Crooked Man body. He touched his top hat and walked through the verdant green fields.

"I'm in…" Hyde spoke, and Kassius also spoke in the real world, allowing them all to hear him.

"What do you see?" Jaune asked, his hands gripped tightly on the foot of the bed.

"Fields… it looks like Anima." Hyde answered. He turned and saw a small town ahead of him, and he raised his brow, tilting his crooked neck. "Wait… there's a town. Surrounded by woodland."

"Do you see a name for the town?" Ren asked.

Hyde walked across the fields towards the town, hearing laughing from children nearby, and he could smell bread being baked nearby. He walked towards a sign built into the side of one of the houses. "Reynir?" Hyde answered, and Ren immediately closed his eyes, sighing sadly.

"What is it?" Qrow asked.

"It's Nora's home town… before she found me at Kuroyuri." Ren answered, looking at him. "It's a memory."

Hyde stared across the town and ahead he could see a stormy sky before him, crackling lightning in the dark clouds. "There's a storm… it may be where she is. I need to hurry." He said, walking faster through the town, past the joyous people, but as he walked, he stopped, seeing a little girl run to him, holding berries in her hands. With orange hair and bright cyan eyes.

"Look! I found these!" She squeaked.

He reached towards her, only for a man to walk through his body and pick her up with a booming laugh and a large hammer holstered around his back. "Where'd you find them, Nora? Your mother's gonna be so happy. You know your mother's gonna make you all the pancakes in the world now!" He laughed, making little Nora laugh with joy.

"It's her father." He said, and Pyrrha looked at Nora and she touched her leg sadly.

Khaki and Cyanna Valkyrie.

Jaune sat there, and he just shook his head. I wish I understood back then… why they wanted to help that village back at Beacon… I just… didn't see it.

Both her parents were Hunters, trained from Haven Academy and even met at the Academy as well, and never strayed from one another. And as he walked through the memory in Reynir, he saw the Valkyrie family getting aboard their Trading Caravan, filled with goods. "Please deliver these safely to Kuroyuri. They've been expecting this shipment of grain for a while now." The client asked.

"No worries. We'll be there and back in no time." Khaki assured, chuckling as he saluted him. The Carriage turned down the cobblestone road and went off into the night. Hyde saw the carriage was headed towards the storm, and he closed one of his hands into a fist, knowing he was getting closer.

"They're aboard a trading carriage, a shipment to Kuroyuri." Hyde said, keeping them informed.

Ren closed his eyes once again, shaking his head. "What?" Cinder asked.

"This was the night… the night it all happened." Ren answered.

Hyde followed the memory into the woods, where he saw the Carriage stopping along the trail, and they set up camp for the night. But as he stood there, he saw the tent open and a little Nora Valkyrie emerged, her little teddy bear tightly in her grasp. The sound of cawing crows echoed in the woods, and she was drawn to them, wandering towards the forest all alone. And in her curious mindset, she followed it further into the woods, away from the safety of her tent.

Hyde followed her through the woods, looking around at the forest, also hearing the sound of the crows echoing above him in the trees, and finally they found the gigantic tree where the Lord of the Wood's totem was placed. Knowing now that this totem was the last victim that the Lord of the Wood had claimed made the scene even more disturbing. Knowing that the Elk Skull that was where the head was… was indeed once a human skull, but the aggression of the curse killing the victim forcefully mutated the body into a similar shape as a Leshen.

Making for a truly agonizing way to die.

"It's the moment she found the totem." Hyde said to them all.

He watched helplessly as Nora touched it, and then heard her screaming in immense pain as the Cursemark – the Handprint of the Leshen – burned into her flesh, right on the sternum. In the exact same place as it was now, eighteen years later. She fell to the floor, grasping at her chest, before turning when she heard those same crows cawing behind her, and screamed once again, but this time in fear.

The Lord of the Wood stood directly behind her, and she fled past the monster, back to her worried parents. Nora looked around for her teddy bear when she saw it staring at her, following her slowly through the woods, seemingly getting closer and closer every time she walked past a tree.

And in the Lord of the Wood's hand was the exact same teddy bear she lost. Khaki roared and smashed one of its horns off but during the clash, the Leshen wrapped roots around Cyanna, crushing her bow and body in the roots with ease, ending her screams swiftly. It killed Khaki last, driving its razor sharp hand straight through his chest, blood leaking down its arm, and snapping his neck with roots, tossing his corpse aside.

Hyde watched as Nora ran off into the woods, now made an orphan, lost and alone. "It murdered her parents… and she ran to Kuroyuri." Hyde said as he followed her towards the storm. The storm swirled above, and he heard the screams echoing endlessly around him, and the distant howl of the Nuckelavee. "I'm in Kuroyuri…"

Ren still flinched whenever he heard the name of his home town, and knowing that the Lord of the Wood played a part in its destruction only made him hate the Higher Demon.

So many dead…

Hyde walked into the street, passing by the dead water lilies which floated on the water, and in the centre of the square… he found her. "There she is." He said, and Ren's eyes widened. The Lord of the Wood had her held in the air by the roots, preparing to activate the Totem Seed in the Cursemark, and it held its hand over her head, snarling darkly at her, burning coals glaring directly into her eyes.

Nora cried out in terror, feeling the end draw nearer and nearer.

Until Hyde suddenly leapt towards the Lord of the Wood and hooked his cane around its throat and yanked it away from her, throwing it across the square and sending it crashing through of the houses. The walls shattered like glass and the Leshen tumbled out the other side.

The roots crumbled into dust and Nora fell to her knees, looking up to see Hyde… the real Hyde.

"Hyde? Wow… strange to see the real you…" Nora panted with a smile.

"Sorry I took so long." Hyde apologised, helping her back up. "You need to run. I'll keep the fragment focused on me. Find your nightmare and figure out a way to beat it. Go! You don't have much time!" Hyde ordered her, and she nodded, sprinting away from the scene whilst Hyde turned his attention to the Lord of the Wood.

Its wooden hands grabbed onto the opening in the building its body created from the impact, dragging itself back through. The Leshen snarled with anger, glaring directly at Hyde as it walked out of the darkness, burning eyes glowing bright as it stared him down. Hyde spun his cane around his finger, walking with the Lord of the Wood. "Remember me, you big tree? Bet you weren't expecting to find me here, huh?" Hyde challenged. The Lord of the Wood snarled back at him, scraping its fingers together.

He looked back to see Nora disappearing off into the fog. Now it was up to her to do the clever thinking.

For him?

This was the simple part.

"Come on then, you ugly bastard, let's dance." Hyde challenged, pointing the tip of his cane at the Leshen. The Lord suddenly bellowed at him, fire erupting from the Elk's Eye Sockets, and four massive Draconic Wings erupted from its back, yet covered with crow feathers. The body erupted into black smoke, forming four huge legs, and a long neck, completely covered in fur, and with an enormous tail. The Lord of the Wood transformed into an enormous four winged dragon, and it roared to the sky with great fury, red lightning coursing across its body and fire erupting from its jaws as it roared.

"Okay… a little more complicated… but screw it." Hyde chuckled, cracking his neck. The Lord of the Wood suddenly blasted into the air and came crashing down with both its clawed hands, creating a tremendous explosion of red energy, throwing Hyde backwards. The Lord of the Wood showed little time for error, unleashing a vast cloud of fire towards Hyde, burning the area to ashes, but he sprinted swiftly ahead of the flames, and jumped off one of the buildings.

He formed a pair of burning swords, transforming his cane into one, mimicking Lash Equinox, and he drove one of them into the neck of the beast. The colossal head of the dragon crashed against the ground, shattering the tiles, and causing it to swing its head around. Fire erupted from its jaws as it roared with anger, then Hyde jumped away from it, and formed a golden bolt of lightning, tossing it at the Dragon.

But the Lord of the Wood caught the bolt in its hand, and the gold lightning turned red, and it jumped high in the air, throwing it back at him.

Hyde's eyes widened as it exploded at his feet, throwing him into one of the buildings. The Lord of the Wood's enormous wings splayed out and swung, throwing it into the air, and it flew overhead, bringing fire down across Kuroyuri. As it circled above, it slammed one hand into the side of a church steeple, stopping itself. It roared to the sky and the swirling storm sent huge bolts of red lightning crashing down towards where Hyde was thrown.

Hyde jumped out from the house as the bolts came crashing down, blowing the house to splinters, and he rolled across the ground, firing Vulcan Nox up at the Dragon, which started blasted more fire down towards him. Hyde sprinted with inhuman speed to get out of the way, before launching his burning Lash Equinox up towards the Lord of the Wood, and it detonated the second it made contact, exploding and breaking apart chunks of armour around the side of its head.

The Dragon came plummeting back down, dragging the entire steeple down with it.

As it smashed into the ground, it jumped into the air and swung its wings, launching fatal feathers towards him. Hyde rolled aside, then slashed his other sword clean through the other that came towards him. Hyde held out his hand and flashing memories of his past Higher Demon life returned, remembering the other abilities he was capable of. He formed a large ball of fire in his hand and smashed it into the ground.

Pillars of flame exploded from the ground, and then he swung his sword, throwing a storm of molten rock towards the beast. They all exploded upon contact, setting the feathered body ablaze. The dragon roared to the sky with immense pain, swinging its head back and forth, shaking its body violently, eyes glowing red as it stared him down.

You're not the only one who can do cool shit in a dream, you evil bastard.

Anything is possible in a dream.

Flames burned constantly off the dragon's black feathers, and the beast snarled, before lunging forward with its claws, slashing at Hyde, each claw laden with red electricity. But he darted backward, and jumped into the air, forming a massive draconic hand of fire himself, and slashed downwards, directly across the side of the Dragon's face. Fragments of bone thrown into the air, and as he landed, he channelled a large amount of fire into that abnormally large hand, and blasted it into the Dragon's chest, knocking it backwards.

The Dragon opened its jaws and snapped at him three times, lunging forward each time, before raising both its arms above its head and pummelling the ground at his feet. The sudden hard impact launched Hyde away from the monster, then it jumped high in the air, still burning like an inferno, but with its wings splayed out, blocking the storm above, it held out one hand, catching a huge bolt of red lightning.

The electricity forged itself into a huge falchion of lightning, and the Dragon came diving towards Hyde, spinning through the air, slashing through buildings all around them, destroying most of Kuroyuri in this one attack, smashing the place apart. Hyde grunted, red electricity coursing across his body and throwing him across the floor. The Dragon slid across the ground as red energy crackled all around them.

The Dragon roared with fury to the sky, bringing more bolts of lightning down around Hyde.

But the Crooked Man stood his ground, staring the Higher Demon dead in the eyes.

There was no way in hell he was going to back down.

Not when a dear friend's life is at risk.

Ren

Ren's heart was in his throat, looking at Nora struggling and being helpless to do anything was killing him inside. She was sweating and her body shaking, and panting like she was running. It was a good sign, at least; it meant she was not captured by the Lord of the Wood and she was running.

But still… that meant she was running from something.

"Come on, Nora… please… fight it… you can do this." Ren stammered, whilst Yang was worried for Kassius and Hyde's safety, not even realising that Hyde was battling against the Lord of the Wood as a Dragon right now.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Yang asked.

"Nothing we can do. Hyde's the only entity capable of entering her dream in this way. We have to trust that they can handle this." Kragen explained.

"Ozpin did the same with me, though." Oscar remembered.

"Yes, but that was different. When I created you, I made sure I could help guide you along the right path… I understand that was not the right thing to do, morally… but that truly is the only reason I could do what I did. I cannot do the same thing for Nora, and even if I could get inside her mind, it would not be the same as what Hyde is doing right now. The only way to do this… is for a spectral entity to be here. And he is all we've got." Ozpin explained.

Oscar shuddered slightly when hearing the subject of his creation come up.

Ruby walked to the balcony and pressed her hands against it, staring out across the beautiful view of the mountains. "C'mon Weiss… where are you?" She sighed, checking the last message she got from her an hour ago.

On our way back, should be back in fifteen minutes.

"Although…" Ozpin spoke up.

That got Ren's attention. "Although? Although what?"

"It may not help her much, but I can cast a spell that can help calm her nerves. We don't know what she is seeing in the nightmare, and if fear consumes her completely, it may make it impossible for her to succeed." Ozpin explained.

"Right… negative emotions… they are still linked to the Grimm, after all." Kragen agreed, nodding his head.

"Even if it doesn't help much, it's better than nothing." Ren answered and Ozpin nodded, walking over to the foot of her bed. He held out his hand and his eyes glowed green, and a small symbol formed around her body as she shuddered in her sleep. It glowed underneath her, and slowly she calmed down, only just a little though.

Ren shuffled closer, and he tightly squeezed her hand.

"I don't know if you can hear me, Nora… but I'm here. I'll always be here… and I'll never, ever leave you." He promised.

Nora

She sprinted through the fog, no longer in the confines of Kuroyuri anymore, and finding roots that spiralled high in the sky. She stumbled as she ran, then the dark fog faded, and she found herself in a graveyard… and she slowed to a stop, her eyes widening in fear.

She saw all the graves… and the first name she saw made her feel sick to her stomach.

Lie Ren

Died for a cause not worth fighting for

She stared at it, and tears began streaming from her eyes, and she fell to her knees. And all around her were the graves of all those she loved. Jaune, Pyrrha, Team R.W.B.Y, C.F.V.Y, S.S.S.N… everyone she had ever known, everyone who was ever kind to her.

They were all dead, all of them dying for nothing.

"NO!" she screamed out, pressing her hands against her head. She sniffled, then she lifted her head, feeling a warm sensation around her body. She stifled her breath and listened as a voice broke through the nightmare.

"I don't know if you can hear me, Nora…" Ren's voice whispered.

She bolted back upright, frantically looking around. "REN? RENNY WHERE ARE YOU?" she cried out.

"We're all here…" Jaune's distant voice promised.

"REN! JAUNE! PYRRHA! REEEN!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the nightmare.

She panted then she wiped the tears from her eyes, exhaling calmly, trying to lighten the fear in her. "It's… not real… it's just a nightmare… don't let it get to you." Nora reminded herself, shaking her head and looking around at the graves. But as she scanned the creepy fog that continued to encroach… another… more chilling voice… appeared.

"You did not think it would be that easy to escape us, did you?" The Whisperer asked. His voice made her hairs stand on end and she turned to see the Lord of the Wood in its Leshen Form staring at her, walking around the graves towards her.

She turned and ran as fast as she could, not even able to see the conniving Whisperer… if it was even there to begin with.

"You cannot escape us, Nora Valkyrie… come to where the bell tolls… the end is near…" The Whisperer said, sounding like he was speaking directly into her ear. As she ran, she could hear the distant sound of a church bell echoing endlessly. But she continued to run through the graveyard, sliding across the floor and hiding behind a tree. She closed her eyes and whimpered.

I don't want to die…

I don't want to die… not like this…

… please…

"You cannot hide from us, Nora… do not fear death… it comes for all finite beings, eventually." The Whisperer promised, and she peeked around the side of the tree, spotting the Lord of the Wood following her through the fog. It knew exactly where she was, its burning red eyes following her every move.

She ran further from the Leshen, then stopped with confusion.

There was a new building… a manor. It was barely standing, smashed to pieces from time, and the windows broken, filled with spider webs. She looked back to see the Lord of the Wood pursuing her, walking slowly. Yet as it passed by the tree, it appeared behind one of the nearby graves, getting closer and closer. The sound of cawing crows echoed every single time she saw the Leshen behind her.

She cracked her neck and turned to the doors, kicking them open and slamming them shut behind her, blocking the doors with a nearby bookshelf. She sighed with the few moments of relief it gave her, until the clawed hand of the Leshen burst through the wood, only narrowly missing her face. It slashed through the door and tore it in half as it entered. She fell to the floor and crawled away from it, forming root tendrils behind it, firing spikes of wood at her.

She rolled out of the way and ran up the stairs to stay ahead of it. She panted and ran towards one of the bedrooms, slamming the door shut. But as she stood in there, she saw the mirror, and the Whisperer was watching her in the reflection. "Did you truly think that Hyde could really keep us at bay? Your plan is doomed with failure… for we are keeping him at bay… you cannot escape us." The Whisperer snarled.

"Shut up!" She yelled, reaching to her back for Magnhild, only to find it wasn't with her. She clenched her hand into a fist and sighed, punching the mirror instead, shattering it. But as she did that, the Lord of the Wood suddenly emerged through the broken glass, and it swung its claws at her. It only narrowly missed her, and she rolled away from it, just as it slammed its fist into the ground where she just was.

Nora swiftly opened the door and sprinted down the hallway, but as she reached the other door, her eyes widened when she saw the Lord of the Wood emerge into the hallway… but it stopped, glaring at her. Her hairs stood on end more and more, then suddenly the Leshen twitched, its neck cracking, and it suddenly dropped onto all fours like a dog, and swiftly sprinted towards her, creating a howl combined with a humanoid yell and an Elk Screech.

Nora screamed with fear at seeing the usually slow Leshen move that fast out of nowhere, and she slammed the door shut. She ran to the window and broke it open, just as the Lord of the Wood smashed the door down and extended its arm with roots, only narrowly missing her.

She dropped and landed in a totally different place. Her eyes widened when she realised where she had found herself now…

… it was Dragonspire Keep.

She walked into the Nightmare she had been having lately, seeing the flames and the Grimm swarming the castle. Flames burned high and bodies were piled on top of one another. She felt sick to her stomach to see everyone she ever cherished being fed on by the beasts, and she gritted her teeth when she saw a Beowulf feasting on what remained on Ren, his blood drooling from its white teeth.

As she looked around, she sensed their presence, and turned, seeing both the Whisperer in the form of Khaki staring at her, and the Lord of the Wood walking towards her from behind. "Nowhere left to run… Nora Valkyrie…" The Whisperer stated, smirking sinisterly at her.

Nora narrowed her eyes at the Demon, and she clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm not going down without a fight."

Hyde

The Dragon jumped into the air and swung its huge wings into the ground, flying high above Hyde, before coming crashing down in a swift dive bombing attack, slamming all four limbs into the cobblestone with all its might. The ground exploded, but Hyde jumped away, bouncing off chunks of stone before launching himself towards the beast.

He formed a sword of fire and lightning, slashing across the neck of the creature, before landing on its back. The Dragon's four wings opened, and it flew into the sky, bringing a barrage of red lightning down across the nightmare, destroying everything beneath them, setting the entire landscape ablaze.

Hyde held on tight, with his burning sword buried into the feathers and scales, and the Dragon flew through the stormy clouds, before flinging him off. As Hyde was thrown through the clouds, he used the possibilities of the nightmare to his advantage, and formed a pair of burning wings from his back, before firing an enormous bow at the Lord of the Wood. It shot three explosive arrows directly into its chest, knocking it back, then Hyde flew directly at its chest with his sword, only for the Dragon to spin in the air and whack him across the face with its burning feathered tail.

Hyde was tossed through the clouds like a rag doll, having to flap his burning wings as hard as he could to stop himself. He looked around as the dark silhouette of the dragon circled him in the storm clouds, leaving a golden trail in its wake from its burning feathers, before flying directly at him with claws extended with red lightning, slashing directly at him.

He grunted, taking the hit directly, red electricity burning across his body, but as he plummeted, he rocketed himself back up towards the descending titan, and launched a spear of fire and lightning towards its face. The armour plating shattered as the bolt exploded against the Demon's face. The Dragon roared and plummeted past him, crashing explosively into the ground, sending chunks of buildings sky high in the impact.

The Lord of the Wood's draconic body slid across the ground, growling as embers and flames continued to burn off what little remained of its feathers. It turned its long neck and saw Hyde launching himself towards its face with a huge burning replicant of Crescent Rose, roaring with rage as he slammed the curved blade directly into the jaw, severing the bottom jaw from its head. Black blood spewed from its head, and it roared with furious rage to the sky, blasting flames from its jaws endlessly, coating what little remained of the nightmare in destruction.

Even with its bottom jaw gone, the Dragon continued to attack, going berserk as it continued to lunge forward with its electrified claws, smashing the ground where Hyde was standing, creating electrical explosions with every single strike made, and flooding everything in flame. It dragged its claws across the ground, flinging chunks of electrified rubble towards Hyde, but he rolled underneath it, and jumped off the hand of the beast.

He formed a huge spear of fire and lightning, and buried it into the Dragon's skull.

Finally, ending the beast.

The Dragon howled to the sky as its body cracked and eroded away, before exploding a blinding fireball with forks of red lightning shooting out of its body. Hyde landed on the ground, panting as he stood tall, watching as embers and smoke swirled in the surrounding air, letting his conjured weapons fade away.

He dropped to one knee, exhausted from the battle, waiting for the nightmare to end and return…

… but he didn't.

His eyes widened, and he looked around, realising something wasn't right. Then it hit him… making him feel like an utter fool. "Shit, it was a trick!" He yelled, closing his eyes to find Nora.

Where are you Nora?

Damn it… he made me think I was distracting him… he was distracting me…

… the fucker played me for a fucking fool!

Nora

Nora kept her fists raised as the Whisperer and the Lord of the Wood approached her.

"Would you like to join them?" The Whisperer asked her, chuckling, but she swiftly punched the Whisperer in the face so hard that the mimicked face of Khaki shattered, but suddenly she felt a root wrap around her arm and fling her away from the Higher Demon. She crashed and tumbled across the floor, but immediately rose to punch at the Leshen, only for roots to wrap around her arm, then the other and her legs, lifting her into the air in the Totem's shape, like a crucifix. "NO! NO! PLEASE NO!" she cried out desperately to try to break free.

The Whisperer's face reconstructed itself back into Khaki's face, shaking its head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…" The Whisperer chuckled as it walked with the Lord of the Wood towards her.

The Lord of the Wood walked directly in front of the helpless huntress, staring directly into her eyes, softly growling.

Ren's eyes widened when he saw Nora on the bed, struggling more and more, despite the spell in effect. "Nora? NORA!" He screamed.

"Damn it… it has her…" Ozpin stated. Ruby pressed her hands against her head with fear whilst Jaune and Pyrrha got onto the bed with Ren, trying to shake Nora into waking up. But she wouldn't budge.

Back in the nightmare, the Whisperer looked up at her, its arms behind her back. "You have fought bravely, sweet girl… but your valiant efforts have been for nought. Your destiny has already been written… it is not a thing that someone like yourself can escape." The Whisperer snarled.

Nora glared down at him with hate in her eyes.

"There's… no such thing… as destiny!" She argued, but roots wrapped around her throat, and she felt her Cursemark burning more and more.

"Hollow words… spoken from a fool who's fate has already been written." The Whisperer chuckled, stepping aside, and the Lord of the Wood suddenly grabbed her by the head. Nora screamed in agony as she felt her Cursemark burning more and more, becoming more unbearable than it had ever been in her entire life.

Ren shook her and his eyes widened as he saw blood leaking from her nose, and through her shirt they could see the glowing orange handprint burning hot. "NORA! NORA!" Ren screamed as he held onto her, not knowing what to do.

Nora teared up as the Lord of the Wood squeezed tighter, closing her eyes as her life flashed before her eyes.

Meeting Ren for the first time in Kuroyuri.

Their first day at Beacon together.

Team J.N.P.R's formation.

Losing Pyrrha and getting her back.

Her first kiss with Ren.

And every single moment, Ren ever told her how much he loved her.

It's… been a good life… at least…

Suddenly the clouds exploded behind her and she saw the reflection in the Whisperer's face of Hyde, as he launched directly towards Nora. "It's not over, Nora!" Hyde yelled, slashing straight through one of the vines. It was all Nora needed and her eyes focused and she gritted her teeth, ripping her arm free and punching the Lord of the Wood in the side of the head so hard that the skull cracked.

The Lord of the Wood staggered away from her, creating a nightmarish scream with an Elk Screech mixed with it. The Whisperer formed a blade of broke glass and went to throw it at her, but Hyde smashed his cane across the Whisperer's face. He turned and caught the clawed hand of the Leshen, holding them both at bay.

He stared at her, and she looked back.

"NORA! NORA HOLD ON!" Ren's voice echoed in her mind, and in the nightmare she could see him stood there, gesturing to her, screaming her name.

She looked back at Hyde, who twisted the Lord of the Wood's arm and kicked the Whisperer in the face. "GO!" He yelled, and Nora turned, sprinting towards Ren as fast as she could. The Lord of the Wood slashed Hyde across the face and stared at Nora, its eyes glowing bright red, and suddenly roots started erupting around Nora, trying to grapple onto her, or just skewer her.

But she kept running, dodging them and running further away from the two Demons.

Hyde jumped and smashed his knee into the Whisperer's face, before hooking his cane onto the antler of the Leshen, throwing it against the floor.

Nora didn't look back, running as fast as she could.

But then, the Whisperer launched three shards into Hyde, then the Lord of the Wood skewered him through the chest with its arm, destroying him and sending him away from the nightmare.

The Lord of the Wood glared at Nora, snarling darkly as she reached out her hand to Ren, just about to touch his.

Until he suddenly shot towards her in a swarm of crows… and his hand extended into a blade… and stabbed straight through her heart.

Everything went silent, and her eyes widened in horror, as Ren crumbled away… and she stammered before dying.

They failed.

Ruby

Ren held onto her, and suddenly Nora gasped, her eyes widening and Kassius did the same. "NORA! Nora…" Ren stammered, but she was crying.

"No… Nooo… NO!" she screamed, falling into Ren's arms, and he could feel the heat on her chest…

"No…" Jaune stammered, pressing his hands against her chest. Ozpin closed his eyes with grief, hanging his head.

"It got me…" Nora sobbed, hiccuping her words.

Hyde was still in control of Kassius' body. And he stared at Nora and closed his eyes. "I'm… so sorry… I failed…" Hyde stammered, sounding like he was about to cry himself. After all that effort… the Lord of the Wood still got her in the nightmare.

And now there was no way to they could lift the curse.

If they tried again now… it would definitely kill her. Even entering the nightmare would trigger the totem.

They had their shot… and they lost.

Hyde let Kassius take control of his body once again, and he lent his head against Yang's shoulder, closing his eyes with shame for their failure. Hearing Nora crying like that hurt their souls deeply, and Ruby reached out for her, but all she could muster was dropping to her knees.

"I'm… I'm gonna die…" Nora cried.

"No… no… you're… you're…" Ren cried as well, holding her close.

But as they mourned in their defeat, they could not even take the moment to digest what had just happened. Because they all heard the bells ringing and heard panic down below. Kragen and Ruby had to snap out of it as best they could, and they saw someone fire off a red flare.

Code Red.

Ruby shoved the tears away, and she sprinted with Kragen down the stairs and ran across the wall to see what was waiting for them. As she reached the gate… it was like the world was playing a cruel joke.

First, they failed to lift Nora's curse…

… and now this?

Weiss, Coco and Fox…

All of them were on their knees with Knights' Bannermen pressing their swords to their throats. And stood before them at the gates…

… was Vir Nominis Umbra.

"Ruby Rose. Why don't you come down here? Let's talk terms… you wouldn't want to ruin their day as well, would you?" He asked her.

Ruby scowled down at him, clenching her hands into fists, and he smirked, his eyes glowing red slightly.

"So how about it, Miss Rose? How about that chat?"

Author Note - Oh no...

To say morale is low after this would be a colossal understatement. Poor Nora, she was so close, so close to being free from that curse... but now there's nothing they can do to lift it now. The thing is activated now, going back in would just detonate the curse and kill her instantly. And on top of that, Vir Nominis Umbra has arrived, and captured Weiss, Coco and Fox on their way back.

This is all bringing back horrible memories of Act 3

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

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt