RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

58. Burdens of the Dead

Hey kids, wanna new chapter?

Theme for this chapter: Burn by The Cure.

RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

Chapter 57: Burdens of the Dead

Ashe was awoken by the sound of heavy rain pounding against the roof of Mila's loft. The fat drops of water fell from the sky rapidly and burst upon impact on any surface and had been doing the same thing unceasingly upon the town of Otium for some hours now. The room was dark as the curtains on most of the windows had been drawn closed, save for the octagon-shaped one above the bed. Since the dark clouds didn't exactly let much light to get through them, Ashe could only see the vague outline of objects around him as he looked around, and when he focused his attention over to the clock he noticed that it was just after seven, which meant the time for his regular patrol around the town was nearing.

He stretched out his arms, only to finally realize something that should have been quite obvious to him the moment he had woken up: There was a beautiful, naked woman upon his equally naked body, one hand on his chest while her entire body pressed close to his own.

He looked down to see Mila, her raven hair was rather messy as she cuddled into his chest. Memories of their... union the night before flooded back into Ashe's mind and he smiled at those cherished thoughts. It's not like one easily forgets his very first time with the woman of his dreams.

"Whoa." That was all he could say at the moment, as he placed his arms down his lover's back. They had been in a relationship for a couple of months now, but last night was the first time either of them actually had sex. He didn't know how to judge the experience since he had only heard about it from others, but he'd be damned if last night wasn't one of the best nights of his life, and possibly the happiest he had been in a very long time.

He gently petted Mila's bare back while using his other hand to carefully brush a few strands of wayward hair out of her face, allowing him to see her peaceful visage of a maiden in deep slumber. He smiled at the sight, but it soon dropped as some other thoughts slipped into his mind...

Was he going to stay here? He had never stayed in one place for long, not since that night when he lost his parents and Cinder left to grow stronger. He had wandered the world with his mom's case ever since, training himself to become more proficient in combat, and spending whatever money he could scrape together by taking whatever jobs he could to improve upon the Aura Crystal's case to keep it secure. He had been in Otium for months now, which was something he hadn't done before, but the town and its people were nice enough and it was situated out of the way but was only twenty-seven miles from the nearest large town, which meant it was relatively safe from bandit tribe attacks and while Grimm incursions were always a possibility, it was nothing he couldn't handle.

But should he stay? On one hand, it might be best for the Aura Crystal to be constantly on the move so as to ensure its safety, since the less people who knew about its whereabouts the better. He had fought off bandits thinking he was carrying something valuable, and those Remnant Knights somehow knew about him despite the precautions he had already taken and they had managed to find him with apparent ease. Thankfully, they had allowed him to keep it for the time being, but Ashe couldn't shake that the feeling that agents of the Remnant Knights might be secretly observing him from afar. Then there was always the option to head for Vale and go to Ozpin, the man who he remembered visiting his family on several occasions when he was a young child to talk with his parents about the Aura Crystal, but he wasn't certain if Ozpin could be trusted to not do something rash like having him knocked out and simply taking the Aura Crystal for himself.

And then there was Cinder. He still wanted to find his big sister, even though it had been fifteen years since they last saw each other, and no matter where he looked there wasn't so much as a mention of her presence even at several of the major and secondary Huntsmen Academies he had checked out. Was she still alive? Was she a Huntress? Would she help him? He had a lot of questions to mull over, but there was a major one that had been occupying his mind for a few weeks now; should he do his duty and move on for the safety of the crystal or should he keep the relic hidden here in Otium and remain happy with Mila?

He looked up to the ceiling, silently wondering if his mother would approve of his lover. He also wondered if the crystal itself would finally communicate with him and then give him something in the way of advice, but given that it had remained in a dormant state for such a long time, that possibility seemed pretty slim.

Personally however, Ashe himself was very much in favor of staying here and being happy.

He felt his girlfriend stir slightly atop of him, and she drew the blanket covers closer to her naked form, shivering a little. He smiled and leaned up to grab the other side of the blanket, which he pulled up to keep her from the cold and then snaked his arms under the covers to help her snuggle closer to him for further warmth. He leisurely rubbed up and down on her smooth back and hips, which got Mila to let out a small mewl which he found adorable.

The rain kept pounding on the roof like the endless beat of a drum, and thunder clashed as the rainwater flowed down without end. Curious as to what the outside looked like, Ashe decided to take a look out of the window across from the bed. He gently lifted Mila off his body, making her groan in protest.

"Ashe? Ugh, what time is it?"

"A little past seven." Ashe answered as he pushed himself out of bed, slipped on his boxers and walked over to the opposite window. Pulling back the curtains, he peered out into the rainstorm battering the town of Otium.

"Too early, come back to bed." She said groggily as she glanced at his nearly naked form.

"I will. I just want to take a look outside to see how bad the rainfall is." He commented as he rested his hands on the window sill to keep himself steady, "It's really coming down."

Outside he could see the leaf-covered branches of the trees shaking wildly in the howling wind as the heavy downpour kept falling incessantly. It wasn't total darkness out there, but it also wasn't easy to see anything more than a few town buildings in any direction. He looked down to see the street level, and was quite surprised by how much rainwater the street had collected, as the street now looked like a mini-river with scattered leaves and branches floating about. Ashe could see a few townspeople clad in their rain gear conversing at the small lobby of town hall.

He heard the whispering of blankets as Mila got out of bed, and apparently she had been crawling as soon enough he felt her grab his foot and then his knee, and soon enough he was a bit surprised to feel his girlfriend scaling him like a mountain. He felt her wrap her arms around his abdomen, and smiled as she rubbed her cheek against the muscles of his back gently. Soon enough Mila was hanging onto him like a cat would to a tree, with one arm around his chest and the other underneath his shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you doing this?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

"My dad took me on a lot of camping trips when I was a kid, and I got pretty good at tree and rock climbing." She answered him, and tilted her head to see past his shoulder at the drenched sights outside the window, "Whoa, it really is pouring out there. You should come back to bed, stay in for today and keep me warm."

"While I would love to, I still need to go out and see if they need help, plus I have a patrol to do." He reminded her, "Besides, it's my job to see if anyone needs my help."

"Ashe, look outside. The rain's so heavy that not even the Grimm will come out of wherever they're hiding." Mila replied as her lover turned his head over his shoulder to look at her, "They may be mindless monsters but even they're smart enough to keep out of a storm like this."

Ashe raised an eyebrow, "The older ones are strong enough to shrug it off if they get in the mood to go out and attack some poor soul."

"You've taken care of the big Grimm around here, and what's left are probably hiding out in a cave or something." Mila said as she nuzzled into his back, "Now let's get back to bed, as I require your services right now, huntsman."

"Catching Grimm in bed?"

"No, your new job is to keep me warm in bed... the world's sexiest bed warmer." She said with a small giggle.

Ashe turned himself fully to face Mila and smiled down at her before saying, "Sorry babe, but duty calls and I gotta answer." He reached his arms under her and carried her back to bed, before walking over to the desk where his clothes were neatly hung.

"Always have to be the mysterious hero. Okay, but don't blame me when you get soaked to the bone and catch a fever. I mean, the rain's bad enough that you'll probably be back within half an hour." She told him as she wrapped herself up in the blankets to keep warm, "Oh, and leave the closed sign up, no one's going to buy books in the weather anyhow."

"You got it, love." He told her even as he began to dress himself, before kissing her on the forehead. Once the bedroom's door closed and his footsteps retreated, Mila stay in bed, letting the sound of the intense downpour outside lull her back to sleep. She had considered getting out of bed and putting some clothes on, but she didn't really feel like it since today was the kind of day which you feel like just staying in bed and doing nothing else. So she instead smiled happily, reveling in the fact that she had finally made love with someone she truly loved, something she had waited since she was a teenager, and since her first time was with a rather handsome Huntsman didn't hurt either.

She found Ashe to be a mysterious person, but there was also a certain sadness to him, one which she had to persuade him to talk about. A few nights ago she had finally gotten him to come clean about his past and what exactly happened to his family, and just talking about it was enough to make him cry, Something she had never seen him do, so she offered him comfort in her arms and he accepted it without hesitation.

She wondered where his sister was, and how she could have left her little brother all alone and helpless like she did. Mila knew that if she ever met Cinder Kasai, she would demand a damn good explanation as to why she had abandoned Ashe. If the answer wasn't satisfactory, then Cinder was in for one heck of a speech, maybe even a punch in the face if the book lover got angry enough. The idea of a ten year old Ashe sitting alone before his parents' grave without anyone to comfort him, crying his heart out was enough to make her own heart ache. Mila had always been the protective kind, since she was someone who always looked out for those younger than her and the idea of abandoning a fellow sibling at such a young age was just rage-inducing and unforgivable.

She looked over to the closet, and since it was slightly ajar, she could just barely make out Ashe's mysterious case in the opening. She didn't know much about it since he never told her what was actually inside of it, simply saying that it was a precious family heirloom that needed to be looked after. Mila nevertheless could see through the lie easily, but she never pressed the issue to avoid damaging their relationship.

'But maybe I should...' She thought to herself. They had been sharing a bed for over a month now and last night they had made love, which was the ultimate act of trust in her eyes. Maybe it was time he should really trust in her. She mulled over those thoughts as she curled up in her bed, settling for the warmth of the blankets in place of her lover.

After what felt like an eternity, which in reality was a little over twenty minutes, she heard the door downstairs unlock itself and was opened, before it was shut again to keep out the roaring thunderstorm. Mila smirked and muttered to herself, "Called it."

Soon enough the bedroom door was opened to reveal a completely drenched and shirtless Ashe, who was soaking wet from the terrible rain. She sat up, letting the blankets of her bed fall and expose her modest breasts and soft belly, while smiling knowingly at him.

"You told me so." He admitted as he walked towards her, "So, you want to just lay in bed all day?"

"Until I feel like getting up. Right now, I just want to keep warm…and have a little more fun." She said, winking at him.

Ashe smiled and undid his belt, allowing his pants to fall to the floor before he slipped into bed with her, affectionately kissing her cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and dragged her body close to his own, nuzzling her and caressing her shapely body.

As he went about his new and much more pleasurable job, Mila managed to speak through her constant giggles and pleasurable moans, "Ashe, you truly love me right?"

"Is this a good enough answer?" He asked as he kissed her deeply and lovingly.

They parted for air and she responded "I guess it is. And you trust me?"

"With all my heart. Why the question? Ashe locked his eyes with hers.

Mila opened her mouth to pose the question in her mind about the mysterious case, but then her heart decided to override her brain at that particular moment. So she chuckled a little and replied, "It's something that can wait for later. Right now... I order you to keep me warm and make me feel good by any means necessary." She grinned as she turned about and sat on his lap, with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Your wish is my command." Ashe smiled as he wrapped his arms around her belly, brought her closer to him, with no intention of letting her go. For the next few hours as the thunderstorm raged outside, the pair of lovers laid there on the bed, enjoying each other's presence and content with the fact that they made each other happy and complete.

Ashe snapped out of the pleasant memory and he took in his new surroundings; a cliffside before a sea of shining lights with strange, shifting shapes moving about above and beneath its surface. The facsimile of a sun in the sky shone down upon him, its rays illuminating his surroundings as though it was a bright afternoon back in the physical world. In his heart he knew what was coming, who he would finally see after spending so long in this place or this thing, whatever the Aura Crystal had conjured up within itself. He sat on the stone bench a short distance from the lip of the cliffside, and looked to the vacant spit before him, half expecting and half hoping to see her there.

He could hear the soft sounds of footsteps behind him and once they got close enough he glanced back and then fully turned around to see his former student and his partner, the latter being the one the Arc had risked everything he had to save. Ashe rose up, grinning as he regarded them and asked, "Hey kids, what took you so long?"

"Waiting for you, I guess." Jaune replied with a smile, looking at his dead friend's form as he shook Ashe's hand, "You look... good."

"Compared to the last time you saw me?" Ashe asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jaune winced as the memory of Ashe's corpse momentarily slipped back into his mind. He hadn't meant to bring up the former guardian's fate at the hands of his own sister.

"Just joking with you, Arc. It's weird at first, but when you join with the collective aura of this crystal some of your knowledge becomes part of the collective." Ashe noticed his reaction and assured the blond, "I know what has happened to me, so there's no need to sugarcoat it."

"We...we're sorry about that." Pyrrha apologized earnestly.

"Don't be." Ashe continued, rubbing his hands together a little, "All things considered, I think I died a good death. I mean I don't exactly remember it, but it could have been much worse." He gestured towards the stone bench, and the three of them sat down with Jaune and Pyrrha occupying one end with Ashe on the other. "So...how bad was my body?"

"Well...aside from the hole in your chest courtesy of Cinder, you were pretty badly beaten by Jude. You had a bad bruise around your neck, and lacerations all over your arms, body and legs. Scars and a lot of other kind of wounds. Still from what the Haven Police could tell, you kicked Jude's butt pretty good." Jaune reassured the faintly glowing figure of Ashe.

"So what happened to Jude?"

"Lieutenant Morse said they found his body in an furnace within Ante's abandoned hideout during a raid. What was left of it anyway. All of his original organic parts had been burned away and the robotic half was ruined beyond repair. It's safe to say he's gone for good." Pyrrha answered gently.

"Oh good. At least I don't have to worry about that asshole ever again. I still can't believe he survived that explosion." Ashe said to himself, "Too bad I technically wasn't there to see him die."

"Right, you're not totally Ashe, just a fragment of him." Jaune reminded himself, shaking his head to loosen the cobwebs in his brain.

"So what do you remember?" Pyrrha asked the soul fragment before them.

"I remember most of what had happened in my life. The last thing I remember is saving Jaune from his chest wound and then... everything after that is weird, I was broken off from the rest of my soul. I've been in this place ever since, mingling with the aura of the people who died in the Shattering, and seeing visions of the world that was, which was actually an okay place. I saw the cities and landmarks around the world, and... I saw the moon whole." Ashe replied, his voice a bit distant.

"The moon whole?" Pyrrha repeated, clearly intrigued, "What it like before it was shattered?"

"Before it was broken by the war it was... beautiful, but never quite the same. It was changing all the time, turning around in the world's orbit. It could be crescent, waning, half or even totally hidden in an eclipse." Ashe said, his voice quiet before he noticed Jaune and Pyrrha staring at something behind them. He glanced back to see that parts of the aura collective had worked together to create a replica of the moon in the distance, and slowly began to show the moon in its various phases: full, waning, half, crescent and fully dark.

"It is beautiful." Pyrrha agreed, enamored by the sight of how the moon used to be.

Jaune nodded in agreement, reaching out and gently taking hold of his partner's hand, squeezing it gently and felt her return his affection. They sat together in silence as the recreation of the moon slowly began to break off into many pieces of light and shifted away.

"So what have you two been up to since Haven?" Ashe asked, getting their attention again.

The couple looked at each other before Jaune replied, "It's a long story."

Ashe smirked in response and made a circular motion with his wrist, signaling the duo to go on, "It's not like I am going anywhere, so enlighten me."

"Okay, but before we begin, Ruby wants us to tell you she says 'hi'." Jaune informed his dead friend and Ashe simply cracked a smile.

For nearly forty-five minutes the couple filled the soul fragment of Ashe in on the events that had happened after his death, such as Pyrrha moving to Cadia to be closer to Jaune and the Aura Crystal, Ozpin's trial and the subsequent formation of Team Beacon with the others, the retaking of Beacon Academy, Pyrrha helping Jaune with training to become stronger and keep the small portion of Grimm essence within him under control, the events of the White Fang mission and the defeat of Adam Taurus, the new Grimm hybrids, and their eventual meeting with the Remnant Knights.

"Whoa. Keeping busy, I see." Ashe commented, surprised at how much had occurred since his death, "And you met the Knights. Whew."

"Speaking of which, what do you know of them? Sharp Strike told us of your two encounters with him, but what do you honestly think?" Pyrrha queried politely.

The fragment of Ashe's spirit considered her question before giving an answer, "I don't really have that strong of an opinion one way or the other, since I had only heard legends about them. I mean, I had one hell of an time with them when we first met and I wasn't too happy with them trying to take the crystal from me, but after that day they kept their promise and left me alone, respected my family's right to the crystal as its guardians, and kept their distance. That alone probably means they aren't all bad, but I am not exactly sure I would totally trust in them."

Jaune shared a look with Pyrrha before asking "Why?"

Ashe got up from the stone bench and began to pace around, "Well, I did some research on the Knights after I encountered them, and some of the legends I found said that they are just a group of highly-skilled warriors who keep a careful vigil to protect Remnant and its people, but not all powerful or all knowing. While others say that they watch over all of Remnant with untold legions of warriors in hiding, fighting a secret war within the shadows. If those myths are true, then I think more people would probably know about their existence so the former legends seems to be a more likely truth since they didn't manage to find me for years nor were they doing much during the Fall of Beacon when Cinder and the White Fang attacked."

He reached up and stroked his chin a little, "...but then, how did they manage to decimate so many White Fang bases across Remnant like you say they did? Something doesn't quite add up here, and if I have to guess the Remnant Knights possibly told you only what you needed to hear and know, and not the complete truth."

"So you wouldn't trust them?" Pyrrha asked.

Ashe considered the question and answered, "Personally, I don't think the Remnant Knights are a threat and they could prove to be valuable allies to be relied upon to fight alongside you against Salem and my sister, just don't invite 'em over for parties and give 'em the spare keys. They will always be watching you, so it's only common sense that you keep your eyes on them too."

"That's good advice, and I think that you're not entirely wrong. I think they can be trusted and that we should cooperate with them as much as possible, but we should also keep our eyes open in the meantime." Jaune voiced, with Pyrrha nodding in agreement.

"Still, Sharp Strike coming to Ruby's rescue. What are the odds?" Ashe pondered with a smile. "Still, I'm happy he was there to save them, and I'm kind of proud that I did really make an impact on him." He sat down once more, took a breath and continued, "So, have you two been working on your Grimm halves?"

"Yes, we have. My half is still strong since my aura within Jaune had managed to stop most of the Grimm essence from taking root inside of him. But Jaune still has the abilities of a Grimm Hybrid, and we have been working hard to use that to our advantage during a fight, and it's proven useful whenever we fight the Grimm." Pyrrha informed him.

"I'm still not as good as she is." Jaune admitted, "She can control more Grimm than I do, and for a longer time too."

"But he's getting much better." Pyrrha interjected with a small smile on her lips.

"Okay, I get the picture and it's good that you are both coming to terms with your… situations. But there's one thing I feel you should know with regards to having an emotion-based semblance." Ashe's voice took on a more serious edge, "Jaune, I let my rage, sorrow, and pain take me over, which gradually led me to a dark place in life. So be very careful when using your semblance, and don't let your emotions control you, because it's like a double-edged sword."

The Arc brother was about to ask something but Ashe raised a hand to quiet him down and continued, "While your emotions empower you during battle, too much power will eventually corrupt you and once that happens you would be more susceptible to letting darker emotions control you. If you immerse yourself too deep within it, you would be fully overtaken and there would be no way for you to return. Same thing goes for you Pyrrha, your Grimm half naturally gives you an attraction to darker emotions." Pyrrha nodded intently as Ashe sighed, looking out to the ocean. "I've been there before, so take it from someone who has tread the thin line between sanity and madness... and went too far in the wrong direction."

"Thank you for the warning," Jaune visibly swallowed and nodded his head

"We promise we'll definitely be careful." Pyrrha agreed.

"Good. Anyway, how are your families' reactions, are they okay with this?" He asked, fixing them with a careful look.

"Yeah, my sisters and my parents have been really supportive and understanding, they were just happy I was alive and well." Jaune explained.

"The same goes for my parents. They were overwhelmed by joy that I wasn't dead after months of mourning me. Everything is going smoothly for us." Pyrrha replied, before adding "Well, there have been some bumps, the kind of trauma we both have from that terrible experience isn't something anyone gets over right away, but we've been working as hard as we can to overcome them."

"That's good. What about you two? I take it you're a couple now, right?"

Both teens blushed a bit before both saying, "Yes."

"We are, and we're just…really happy together." Jaune said, his hand lying atop Pyrrha's.

"We truly are. I couldn't ask for anything more." Pyrrha admitted as she leaned into Jaune, smiling contently.

Ashe smirked and asked, "Really? What about marriage? Or having kids?"

Both teen were now blushing madly at the idea, and Jaune tried to respond but it came out as gibberish.

Pyrrha recovered first and managed to say, "Well… both of those would be… wonderful. But I think we are going to wait for a while before the latter comes up."

"Y-yeah, especially the ki-kids part." Jaune stuttered, his cheeks red.

"Relax, I'm just joking." Ashe laughed, "Seriously though, I'm happy for both of you. After everything you two have been through, you're lucky to have one another."

"We know." The blond knight promised his former mentor as he scooted closer to Pyrrha, "I understand how lucky we both are. It's a miracle that either of us are still alive after what they did to us, and ever since we got together, we've more or less figured out that we need to cherish every moment we have together."

"Every single second." Pyrrha agreed, leaning further into Jaune's embrace, planting a small kiss on his neck.

"Good. As cliché as it sounds, love is a precious thing, and it shouldn't be squandered or ignored. A love like yours is… it's something wonderful, so I'm happy you're not wasting it." Ashe said nicely, his voice carrying a sadness to it that he didn't bother to hide.

"Is something wrong?" Pyrrha asked, concern visible on her face.

"Well I'm dead, so that's a good way to start the list." Ashe deadpanned with a dismissive face. Pyrrha looked sorry, fearing she had offended him, which made Jaune glare a little at the former guardian. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk."

"That never stopped you before." Jaune replied with a small scowl on his face, he clearly didn't like someone making Pyrrha feel bad.

Ashe smiled at the sight and confessed to them. "Well, you're right. But to tell you the truth, it's because... well, it's actually kind of hard to explain. Sometimes I feel like a part of me is somewhere else, as though I'm in two separate places at once. I have asked around, and it seems that apparently all of the fragments of the guardians in here feel that way too."

"So what's the other place? If you feel like you're in two places at once then where else are you?" The knight inquired.

The soul fragment of Ashe Kasai lapsed into thought briefly before replying, "Somewhere in the middle. Neither good nor evil, perhaps a place for those in-between." His forehead creased as he struggled to put it into words so they could understand, "I can see it sometimes, just flashes really. The other guardians' soul fragments here have had similar flashes as well, some of them remembering similar places but others have seen have felt different locations. But I... I've been feeling something familiar... a presence, specifically of someone I loved."

"Mila?" Jaune guessed and Ashe confirmed it with a nod.

"Yeah. I... can feel her sometimes. Not like I'm actually touching her, but I can feel her. It's like kind of weird, but I guess that's what being torn between two worlds is like." The dead man before them related.

"Is it uncomfortable?" Pyrrha questioned, and Ashe answered with a shake of his head, "Then what does it feel like?"

The fragment of Ashe considered this and answered, "Well, in that world… there's a certain numbness to it, but it doesn't feel wrong. And the feeling of Mila's presence is like when you're really, really damn tired after working for a few days without rest, and you get into a bed that's not too warm, it's cool but not too cold, and you bring the covers over your body. It's like a hybrid of feeling warm and cooled off at the same time. I know that sounds weird but that's frankly what it feels like."

"But it isn't a bad thing, is it?" Jaune posed, "I mean, you can feel the one you love, right?"

"Yeah, sometimes I can feel her and even get flashes of her. That can never be a bad thing to me." Ashe told them sincerely, and his face grew slightly serious before he sighed and added, "Speaking of bad things, have you heard of anything regarding my sister?"

The couple glanced at each other before Pyrrha spoke up, "No. As far as we know there's been no word about anything involving her for almost a year now."

"We saw Emerald and Mercury during the fight with the White Fang, and if Salem is keeping them around then there's a good chance she still has Cinder working for her. I think the fact that we beat her at Haven might have gotten her on Salem's bad side, or she's training to get stronger. We don't really know." Pyrrha informed him.

Ashe said nothing, he instead simply sighed, "Worth a try. What happened to my possessions?"

"Well, you gave Ruby your whistle, she still keeps it on her person and apparently it helped her out during the White Fang mission." Pyrrha said to him, making him smile.

"I have your family sword, and it's on display in my family's living room with heirlooms from the past Arcs." Jaune continued, "My parents felt that it was only right after everything you did to help me, everyone saw it as a good way to honor your sacrifices."

"And the Remnant Knights also mentioned they would record your exploits in their Archives, so everyone in their organization will know of your heroism as well." Pyrrha mentioned.

"That's way too much. An ass like me doesn't deserve it." The soul fragment of the guerrilla Huntsman replied with a laugh, though he was rather surprised at both honors. a bit surprised.

"You were a jerk when we first met you, and that incident with Pyrrha's circlet confirms that, but there's always more to a person than their behavior." Jaune reasoned with him, "Besides, I don't think someone who was a total jerk would give me something like your wedding ring."

Ashe looked genuinely stunned for a moment, "I did that?"

"Yeah, you said you wanted me to have it..." The blond knight glanced at his partner and blushed a bit before finishing, "and that I would know what to do with it when the time comes."

Pyrrha smiled warmly at Jaune while Ashe's soul fragment nodded, his face looked surprised before a look of recollection replaced it, "I just remembered something."

"What is it?" Jaune asked.

"On our way to the warehouse to save you, I made Pyrrha promise me that she would always be there for you." Ashe began.

Pyrrha nodded, "I remember, and it's a promise I've been doing my best to keep. Then again, it's something I would have done no matter what."

Ashe nodded back and said, "I don't know Pyrrha as well as you do, kid, but I can tell she loves you. Now, would you say yes to that promise if it was for Pyrrha?"

"For me, there's no other answer but yes." Jaune voiced firmly.

"Good. Because there's something I didn't tell you..." He briefly considered telling them that their task as the Guardians of the Aura Crystal had a technicality to it. Something that was very, very close to the bonds of marriage, to the point where it actually had been part of his parents' wedding ceremony. "Well, you see...being the guardians of the crystal isn't exclusively about protecting it. You have to take care of each other, and be there for each other since it's a special sacred bond that has to last no matter what, understand?"

They both nodded, and Pyrrha replied, "We understand, we managed to figure out from the journals and notes you left us, though I did notice that one particular page in that section was missing."

Ashe smirked at that, he had torn out the page about the technicality of marriage when it came to the crystal. He wanted the young lovers to figure out their future on their own, but it appeared that they were doing just fine. Perhaps soon enough they would piece together the answer on their own and there would be no need for him to tell them.

"That page? It was nothing, just a bit of technical crap, which got torn out during a run-in with an alpha Ursa." Ashe lied, waving a dismissive hand, before adding, "Bottom line is, I'm really happy for you two. You both have the perfect chance for the happy ending that was denied to me and a lot of other people over the centuries, so just keep loving each other and never give up. If you ever need advice, the other guardians and I are literally always here within the crystal, so don't hesitate to ask."

He paused for a moment to take a breath, and added, "Oh, and please tell everyone in Team Beacon; Ren, Nora, Velvet, Penny, Blake, Sharp Strike if you see him again, and especially Ruby that I said hello… and that I'm sorry." There was a distinct tone of melancholy in his voice as the last words left his mouth.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Pyrrha inquired curiously.

"Sorry that I am not there anymore." Ashe stated simply.

"You are, at least in spirit." Jaune assured him, "Kinda literally now."

Ashe shook his head and gave a chuckle, before saying, "Well then, I won't hold you up, it's probably a school day and you two probably have homework to finish."

"Well, that's true... but we can still talk if you have anything else to tell us." Jaune mentioned helpfully.

"Sorry guys, but I'm just not feeling it right now. It's been great seeing you again, and I'm happy to know everything is working out all right for all of you so far. Please give my regards to the rest of Team Beacon, especially Ruby, and that she, and everyone else for that matter, should never give up, and never let Salem come close to winning. Tell Ruby to give Salem exactly what she deserves for my parents and the other guardians of the crystal... and a punch in the face for me. I know you guys can beat her, especially when you have the Remnant Knights on your side, and we here within the Aura Crystal wholeheartedly believe in you." Ashe informed them as he got up to leave, dusting down his jacket with both hands.

"We?" Pyrrha repeated, confused.

"Everyone here in the Aura Crystal. Next time you come around, we will have something else to talk about. Good luck to all of you." Ashe said before walking towards the cliffside, before turning around and giving a small wave which the couple returned. Then, just as he placed one foot over the lip of the cliff, the soul fragment of Ashe Kasai faded away in swirling streams of bright orange-yellowish light.

Jaune and Pyrrha blinked, and before they knew it their vision was also clouded by a bright white light, feeling the rushing sensation of power that propelled their souls back into the physical world, just as the beams of light detaching from their foreheads and returning to the Aura Crystal itself. They both took deep breaths to steady themselves, before looking up to see the faces of Ruby, Ren and Nora staring right back at them with slightly inquisitive looks.

"So was Ashe there?" Ruby inquired eagerly.

"Yes, he was." Jaune confirmed, scratching an itch on the side of his face, "In a way..."

"We actually met the fragment of his soul that broke off the night we became his replacements." Pyrrha added as she stretched her arms out to get the blood flowing once more, "How long were we in there?"

"About an hour." Nora answered while shaking her legs a little before asking "So how was he?"

"Well, as good as he can be, considering...well, you know." Jaune answered.

"So what did you talk about? What did you see in there?" Ruby asked.

"It's a very beautiful place inside the Aura Crystal," Jaune replied, "Just as weird and wonderful as ever, those spirits inside even let us see what the moon used to look like before it was shattered."

"Really? What was it like?" Ren inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Beautiful, and constantly changing depending on the phases you view it." Pyrrha replied before smiling at them, "By the way, Ashe also gave us a message."

"What was it?" Another question from Nora came.

"He said to tell all of you that he sends his best regards, and that he's sorry that he's not here to help us out." Jaune spoke solemnly. The three other teens looked a bit saddened by Ashe's message, and Ruby allowed herself a small smile.

"At least he's still with us in spirit." The crimson Huntress quipped.

Jaune smiled and nodded before saying, "We filled him in on what we've been up to since he died, and he told us about what it's like being technically dead. Apparently not horrible from where he is."

"I presume you told him about the Remnant Knights?" Ren posed, "What did he say about them?"

"He told us not to be overly trusting with them, but that we can rely on their assistance when it comes to fighting Salem and her agents." Pyrrha related smoothly.

"We already knew that much." The green ninja remarked, crossing his arms a little.

"Well, they are a secret Order, Ren. We knew what we were getting into when we took the Oath of Secrecy before to meeting them, and thankfully we know more about them than he did." Jaune said as he went to work putting the Aura Crystal back into its little vault after closing the case's cover, "But still, at least we know that the Remnant Knights were telling the truth about him."

"Have the others returned yet?" The red-haired amazon asked.

"Team CFVY just got back, but Yang, Blake and Team SSSN are still at the gym." Ruby provided as she checked her scroll's screen, "Yang just replied to my message, they'll be back in fifteen minutes."

"Good, then we have a bit of time to rest before we tend to our homework." Pyrrha said, slightly relieved as she moved her bed back over the crystal's hiding place.

"You tired Pyrrha?" Ruby asked.

"A little." Pyrrha admitted as she got onto the bed.

Ren nodded and got up to leave, "Well, rest up while you can. I have to get prepared to make dinner, and no Nora, I'm afraid if I let you help you'll eat all the batter, again." He shot a stern look in his partner's direction as he aimed an accusing finger at her.

"Aw." Nora whined, a pout on her lips.

Her boyfriend smiled, "But you can hand me things as I cook." He added as he unlocked the door and exited the room.

"Task accepted, Renny!" Nora declared happily, as she leaped off the bed and bouncily followed him.

The remaining three members of Team Beacon smiled before Ruby turned and noticed the way Jaune and Pyrrha were glancing at each other, "So...what's up? Cookie for your thoughts?"

"Nothing Ruby, why do you ask?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well, no, it's just that you are both looking at each other all lovey-dovey and stuff… well that's kinda normal when it comes to you guys." The silver eyed girl admitted.

"Hey! We don't do it that often…do we?" Jaune asked, his blue eyes widening slightly.

"Not as often as the rest of us make it out to be." Ruby confessed, giggling a bit.

"Oh! Ruby, before I forget, Ashe said one other thing to us…" Jaune started, getting Ruby's attention as she gazed at him, "He said that none of us, especially you, should ever give up, and to never let Salem come close to winning. And if you get the chance, to give her what she deserves for the Guardians of the Aura Crystal and a punch in the face from him."

"And a shot in the chest for me." Pyrrha added, "Ruby, let's face it, there's a good chance we will have to face Salem again, and when that time comes..."

"We're going to have to give it our all and kick her butt to the moon and back." Ruby finished, her voice full of determination and confidence, but if one listened closely enough, they could hear a slight hint of nervousness as well.

"That's the spirit. If and when the time comes, we will be with you all the way." Jaune nodded at her, "Thanks for coming for this meditation session."

"Anytime. See you later at dinner." Ruby bid before she left the room, her face becoming a little unsure as she turned away from them and closed the door.

As she headed for her team's room she heard Weiss's voice behind her, "I overheard what both Jaune and Pyrrha had said, and they're right. Sooner or later we will run into Salem's forces again."

Ruby looked at her ashen-haired partner and nodded. "I know."

Weiss's icy blue eyes studied her partner carefully, and noted the slightly nervous look on her face before she rose up and walked over to Ruby. They regarded each other for a few moments before the Schnee heiress reached out and held Ruby's hands with her own.

"And Ruby, just remember that when that time comes, you will not be fighting alone. You will always have us, especially your team; Yang, Blake, and… me. I wouldn't be a very good partner if I didn't fight for the sake of the world with you, right?" Weiss asked, a small smile gracing her smooth lips.

Ruby's frown turned into a smile before she lurched forward and hugged her partner, "Thanks Weiss." She said appreciatively.

Weiss smiled and patted Ruby's back, "What are partners for? Oh, and can you talk to Penny?"

"Huh?" Ruby released her and looked at Weiss with a puzzled look before ice princess made her look in the direction of Penny who was still sitting on the couch, waiting for the others to return.

"I can see that the session has concluded, Ruby. I take it my mission is complete?" Penny asked.

"Yup, mission accomplished Penny." The red reaper confirmed as she saluted Penny, who gave a friendly salute back.

Back in Team JNPR's room, Jaune and Pyrrha laid together on their combined bed, with Pyrrha's head against his chest while he gently ran a hand through her crimson hair, planting small kisses on her forehead.

"Do you think that Ashe was hiding something?" Jaune asked.

"I do, but not about the Knights or Salem, but I think he was hiding something regarding our positions as Guardians of the Aura Crystal." Pyrrha agreed as she snuggled into him.

"Well, whatever it is I guess it can wait. The way he was explaining about the so-called sacred bond made it sound like we were already married." Jaune voiced, one of the few times he had been able to speak of marriage to Pyrrha without stuttering.

Pyrrha sighed and asked, "Jaune, do you think we will be married someday? With a home and children?"

Her partner blushed at the thought before saying, "I… I sure hope so. I'd love it."

"So would I." Pyrrha agreed, hoping that Jaune would say something in regards to the ring currently inside the drawer of his nightstand.

"One day, when I'm ready and I feel like I'm worthy, I will ask you." He admitted to her, while holding her a little tighter and closer to his chest.

"I think you're already worthy, so why wait?" The spartan amazon asked again.

Jaune considered it before saying, "Well for starters we are still second year students. I don't think we should to rush it, right?"

Pyrrha thought about what he had said and replied, "That's just fine, we don't need a ring to be in love. Our bond is already strong enough."

The Arc son nodded as he felt his lover's grip on one of his hands tighten as she said, "I love you, Jaune."

"Say it again." He pleaded, "I'm needy."

Pyrrha giggled before saying "Very well, I love you."

"And I love you too, Pyrrha." He responded in a voice full of affection.

The couple laid there together, content with each other and at that very moment both of them knew that they truly did make each other happy. Outside their dorm room's window, the white snowflakes of winter continued to drift down from the skies.

---

Like the rest of Beacon, the gymnasium had also been rebuilt. Being mainly rectangular in design, it occupied one of the slightly larger halls and boasted a wide variety of various workout machines and racks of weights, as well as multiple mat-covered areas for sparring between academy students separated by aisles in which others could rest after their own training sessions. Aside from the multiple exits from which students and teachers could come and go at both ends of the gymnasium, there was also the entrances to the locker rooms for both genders, and water coolers for users to re-hydrate themselves at any time. Benches made from gleaming plastic and metal were the new additions, situated off to the sides allowing for spectators and observers to watch without causing any disruptions.

It was late in the afternoon, so the gym wasn't as occupied as it was during the normal hours, and it was at this time that Team SSSN had chosen to do their own training sessions, with Blake and Yang joining in as they were helping Sun with adapting to his new mechanical tail.

From the sidelines, Blake watched with crossed arms as a shirtless, sweating Sun hung in the air, his muscular arms holding him steady as he gripped the metal pole above him. He had already managed to make his way up the first two levels of the tall gymnastic set that was off to the corner of Beacon's large gymnasium, and the third pole at the top was the final one. Droplets of sweat rolled down Sun's face as he cautiously positioned his mechanical tail to help him keep his balance, while his legs were some inches away from the previous bar.

"Come on Sun, it's just one more. I know you can do this." She encouraged him while wiping sweat from her brow with a towel after finishing up with her own acrobatic regime that would have taxed even the most agile of Faunus.

"I hear ya, Blake!" The monkey Faunus called back as he began to lift himself upwards, the muscles on his toned body rippling and sweating profusely as he exerted himself. It goes without saying that it was quite the sight for his girlfriend below, along with any other female student or gay male, who happened to be watching.

"Try a swing." Blake urged him, "If something goes wrong, we'll be here to catch you like always."

Sun thought about it, his hands keeping a firm grip on the metal pole above him. Then he glanced at the ground, some thirteen feet below him. Neptune wasn't far from Blake, a towel hung over his neck as he downed a bottle of cold mineral water as he sat on a nearby bench. Yang, Sage and Scarlet were also close as well, as they were all working with lifting heavy weights and other exercises in the weight training section of the gymnasium. Yang in particular was lifting one of the heaviest dumbbells on the weight rack, always pushing herself to get stronger and also to make sure her both of her arms were up to any challenge.

Yang stopped briefly to look up towards him, having been listening in to everything exchanged between Blake and Sun. She gave him a supportive look and winked a little, before lifting up the heavy dumbbell and showing off her noticeably muscular arms which Sun had to admit he found quite attractive.

"Go for it man, we are here for you!" Neptune called from the direction of the bench he was sitting on.

Despite his muscles screaming for a break, Sun ignored the slight pain, looked down at Blake once more before grinning, "Okay, here goes nothing!"

Gripping the bar firmly he lifted his legs and curled up his mechanical tail, swinging his body upwards and managing to hook his legs and tail onto the bar, before letting his arms go free and swinging upside down. He experienced a short-lived sensation of inverted vertigo and let out a yell of excitement as he hung there for a brief moment before he forced his legs and tail to pull him back towards the top of the gymnastic set. Once they were in reach Sun grabbed the two strong metal bars that flanked him on both sides, and when he made sure he was stable he slowly stood up, his feet finding a decent balance on the thin pole by spreading his weight evenly. While his mechanical appendage did its best to help him keep his balance, it wasn't perfect as he could feel his legs shaking a bit from the slight strain he had just put on them mere seconds ago. However, this was far better than he had done in a while, and though the last few attempts were successful he had been far more shaky then since he was still adapting to his new tail, but this time everything seemed to be doing just fine.

"Great job Sunny boy!" Yang called out, "And you're not shaking nearly as bad as the last few times!"

"I know, I'm definitely getting better!" Sun shouted down as he held onto the flanking bars.

"Do you need any help to get down this time?" Blake offered as Yang placed the dumbbell onto the nearest weight rack and walked over to them.

"Nah, I got this." Sun assured his girlfriend as he looked down from the top and began to judge a good way to get down.

He carefully lowered himself from the top pole, his tail curling around the long piece of metal to help him. The blond monkey Faunus then hooked his legs around it before he lowered himself, upside down, to the next pole. Once he had a firm grasp on the second bar, his legs and tail released themselves and his entire body dropped vertically, swinging downwards relatively smoothly until his feet collided with the bottom bar. Sun let out a small shout of pain and annoyance while his aura flickered, thankfully helping the pain and causing it to fade away quickly, but the distraction was quick and sudden enough to cause him to nearly lose his grip on the metal bars above him.

One hand dropped, but the other was able to stubbornly hang on as Sun managed to maneuver his legs to step on top of the final bar. Blake and the others watched intently, all of them ready to move to help him, but held back mostly just to see if he could recover.

Sun's feet managed to keep his body steady on the bar even though his legs were still shaking a bit, but he was still balanced as his tail jutted upwards to help him keep that. He took another breath to calm himself, and then adjusted his posture by allowing his hands to let go of the flanking metal bars and then standing on the pole six feet above the padded gym floor.

Once he has sure he was good, the Monkey Faunus allowed himself a triumphant grin before he knelt down and then leapt off the bar in one swift motion, spinning through the air gracefully and landing on the matted floor of the gym in a crouch with his arms splayed off on either sides like a professional gymnast. Turning his head, Sun noticed that his teammates as well as Blake and Neptune were both clapping their hands to show their support for him. Yang grinned as she came forward.

"Wasn't so hard." He said cockily before tripping over the mat's edge and stumbling forward a little, only to be caught by Yang.

"Don't get haughty." Yang warned him as she helped him recover his balance, "Karma's always waiting to strike."

"Yeah, you would think I'd have learned by now." Sun agreed as he parted from her, giving the blonde bombshell a warm, if flirty, smile, "Still, there's a big improvement to my speed, right?"

"It is. You have been getting better by the day with your replacement tail." Blake told him with a gentle smile on her face, "After another week or so of training you should be more or less back to normal."

"You got it, ninja of my heart." Sun quipped even as he leaned in to kiss her. Blake gladly accepted his affections, but she noticed that Neptune was looking at her, Sun and Yang carefully, a slightly suspicious look on his face.

After their session was over the six Hunters-in-training left the gym after dressing in their coats and jackets. They made their way across the snowy grounds to the dorm building. The sun was beginning to set now, creating a rather beautiful view of Vale for anyone looking to admire the sights despite the snow nearly covering everything and the icy gusts of wind. As they traveled along the pavement leading through the garden areas which would take them to the dorms, Blake was the only one who was taking the time to properly enjoy the winter surroundings as most of the group walked ahead of her.

"Hey, Sun, Yang, Blake, can we talk for a minute?" Neptune asked suddenly.

"About what?" Yang replied as she slowed her pace for Blake to catch up.

"Uh... it's about Sun's tail and his balance issues." The bluenette stated as he looked at the three of them, "It's something that has been on my mind for the past couple of hours."

The trio looked to each other, all of them easily seeing through their friend's excuse, and knew that Neptune had caught onto something personal for the three of them. "Sure, whatever you need blue." Yang replied as Blake and Sun nodded their heads.

Seeing Sage and Scarlet walking ahead of them, Sun signaled to them, "You both go ahead guys, we will catch up in a bit."

"Gladly!" Scarlet answered before rushing ahead to get inside. Sage nodded to the leader of his team before he followed his partner inside, but the brief look on his face when they locked eyes gave Sun the idea that he had an feeling that he knew what Neptune was going to talk to them about.

"Is there any reason you want to talk about this out in the cold?" Sun asked his human partner cautiously.

"No, not here." Neptune gestured for them to follow him to one of the newly renovated gazebo not far away from the dorm building, and after they have entered the bluenette leaned against the entrance, positioning himself between it and the trio. He then asked bluntly, "Now that no one else can hear us, am I wrong, or is there something going on between the three of you?"

The three were silent as they were a bit shocked by the question he had posed.

"What do you mean, Neptune?" Yang asked slowly, trying to sound confused.

"Come on, I may act ditzy sometimes but I'm not stupid. I see the looks you and Sun give each other, and the looks you give to Blake. Don't get me started on the other physical gestures." The bluenette stated as he gestured to each of them to emphasize his given points, "Time to spill."

"Neptune... we can explain..." Blake started but she was abruptly interrupted by her partner.

"Hey, I'm not gonna deny that Blake is a beauty, and I am a door that can swing both ways." Yang voiced while crossing her arms, earning an eye-roll from the Cat Faunus.

"And Yang's..." Sun looked to Blake who nodded to give him permission, "She's a knockout to say the least! And Blake is just perfect in a lot of ways..."

"Oh please, give me some credit here. When Blake goes to the bookstore you two almost always go with her, when Yang goes to the arcade you two also do the same even though it's clearly not Blake's thing, and not to mention the three of you also spent regular sessions in the gym lately... and Coco told me she saw Yang kiss Blake." Neptune revealed to them and watched the shock unfold on both girls' faces.

"What?! Coco saw us?!" Yang cried out before pressing her robotic hand against her mouth to prevent the rest of the words she was about to speak from exiting her throat.

Blake, blushing madly, buried her face in her hands while Sun looked a little uncomfortable, "Way to go, partner..."

"Aw crap." Yang muttered as she looked back up at Neptune, nervously fingering a lock of her blonde hair.

A few seconds of silence passed before Sun spoke up again, "Look man, I know this can be seen as weird and even wrong, but Yang and Blake are more than just partners and friends as there's real love between them. And I honestly love Blake... with all my heart."

"I know that, and I can never doubt you after everything you have done for her." Neptune agreed, and then looked at Yang momentarily before turning back to Sun, "But what I don't get is what happened with you and Yang? Where did that come from?"

"Well, we bonded a bit when we were both looking for Blake, and even more after that. Then when Sun got his tail cut off by Adam and I tried to comfort him since I know from firsthand experience what it's like to lose a part of yourself." Yang confessed while absentmindedly rubbing her mechanical hand as she did so.

Blake took over for her thankfully, "He was in a bad place, literally and figuratively, since we were locked up in the White Fang's cells at that time, and we don't even know if you and Scarlet were alive. I was in a different cell than he was, but Yang was there for him, to let him know that he wasn't alone and it did make him feel better. I did my best to help Sun as well, and it was clear that the relationship between the three of us was becoming... different."

Sun nodded as he continued explaining, "After we defeated Adam on his ship, it...well, it looked like we are all going to die on the ship we...kind of dropped everything and confessed to each other. Then Yang just..."

"I started up a three-way kiss between us." Yang finished and managed a small smile.

Neptune's only response was the slight widening of his dark-blue eyes. The area was silent save for the sounds of chilly wind blowing through the gazebo.

Seeing his reaction she continued, "It was a do or die moment, and since it looked like we aren't going to make it out of there alive... I figured 'why not?' I let my feelings control me, and it was..."

"Amazing." Blake provided, while blushing a bit.

"And after we dropped you guys of at Sun's home, we talked it over and eventually Blake and me had a moment of... intimacy." Yang informed them.

"Did you know about this?" Neptune asked Sun who gave a nod.

"Yup, Blake told me about it a few days after we have came back."

"A couple of weeks later during the day the three of us went out together for the night, we all sat down and had a talk about the future of our relationship and if it could evolve beyond just two and become a mutual relationship between the three of us. We wanted to be sure that all three of us have genuine feelings for one another, so there wouldn't be any jealously or bitterness and definitely no third wheels, so while it's an unusual relationship there's nothing wrong about it since we aren't hurting anyone." Blake pointed out.

"So now you know, Nep." Sun nodded in his direction, "...and I hope you aren't disgusted or anything?"

Neptune took a few moments for his mind to absorb everything he had been told, and after looking at his partner as well as Blake and Yang, he allowed a smile to spread across his face, "Since you three have got it all worked out and there's nothing wrong with it, I don't have a problem as well. In fact, I am actually really happy for all of you."

"You are?" Sun asked as he tilted his head a little, his mechanical tail slightly twitching.

"I mean it. A lot of men and women would give anything to be as lucky as the three of you." Neptune answered as he gestured a hand at the trio, "But why hide it? And does anyone else know?"

"As of now? Just the three of us, you... and I guess Coco." Yang told him.

"Not even your families?" He asked, disbelievingly.

"Are you kidding?! Dad and Uncle Qrow would probably freak out if they knew! Back when I was in Signal Academy I actually dated someone and Uncle Qrow literally never took his eyes off him when that guy was in his class and Dad himself has been protective of me and Ruby ever since Summer passed away." Yang explained as she waved her mechanical arm a little, "And while I trust and love Ruby I want to be careful about this, you know? I am actually nervous about telling her the truth."

"Well, if she managed to keep Jaune's secret for over half a year, I'd say she can be trusted." Neptune pointed out.

"I know, I know... I just want to be careful, as weird as that sounds coming from me." Yang said, scratching her head a little with her organic hand.

"What about you, Blake?" Neptune turned his attention over to Yang's partner.

"Claudandus and Uncle Ghira doesn't know about it, but I have talked with my Aunt Kali a lot so I think she may suspects. Knowing her, I don't think she will say anything though, or Uncle Ghira would have made his opinion known by now, trust me. My Aunt is a good person and knows a lot about relationships, and in the past she had warned me about Adam, and how it could never work between us. I wished I had listened to her back then." Blake voiced, her cat-like ears twitching a little.

"My mom and sister don't know either." Sun added when his partner looked in his direction, "I mean, Hualan can't keep a secret without some kind of bribe and while I don't think my mother would be angry, I am pretty sure she'd at least faint if she so much as heard that I'm in a relationship with two girls."

"So you want to wait a little longer before telling everyone?" Neptune observed.

"Just a little while longer, until we can figure out a decent way to tell everyone about this. I mean, I don't want to have both Qrow and Ghira eyeing me like I have got a target painted on my chest for dating both of their nieces at once." Sun voiced, shuddering at the thought. Qrow and Ghira were two men he did NOT want to be on the bad side of.

"So, does anyone else in Team Beacon know?" Yang asked the bluenette.

"Besides me and Coco, there are others who might suspect but they don't know for sure; Velvet, Ren, Sage, Weiss and Yatsuhashi." He revealed to them slowly, "I have talked to Coco about it and she's fine with not spilling the beans."

"That's good, we'll have to thank her for that." Blake commented as she shared a look with both Yang and Sun, "Look, I understand that the truth will have to come out eventually, but we will have to figure out a way that will work out for all of us. Until we can find a way that allows everyone to understand and accept our unique... relationship, I think it's best that we keep it a secret for now. Would that be alright?"

Everyone in the gazebo nodded in agreement. She smiled at them, shivering a bit from the chilly wind before she added, "Now, can we please get inside before it gets colder?"

"Best idea I have heard all day." Yang agreed as left the gazebo and began to walk towards the dorm building, all the while carefully avoiding the patches of ice on the sidewalks.

As Blake and Yang walked ahead, Neptune made his way close to his partner and said, "Dude, I'm not joking, consider yourself among the luckiest guys on Remnant."

"Right next to Jaune?" Sun joked.

"Well, his luck can't be disputed with all things considered, or else he'd be dead by now...but still, those two wonderful girls at once? Never forget how lucky you are!" Neptune told him with a friendly smile while nudging Sun in the shoulder.

"I'll never forget, I have got two wonderful girls who I love, and I'm really lucky to have them love me back." Sun answered before adding, "And... thanks for understanding us, bro."

"That comes with being an awesome partner." Neptune boasted with a grin, getting a laugh out of the blonde-haired Monkey Faunus.

Yang glanced back at both boys and smiled before she looked to her right to get a beautiful view of the setting sun and the winter landscape that accompanied it. She breathed in the cool air as something caught her attention as it entered her view, a flash of black amidst the mostly white surroundings. She tilted her head up to see a black bird flying towards them and then over their heads, landing to perch on one of the light posts nearby. Yang couldn't tell what species it was since she was never good with telling certain kinds of animals apart, aside from Grimm, but if she had to guess it could be a raven.

The raven cawed out before rustling its feathers in an attempt to get warm. Yang sighed sadly, ravens always naturally reminded her of her biological mother. Back when she was much younger and possessed a youthful curiosity, she had always wondered why her late grandparents had named her mother and uncle after birds Qrow told her that it was actually a family thing, as they had birds on their family crest, but was reluctant to say anything more than that. Yang never pressed him for more, since the old crow was never in the mood to explain anything further when the topic was brought up.

Yang continued on her way after giving one last glance at the raven, wondering why it would come to Beacon Academy during winter when it was supposed to fly to the warmer areas of Remnant. She looked up to the sky once more, and hoped that wherever her mother was, she was happy.

The group of students kept walking, unaware that the raven was silently observing with blood-red eyes them until they made it into the warmth and shelter of the dormitory building before closing the doors behind them.

The raven lowered its head, as though contemplating something, before it spread its wings and took off into the air. It kept flying until it neared a dense group of trees. Had anyone been paying attention to the bird's trajectory, even they wouldn't have seen it suddenly vanish among the snow-covered branches, leaving no lingering signs of its presence behind.

---

Some hours later, in a hospital in the Mistral capital, a family was gathered in an average sized hospital room where a frail and deathly pale boy of seven lay in the bed, his breathing slow and uneasy. Most of the family had already said their goodbyes to the poor dying child, leaving only his parents and his twelve year old sister in the room. Said sister was gripped her hands on the bars flanking the bed, tears streaming down her eyes like a waterfall as her little brother weakly turned his head towards her, forcing out a smile.

For the past year or so he had been forced with the terrible reality of terminal cancer. At first the boy, whose name was Zachary, had tried to insist that the doctors and their overly complex tests were wrong, but three tests and examinations all pointed to a cancer in his body that was slowly killing him, rotting his aura away. After this he fell into a bitter depression, he locked himself in his room, acted like an emotionally dead husk who refused to eat unless forced to. It had been two weeks until the initial shock of horrifying infection really set in; he was dying and there was nothing he could really do. His doctor had directed the family to a talented, and not too expensive, therapist in Mistral that could help the boy with his problems, and after several appointments, not to mention emotional episodes with his family and friends, he tried his best to live out the rest of his short life and make it a happy one.

It wasn't easy. As the months went by he tired more easily, lost weight, feared he was becoming a burden to his family, or that his sickness was hurting them far more than it could hurt him, as he feared his death could tear his family apart. Most kids his age would be too shy or too scared to really do something about this, but Zachary had nothing to lose. He talked to them as much as he could, did everything to bring them together so they wouldn't fall apart once he was gone.

And here they were in the hospital, his hair was gone, his flesh had lost its color, and his bones could be seen under the skin, and worst of all the doctors had surmised that he didn't have long left, an hour at best.

He reached out to his sister, placing a frail hand atop hers and he quietly said something to her. She cried out a response as she bowed her head to hide her tears. She continued through heavy sobs before he cut her off, coughing roughly in his attempt to speak.

The boy forced himself up and feebly hugged his older sister, who did her best to gently hug him back, even though he instincts were telling her to hug him as tight as she could as if it would stop him from leaving them.

He whispered into her ear, making her promise that she'd never give up on her own life and that she'd move on, but never forget him. She clung to every word promising she would live her life to the fullest. She kissed his temple and whispered to him a quivering "I love you."

She walked back a bit, her eyes never leaving her brother, as her father knelt down beside the bed, and apologized to his son for the thousandth time, talked about how this wasn't fair and how he wanted to do more, but Zachary, assured his father that nothing was his fault and he was happy for the times they had gotten to share together and making his father promise to do his best to help the family through such a horrible time.

Finally, his mother, the woman who had brought him into this world, came forward to speak to her child for what could be the final time. She sat on the bed alongside him and gently hugged her baby in her arms, planting kisses and petting his head as she whispered her love and her regret to the dying child.

Little did the family know that they were being observed. Outside of the window a dove had perched and silently watched them, not moving or making a sound.

The mother continued to console her dying boy, but deep down she knew this was more for her sake than his. He had already accepted his fate, something nobody as young as he should have to do, but she had been even more of a mess, as not a one day had gone by without teary eyes and prayers to Oum for some kind of miracle.

None came. They weren't rich enough for operations and treatments that could extend his life, or drag out his suffering, as a more cynical mind would say. Still, she wished she could have done something. They felt so helpless, as all they could do was help Zachary prepare for the end.

Zachary weakly hugged his mother back and smiled at her, telling her how sorry he was. This caused her to sob as she assured him he had nothing to be sorry for, that they were the ones who should be sorry. He told her they didn't have to be, that he was lucky to have a family like them, one who stayed by him in his dying days.

The heart monitor's rate grew weaker and weaker, the beeps coming slower now. The dove on the ledge was gone, not that any of them had noticed.

"I love you mom." He said, with a weak voice, his pulse growing fainter. Just then he noticed something behind his family in the corner of the room, a beautiful woman in a flowing white gown with long brunette hair, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Wh-who is that?" He asked quietly, feebly pointing to the corner. His family turned, only to see no one there.

"Sweetie, there's no on- oh gods!" His mother said with a gasp as his body went limp. His weakening eyes looked up at his family as his father and sister crowded around the bed. He was too weak to say anything, with tears in his eyes he managed to give them a weak smile as the heart rate monitor grew lower and lower, before finally…

It went flat.

The boy's eyes closed for the final time. As the father dragged his daughter, crying hysterically, out of the room, the doctor quietly entered the room solemnly recorded the time of death as Zachary's mother, still weeping, placed him back on the bed.

Zachary could still see his mother, and now he could see his own body. Shocked silent, the boy looked at his body and was surprised to see it looking healthier, and he could feel hair atop his head again.

The woman he had seen carefully walked over to him and knelt down before him.

"Are… are you an angel?" He asked her nervously.

"I supposed I am, my name is Samantha, and I'm here to guide you." She told him.

Zachary looked at his weeping mother and listened to the cries of his sister out in the hall.

"Is this really it? Is this all?" He asked.

"I'm afraid so." Samantha confirmed, with gentle, comforting hands on his shoulders. "I know it's not fair, and I'm very, very sorry."

The boy had held in all of his misery and fear for the sake of his family, and had openly cried with them several times, but now that it was finally over, he found he could do nothing else but weep.

Samantha sat down with him on the floor, holding him in her arms, letting him cry it out. After some minutes, as the nurses came in to carry his body away. He looked up to his crying mother who walked out to the hall to join the rest of her family, leaving her purse and other such things behind.

"Can I leave a message behind?" The dead boy asked, "I mean, I'm a ghost now, right?"

"Technically you're a spirit, but that can be considered a ghost. And… leaving messages is usually against the rules." Samantha told him.

"Wait, dead people have rules too?" He asked, to which she nodded her head.

"I'm afraid so… but a friend of mine has taught me that some rules are meant to be broken." She said, before flashing him a smile.

He returned it, and asked "Will I ever see them again?"

"You will one day." She said, before glancing at the dry-erase board on the wall. "Now, what kind of message do you want to leave?"

Some twenty minutes later, Zachary's mother came into the room to retrieve her things, only to stop dead in her tracks and stare at the dry-erase board in stunned amazement.

Written on the board, in Zachary's hand writing were the words 'Goodbye. I love you all.'

She managed to find her voice again and called for her husband to come into the room, and once he did he was just as shocked as she was. The doctors and nurses were just as surprised, assuring the grieving family that they had no idea how this happened and the security camera had mysteriously gone out.

Upon seeing the mysterious message, Zachary's sister managed to smile, and tell her family that somehow, someway, her brother's spirit had left them a message, and anyone who said otherwise was in denial.

Samantha sat with Zachary atop the large medical building, and the child asked "So, what now? Where do I go?"

"There are many names for the place you're going; the great beyond, heaven, Elysium, Valhalla, but it's all the same thing. A place where good souls go when their time on this world has ended." Samantha told him, reciting the explanation yet again. She had never bothered counting how many times she had done this. She didn't want to know.

"Can't I just stay? Like some kind of guardian angel for my family?" He asked, innocently.

"I'm afraid not." Samantha denied, before asking "Shall we go?"

Zachary's spirit sighed and looked around at Mistral one last time before nodding.

With a bright flash of light, invisible to all, they were gone.

---

Samantha returned to a special realm, one that was essentially a station, so to speak, for the Guardians of the Dead. It was a place that was odd, to say the least; trees grew around randomly, half-finished buildings served as shelter, and strange shadow shapes dotted the area.

She never understood this place, never cared to.

She saw a bench that was in front of an embankment and sat down on it before burying her face in her hands. She had been guiding the souls of children to elysium for years now, possibly decades. It was hard to keep track of time when you're dead.

"Samantha, are you alright?" Asked a familiar voice. Samantha turned her head to see Raven Branwen approaching her.

"I suppose so." She answered.

Raven frowned as she walked in front of her fellow guardian of the dead and looked down at her. Samantha flinched under the stare of the red-eyed Huntress, not daring to look her in the eyes.

"I can tell something is wrong. What is it?" Raven asked her. Samantha sighed and looked away, before she felt Raven sitting next to her and mused, "If I was alive I'd force the truth out of you, but since we're both dead I can't really force anything out of you."

Samantha nodded before glancing up and asking "So, you were out seeing your daughter again?" Raven nodded, "How is she?"

"She's been through a lot, but she's doing well, all things considered." Raven told her. "She even visited my grave a few days ago, stayed a while with my niece. It's nice to know I am missed."

"That's good."

"Though, I must admit I don't know what to think of her love life." The Branwen confessed.

"Really? She with a girl?" Samantha guessed.

"Yes. And a boy at the same time. They're in a three-way relationship." Raven revealed.

Samantha's eyes widened, she was silent for a brief moment before asking "He's not a pimp, is he? Or is your daughter…"

"No. The girl my daughter is involved with is her partner, a Faunus named Blake. I guess there was some sort of mutual attraction or something to that regard. My daughter lost her arm to defend Blake from a bitter man she had scorned, so their must have been more affection there than just being partners. Maybe they didn't realize it, but it was there, even if it was small. It might be why Blake ran off, she didn't want to know just how much pain she unintentionally caused Yang." Raven said as she thought about Yang's current romantic situation. She went on to explain Sun to Samantha and how Yang joined up with his team to find Blake, which led to a bond forming between them.

"I was watching over them this afternoon, and heard them explain to Sun's partner what happened between the three of them and what started this unusual romance." Raven finished.

"And do you approve? You are Yang's mother, you must have some kind of opinion." Samantha commented.

"I admit, I probably would have no opinion were I alive. Yang is her own woman, free to do as she pleases. But the mother in me is… happy for her. I've learned, too late, that love isn't something that should be tossed aside, Yang has a special kind of love with two people who love her in return. I am honestly very happy for them. Of course, knowing how protective of the girls my brother and my dear Taiyang are, it's no wonder they haven't told them yet." Raven mused before facing Samantha and saying "So now I'd like to know what's wrong? Don't try to hide it, I can see the pain in your eyes."

Samantha wasn't surprised by how blunt Raven was, she had gotten used to it over the last year.

"Come on, you've been acting a bit depressed for the last few months. Does it have something to do with that murderer?" Raven inquired.

Samantha shuddered at the thought. About a month ago, a serial killer in Atlas known as Melvin Ward, guilty of murdering and molesting children, was arrested, the Atlesian Justice System gave permission for him to be tortured until he confessed to every murder he committed before finally executing him, something rarely done anymore, except for the most heinous criminals.

Samantha nodded, "You took him to the nothing, right?"

"Yes. I must admit, I enjoyed… hurting his soul while I took him there. I've discovered that death has its little bonuses. I get to punish people that make the Grimm look civilized." Raven said, clenching her fist at the thought of that evil man.

"And you know what I do, right?" She asked.

Raven nodded, "You guide the souls of children to the afterlife. An easy task."

Samantha suddenly glared at the Huntress before standing up and snapping "Easy? Easy?! You think taking the souls of innocent children is easy?!"

Raven was taken aback by the anger in her cohort's usually calm voice, it was the first time she felt any sort of genuine negative emotion from her.

"You're the one who has it easy, you only have to take the scum of Remnant, the worst of the worst, like that monster, Ward! Me? I have to be there when innocent children die. I've even had to guide the souls of newborns! I have to be the one who looks into the eyes of those children and tell them their time is up, I have to be the one to break their hearts and tell them that they have to leave everything and everyone they loved behind. Sometimes children are all that's left for some people, families can fall apart, mothers and father can lose it when their child is taken from them and I have to be the one to take them away! I had to guide some of the children he killed, see the pain and fear that consumed them as they died! I had to see true suffering of the innocent first hand! That's not easy in the slightest!" Samantha ranted furiously before she stopped herself.

Raven looked at her passively before she decided to speak again.

"I'm sorry Raven. I don't know what came over me. I… I had to take a little boy dying of cancer tonight. A child shouldn't have to suffer through that. I'd no choice but to do my appointed task, but that didn't stop me from bending the rules a bit." The woman confessed.

"Really? You?" Raven asked, surprised. "What rule did you 'bend'?"

"She helped the dying boy contact his family after he passed." Announced the voice of Gabriel.

The two women turned to face the dark-haired man, looking at Samantha sternly. She looked away nervously as he walked around to get in front of them.

"You allowed the boy to leave a message. You allowed him to show that there is life after death." He scolded.

"So what?" Raven asked, unimpressed with the charges.

"We're not allowed to let mortals know what lies beyond the world of the living. The rule is that everyone has to find out for themselves once they crossover, we soul collectors cannot interfere." He explained.

"Who makes these rules anyway?" Raven asked.

"You know who." Gabriel said. Raven rolled her eyes at the cliched vague non-answer she knew she would get.

"So she let a child say goodbye, so what? There's no harm. It might be in the papers, but the skeptics always win out in the end." Raven stated. "Besides, what about ghosts? The stories have to come from somewhere."

"Ghosts are stubborn spirits who manage to resist our pull, but we enforce the rules that they cannot make themselves known, and some of them try to rebel, but they have to learn that it's just the it is." Gabriel stated, before returning his attention to Samantha.

"Am I to be banished?" She asked. Banishment to purgatory was the punishment for brazenly disobeying the rules. It wasn't the worst they could do, hell or the nothingness would be much worse, but purgatory was chosen instead as a way of compensation for a Guardian of the Dead's service.

He sighed and answered, "No, my dear. This is your first offense, and you're not the first to have done it. It's become expected that such a thing would happen eventually, considering what you have to do on a regular basis. Just don't keep it up, or at least be a bit more subtle about it

She gave him a smile, "Thank you Gabriel. It's nice only makes sense other besides myself have bended the rules to help the recently departed. But it doesn't make me feel that much better. Why is there so much death in the world?"

"Life is in constant flux, it's random and chaotic, there's no way one can predict every tiny little detail. Some souls will go quietly, not even understanding what has happened, while others will resist or just begin to weep. There are too many factors that come and go too quickly to make an accurate prediction." Gabriel told her.

"Like the chaos theory." Raven said with a nod. Samantha gave her a questioning look and Raven elaborate, "It's something I heard about during my time in Beacon, so long ago. In a ball game there are many players, all of whom have different skills, strengths, and weaknesses, some could be feeling ill or just fine, and that's not to mention other factors like how the flatness of the playing field or if there are potential obstacles or 'speed bumps' that could slow the ball down or trip up a player. Another good analogy is a fire fight during a combat scenario, where the outcome depends on the skills, strengths, and weaknesses of the fighters, with added factors such as the amount of weapons, reload times, the terrain, it's too much and its impossible to calculate and predict on a large scale. Gabriel is saying that life is like that, many variables enter the lives of various people, all with many outcomes. No one is immune to it, not even children."

Samantha nodded again before asking "But why are we needed? Can't souls just go where they're supposed to automatically?"

"No. Spiritual energy is chaotic, and the spirit, once the body dies the spirit is released and will naturally become confused and frightened. That's where the legends of ghosts came from. We psychopomps are the conduits that guide souls to their proper afterlife where they will find peace." Gabriel explained as he knelt down in front of Samantha and carried on, "I know it's not fair, and for… a very long time I have wondered the same things that you have. Why is there such a thing as death? Is it to punish evil? If so, then why do good people die? Why are innocent such as that child you just guided punished? Why do they suffer such pain? Why must there be such sacrifice?"

Raven and Samantha gave no answers to his rhetoric.

"That's because we don't know, nor will we ever truly understand. There are no promises when it comes to death. Some will be called and saved, other ignored and damned. Some will never know hardship, while others know nothing but." He went on, adding "Despite how far this world has come, very few things are certain, and one of those things is the fact that a soul is energy, and energy can not be destroyed, no matter what. It can, however, be transformed and transferred. That is what is important, our physical forms are not immortal, but our souls are. When one dies, the body is all that expires while the soul moves onto different planes of existence, and if you look at from a certain point of view, death is never truly absolute and the dead live on forever, in another place. That is why we are still here, to help these souls get to where they need to be, so they can, hopefully, live to the fullest in a better place."

"You sound like a preacher." Raven commented dryly.

Samantha ignored her and said "I suppose when you put it that way, it's fine, but I'm the one who has to look into the heartbroken eyes of children and tell them they can't be with their families for a long time, and sometimes they might never seen them again. A soul may be everlasting, but it can be broken."

Gabriel sighed and slowly nodded, "I understand, Samantha. I really do, but the important thing to remember is that while we do see their sadness, their heartbreak, their grief, it all works out in the end. We help them move on from their pain, and while we usually don't see it, they find peace and happiness in the other planes. In the end, all we can hope for is that someday those who die are reunited with their loved ones in the other worlds. Even those in hell might not be in total misery. Perhaps they suffer righteously, if they have someone to carry the burden with them."

"This philosophy and is all very well and good, but what's the bottom line?" Raven.

Gabriel looked at her and answered "The bottom line is that we need to have hope, we need to be strong, and we need to have faith that everything will turn out okay, no matter how dark or grim a situation seems, we need to have faith that in the end, good will prevail."

Raven and Samantha thought about his words, and Samantha was the first to speak up; "I guess... I feel a little better now. Thank you."

She managed a smile, which Gabriel returned before bidding them goodbye, walking away, transforming into his crow form, and flying off.

Raven observed her fellow guardian departing, his avian form served as an obvious reminder of her brother.

She said nothing, but the look on her face made it obvious to Samantha that she was thinking about something.

"Thinking about your brother?" She asked.

Raven glanced at her and nodded.

"You've been watching him too, right? How is he?" Samantha inquired.

"He's fine, I think. He's off in Vacuo at the moment, investigating a possible link to the Red Fang, which could link to Salem's faction." Raven elaborated. "I hope he'll be alright."

"Well, from you've told me of him, he'll be okay. He's like you, after all, if a bit… is nicer a good word to use?" Samantha asked jokingly.

Raven smirked and answered, "You're not wrong. When we were children Qrow was always the optimistic one. He got it from mother, she always had a bleeding heart, despite how strong she was. I suppose that's what led us to where we are now."

"What do you mean?" Samantha questioned, an eyebrow raised.

Raven looked at her cohort and sighed before answering "Our parents were Rook and Magpie Branwen, the leaders of one of the most powerful Bandit Clans in all of Remnant, made up of thieves, murderers, and sadists. We were raised with the philosophy that the strong survive while the weak suffer, and we were only to save those who were strong enough to earn a chance at survival. Our clan was feared by the world, and the number of Hunters killed by our clan was… let's just say we managed to put a dent in the Huntsman population."

"Why kill Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Samantha asked.

"Because bandit clans used Grimm attacks to their advantage. A Grimm attack sweeps a village like a terrible storm, forcing the people to abandon it to save themselves, allowing bandits to sneak in and reap the rewards by stealing what was left behind. We were trained to kill Hunters so that method of success could continue, and it created more fear, which led to more Grimm attacks. It all changed when our mother witnessed a team of young Hunters defending a group of settlers from a large Grimm horde. They could have ran, they could have left those people to die, but instead the four teenagers risked their lives to save those weaker than they. Their bravery and honor had a profound effect on mother, and she came to realize the truth; our unofficially beneficial relationship with the Grimm was a horrible thing and the beasts were far more dangerous than the rest of the clan thought. She convinced our father that the clan should be helping the Hunters kill Grimm, not the other way around.

"It didn't take long for her to show our father the effect Grimm attacks had on normal people, and while his heart was harder than our mother's, he was smart enough to see that she was right about the Grimm; helping them would lead to catastrophe. So he issued orders to the rest of our clan to kill Grimm on sight and only kill Hunters that were trying to fight and capture clan members. As time went on, my brother and I became talented at destroying Grimm, and my mother became more and more merciful towards our victims, letting them live and keep some personal items. This was a very unpopular choice among our clan, especially… her." Raven spat that last word our scornfully, her fists were clenched tight, and her eyes were full of hate.

"Who was it?"

"...Vernal. She was my father's apprentice. She was practically family, I looked to her an an elder sister. There was always a darkness to her, a selfishness. She came to hate our mother for changing, she saw it as a weakling trying to weaken those around her. Our father stood by our mother's choices, leading to more than a few arguments which nearly turned violent. She was not alone in her opinion, she was gaining supporters who felt she would make for a better leader. The tension kept building until one night, she made her move.

"One night, Vernal led her followers, over half of the clan, in an uprising. I… I watched as she stabbed our mother to death with her sword. Father and those loyal to him pushed back, but they were substantially outnumbered, so he ordered Qrow and I to run, so we could live and one day return to make the traitors pay. We ran as fast as we could until we were out of sight, that was when we used our Semblances to take flight and escape. As we flew overhead, we watched as our father died at the hands of Vernal and the other traitors. We kept flying away until we found an old farm that could provide us shelter. We promised each other, and swore on the lives of our parents, that we would return to the clan, take it back, and make them all pay." She finished.

Raven stood up and began to walk away, looking down at the ground, a coldness in her eyes as she remembered that horrible night.

"And did you?" Samantha asked, hesitantly.

Raven turned to face Samantha and gave her an answer; "Justice was served."

---

Central walked along the steel-grey and white hallways of the Atlesian Airship Spirit of Winter, his measured footsteps easily blending in with the sounds produced by other military personnel that populated the massive warship. While most of them kept their heads down or saluted as he walked past them, a certain few gave him looks that consisted of awe and admiration, maybe a small tinge of fear as well. They had good reason to, as selection for candidates to join the elite Task Force were stringent even among the cream of the crop from the Huntsman Academies within the Kingdom of Atlas.

Unlike the other Atlesian officers and soldiers dressed mainly in white and grey, members of the elite Task Force Omega wore the smooth black armor with navy-blue highlights to distinguish them from the rank and file. Their armored helmets cover their faces entirely unlike the standard soldiers with bare mouths, and provided an automated suite of electronic sensors for them to perceive their surroundings and protecting the troopers of Task Force Omega from any chemical or biological contaminants. That was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the highly-advanced armor worn by Central and his comrades.

A pair of heavily armed, armored Atlesian soldiers guarding the large reinforced heavy blast doors to the bridge of the Spirit of Winter stood at attention and saluted Central who returned the salute as he waited for the automated security system to run its identification routines after he removed his gauntlet and placed his hand on the scanning pad. After a series of quick beeps and allowing a number of red bars to scan him from head to toe, the security panel flashed green as its security protocols were sufficiently satisfied, opening the blast doors and admitting the commander to the bridge.

"Captain White, permission to enter the bridge?" Central spoke out in a voice benefiting one who had commanded an elite task force on a variety of dangerous missions.

"Permission granted, Commander Central." A gruff, somewhat fatherly voice answered him, easily carrying across the cavernous bridge of the warship and above the myriad of electronic sounds coming from countless computer systems that covered the bridge and the constant background hum of the warship's powerful working engines. If one looked sideways through the viewing screens around the circumference of the bridge, he or she would see the rest of the Atlesian Air Fleet flying alongside the impressive Airborne Assault Carrier, the flags and emblems of the Kingdom of Atlas emblazoned proudly upon their armored flanks.

Central marched towards the front of the bridge, where an aged and heavy-set but experienced man stood with his gloved hands clasped behind his back as he stared out of the Spirit of Winter's large view-screens, which displayed high resolution images of the snow-covered surroundings of the Solitas continent, as well as several other smaller screens in which a large variety of other military-based information were displayed as well. He stood at the center of what could be described as the nucleus of his ship, and various diligent military officers and bridge personnel worked around him, occasionally passing him a data tablet which he would read silently before giving orders to be carried out.

"Commander Central of Task Force Omega reporting as ordered, Captain White." It was all cut and paste formality, which had been drilled into Central since the day he enrolled in Atlas's Huntsman Academy. He kept his eyes forward within his helmet, and watched as Captain Gregory White slowly turned his grey-haired and bearded face to regard him with shrewd eyes of indigo.

"At ease." The commander carefully let his gauntlet-clad hands move together behind his back as his feet shifted his weight into a more comfortable but still professional position. He looked right ahead at the enormous view-screens as Captain White covered the small distance between them. The captain stopped a few paces away from Central, and nodded approvingly to Task Force's commander, "It's good to see you again, Commander."

"The feeling's mutual, captain." Central replied as he retracted his helmet's face-plate and turned a little to the right to see the creases and aged lines on Captain White's face which displayed a faint wry smile. Being one of the most respected veterans of the Atlesian military alongside General Ironwood, Captain White was a man with a long, distinguished career that eventually saw him put in command of the renowned Spirit of Winter. The commander of Task Force Omega had the privilege of studying under both the notable mentoring of the said captain as well as serving alongside the honored general back in his cadet days at the Academy.

"You wished to see me, sir?" He said to Captain White, with whom he shook hands with politely and firmly. The Task Force commander had just returned from another mission assigned to his elite team from Headquarters, and like all the other missions undertaken by his team it had been a success. A sizable secret cache of stolen military-grade weapons that would have been used to arm a number of Red Fang cells have been intercepted, tagged and destroyed, depriving the terrorists of yet another source of ill-gotten black market weaponry.

The astute captain of the Spirit of Winter nodded, and stepped over to the largest display screen a few meters in front of his padded captain's chair in the middle of the bridge where a series of complex deployment data were shown. He touched the green display screen, flicking away the irrelevant data and magnifying something he wanted Central to see. On the screen, a map with a highlighted section was displayed, showing grainy images of what looked to be significant Red Fang activity among the deep mountain ranges.

"This was brought to my attention by Specialist Blair, whose team managed to capture a Red Fang officer with important intelligence during Operation Cold Grave. After interrogation, he informed us that there is a significant number of White Fang agents within Atlas who are still loyal to Taurus, and they're regrouping to mount another attack as we speak." Captain White sighed, and continued as though he had seen it all before, "The captured officer had given us the timetable and rendezvous point, and apparently the Red Fang base is located in this mountain valley eighty kilometers southwest of Solitas. Intel Officers believe they're considerably well-armed with heavy weapons and may be in possession of a couple of stolen battle-suits, and they plan to use the old mountain tunnels to move troops and equipment into the northern kingdom, before vanishing into the population centers and then mount individual attacks from within Atlas itself."

"An airstrike from a squadron of Atlas Eagles can solve the problem, sir." Central replied as he gestured to the highlighted map with a finger, "They can come in from both sides of the mountain valley, boxing the cell in and wiping them out in one go."

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you." White took a small breath and nodded at a passing ensign who saluted him smartly, "But High Command has rejected that option, the Intelligence Branch have managed to obtain one further bit of information from our prisoner. They have someone designated as a 'strategic asset' which our intelligence agents can use to identify any other remaining Red Fang officers and their respective cells that have gone to ground within the Kingdom, as well as root out any remaining agents lingering elsewhere."

"Locate, neutralize and extract." Central nodded, "I presume that's the reason why you want my team to take charge of this operation. You could have told me this over a private communication channel, sir... unless there's something you wish to show me personally?"

A wry smirk tugged at the edges of Captain White's lips as he looked at his former student in the eyes, "Perceptive as always, Commander. Due to the nature of the cell's... capabilities and their very important target, the Special Research Robotics Branch has sent you a little help."

A black eyebrow raised on Central's face, "Sir? What do you...?"

Gesturing with his gloved hand at a tall and armored figure standing silently in the corner of the bridge behind a bank of electronic computer controls and holographic screens, Captain White replied, "Commander Central, meet N1CK3L, an Enhanced Tactical Android created with the help of the esteemed Dr. Polendina."

Central remained poker-faced as he watched the newly introduced android step out and marched towards him and the captain with carefully measured steps. He was clad in the same advanced black and blue armor that Central wore, except the android's suit was obviously specially made for N1CK3L in mind. Upon the top right hand side of the android's chest plate was the emblem of Atlas, while on his upper right arm was the signature emblem of the Task Force he was assigned to serve with.

Stopping a respectful distance from the both of them, the smooth face-plate and inner visor of the helmet retracted to reveal the android's face within, and N1CK3L's cold electronic blue eyes regarded them for a few moments as he brought up his right hand in a perfect salute, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Commander Central. Petty Officer First Class N1CK3L, reporting for duty."

Central returned the salute silently and gently shook hands with N1CK3L, and noted the tight but not crushing grip of the android's hand when he did so. The android's face was relatively human-like due to the smooth synthetic skin covering the entirety of his face and neck, but the bright azure glow of his electronic eyes gave away the clue that he was probably just a far more advanced version of android foot soldier that the Atlas military uses within its armed forces, "Likewise, N1CK3L."

"I look forward to serving under your command, Central." N1CK3L stated as he shifted in a clattering of thick armor plates, "I am sure my wide range of specialized skills and abilities would greatly benefit your team in any mission that has been assigned to Task Force Omega."

"What are your orders, N1CK3L?" Central queried slowly.

"I am assigned to the Strike Corvette Retribution, reporting to Commander Central of Task Force Omega." N1CK3L answered almost instantaneously in a calm and distinctly human-ish voice.

"He's fully programmed for combat?" The commander turned his head to look at Captain White.

"Completely and thoroughly." The captain of the Airborne Assault Carrier agreed, "While General Ironwood has kept the Enhanced Tactical Android project well under the radar in favor of the Atlesian Knight models, he still provided enough funding for the research and development division to continue with that project."

Bringing up his right gloved hand to rest it upon N1CK3L's armor-plated shoulder, Captain White continued, "N1CK3L here is a quite remarkable, a slight advancement, and obviously male, version of that Penny android, but he's designed to be faster, stronger and more durable than the Atlesian Knight models, and his A.I. core unit had been further improved upon by Dr. Polendina to make him near human in leaning capabilities, apparently the early versions of the A.I. program weren't exactly up to standard, Polendina insisted that there needed to be heart put into it," White shook his head, "Sentimental old man. I've seen N1CK3L in the training rooms, his combat skills are quite impressive."

"Why isn't there more like him?" Central asked with a tilted head.

"Because N1CK3L here costs as much as a whole fleet of brand new Atlas Eagles." Central's mentor replied, "He;s been built with everything the Special Research Robotics Branch has to offer, and he will serve alongside you on any further missions with the rest of Task Force."

He keyed in a series of commands on a computer panel and a thin rectangular grey flash drive ejected from the system, which he pulled out of an open slot and handed it to Central, "Here is everything the Intelligence Branch has given me with regards to your latest mission, plus the transcripts of the interrogation and some additional decryption codes that the Red Fang use to communicate. I advise you to brief your team on every detail before the mission... and introduce them to N1CK3L."

"Orders received and acknowledged, sir." Central slipped the flash drive into one of his waist pouches, stood at attention and saluted his commanding officer. Beside him, N1CK3L performed the exact same formality with uncanny human-like precision, his external armor doing little to impede his swift movements.

"That will be all." Captain White finished, "Go Commander. Do what you do best."

As the commander and android both left the bridge back to the Retribution, their swift and purposeful steps marching in rhythm down the hallways to the hangars, Central could feel the android's face looking in his direction as the latter maintained a few paces behind him. While he didn't know what to think of N1CK3L, perhaps he would have a more substantial opinion once he saw the android perform in the field and how he cooperated with the rest of the team.

Just before he reached the hangar bay in which the Strike Corvette was docked, Central stopped and turned to face N1CK3L who obediently stood in a non-threatening but prepared manner, the armored helmet looking down at his own, "Is there something else I should know, Commander Central?"

Central mentally composed himself before saying, "N1CK3L, you are now in Task Force Omega, and we specialize in specific missions in which we locate and neutralize anything and everything, anyone and everyone, who might pose a significant threat to Atlas. You will do as you are ordered without question. You will also be working alongside my hand-picked unit of Omega Troopers for the duration of this mission and any future ones as of now. When in battle I expect you to follow my orders, and there may be certain circumstances in which we would require your skills and abilities in our line of work, so it's imperative that you learn as quickly as possible how to work together with the rest of the crew smoothly and efficiently. You will have to earn your place among us, do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly clear, Commander Central." The android trooper nodded his head and Central's face gave a faint smile behind his helm.

Placing his hand on the security door which whispered open to admit them both into the hangar bay, the leader of the Task Force spoke up again, "I presume you know about the mission objectives and parameters?"

"I was briefed before I arrived on the Spirit of Winter." N1CK3L replied calmly, "Due to the classified nature of the information I am privy to, I cannot speak of it until you have briefed your team on the same mission."

"Heh, Dr. Polendina and his scientists even programmed you with a smart mouth?" The commander gave a small chuckle.

"About six months ago Dr. Polendina integrated a personality construct based off a human mind, so as to make my interactions with other humans more human-like in nature." The android answered as his helmet lowered a bit. "He says it will make me feel more natural to others."

"Ah, that should make things a little more interesting when you join us." Central mused to himself.

"I am looking forward to it." N1CK3L turned to regard his leader, "And I can assure you I will live up to your expectations and more."

"I hope so, because I won't be pulling your shiny metal body out of an inferno if anything happens to you." Central nodded his head in the direction of the Retribution which sat facing the closed hangar doors, the sleek silver-grey Strike Corvette with black highlights easily standing out among all the other military airships and gunships already present there.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Commander Central." The newly-introduced android mentioned as he followed Central up the docking ramp of the Strike Corvette.

"So, speaking of Dr. Polendina, have you met his, 'daughter'?" Central inquired as they came into the belly of the ship.

N1CK3L hesitated for a second before answering "No, I haven't had that pleasure yet. Dr. Polendina has told me many things about her, however. I wish to meet her one day."

Central nodded as the ramp came up, "Well who knows? Maybe you'll get to meet your sister sometime."

---

Even though she had spent a considerable amount of time in Salem's domain, Emerald didn't like the overall atmosphere at all. The broken and shadowy landscape outside honestly gave her the chills, and the long, winding, maze-like corridors she walked through looked lifeless and foreboding.

Despite the light from the shattered moon, a certain kind of miasma seemed to shroud over everything in the palace. Everything from the curtains to the peculiar furniture all the way down to the marble and stone that made up the castle seemed to be tainted with... something that seeped through and poisoned its very essence.

She never believed in fairy tales, but after everything she had been through in the past two years, Emerald's opinions on the line between reality and fantasy changed drastically. Her talents as a thief made her alert to everything that happened around her, and the girl couldn't shake the feeling that her every action was being watched by entities hiding in the shadows. Entities that probably weren't human for all she knew, and it wasn't uncommon for her hands to slip to the handles of her revolver-sickles when her paranoia got the better of her.

Just like everyone else within the palace.

Despite her time here, Emerald had rarely seen anyone else in the great palace except for those who she had already seen. Sure she had seen multiple servants and even an occasional strange Grimm crawling around, which oddly enough kept their distance, but it seemed that the only people who lived in the palace were those who served the Dark Queen and her faction. While none of them paid any attention to Emerald, possibly treating her as though she was beneath their notice, the illusionist knew to stay clear of anyone if she had a bad feeling about them.

Her footsteps echoed lightly through the marble hallways as Emerald made her way towards one of the balconies overlooking the main hall. Cinder had summoned her to meet up there for a reason the thief didn't yet know, but was more than sure that it was important. As she made her way up the curling staircase it opened up into a wide corridor with several columns separated by rafters made from purple marble.

She could hear the thunderous noises of huge machines at work, with scores of servants shouting to be heard over the droning equipment as they went about their duties below. She didn't know what they were doing, but everyone had a role to play in Salem's great plan.

As she arrived into the main hall she looked down to see Dr. West overseeing the dozens of workers and several Grimm Knights as they moved several massive metal crates through the castle's massive open doors into the main plaza. The metal crates were suspended upon giant-sized pallets and secured with thick black chains to prevent them from falling off, and the thief within Emerald briefly wondered what could be hidden within them...

"No, the others we found can wait for now. They will go into the labs for future studies for the time being." West called to some workers who were grunting as they pushed at one of the smaller-sized metal crates with all their might, "And be careful with the arm bones! If any of them are broken, it'll be our heads! And I'll make sure you all go before I do."

Emerald wondered what was going on, but that thought was tossed aside as she noticed the current Fall Maiden standing at a near by balcony to see everything that happened in the main hall without being spotted, and discreet enough that she could make a swift disappearance if necessary by slipping into the shadows.

Cinder was wearing a new outfit, similar to her old one but with more than a few modifications, with a pair of elegant combat boots that went up to her knees which were covered by stockings, which were in turn covered by the skirt of her outfit which was the usual crimson with a gold and black trim with sparse white dots here and there. A black lace lining wrapped around the skirt and met the waist belt, which made the dress cling tightly to her shapely midsection. Above her abdomen was a keyhole that allowed her ample cleavage to be seen, and on the back was another moderate-sized keyhole that allowed the mysterious tattoo that had appeared once she had absorbed the powers of the previous Fall Maiden to be viewed by the world. The lace lining continued up the back and stopped at the keyhole, as if becoming one with the tattoo. At the top of her neck the red dress met with a black hood that was similar to a veil, which was draped over Cinder's now short hair. Her shoulders were covered by the dress and continued down along the length of both arms and stopped near her wrist, leaving her fingers uncovered.

"Take the pieces of this beast down to the pit one at a time." Cinder called down to West, who looked up at her from below, "If this discovery can be as powerful as you say, we can't risk damaging it."

"Lady Cinder, the remains of this creature survived being buried in the earth for millions of years and then survived the isolation of an underground for thousands more." West assured her while gesturing for the workers to proceed with their work, "I'm sure it will survive a simple trip down to the spawning pits."

"See that you do, Doctor or my Master will be extremely disappointed with you." Cinder replied before waving her hand for him to leave, and West walked off behind the metal crates with the Grimm Knights following him.

"Lady Cinder." Emerald spoke softly as she approached her savior, bowing her head in respect as Cinder turned to face her.

"Good evening, Emerald. So good of you to come." Cinder said as a faint smile graced her scarred face.

"I am at your beck and call." Emerald mentioned, and gestured to the metal crates as it disappeared down one of the major tunnels, "What's in those crates?"

"Some beast West discovered with the help of the late Dr. Merlot." Cinder answered as she rested a hand on the rafters, "Apparently it was a great, mighty predator many eons ago, driven to extinction before even the Shattering. My Master feels it could be of use to us."

Emerald noticed the grimace on Cinder's face, and a subtle clenching of her hand into a fist.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, hesitantly.

Cinder glanced at her and replied, "Observant as ever, Emerald."

"As an illusionist I have to be, since that way I won't fall for someone else's tricks." Emerald said with a shrug.

"A smart outlook on life." The Fall Maiden stated with a nod before her amber eyes focused intently on Emerald.

The dark-skinned thief resisted the urge to flinch under Cinder's stare, and hoped to Oum she wasn't sweating or blushing, "What can I…"

"Hush." Cinder said to her quietly, placing a finger upon the thief's lips before leaning in to whisper her next words, "We need to discuss an important matter in private. In my chambers, soon."

Emerald nodded and stood by Cinder's side, watching as the last of the metal crates filled with pieces of a once mighty creature were guided down to the spawning pits beneath Salem's castle.

Once they were gone Cinder turned and walked down an empty corridor, leading Emerald towards her personal chambers. The thief glanced around their surroundings and asked, "So what does Mistress Salem plan on doing with those bones?"

"She's planning on reviving the creature." Cinder answered softly but bluntly.

"She can do that?" Emerald asked, alarm seeping into her voice.

"Not fully. Not with a mere skeleton at least. It's not a true resurrection, more like a transformation. You will see tomorrow." Cinder added and Emerald nodded, remaining silent for the rest of the walk.

They soon arrived at Cinder's chambers, a decent-looking room primarily colored red. It could be described as luxurious, with a large bed against the wall at the back of the room. Within the central chamber were a couple of comfy looking maroon sofas, a moderate-sized desk with a number of stationary items arranged neatly, as well as several large wardrobes near the closed bathroom. On the other side of the central chamber, a pair of sliding opaque crystal doors led into an armory where a few vertical glass cases contained Cinder's weapons and several neatly arranged Dust vials, and a small glass panel concealed her personal sewing kit, with rolls of multi-colored Dust-woven thread and a number of thin needles.

"Take a seat." Cinder instructed the young thief. Emerald did as she was told, sitting down on the sofa as Cinder closed the door to her chambers and locked it.

"Is something wrong?" Emerald repeated as she rested both her hands on her lap.

"In a way." Cinder confessed as she looked her student in the eyes. She walked over to her,removing her hood, "Tell me, what do you think of my Master?"

Emerald was surprised by the sudden question, and said nothing at first. She remembered the first time she met Salem, Cinder had warned her and Mercury not to show any kind of fear in front of the Mistress of the Grimm. They had tried, but failed since it was as natural to fear Salem, as it was to breathe.

"There's no need to be afraid. You have earned my trust, so I hope you can trust me in return." Cinder told Emerald as she sat next to her, "Please, give me n honest answer, whatever is said between us will not leave this room."

"What if my opinion is…not exactly glowing praise?" Emerald asked, her voice clearly nervous.

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion." Cinder replied calmly, "Tell me your honest assessment of Mistress Salem."

Emerald took a deep breath to calm her subtly shaking hands before answering, "To be completely honest, I... don't think she's the right person to make the world a better place."

To her surprise, Cinder nodded and asked, "What makes you think that?"

Emerald paused again, her red eyes glanced around as though expecting Cinder's chambers to have hidden eyes and ears at every corner. "The way she punished you, branding that scar on your face. You didn't deserve that after what Rose did to you." She continued.

Cinder nodded, and managed to stop her hand from subconsciously reaching up to caress the jagged scar upon her face inflicted by the burning blade of Crescent Rose.

"And the company she keeps, especially those psychos like Tyrian and Norvik... you just know they're more trouble than they're worth, so I think that's a compromise I wouldn't be willing to take." The thief admitted, "I...I'm honestly doubting that someone as cold, and frankly, cruel as her should be in charge of making the world a better place."

The Fall Maiden nodded once more before saying, "I remember you stood up to my master after she did this to me," She gently traced the visible scar on her face, before adding, "I never thanked you for that."

"You don't really have to." Emerald said modestly.

"I feel like I should. You were there for me during the fight at Haven when no one else was. Despite everything, you were by my side, and for that I thank you." Cinder replied as she gave the mocha-skinned girl a rare, genuine smile, which the thief returned.

"I should be thanking you. You took me in, gave me a real purpose." Emerald looked at amber-eyed woman and inquired, "But why are you asking me this?"

Cinder held Emerald's gaze and spoke again, "I want to trust you, Emerald, so please let me know that I can absolutely trust you to never betray me."

"You have my word, Lady Cinder. If it wasn't for you, I would still be a pickpocket starving in the backstreets of Vacuo. I swear I will never betray you to anyone." Emerald promised.

"Even my master? Even Salem?" Cinder said carefully.

While the green-haired girl had a feeling where this was going, but she eventually steeled herself and answered, "Especially not her."

"Good." Cinder gave another nod before she rose up and began to pace around the room, "My master has been playing this grand game for centuries now, and the many years eventually twisted her into a very dark individual with even darker plans. From what I have witnessed, it's clear that she has become something that cannot lead Remnant to become a better world."

"Cinder, are you suggesting that we... overthrow Salem?!" The words left Emerald's mouth in a shocked whisper and she quickly placed her hands over her mouth as though she had uttered a curse, but thankfully her voice was soft enough not to alert anyone nearby.

Cinder was silent for a few moments as she continued to pace, "I have seen her make alliances with, as you said, psychopaths and monsters. While she told me that they were merely tools for her own ends, I have the feeling those words were simply to placate my curiosity. She deceived me, manipulated me into killing my family and abandoning my birthright which she also lied about, and turned me into something that I..." She abruptly stopped herself and glanced at the tattoo on back of her hand where she the Grimm parasite would emerge from. Her amber eyes lit up, taking the shapes of autumn leaves briefly as she continued, "She turned me into something I was never meant to be. Nikos once asked me if I believe in destiny, and now I don't know the answer to that. I used to, but now I wonder if I truly did, or if I only believed in Salem's destiny."

"And what does Salem think her destiny is?" Emerald questioned.

"Godhood." Cinder answered in a chilling voice, "You heard from the gathering of her inner circle. Her plan is to control all four Maidens and then use their powers to control the four relics, which in turn will allow her to become a goddess and conquer Remnant, with her leading it to a new 'golden age'. In the past she told me that the despicable people such as Tyrian, Ante, Norvik and the like were necessary evils that would be easily dealt with once their usefulness came to an end, but I have realized that with someone like her, one who feeds on the fear and suffering of others, cannot be trusted to rule the world and make it a better place. While that is our mission, but my Master is a very great threat to such a thing." She turned to look Emerald in the eyes, glowing amber to red, "So yes, we will have to overthrow her."

Emerald took in all this before saying, "How? The two of us alone can't do it, it would be impossible. If we so much as show any hint of rebellion against her we'd be destroyed, before we could even get close to killing her." Cinder remained silent and the thief continued, "If...if she were to find out that you and I are even talking about this, we would be dead, or worse."

"A likely outcome." The Fall Maiden confessed as she came to standstill, "After playing the game for so long, my Master has become quite a master manipulator, so we will have to be careful, and play just as cleverly as she does."

"So... do you have a plan or something?" Emerald asked nervously.

"Yes. We have to keep our eyes out for anyone within our faction that has grown frustrated or wary of my Master. Those who resent her, but are, rightly, too afraid to openly speak up against her. We need people we can trust." Cinder stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"What about Mercury?" Emerald suggested, "I was wondering why you didn't invite him here."

"Mercury is a talented fighter, but not particularly smart. After all, he was too stupid to remain in the hideout when he should have waited for my speech during the Vytal festival. Had he not gone wandering around Ruby Rose might have never figured out what we were up to." Cinder pointed out.

Emerald nodded, "Got me there. It's lucky the virus you installed at the CCT tower took out the security cameras too."

"Don't misunderstand me, I think Mercury can be counted on, but not until he begins acting more trustworthy. Until then, I want you to help me keep an eye out for anyone who isn't satisfied with how my Master runs this operation. Anyone who is disillusioned, anyone who resents her, and anyone trustworthy." Cinder went on until she once again took a seat.

"Why are you trusting me with this? Have I really proven myself to you?" Emerald asked softly.

Cinder looked at her student and gently took hold of Emerald's hands, looking into her eyes as she said, "It's like I said, when Salem branded this scar onto my face, you stood up for me. You stood up against one of the most, if not the most, powerful beings in the world, to defend me. After that, I don't think there's anyone else more trustworthy than you, my friend."

Emerald's lips began to quiver before she lurched forward and hugged Cinder.

The Fall Maiden was surprised at first, but Emerald quickly pulled away, "Sorry! Sorry, I… I overstepped my bounds, I'm so sorry, Cinder, I…"

"It's alright Emerald. It's fine. I understand. I doubt that the crowd you ran with before you met me was any better than this." Cinder said, gesturing around them.

"No, it wasn't. I had to keep an eye out on every single person I met, because everyone and anyone could be a thief or undercover cop where I came from. I…I didn't have any family before I met you," Emerald admitted.

Cinder smiled again before surprising the thief by gently embracing her back. Emerald held back her tears, as for the first time in a very long time, she felt truly loved.

As Cinder drew away, Emerald asked her, "So, what do you plan on doing, exactly? Do you plan on replacing Salem?"

Cinder smiled and said, "You are absolutely right, Emerald. Who better to take Salem's place than her apprentice?"

A wicked smile spread across the face of the Fall Maiden. "At the end of all this, there will be a queen ruling over Remnant, and her name will be Cinder Fall."

---

Charles Meredith was startled by the loud sound of breaking glass, so much so that he dropped his briefcase as he looked up to see the two dead guards flung through the window of the warehouse. The pair of fresh corpses landed before him in a twisted, bloodied heap. He had been instructed to come alone… and technically he was, he had left the two men outside of the building as a precaution, as he had a bad feeling about this meeting, but it was obvious now that was a fatal mistake, they had been no match for whatever Ante's employer had sent after him. Now he had no chance of making it out of here. Damn it, why did he go along with shutting off the alarms?!

As he reached for his scroll his eyes kept looking at the bodies before a new sound entered his ears and set off a mental alarm; someone else was in the building now. He could hear someone moving in the rafters above him, getting closer to him.

Meredith looked up into the darkness and called "I can pay you! I'm not a rich man, but I am well off and I can make you a generous offer!" He stumbled backwards, carefully kneeling down to grab the guard's pistol.

"Please I…" Something landed behind him, and he turned around to see a tall black clad figure with thin red lines scaring his body.

Meredith let out a scream as he pointed the gun at the intruder. "L-let's not b-be hasty... I know I was told to come alone, but you know how dangerous this part of town is these days… let's be reasonable! There's no need for violence!" Meredith babbled before he tried to get a shot off.

The gun fired, and the round missed as the Son of Salem moved faster than thought and drew out his weapon.

With a swing of a crimson blade, Meredith's hand was severed from his body, it landed on the concrete floor with a thud, the finger flexed against the trigger, making another round go off.

Searing pain shot through the body of Charles Meredith as his hand was separated from his arm. He tried to scream again but the attacker swiftly grabbed him by the chin and slammed him into a support beam, knocking him out and ending the cry before it could begin.

When the middle-class representative of the Schnee Dust Company woke up he was tied to a chair in the middle of the warehouse, the dead bodies of the guards propped against the chair. He realized something that filled him with dread; he had been covered in something all too familiar to anyone who worked for the famous Atlesian corporation; Dust.

He could feel his aura just barely working to stop the bleeding from the stump where his hand had been minutes ago. He looked around, the warehouse's small storage of Dust was now empty, the last of it being loaded into a ship that had landed across the street by what appeared to be repurposed versions of Atlesian Knights with darker color schemes.

The Son of Salem stood a few feet away from him, making sure everything was taken.

"I-I… It's not my fault! I had to cover it up! To make it look like I never had any dealings with CraftTech or that lowlife Ante! Please, don't do anything to me!" Meredith pleaded, struggling in his bonds, but it didn't do any good. The horrible pain from his handless wrist, dulled slightly by his aura, didn't help matters.

The mysterious man before him didn't make a sound and barely moved before a tall woman with a shaved head and pale skin teleported in front of them, making Meredith cry out in surprise.

"Okay new guy, everything's loaded, the poppers are set, and we checked out his briefcase and it seems he brought the documents that could link him to CraftTech." Thorn said as she held up Meredith's briefcase. She looked at him and smirked before sauntering over and placing her boot on his knee. "Tell me, little man, is this all of it?"

Meredith, shaking and utterly terrified, forced himself to nod. It wasn't the truth, he had left one small document in his desk just in case this went poorly for him, which it clearly was.

Thorn glared before pressing her boot against his groin. "No bullshit, pencil pusher? This is all of it?"

"Yes! Yes, that's all of it!" He cried out, hoping he was convincing enough. "Please just stop!"

Thorn smirked as she placed her boot back on the floor and turned to the Son of Salem to say "Well in that case, the job's about done. You take care of the rest."

The Son of Salem nodded to her, and with that, she vanished with a burst of air. The Son looked at Meredith briefly and then walking towards the door.

"W-wait! Wh-what are you going to do?" Meredith called, but he knew deep down what this unknown man had planned for him, the type of Dust he had been covered with was red Dust… fire Dust.

Once they were out of the warehouse and across the street, the Son was about to walk up the ramp when he stopped and turned around, facing the building and the bound Meredith.

He pulled out a rifle.

"No, no please…" Meredith quietly begged as he heard a small beeping sound that he hadn't noticed before due to his panic. He looked around, and noticed small explosive devices placed haphazardly about the warehouse.

"No…" He whined as the Son took the shot.

The gunshot hit Meredith, the impact of the bullet combined with the Dust to create a flame which engulfed his body. He screamed loudly, writhing in agony as the flames spread about his body and the building before finally reaching a detonator that was just behind him.

He let out the final scream as the explosive went off, blasting his body, incinerating his flesh within seconds. This blast caused a chain reaction that set off the other explosives, explosions burst out of the building and the support beams gave in, causing the warehouse to collapse in on itself.

The ship rose up in the air and blasted off, getting away from Haven.

Thorn sat at the pilot's seat and glanced back at the Son as he sat down.

"Not bad for a first run. Wait 'til the others get a load of you." She said to him before laughing to herself. The Son said nothing in reply as he sat in the wall-mounted seats. She glanced back at him before adding "Poppers make nice explosions, eh?"

Again, he said nothing. He just looked in her direction before going back to staring off into space.

Thorn smirked before commenting "Oh I can already tell you're gonna be a barrel of laughs."

She took a deep breath as she gripped the controls of the ship, extending her aura through the vessel, that way it would affect the whole ship and anything touching it. Once she felt she had exerted herself enough she activated her teleportation Semblance and the airship vanished in the blink of an eye.

About fifteen minutes later or so, Lt. Morse drove up in his squad car and parked before the charred husk of the building as firefighters worked to douse the blaze. The man shook his head and he signaled over to another police officer.

"Lieutenant." The officer said as he jogged over to him.

"Give me a sitrep." Morse ordered.

"Got the call about the fire fourteen minutes ago, cops and firefighters responded couple of minutes later. Obvious case of arson." The officer reported.

Morse sighed, his breath fogging up in the cold air. "Who owned the warehouse?"

"According to the records we got from H.Q., the Schnee Dust Company."

"S.D.C.?" Morse repeated, "Why the hell would they have a warehouse out here on the outskirts?"

"Apparently it was to keep a low profile. We contacted the people who are stationed here and apparently they all got sent home early before the night watch came around, which isn't supposed to be for another half hour. Apparently a couple other of guards sent 'em home, some office worker, who none of the crew saw, apparently had private business here." The officer related as they watched the flames die under powerful blasts of water.

"Were they still in there? Do we have fatalities on our hands?" Morse inquired.

"Afraid so sir. We've spotted one body in there, could be more but we won't know until it's safe to go inside. All of the Dust is gone too, so this might have been a robbery." The officer told the lieutenant.

"Probably, the fire would be a hell of a lot bigger if more Dust was in there." Morse agreed. "Question is how did they do it so fast? And why didn't the alarms go off?"

"Inside job gone wrong?" The officer speculated.

"Possibly, but from the looks of that fire we might have to wait for identification, a fire that bad usually leaves no options but dental records." Morse told the younger man before someone cried out in shock.

"Mother of Oum! Hey! I found something!" Called a female Faunus officer.

Morse and the other officer, accompanied by several others, ran over to her to see what she had discovered wasn't a pleasant sight.

On the cold, snow spotted ground was a severed right hand missing an index finger and above it, hanging from a street light, was a sheet of glass sliced out of one of the windows, chained to the lamp.

Upon the glass was a message, written in the blood from the index finger, which was inserted into one of the chain links.

It read: 'Let this be a warning to all those who even think of crossing or betraying the Dark Queen.'

The officer swallowed and made a poor attempt at a joke, "Well… on the bright side, identification might be a little easier, huh Lieutenant?"

Morse shot him a dirty look before saying "So much for getting home early. I gotta call this in, Commissioner's going to want to know about this."

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader, he also wrote N1CK3L's scene (as he created him)

This story has finally gotten 300 Faves and Follows! Thank you, every single one of you for your support and feedback.

So, so, so, so sorry this took so long. I've had a lot of things to do in my personal life, one morning I was woken up in one of the most terrifying situations of my life as my grandmother came close to death with a horrible bout with pneumonia and congestive heart failure. We got her to the hospital in time and she's recovering nicely, so I hope my family and I have your support. I was a bit sick as well when I was writing this, but I did my best to get this chapter done, I hope you understand the delay, thank you.

Also, I hope I haven't made Ashe into an unbearable mary sue, and for those of you wanting to know what Mila looks like, her appearance is based on Naomi from Death Note.

If you enjoyed this story, then please consider faving and following this fic and leave a review if you read it on fanfiction . net. If you're on An Archive of Our Own then please leave a kudos and a comment. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't, and how I can improve. I hope you'll give me some feedback, as it keeps me and this story going and if you want me to keep writing please tell me what you think, please! I very much appreciate your support, so please let me know that my efforts aren't wasted.