A/N: Hello people, life has gotten rather busy with finals being next week! But, here we are with a new chapter. As always, let me know what you think!
When Y'Shtola and Ryne offered to take Pyrrha and herself to the infirmary, Aran knew that she was in trouble. Unfortunately, neither said anything during the walk, a fact which put Aran increasingly on edge.
Pyrrha sensed the atmosphere, but wasn't sure why it was there. Clearing her throat, she looked over to Aran.
"So, why are they upset with you?"
"I… may have put myself in danger by using my Semblance." Aran chuckled nervously.
"Aran, I watched your very soul crack when you did that! Every time you do, the cracks lengthen and widen, making things even worse. You must stop, before we lose you. Please." Ryne begged.
Pyrrha frowned in thought, attempting to piece things together. She knew that Aran's Aura should have stopped Miló from penetrating the woman's skin, yet the proof of such not being true even now stained the first three inches of the blade.
"There's more to it than that." Y'Shtola muttered, glancing at Pyrrha.
"Oh look, the infirmary!" Aran said with false cheer and an exaggerated smile. "We can discuss this all afterwards. For now, let's make sure I didn't break any of Pyrrha's ribs or damage any organs."
"It's not me I'm worried about. You're still bleeding, Aran. Your Aura should have at least stopped the bleeding by now." Pyrrha protested. Their feet carried them into the room, where they found themselves greeted by a rather short woman with small antlers protruding from her brown-haired head. The stout frame was covered in a white lab coat.
"A scratch like this is nothing, Pyrrha. I've suffered much worse from sparring with my sisters, gentle lot that they are."
Whatever else Aran was going to say was silenced by the approach of the faunus, her stern expression nearly matching that of Y'Shtola's.
"Take a seat right over there, those of you who aren't injured," the woman ushered as she pointed to a row of seats along the wall. "Glynda sent over a rough generalization of injuries, so we'll get started right away. If you don't know, you may call me Doctor Holly. You two, follow me into the examination room."
Doing as asked, Aran and Pyrrha followed the woman until she pointed to two separate rooms.
"Miss Vinland, please take a seat in the left room. Miss Nikos, the other. I cannot examine you both in the same room, due to HIPAA and patient privacy."
Aran glanced at the faunus curiously. "Would there be any way for Y'Shtola Ruhl to be allowed into the room during examination?"
"Is she your listed Medical Power of Attorney or your closest family member?"
"Does spouse count?" The Viera asked, biting her lip.
That raised the doctor's eyebrows. "Aren't you a little young to be married? Either way, she isn't listed. If you would like for her to join, do I have your consent to allow her in?"
"I asked for her, so I would say yes." Aran snarked with an eye roll. Ignoring the woman's response, Aran walked into the room while listening to Pyrrha attempt to apologize for Aran.
Mentally, the Viera scolded herself for letting her mouth get away from her.
Glancing down, she realized that blood was flowing down the inside of her armor and her flesh in greater quantities than she originally suspected. As if to punctuate the thought, she became acutely aware of the crimson liquid beginning to roll down her leg. Aran prepared to heal her wound in order to be up and out of here, until a flurry of voices reached her mind. Distantly, she heard shattering glass before her vision was taken from her.
"We only do these things because we care, Mother!" Eoma shouted weakly, her numb fingers closing over Aran's own. "I thought, if I were to have taken your place, let you rest and take to the field… it's not the soldiers' fault. They wanted you to rest too. So, they looked the other way when I took your place."
"And it has cost you your life, kit. There's nothing I can do. The damage is -"
"I am aware, and I do not regret it for a moment. The stars are so… beautiful. Can you tell me that story again, Mother? About the city in your dreams? About Amaurot?"
Aran flinched now as she did then, when her firstborn had died in her arms. Telling the story of cursed Amaurot, which she had naively sought to recreate in Garlemald with its future Emperor.
"Oh, do settle down dear." Her husband stated as he snapped his fingers. A blanket covered her form as the Garlean displayed that which none of his kind aught. Something that she had always found addictive to both learn about and use. Magick. "If not for me, then for Eoma and Veela. Stay with the girls and rest. Eoma's old enough to watch over Veela for a few hours."
Aran begrudgingly leaned back into the large bed, sighing. In the back of her mind, she thought it odd that even after all this time, Solus still sought to keep his family hidden with the few exceptions where Aran appeared to lead his forces to victory. Stories of the Viera's abilities were abound in the Legatus' forces.
"Why can't they see our vision? Why can't the other Legatus see that we're right?"
Solus glanced at Aran, expertly hiding his guilt at deceiving her. "Fret not. The people are clamoring for my leadership. With it, I shall forge an empire. One which we can use to show the world that our vision is the correct one. And you, my dear, shall be at my side through it all."
And Solus was correct. Aran wir Galvus had led from the front lines in Solus' stead, conquering the southern reaches of Ilsabard. Where Aran had been Solus' right hand, Eoma, a near perfect copy of herself, had been hers. Visions of the conflicts she had fought alongside her daughter came to the forefront of her mind, unbidden. But with the death of her daughter, rumors of Aran wir Galvus having perished circulated at the time that she had begun to doubt Solus' actions and vision. And so, she died. And from her ashes rose Aran Vinland at the end of 1552, a promising recruit turned traitor, taking with her half of a legion that had previously served with her as their legatus. They fled to Eorzea under the guise of refugees, while spreading rumors of a potential invasion from the Garlean Empire. Rumors that were not taken seriously, until Ala Mhigo was laid under siege.
She had no part in its defense. She was tired of conflict, having instead found herself a new home with another Garlean pureblood traitor named Aurelius. Two more children she had given birth to, Twila and Leada, one of which went on to defend Ala Mhigo. The memories of the arguments played in her head, ultimately leading to her watching from some trees as her blonde kit snuck away from their home in Gridania, her father trailing behind. The defense would cost Aurelius his life, as he was recognized as a defector when the Empire seized control of Ala Mhigo. Twila remained in hiding, attempting to keep an organized resistance going until she was forced to retreat to Little Ala Mhigo by an enraged Aran.
Memories of the Calamity came next, thousands perishing in conflict after conflict. The Fields of Glory, where she watched the former Warriors of Light.
Her rush to aid Veela in Doma's resistance, only to arrive too late as she watched Zenos execute her daughter next to Kaien.
When Varis had taken the Imperial Throne, Aran was no fool. She understood Solus had to produce pureblood offspring. But she was surprised to find his grandson taking the throne. Nonetheless, she turned her attention on Eorzea, thinking of some way to unite them. And then, she had met the Scions, doing what she had been wracking her brain about.
Finally, she remembered the utter terror that had gripped her heart as she heard his voice in the Crystarium. Her heart plummeting and rage rising, she was saved from action by the words of the Scions. And Solus, whom she now partially remembered as Hades and Emet-Selch, had the gall to smile at her, as if he expected her to rush into his arms.
The Viera blinked as her vision was restored to her, her gauntlet halting as it hung over her wound. She glanced up, finding a concerned antlered faunus and Y'Shtola.
"I'm fine," she muttered, dropping her hand and sitting on the examination bed. "Just some memories."
"The Echo?" Y'Shtola asked.
"No. My own memories."
"Memories or not, we need to staunch your wound, young lady." Doctor Holly commanded. She had already donned gloves and was now approaching Aran. "We'll need the armor off."
Several minutes later led to stitches being inserted.
"You're lucky she didn't hit anything vital. So, tell me, why is your Aura not doing its job?"
It was Y'Shtola however that answered.
"Her Aura is damaged. Or more accurately, her soul. The benefits of an active Aura come sporadically, but she has made it work in the past."
The doctor shook her head as she disposed of the bloodied gloves.
"Well then you might want to work on dodging or blocking. Don't move too much, or you'll break the stitching. If you'll wait here, I'll go check on the Pyrrha girl. Get dressed."
Holly left, closing the door behind her and leaving Aran to begin cleaning and armoring herself as Y'Shtola crossed her arms.
"Your aether was fluctuating heavily while you were lost in your memories. I don't know if it's a product of your barrier during the fight, or -"
"It isn't. But the memories certainly felt like the Echo, though I have no clue as to why they were my own. They were… important moments in my life over the past century. It's strange, I feel, to think that the past century has seen me into combat and making more decisions than the previous three combined. It makes me long for my days in the forest. But then, I remember that if not for them, then I would have never met the Scions. Or you. Perhaps not even the memories of being Azem, or at the least they would have stayed in my dreams."
The Miqo'te watched her lover with a frown at the words, letting a moment of silence pass until her lips curled upwards into a smile.
"You would have gone insane within a dozen years without the pursuit of knowledge."
Both of them laughed, Y'Shtola having decided on not chiding her lover's use of aether. It was clear she knew that she had messed up; no need to keep badgering her as she cleaned herself up as best she could and donning the armor once more.
They were still chuckling by the time Holly knocked on the door and entered.
"The Pyrrha girl is fine. She's waiting with the other girl you came with. You're free to leave, but I don't want to see you coming back with torn stitches. Understand?"
Aran nodded, running a hand over the bloodied puncture in her armor. She would need to check on its structural integrity, find out why it had given way to Pyrrha's weapon as easily as it did.
Shrugging, she grabbed her gunblade and motioned for Y'Shtola to lead the way. When they caught sight of Pyrrha, Aran noted that she was pale. When she caught sight of Aran, she looked away pointedly for a moment, as if to steel her thoughts. Then she marched over to Aran.
"I think we… need to talk. On the roof, tonight."
Aran raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Then Pyrrha was gone.
"That was interesting." The Viera noted. Ryne nodded, then motioned towards the exit.
The rest of the day went by normally, except for some stares in Aran's direction along with some not-so-subtle whispers about being able to challenge Pyrrha Nikos.
Eventually, the trio ended up in the armory once more. Once they were certain it was empty, Y'Shtola healed Aran's wound and they set about finishing the chakram.
The end result was a pair of chakram that looked almost identical to Aran's own, though slightly smaller and with the Dust troughs engraved through them. They had managed to fit the magazine for the dust spectacularly, before realizing that they would need to head into Vale the next day in order to get the substance.
The three parted around ten, Ryne opting to go join a few of their classmates for a game of some kind in the library while Y'Shtola went to their room. Aran stayed in the armory for another hour, repairing her armor and wondering why it had been breached so easily. Shrugging, Aran went to the rooftop to wait for Pyrrha.
When she arrived, she was surprised to find her already there with Jaune, apparently discussing something that Aran and the redhead had agreed on not doing.
"I was just hoping that you would accept my help." Aran heard Pyrrha say.
"I don't need your help, Pyrrha. I have to get strong on my own, to protect people. I can't keep relying on you guys to help me."
The Viera could tell that Pyrrha's next words were going to set Jaune off.
"Nobody gets strong by themselves, Jaune." Aran intervened, stepping out into the moonlight. "Pyrrha had mentors. Yang trained with her dad. Ruby trained with her uncle. None of us are here without the help of someone else."
Jaune looked away as he balled his fists.
"You don't understand. I don't even belong here. I faked my transcripts."
"And you think Ozpin wouldn't know that? Do you honestly think a boy of seventeen could trick someone of his age and caliber? Don't be a fool, Jaune Arc. He knows, and he saw something in you that earned your place here. Quit your moping about and pull yourself together."
Aran was about to continue her tirade when she made out a soft thump below them. Frowning, she walked over to the edge of the building and looked down.
Raising an eyebrow at Cardin's visible hair from a window, she cleared her throat.
"It would be wise to keep your ears to yourself, Winchester, before I remove them."
She heard the boy curse as his hair disappeared, followed by the slam of his window closing.
Nodding to herself, she looked back to Jaune.
"My team will begin training Sunday morning. Meet us in the courtyard with your team, Jaune. We'll make sure you've truly earned your place here."
The boy rubbed the back of his head with a muttered thanks, then turned to leave. He was halfway to the door when he noticed Pyrrha wasn't with him.
"I'll be there in a bit, Jaune. I have something to discuss with Aran."
Five minutes passed with the two women staring at the shattered moon, until Pyrrha finally drew a deep breath.
"How old are you, Aran? Who are you, really?" She began, confusing Aran.
"Why does my age matter? My name is Aran Vinland. I've never lied to you."
Pyrrha frowned. "Who is Solus zos Galvus? Eoma? Veela? Twila? Leada? How many people have you killed? I saw it all in the medical wing. Why did I watch all those people being butchered? The lives saved by your magick? What did you do?"
Aran blinked twice as full understanding came to her.
"You have the Echo."
"What is this… Echo? Please, make me understand. So many dead… so much blood…"
Aran gently grabbed the woman by her shoulders and guided her to the ground, keeping an arm wrapped around her.
"To explain what you saw, I'll need to start at the beginning."
They talked well into the night, unaware of the man in a suit and scarf, holding a cane, standing in the shadows as he overheard Aran's story. But watching him, with his arms crossed, was Ardbert, taking note of the man's activities.
Aran would need to know what Ozpin was doing. And so, he took it upon himself to act as her eyes.
The sun was well into the sky before Aran had finished her story, or at least the important bits that Pyrrha had seen. Looking back on it, the redhead realized that the Echo was a perfect explanation of why she was as talented as she had found herself to be after the Viera explained it to her.
But the story of a completely different world, where Grimm did not exist, seemed as a fantasy that she would never have believed if she hadn't seen it for herself. But a terrible one, where war seemed to be commonplace.
The arrival of Ryne and Y'Shtola, followed only a minute later by Jaune, Ren, and Nora, signaled the end of their conversation. Thankfully, it was enough to have calmed Pyrrha's nerves for the most part, though she did go back to her dorm to sleep.
Aran, on the other hand, bounced up with an inexplicable energy before cheerily asking if the rest of JNPR wanted to join them in the city. The blonde boy opted to stay in the dorm with Pyrrha, allowing Aran to get a better idea of who Ren and Nora were by the time they had arrived in the city proper from an airship.
Along the way, the Viera snatched up Cardin and his partner Dove for the trip as well, earning the boy's compliance with a sickeningly sweet smile that promised pain if he did not do as she asked.
The day mostly consisted of Cardin showing all of them around Vale, being the only person among them that was from the city. When asked about Dust, he led them to a small store and showed them the various crystals. When asked for a manner of payment, the shop owner gave them a look that seemed to be calling into question their intelligence until Cardin slid forward and placed several plastic cards onto the counter. He told Y'Shtola to grab what she needed, while grabbing a large box of fire crystals.
Y'Shtola's thanking him caused him to rub the back of his head sheepishly with a muttered "Don't mention it. Like, seriously don't mention it to anyone." The fact that Cardin's eyes homed in more on Aran than Y'Shtola during the exchange did not go unnoticed by Dove and Ryne, who were near the entrance talking about a history assignment.
The day in Vale finished with an excited Nora asking on the airship if Y'Shtola's chakram could explode, earning an uneasy glance from several other passengers and a sigh from Ren.
The next day marked the beginning of a pattern for Team ARY and JNPR, when the two teams began sparring together with attention focused on Jaune and Y'Shtola.
Team ARY, or more accurately its leader, was relentless in training the two of them about their weapons.
The next three weeks went by in a flash for the trio, devoted to learning what they could about Remnant and the Grimm. The first week saw to Aran speaking to Ardbert, who relayed what he had witnessed Ozpin doing. It ultimately mattered little if he knew what she had told Pyrrha, she told the man. As she left, she once more missed the amber eyes in the shadows, previously reading a book.
Friday nights became the nights that Aran and Pyrrha stayed awake on the rooftops well into daylight as they discussed Aran's life and the Echo. It became something of a joke around the school that the two were an item due to the time they spent around one another, though every time Yang tried to make the claim, it had been Blake who shut her up by counter teasing.
By the end of the second week, Team CRDL and Team MOAT had joined the rigorous training on sundays, where the human team had apologized to Onyx and Amy.
It was also during that week when Professor Goodwitch had explained about the Vytal Festival Tournament, slipping in that there were several foreign students that would be arriving within the next two weeks on their own time. This was followed by a trip to Forever Fall to gather tree sap for Professor Peach's class, where Aran and her team recognized where they had first entered this Shard.
The third week's friday was when they began to see preparations for the Vytal Festival on the school grounds along with an influx of vendors. While no foreign students have arrived yet, it still brought a smile to Aran's lips to see the school livelier than the norm.
The friday evening of this third week started off with Aran and Pyrrha on the rooftop earlier than usual, though now Pyrrha was telling her own story. It was interrupted partway through as they heard the door slam open and Blake to come storming over next to them.
"The nerve of some people!" She muttered angrily.
"Team problems?" Aran asked.
"Yes. Well, no. More like Weiss problems."
Aran and Pyrrha motioned between them to a big enough space for Blake to sit.
"Does it have something to do with your being a faunus?" The Warrior wondered aloud as the girl sat.
"You know?"
"Of course. When one's ear twitches, a simple now is not enough to mask it."
Blake blushed as she pulled her legs into her arms.
"Oh. I suppose that is a valid point. How do you do it? How do you handle all the racism and still manage to be as you are now?"
The Warrior leaned back as she chose her words.
"It's rather simple, at least to me and my sisters. We protect our home, regardless of who resides with us. I may be an outlier, as I left in self-exile, but I found a new home, a new family."
"Y'Shtola and Ryne?" The faunus wondered, earning a nod from Aran.
"Indeed, though they are the latest family I have found. But no less, and no more important than any family I found before. To me, we are all the same. If some would shame me for being a so-called inferior race, then so be it. At least through my actions, they have the ability to have that opinion. And in my experience, showing them that an inferior can be just as strong or even stronger through leadership and example is more than enough to earn their loyalty and give them enough to realize that they were wrong."
Aran stood up and turned to the two women still sitting.
"So, who wants to hit the city? I've been dying to see the nightlife of Vale, and I know our little kitty here likely doesn't want to go back with her team just yet."
"I'm fine with that. Let me just go tell my team that we'll be back in the morning and grab my lien card. Someone has to pay for a hotel, and I don't think your smile will be enough Aran."
"Pity, perhaps I can show them some skin instead?" The Viera joked. Seeing both of the women stare at her in concern, Aran rolled her eyes. "'Tis but a jest. But now I wonder what your reactions would be were you to see my sisters."
The three women landed in the city around nine in the evening. Aran quickly recalled Cardin's directions and guided them towards a somewhat shadier part of town, where they found a club. Despite Pyrrha's nervousness about being there, Aran lead the way in and found them seats in the corner of the establishment.
"When you said nightlife, I didn't quite imagine that you were serious about it." Blake stated.
"You need a drink, and according to Cardin, Junior over there doesn't check IDs as often as he should." Aran smiled.
"And I suppose I'm footing the bill?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, this is on me. Ozpin provided us with lien for getting new equipment. What he doesn't know is that I happen to make all of my team's clothing and armor, aside from the uniform."
"And you're fine keeping the lien?" Mused the faunus while Aran shrugged.
"He's been listening in on things he shouldn't be, while not telling us things that he should. I don't feel particularly bad about taking it. For example, did you know he's been listening in on us on the rooftop every Friday?"
Pyrrha blinked in surprise as Aran waved over a waitress.
"And that he's been telling my team and I to keep our abilities under wraps? There has to be a reason for it, yet he refuses to tell us. That man is hiding something, and I can't seem to figure out what it is short of causing a scene. Which is another reason why we're here. Junior is more than a shady nightclub owner."
The waitress arrived, Aran quickly went about her own order and, glancing at Blake, ordered her a red wine. When the waitress looked over at Pyrrha, Aran nudged her playfully.
"You don't need to drink if you don't want."
The redhead smiled and just asked for water. Before the waitress could leave, Aran asked to speak to Junior.
The night dragged on as she waited for the man to eventually make his way over to them, flanked by what appeared to be twins. He frowned and took a seat across from Aran, next to Blake.
"What do you want?"
"Information." Aran replied. "I'll pay you something regardless on if it matches up. But I'm letting you know now that if it does, I'll triple the price."
Blake's eyes widened. How much lien did Ozpin give her?
"Sounds pretty serious. What do you want to know about, darling?" Junior asked with a smile.
"Tell me what you know about Ozpin."
The man flinched.
"You! You're working with Torchwick, aren't you?"
"Can't say I am, no. But it sounds like this Torchwick might know more about what I'm after."
Junior stared at Aran suspiciously,
"I won't say it's impossible. That bastard hired some of my men and they never came back. Found out only a couple weeks ago that their bodies were found in a warehouse. I'll tell you what darling, if you can find out what the hell he's doing that cost me my men, I'll give you the information for free. Plus, you'll possibly be able to get your hands on the guy himself."
Aran thought about it for a moment.
"Depends on how soon I can get to him."
"Sunday night would be your best bet. Torchwick has been robbing Vale of Dust for the past few months, nabbed up damn near every crystal to be found except for those operating under him. What's more, he's been seen doing it with more than a few undesirables. My men included. Lately, he's been seen with the White Fang."
Aran watched Blake tense up.
"The terrorist group?" Aran asked, pointedly leaving 'faunus' out of the explanation.
"The same. The SDC has a shipment coming in down at the harbor that night. I'd bet my club that Torchwick will be there."
Aran nodded as she reached cautiously into her pocket and withdrew enough lien to cause Junior to raise an eyebrow. Then, she motioned Junior to take it and leave.
Once he was back over at his bar, Aran smiled at the two girls.
"And now we know how to blow off some steam while getting some information."
Blake clenched her teeth before waving the waitress back over to order another drink.