Chapter 5
Beacon Academy, Outdoors.
Sitting all alone by herself, Pyrrha sat against the walls of beacon, struggling with what she had been explained hours ago. It was too much to take in as she remembered what happened.
*Flashback, Beacon Academy, The Vault.*
After being explaining her favourite fairytale to Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood, appeared from the elevator. The teen girl wanted to know what was going on as the situation just got stranger. The adults replied that they are the 'protectors of the world', and they needed her help.
Help for what exactly? She got her answer as she entered the elevator with adults and rode it all the way down beneath the school. For the first time in a long time, Pyrrha was afraid. She wanted to know what is going on, but she kept her mouth closed as she didn't want to disrespect in front of the headmaster.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, Pyrrha turned,and saw Dante giving her a smile, telling her it's going to be ok. For some reason, she felt relaxed. Perhaps it's because he is a father and knew how to deal with children. He is the parent of Ruby and Yang after all, those two are adventurous.
As the elevator stopped, everyone excited and walked down a long large hallway that you could only hear your footsteps walking on the floor. It was dark as well as the flames on the walls were the only source of light.
Continuing walking down the hallway, Glynda spoke.
"I'm sure you must have questions."
"Maybe one or two." Replied Pyrrha as she had more questions than that. "I still don't understand, you said I was next in line to receive the maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"
"The maidens have existed for thousands of years, but, like nature, the season's change. No two summer are alike."
"And that means?"
"When a maiden dies, the power leaves her body and seeks out a new host. Ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold onto the power forever."
"So...how does the power choose?"
"It's complicated kid," Answered Dante, "but let's just say it's through a series of bunch of stupid rules."
"Dante!" Scolded Glynda.
"Hey don't get mad at me, it's true! And also it's because I'm right.
Glynda sighed and explained to Pyrrha.
"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, we discovered that the selection process was much more...intimate."
"Intimate?"
"As we understand it now, when a maiden dies, the one who she in her thoughts is the first person to inherit her power."
"But if it's a man or an old lady, then the power goes to some random person, that makes our job harder." Said Dante.
This...This is just crazy. Hearing all of this is a lot to take in. Hearing all of this sounds like a made up story. Pyrrha wondered if all of this is true, why now during the festival?
"Why are you telling me this now? Why not tell me after I graduated?"
"Kid, we're running out of time. In case you've haven't noticed, things are getting crazier out in the world. Tension are high, the Grimm are getting stronger. And it's not gonna be much longer before shit hits the fan, and the peace we've been having will be gone."
Pyrrha gulped.
"You're not talking about war are you?"
"Not a war between nations." Answered Ironwood as it was much bigger than that.
"We'll give you more details when we know you're with us kid," Said Dante. "What we can tell you is that one of the maidens, a close friend of mine, was attacked a long time ago. Luckily, she survived. Barely. For the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."
"And...who is this maiden we're talking about?"
"Her name is Amber, you'll meet her right now."
Making it to the end of the hallway, the group saw a young woman in a wheelchair, starting in front what appeared to be mysterious machine with two bed pods.
As the leader of the group, Ozpin spoke.
"Sorry, we're late Amber, we had to fill in on the details on our next to be maiden."
As Amber turned around, Pyrrha was shocked to see the girl with a horrible scar on her face. Just what did the attacker do to her?! Is that from when she had part of her power stolen? But with what?
"It's ok," Replied Amber. "I needed some time alone anyway. Needed to think. So. This is our new maiden?"
"That's correct. Miss Nikos, this is Amber, the current fall maiden."
Feeling nervous and not wanting to be rude, Pyrrha introduced herself.
"Miss Amber, I am Pyrrha Nikos. It's...a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise Miss Nikos, however I wish we met somewhere more appropriate. But I'm afraid that this will do."
"I see…I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is this machine?"
Ironwood explained.
"We're using state of the art Atlas technology incase something went wrong with Amber's health to place her in the machine to keep her stable."
"And...what is wrong with you if that's alright asking?"
Struggling for a moment, but felt Pyrrha needed to know now, Amber said.
"This scar on my face, it's obvious that's how they stole my powers, how it's a blur. It happened so fast that Dante and...a friend, saved me before they stole the rest. The result is what you see now."
"But what about your aura? Surely it could've healed you. Right?"
"*Sigh* I wish it did. But...not only did they stole half of my powers, but my aura as well, leaving me in this state as you can see. Not being able to walk, feeling weak, tired. Basically, I am crippled. Not only that…"
"You're dying…" Pyrrha finished.
Amber nodded.
"Yes...and I'm running out of time."
Dante explained further.
"Ambers health was decreasing slowly before we knew it, as time passed she felt sick, doctor's found out that with half of her aura taken from her, she didn't have a perfect health immune system like all people. So...yeah."
"What's worse is that while I was in the hospital, part of the maidens power wanted to leave from my body, it took some time to contain it, however it decreased the time I have left."
Ironwood added more to the conversation.
"What's even more worse is that when Amber passes, her last thoughts will be someone else. However, half of her powers will be passed onto her attacker as they have the other half of the maidens power. It needs to seem out its other half."
"And that will not work well for all of us." Ozpin concluded.
Pyrrha said nothing as this situation just got worse for her. Was...Was this her destiny? Is this her path that is chosen for? This just doesn't seem fair!
"If all what you said is true, why keep it a secret? If Amber is so important, and if we're on the brink of war, why not tell anyone?"
No one said a word until Amber spoke.
"Pyrrha, I know this is a lot to take in. Just please listen to what I have to say. If this kind of information get out to the public, there would be chaos. The people cannot know anything about this, they wouldn't understand. If they knew that the maidens exist, people would kill, literally, to get their hands on the maiden's powers. They would go far to start a war just to obtain it. We don't need those kinds of people, especially the ones who stole half of my power. Lastly, what I want to ask you is-"
"I'll do it."
Hearing what Pyrrha said surprised the everyone in the group.
"If you believe this will help humanity, then I'll become the new fall maiden."
No one said a word as they knew what might happen if they really decided to go this route.
"That's what you wanted...isn't it?"
"It is," Replied Ozpin. "But I am afraid it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition you will not inherit her powers naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."
"For the past few years," Ironwood said. "Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works, what it's made of, how it can be used. And we believe we can capture it."
"In other words, capture it, and place it into something else." Added Dante. "But in your case…"
"Her Aura will be transferred into me…" Pyrrha finished.
"Yeah…"
"But that's-"
"Wrong. I know Pyrrha." Said Amber. "But these are desperate times. The machine here is what it's made for, transfer my aura into your body. Meaning my life will be fused into yours. As well as the maiden's powers. However…"
"What will it do to us…?"
"That we don't know...all I can say is this. Whatever happens, if the time comes, we must be cautious. We don't know the consequences will be. My advice to you is this, think about it. And be prepared for what will happen."
"Worst case scenario, you'll have Amber's conscious in your head. Meaning you'll be having quite the conversation to yourself."
"Dante!" Yelled Glynda.
"What? It could happen! I met someone with that condition! Heh, he had quite the mouth. The merc with a mouth he was called. But that's just a title he was given."
*End of Flashback*
"Hey!"
Pyrrha's thoughts were interrupted as she looked up, and a familiar face. It was Jaune. And he was holding a cotton candy in his hand.
"It's no green goop, but it think it still might do good."
Smiling softly, Pyrrha thanked the boy.
"Right, thank you Jaune."
Seeing something wrong with his teammate, Jaune wanted to know what was wrong. He heard footsteps, and saw his two other teammates, Nora and Ren. As they looked at each other, both suddenly walked back the way they came from. Weird. But at least it gave him the chance to talk to Pyrrha.
As they talked, Jaune began to talk about little about his past, but then Pyrrha asked him about believing in destiny. It confused the teen boy, but he answered the best as he could. Saying if it was her destiny to do something that was laid out for her, then she should take it.
Hearing what he said, it seemed destiny really wanted the path that was chosen for Pyrrha. Surprised from his answer, the girl started cry as she couldn't believe that destiny really wanted her to become the next fall maiden. In her opinion, she didn't want to be the fall maiden, she rather stay with the boy she fell in love with.
Jaune.
He treated her like a regular person, especially when he never knew who she was when they first met. She took an interest in him as she wondered how this person would act around her as he was told who she really was. Soon that relationship became something more as time passed. Hard to believe a champion like her to fall for a dork like him. But, as many would say, love works in mysterious ways.
She loves him, but wondered if he felt the same way.
However, seeing that destiny is telling her to become the fall maiden, there was no way to escape it.
Seeing her cry, Jaune tried to calm her down as he wanted to know what was wrong.
Suddenly, Pyrrha accidentally used her semblance on Jaune's armor and pushed him against the wall. Seeing the action she took, the girl ran as she couldn't bear to see what she had done.
Jaune tried to stop her, but she was far away from him. He wondered what was going on with her.
Vytal Festival, Colosseum, later that night.
The Colosseum was packed, the crowd was excited to see their next match as they wanted to see who would win.
All by herself, Ruby sat down and waited for the match to begin. She looked around to kill sometime, but across from her was a face she didn't expect.
It was Emerald.
"Emerald's here? Isn't she supposed to be with Mercury?"
Wanting to know more, Ruby left her seat to meet with Emerald. Seeing a maintenance door that was a short cut to the other side of the colosseum, she entered without anybody seeing her.
As she walked, Ruby heard the announcer talking about tonights match.
"ALRIGHT, IT IS NOW TIME TO BEING THE RANDOMIZATION PROCESS FOR OUR NEXT FIGHT!"
Walking further down, a figure appeared in the hallway.
It was Mercury. Walking!
"Mercury? What are you doing here? Weren't you hurt? What are you-"
"IT LOOKS LIKE OUR FIRST CONTENDER IS...PENNY POLENDINA FROM ATLAS!"
"What is going on here...What are you doing?"
"AND HER OPPONENT WILL BE...PYRRHA NIKOS FROM BEACON!"
Hearing that name made Ruby wondered about that match. She then put it together made a realization.
Pyrrha's semblance, against Penny, who is secretly a robot!
"No!" Shouted Ruby in horror as she knows what will happened!
"Ooh, polarity vs. metal. Yikes! That doesn't sounds good." Mercury mocked as he smiled at the sametime.
Ruby reached for her weapon, but felt nothing as she realized it was in her locker! Not good!
Having the advantage, Mercury prepared himself to fight and stop Ruby from preventing to interrupt the match.
Acting quickly, Ruby used her semblance to dash through! But Mercury was quicker as he kicked the girl back as she fell on the ground.
Fast as she could, Ruby pulled out her scroll. But was shot from her hand, and was destroyed as Mercury used his boots.
"Let's just keep this between is friends shall we?"
With that, Mercury, ran towards Ruby and delivered a kick. Thanks to some trainning, Ruby blocked the kick, and ducked another kick as it gave her a chance to escape. She dashed away from Mercury and ran fast as she could to save Penny.
Seeing this made Mercury ran after her to keep her away from the match.
Seeing the exit, Ruby opened the door and prepared to stop the match.
But it was too late.
On the stadium, was Penny, torn into pieces, while Pyrrha and the crowd looked in horror.
"Penny…" Said Ruby as she fell onto her knees and cried.
Catching up, Mercury found the girl crying and the match already over. Seeing the aftermath and the reaction of the people, made him smile as the plan went smoothly and left the area before the panic would begin.
It was time.
Crying after seeing her best friend's death, Ruby felt horrible that she wasn't quick enough to save Penny. Deep down inside she felt sadness. But deeper inside, was rage. So much rage that she had never felt before! All her life, Ruby was a happy energetic kid, and was always positive. But this time was different. This new emotion felt strange, yet good. It made her want to kill.
Unknown to Ruby, her anger has caused her eyes to glow. But unlike Yang's eyes that glowed blue, her's glowed yellow.
With a hint of white.
Knowing this kind of emotion was not right, Ruby calmed down as the glow in her eyes faded away.
Suddenly, the speakers turned on and a different voice was heard than the previous announcer. And it was broadcasting around the world.
"THIS IS NOT A TRAGEDY. THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAND OVER YOUR TRUST. YOUR SAFETY. YOUR CHILDREN. TO MEN WHO CLAIM TO BE OUR GUARDIANS. BUT ARE, IN REALITY...NOTHING MORE THAN MEN. OUR ACADEMIES HEADMASTER WIELD MORE POWER THAN MOST ARMIES AND ONE WAS AUDACIOUS ENOUGH TO CONTROL BOTH. THEY CLING TO THIS POWER IN THE NAME OF PEACE, AND YET WHAT DO A HAVE HERE? ONE NATION'S ATTEMPT AT A SYNTHETIC ARMY, MERCILESSLY TORN APART BY ANOTHER'S STAR PUPIL. WHAT NEED WOULD ATLAS HAVE FOR A SOLDIER DISGUISED AS AN INNOCENT LITTLE GIRL? I DON'T THINK THE GRIMM CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE. AND WHAT, I ASK YOU, I OZPIN TEACHING HIS STUDENTS? FIRST A DISMEMBERMENT, NOW THIS? HUNTSMEN AND HUNTRESSES SHOULD CARRY THEMSELVES WITH HONOR AND MERCY. YET I HAVE WITNESSED NEITHER. PERHAPS OZPIN AS THOUGH DEFEATING ATLAS IN THE TOURNAMENT WOULD HELP PEOPLE FORGET HIS COLOSSAL FAILURE TO PROTECT VALE WHEN GRIMM INVADED ITS STREETS. OR PERHAPS THIS WAS HIS MESSAGE TO THE TYRANNICAL DICTATOR THAT HAS OCCUPIED AN UNSUSPECTING KINGDOM WITH ARMED FORCES. HONESTLY? I HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST CLUE AS TO WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG. BUT I KNOW THAT THE EXISTENCE OF PEACE IS FRAGILE. AND THE LEADERS OF OUR KINGDOMS CONDUCT THEIR BUSINESSES WITH IRON GLOVES. AS SOMEONE WHO HAILS FROM MISTRAL, I CAN ASSURE YOU, THE SITUATION THERE IS...EQUALLY KINGDOMS ARE AT THE BRINK OF WAR. YET, WE, THE CITIZENS ARE LEFT IN THE DARK. SO ASK YOU...WHEN THE FIRST SHOTS ARE FIRED...WHO DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TRUST."
As the speech ended, sirens were heard.
*Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner.*
After heading the announcement, the crowd panicked and left the area as people shoved each other out of the way to safety.
Suddenly, a large bird Grimm, a nevermore, appeared and began to attack the colosseum, but a shield surrounding it prevented it from coming through.
But for how long?
In Ozpin's office, The Headmaster looked in surprise as how did the Grimm entered the city?!
As the elevators opened, Glynda and Amber spoke.
"Ozpin! The Grimm have invaded the city! what are we going to do?!"
"Get to the city!" Replied the headmaster. "Glynda, gather the students to defend the civilians and evacuate them from the city! Amber, head to the vault now! It's too dangerous!"
"But-"
"NOW!"
Seeing they had no choice, both women left to the elevator. Leaving Ozpin alone. He just hoped there was time to evacuate the city and get them to safety. But most importantly…
Where the hell is Dante?!
Unknown location.
*Ring* Ring*
*Beep*
"Dante. It's time."
*Click*
The man smiled as the time has finally come.
"Well, well, well, they're playing our song."
"We are getting paid for this right?"
"Come on you two, it's show time!"
To be continued...
Author's note: Hey guys whats up? What do ya think of this chapter? I hoped you enjoyed it. Sorry for the slow action lately, but don't worry, next chapter should have some action you guys might enjoy. So hang on until the next chapter, where vale's fate will be decided. Will it survive? Or will it fall? Stay tuned next time! See ya!