Fun fact, I was originally going to call this chapter 'Tick Tock', but I found that I could only think of the backstory scene for our lovely lady Maria (the RWBY one, not the Bloodborne one). Which, now that I think about it, both of these Maria's have to do with time in their characters...Maria going blind to someone named Tock, who uses a clock to time her semblance, and Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower...huh.

Anyway, this chapter took so long because of two reasons. Work was pretty hard this week, making it hard to write my normal requirements per day, and I also had to rewrite the entire chapter. Good fun, it really was.

Hope you enjoy the late chapter!

Chapter 58: Ticking Down

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.(Chapter Start)

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October 15th

Tuesday

Drizzling Rain

The sun hadn't even started to rise into the sky when Azura was shaken awake by Luna. He groaned quietly, stretching with a yawn as he rose from sleeping on his side, then looked around to see that he was the only one awake beyond Luna floating just above him with his scroll in hand and Summer's presence wrapping itself around his mind.

"Is something wrong?" He mutters quietly, seeing Luna stretch her arm out to hand him the scroll and taking it. "What time is it?"

Opening the scroll caused him to squint for several seconds before adjusting to the brightness and lowering it to not wake anyone else up. It read 3:37am on it, with a single message on it from Ozpin telling him to go to his office and that it was urgent. Reading the message once more jolted Azura into a state of being fully awake, taking a breath to calm himself before he just ran for the door and towards Ozpin's office. He shifted his legs off of the bed and touched down on the red carpeting of the dorm's floor, nodding to Luna.

"Thanks for waking me up." He whispered, shifting out of his night clothes and into black jeans and shirt, slipping his red and black sweatshirt on before grabbing his scrolls and weapons. "Wonder what he wants…"

"If it's urgent, it could only be a few things. The Nightmare Grimm, something to do with us, or the Maiden." Summer said, thinking over what she thought it could be as he put his boots on. "Not sure which one I would want, if I had to choose."

"I think it being the Nightmare might be the least bad of the three." Azura said softly, throwing a glance towards Luna that was matched by his mother. "Let's find out."

He opened the door and exited quietly, shutting the door slowly behind him. The halls were empty, each step he took sounding much louder than they ever did normally. Waking up early was normal for most students in Huntsman academies, he imagined, but it still felt like one wrong step would wake the sleeping ursas that were tired students.

Rain drizzled against the glass doors that made up the entrance to the dorms, signaling Azura to pull his hood up as he exited the building. The travel across the campus was silent, save for the gentle rain drizzling on his head and shoulders, a nervous energy creeping into the air. No student or faculty of the academy, or even students of other kingdoms and their academies were present on the campus grounds on his path towards the emerald tower of Beacon.

The looming tower was not lighting up the grounds in green without the morning light to shine through it, looking dull in the grey clouds and purple-black sky of the pre-dawn. Putting his hood down as he entered the building, Azura found Glynda standing at the other end of the tower's main entrance, watching him with a small frown on her face.

He approached her swiftly, asking her the only question on his mind. "What's happening right now? Ozpin said it was urgent."

"It is." The older woman said, turning her back on him to walk to the elevator. "He wants to explain it to you directly."

Azura bit his lip, not happy to need to wait for what was so urgent as to wake him up this early. Was it so bad that only Ozpin could explain it or did the headmaster just want to be the one to tell him? Despite his grievances, Azura joined Glynda in the elevator to see what was going on. The elevator jerked slightly and began to descend down after she swiped her ID in the same hidden scanner used previously, filling him with a sense of anxious dread, knowing full well what was so urgent now.

The elevator stops shortly after what felt like a very long wait, then opens up to the large and spacious room underneath Beacon, its dark green coloring looking dank with the cold air that created goosebumps along his skin. The towering doors at the other end of the room were already open as Luna floated lazily into the room, Ozpin and Ironwood being dwarfed as they stood at the foot of the dual-tubed machine that sustained Amber.

Glynda coughed into her hand, gaining his attention as she exited the elevator. "Come."

Once more, Azura followed after her as they walked to the other side of the room. Both of the academy headmasters of Vale and Atlas respectively could be heard as they grew closer, but they were speaking quietly as they approached, making it near impossible to tell what their conversation was about. As the sound of their steps give away their location, they stop speaking and turn to them, arms crossed.

"Apologies for the early waking, Azura, but your presence was required to at least know what is happening."

"What's happening?" The boy in question asked for what was the third time.

Ozpin and Ironwood share a glance at each other before looking back at him.

"Amber's condition is worsening." The Atlesian general said, his firm voice unwavering in the face of what his words meant. "The machine we're using to sustain her is not...doing enough to save her life, but only delaying the inevitable."

Azura's eyes widened in shock. "No…"

"Sadly, it is true. Her vitals slowly diminish each day." Ozpin says, tapping his cane softly against his shoe as he adjusted his glasses. "If it continues at the same rate it currently is, she has until December at the latest."

"That's just about six weeks!"

"Yes, it is, which is why this is being brought to everyone's attention as soon as possible. It's important for such a drastic variable to be known. We cannot lose the powers of the Autumn Maiden to some unknown person in Remnant, it's far too late to search fire and wide for the next one."

His hesitance would put all of Remnant at risk if he waited long enough. That was the only thing running through Azura's head after hearing Ozpin's words, knowing full well that the headmaster was implying such a thing, intentionally or not. There was now an actual deadline to meet here, one with dire consequences if he didn't bring Pyrrha into the fold and convince her to be the next Autumn Maiden.

"I understand your apprehension in these trying times, Azura." Ozpin said knowingly, coming forward to stand before him. "I did not bring you here specifically to make you worry about the task I gave you, though knowing a deadline for it does that."

He blinked once, then twice, in confusion. "What else was I brought here for?"

"There was something I wanted to try with your semblance. A...hopeful thought that came to me while deciding when might be best to give the news to everyone else." The older man states, turning away from Azura and moving towards the pod containing Amber. "I know that you still do not quite know the capabilities of your semblance, no one can truly fully understand someone's semblance, let alone their own. But, even still, I want you to try it."

Azura followed him, looking down at Amber within the machine as he placed a hand on the cold glass. He was awestruck just looking at the young woman, no semblance needed to feel the sense of power that radiated from her. Did she have no restraint over her aura signature when in this catatonic state?

"It isn't aura. It's all magic, Azura. The magic of a Maiden."

Summer's words echoed softly through his mind. Magic. He still couldn't fully believe it, but no one would go to such lengths just to lie about magic. Not even Ozpin, and he knew Summer would agree with that.

Azura looks up from Amber, eyes bright with curiosity. "What do you want me to try doing? She's still alive."

"If barely so, yes. And your semblance deals with the dead." Ozpin admits, nodding slowly with both hands on top of each other on his cane. "However, all instances of this...Coexistence, as you call it, share one key detail. The soul."

"Do you mean the situation with Summer and I?"

"Partially. Ghosts are, in theory, remnants of the soul left behind due to a multitude of reasons. Be it regrets, desires, anger, or even just the strength of their will. This is supported by your existence, being able to use Summer's semblance as if it were your own." He explains further, pausing momentarily like he was preparing himself. "Following that train of thought, I was going to see if you would be able to connect with her in some way. It'd actually likely be an extension of what I am trying to teach you now."

"An extension, huh?" Azura muttered to himself, thinking over his current progress with the soul bond he had with Summer, then looking up at Ozpin. "Are you sure I'm able to do that effectively at all, if it's even possible?"

"If I told you that I was, it would be a bold faced lie." Was the answer he received from Beacon's headmaster. "It is very much just an idea that I had and wanted to test once I gave you the news."

"Meaning that you wouldn't know how it could work. I guess I can give it a try, at least."

"Just tell us when you're ready and we'll open the pod's door to you. She's being sustained by other means, it's just a way to keep her body safe."

The glass that stood between him and Amber felt cold, as if the palm of his hand was inside of a bucket of ice as he pressed against it. He had no way to know if he could do what he was being asked to try, or if it was even possible. He wasn't as experienced with his semblance as it seemed like he was, still barely understanding what exactly the situation between him and Summer even meant. And if he couldn't understand it, that meant he couldn't control it beyond the semblance controlling itself without his input being needed. Best case scenario, however, would be that he could somehow talk with Amber via his semblance.

He raised his hand slightly, hovering over the glass now. "I'm ready to try this."

Ozpin nods, then looks towards the general direction of Ironwood and nods again. The two men approach the controls on either side of the pods, messing with the controls before the glass barring Azura from reaching within slid into the side of the pod itself. A small burst of cold air came out next, raising the hair on his arm as he exhaled the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

After only a moment of hesitation, feeling all three pairs of eyes on him, Azura did the only thing that felt might yield some result. Just as when Ozpin touched him and he saw those flashes of other people, he hoped that touching Amber and activating his semblance might do something similar. His only other hope was that it didn't hurt as much if it did work.

Her dark tanned skin was cold to the touch as his hand met her arm, almost lifelessly cold if he didn't know better. He examined her body once more, eyes gazing up and down before fixating on her face. He wondered what sort of person she was, how she lived life as this 'Maiden' that was seemingly all-powerful. It seemed like he would never know now, with her life on such a timer.

He closed his eyes as he saw Luna drift into view on the other side of the pod, breathing in and exhaling as he did so. He activated his semblance, hearing Ironwood shift slightly to step away from Luna now being revealed to everyone, then focused on the body in front of him. There was nothing in his mind for what to look for, having never had to do such a thing for a dying, but still alive, person. They had always been ghosts already, and he admittedly had never tried to find out what else it could do.

The darkness behind his eyelids revealed nothing as he tried to expand or strain his semblance to the limits, feeling his aura flare in the process. His orange signature mixed with Luna's on the other side, while a more yellow-tinged orange aura mixed in between. Azura thought it was Amber's aura signature, though he couldn't be sure without opening his eyes.

"Focus." Summer said, her voice soft and gentle.

Azura breathed in slowly and out even slower, putting his thoughts to rest as Summer's voice smoothed out in his mind. He could feel and see the other auras within the room now as he put his utmost effort into focusing, Glynda's purple aura color mixing with Ozpin's dark green while Ironwood's blue aura commanded respect from behind him. Pushing past it and ignoring their aura signatures to the best of his ability, he focused solely on Amber's aura and tried to reach out to it somehow.

It was met with nothing.

He tried again, lightly tapping his fingers on her arm as his hands lingered there.

The aura signature was there, but again, no reaction.

Azura sighs, then slowly opens his eyes again and lifts his hands away as he steps back. A frown forms on his face, looking at Amber as Ozpin closes the pod window.

"Anything?" Ironwood asks.

"Nothing." He answered, shaking his head. "I can't be sure if I just can't do it yet or if I just can't use my semblance on a living person."

A shared glance with Ozpin told Azura all he needed to know, brief disappointment morphing into a tired gaze. He knew how it felt, feeling that same disappointment at his inability to even do something. There wasn't much that could be done about it right at this moment, however.

"That is unfortunate, then. But also not wholly unexpected." Ozpin stated, looking at Azura with the cane in his hands. "Do not take this the wrong way, Azura. You are very young and only have some years of experience in both being a Huntsman and your abilities in combat and your semblance. I wanted to try something and it did not pay off, now we know that one path is closed to us."

All he could do was nod in response, not entirely sure what these other paths were, but appreciating the words of encouragement.

"James, Glynda…" The headmaster said, looking at both of them. "The two of you may return to your normal duties."

"And Azura?" Glynda asks, eyebrow raised.

"I'll be needing him for another hour or two. He still has something I wish to discuss with him."

Azura watched Glynda frown momentarily, but nodded and turned to leave with Ironwood following after. The man paused next to Azura, placing one of his gloved hands on his shoulder, face stoic and calm as always.

"It was an excellent attempt, Azura. Do not forget that the effort put in is always the greatest show of courage, regardless of the outcome."

"Thank you...James."

A rare smile, small as it was, crossed the man's face. "You'll get used to it."

He turned then, walking off after Glynda, who was already partially across the room. He was left all alone with the headmaster of the academy he attended now, feeling Ozpin's curious gaze watching him.

Azura turned to face him. "I'm sorry, headmaster. I wish I could be of more use to you."

"Do not apologize, Azura. You are young, so you shouldn't worry about how capable you are when you have such a long road paved ahead of you for you to improve. Us old men and women cannot say the same, now can we?"

He wasn't so sure he agreed with that sentiment, given that even the dead ghosts and spirits he saw could improve themselves, but he understood the point being made.

"I suppose so, yes. Did you want me to stay for training, then?"

"Not this time, this is about something else. Before that, though...I do have to say something else, in regards to our ticking time bomb."

"About Pyrrha." Azura said, feeling somewhat defensive of her.

Ozpin sighs. "Yes, about Pyrrha. Our Autumn Maiden is on a timer now, Azura. You know what that means."

He wishes he didn't, but it was far too late for that. He might not have known entirely what he signed up for when he said yes to Ozpin asking him if he wished to join the Inner Circle, but he signed up for it despite that. At most, six weeks to bring Pyrrha into the Inner Circle and convince her to be the next Autumn Maiden.

"I know." He said, his voice barely above a whisper as he looked away.

He heard Ozpin approach, looking back up to meet the man eye-to-eye.

"That is all I needed to hear. I will not force your hand in this matter, I know how much she means to you." He said. "Your care for your friends and people alike is what drives such compassion. I know it will be hard, but I know you are the right person to do this."

The silence that hangs after the headmaster's words is a heavy one, the deadline faced before him the most dangerous one yet. Azura almost felt like he wasn't strong enough to hold such a burden, like it might make him collapse under the weight.

"You won't fall. Remember, Azura, you are never truly alone."

Summer's voice echoed gently, her voice full of confidence. Luna swooped around Ozpin, only visible to Azura with his semblance inactive, putting a hand on his arm. It was a nice boost in his own confidence to know that both Summer and Luna, one the mother of a close friend and the other his own mother, would have his back.

"So long as you know." Ozpin said as they left the room to close the door hiding the Autumn Maiden. "As for why I wanted you to stay behind, I was given an update from Qrow last night about...your problem. I wanted to show it to you."

That was enough to perk him up fully, interested in what the update would be about as he watched Beacon's headmaster make his way for the elevator after Glynda and Ironwood left.

"Did they find it?" He asked, rushing to catch up to the man's pace.

Ozpin chuckles. "I have not gotten to reading it just yet, so I do not know. There was rather urgent business to attend to, such as informing all of you about Amber's condition."

They make their way to the elevator in silence after that. Azura knew that he wouldn't get any answers until after his training for the morning, but knowing that there was news on the hunt for the Nightmare was a positive to him. Even if it would make the wait until then feel like a slog.

A thought came to Azura as the elevator doors closed and Ozpin pushed the button to take them to his office, deciding that he would rather voice it than not. He prepared himself for whatever reaction he would get, feeling the elevator jolt as it started to ascend before turning to the man.

"Ozpin," He started, feeling odd to use his headmaster's and 'leader' of the Inner Circle's name so casually. "With everything that I've been told, there's something I want to ask."

"Do I have magic?" The older man said, a knowing smirk on his face. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

"Uh…" He began, having not expected him to just know the question. "Yeah."

"My family is one of the oldest bloodlines in Remnant, from a long time ago that has now passed. The stories I know to be true and the truths I know to be false are because of that bloodline, which is what allows me to do what I am doing now."

Azura listened patiently, feeling that remaining silent was the best option.

"Do you know why a Semblance is called what it is, Azura?"

He shook his head, having never really thought of it. Luna had always been very blunt in her training, explaining only what he wanted to know more about.

"The meaning of the word 'semblance' is a piece of something...a semblance of reality is a piece of that reality, but not the full thing." Ozpin explained. "And Semblances are almost...magical, are they not?"

Azura paused, then nodded slowly.

"A semblance of magic...something only the Maidens and...few others have." He says, looking at Azura with a smile. "We all carry fragments of magic, in that sense. Does that answer your question?"

"On one hand, not at all. Doesn't explain...whatever. On the other, he didn't say he didn't have magic."

"Doesn't explain what?" He asked Summer mentally, nodding his head to also show Ozpin he had his question answered.

"Raven and Qrow…" She muttered, giving a mutter to answer. "I don't know the details behind their ability."

"The mystery behind Raven being able to turn into a bird, specifically a raven?" He asks next, trying to pursue the details. "Qrow can do the same?"

"Seen it with my own eyes. But, I was long gone by the time it likely happened. I can only assume Ozpin would be able to do it to the two of them. The man is holding information from you." Summer replies, pausing for several seconds before speaking slightly more meekly than before. "Hypocritical for me to call Ozpin out on it while not telling you what I know, you don't need to tell me."

The elevator doors open then, ending the conversation there. They stepped into the office, the dim lights setting a rather haunted feeling to the room with the dull ticking of the clock underneath them, now a reminder of the time limit imposed on them. Azura stepped to the front of the desk and watched Luna nervously drift around him and Ozpin as the man stepped behind the desk. He pushed the chair out of the way, sliding his hands along a large scroll once he opened it and expanding upon a message found on it.

"This message is from Qrow, but it does have some added information from Folina attached to it." He explained, pushing the large scroll towards Azura across the desk. "It outlines some curious details about the Nightmare's movements and actions in the northern forests of Vale."

Azura spun the scroll around to face him, picking it up and reading it aloud as Luna hovered over his shoulder.

"This Nightmare is seemingly collecting bodies and people in the surrounding areas, though we cannot confirm if they are all dead or being herded for some other reason. No sign of the Grimm itself, but it leaves behind marks of where it's been with a reckless abandon." It read, continuing on. "We're on the trail, but it could be days or weeks before we even see it, let alone find its hiding spot. Currently investigating locations in the surrounding area that people lived in to see if we can decrease the search range."

Below that, there was a statement written in a more eloquent manner. Azura began reading that aloud as well.

"Being pointed in the right direction, but there's only so much I can do to avoid human error. The Nightmare is likely using the bodies to empower itself. Given its abilities to take the life force from Grimm around it, it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility for it to do the same with humans and faunus alike. Extra things to note is that all of the dead bear a wound along their neck, with the oddity of it not being the killing blow to any of them. Most of the time, the wound isn't even lethal. Qrow says it's a sign, and I am not in disagreement. Something rather unnatural is happening here, and the Nightmare is playing a game with us in the meantime."

He felt Luna's cold hands wrap around his shoulders tightly, both of them very alert at the mentioning of wounds around the neck. It was a very specific wound to make, especially given the creature's supposed desire to kill him after his mother. His jaw tightened with a tinge of anger, feeling the old desire to destroy the Grimm that took his only family away bubble back up. Looking up from the scroll and placing it back on the desk, he saw his face contrasted by Ozpin's sobering calmness.

"Forgive me for bringing up undesirable memories, but that is the...killing blow that was dealt to your mother, is it not?" He asks, face grim.

Azura bites his lip, Luna's grip feeling tighter than normal. "It is, yeah. Do you think it's trying to send a message?"

"The fact that it is a Grimm would say no." He starts slowly, picking his words cautiously. "But it is one of the oldest documented Grimm out there, and likely one of a kind. If not by number, then by age. If it is truly as ancient as suspected, it could have developed more complex thinking and possibly emotion. Presuming the theories of Grimm age are true, that is." He pauses then, putting a hand to his chin. "I cannot answer with confidence, but I do believe it could be trying to provoke you."

"I want to respond to that provocation, then." He says, a firm desire burning in his heart. "I can't let it haunt me forever, and it knows that."

"We must be patient, Azura. Not only do we still not know where exactly it is hiding itself, but this Grimm is older than most known Grimm. That makes it extremely unpredictable and dangerous."

"I wouldn't be alone, though." Azura argued, placing his hands on Ozpin's desk. "I should be helping them kill what is my problem!"

"And you will have that opportunity, I promise you that." Ozpin says, trying to placate him. "I specifically asked both of them to do it, so you have to trust that they'll stand by when they find it."

He wanted to snap back, to call the headmaster's words a flimsy excuse, but he bit his tongue and sighed. Ultimately, Ozpin had a point. Better to spend that time preparing than jumping the gun, no matter how he felt about it. He hung his head, feeling Luna's cold hands glide down his arms and into his hands as she floated behind him.

"Okay. I'll trust your word."

It was the only thing he could do. The only thing he's been able to do with the mysterious headmaster of Beacon.

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.(Line Break)

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Croc walked up the stairs and towards Avis' office gingerly as she carried several devices and mapping on their next set of objectives, still favoring her uninjured leg more than she normally did to walk. Luckily for her, she was healing properly with aura and the sparse medicine she had been given to alleviate pain on top of her scaly tail to support her. Making a mental note to herself to tell Hood to set up another deal for medicinal supplies later, she gently knocked on the office doors and waited to be granted permission to enter.

"Door's unlocked, Croc."

Taking that as permission, she cracked open the door and stepped through before closing it behind her. Before her, Avis had one foot on her desk, leg exposed as she ran one of her metal feathers along it to clean the hardened skin they were covered in. Despite having been found by and working with Avis for some time now, Croc still found herself somewhat unnerved by the woman's Faunus trait.

There was something oddly unnatural about it to her, though she would never say that aloud out of respect for the woman and because she didn't want to be rude. Despite being a Faunus herself with a crocodile tail grown out of the bottom of her back, something about the bird-like leg skin felt inherently weird. She must have been staring for a little too long though, being startled out of her thoughts when Avis spoke.

"You can tell me if you find them weird." She says, chuckling softly. "Scaly skin only on my legs and human flesh everywhere else, it's quite the odd combo for being a bird Faunus."

"Oh, no! I don't find them weird…" Croc replies meekly, feeling embarrassed at being caught. "At least it isn't a beak on the face?"

"Indeed." Avis answers lightly, putting the metallic feather down on her desk and putting her leg down and letting the pant leg fall down. "Is that everything needed for our conspirator?"

"Yes. We've tracked him all the way back to an old and abandoned department store where he's likely going to meet a group of White Fang guards to escort him away from us to get the information he learned or stole from us soon. If I were to guess, that is."

"Good. They're going to try to meet him in the coming days once patrols leave that area, I figure. He shouldn't have left so close to our realization that our last operation was a trap, especially not when he was eyeing Azura and Neo like a panther stalking their prey."

"Scouting has suggested that they'll move to meet him by the weekend. You're right about the patrols, too. Police have been patrolling the lower-end areas of the city more than usual ever since their old offices were raided."

"Good, that gives us time to set up a counterattack when they try to grab him. That information cannot fall into the hands of the White Fang and any of their leaders."

"Should we gather a group for it?"

"A small one, yes. Five people, maximum. Hood and I will be going, so we just need three more."

Croc frowns. "What about me?"

"Still too dangerous for you. You know as well as I do that staying on that leg while it's healing doesn't bode well if our position is compromised again." Avis says back, her tone conveying a stubborn firmness. "I will not lose you of all people."

She falls silent then, feeling a tinge of fondness at the care Avis carried for her mix into her disappointment in being barred from going.

"Should Azura stay out of it, too?"

Croc watches Avis fall silent, her sharp eyes staring her down like an owl at night as she thinks of how to answer. All Croc could do was shift on her feet awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable under the gaze.

"No, contact him. He's going to experience the darker side of Vale's criminal underbelly sooner or later, and I would prefer it to be with me by his side."

The words left unsaid were easily felt by Croc, who echoed the same sentiment. He trusted the psychopath called Neopolitan, but she certainly didn't and did not blame Avis for feeling the same way.

She nods her head, placing all of the documents on the desk for Avis to look over. "I'll be sure to inform him that he'll be needed soon. And that he should leave her out of it."

"Thank you, Croc. You're dismissed."

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.(Chapter End)

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And there we have it. Not much to really say about this chapter that wasn't said up above, so have a good day/evening!