Jade crashed hard against the grassy ground with Joker clinging tightly on her collar. The two created a trail of loose dirt as they skid through the grass, kicking up chunks of green and brown as they go. Soon, the friction slowed their momentum enough for Jade to push off the ground and throw Joker off. Both Huntswoman tumbled briefly before rolling into a defensive position, their movement synchronous as if reflection on a mirror.

"Owww…" Jade moaned as she rubbed her shoulders. Her Aura may have dulled most of the impact, but that doesn't mean she didn't feel anything. Painful throbs assaulted the side of her body that slid through the mud.

"Sorry. But there was no way that landing was gonna be smooth." As opposed to Jade, Joker stood spry like a cat and stretched her limbs enthusiastically. "Saw an opportunity to separate you from the others so I took it. Wasn't very graceful, but hey, it got the job done."

"What do you want from me?"

"Just wanted to talk. Wanted to say a few things to you."

Jade looked at her suspiciously.

"You sure went out of your way just for us to talk."

"Haha, well..." Joker apologetically rubbed the back of her head. "The things I want to say are for your ears only."

"..."

Joker took Jade's silence as willingness to hear her out. Her relaxed, playful demeanor faded away, replaced by a steadfast and resolute expression, as she started to speak.

"I'm sure by this point you are aware of who I am."

"The fact that you are a Royal Flush?"

Joker gave a solemn nod.

"It wasn't my intention to hide who I am from you or anyone. There is a reason, a rather petty one. One that may not even matter in the end, but I still did it… I guess to protect myself."

"Does this apply to your name as well?"

"Yes, my name as well," A small forlorn smile crept up her lips.

Jade thought about how she should reply. It wasn't wrong that she had a negative reaction when she learned Joker had kept her identity hidden the whole time they were together. But that feeling wasn't betrayal.

"You know, I thought I was hurt when I found out who you really were, but the truth of the matter was, we didn't know each other for that long. There was no meaningful connection before we went our separate ways. If anything, it was more regret, regret that I only saw the mask you put on and not who you truly are."

Joker let out a sigh of relief, a burden off her shoulders. However, Jade wasn't finished.

"If that's all you wanted, then let's start over. Reintroduce ourselves. Truthfully this time."

"Ah, of course. That was my intention, but…"

The sudden shift in tone sent a shiver down Jade's spine. It could have been her imagination, but she felt the air changed subtly, leaving an unpleasant ominous feel.

"There is another reason why I wanted to be alone with you. Originally, I wanted to tell you all this after the placement exam, but I changed my mind last night. And this morning, when I noticed you were in the same group, I realized this was the perfect chance."

Jade did not like the way she said that. Something about the way she said that made her think their meeting at the ruins wasn't a chance.

"Let's have a duel."

As she said this, she drew the sword resting on her back. It was an odd weapon, consisting of two sections, the blade and gun barrel. The blade was blood red with a curved shape, like a scimitar, with the last few inches of the blade jutted out, almost creating a hook, before conforming back to the curve. It was short, roughly half a meter in length, which was odd as the hilt was barely shorter, a length for two hands to hold comfortably. Then there was the mechanism that resembled a gun chamber, which runs parallel to the blade, just shy of the blades full distance, and was connected to the blade through a series of joints leaving a small gap between the two. While the blade wasn't particularly thick, with the added girth of the chamber, the weapon looked like a massive cleaver.

She stabbed this scary looking weapon into the earth, leaving the sword rooted, its length just above her waist, as she continued to talk.

"There is a saying that we reveal our true nature through combat. That our soul is laid bare through the clashing of blades. I am confident I will understand who you are as a person through this and in turn, you will come to know a little about me."

Jade readied her two fans. She didn't want to fight. She knew that she would be at a huge disadvantage, and there was nothing to gain from this duel. However, given how serious Joker was, she doubted she would accept nothing less. Still, she had to say it.

"I think you overestimate my abilities. If we were to fight, I think the only thing you will learn is how fast you will pummel me."

"Don't worry. I've taken that into account."

Joker pulled her sword from the ground and pointed it at Jade.

"I will only use my weapon, Lunar Fang. No semblance, no other tools. Not only that, if your weapon grazes my skin, it will be your victory."

"What's in it for me?"

"If you win, I will tell you my real name. In fact, I will answer whatever questions you have about me...to an extent. But, if I deplete your Aura and you are eliminated from the exam, it will be my victory and you must accept a request of mine."

"And you won't say what that request will be now, I'm assuming?"

Joker shook her head.

"I will reveal it when it is appropriate."

Jade let out a heavy sigh. The conditions Joker set were reasonable, if not extremely in her favor. However, if she was able to give these handicaps, it just shows her confidence in her abilities. Compared to her own conflicting feelings, Jade still felt that she won't stand a chance against her. But at this point, there wasn't much point complaining. She could only do what she can and hope for the best.

"Fine, let's fight."

A smile lit Joker's lips and she readied Lunar Fang by her hips, her expression locked in intense concentration.

"One last thing, I have revealed my weapon's name. May I have the honor of knowing the name of the weapon I will be clashing with?"

Jade saw no reason why not. In fact, she didn't see the importance of naming her weapon back when her teacher forged it for her, but he insisted that it should be given a name. She didn't give much thought to it, merely using a derivative of Yu's weapon name.

"It's Zephyr's Edge."

Joker nodded, satisfied. Then, she settled into a stance, finally ready to fight. Almost immediately, Jade felt an explosive shift in the wind. It was now that she finally realized that she never saw the color of Joker's wind because the color she saw was blood red, swirling angrily like a swarm of bees. It gave off an ominous dark pressure that threatened to suffocate anything around her. Jade had seen many colors of wind, but this was something new. Something dangerous.

As Jade was fighting back against the pressure, Joker made the first move. She kicked off the ground and covered the distance between them almost instantly, her sword raised high. It took till the very last second for Jade to react, twisting her body and using Zephyr's Edge, closed and held like daggers, to deflect her strike. She continued to twist her body, spinning all the way around in an attempt to get her own attack through, but Joker was faster. She also spun, using the remaining momentum of her deflected attack to hit Jade from the other side. Again, Jade managed to get her weapon up in time to catch the blade, but the force of the blow sent her flying.

She twirled in the air, rotating her body to a favorable position before landing gracefully. However, Joker did not relent and leapt up high, driving down on her with an overhead strike. Jade took a step back, just out of the sword's reach, and it cut into the ground with a muffled thud. She contemplated using this opportunity attack while Joker was in a vulnerable state, but the miasmic red aura around her made her hesitate, partially out of fear, partially out of indecision.

Meanwhile, Joker did not waste her opportunity. A blast shot from her weapon, knocking her back, and then another shot launched her into the air, swinging her sword around for another overhead.

Again, Jade stepped back to avoid the reach of her weapon, but as Lunar Fang peaked from behind Joker's shoulder, she noticed something odd.

"Wha…"

It was much longer than before, the blade a meter in length. It changed from a cleaver to a full length odachi.

Jade's footing wasn't stable enough to get away from the extended reach of the blade so she lifted her fans in a desperate attempt to parry it.

The blade caught in the cross section of her fans, the sheer force of the blow driving her to her knees, and threatening to slip through her fans. Then, Joker's sword retracted, not by pulling it back but the blade returning to its shorter form. As the tip of Lunar Fang scraped against Zephyr's Edge, the barbed point of the sword knocked loose the guard Jade held with her weapon, causing her to stumble forward. When the weapon fully reformed, Joker pointed the blade at Jade, the back side glowing red.

Realizing she's in trouble, Jade ducked into a roll. Just as another blast came from Lunar Edge, causing the blade to extend once more, piercing where her chest would have been. As she tumbled, she unfurled Zephyr's Edge and used her Semblance to whip up a storm of dust to keep Joker away.

And it worked.

Joker stepped back, but instead of waiting for the cloud to dissipate, she made a deft slice with her elongated weapon, bifurcating the cloud and causing it to disperse from the sheer force behind the swing. Then, she settled into another stance, Lunar Fang held by her cheeks and directed at Jade.

It was now that Jade got a better look at Lunar Fang's other form. As observed before, it had doubled in length, now easily the same height as Joker herself. The gun section remained the same length, making the separation between the two parts more distinct and highlighting the curve of the blade. With only the change to its length, it gave off a completely different feel. Whereas the cleaver form felt sinister and brutish, this form had a certain refinement to it.

"Well done in keeping up with me thus far," Joker complimented. However, it was laced with a bit of sarcasm. The reason was simple. While her breathing and posture were relaxed, as if she hadn't done any strenuous activities, Jade's chest softly rose and fell at her heavy breathing. In such a short time, the difference in physical and mental fortitude was already showing.

"Do you wish to give up?"

Joker dangled an out before Jade. The offer was tempting. She didn't ask for this fight nor did she believe her chances of winning were high. So why waste time and effort on something that won't offer anything for her? Any sane person would have accepted it.

But Jade made no indication of forfeiting. She didn't understand why herself. It was something about losing here, to admit defeat before this smug girl before her, that didn't sit well with her. It made her dancer blood stir, a feeling she had not felt since training school. There was a clear distinction between giving up and losing, and if she ended things right now, she felt she would lose more than just this match.

Joker did not miss Jade's defiant gaze.

"It seems you have more resolve than I thought. Very well, then I won't be going easy anymore."

Not sparing a moment longer, Joker charges in with a diagonal slash, her odachi carving through the air in a crescent shape. However, despite what she said, this attack was extremely predictable. That's because, no matter how elegant and clean this attack may be, it was a basic strike anyone who held a sword for more than a day could perform. In fact, it was the kind of attack Jade practiced blocking against countless times while training.

Seeing this attack approaching, Jade mentally envisioned the path of the sword, then selected an appropriate routine to counter the attack.

The sword comes in. Jade brought Zephyr's Edge in its full unfurled glory up while bending low. The blade caught the fan and slid harmlessly over her head. It was that easy.

But Joker wasn't finished. She followed through with a series of slashes, starting simple but progressively getting more complex and faster. Jade did her best to match her, but it was obvious she was getting pushed back.

Jade needed some breathing room and found her opportunity to escape the oppression when Joker went for a wide horizontal cut. As the sword approached, she did a backflip away from Joker, clearing the horizontal slash. As she passed the halfway point of her flip, she threw her fans at her opponent, not expecting it to hit, but to distract her. And as she predicted, Joker easily deflected her fans, causing them to spin away from Joker before making a large turn back to its wielder.

However, during this period of vulnerability, Joker changed stance again. This time holding Lunar Fang by her hips as if preparing to draw a weapon from a sheathe. She pulled back the bolt on her weapon and the blade portion glowed bright red. Then, taking a large step with her dominant foot, she made two slashes in the air, one horizontal, one vertical, creating two arcs of fire that shot towards Jade.

Surprise was Jade's first reaction, but she quickly analyzed the flight path of the fiery slashes approaching her and jumped once more, this time contorting her body so the fire slashes barely missed her limbs. And as she landed, she brought her hands out just in time to catch her weapons that finally returned back.

"Well played," Joker's voice cut through the silence after their little skirmish. "It seems you were trained quite well. You should give yourself a little more credit."

These were her genuine praise and not lip service.

"But I must ask, what is it that brought you here? To Beacon? It is hardly the type of profession a famous dancer would switch to."

Jade winced. The same unavoidable question again. She felt a little uneasy to give the same answer over and over again, especially now, in the middle of a fight, but it was all she's willing to say on the matter.

However, before she could answer, Joker came in close with an attack, one that hardly had any force behind it, which was easily parried, but Joker used this opportunity to get close to Jade's face.

"Are you going to say it's for your brother? To protect him in his journey, or something like that?"

Jade's eyes widened as she leapt away. How did she know that? A guess? No, in the first place, she only told her that she was a dancer, but never said she was famous or anything. Then, that only means one thing.

"You eavesdropped last night." She stated this matter-of-factly. There was no other way she could have gotten this information.

"Eavesdropping seems like a harsh word," Joker did not deny it, but she did not dwell on it for long as to prevent Jade from changing the subject. "But I am correct, right?"

Jade nodded meekly. It was a vast generalization of her situation, but that was the gist of it.

"You're not wrong… but…"

"But..?"

"I didn't just come here just follow around my brother!" Jade suddenly yelled, surprising herself. She took a brief pause before continuing in a quieter tone. "If you heard me then you would know. I wanted to get stronger so I don't feel like I'm so useless. So that I can at least stand by Yu's side and protect those who are close to me!"

"Fighting for others, huh? If that was the case, it would be a noble cause," Joker said softly, tipping her cap to cover her eyes. "Perhaps I should word things differently."

She then started pacing with her weapon draped on her shoulder, ignoring the confused look on Jade, and recalled a memory from her past.

"In my household we live by a certain code. It is a code past down by my predecessor, the Code of the Hunters. It goes something like this: 'We are Hunters. The Defender of the Weak, the Protectors of the Peace, and the Light that shine through the Darkness. No matter the odds, no matter the cost, we will make the necessary sacrifice to ensure a brighter future.'"

A hint of recognition flashed across Jade's face. It was because the mantra sounded somewhat familiar. She never heard this phrase before, but she recalled when Joker first introduced herself, she said something similar. But Joker continued on.

"To be that defender of the weak. The protector of the peace. And the Light against the darkness. That is the ideals that I live by and one adopted by the Huntsmen Academy after the Royal Flush faded from history. I came here because becoming a Huntsmen allows me to be who I always wanted to be. Now I ask you…"

Joker made a grand gesture, putting emphasis on their surroundings.

"What is it that you want? Will being at Beacon get you to the future you seek? Can you tell me that?"

Jade was about to yell 'To be a Huntsman, of course!' but the words caught in her throat. It should have been the default answer, but Jade became unsure of herself after listening. The part about coming here to be stronger for herself and her brother, that wasn't a lie. Yet, she never considered her prospect after graduating. Will she continue following her brother if he became a Huntsman? Is that what she even wanted? What did she even want? These questions ate away at her thoughts.

Joker witnessed her pathetic state and let out a regretful sigh.

"If you can't answer, then it looks like I will have to show it to you."

She raised her weapon and went into the same stance as before, the one where she held it near her cheeks, then proceeded to rush in with the same diagonal slash. Jade prepared herself for Joker's attack, readying the same maneuver to avoid the attack.

The sword swings in, the same as before, and Jade raised her fan to meet it, but at the last moment, she twisted the blade away, a feint, and drove her knees into the pits of her exposed stomach. Jade doubled back in pain, her breath knocked out of her from the unexpected blow. However, Joker wasn't finished. She pulled her sword back and made a backhanded swing at Jade, which slammed into her chest and sent her flying several meters.

Jade crashed unceremoniously on the ground, unable to control her body due to the burning pain on her chest. There was no blood, as one might expect from such a heavy sword strike, due to the protection of her Aura, but there was the sensation of life force draining from present. Without needing to check the soft beeping coming from her scroll, she was aware that it was the sensation of her Aura slowly crumbling as it nears the brink of collapse. Her body overexerted itself to defend it from the attack and now she was feeling the exhaustion of her soul desperately trying to produce Aura to protect her.

In a last desperate move, Jade slammed Zephyr's Edge to the ground, kicking up a storm of dust, obscuring herself. When the dust settled, she was gone, leaving Joker standing in the forest, alone.

"Retreating when in a bad situation," Joker shouted, her voice reverberating through the forest. She didn't know where Jade was hiding, but she was certain her voice would reach her. "A wise move. It is usually underappreciated by most."

No reply came, but she wasn't expecting one. As long as Jade could hear, that's all that matters.

She was correct to assume Jade wasn't far away. In fact, hiding in the thick canopy of a nearby tree, huddled behind the trunk, was an exhausted Jade. And she heard every word.

"I think I have gotten a good read on you," Joker continued, making sure to project her voice for Jade. "And I have to say, it was just as I thought."

She twirled Lunar Fang for a bit, using the motion to gather her thoughts before proceeding.

"Let me first point out two issue with your fighting style."

Joker held up two fingers.

"There's two things wrong with it. First, even when I gave plenty of openings for you to attack, you chose to retreat or don't commit to your strikes. And the second, is that you fight too reactively. Your movement may be nimble, but they are predictable. It's like you are reading off a manual, choosing the correct response rather than adapting to the flow of combat, which I find disappointing considering your background. I mean, fighting is just a dance with weapons rather than props. The fundamentals are different, but the principles are similar. What you are doing, however, is just imitating a Huntsman. Making the actions but without a soul."

Joker pointed Lunar Fang in a random direction, then slowly pan it across the trees, stopping for a moment, eerily close to where Jade was hiding, before continuing the motion.

"You are lost, rushing forward with no plan. You swing your blade without conviction, you move without purpose. Unsure of everything you do. It is unsightly."

Jade wanted to deny her so badly. She wanted to scream that she was wrong. However, even if she didn't like Joker's judgement of her, somewhere in the back of her mind, Jade knew she was correct. When she was accepted into Beacon, she didn't know if she had the right to be here. When she wanted to train as a huntress, she didn't know if it was the right choice to make. Ever since she returned home to her razed home, she was unsure about a lot of things. But she hid her insecurities, choosing to focus on things as they come, mainly revolving around her brother. So she wasn't wrong when she said she came to Beacon to grow stronger. But neither was Joker.

"Remember the request I asked of you earlier?" Joker continued. Her expression was grave and the heavy aura around her grew. "If you were to lose, my request was that you drop out of Beacon. I don't know how you got this far, but if you continue with this attitude, then there is no place for you here."

Joker's words were piercing. They say words cannot hurt, but at this moment, Jade couldn't tell if the thumping pain in her chest was from Joker's words or her blade.

"Do you deny anything I said? Was I wrong about you? If so this is your last chance."

Jade did want to say something, but her rationality stopped her. She was still in a duel with Joker, so if she were to speak up, even if she could prove how serious she was about being at Beacon, she would immediately lose the duel and must accept Joker's request. However,not saying anything itself is an admittance of defeat as it would mean Joker's word had merit and she wasn't fit to be here. Either way, she loses.

However, Joker did not give much time for Jade to decide.

"I have said my piece. This duel has drawn on long enough. It's time to end it."

With that said, she held Lunar Fang high, her elbows arched to match the subtle bend of the blade. She leaned her body back and stretched her right foot forward, forming a curve in her body. From a certain angle, her new stance resembled a crescent moon with the tip of her weapon starting the concave curve that ended at her foot. The heavy oppressive wind Joker displayed when the duel first started came back in greater force, affecting Jade even with her further away and hidden behind a tree.

Not only could Jade feel it, she saw it as well. Dark red tendril that slowly snaked around the trees and shrubbery, as if probing its environment.

"This is my ultimate move. Prepare yourself."

With her declaration, the air suddenly grew hot and violent. The wind started swirling, causing the trees to shake in response. In Jade's eyes, it was as if Joker dyed the entire area red with her wind to the point that it felt as if she was in hell. Whatever Joker was about to do, it was going to be big. So she did the only thing she could do and braced herself.

The moment drew closer and Jade waited for it to end, when suddenly everything grew dark. Dark as if something covered up the sun. Out of instinct, Jade tilted her head towards the sky and her eyes widened in shock.

"LOOK OUT!"

Jade, who had not said a word since she hid, chose now of all times to reveal herself. There was no reason, just pure instinctual cry. Joker, hearing the alarm in her voice, gazed up and saw countless of razor sharp feathers raining down.

"Tsk." Joker's countenance twisted in annoyance as she turned to direct her attack at the onslaught. One look at all the feathers, you may think a sword won't be enough to deflect them all, but Joker was unphased as she unleashed her full power against them. A red wave shot from her sword, striking all the black feathers aimed toward her and scattering them like bowling pins.

However, that was not enough as a few leftovers still kept flying down. Joke readied her blade to block it, but at the last moment, a chakram cut the feather and deflected them. Joker turned in the direction of the chakram to see an out of breath Jade perched on top of a tree, then looked towards the sky at the angrily flapping Nevermore. Then, the heavy wind subsided, the red tint faded, and Joker's expression turned cheery once more.

"Well, someone spoiled the party."

Just like that the once suffocating atmosphere from their duel dissipated as if a distant dream.

At that moment, Joker noticed a fairy-like girl drifting towards her from the sky.

"Jade!"

The familiar voice of Amy rang across the sky as she tackled Jade with a hug, knocking her out of the tree. Thankfully, with Amy's flight, they were able to glide safely to the ground.

"Amy, what are you doing here? What happened?"

Amy tossed the green stone back to Jade as she rubbed the back of her head while sticking her tongue out, embarrassed but somehow jovial.

"Funny story, turns out whatever that harness thing on the Nevermore is, it's inverted. So if we want to finish this exam, we gotta kill that thing. Buuuuut, I kinda got distracted with that girl Queen and we ended up...well, 'separated' from the Nevermore and now here we are."

"It is as she says." A sudden voice spoke out, seemingly out of nowhere, but was quickly identified as Queen's when she suddenly materialized by Joker's side in a kneeling position. "If we want to end the exam we have to deal with it."

"Hmmm, sounds troublesome," Joker contemplated with hand on her chin.

She examined the circling Nevermore to figure out the next course of action, when another sound caught her attention. It was the sound of heavy footsteps, two pairs to be exact. From behind a thick patch of bushes, Yu and Diamon emerged, a bit haggard and a limp in their steps. The pair were surprised to meet with the rest of the team, but when they noticed Joker and Queen, they suddenly went defensive.

Joker noticed this and gave a cheery wave.

"More guests, huh. Well, I guess that's it for our little 'alone' time."

She gave Jade a cheerful smile, but she shirked back instead, the memory of their 'alone time' as she puts it gave her chills.

"If the two of you are here, then…"

"Ah, it looks like my audience has all gathered for my grand entrance."

Before she finished her sentence Ace emerged perched on a tree branch, standing in a heroic pose while Kingsley casually strolled out from behind a tree trunk below him. Jade noticed Ace's appearance earned a venomous glare from Yu, which made her wonder what Ace did to earn such a rare emotional response from her brother. Joker, on the other, rolled her eyes and waited for the last two members to get closer before speaking to them.

"I wish I had a little more time, but I guess I got what I came for. What about you?"

"Me? While you were doing your thing, I was thoroughly enjoying myself," Ace spoke, happily reminiscing about something that happened only a few minutes ago. "It's been a while since I had so much fun, but sadly, my entertainment had to run off at the best part."

Ace gave an exaggerated sorrowful look in Yu's direction, which caused visible veins to pop on his head. Joker also looked upset at Ace's words, but did nothing to intervene. Yu tried to stand straight to confront him, but a sharp pain in his side caused him to hunch back. Diamon instinctively went to help him, but Yu pushed him away and fiercely gazed at the playful silver-haired boy.

"You think we are a joke to you?" Yu spat back, shocking Jade with this sudden passionate outburst. "That this is all just fun and games?"

Ace shrugged indifferently, which only served to fuel Yu's anger. He gritted his teeth and balled his fist until the knuckles turned white. The wind suddenly died down and the air grew colder. Jade felt a sense of deja vu, one that filled her with a sense of dread, as she looked upon Yu. The green aura around Yu grew darker and slivers of black started to materialize. This feeling, this aura, it reminded her of how his brother was when she returned home two years ago. Seeing it again, here, reminded her why she decided to become a huntress.

Incidentally, Joker also noticed this change. She narrowed her eyes and gave Ace a sharp look, as if seeking some form of answer for his action, to which he only shrugged again. Then, without attracting any attention, she quietly shifted her grip on Lunar Fang, readying her weapons, as her eyes gazed upward towards the Nevermore, who hung suspiciously still in the sky.

"You are strong, I will give you that," Yu spoke, his voice much quieter but still seething with anger.

"But you have no reason to make light of our reason to be here. I have given my blood and sweat, sacrificed everything so that I can fight back against the Grimm, to take back what they stole."

Jade winced at the mention of their sad past.

"And the last thing I need someone so flippant like you to look down on me like a toy. So take back what you said or else…"

"Or else, what? Make me regret it?" Ace retaliated, his expression more serious than before. Having lost his momentum, Yu was lost for words. "Let me fill you in on something. The only thing that matters here is strength. If you have power, then you can accomplish whatever you wish. Your 'effort' may have gotten you this far, but now that you are facing me..."

Ace gave a wicked grin while giving a thumbs down.

"It's worthless."

That was the final straw. Yu clutched his weapon tightly, preparing to swing. At the same time, Joker, despite wanting to hit Ace herself, ready her blade to block Yu's approach. However, just as Yu was about to take the first step, a slim hand reached out and grasped the hem of his sleeves.

A light pain assaulted the back of Jade's mind as she clutched Yu's sleeves, pouring a little bit of her aura to Yu through that connection. Her grip was light, easily broken by a simple swing of an arm, but the moment she touched him, he froze with an expression of shock as if a sudden veil was lifted off him. He looked back at Jade, a bit confused, but the heated demeanor was mostly abated. Likewise, the darkening wind around him disappeared with his pacified aggression. When it was all gone, Jade gave a weak smile before her knees gave way and collapsed. Instinctively, Yu quickly caught her sister before she fell all the way.

Joker also relaxed her grip and watched the interaction with more than simple curiosity. She glowered at Ace, but he avoided eye contact to hide his intentions.

As the situation died down, it was Diamon who spoke first. He stepped forward, standing in front of the pair of siblings with an arm out as if protecting them.

"Yu is correct, as much as I hate to admit it. You say that strength is the end all, be all but that may not be the case for all of us. We have our different circumstances that led us here, but we aren't all looking to get stronger. We only seek what is necessary to accomplish the goal we set out for ourselves. Some…"

Diamon turns to look at Yu, who hid his face.

"...some seek power so they can fight against the threats to our world. But to me, as well as many others, that is a secondary concern. If it will help us in our pursuit in life, then so be it, but otherwise, I don't give a damn. So, just because we were no match for you, doesn't mean our efforts are worthless."

Amy nodded emphatically in the background at his words. He then turned to his teammates, looking directly at Yu specifically and reached his hand out to him.

"I don't know much about your circumstances, but from what I have seen, your efforts certainly were not in vain."

Yu gazed at Diamon's outstretched hand. A hint of surprise showed on his face before he quickly turned away with a click of his tongue as he tried to hide his embarrassment to be put on the spot like this.

"Bravo, well said." Joker's loud clap echoed in the air. "The hard work you already put in is certainly not wasted if you have a direction to guide it, am I getting that right?"

Her words may be directed at everyone, but her eyes were focused on Jade, as if those words were meant for her.

"While I would love to chat, we are still in an exam." She emphasized her point by directing everyone's attention to the Nevermore, who suddenly had lost interest and was returning to the ruins area.

"Seeing as the only way to get that lock off the Nevermore is to kill it, one of us needs to eliminate the other team before we can claim the prize."

Her foreboding words set everyone back to their fighting stances. Except for one.

In her exhausted state, Jade felt herself fall slowly into the gripes of despair. Her mind was in turmoil, her morale was non-existent, and seeing the determination in her team's demeanor truly made her feel that she didn't belong.

Why did you come to Beacon?

I don't know anymore.

Are you sure this is what you want?

I don't know. I don't know.

Then there is no place for you here.

Maybe you are right.

The dull aching in her head grew worse and her vision clouded. She felt herself falling into the darkness. Deeper and deeper.

However, before her consciousness was consumed, she saw a light amidst the dark. A glimmer into a memory long forgotten. From it a voice from her childhood, distorted but clearly masculine, called out.

Wherever your hand wishes to reach, I know you will grasp it.

She couldn't recall clearly who said these exact words, but she felt her body lighten, and the darkness receded as more points of light filled her vision. From one, she saw the ashen haired professor standing upon the stage, a memory for the other day.

The strength you seek, it already exists, inside of you.

Jade couldn't make sense of the words. My strength. What is it? But as she pondered it another image appeared, this time it was Amy and the words she spoke when they were together echoed in her head.

There are many paths one can take at Beacon other than being a Huntsman.

But what is the path she wanted to take?

More and more images and voices appeared one by one, but the most prominent one came from Joker, of all people. Her biting words from their duel echoed in her mind, but this time, it felt more soothing.

The hard work you put in is certainly not wasted if you have a direction to guide it.

But what direction do I go?

What is the future that you seek?

The future I seek...

What is it that you want?

!

Those final words brought a moment of mental acuity. How could she not see it? The answer was in front of her the whole time.

The pain in her head vanished and her eyes cleared to see the worried gaze of Diamon and Amy. As for Yu, he had a difficult expression as he grasped her shoulder. She gave them a smile, a bit fatigued but otherwise telling that she was fine, then stood up with determination reignited in her eyes. Joker saw this and a knowing smile spread across her lips.

"Wait!"

Jade called out, her voice a little hoarse, but it otherwise reached everyone.

"There is another option."

Joker looked at her with amusement.

"Oh? Do tell."

"Why fight each other when we can cooperate to take down the Nevermore. With more hands, it will be an easier fight."

"But what about after? Who will get the lock?"

"Our duel is still active right? After all, I'm still standing."

Joker liked where this was going.

"Let us continue the duel, but with an added victory condition. The moment the Nevermore is defeated, our duel continues. However, whoever catches the lock first will be deemed the winner. How does that sound?"

Joker bursted into laughter after hearing Jade's explanation.

"Hahaha, interesting. I like it. Fine, let's see how this goes. As for the cooperation, do you have something in mind."

Jade met the eyes of everyone present, who all looked at her expectantly. A small smile crept up her lips, one that was genuine, which seemed like forever since she had one.

"I have a plan."


The massive Nevermore flew lazily in the sky, stretching its massive wings as if asserting its dominance over the sky. However, despite what appears to be a glorious display of confidence, it was flying in confusion. This Grimm was not native to the forest. Rather, it once resided in the mountainous region north of here, but after an encounter with a group of Huntsmen, it woke up in these unfamiliar ruins with the chain around its neck. It tried several times to escape the forest, but there was something about the forest, a particular stench of fear and pain, that confused its senses and kept luring it back. And so, since its arrival it had circled these ruins, flying back and forth in indecision.

Then, not long ago, a pair of Huntsmen disturbed its flight and broke its eternal meandering. Of course being a Grimm, it had no sense of emotion so any feelings of gratitude or annoyance at the disturbance was non-existent, but the situation did present the large bird with two preys to focus on other than flying aimlessly But even then, mere minutes after engaging with the new targets, the Huntsmen started fighting among themselves and left its field of view. That led it to notice other Huntsmen nearby.

However, that didn't last long either as halfway through its attack a mysterious "sensation" came to it. It felt anger and hate, but not the type that attracted Grimm. It was something entirely different, a sensation that told it to stay away.

And so it did. Back to its endless circling.

However, its respite was short-lived.

A volley of arrows struck its stomach like tiny pincushions. Each individual shot did not hurt but it did annoy it. The Grimm turned its attention to where the arrows came from and saw two humans in the open with weapons pointed at it. With an irate caw, it flexed its massive wings and let loose a storm of razor sharp feathers in retaliation. However, a third human appeared and created a large barrier that blocked its arrow from reaching the two assailants.

Meanwhile on the ground, Yu and Ace raised their weapons, a bow and sniper respectively, and continuously fired at the Nevermore while Diamon maintained the barrier.

"Heh, to think just a few minutes ago we were after each other's throats," Ace scoffed humorously at his companion in between firing shots. "Hope there's no hard feelings."

Yu did not respond, more like he actively attempted to ignore him, and kept his focus on firing arrows.

"But you know what they say, today's enemy is tomorrow's friend. Oh and by the way…"

Ace used the sharp crack of his weapon to separate his words.

"That's sixteen."

Yu paused slightly. There were no changes to his expression, but Ace picked up the tensing in his arm muscles. Then, with a hard pull on his bow, the line of energy on his bow fractured into three and he launched all three into the pit of the Nevermore's stomach. Ace snickered as he got the reaction he wanted and returned to his duty.

At this point, the Nevermore cawed angrily at its failed attempt to kill its target and decided to dive at them. Unfortunately for it, that was the whole point of Yu and Ace's assault.

When the Grimm neared the treeline, two new Huntsmen flew out of the trees. It was Amy and Queen. They rushed at the descending bird and struck at its wings, Amy slashing with her spear while Queen raked them with her finger claws. Their attacks were enough to redirect the Nevermore's path. As it clumsily tried to maintain its flight after they damaged its wing, it inadvertently tangled itself in a net of transparent wires, cleverly set up by Queen before the whole operation. While it flailed wildy, Amy and Queen pecked at the Nevermore whenever an opportunity presented itself. The damage they dealt was minimal, but it was enough for the role they are fulfilling. Yu and Ace's role was to get the Nevermore close. Amy and Queen's role was to distract it once it was close enough and keep it from moving around.

And the reason for all this was…

"It seems your plan is coming along just fine."

Joker commented to Jade, who stood beside her, as she witnessed the events unfolding before her. Jade did not say anything back but kept her focus on the situation at hand. After all, their turn has come up. Joker was fully aware of this, which is why she held her weapon at the ready this whole time, but as the air around her flared up from her aura, she still had some things to say to Jade.

"When we take this Grimm down, are you prepared for what comes after?"

It was a not so subtle hint at the conditions for losing, perhaps to unsettle her or simply to gauge her resolve for the rematch, but either way, Jade steeled herself and readied Zephyr's Edge in its chakram form. She was not the same girl as before. A fire now burned in her eyes that once were dying embers. This was not lost to Joker.

"Whatever happens, I'm ready."

"Hmmph, now that's what I like to hear."

The dark red aura Joker displayed during their duel flared up, threatening to consume Jade at such close proximity. However, this time it didn't feel so malicious as before. It still heavy and suffocating, but at the same time soothing, like the heat of a sauna. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the killing intent wasn't directed at her that made her feel this way, but she had no time to wonder about this. Instead, she took a deep breath and felt the wind violent shifting around Joker.

"Red, powerful and passionate."

It was a quiet whisper. Words meant for herself. And as she said this, she realized this was the true feeling emanating from the mysterious girl before her. It caused the edges of her lips to creep up in a smile.

"If that's the case…"

Jade went into a short dance, with quick feet movement and wide arm swings, which she felt complimented the wind frenetic wind and gathered it into her spinning chakram. Then, using her movement, she generated her own flow of wind which surrounded her like a green veil in a sea of red. She then mixed it with Joker's wind, letting it carry her Aura-imbued wind directly to Joker. Her eyes widened when she felt this foreign energy permeate around her, but it turned into a smile when she discerned the property of this new feeling.

"Here we go!"

The wind condensed around Joker and with a heavy swing, as if dragging an oar through water, she let loose an arc of fire at the distracted Nevermore. At the same time, jade ended her dance with a gaudy flourish. With this attack, she felt a sensation as if her Aura was being sucked towards Joker then up with the blazing projectile

When she looked up at this missile, she saw it as a mass of red shooting upwards with a line of green corkscrewing around it. The red mass contorted and formed the head of a wolf, its mouth wide, ready to snap on its prey while her own green wind trailed alongside it like a sparrow. At first the two entities seemed to repel each other as if a magnetic field existed between them, but the distance grew shorter and shorter, and with it the wolf head grew bigger and bigger. Then, just before it reached the Nevermore, the two forces slammed together and contorted into something different entirely. The red and green became two halves of a whole - half wolf, half sparrow - before twisting into a double helix as it slammed into the large Grimm.

In that moment, it was as if the Nevermore suddenly combusted. The attack caused a fiery explosion to erupt from the center of its chest, radiating outward before continuing its path behind it. It's wings consumed in a blazing fury to the point that its feathers were seemingly made of fire. And the string it was entangled in completely evaporated, small streaks of flame revealing them briefly before crumbling into ash. Without any support and a smouldering wing, the Nevermore slowly fell from the sky.

It had been defeated.

Or so it seemed.

Before anyone could celebrate, the Nevermore let out a defiant caw and with a flap of its wings, put out the remainder of the fire on itself with a gust of wind.

"What!? It survived through that?"

Jade was shocked, but it was not like it was unscathed. Its wings were in literal tatters and parts of its face melted off. It survived the attack, but was now on the brink of death. Realizing its imminent doom, the beast attempted to flee.

Jade had hoped this attack would finish it. As such, she never came up with a back up plan. She racked her brain to figure something out, but thankfully Amy came in for the rescue.

"Don't worry! I can still do something," she cried out as she soared up into the sky. "Diamon! Hand it to me!"

Diamon grumbled, a bit hesitant to do what she asked, but he knew now wasn't the time to be frugal. He ripped a chain off his neck to reveal an amethyst dangling at the end. He whispered a few words, causing it to glow brilliantly purple.

"Catch!" He screamed as he tossed it to Amy.

As if propelled by a magical force, the amethyst shot up like a bullet, quickly reaching Amy in no time. Amy pointed her spear at it, catching the gem in the gap between the spearhead. The spear shifted slightly to secure the gem and suddenly the entire spear head was consumed by purple electrical energy. When this happened, Amy spun her spear in her hand, clutching it in a position to throw it, and directed it towards the escaping beast. She paused in that position briefly with a confused expression, as if pondering something. Then she gave a big toothy smile.

"EAT THIS! LIGHTNING JAVELIN!"

Once the words left her mouth, she threw her spear. Just like how she named her attack, the spear shot down like a bolt of lighting-purple lightning-that directed itself to the Nevermore's back. As it made contact, there was a thunderous boom and multiple threads of lightning sprouted from the point of contact. Nevermore cried in surprise as it was suddenly being dragged down by the force of the spear.

"Someone finish it off!"

"Hmmph, looks like it's my turn to shine."

The new voice belonged to Kingsley, who was on the sidelines during the entire operation. With the sudden turn of events, he finally found a moment where he can do something useful. Taking out his flamethrower cannons, he transformed it into the glaive and positioned himself in line with where the Nevermore was falling.

He planted his feet solidly on the ground and took a large breath. His weapon started revving up, spitting out bright blue flames. All the while, the Nevermore was getting closer and closer.

"Raaaargh!"

With a wild roar, he jumped with such force that left a crater in the ground. He spun as he went, using the propulsion from his weapon to wind up his attack. Then, his glaive made contact with the Grimm, the blade cutting deep into the pits of its stomach. With the force of this two-pronged attack, the spear in his back and the glaive at its front, its body was severed in two as if a large pair of scissors came down on it. There was no death cry, no final spasm as it tried to cling to life. Death was instantaneous as the two halves of the bird violently separated and slowly crumbled into black dust. As the torso faded away, the chain that was securely fastened there came loose and an object fell from within.

It was a lock with a depression similar in shape to the gem key Jade held.

Jade turned to Joker and she turned back with a knowing look. This was it. The rematch Jade asked for.

Without a moment's pause, both girls started dashing towards the falling lock. At first, their speed was even, but with the aid of Lunar Fang, Joker was pushing ahead faster that Jade. However, this was within her expectations.

Without slowing her pace, she whipped her chakram in front of her, creating a swath of wind that kicked the dirt into a smokescreen to obscure her from Joker.

"It's useless!" Joker cried, keeping an eye on the wall of dust behind her as she neared the lock. "Whatever you have planned behind your shroud, I assure you I can handle it."

As if provoked by her words, two spinning discs shot from the dust. Their form was somewhat distorted by the whirling wind surrounding them, but Joker could tell they were Jade's fans. They came out at a high angle and approached the lock from above to avoid crossing paths with Joker, but that didn't matter at all.

Lunar Fang grew red and Joker fired two flaming slashes at the fans. Both strikes hit and the fans burst into flames before falling lifelessly to the ground. Then as an added precaution, she shot another one into the wall of dust and disperse the cloud to reveal a stationary Jade staring at her with intense concentration.

Joker was now directly below the falling lock. She looked up to gauge its distance before facing Jade.

"I applaud your effort, you seemed to have changed a bit since we last fought, but it looks like it wasn't enough. It's over, I win."

However, the expression on Jade's face was not one of defeat.

"You asked me before what I wanted to do?" She said, softly but firmly.

Joker tilted her head in confusion.

"Like you said, I was hesitant and unsure that this was the future I sought for myself. I chose to become a Huntress to help my brother, but I thought I had to give up who I was before to get here. But after listening to what you and my team said, I see now that I was wrong."

There was a shift in the wind. Even Joker could feel it. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, wondering what Jade was planning.

"I never answered back to your question before, so I will do so now. I came here so that I can be with my brother, that much isn't a lie. But the thing I wanted to do the most, more than anything else…IS TO DANCE!"

Jade spun gracefully with the flow of the wind while her arms and skirt gently drift with the motion. Joker tried to make out the purpose of this action when an object shot out from the trees off to her right and snatched the lock just before it landed in her hands.

"Wha?"

Joker cried out in surprise as her gaze turned to the object. Carrying the lock, which was adhered to the object by a bubble of wind, was a green disc. More specifically, Zephyr's Edge.

A look of confusion crossed her eyes. She was sure she incinerated them…

Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock and scanned the ground where the two fans she struck down landed. What she saw were definitely fans, but they lay crumbled and blackened, completely destroyed from the fire that consumed them. These were not the metallic fans Jade used as weapons, but normal ones, the ones she used when they first met.

Everything started to piece together. The smokescreen, the extra pair of fans. These were just distractions so Jade could hide the real Zephyr's Edge in the trees. And when she finally let her guard down thinking she won, the chakram came and snatched it away from her. Clever trick.

But that was all it was. A trick. A ploy.

It gave Jade the advantage, but as long as the lock isn't in her hands, the match was still going. All Joker needed to do was to stop the real weapon.

Joker quickly reloaded her weapon and leapt towards the chakram, intending to strike it down with Lunar Fang. However, as her blade came down on it, the chakram suddenly moved unpredictably, rolling to the side to avoid the blade as if it possessed a life of its own.

"It's useless." Jade called out. She was in an odd pose, her knees crossing and arms splayed at different angles. "I may not be adept at combat, but I assure you I can take whatever you throw at me with my dance."

The answer she was looking for had been all too simple. This whole time, when fighting the Grimm, when fighting Joker, she treated them as enemies to fight by using fighting techniques imported from her dancing repertoire. But she now realized this was the wrong approach. They weren't enemies to defeat. They were dance partners in a performance. When she thought of it this way, all the stiffness left her joints and the fog of doubt in her mind lifted. There was never a need to differentiate dancing and was no need to give up one for the other. The opponent before her was just a fellow dancer and the forest they're in is the stage. And the one thing Jade loves the most is to dance.

Joker let out a low snarl, accepting her challenge. She fired a shot at Jade and used the force of the blast to get another swing at the chakram.

However, with eyes closed, Jade saw, no, felt what she needed to do. She did a side flip to avoid the flaming blast coming at her and at the same time, Zephyr's Fang did a roll in time with her movements.

It was as if the two shared a link. The chakram moved to the rhythm of Jade's dance and in return, Jade could feel the surroundings of her weapon. Like two bodies sharing one mind. Just as she stated, whatever Joker tried, whether targeting the chakram or Jade, nothing landed.

Running out of steam, Joker landed on her knees, exhausted, letting the chakram fly that last few meters back to its owner.

Jade had done it. She managed to outsmart Joker and snatched victory from beneath.

She felt a sense of elation. The rushing of blood and the rapid beating of her heart. So this is what it feels like again, she thought as the lock inch closer and closer. This was the feeling of triumph she had long forgotten. That surge of emotion similar to when she first stood in front of an applauding crowd, all telling her the hard work she put in was finally rewarded. All showing that she was needed.

"Interesting! Interesting!"

Jade's moment of euphoria was interrupted by a cackling Joker while having a hand on her left eye.

"You have proven yourself a worthy opponent, but I'm afraid this…"

There was an odd glint in Joker's obscured eye. A glint of something brilliantly bright, a flash of gold. Jade had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen. But before she could act on her suspicion, the atmosphere changed.

It was for just a moment. The air became viscous. Jade's body felt ladened, her mind foggy. The environment felt washed out and everything moved slowly. But more importantly, Joker, who was standing casually a short distance away, suddenly vanished.

The moment quickly passed and Joker was suddenly before her, eyes meeting eyes and her arms tightly locked in her hands. With a deft movement, she slung Jade over her shoulder and slammed her into the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

Without looking away from Jade, Joker raised her hand and grabbed the lock from the still spinning chakram. The weapon skipped off her arm, causing a small spark in her Aura, before laying to rest besides the gasping Jade.

"...this is still my win."

She fitted her own gem key into the lock. The lock reacted by glowing green before sending a flare into the sky that exploded into a shower drifting sparks.

As Jade watched the spectacle, finally recovering from the shock of being slammed to the ground, the reality of what had just happened began to set in. That feeling of invincibility vanished just like the dying spark of the fireworks and in its place new emotion began to take hold. Her face started to flush red and she masked her eyes to hold back the tears building up. She was so close. After overcoming everything, finding her own path again, and even her first moment of triumph since forever, she finally felt like she belonged here, but to lose all that right at the end, it all felt unfair.

She wanted to scream out, but she suppressed that urge. She accepted this deal. She knew the consequences. It is only right to uphold them.

However, the moment she lifted her arms from her eyes, she was greeted by Joker, smiling warmly with a hand outstretched.

"But, as for our duel, it looks like it's my loss."

Jade laid there, baffled by the words she spoke. She could not comprehend it.

She won? But how? Does that mean she gets to stay?

"But…"

"Hmm, I suppose in a sense we both won and lost," Joker contemplated, completely ignoring the confused Jade before her. A sudden thought popped in her head. She held her hand to Jade to help her up on her feet. "How about a compromise? First my request."

A sense of dread washed over Jade. This was it. The moment where Joker tells her to leave the school. She braced herself for the eventual words to come, but to her surprise, Joker offered her hand to Jade with a warm and inviting smile, vastly juxtaposing the atmosphere she held when they fought.

"My request is...let us be friends."

"Huh?"

A sound of genuine shock escaped Jade's lips, causing Joker to chuckle at such a cute display, but she continued on.

"Hello, my name is Jaquelyn Hart, but I go by Jaq. And you are?"

Jade looked at the hand, then at the girl, once Joker, now Jaq. There was a hint of innocence and playfulness in that look that suggested this was her plan all along. That everything that happened till now went all according to her plan. Finally accepting the reality before, the last bit of sorrow washed away and a light smile touched her lips as she reached out and accepted Jaq's hand.

"My name is Jade. Jade Evergreen."

"Nice to meet you Jade. I hope we can get along."