Jaune burst through the door of his dorm room only to be met with a sight he had not intended nor wanted to see.
Rubbing his eyes to see if he was seeing things after the entire day of running and tracking to see what had occurred only to return to his dorm to find his two remaining teammates in bed completely naked.
"Can't you knock!" Nora screamed pulling the covers over her.
"Uhm..uh" Jaune muttered before straightening his thoughts and looking away from his teammates as Lie got out of bed and got dressed.
"I'm sorry guys but we have an issue. I was attacked this morning and…."
"YOU WHAT!" Nora screamed, causing Jaune to cover his ears from the high pitch of her voice "you were attacked and you didn't immediately call us."
"Yeah Jaune that's not like you" Lie Ren said.
Jaune turned around to see Lie Ren dressed in his usual outfit but Nora still in bed, with the blankets covering her figure. Jaune tried not to stare and said "well the adrenaline was kind of rushing and I needed to figure it out and…I think Carlisle is behind…"
"NOT THIS AGAIN!" Nora screamed again.
"Could you stop screaming Nora I'm like ten feet away from you" Jaune said rubbing his ringing ears.
"Jaune you need to stop this. You already got in huge trouble after you attacked him, you have no proof remember" Ren said crossing his arms.
"Oh but I have now," Jaune said with renewed confidence "the man who attacked me was that guy that's always around him. I saw his face."
"Even if that's true it still doesn't prove Carlisle is guilty" Ren retorted.
"Oh come on you guys don't you believe me?" Jaune asked almost angrily. "That's not the problem Jaune, the problem is that nobody saw it and just because the guy works with Carlisle doesn't make Carlisle guilty by default."
"But guys…." Suddenly Jaune's scroll went off and he immediately picked up to see an incoming call from Ozpin.
"Ugh great" the warrior bemoaned as he thought this was Ozpin calling him up for his punishment. Still ignoring it was way worse of a reaction. So he answered.
"Principal Ozpin I know I still have to serve my puni…"
"That's not what I'm calling about Mr. Arc. I wish it was under different circumstances but I need you and your team right here. You were right about him, he was behind it and now he has made another victim. Come to the school grounds immediately with your team we have an awful lot to discuss."
Ozpin hung up. Leaving a stunned Jaune, Ren and Nora standing there with their mouths agape.
"I TOLD YOU!" Jaune finally yelled.
The Edge of the forest…
Vadim nervously stood in front of the forest as he had been ordered earlier, a big backpack lumped around his small frame.
"Vadim get to the forest immediately! I got what we need and they are on to us!" read the message he had received earlier.
In the distance the manservant saw a figure running his way, figuring it was his employer. Vadim was coerced into working with him into this mission to another world, with the alternative being….well…whatever the Conduit had in mind for people like him.
His employer, Alector Nirvana, the real name of professor Firen Carlisle, came into view.
"Did you get everything I asked for?" he immediately asked.
Vadim nodded "I did sir but what is going on?"
Nirvana caught his breath as he stood before the edge of the forest, grabbing a device from his pocket "they are on to us. We don't have much time, we need to find Milena and fast" he said.
He presented the Eliphas Code in his hand and opened it, a small screen appeared and on it appeared the phrase Insert DNA Match. At this Nirvana grabbed hold of the locket wedged in the pocket of his waistcoat. A heart shaped locked that upon opening it revealed a photo of him and his beloved companion, accompanied by a lock of hair in it.
Carefully extracting the lock of hair from the locket, he inserted it into the device and a signal became registered on the Eliphas Code. A map of the area appeared on it with a red dot indicating a location.
Nirvana's eyed lid up as he saw the signal appearing.
"We have a location, let's go Vadim!" he shouted as he ran head first into the dark forest with Vadim tailing close behind.
Hours would pass as they made their way through the dense forest, the small specks of dawn already appearing on the horizon as they tracked through the environment, keeping their feelings in check as to not arouse the suspicion of nearby Grimm.
"Sir, what if we don't find her?" Vadim asked.
"We will, we are so close. The location seems to be close by."
The map showed a red dot that was still blinking, Nirvana didn't know if it indicated alive or dead but at this point he was just happy to have some hope. A small bit of light shined through the dense forest area as they kept on moving.
"What if they follow us sir?" Vadim asked.
Irritated the man turned to his small manservant "then we deal with them, just like I'm about to deal with you if you don't stop asking stupid questions" he stated angrily. Vadim gulped in response and kept his head down, following the fake professor forward.
They went through the last line of trees and reached the place they looked before, the Cliffside. Looking at the map the red dot was right in front of them. But Nirvana saw nothing, only grass, the Cliffside and the horizon looming over it.
No sign of Milena.
"This is supposed to be the location WHERE IS SHE!" he shouted frustrated.
Vadim jumped up at that shout "sir calm down, we need to watch out or we will give our location away" he said.
Nirvana turned to his sniveling manservant and grabbed him by his hair in anger.
"I spend months trying to get here, going through the motions, taking that old man's name and pretending to be lovey-dovey with that spoiled brat of an ice queen, all the while having to keep up with your complaining and general incompetence and I got nothing to show for it! Milena isn't here! It shows she should be here but where is she then!"
Vadim squirmed around as he was pulled up "maybe she's in the cliff" he shouted.
Suddenly Nirvana let go of him, his eyes went towards the cliffs edge and he had an insight. "Maybe you're not so useless after all Vadim" he said as he ran towards the edge of the cliff and inspected. Vadim slowly stood up, a spiteful almost angry expression on his face.
"Come over here with the bag" Nirvana said.
Vadim did so as he handed the back to Nirvana, who zipped it open and pulled out a zip-line and climbing equipment. Removing his waistcoat and putting on the equipment around himself.
"Sir what are you doing?" Vadim asked curiously.
"What does it look like I'm doing! There are many cave areas we found around here and it would dictate that they all combine somewhere through a tunnel area that could run through this cliff. So Milena could be there, so I'm going to climb down the Cliffside here and see if I can find an entrance" Nirvana explained.
Handing the zip-line to Vadim and instructing him to hold it tightly, Nirvana put his foot on the edge of the cliff.
"I'm coming Milena…I hope I'm not too late" he said.
Attaching the Eliphas Code to his equipment, he put a foot over the cliff and slowly started his decent down, with Vadim holding tightly on the other end as his employer descended down the Cliffside.
Moving carefully as he heard the powerful waves clash at the cliff, he looked down to see if there was an opening.
And sure enough he found it.
There was a clear opening within the Cliffside, and he slowly made his way downward, carefully stepping and holding onto the cliff as he saw the entrance coming closer and closer. Nirvana could feel his heartbeat in his chest, his anxiety grew as he begged and prayed that he was on time, and that was in there and most of all, that she was still alive.
As he reached the cave entrance he slowly let himself drop and felt the damp floor of the cave, and looking in front of him to see pitch black darkness.
Reaching for his scroll in his pocket he called Vadim's number.
"Vadim I made it to the cave entrance, I will put the equipment here, do not pull it up until I give you the sign too" he commanded. He received a "yes sir" as a response.
Untying the belts around him he let the zip-line hang there in the opening of the cave.
He then turned on the flashlight function on the scroll to illuminate the path in front of him. There was nothing in the first few steps in front of him, just a damp, slightly wet cave floor. Taking the Eliphas Code in his other hand he moved forward, tracing the signal, which had remained the same, implying he was still in the correct location.
As he progressed through the dark cave he felt an eerie feeling overtake him. A sense of dread not so much from what he could find here, but what he might not find. Every step he took he felt the worry and anxiety eat away at him, as well as the possible fact that even if he found her…he might not found her alive.
His thoughts where interrupted as he stepped on something. Looking down and shining a light he discovered the rotting carcass of a small rodent, apparently having been fed upon a while ago.
She was here, he thought and he quickly moved forward.
The light illuminated a few feet in front of him as he saw another rodent carcass laying on the damp floor, a smile appearing on his face as he made his steps forward into the cave, which had grown bigger in size from where he started.
The light ultimately fell on a small white furry form laying on the ground, and as soon as he saw the sight in front of his eyes, Nirvana ran towards it.
"After all this time!" he yelled happily as he ran towards the form, stopping in front of it and taking in the sight.
It was her!
It was Milena.
Finally I found you! He thought happily until he took a closer look and saw something that terrified him throughout his body.
She wasn't moving.
"No! No! No!" Nirvana yelled as he dropped his scroll and got on his knees in front of her "I….I'm too late…" he muttered silently, tears beginning to form in his eyes.
He reached out a hand to pet her head "I have been searching for so long my dearest friend. I am so sorry I didn't make it in time" as he picked up her unmoving form and held her close to him.
The tears where dripping down his cheeks as the pain overwhelmed him, a hole formed inside him as he realized what had happened…that it was all for nothing. Everything he did to find her, all the people he had to incapacitate and all the lies he spanned only to get her back, to find her alive and bring her home.
"I'm sorry Milena! I'M SORRY!" he cried out in despair, holding her body closer to him as the despair overwhelmed him and broke him down.
Until in the midst of his despair, he felt something touch his ear, and a purring sound to join it.
Snapped out of his despair ridden vision, he pulled Milena back into eyesight and saw her eyes slowly but surely opening up. Her green eyes taking in the sight as she saw him, the tears blurring his vision but he still saw her clearly.
Her eyes where opening. She was looking at him.
"You're alive…" he whispered as white cat took in the sight before her and saw the her owner looking at her. Her purring intensified, though it was still a weakened sound, the poor creature clearly being tired. Her eyes where open.
She was alive.
Nirvana looked up with tearstained eyes of happiness, his smile brightening. Milena purred at him, placing her paw against his hands and looking at him intensely.
"Of course I'm not mad, YOU'RE ALIVE"
He picked up the kitten into an embrace, lumping her over his shoulder as he cried his heart out on the damp wet cave floor, holding his beloved companion tightly in his arms as she placed her head on his shoulders and her paws around his shoulder blade, snuggling her small head against his.
Through tears of happiness Nirvana looked up at the darkness, but felt his spirits lifted as the kitten in his hands purred up against him.
"You're alive…" he said relieved, allowing the tears to run down his face once again.
Author's note:
I must say I got teary eyed writing this chapter and I hope you guys all enjoy it very much. There will be about 3 more chapters until the end of the story after which the sequel will probably be written. I really hope you all still enjoy this story and look forward to the rest.