A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACK?! Yes everyone I am alive! I deeply apologize for my 'disappearance'. I've been extremely busy with life as a lot of things happened. Some good and others left me to take time to myself given what has been going on in the world as well as things within the family such as a family friend who looked out for me during my years in high school and my cousin's grandfather passing away from COViD. Finishing college, working day and night for so long, vaccinations, things got me quite busy. But now I am back everyone. I haven't given up on writing, and I am certainly not quitting FanFiction. I will explain more in the A/N below since right now, we got a chapter to read! Also, yes, I have seen the ending of Volume 8 of RWBY.

IMPORTANT NOTE: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ REMNANT OF DESIRES, READ IT BEFORE YOU START READING THIS STORY.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2: RATING WILL CHANGE TO 'M' STARTING IN CHAPTER 17

IMPORTANT NOTE 3: CHAPTERS 12 AND 13 WILL BE IN THIRD PERSON VIEW

'Thought'

Greeed/Yummies


Pyrrha found herself in a pitch black void. She frantically looked around, calling out to anyone. The only thing her voice couldn't do was echo in the vast darkness of the void she found herself in. She tried again and again but heard no one.

"Anyone…?" The redhead called worriedly. Not a single voice came out from anywhere around her.

The former student swiveled around in hopes of finding someone to help her. But looking behind her, she noticed a familiar blonde facing away from her. "Jaune?" The Huntress recognized. The said teen began to walk away from her, causing her to follow him.

However what started to frighten her was the distance between them was extending.

Pyrrha tried to run towards Jaune as fast as she could to catch up but the distance grew farther and farther. "Jaune, wait!" She pleaded, extending her hand out to him.

The homunculus tripped and fell but instead of landing, she was driven to the depths below. She flailed her arms until she landed in a bed of cell medals. She groaned and held her back.

However she felt herself moving much to her bewilderment. No, not moving - she was sinking into the medals. Twisting her body, she pulled her legs to move but continued to sink.

She felt her skin run pale out of dread and tried to move with all her might. Even going as far as using her Semblance just to pull herself free but it wouldn't work. Her body sank into the sea of medals, scaring her to her core.

The former Beacon Academy student frantically clawed through to no avail. Her ears then picked up the sound of footsteps stepping on the medals. Her eyes dilated to who she saw.

Gara.

"No one will ever be here for you for what you are." Gara grinned maniacally. "In the end - you're a monster, a tool...just like my creations, dear Nikos."

The redhead tried to reach out as she sank into the medals. Her eyes watched as Gara laughed while the sea of cell medals finally consumed her into the darkness.


Pyrrha's eyes snapped open and frantically sat up, her face beaded with sweat. Her emerald eyes nearly dilated and grasped her chest, the resting place of her soul - her Core Medal. She noticed it was still nighttime and Blake was still asleep on the other bed.

'It was just a nightmare…' The redhead wrapped her arms around herself, trembling. The sense of dread crept through her skin and her eyes were filled with fright.

"Pyrrha…?" Blake moaned tiredly, earning the Huntress' attention. "...Everything alright…?"

"A-Ah, just thought something crawled on the bed! Nothing to worry about!" Pyrrha waved her hands.

The cat Faunus groggily blinked before falling back to sleep.

With her teammate asleep, Pyrrha quietly left the room and closed the door. She covered her mouth, feeling tears escape her eyes after the suffering of the nightmare again. It had been occuring ever since she was free from Gara's clutches, and she couldn't tell her team. She lied to them about the nightmares that stopped months ago.

'Am I...not allowed to live…?'


Remnants of Desires: After the Fall


Chapter 12: Inhuman Fear, Taunt of Status, Acceptance

Morning arrived once again as everyone was waking up for the new day. Pyrrha however couldn't get a good night's sleep after the nightmare. Her emerald eyes were slightly darker and the marks under her eyes showed she didn't get any sleep. Unlike the Greeed, she was able to have the average senses but there was still the sense of emptiness within her. That was the one thing that bothered her.

A yawn escaped her lips as she traveled towards the kitchen. Her nose twitched slightly to the smell of food being cooked and saw Enrique in the middle of making breakfast.

She heard him hum to himself quietly which she found some amusement to. She faintly recalled he tended to do that when he cooked, assuming it was for nostalgia of his time in his home world.

When he reached for another ingredient, the raven-haired Huntsman noticed her. "Morning Pyrrha."

"Morning…" she replied albeit tiredly.

"Didn't sleep well?"

"Something like that..." The nightmares had always affected her sleep but couldn't tell her friends about it. She sent a glimpse at the raven-haired swordsman who continued cooking.

With her friend busy, Pyrrha grabbed the Proto-Birth Driver from her bag and held it in her hands, feeling the Cell Medals briefly revealing around her body. The nightmare still haunts her.

The truth that she was no longer human after her death.

"Pyrrha, everything alright?" She fumbled the device, finally noticing her team leader's puzzled look as he carried the platter of food he just made for everyone.

"I-I'm fine!" She assured him.

Enrique blinked before shrugging, "Alright then. Um, can you help me set down the food onto the table?"

"O-Oh, sure." The redhead grabbed a few plates from him and assisted her team leader prepare the dining table for breakfast.

Team leader…

It made her wonder how Jaune and the others are doing. While it pains her to not contact Jaune until she and the rest of Team ENBA reunite with them, she was concerned, scared even of the reaction he would have upon seeing her.

While she knew, Enrique could contact them again, she was more scared of herself revealing to them once again. She knew it would be better to see in person, but the thought of Jaune and the others seeing her again in person? She was honestly more worried that they'd reject her… that he'd reject her. After all, she wasn't really 'Pyrrha' anymore, just a byproduct of a mad monster's experiment with life.

Her fingers curled in hesitation at the grim memories. To die in flesh and come back in clusters of medals. It was horrible to remember what he did. To be used as a battery of a Greeed for Gara's bidding.

"Morning!" The redhead jumped, the grip of the cup in her hand shattering the moment it crashed onto the floor. She saw Gamel happily entering the dining room but drooled upon seeing the food being set on the table. "Foooood!"

Just as he was about to jump, the former student of Beacon stopped him. "E-Easy Gamel. It's still being prepared." Pyrrha said, holding him back gently. "Let Enrique finish okay?"

"But food…." The gray Beast Greeed whined.

"I know, but wouldn't it taste better being with friends?" She pointed out, hoping that would entice him to finally break his early eater habits.

"Taste like?" Gamel scratched his head. "I always eat. I don't taste anything from them."

The Huntress winced at the realization. Unlike her, Gamel was a Greeed with no sense of taste or other senses. Something she was starting to sympathize.

"A-Ah, well you could eat a lot, if you are patient. Okay?"

"Aye!"

The red-head sighed with relief, able to calm him down. However the moment she recalled what he said, it shook her to her core.

Her hands trembled, "I-I… think I'll get some air…" Pyrrha murmured.

"What about breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry." She made her way out of the household.

The Beast Greeed tilted his head in confusion. Enrique carried the last plate he made and blinked. "Where's Pyrrha?"

"She went outside."


The ocean waters were calm against the shores of the island. The water brushed across the sand while the armored Greeed stared as its patience was well controlled. The raft he used previously now rebuilt as a makeshift tent to rest in. While it was a homunculus, it wouldn't require sleep but if it was to provide some preservation of its energy, then he does it so.

It felt irritated at the lack of progress of killing OOO. Its previous Yummies failed to fulfill his desires he gave each of them. Every single one met failure and disliked it.

It needed a better approach thus it made the choice to create another Yummy. Its mind sank deeper into its subconscious, distributing possible desires until something clicked. The Faunus were treated as slaves in Gara's era. The animals who were still discriminated against to this day. The fear they hold towards their fellow kin of the White Fang for their violence but also former reputation that once strived peaceful methods.

With a Cell Medal in hand, he chucked the trinket into its forehead. A black void appeared from his back, allowing a Yummy to crawl out of it.

"Taunt the ones who doubt themselves the most. Remind them what they are in this putrid world." Poseidon's yellow lenses gleamed. The Yummy bowed before leaving to satisfy its master's desire.

The Grimm Greeed silently stared at the ocean, commanding the small aquatic Grimm to swim around with tricks to ease his boredom. Each moment of defeat increased its frustration. But he had to tread carefully. His fellow kin are with OOO. Thus, improvising was necessary.

Sooner or later, he will crush that human. Rip him apart to become whole; to become a god to replace the Brothers.


The redhead stared at the ocean waters, her legs held by her arms as she watched the water move back and forth. The ocean currents nearly touched the tip of her armored feet. She hated lying to the others but she couldn't get them worried. While they have been trying to search for a way to turn her back to her human state, the question that bothered her was how long would it take for them?

"In the end - You're a monster, a tool...just like my creations, dear Nikos."

Those words in her nightmares. The images of herself never aging while her friends age. To eventually see them pass away while she lives on...

She tightened her grip around her knees at the reminder. Just how long would it take for her to be human again? Months? Years? What if they die before they have a chance? All of that clouded her mind.

She hated this. She hated this feeling in her. The void she still felt within her. She can taste food, see colors of the world around her, express real emotions, etc.

Alas, it was the feeling of freedom from the fear and status of being a homunculus. To not feel any more of this doubt but it kept haunting her - her death, the agony, being used for a malicious purpose from a mad man.

His voice and words still haunted her, as she worried this was another dream, and she'd either wake up in that lab once again, or wake up with fresh blood on her hands and her friend's bodies below her. She never wanted that to happen, to be the reason they die.

Yet she couldn't help but think that, as she was made for that purpose, to be used by Gara to not only kill Enrique and others who stand in his way, but to help make him a god.

Pyrrha still had no idea what she would be, or if it was just the core she held within her. She was grateful that Enrique, Blake, and Ankh saved her that day, otherwise she'd either be in that void again, or under Gara's influence. Right now, all she could feel was the emotional pain she had.

The Huntress hugged her legs tightly, burying her head against her knees. 'I hate it all…' Several tears slowly fell from her eyes.

"You can't escape this reality…" A chilling voice rang out. The girl quickly raised her head and saw a barrage of water heading to her direction.

The Huntress quickly rolled aside to avoid the blasts of water that were equivalent to a machine gun. Looking at the attacker responsible, she saw it was a humanoid monster described at best to be a crab. Its pitch black hide held the familiar red markings across its bone plating while the upper body held the shell of a crab. Its arms were large with being pincers while its legs held minimal plating as was the lower half of its body.

This was the Crab Grimm-Yummy.

The former Beacon Student gasped and avoided another set of water bullets. With the projectiles avoided, she quickly pulled out the Proto Birth Driver from her side. She flicked the belt around her waist and clicked it in place.

Now set, she produced a Cell Medal and said, "Henshin!" Placing the coin into the slot, she cranked the knob and allowed the armor to form onto her body. Grabbing the javelin and shield from her back, she maintained a stance.

Pyrrha raised her shield when the next barrage came and successfully blocked it. The Rider buckled against the water pressure but held on. She charged towards the Yummy as the water bullets hit her shield before thrusting her weapon into its shell. Sparks bleed off its hide and cell medals spill across the sand. Pulling her weapon back, she grimaced when its left pincer scrapped across her shoulder, the systems within her helmet informing her of damage on the shoulder plate.

She slid across the sand and raised her hand to use her Semblance. However…

"You think they can live to make you human again?" Proto-Birth paused. She heard it speak to her. "How long until age of time takes them as you live on?

She gritted her teeth under her helmet.

The Crab-Grimm Yummy took the chance to attack her, clawing at her chest before tossing her into a nearby rock. It cracked as it spit water at the girl, striking like a bullet as it continued the assault.

"You are afraid."

The taunt again made her frustrated. "Shut up!" She stopped the attack and countered it with a shield to its face. The Yummy staggered a few steps back but stopped the shield with his other pincer to stop it from piercing its neck. Pyrrha grunted, trying to push it further but she gagged when the kaijin delivered a knee to her stomach, sending another set of alarms to her systems.

"They will turn on you. See you just as they see me. They will only be afraid of you."

"They-They won't!"

"Then why don't they help you? Why do they keep you away from your old teammates? Or maybe… they already did, and just hiding the fact from you…. That they don't want you back."

"I…" She shook her head, denying it. She wanted to deny it. They wouldn't abandon her! Blake and Enrique promised her they would help her!

"What's more? You'll be replaced and forgotten… Just like how easy it was to kill you." The Yummy taunted, as it began to draw closer, ready to strike her down.

The pincers were blocked by the familiar Medajalibur, making Proto-Birth notice OOO. The fellow Kamen Rider twirled his blade around the pincer and gave a swift slash across the Yummy's dark hide, letting cell medals spill across the sand. OOO then turned to Proto-Birth.

"You okay, Pyrrha?" OOO asked as he offered his hand to her.

Proto-Birth grunted as she was pulled up by her teammate. "Y-Yeah… thanks, Enrique…" she thanked her friend.

The two focused on the Yummy who snarled in frustration. While it annoyed the kaijin, it still had to fulfill its master's desires. It inhaled before firing a gatling barrage of water at them.

"Move!" OOO ordered, forcing his teammate and himself evading the water bullets it unleashed. Each impact within the sand erupted, displaying its heavy impact.

The leader of Team ENBA had to produce an ice shield in front of him but he gritted his teeth as the ice began to shatter piece by piece. From the corner of his eye, he saw the homunculus letting out a battle cry with her javelin and shield.

"Pyrrha, wait!"

The armored redhead didn't pay attention to his call as she lunged forward, thrusting her spear before using her shield to bash at the kaijin, only for it to dodge her attacks. It fired its water bullets at her, forcing her back onto the ground as she grunted in frustration.

"No matter how long, you know you will only be alone as they die from the passing of time." The Crab Grimm-Yummy jabbed.

"SHUT UP!" She shouted, firing at the kaijin with her Cell Buster. She hated every word that came out of its mouth. Every word increased the sadness within her that she didn't want to bear. It also added more to her anger towards it.

The hybrid caught the edge of her shield, smacked it aside, and grabbed her by the neck.

"You are only a dead girl walking." It chucked her to the ice barrier, shattering it while landing on the fellow Rider as a result. The two groaned as their armors were dismissed from the damage sustained.

It hauntingly approached but Enrique grunted, reaching for his Upgraded Medajalibur and aimed. He fired relentlessly as each bullet pushed it back with medals spilling.

The Yummy was annoyed until it saw ice on the spots the bullets landed. Its eyes widened and quickly looked at the grinning teen.

"Bottoms up." He flicked his wrist, allowing his Cyrokinesis Semblance to send it over the trees and elsewhere within the island. It was silence at first but an audible thump echoed.

The male Rider breathed out in relief while his head fell back onto the sand. Moving his eyes slightly, he saw Pyrrha with her crimson hair shadowing her eyes.

"Mind getting off me before Blake asks any questions?" He asked nervously.

"Sorry…" She apologized as she did so. "Damn it… why did it have to come here?"

Enrique grunted as he sat up to move himself onto his feet. "I don't know but from what I saw, it has that Grimm Greeed's name all over it."

"I'm going after it before it can harm anyone else." Pyrrha stated, making Enrique do a double take on what he just heard.

"Woah, Pyrrha, hang on a second. We were practically thrashed around by this Grimm-Yummy. We can't just go after it like this!"

"And let it run amok? I'm not going to let it taunt me like that!" She argued.

"Taunt you? What did it say to you?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth slightly but shut it closed after remembering everything the Yummy said to her. She lowered her head and bit the inside of her cheek She walked around her team leader in growing frustration but also sadness from the hurtful words it said to her.

"Nothing… I'm going to go find it now…" Pyrrha said, denying his response as she began to walk away from him.

"But Pyrrha shouldn't we at least recuperate and plan a method to stop it?"

"I'll be fine."

Enrique wasn't sure what was wrong but something was definitely bothering Pyrrha. "Are you sure you are alri-"

"I said I'm fine!" The homunculus yelled, startling the fellow teen. "Just… Just leave me alone!"

With a shove, Pyrrha marched away from the Multi-King while choosing to take some time to rest by his insistence.

"What is wrong with Pyrrha…?" Enrique wondered in concern.


Poseidon hummed as his fingers tapped against the crimson lance. He could feel the Cell Medals multiply within him. Seems there really are individuals who are in doubt. Even doubt can cause fear. Negativity, especially fear, is what fuels his Grimm side. But his urges to kill are controlled thanks to his Greeed traits.

The one who felt doubt the most was the fellow homunculus. Recalling from Gara's memories, the red-haired girl was once a great student of the fallen Beacon Academy, slain by a woman in a crimson dress. The Mistral Champion's own ashes used to create a Core Medal - a medal that led to her return thanks to Gara's experimentation.

It was frustrated, however, by OOO's interference once again. Its shielded gaze shifted slightly to the corner, noticing his creation stumbling back and forth while removing a few ice spikes. It yelped a few times upon removal.

"Ease up. It is nothing but mere pins to deter you." Poseidon chastised. The Yummy quickly nodded in obedience and removed the last one from its collarbone. "Now go and continue what I desired you to do. This time, keep your focus on the homunculus while I handle OOO."

The Grimm-Yummy bowed and left immediately to obey the Greeed's command. The Grimm-Greeed huffed with annoyance at this troublesome development. Knowing it would lose out on taking OOO down if it didn't start at their lowest point, but even still with that knowledge, it was more troublesome than it seemed. It could only hope that with the distraction, it would be enough to finally make a dent into OOO's heart, enough for him to deal a devastating blow.

With the Yummy focused on the homunculus, this will give Poseidon the ample opportunity to fight OOO again.


Pyrrha stared at the village while mulling over the incident earlier. She would occasionally throw a pebble into the greenery across from her. Each throw was to calm herself but it didn't help much. She reminded herself of the things that had bothered her. The nightmares, the lack of sleep, the fact she would live longer than her friends.

To be a dead girl walking.

Upon grabbing the next pebble, her fingers curled into her palms, trembling and crushed the morsel into tiny rubble. She fought back the urge to allow her tears to fall.

She really was a dead girl walking…

Her ears picked up sound in which she lifted her head to see a familiar blonde-haired Greeed carrying a wrapped ice cream.

"Ankh?" She watched as the Bird Greeed plop onto the sand. Her emerald eyes watched as he unwrapped his usual ice cream to eat.

The blonde idly ate for a few good minutes, saying nothing to her. She felt uncomfortable with his silence but when she saw him finish his treat and toss the popsicle stick aside much to her inner dismay, Ankh finally spoke.

"You really think I wouldn't notice what was going on with you?" The red Greeed drawled.

"I don't know what you are talking about…"

Ankh rolled his eyes at her lie. "I'm not as blind as they are. I know you have been occupied given what you've become a year ago. I say it's time to move forward rather than mulling over that."

"It's complicated Ankh…"

"Complicated? Or is it hesitant to understand how you will feel about seeing the others again?"

The Huntress angrily stood up and somberly glared down at Ankh. "How can you understand how I feel?! You weren't human in the first place like I was!" She yelled in tears. "You never felt death embrace you! Never feel doubt of what you've become!"

Ankh was unfazed with a blank look, watching the girl release an outburst towards him. He waited until the girl stopped to breathe, her chest heaving from the outburst. When he did, he asked her, "Are you finished?"

Pyrrha paused. "Wha-What?"

"We may be homunculi but the only thing you should realize is having doubts… does show we are alive." Ankh stated, the feeling almost mutual. "In a sense… it does give us some assurance despite myself and the others seeking to fill the void." He stood up and jabbed a talon against her, almost pushing her. "You say I never felt death? I never felt doubt? Let me tell you something Nikos, for the first time - for the very first time I felt pain when I failed to protect someone 801 years ago. I truly felt something in me to the point I began to doubt what I admittedly do. So don't patronize me about pain and doubt when I know what it was like. I am saying this here, to… grr…" he hated what he was about to say. "I am doing this to help you as a fellow homunculus and… as a damn teammate of Team ENBA, you have to see that others are always there to support you. To reach out to you, regardless of what or who you are. Just as they have done for kitty cat. For that idiot. The same to me. To Gamel… and to you."

He harshly sat back down and pulled out another wrapped ice cream from his pocket and dined on it.

For once, Pyrrha was silenced by the Bird Greeed. She… didn't expect to hear such words from him.

Was he right? Do her friends still see her for who she is? Not what she is now? She wanted to believe it but...

Her thoughts were put to a halt when she felt a familiar chirp and vibration. She reached to her satchel and pulled out the Batta Candroid and noticed a familiar name appearing on the side of the can - it was from Enrique.

Pulling the tab, she allowed the Candroid to transform into its grasshopper mode. "Enrique?"

"As much as I hate it but Pyrrha, I need you to go after the Yummy for the time being! I am fighting Poseidon!" Enrique's voice said through the Candroid. "Gamel is with me to help deal with him!"

The redhead bit her lip before she nodded. "A-Alright. Be careful." She stood up but heard Ankh say, "Just remember what I said."

Pyrrha took a few steps ahead but not before stopping to glance at Ankh who remained seated against the palm tree. She lowered her head and rushed ahead to locate the Yummy.


The redhead traversed across the village docks and skidded to a halt upon seeing the Crab-Grimm Yummy relentlessly hurting a Faunus, both verbally and physically.

Her nails dug into her palms, watching the Yummy mercilessly hurt the Faunus. She took a step forward but she was reminded of the taunting words the Yummy gloated to her. She furiously shook her head and focused; she had to stop the Yummy here and now.

Grabbing the Birth Driver from her person, she wrapped the belt around her waist. With the belt clicked in place, she summoned a Cell Medal from her palm. "Henshin!"

She placed the coin into the slot, cranking the knob until it opened with a pop. Pieces of the armor appeared and latched onto her body until it fully covered her in the Proto-Birth armor. With her Semblance, she forced the Yummy hybrid away from the Faunus and stood protectively. "Go, I'll handle this." She insisted.

The Faunus painfully nodded before managing to move and leave Proto-Birth to face the kaijin. She took deep breaths underneath her helmet and allowed her gaze to harden.

"Do the doubts linger within you?" The Crab Grimm-Yummy parroted ominously.

Pyrrha stayed silent as she rushed forward, using her spear and shield to start attacking and chipping at the Yummy's hide as it dropped cell medals in tow as she did her best to try and ignore its tauntings.

With the shield used to defend herself, she blocked its barrage and pushed onward until she jumped and slammed her leg across its shell. It spun around by the hit which allowed Proto-Birth to thrust her javelin and caused the beast to spill several more Medals.

"You stay silent, to try and ignore me. But you know as well as I do, that won't do anything." The Crab-Grimm Yummy mocked, catching the next thrust. Proto-Birth gasped before she felt it bash her helmet, disorienting the systems of her suit.

Using the shield, the former Invincible Girl planned to block its next assault but felt the water slam into her ankle, forcing her to kneel on one knee. The action sent a wave of terror as the familiar memory flashed within her mind. The time Cinder killed her by disabling her by the very spot.

"Doesn't this ring a bell? The moment you thought you'd triumph over a false maiden, only for this to happen and for you to die?"

Proto-Birth desperately tried to stop its attack but the water bullets pelted her armor. The systems already warning her of the damage it was sustaining and any more would cause an immediate dismissal.

"The feeling of your ankle being pierced, the arrow to your chest? The instant blackness from the heat? It's all still with you, because you never did come back, only to return as a doll."

She gripped her lance but her whole form trembled.

"You will only live on. Don't you get it? Just a simple homunculus who is a dead girl walking."

The Yummy's claws struck Proto-Birth across the chest, leading her to roll across the ground and struggle to stand back up. She coughed and whimpered quietly to the bitter memories of her death. Her pain.

"Face it! Just like the Grimm, like the Yummies you slain, you are only a monster! Your life is unending all thanks to Master Poseidon's creator!"

Proto-Birth's armored fingers curled into the dirt at the reminder. At first the fear rose but it was immediately squashed by the reminder of her friends. The promise they made for her. Ankh's words. She stood by them and not once have they ever questioned her status as a homunculus, only to seek a method to help her return to her human state. They were willing to go above and beyond to do so.

"I… I don't care anymore…" Proto-Birth finally spoke, slowly moving herself onto her feet. "Does it matter what I am now? Who brought me back?"

"You are merely-"

Proto-Birth cut the Yummy off, stopping it from speaking. "I know who I am!" She barked with determination. "I may no longer be human...but, my friends are continuing to find that method to restore me. If I outlive them before that happens..." She picked up and gripped her weapons tightly. "Then I won't let those memories die! I'll live on, for their sake!"

The female Rider propelled herself to the Yummy in alarming speed much to the Lobster Yummy's shock.

"Do you really think you will keep those ideals?!" The Yummy was about to use its pincer but Proto-Birth backhanded it and struck it across its body. "You lost against a fake Maiden with your life erased! What makes you think you are worthy to stand with your so-called team against us?"

"Those ideals will stay with me to the very end! I won't ever make the same mistakes! I will correct them and accept it!" More medals bleed off the Yummy much to its ire.

It used its pincers to stop her javelin but the edge of her shield was bashed against the carapace. It was embedded inside much to its horror. With her Semblance, the shield returned to her hand and threw it again into its chest.

Each toss pushed the monster back until it finally pinned it to the tree. It struggled to move, unable to free itself.

The armored redhead then spun the Birth Driver to activate the execution. "This time… I won't doubt myself anymore!"

CELL BURST!

She tossed aside her javelin and leaped forward with one leg tucked in and the other extended. When the Rider Kick landed against the Yummy, it pierced through and made the Yummy explode in a ball of flames while Cell Medals rained down. The tree it was pinned against fell as Proto-Birth landed on her feet, breathing.

"Pyrrha!" Seeing OOO arrive at the area, she noticed him witnessing the fight was already over and Yummy gone.

"Pyrrha…?" The armored Rider noticed the area and leftover medals. "You… wow…" He never thought to see the aftermath of her fight.

"It's...quite the scene, isn't it?" Proto-Birth breathed albeit with slight embarrassment. "I...had to vent my frustrations against the Yummy. What about you? Did Poseidon retreat?"

OOO massaged his wrist and said, "He wasn't holding back. I was just glad Gamel helped me drive the Grimm Greeed away."

"That's good…"

"Did something happen?"

The fellow rider lowered her head, grasping her arm. "Can… Can we talk in the residence?"

"Okay?"


With the apparent fight against the Yummy already over, Pyrrha wanted to talk to me and Blake privately. Ghira gladly allowed them to use his office (and to make sure Sun didn't eavesdrop like before).

"Pyrrha...what exactly do you want to talk to us about?" Blake asked carefully.

The redhead rider took a deep breath. "I… wasn't truthful to you guys… about the recovery…"

"Pyrrha, what happened?" Enrique queried.

"The nightmares…"

This shocked the couple. "Pyrrha, you could have told us-" Blake started but her teammate cut her off and said, "And let you guys continue to grow more worried? I just… I just couldn't fathom the fact of what happened to me. What Gara tried to do to me…"

"Oh…"

"I wanted the nightmares to stop, every day…" Pyrrha held her arms around herself. "Every night being reminded of what I am. Unable to feel whole like the Greeed… to be seen as a monster… I just couldn't bear it…"

"Pyrrha, we never knew." The two thought their support would help Pyrrha but she kept a facade in order to not let them be more concerned for her wellbeing.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be truthful…" The redhead Huntress felt ashamed but she couldn't bring the courage to admit she still experienced nightmares. "I am scared… afraid of how the years would pass, seeing you all age while I… can't."

She released a shuddering breath and slowly raised her head to make eye contact with the duo. She wanted to ask them. She doesn't want to let this fear linger in her anymore.

"Will you guys be there for me? Regardless what happens in the years to come?"

"We're your friends, Pyrrha. No matter what, we'll always stand by you till the end." The raven-haired Faunus smiled. "All of us will. We will fulfill that promise of restoring you to your human state, no matter how long it takes."

Pyrrha's eyes welled in tears before smiling and cried. It wasn't from sadness but happiness. A moment of acceptance after being in fear of who she was for the past year.

"Blake… Enrique… thank you so much." She smiled in tears.

"Come on, let's go back and tell the others about this and assure them." Enrique replied. "No doubt they must be worried."

The redhead nodded, rubbing away her tears.


Poseidon roared, striking the trees around him, a few boulders cleaved in half by his rage. He sensed his Yummy defeated by the hands of OOO's partner. The Yummy may have allowed him to gain Cell Medals through the connection, it didn't change the fact he lost another spawn! To a fellow homunculus no less!

Poseidon breathed but grunted, clutching his helmet to the whispers in his consciousness. It wasn't his Grimm traits that would have given him the urge to kill, it was that damn voice from before. Trying to get him to obey like the other Grimm she had under her thrall.

There was no way in hell he would submit to the witch. She was dealing with forces stronger than she may think. He was born from negativity and desires. The other Grimm? They spawn from the darkness of the world. Greeed were created with the emptiness in their 'hearts'. Him? He felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. No soul yet felt that sense of emptiness that had to be fulfilled.

Using his Black Core Medals, he repelled the voices and no longer heard it in his mind. The Grimm Greeed looked at his armored fingers and curled them.

He will get what he wants one way or another. No matter how many bodies he leaves behind.


Pyrrha rested comfortably in the end. She no longer felt fear in her sleep. She felt the doubt lifted from her shoulders, the sadness no longer consuming her emotions.

To accept who she is now; to never doubt what she is anymore. People like Blake, Enrique, Sun, and others who care about her regardless of her current status as a homunculus.

No longer someone called The Invincible Girl, just a woman named Pyrrha Nikos. A former student of Beacon. A member of Team ENBA.

"At last, the void in your heart is gone."

Wait, who said that? She felt confusion. The back of her mind beckoned her to open her eyes. When she did, it was the black void she had seen in her dreams and yet she briefly noticed specks fluttering. Then, her feet felt something on the ground. Looking down, she saw orange leaves. Like those of the autumn season. Now she realized what was fluttering around her - they were leaves.

"Don't be alarmed." Again, the female voice was trying to calm her. Pyrrha felt her back shudder and looked back. Her eyes nearly bulged in surprise to who she saw. The familiar woman from Beacon. The very same girl who Cinder killed to steal the other half of the powers of the Fall Maiden.

"You...aren't you-"

It was Amber.

"Yes, I'm the former Fall Maiden that you saw before I...got killed." Amber stated sadly, rubbing her arm of the reminders.

"H-How?"

"Do you… remember the machine?"

"Yes. Ironwood mentioned it-" Pyrrha stopped in realization. "A-A part of your Aura is…"

"Yes. A fragment of my Aura has transferred onto you...before that girl took it all away." Amber rested her hand on the spot Cinder delivered the fatal blow. "But...I never expected myself to still exist...wherever this is."

"A-Ah right," Despite the autumn leaves, they were in the black void. The depths of the consciousness harbored by the Core Medal. If a Maiden's power managed to exist here...then Amber's existence isn't truly gone. "Why show yourself in front of me?"

"I watched everything. What that… man did." From being used as a battery for a temporary Greeed, being transformed into something inhuman. Then, having to endure painful memories, doubts, the fear of being outcast as a monster. "What you endured...shouldn't be done to anyone."

"Then what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"I'll give you my power. It's not the actual Maiden power, but...the power will be in a form that man called OOO is familiar with."

"A Core Medal," Pyrrha realized.

"Use it to stop people like that girl or even that man. I believe that OOO will use the Maiden's power in a new way...unlike any of us has ever seen."

"But how?"

The echo of the late Maiden raised her hand and the last remnants of the magic gathered into her palm. Pyrrha gasped to the manifested object in Amber's hand.

A Core Medal.

"It may not be as powerful as the one who stole the power, but it will help you should you stand against her once more."

The former student of Beacon was astonished. The echo of the Maiden was using the last sliver of magic that remained to create it for her. A sign of conquering her doubts and placing her faith in her friends. With the realization, Pyrrha's eyes became filled with determination. "I understand."

Amber smiled before she was enveloped in light and the medal remained in the air despite the maiden now gone. The redhead saw the Medal hovered towards her. She cupped her hands together, seeing the medal now on her palms. It held a crimson color with the image shaped as a leaf but in reality had the design of fiery wings while the rims and symbol were a golden color.

A new core medal that will appear within her.

The light shined the darkness of the void, changing it into a white color as the autumn leaves spun around her. "Thank you." The redhead whispered before the light consumed her.


The redhead tiredly sat up, rubbing her eyes and noticed the sun had barely risen. Looking over the other bed, she saw Blake was still asleep. Getting herself off the bed, she left the room and towards the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.

Brushing a strand of her hair to the back of her ear, she found no changes to her appearance whatsoever. However within herself, she felt the essence of a Core Medal. Not of her own but the Medal that was granted to her by the remnants of magic the late Maiden bestowed her.

Pyrrha focused on the Core energy within her. Her soul reached the new Medal within her artificial body, tapping deeper into the power of the Medal.

It felt foreign at first but felt her own Core connect to the second medal she gained by the echo of the late Maiden. She felt a sudden surge of power before it dimmed when she controlled it.

The moment the process was complete, Pyrrha felt a part of her gain power. However it was special.

Pyrrha Nikos slowly opened her eyes, revealing her emerald orbs hold small yet noticeable flickers of green ember.


CURRENT MEDALS:

Blazing: Taka (x2), Kujaku (x1), Condor (x1)

Scorching: Lion (x1), Tora (x2), Cheetah (x1)

Strongest: Kuwagata (x1), Kamakiri (x1), Batta (x1)

Legendary: Kobura (x1), Kame (x1), Wani (x1)

Water: Shachi (x1), Tako (x1), Unagi (x1)

Gravity: Sai (x3), Gorilla (x1), Zou (x2)

Invincible: Ptera (x1), Tricera (x1), Tyranno (x1)

Ultimate King: Super Taka (x1), Super Tora (x1), Super Batta (x1)


(NEXT TIME)

Yang frowned, fully facing her little sister the moment she brought up the mention of the Multi-King. "He chose to go with Blake. The rest of us all thought he died. You thought the same until he called us after how long? After a year?"

Uva kneeled down, his fingers brushing against the tracks. While there were obviously four sets of tracks, the fifth was something he didn't expect.

"I often asked myself what I did wrong… but seeing that, I realized why he was sad whenever he looked at me."

Next Time: Alone Together, Answers, Bonds


A/N: With that completes the 12th chapter to this story! Woohoo! Man, to publish this chapter felt great you know and to finally be back made it all the more better. To this chapter, I wanted to provide a chapter that solely revolved around one of the characters so they can have their chance to shine in the spotlight with development. With Pyrrha, being able to accept herself after what happened to her as well as moving forward. Plus that Core Medal is a special one but can't spoil what it is exactly, you just have to guess.

Now to talk about the future of my other stories, I will be updating them after completing because… I have completed all the other chapters to this story! That's right folks, I have finished the rest of the chapters but it is being looked over by a beta-reader who I want to thank for helping me out with this as well as providing some assistance. As to things regarding the other stories, I would like to state them here that will be underlined below:

The story Final Fantasy: The Lost Warrior will be delayed due to the upcoming expansion Endwalker coming on November 23rd (19th if you preordered it which I did). And I will be publishing another Final Fantasy story in that same month as well called Reincarnated Journey (do feel free to check out the poll on my profile).

Some of my Kamen Rider stories will be updated AFTER this story is finished so remember that, alright? Okay, with everything now said and done, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to leave a review, favorite and follow this story! Stay in the shadows everyone and look forward to the next chapter next Monday!