The Pledge

For the sake of this world… for what remains, for what is left… I have no choice… We have no time, no way out… except for this one. I… bid all of you farewell… perhaps for just now, perhaps forever… Holy Grails, grant my wish… Mahapralaya!

Ozpin

Tick, tick, tick, tick. Ozpin was quiet as he watched her work, this diligent woman, the legendary nurse. Just looking at the grave injuries her companions had sustained, even he would have written off their cases as hopeless. The chance of their survival low, nevermind getting back into any shape fit for combat. This woman apparently saw very differently.

Already she was onto the one she'd identified as Robin Hood, who was honestly the least injured of her four patients, and the last to be treated. She'd already collected several jars with contaminants in them, something she'd called 'The Beast's Poison', which she'd extracted from the little boy and the 'Master', but not from the mechanical man known as Avicebron. She was currently extracting this same poison from Robin when she spoke.

"Ozpin, when will this 'James' arrive?" she questioned, turning towards him even as she held up a syringe filled with that same purple gunk she'd been drawing out of her patients.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he responded. "Likely within a few hours… by the way, are you not certain that you yourself have this 'poison' inside you?" he questioned, taking a moment to sit down on a stool.

"I certainly do, but it will not stop me. I have several ways to purge myself of these poisons, and to make certain that it does not fall into anyone's hands, once I have extracted it from my patients, I will then take them into myself, before purging them. It will require a limited release of my Noble Phantasm, but that is a small price," she explained… the Noble Phantasm, something he'd only heard of from the Brother Gods, neither of whom had apparently possessed one of these legendary abilities. A 'conceptualization' of a legend.

"When you do perform this purge, would you be alright to having a small audience. Myself at least." he asked, genuinely intrigued, and Nightingale just nodded towards him, before emptying the syringe into yet another jar before going back to work on Robin.

While she worked, Ozpin's mind turned towards what he knew of the legends… Chaldea was a legend so old that the fantasy of it was astounding. A facility, more advanced than anything anyone had Remnant had ever dreamed of, filled with figures from throughout the history of an entire previous world, whom held powers that made the mightiest of hunters, himself, Salem, and perhaps even the Brother Gods, look like mere children. Given that one of those figures, 'Arjuna' the Progenitor Deity, was the creator of Remnant, well that alone spoke to the tale's validity.

And now before him were five of these legendary heroes. Florence Nightingale, a nurse who could cure any illness, stop any battle, so headstrong that nothing would stand between her and healing, saving lives. Even at great cost to herself. Hans Christan Andersen, the 'Author of Legend', who's vaguely defined ability of 'creating a story just for you', which apparently translated into him turning however incited his interest into a god amongst men, so long as the interest of held… perhaps god wasn't entirely correct. He'd been told the tale of the Demonic Bodhisattva, the woman who'd used this legendary author's abilities, against his will, to ascend to a 'True Demon', and because of the unwillingness, she had not become a god, but she ended up something far worse. An Evil of Humanity.

Robin Hood, the May King, the Trap Maker. He, who could fell entire armies on his own, or at least enough of an army as to make it maybe half its original strength in an afternoon, all without firing a shot. It was hard to believe, but he was clearly a hunter. The wounds spoke so, and the vast array of tools now lining the desk beside his bed told a story of a man who would accomplish whatever he wanted to, through whatever means necessary. The amount of poisons, deadly weapons, crossbow bolts, and magical artifacts on his person were… astounding to say the least.

Then there was Avicebron, the golem maker. He wasn't sure what he would be capable of, or if these golems could stand up to the robots of Atlas, but he'd heard the legend of Adam at least, Avicebron's ultimate golem, which had been summoned many times to do battle with foes that made the largest of grimm look like dogs in comparison to size. Something that large would easily be a fearsome golem indeed… but all of them paled in comparison to the tales of the boy who laid in that one bed, an entire section of the hospital wing dedicated to him and him alone… with guard from several people he'd been able to call up on short notice, just in case Salem had gotten wind of his mere existence.

Gudao Fujimaru. The Master of Chaldea. The boy who commanded all these legendary heroes, summoned them from beyond the veil of death, gained their trust, earned their loyalty. A boy who'd accomplished what Salem had spent so long getting no closer to accomplishing, that being the slaying of gods, within an afternoon. And not just one, but several deities, including a God from another world, another star… Zeus. His very body radiated with magical energy that actually dwarfed his own, and when he'd asked Nightngale about it, all she had given was 'He is no Human anymore', and let it be… The boy who'd traveled through time, shattered it, repaired it, faced down foes who not only had the drive to, but the ability to unmake the world, and win… With allies at his back to be sure, but still, it spoke volumes of this boy's legend.

Part of him wondered if he'd be able to start recreating that army of heroes once more.

But he was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of the doors to the medical wing opening, looking to the side, he saw James walking in, with Glynda at his side, just as Nightingale was finishing up the extraction of more poison from the system of Robin, James spoke up.

"Ozpin," he started, before looking at the beds of the three unconscious Servants, and then towards the room that held Gudao… "I understand you needed prosthetics on short notice, but I'm a general, not a doctor. What's this actually about?"

"I had hoped to keep this as quiet as possible James, given that we are currently in the presence of some people who've more than earned our aid, even if you've never heard of them," Ozpin responded, before taking another sip of his coffee.

James hesitated before asking "And who are they?"

"Why, the last of the Chaldeans, including their commander,"

At that James had a rather wide eyed expression. Ozpin raised an eyebrow, he hadn't expected James to have any knowledge of just who their guests were… perhaps Atlas had some secrets up their sleeves he wondered.

Then Nightingale spoke up, "You have heard of us general," she stated, so bluntly, so matter of fact, that it was perhaps something James couldn't ignore. It was an order from the Little War Office to explain himself.

James straightened his tie before speaking. "Yes… very little I assure you, but Atlas has some… experience with Chaldean technology," he admitted, and Nightingale suddenly drooped her mood seeming to darken.

"Ah… so you found the remains of the original Chaldea," she muttered softly, before James sighed.

"It wasn't exactly anything special, just a crate with the emblem on it, with more advanced encryption than anything else we have. The crate only contained some journals, heavily faded, and a few strange crystals, rainbow crystals," he said. Ozpin just raised an eyebrow at this, how long age had this happened?

"When did you find this crate?" Nightingale asked, and James sighed.

"While normally that would be classified… this crate was found during the war a hundred years ago, and only opened recently, a few months ago." the general admitted, and that seemed to satisfy Nightingale, who started gathering up the jars full of 'Beast Poison'.

"If you want to see the validity of who this woman is James, I suggest you follow," Ozpin said as he stood up, following after the nurse as she went outside, James and Glynda following as Nightingale went for a small courtyard… Ozpin was rather glad that there weren't any students on campus at the moment, and he'd shut the security cameras off for the moment, for secrecy's sake.

He saw James' expression turn to confusion, and then shock as Nightingale started opening the jars… before downing their contents one by one, all twelve of them before she fell to her knees, gripping herself in pain. Before James could head towards her, Ozpin grabbed his arm, just watching as the woman smashed her fist into the stood, leaving a sizable crack in it, much to their collective shock as she stood up, eyes glowing as she threw up one hand.

"Nightingale Pledge!"

All three of them watched as the ghostly nurse formed behind her, encompassing a large portion of the courtyard and raising a massive sword about her head. It was like some sort of judging deity… yet it was peaceful, serene, and the woman standing before the nurse was glowing brightly… before the ghost swung her gavel of choice, a single stroke downward into the stone of Beacon… and everything suddenly felt… better.

James was looking on in awe, and Glynda taking a step back in shock as Ozpin watched the surroundings. The very stone she had punched was being fixed, the trees, often targets of dumped coffee or other harmful liquids, just seemed to grow greener. Everything with the gaze of the nurse became healthier. Cracks were mended, sicknesses were healed… it was so peaceful that he doubted that if he wanted to, he could have fought in that moment. This was a Noble Phantasm… the Nightingale Pledge.

A zone of absolute peace and health.

When it faded, Nightingale simply cracked her neck, and then her knuckles, the wounds she'd had covering her, the marks in her dress, all gone, and she was ready to get right back to work. She walked towards James, before looking him dead in the eyes. "I will provide measurements, and you to will provide replacement limbs for them, to the exact specifications I require, understood General."

James had no room to disagree. "Yes Ma'am," he responded, and she went right past them and back into the medical wing, leaving the three of them there, alone, to ponder what magic of what they had just witnessed. "Ozpin… what was that?"

"That James, was a Noble Phantasm. Burn it into your mind, because I don't know when we shall see it again… that was a legend of eld, of a time before the gods. Now do you understand just how important this is?" Ozpin asked, and James just nodded.

"And this is the legend of a Nurse? I dread to think of the legends of those compatriots of hers…" Gylnda admitted, perhaps a little bit shaken by what she had just witness. Ozpin didn't share with her why she'd done so… after all, Gylnda would have given him both barrels of gunblade if he'd told her that Nightingale had done that to purge a poison so deadly it would have likely killed anyone else in an instant.

James had this far off look in his eyes, and Ozpin didn't call him on it, just let the general contemplate what he'd just witnessed… and likely just how important that find of a single crate had been.

It was a few moments later that James finally spoke. "What are you going to do Oz?"

He pondered that for a second… technically his mission had merely been to greet the Chaldean remnants, and provide them aid. He was doing that, but what about afterwards? Would they be willing to help him fight against Salem? It felt… wrong to even think about that, given that they'd already fought battles that made his eternal war with Salem seem so small in comparison. To ask these heroes, these legends, to attempt to solve his problem for him? Or to get involved in yet another conflict mere hours after their previous one?

Ozpin would not lie, he'd fallen far in recent times, perhaps in a lot farther than he anticipated or expected. But doing that to them? No, he would let them make their choice to help in their battles. They deserved their rest. "I'm going to let them rest and recover. They've earned it, what they do beyond that is their choice?"

"Is that wise Oz?" James asked back, the military man trying to appeal to his pragmatic size. "What if they decide to-" Ozpin raised his hand, before huffing.

"Hell would freeze over before these individuals would side with her. Afterall, they fought to the very end to save a world that had already been destroyed, why would they aid in trying to end our own?" he pointed out, and James quieted down, before nodding, and as they were speaking, Nightingale came back out of medical wing.

"General," she said, before holding up a notepad to him. "This is what I require for their treatment, and I request that you bring that crate as well, with all of the contents inside that you had found still inside it."

James just nodded, taking the notepad before looking it over himself, before putting it inside his back pocket, leading Ozpin to speak up. "I assume you have some understanding of what it is that was inside the crate?" Then he took another sip of his coffee.

"No, but that can be determined when the crate is brought here." Nightingale provided, before turning away and heading back towards the medical wing… and then she stopped, and looked up towards the sky.

Ozpin followed her gaze, as did Gylnda and James, and what they saw was the night sky, but Ozpin saw further, following the nurse's gaze exactly, towards a singular point… towards a single star, floating alone in the night sky. The nurse muttered something under her breath, before turning her head, and walking away once more… but Ozpin kept his focus on that lone star.

For a single moment, he thought that it grew brighter, that single blue star, before dimming once more. He turned away himself, back towards the nurse who was about to enter the hospital wing, her head lowered, before she vanished inside.

"I'll be in my office. It was nice to see you again James," Ozpin said, holding out his hand, James taking a second to shake it before nodding, and walking away to head back to Atlas, Gylnda followed Ozpin, the pair heading towards his office as he dwelled upon the mysteries of the past day.

"Ozpin, what was that?" Glynda asked, and Ozpin just turned his head away, before taking a sip of his coffee. "Don't ignore more Ozpin, I asked you a very important question."

"Something that I fear we will learn about soon enough, but perhaps it will be for the better," he started, before Glynda's scroll started going off. She pulled it up, before sighing, and putting it away.

"Request for support at From Dust to Dawn, there's been a break in," she explained, and Ozpin just nodded, allowing Gynlda to break off to head out on her own, she was still a registered huntress with a duty to perform.

Heading to the elevator, he pressed the button for the top floor, and then stood there, waiting as the elevator slowly ascended Beacon tower. He finally let out a sigh, before shaking his head. Sometimes things just couldn't be simple, and with Chaldea involved, it was looking like nothing would ever remain simple… And to think, only a single member of it was up and moving.

If they could cause this much chaos while unconscious, then they would be something to be wary of indeed.

?

It had taken them long enough… thirty-thousand years was not a short amount of time to wait… but it was time well spent to be quite honest. She'd given her all before, and now it would be great to once more see him…

Hmm, perhaps she had gone insane, no longer did her patron scream for her… then again she had taken its place long ago… so too had the Key overtaken the Dreamer, the artist overtaken the deep one… soon she would awaken once more…

She wondered if the little wanderer, or the painter would join them… the Wanderer had perished long ago, and the Painter had let themselves sleep until needed once more… perhaps now those final three would wake.

A familiar sound came from behind her, and she didn't even need to turn to face the arrival. The Key was the only one capable of reaching her now, afterall.

"You felt it as well,"

"Why would I not, infact, the Nurse, for the briefest of moments, seemed to have noticed my presence, just simply watching."

"As expected of her, the dutiful nurse. She should be strong enough to grasp it."

"I doubt that Silver… but I do not believe there is a place for us as we are now."

"Hmm, you assume that 'now' is what matters, that time even has meaning-"

"It has meaning only in the abstract 'how long' since that day,"

"...that is the only meaning that time has, true."

"So what will you do?"

"I came to ask you a question, Lonely, Longing Star."

"You have my attention."

"A fragment, a piece, what we are now my never return, a piece of what we once were,"

"Hmm, you intend to tie pieces of our past to him?"

"Would that not work?"

"The only thing that would not, is what you do not believe in, after all, you can go anywhere, anywhen."

"That is an undeniable truth, but places do not accept my presence, that fragile world would crumble under my full weight."

"That to would be true as well… very well, this Lone Star shall give you what you ask… do you intend to get a piece of her?"

"I do intent to remove her from that world before she wakes, precaution. Her 'father' is far less stable than her, so a mere fragment of her must suffice."

"She will be so sad."

"She was when it was all over, she will be when she wakes up, and then she shall be glad for this beautiful day on the world we once called our own, that she can even share the experience of it."

"Then will they be there as well?"

"That shall be my secret to keep… but you will know soon enough."

"Well then, I shall leave it be… I intend to gaze some more, will you join me?"

"Just for a little while."

"Thank you Silver."

"Thank not me, Thank us both, for time has been kind to us, our minds still our own."

"In a sense."

"Truth… but I did find that other thing I sought,"

"Trying to draw me away from my gazing?"

"My fragment is already off, so finally reuniting with she who I have sought for so long will be a second gift this day of days… and this time, you will be able to unite with someone."

"A tempting offer… I believe I accept."

And in that moment, where there were two presences, inhuman, incomprehensible, in the vast darkness of space, in the next moment, both were gone, bound for a different place. Deep beneath the oceans of Remnant, a dreamer, about to awaken, was removed and replaced, in that moment many things changed, and many things stayed the same. And some, would never be the same, on this day of days.

The day where a Girl with Silver Eyes, fought a man robbing a dust shop, so seemingly insignificant, yet too important all the same.