Chapter 6: The Moment You've All Been Waiting For
Taylor
The loading zone to Beacon was filled with students, a color palette of hair and outfits.
A girl with bubble-gum pink hair and tawny skin walked by with a bladed rocket launcher. A boy with a pale green mohawk had two daggers on his belt, each with colored revolver cylinders instead of guards. Another girl, bald, wore a yellow dress that blushed orange. The staff in her hand was taller than her, and obviously a rifle halfway down.
The people certainly matched the… aesthetics of the city. The weapons were just as diverse.
Too many people to spread my bugs out stealthily, so I dispersed all but enough to watch the perimeter. Best not to let groups of bugs be noticed after they were out of my range; too suspicious.
I gave my bags over to one of the airship's personnel. They would be delivered to my locker until I either got a room or failed.
The amount that some of the other students brought was concerning. We hadn't taken the initiation yet, and they were ready to move in.
One girl had a decadent trolley filled with suitcases and trunks, all marked with a snowflake logo with pointed arrows protruding from it.
The same logo that was on the trunks the White Fang had stolen. A brand of Dust?
Coco and I had passed by Dust shops, and the weapons shop readily sold Dust ammo and Dust infused weapons. The strange material was much more available than I had thought.
If it was possible for a first-year to stockpile so much, then why had the White Fang gone to the trouble of stealing it? Unless they needed enough to bring down the whole city.
Another question on the mountain of others led me to stay clear of everyone and board the airship. The faster I was seated, the faster I could search Remnant's internet equivalent for information.
The smaller ships like the ones I had taken to Beacon were called Bullheads. This ship was at least ten times larger, a whale compared to a dolphin.
The inside was lined with windows and leather couches, and it even had a viewing patio for passengers. The Dragonfly had nothing on Remnant's air transport, at least in terms of comfort—I doubted this ship had weapons.
I took a seat in the far corner, careful of my bruised ribs, brought out my scroll, and began the search.
Firstly, Grimm. Since the start of recorded history on Remnant, they had slaughtered people indiscriminately.
Worst of all, negative emotions attracted them, directed them toward people already in trouble or feeling bad. Remnant was like a planet of empathic Nilbog creations let loose.
I shuddered away from the thought.
No known origin or knowledge of how they spawned. They didn't eat, breathe, or sleep. All they did was wander around, attacking any humans or civilization they came across.
The older the Grimm the more powerful and intelligent it became. Some Grimm seemed to actively avoid conflict with people. It was speculated that it was because they knew that attacking humans would lead to them being hunted in turn.
I disagreed. They were probably smart enough to wait for times when they could do the most damage to humans to attack. An empath power that told them when to strike; when it would do the most damage.
It was the same thing the Endbringers did.
Having an enemy that was unequivocally evil was nice, in a twisted way. There was no need to doubt if fighting them was wrong.
Grimm took the form of animals and mythological creatures; not ones from Remnant, but from Earth Bet. There were many of the same animals here, but the variety among the species was almost non-existent. There were tigers, but not the subspecies of Bengal, Siberian, and… There were more, but I had never cared to look into the subject.
Now, I never could. The thought left me… hollow.
As for the monsters of myth, there were chimeras, manticores, griffins, and more.
There were a lot of odd coincidences I'd seen so far. They didn't have the same fairy tales and fables that spawned some of these creatures, yet they were identical to their depiction in the stories I'd read.
More students piled in, either eager with excitement or nerve-racked.
Anxiety slid into my gut. Winslow and getting outed had been my last experience like this, being among students as a student. The few Ward's school trips I'd gone on didn't count.
Regardless, the feeling was more of a memory, an instinctive reaction I had forgotten. It was something so trivial, yet it held.
I tried to bury the sensation with research.
A broad overview of Remnant's world history left me staring blankly at the screen.
Mankind discovered Dust, which let them fight off the Grimm long enough to build cities. Faunus appeared at some point but were discriminated against just for looking different. Some things were universal, even in different universes.
Four kingdoms were established as bastions of safety from the Grimm, although many villages still remained outside the kingdoms, which were spread out incredibly far from one another, some on the other side of the planet from each other.
Then, the 'Great War' happened.
Mistral had banned or restricted arts and freedom of expression in an attempt to control the emotions of their citizens, as a preventative measure against the Grimm.
Then, Mistral and Mantle joined together when an island colony of Vale and Mistral began to fight for the land. The fighting caused Vale and Vacuo to ally together, leading to a two on two war between all the kingdoms of the world.
A peace treaty led to the creation of the Vytal Festival, where all the kingdoms come together to compete in battle and celebrate each kingdom's cultures.
That was it, world peace from one war. Remnant's population was a fraction of what Earth Bet's was, due to the Grimm. The war had taken the lives of an estimated twenty million over decades.
The losses would have been bad for Earth Bet, but on Remnant, the amount was devastating.
Next came the Faunus Rights Revolution, after humanity tried to make a permanent internment camp for all Faunus on Menagerie, a small island continent in the corner of the world.
A name for a collection of animals kept in captivity for exhibition. They weren't even attempting to be subtle.
I sighed in frustration; whether at the situation, or human nature in general, I wasn't sure.
After years of fighting, the Faunus were able to prevent the extradition of all Faunus to Menagerie, but many had already been relocated there, creating a small kingdom for Faunus.
Discrimination against Faunus had led to the creation of the White Fang, an organization meant to fight for equal rights for Faunus. However, in the last several years, they had turned away from peaceful protest after a new leader was named, and had since become an extremist group for Faunus rights. At least, that was the narrative being heavily pushed by the media. That said, the list of incidents bearing their name didn't paint a pretty picture.
Of course I would get involved with an international terrorist group right out of the gate.
The dates were different, the continents, and there was no noticeable point from where history had diverged from Earth Bet's, or even Aleph's. Yet, they spoke English—which they called 'Common'. Then, there were places like the kingdom of Mistral, which seemed heavily influenced by Eastern Asian architecture and culture, while the town of Argus, just north of Mistral, was more Grecian or Roman.
Three students walked toward me from the corner of my eye; tension built in my muscles as I pointedly ignored them. They started chatting about the view out the window behind me.
I was out of my element. I felt like I was going down memory lane in a bad way, my mind jumping to old interactions.
It was ridiculous. There would never be another Emma for me. There couldn't be. No one knew anything about me. Besides, I was better at hurting me than anyone else now.
The thought of being isolated like I had been still left me cold. You never truly get over your trigger event, but it had been a long time since I had thought about it.
"—string of Dust thefts," a male voice cut through my thoughts. Dust theft? "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa." Holographic screens had been playing a schedule for the students but must have switched to the news at some point.
Roman Torchwick. The chainsaw wielding White Fang member had mentioned the name.
I searched his name and a fat criminal record dropped under it. Most notably, his confirmed involvement in the string of Dust robberies in Vale.
An accomplice with the White Fang?
Roman's pictures showed a black bowler cap over his light orange hair.
The only reason that a human-hating organization like the White Fang would partner up with a human criminal like Torchwick would be for his connections or expertise for some kind of undertaking—probably the Dust theft since it was outside the White Fang's modus operandi.
Or maybe Roman was secretly a Faunus? It wasn't unlikely that some Faunus would disguise themselves.
I wondered what they were building toward with all that Dust…
My nails dug into my palm, hard enough that I almost crushed my new scroll.
No hunting criminals, no dealing with terrorist organizations. That's not why I'm here. Leave it to the authorities.
A hologram of Goodwitch interrupted the ongoing news program, and the students crowded around to listen.
From their whispers and comments, Goodwitch was apparently a famous and popular Huntress.
There was a chipper tone in Goodwitch's voice that I suspected she only put on for the recording. She talked about Beacon and how we were going to learn to fight against evil and protect the kingdoms and more.
I let out a sigh of relief as bugs entered my power's range. Never the same without them.
The airship landed, and I moved to be one of the first ones out. Best not to get distracted or interrupted by the other students when I had barely gotten into what I wanted to look up.
The doors opened with a gentle swoosh, and a blond boy in a black hoodie pushed by and barfed into a garbage can.
He wore heavy white armor plates over his hoodie, with a longsword sheathed in a thick white metal sheath hung on two crossed belts; a student.
Apparently, Aura users could still be affected by airsickness.
I went straight to the auditorium where the students were to gather.
While the cafeteria had been unexpectedly large, the auditorium was grand. It was styled like a giant circular antechamber, with empty bleachers surrounding a space below. The walls had arched engravings in the style of stained-glass windows, with circles within circles making up the stone-colored decoration. A large half-circle stage sat as the focal point of the room, curving to the floor in an arc lined with sky-blue light instead of drop-off. The back of the stage was a towering monolith with pillar designs made from a tan brown carved into the stone. The same sky-blue lights as the stage were built along the sides of the structure.
There were no chairs set up, so I took a spot closer to the stage and leaned against the wall. I started on articles on Vale's history, its customs, and its attractions.
I didn't want to accidentally challenge someone to a duel or propose because of how I raised my fork.
Outside the school grounds, I began my other project: a den to house my swarm.
The wasteland around Beacon was barren beyond the occasional rock grouping. No one had any reason to go there or focus on it.
My ants began to tunnel, hidden behind a few boulders. Eventually, I'd have a giant underground terrarium, close enough to keep an eye on but far enough to not be easily discovered.
Students began to file in, and a mic was brought on stage by a woman with flaming red hair peppered with white and gray. Her features were sharp, eyes beady, and she seemed to swoop across the stage rather than walk. She left without a word or acknowledgement.
After around a half-hour, the chandelier lights dimmed, and Ozpin took the stage.
The crowd hushed in awe and maybe even reverence. Ozpin was the headmaster of one of the most famous institutions in the world, probably the second most famous after Atlas from what I had searched.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was a household name
I needed to do more research on him.
"I'll... keep this brief." His tone was somber, eyes lost looking somewhere else. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose—direction." Oh? Interesting. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." No introduction, no lead-up, but I nodded along.
Beacon could teach us all it could, but the knowledge itself wouldn't tell us how to use it; that was something we had to decide.
I respected the purpose behind the speech. It wasn't motivational or the welcoming drivel Goodwitch's hologram had spewed out on the airship. It was advice for those who could find the meaning in the words, as well as a way to set the tone for what was expected of the students.
Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone while Ozpin left.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." Now that was the no-nonsense Goodwitch I had met.
I waited until the rest of the students had dispersed before I headed to the library.
If the auditorium was grand, the library was just showing off.
It was easily six times the size of the auditorium, with a ceiling seventy feet high. Bookshelves climbed around thirty feet up the walls, seemingly going through the floor of a second-story balcony section that ran along the room's perimeter. The middle was a massive space filled with white tables for student use. Tall windows loomed over everything. Thin banners wafted from the ceiling, each at least twenty-five feet long but nowhere close to the ground.
There must have been millions of books, their covers like dots of color that made up a painting.
Maybe school wouldn't be so bad after all?
A black-haired clerk politely cleared her throat to grab my attention.
"It is quite the awe-inspiring sight when you first see it." She gave a warm smile. "And also, such a huge pain to keep orderly." The mask fell, the smile fake. Now there was only hard, cold steel. "So, follow the rules of the library." There was an unspoken 'or else.' Then the false warmth was back. "If you need anything, ask a clerk or use the terminals throughout the library if you are looking for reports on a certain topic or a specific book," she said, gesturing to a blue screened terminal just beside the counter she sat behind.
I gave her a stiff nod. Was everyone on Remnant oddly eccentric? Peter, Peach, now a librarian who might be a secret Miss Trunchbull?
With a quick terminal search, I discovered that Braille existed here. Another few searches pointed me toward my goals: a book on Dust applications, one on Aura, and another about cybernetic prosthetic limbs titled 'How to Arm Yourself', which made me groan.
I signed them out using my scroll, without making eye contact with the clerk, and left.
The gardens were busy with students sightseeing, but a section of trees in the shade and off the path was hidden, free, and too out-of-the-way for passersby.
A small group of my swarm met me as I laid the books on the ground. My bugs traced along the bumps of Braille while I researched Huntsmen on my scroll.
Reading multiple things at once was a lot like trying to hold multiple conversations at the same time. I'd worked out how to do it during my time in the Wards, but it was still difficult. I would only focus on words if something of interest came up, but it was a lot like skimming through text.
The process was slow-going, and I couldn't keep it up for long periods without getting a headache.
A certain passage on Aura caught my attention. Aura also affected a person passively, but actively having it out enhanced all its benefits, which included healing.
I brought out my Aura and fought to maintain it. Once I was confident the gray glow was holding, I tried to continue reading, but my Aura slipped away. Something to practice.
After a couple of hours, I made a trip to the cafeteria for an early dinner. The other students were still wandering, so it was mostly empty.
I ate more than I thought I would: apparently a consequence of Aura usage. I needed to read ahead in that book to see if it also helped with metabolism, since everyone here ate so much but still had the physique of Olympic athletes that were also models.
After I finished, I retreated back to my isolated grove of trees and continued reading.
Aura had always existed on Remnant, and could either be unlocked by another person, or by a stressful situation… I wasn't sure which one it was for me. Two bullets might count as stressful—even if I had asked for them, in a way—but was it just being on Remnant that unlocked it? Was it something to do with the planet itself, like some world-based Trump effect that gave out powers?
Too many things were taken for granted on Remnant. The only explanation for Aura was that it was a 'person's soul'.
At least there were no reports that Aura caused changes to someone's personality, so I wouldn't have to worry about that for now.
An announcement echoed throughout the school for new students to make their way to the ballroom for the night.
Bugs worked and moved quickly when they used the most direct path. They had finished a chamber, large enough that I was worried it might collapse without some kind of reinforcement if I dug it out more.
They started on another while I dropped off my library books and grabbed 'Howling at the Moon' from my locker.
I also changed into my pajamas, a simple white long-sleeved shirt with black pajama pants decorated with butterflies. Glenn would have chuckled… I hoped he survived.
Beacon continued to amaze; the ballroom was like a deeper toned version of the ballroom from Cinderella, decked out with burgundy and gold rather than pink and blue.
Curved staircases led to long balconies while the windows were draped with rich red curtains.
Beacon must be making a lot of money to be able to maintain the splendor of its buildings, or even just to have a room like this built at all.
I was one of the later students to arrive. The other students quietly chatted or were still getting ready, but most had settled into sleep.
I grabbed one of the sleeping bags the school had left for new students and glanced around.
The room was lit dimly by candles on the walls. It was enough to be able to walk but not enough to read. My scroll had a light, but I couldn't hold it and read with one arm easily or comfortably.
The only nearby light source that didn't require me to tiptoe over sleeping bodies was a lit candelabra at the side of the room.
A girl was already sitting near it, reading. Her hair was similar to mine, though straighter, cut into bangs, and topped with a little black bow. A simple black robe lined with purple made up her nightwear. Yellow eyes highlighted with eyeliner wings of faded blue against pale skin darted along the page.
"Do you mind if I share your light?" I asked when close.
She finished the line she was on, sparing a glance for only a moment, before she gestured for me to sit.
Indifference sat lazily on her face, but she was obviously engrossed in the book given how quickly she dove back into it.
There was a pillar to the left of the table that the candelabra sat on. Using the sleeping bag as a cushion, I sat down, my book planted on bent knees, and began to read.
Simple actions took planning now. How to move or position objects and myself with only one arm. I didn't mind, it was just something to get used to.
After a chapter of reading, I realized I hadn't grabbed a bookmark. I glanced around for anything available and caught the girl beside me eyeing my book.
Our eyes met before hers darted away, a small flush on her face.
"Sorry. I noticed you were reading 'Howling at the Moon'. It's one of my favorites," she said.
"It is? I just got it today, but haven't heard about it beyond the book store clerk's recommendation, so it's nice to know that it has at least one good review."
"Blake." She held out her right hand.
I draped my book over a leg to keep my place and held out my left hand, wagging my stump so she would notice. "Taylor."
Her eyes widened and flush reddened. She quickly switched hands to shake mine.
We both returned to reading, in silent companionship from the shared joy of stories.
Only to be interrupted by a long "Hellooooooooo," being sung, accompanied by a sharp gasp.
A wide smiled, buxom, blonde girl with lilac eyes and a heavy mane of sunny hair dragged a shorter girl with hair that went from black at the roots to crimson at the tips by the arm toward us.
The blonde wore black short shorts and an orange tank top with a logo like flames on the front that revealed her midriff and toned muscles.
Her unwilling companion had a sleeping mask, a black tank top with a pink heart-faced dog on the front, and white pajama pants with a rose pattern. She looked younger than everyone here, maybe fourteen or fifteen compared to the standard seventeen of the first-years.
The blonde waved excitedly at Blake, who seemed more interested in going back to reading.
The red-haired girl was locked on me, stunned to the point of being oblivious to everything around her. Her eyes were silver, clear and pure.
Had this girl never seen an amputee or something?
"I believe you two may know each other," the blonde said confidently to Blake while gesturing to the younger girl.
"Aren't you that girl who exploded?" asked Blake, which raised some questions.
The blonde looked to her companion, then to me with confusion.
"Can I help you?" I asked, hoping to stop whatever staring match had apparently started.
"Uh, Ruby?" the blonde asked.
Wait, Ruby?
The younger girl let out a little sniffle, her lips quivering slightly as small tears gently fell from her face. Ruby's face seemed to scrunch up in emotion. I didn't get the chance to think as she let out a sob before she dive-tackled me into an embrace.
"You're okay!" Ruby cried out and hugged me to the ground.
I let out a coughed gasp from the impact as Ruby began muttering on top of me.
"Oh! You're okay! I was so worried! I went to the hospital but they told me you had left, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should look for you or anything. I wasn't sure if you read the card to even know about us! The card was Yang's fault by the way. I-would-have-made-another-one-but-Dad-said-that-we-would-use-it-anyway-because-we-fought. Iwasscaredthatyouhaddisappearedandsomethinghadhappenedtoyouagain." Her words went from a mile a minute to lightspeed.
"Wait. This is the girl from the hospital?" the blonde girl said in disbelief, her face peeking from behind Ruby's head.
"Can I get up?" I said to the roof of the ballroom.
"Oh! Sorry!" I felt the weight on me vanish and a wave of wafting rose petals took its place. When I sat back up, Ruby was already standing beside the blonde girl. "I was just really relieved. I know I haven't actually met you before, and I don't even know your name. But after I found you and everything that happened, I visited you a couple times in the hospital. And then you disappeared, but now you're here. And then I saw you and—"
"Ruby!" the blonde girl interrupted.
"Uh yeah. Um, I'm Ruby Rose, and I'm glad you're alive."
What was this? "Uh, you're welcome? From what you said, you were the one who found me and got me to the hospital?"
Blake glanced between us with raised eyebrows, obviously wondering about the events we were talking about.
"Um, yeah, that's right," Ruby said shyly.
My gut squirmed and my thoughts went hazy. Resentment, confusion, thankfulness, and a whole host of other feelings waged war.
She had saved me, from a death I asked for. My ending stolen.
Now I was trapped, never to see my friends or Dad again.
All because this kid had to be a good Samaritan.
But I'd also gotten a chance to learn to do better—to do things right.
A savior that I could only begrudgingly thank. An anger that wasn't for her clawed and lashed about.
Ruby did nothing wrong. I gripped that thought, using it to stifle my bitter rage.
She'd saved the life of a total stranger and felt responsible enough, or maybe was just too damn caring, to visit that person, even give them a card.
My swarm vented for me, letting me keep my mask on.
How do you reconcile asking to die and then living?
"Thank you, Ruby. You saved my life," I forced out quickly to avoid any silence. I sounded honest; I didn't know if I was.
Had Ruby been the one to discover me because she was the type of person who would have helped me? Or was there another reason? Another step in some Path?
Ruby blushed and looked at her feet, wiping tears on her wrist. "It-it was nothing really. I did what anyone would do."
"It wasn't nothing, Ruby. You heard her. You saved her life. Be proud of that," the blonde said warmly. "I know I am." The blonde picked Ruby up by the waist and gave her a squeezing hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister."
They were sisters? Were genetics that diverse on Remnant or were they adopted siblings?
Ruby struggled in her grip but didn't really commit to it. "Not now, Yang, let me go!" She let out a few sniffles between gasps of air.
"What in the world is going on over here! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!" a voice snapped.
A pale girl with hair like snow that draped down below her butt had marched over to Yang. She wore a pale blue nightdress with frilled edges around the collar and sleeves, the color of ice, like her eyes. A visible scar ran straight and clean over her left eye.
"Ugh, not you again! We're celebrating over here, so buzz off, buzzkill," Yang stated with ire.
"Then celebrate elsewhere, you brute! You're disturbing everyone here with your horseplay."
"Uh, Yang, she's right. People are trying to sleep," Ruby said.
The new girl crinkled her nose when she noticed Ruby. "I should have known that this brute would have been an associate of yours."
I wasn't sure if this was real. Some cartoon villain of a stuck-up princess came up to play the role of teacher instead of asking for one. If she had asked politely instead of all this, she would have gotten her way.
I memorized my page, stood up, and snapped my book shut between Yang and the princess.
Both reared back from the sharp clap.
I caught the eyes of the white-haired girl and felt… annoyed and tired. Disappointed too? I couldn't believe I was dealing with some two-bit school bully.
"W-what is it?" There was hesitation where privilege had been.
"They've stopped, so please stop wasting our time and go to bed."
She stuttered a gasp at my 'audacity'.
"My name is Taylor by the way. It was nice to meet you. And thank you again for everything," I said to Ruby and Yang, my back now turned to dismiss the white-haired girl.
"Yes, um, nice to meet you—again, I guess. But you weren't awake… so I guess this is the first time…" Ruby said awkwardly.
"Oh yeah, forgot the intros. Name's Yang. Nice ta meet you too."
"Excuse me. How dare you just ignore me!"
"Quiet," I said. "There are people trying to sleep." Yang let out a sharp laugh. "Goodnight." I nodded to them, then Blake, before gathering my sleeping bag to find a spot for the night.
I could feel the haughty girl fuming behind me.
She had better not become an issue. There were more important things to focus on than dealing with a high school bully, of all things.
Ruby
Holy. Moly.
Taylor was here.
I was so worried when she had disappeared. No one knew if whoever had shot her had found her or had taken her away!
But not only was she okay, she was at Beacon!
The rush of relief gave way to excitement.
There were just so many questions!
What happened? Why'd she disappear? How'd she end up at Beacon?
She must have been some kind of Huntress in-training. I had found her in a full suit of weird and kinda scary body armor… but I had to unlock her Aura so that couldn't be it…
Unless she was some kind of spy or—my eyes bulged—A SECRET AGENT.
I fought back a squeal and looked around to make sure no one had noticed me.
Mysterious costume, equipment, who had just been brutally attacked by villains. Now, with the bad guys knowing her identity, she came out of the shadows to become a Huntress!
Well, probably not, but it would be so cool if that was it.
I was just so glad that Taylor was okay.
Not only that, but it meant I had one more person I knew at Beacon. That's plus one friend… Okay, plus one acquaintance.
That would make things so much easier. I wouldn't have to worry about not knowing anyone besides Yang, yells-a-lot, Jaune, or… We hadn't talked to the other girl! That had been the whole point of going over there!
No! Gotta focus on the positives. Taylor was a new potential friend. With Yang and Jaune, that meant we had enough people for a team, so I wouldn't have to work with some stranger and probably make myself look like an idiot.
First, I had to get to know Taylor more. We could talk about how I watched her sleep at the hospital—wait, no, creepy. There was us meeting at Beacon! Where I tackled her out of nowhere and made a huge fool of myself… Something else then. Um, how about how we met—nope, that was worse. The memory of all the blood still made me shiver.
ARGH!
I threw my hands up in frustration.
Why is talking to people so hard!
I started crying right off the bat too!
Stupid. Stupid.
Taylor seemed… nice, at least. Kind of scary... Her expression never seemed to change either… Except for that look of disappointment mixed with scolding, with a dash of death glare. It did make that Weiss-girl clam up, which was pretty funny.
Well, it didn't matter. She was at Beacon, so it had all worked out.
We'd get to learn to be heroes together.
Chapter 6 End
Author Notes:
Praise be to Juff, ccstat, Majigah, and Breakingamber for their help going over this.
I don't want to jump off canon without reason, so the derail will be slow, but it will happen. It'll just be based on Taylor's actions, thus the butterflies will need some time to start knocking over dominoes. By Volume 2, canon is dead. I… I don't think any of the canon events from Vol 2 actually occur, and the same for everything else onward. Maybe some things, but none of the major events.
This one got spruced up and became more exposition, but I think it feels more in-character and without a lot of the useless stuff.
From this chapter to chapter 10 should be the only canon events that are gone over. After that, basically, all canon events don't happen.
