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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth

Chapter 3: The Harvester

~Audio Playback: Inside the Combat Academies of Remnant: tv special, Beacon Edition~

"Welcome back to our deep dive into the combat academies of Remnant as we continue our journey through these prestigious institutions, we come now our interview with the headmaster. Today we are interviewing Headmaster Ozpin. The distinguished head of Beacon Academy, the most revered combat school on the planet. Headmaster, my viewers would like to know why Beacon is far more revered than the other academies."

"Well, the reason for that would have to be our exceptional staff and facilities. We hire only the best and offer only the best for our students."

"Interesting, now-"

~skip~

"This has been a most enlightening interview headmaster, but one of the most asked questions people have is, who was your most memorable student?"

"Well… that's a difficult question… My best student in recent years would have to be a young woman by the name of Summer Rose. She-"

"Pardon my interruption, headmaster, but I didn't ask for your best student. I asked for your most memorable."

"Right…"

"Something wrong headmaster?"

"No… no. It just… my most memorable student. He came to Beacon many years ago. According to his transcripts, he was neither exceptional, nor exemplary; He was actually quite average, almost painfully so."

"If he was so average, why did you let him in?"

"Because his transcripts could not have been more wrong. He was simply… extraordinary. He was never ranked the best in his classes, but he was no slouch in combat. He just wasn't a fighter. However, I have not had a more brilliant strategist and tactician than him. Just speaking with him showed me that he was a tactical genius."

"I assume there is more than just tactics and strategy at play here. After all, a good strategist doesn't necessarily mean that a student will be memorable."

"Of course. He was odd from the beginning. Prior to his initiation, he didn't interact with his peers. The only person I ever saw him interact with before he was initiated was his younger brother. After initiation though, he changed. It was like a switch had been flipped. It would be rare to see him not interacting with someone in the school, be they student or faculty. I was the only person he seemed to actively avoid."

"Any reason why?"

"Not particularly. He just didn't like me that much."

"Is that why he's the most memorable?"

"No, plenty of students who come through Beacon have hated me for one reason or another. No, he's the most memorable because, going back to an earlier question, he is the main reason for Beacon producing such exemplary Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Ok… I don't quite understand…"

"It's simple, Beacon only accepts the best. We have talent scouts to find the best or those with the greatest potential, all because of him. We bring in more students of increasing potential and skill because I don't want him to be my most memorable student."

"Interesting… with the other headmasters, their most memorable student was a student who was either someone they were close to, a paragon of good, or the like. With yours, it almost sounds like you wish you could forget him."

"No, I don't want to forget him. I agree with my history professor on this, but those who don't study history are doomed to repeat it. I don't want a repeat of him. You see, he is my most memorable student because… he is the only student I regret admitting into Beacon."

~End Playback~

The recording ended and the lights brightened. The tv special had long since been lost to the annals of media history. However, it was not completely destroyed. Snippets of the specials still existed. A great example being the audio playback that the doctor had just heard. He had been listening to these for some time now. The key to was in the recordings, but none of them gave a name. This one though, this one interview was the lynchpin in everything.

Who was Ozpin's regret?

It was a title he had first heard attributed to a name of prominence many years ago, but for the life of him, he could not remember the name it was attributed to. Of course, he had some suspects, but suspicion was not enough. He needed proof. He needed concrete facts. He needed to know who the leader of the Sanguine Pyre was.

"I'll find you one day." He muttered to no one in particular. "I will heal the disease you inflicted upon Remnant."

The doctor breathed in deeply. The sweet scent of herbs and spices filled his nostrils as he inhaled. The mask and robe did a pretty good job hiding his identity… not that it really mattered anyway. The only real distinguishing mark that could easily pick him out in a crowd was his mask. And his old injuries. AND Augustus, a dust crystal construct that looked like a hawk. It was animated, and it perched on the shelf behind him. He was good at animating dust. Though, the construct's movements were quite stilted.

He reached up and stroked the head of the construct and allowed himself to get lost in the memories.

The "disgraced" Doctor Julius Morbosus Harvester was quite well known across Remnant. An outstanding surgeon, an innovative dust alchemist, and infamous serial killer. Remnant didn't know him as Doctor Julius Morbosus Harvester, Ph.D. Remnant knew him as Doc Harvester, the Organ Bandit. An infamous serial killer known for carving out the organs of his victims for his diabolical experiments.

He was exemplary in med school. Dust alchemy was just a hobby, at first. Then he discovered and patented gravity dust. All of the sudden, this one random doctoral student was launched to international stardom. His hobby became his life and what he wanted his life to be became a hobby. He was still a medical doctor, but he was a dust alchemist first. He had a medical license, but his pursuits focused on dust.

Unlocking his aura and discovering his semblance certainly helped with his pursuits. Little things like laws didn't. Science waits for no man, as such, neither would Doctor Harvester. The dust alchemist medical doctor took his dust experiments to new heights. Dust experimentation on human/faunus beings wasn't strictly illegal… of course, the law assumed those beings were cadavers at the time. No, Doctor Harvester began to make a name for himself by experimenting on the organs of still living people. It didn't matter if they were willing or not, such experimentation was prohibited. The medical community saw the experimentation as a violation of basic ethical and moral laws. As such, Doctor Harvester had his medical license revoked and was sentenced to a twenty-year prison sentence.

However, science waits for no man, or laws… or walls. Within three months of imprisonment, Harvester escaped by faking his death. Everyone believed him dead; paperwork was just easier that way. Thus, he fled Atlas and hid in the wilds beyond the kingdoms, slowly making his way to Vale.

It was there that he discovered the existence of the Sanguine Pyre. At first it was nothing more than rumor mongering and little oddities in people's behavior. A lot of investigation led to the discovery of the shadow government. And with its discovery, the good doctor found a disease he needed to cure.

However, the Sanguine Pyre was so entrenched in Valean society that it would take years to remove them. During that time, Harvester continued in his dust experimentation. His name was removed from history as the discoverer of gravity dust, but he didn't care. He was making a name for himself.

Vale, and the rest of Remnant came to learn of a serial killer who focused on stealing the organs of his victims. There were only a couple things that anyone was able to determine about this new killer. The first was that he must have some medical training, as the organs were removed with surgical precision. The second was that he must have an unlocked aura, there was no distinction for him. He chose everyone. Civilians, Huntsmen, Huntresses, criminals, innocents, police officers, members of the Pyre, etc. There was no discrimination, and there was no evidence of the killer.

People came to call him Doc Harvester after the dead and disgraced doctor who experimented on living people. Although, this time, he was actually harvesting organs.

While this took place above, Julius continued his experiments in his safehouse. Dust alchemy can produce amazing results. Combine dust with blood just alters things further. It didn't matter who he killed, only that they had blood for him to take. With it, he created a few more unique dust types. However, since the world rejected him, he would not be sharing these discoveries just yet.

Of his unique dust creations, three made him more proud than any other. One was a red and blue colored crystal that he called blood dust. A combination of blood, water dust, and earth dust. With it, an extremely potent healing solution was formed. So potent was it that activating the dust could literally create living flesh.

Second was a brighter glowing red crystal that Doc Harvester called inferno dust. The Doc once said that inferno dust burns with the rage of a dying star. In reality, he wasn't all that far off. The inferno dust actually could burn with the heat of a supernova. As such, it was incredibly dangerous, and Doc Harvester only used it in special cases. An extremely low powered pulse of aura into the crystal would produce a flame that burned three thousand times hotter than the average fire dust crystal.

The final crystal he created was the one he was most proud… even if it was an accident and not quite perfect yet. The crystal actually came about from his semblance. Doctor Julius Harvester's semblance lends itself really well to dust alchemy. His semblance allowed him to grow dust crystals on his body and manipulate the dust crystal as if it were one of his limbs or an extension of his will. Any type of dust he comes into contact with he can assimilate and grow a crystal of it on command, even the new crystals he creates. The only drawback is that his crystals tend to be less stable than a naturally occurring crystal… well they were anyway.

The accident occurred when he tried to fuse an unstable inferno crystal with an unstable blood crystal. The resulting explosion destroyed his lab burned much of his flesh away. Only the quick application of a blood crystal kept him from dying. The newly fused dust crystal glowed in shades of red and yellow. It looked like a small flame. Of course, Doc Harvester had no clue what it did, and he only had one willing test subject. Himself. Using his diminishing aura, He activated the dust crystal and experienced more pain in the seconds to follow than he ever would in the rest of his life.

The power contained within the crystal tore through the lab, destroying pretty much everything, including Doc Harvester. The inferno burned everything, melting the flesh from his bones and trying to burn his bones. The blood stitched him back together just as fast. All in all, it was a loop of pain, burning and repair. Despite the pain, he could feel his life stabilizing. Crystalline structures began forming on his limbs and the pain began to abate. With inferno having diminished, Doc Harvester was able to take in the results of his experiment.

The lab was gone. No doubt he would need a new safehouse, authorities would be gathering soon enough. The changes to his body were far more interesting. The flesh on his arm had changed. In place of skin and muscles was a turquoise crystal. The bone was visible underneath and because of his semblance, he could move the crystal as if it were his flesh. Removing his shirt, he was able to see that the crystal had become more than just his arm. Patches of his body had been replaced by the crystal.

Hearing the pounding coming from the door to his lab brought him from his observations. Thinking quickly, he packed up the newly created crystal, donned his shirt and fled through the back entrance to his underground lab. He had another safehouse in the city that he was able to reach.

It was on his way to his second safehouse that he discovered another change caused by the incident. A majority of his head had been crystallized. His eyes were starkly different in color than the rest of the crystal that made up his skull. Honestly, he looked more like a construct than a person. It was just the first change.

Overtime, he came to learn that the crystals that formed his body were, in essence, variable dust crystals. Their base form had no element assigned to it, but with an application of his semblance, they would change to whatever element he chose. He also learned that his heart was entirely crystallized into a blood dust crystal. Another ability he gained was a rapid healing, with a caveat. The flesh that healed would be knit back together with the crystals that now made up a good chunk of his body. These odd side effects of his new form became the answer to one of the most intriguing problems in the medical community. Over time, Doc Harvester came to see that his body would not age. In essence, Doc Harvester had defeated death.

Augustus was also a product of this dust. He created a large crystal of it and spent a relatively not so insignificant portion of his time carving it to like a bird. Injecting his semblance into the construct, he animated and had a constant construct companion for his crusade. He named it Augustus; his name set a precedent that he was determined to follow.

Ascertaining that it would not be conducive to his experiments for people to see a partially crystallized man, Doc Harvester set about disguising it. Deciding that the name would become the identity, he began to create an outfit that would serve him well. In a matter of days, he had created an outfit and Doc Harvester became a demented plague doctor.

The crystal however, the effect it had on him was not unique. The crystal would burn old flesh and rebuild it anew, but it wasn't perfect. About half the time it would create a human/faunus crystal construct hybrid, like him, the other fifty percent of the time it would be a perfect recreation of the original body. He called this dust the phoenix's reflection, the dust of immortality… possibly. The two possible forms determined if you would live forever or not.

Doc Harvester gave name to the two different possibilities. If the flames decided that you would be rebuilt as your original form, you would continue living with a slightly lengthened lifespan. He named this form the imperfect reflection. If, however, the cleansing fires of the phoenix decided that you should transcend the feeble body that humans and faunus were cursed with, you would be rebuilt as a crystalline human/faunus construct. He called this form the perfect reflection.

The memories faded as Doctor Julius Harvester inhaled the scent of the herbs stored in the beak of his mask. That was nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. Since that time, the name Julius Morbosus Harvester had been struck from the history books and he was no longer accredited with the creation of gravity dust. No, history had been rewritten to imply that gravity dust was a naturally occurring crystal. Because of course, who would want a homicidal madman attributed to one of the greatest discoveries of modern times? Apparently, nobody.

Not that it mattered. Remnant would come to know him when he cured the planet, but first, he needed some more test subjects. And maybe this time would be different. The Pyre was still entrenched in the kingdom, but less people for the Pyre wasn't a bad thing.

With a whistle, Augustus flew and perched on Julius's shoulder. Together, he left the room and disappeared into the night.

Doc Harvester would strike again.

…/…

"Excellent, now to guide the flame, just push it forwards. Will it to move beyond your hands."

With much struggling, a tiny spark flew from Amber's hand. It was very little. If it were to hit someone, they would barely notice. To Agreus however, it was a sign of progress. After having to break his promise of training her a few days ago, Agreus decided that he would devote a few days to teaching Amber her powers. She was finding it difficult to guide the flame. She could summon it just fine. The problem was that she struggled to keep it under her control.

Amber's struggling was beginning to frustrate her. They had been training for eight hours today with only a tiny spark that had flown from her hand to show for it. That was nothing compared to what her dad could do, and it was frustrating. The sound of clapping drew her attention. Agreus was clapping, and he looked excited. It was incredibly rare for anything to make her father this happy.

"That was excellent!" Agreus exclaimed.

"Excellent?" Amber asked in disbelief. "I barely conjured a spark."

"I know, but you were able to conjure it beyond your hands. You're already well ahead of where I was when I began training." Agreus explained.

"What?" Amber asked.

"Amber, when I first started training, I had to learn to keep the flame from hurting me. It took me nearly two years before I was able to even begin learning to guide my fire. Most of that time was spent just keeping it from hurting me." Agreus explained.

Agreus looked toward the door as he heard it close. Jeremiah was standing there, looking quite grave. Behind him was black haired woman with a white cloak and silver eyes. Next to her was an orange haired man with a bowler hat, white coat and an ungodly amount of eyeliner. The man and the woman were glaring at each other. Both of them wore a pyre ring. The woman as a clasp for her cloak and the man just a normal ring.

"Hey, why don't we continue this later. You should take a break, ok?" Agreus told his daughter.

Amber, recognizing the situation, nodded and walked out of the room. When the door closed, Agreus sat down behind his desk and motioned his guests to sit as well. Jeremiah remained standing but the man and woman sat.

"Summer, Roman a pleasure, as always." Agreus greeted.

"Sir." Summer greeted politely.

"Boss man." Roman greeted, in an oddly cordial style.

"Roman, where's your ward?" Agreus asked.

"Neo is unable to be here today." Roman answered. "She's keeping an eye on our most recent acquisition."

"Fair enough. Now, I assume that you are here for more than just a courtesy call." Agreus responded.

"Yes."

"Yep."

"Absolutely."

"You too Jeremiah?" Agreus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jeremiah nodded.

"Alright. Roman, you first. What is your report?" Agreus asked.

"Well, I heard through the grapevine that you recently played host a she devil and her two lackeys." Roman began.

"Yes." Agreus responded.

"And you denied her request for help from the pyre." Roman continued.

"Is there a point to this, Torchwick?" Summer asked.

"Yes, there is Rosy." Torchwick replied. "I'm just confirming with the director that he actually met with a she devil."

"I did, now please get to your point, Roman." Agreus answered while Summer just glared at Roman.

"Well, she and her lackeys are trying to recruit me." Roman finished.

"And?" Agreus prodded.

"I wasn't sure what to do." Roman replied with a shrug. "Told them I'd think of it. They expect an answer tomorrow."

"When did you meet with them?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yesterday." Roman answered.

"If you met with them yesterday, then why didn't you speak with the higher ups yesterday?!" Summer asked.

"Summer, please calm down. I can see that you're on edge, but for right now, let Roman continue." Agreus said.

"Sorry, sir." Summer answered, turning her head away from Roman.

"To answer your question, Summer, my brother was training his daughter yesterday and Roman did bring it up with me. I decided that father daughter bonding time took a higher precedence than this." Jeremiah said.

Agreus turned to the window, lost in thought. It would not do if Cinder managed to get his hands on one of his most trusted… on the other hand, it would be nice to have a spy in Salem's ranks.

"Boss?" Roman asked.

"Accept their terms." Agreus answered.

"What?" Roman asked dumbly.

"Agree, but ensure they never find out that you are one of the higher-ranking members of the Pyre." Agreus repeated.

"Boss, you know I don't where my Pyre ring except when I'm in this building, right?" Roman asked.

"Actually, I didn't know that. But it is good information for the future." Agreus stated. "If that is all, Roman, you are dismissed."

"Alright. See ya boss man." Roman said as he walked out of the building.

"I don't like him." Summer muttered as Roman made his exit.

"I know, Summer. Now, what has you on edge?" Agreus said.

"Other than the fact you wanted to meet with Taiyang after I returned, I was attacked." Summer responded.

"Attacked?" Jeremiah asked.

"Assassin." Agreus stated. "Same one as last time?"

"Yes." Summer answered. "He seemed surprised that I still lived. Any information on him?"

Agreus turned to the computer and began typing. The sound of a notification was heard. For a brief second, Jeremiah and Summer saw a rare genuine smile of relief on Agreus's face before he schooled his features. The clacking of the keyboard and clicking of the mouse were that could be heard as he opened a file. Agreus turned the monitor around and the man who attacked Summer appeared on screen.

"Tyrian Callows, scorpion faunus with a sadistic streak a mile long." Agreus answered. "It is believed he suffers from a very dangerous psychosis. That being said, he is a trained killer, assassin and wanted by all four kingdoms." Agreus explained.

"That looks like him all right. Any reason why she'd want me dead?" Summer asked.

"She?" Agreus and Jeremiah looked at each other confused.

"Yes, she. When we met again, before he tried to fight me, I heard him say that Lady Salem would not be pleased. He seemed to grow more dangerous at the thought of disappointing her." Summer explained.

"Interesting." Agreus said. "He sounds like he's devoted to her almost to the point of fanaticism. Did the antivenom work?"

"Wonderfully." Summer stated. "It almost sounds like a repeat of the time I met the Pyre."

"Except without me." Agreus said as the memories began to flow.

It was nearly seven years ago by now. Summer was on a simple search and destroy mission. Some rowdy Grimm were causing problems to a small settlement west of Patch. On her way back, she encountered a scorpion faunus with orders to kill her. The fight was going in Summer's favor until the scorpion revealed his stinger and stabbed Summer, injecting the lethal venom into her veins.

She would have died had it not been for Agreus Blackflame. He had been woefully lost. That's what he told her afterwards, and as she got to know him, she realized he hadn't been lying. Agreus Blackflame has a terrible sense of direction. Is it any wonder he never goes anywhere alone? Any entourage that follows him is not a protection detail, it's a navigation detail.

Agreus's semblance allowed him to drive off the assassin. Normally, Tyrian Callows would have stuck around and watched Summer die. Then again, a black fire that erupts and burns nothing, but you would drive off most people… and Summer was still dying to the poison in her system.

Agreus, after driving her off was able to get Summer to a hospital that a weak Summer pointed him too. The hospital staff, with some encouragement, were able to save Summer, and Agreus met Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long, and an adorably young Ruby Rose. Upon finding out that Agreus had saved her mom, Ruby gave Agreus a bullet of impressive caliber. It was a bit of a shock to find a child so young that was enamored with weapons, but he wouldn't question it. Agreus accepted the bullet from the child with a thanks and proceeded to talk with Taiyang and a recovering Summer.

Summer and Taiyang believed they owed Agreus a debt. A debt he wouldn't truly acknowledge but was more than willing to cash in. They made a deal that they would join the Pyre for one year and the debt would be paid. Seven years later, Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose were two of the highest ranked members of the Sanguine Pyre. They were so highly regarded that they were a part of the miniscule group of six that made up Agreus Blackflame's inner circle.

At first, they were resistant to the Pyre. Even now, they still disagreed with some of the Pyre's methods and hires. It took some time, but Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long came to agree with the Pyre's end goal. A peaceful Remnant. Summer was just thankful that Agreus never asked her to be an executioner. She had asked Jeremiah about it once and Jeremiah had said that the Pyre had different people for different jobs. It would be folly for warriors of Taiyang's and Summer's caliber to be used as assassins.

Nevertheless, after being hired, the Pyre focused on developing an antivenom to Tyrian Callows. The MO of the assassin generally involved death by lethal injection.

"Summer?" Agreus said snapping his fingers in front of Summer's face.

Summer snapped back to reality.

"Sorry." She said with a sheepish smile.

"It's no problem." Agreus waved off her apology. "Now, as I said, I believe that Salem is after you because you have silver eyes."

"But the silver eyed warriors are just a myth. We don't have any special powers." Summer said.

"I know that, but we both know that just because something is a legend, that doesn't necessarily mean it's false. If she will order your death because of a legend, then she must believe that it is a fact. As such, we should take the necessary precautions." Agreus said.

"What should we do then?" Summer asked.

"The Pyre has been trying to expand its reach for a good few years now, but we haven't been able to infiltrate the other kingdoms… is Patch an ally?" Agreus asked.

"Yes. We were able to, finally, convince the local government that the Sanguine Pyre isn't the ultimate evil that the other kingdoms promote it as." Summer said.

"Excellent. Then the Pyre can protect its citizens. I wish to establish Patch as a jumping point to the rest of Remnant. I want to put you or someone you trust absolutely to run the branch." Agreus explained.

"So, what does that mean for my family?" Summer asked.

"It means that the Pyre can protect its own with its own coming to the Pyre." Agreus answered.

"Hmm." Summer looked thoughtful.

"Summer, there is one other thing I wanted to talk to you and Taiyang about, but since you're here I can just ask you instead." Agreus said.

"And that is?" Summer asked.

"When the time comes, I would like to induct Yang and Ruby into the Pyre." Agreus said.

"WHAT!? Why?" Summer asked, shocked.

"I don't want you to think that I'm trying to cheat you out of your daughters by offering protection, but I have a very reliable source that says that they are already slated to become Huntresses." Agreus explained.

"I don't want you turning my daughters into assassins." Summer said, an edge creeping into her voice.

"Summer, you know I would never do that. Assassination is a different beast. No, I was hoping to induct them into the Pyre to fulfill a similar role to you and Taiyang and any other Huntsman or Huntress on the payroll." Agreus said. "I will give you three years to decide."

"Why so long?" Summer asked warily.

"I told you, I wish to do it when the time comes." Agreus repeated. "They are still young, underage. I don't wish to even approach them with the opportunity to join until they enter an academy… that is if they continue on their journey to be Huntresses. And like with you and Taiyang staying after your first year, it would be their choice."

"I'll… I'll need to talk with Tai about this." Summer said.

"I understand. If that is all, then you are dismissed." Agreus responded.

Summer nodded and left the room. Jeremiah sat down after she left.

"A lot of information to unload on her." He said.

"I know, but I had no intention of going behind her or her husband's back when it came to their daughters. If they don't want the girls mixed up in the Sanguine Pyre, then we will not go and recruit them. Of course, if the girls want to join the Pyre when they come of age then we shan't turn away." Agreus explained. "Now, what did you want to tell me, Jeremiah."

"A new case has popped up that will seem very familiar." Jeremiah said as he slid a file onto the desk.

Agreus raised an eyebrow as he opened it up. A few pictures of murder victims spilled forth. There appeared to be no correlation between the victims, other than the fact that they weren't children. The only real similarity in the pictures was the states of the bodies. Across each picture, the chest cavity was open, and several organs were missing. Most notable was the heart, surgically removed.

"The Harvested." Agreus muttered.

"Indeed. It would seem that we are dealing with another round of harvester murders." Jeremiah said. "Another copycat perhaps?"

"Maybe, but unlikely." Agreus muttered.

"You can't be suggesting that it's the original killer, brother." Jeremiah said incredulous.

"No, I'm suggesting that it's not a new copycat." Agreus said. "Remember, once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, and at three times something's off."

"Do the timelines match up?" Jeremiah asked.

"The second round hit ten years after the first, the third was twenty-five years ago." Agreus answered nonchalantly. "And don't discount the original killer."

"Seriously?" Jeremiah asked.

"Indeed. Remember, Briarheart, immortality is not out of the realm of impossibility. I personally know three immortals, not counting myself." Agreus said. "Anyway, back on topic. DoDs?"

"All within the last week." Jeremiah said as he looked through the file. "Huh, that's new."

"What?" Agreus asked.

"There is a link between each of these victims." Jeremiah answered.

"A link? What sort of link?" Agreus asked as he looked at each of the pictures again.

"I recognize these names." Jeremiah said, "Each of these victims were all members of the Sanguine Pyre."

"A link." Agreus said.

"For once, yes." Jeremiah answered.

"Which means we have a lead." Agreus said.

"The question now is what to do with this information." Jeremiah mused.

"That's easy. Take it to Detective Bensin. He works for the Pyre and is one of the best detectives in Remnant." Agreus answered.

"You sure?" Jeremiah asked.

"Of course I'm sure. Other than when I am tasked with navigating, when am I not sure of my decisions?" Agreus inquired.

"Well… never." Jeremiah answered.

"Exactly. Now if that's all, you are excused." Agreus said. "Also, reschedule any appointments for tomorrow."

"May I ask why?" Jeremiah asked.

"Sure. Going to take Amber and visit the in-laws. She wanted to say hi and hang out with her cousins, aunt and uncle." Agreus said.

"Is that the only reason?" Jeremiah asked.

"No there is more. I have news on my wife." Agreus answered.

"And?" Jeremiah prodded.

"A reliable informant told me that Vermillion Blackflame is still alive." Agreus responded.

"When did you find this out?" Jeremiah asked.

"When I was talking with Summer. I had an email come in. All it showed was a picture dated yesterday that showed my wife alive." Agreus answered.

"Location?" Jeremiah asked.

"Unknown, but that matters little. Vermillion went missing two years ago, and I finally had a lead on her location." Agreus said.

"Had? She was moved?" Jeremiah asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Agreus answered "The picture had text under it. My informant was spotted, and they checked the hideout where she was taken. Everything was cleared out. We still don't know who took her."

"That isn't much." Jeremiah stated.

"Oh, but Vermillion Blackflame is alive!" Agreus said with a stupid smile.

Jeremiah just shrugged and followed Agreus out of the room.

"AND HER FAMILY DESERVES TO KNOW!" Agreus announced.

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