CHAPTER 5 - A Chance Taken Away

"What do you mean, bring them back?"

Everyone present at the docks in Vale are in both surprise and shock upon hearing Ozpin's words. Everyone except Winter, Emerald and Raven. Ozpin sighs and proceeds to find a place to sit. Yang stares at him with shock and anger.

"What...did...you mean?" She exclaims, her hair and eyes changing.

Ozpin looks at Yang for a few seconds before turning to the group. "During the past few months, when everyone was just beginning to cope with what happened to their loved ones...I noticed that out of all 4 relics...only one remained. And I never bothered to retrieve it, in the aftermath. The relic was in the possession of Ghira Belladonna and had been since our loss."

Blake, who was staring at the ground, lifts her head with a look of confusion.

"I had attempted to contact Ghira for weeks and had no luck. And when I had the chance to speak to him...it was too late. My condolences, Miss Belladonna. Your parents were good people."

Blake proceeds to stand up and finds a nearby wall to rest her back.

"When Ghira died, his knowledge of the location of the relic was lost. And I spent months trying to locate it. And just the past week...I found it. And when I did...I attempted to use it...but...it wasn't enough."

"Wasn't enough?" Weiss asked.

Ozpin looks at Sun. "I had tried to bring back everyone who was lost that day. To reverse what had Salem had done. I tried to bring them all back to life. But because it was only one relic...I was only able to bring back a fraction. Mr. Wukong was among those brought back, as evident."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Weiss said, trying to contain her anger. "You're telling me...you're telling us...that you had a chance...a chance to bring everyone back...and you kept this from us."

"...I didn't want to raise your hopes, Miss Schnee. Chances are that it wouldn't have worked. So I kept this a secret, even to my associates until I used the Relic."

"And where is the relic?" Jaune asked, angry.

All Ozpin does is lower his head as he answered. "Gone. It's...it's been destroyed."

"What?" Yang said, her anger starting to fade to sadness.

"...The power proved to be too much for the relic. Upon usage, it...it shattered, in front of me...the last relic...our only hope...gone."

Yang then drops to her knees and starts to shake, knowing that their chance has been taken away. She begins to whimper before softly sobbing. Raven, having watched her daughter, walks to her. She stares at the crying Yang, before sighing and placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Jaune, having heard enough, proceeds to leave, walking away from the group. Ilia stands next to Blake, who is sadly staring at the floor.

"Can...can we just go? Please?" Blake asked, shaking.

Ilia holds Blake's hand and helps her up. Blake lifts her head and looks at Sun, who looks surprised. She and Ilia then proceed to leave as well. Sun, meanwhile, lowers his head.

"Please." Ozpin said. "Bear with what I have just said. For they are truth and not one part of it was a lie. I am truly sorry to you all. I really am."

Yang slowly stands up, refusing Raven's help. Weiss turns to her friend with sadness.

"Just...just take me home." Yang said, tears falling. "Please."

Raven, knowing who she's asking, proceeds to grab Yang and flies her away. Sun turns to Weiss.

"What are you going to do now?" Weiss asked.

"...I don't know." Sun said. "I managed to reconnect with my family while on my way here. Good thing my Scroll still works. Maybe I'll head back home."

"I can arrange for transportation, Mr. Wukong." Ozpin said, approaching the two. "Just let me-"

"No."

Ozpin looks at Weiss, whose anger still resides. "Miss Schnee-"

Weiss interupts in order to speak to Sun. "You don't know this. But I'm now in charge of the Schnee Dust Company. And I'll be arranging transportation so you can head home AND feel safe."

She then turns to Ozpin.

"You kept this secret from us, Ozpin. We had a chance to bring Ruby back. To bring everyone back. And you took it away from us."

Ozpin lowers her head.

"You lied to us. You used us. And you've broken our hope. And as of now, we will no longer associate with a liar like you anymore." She moves closer to Ozpin. "We could've fixed all of this. But we can't anymore." Tears fall down. "And it's thanks to you." She then looks at Sun. "For now, you'll be staying at my apartment building tonight, Sun. And we'll have an airship ready to take you home, shortly. Come on."

As Sun watches Weiss walk, he turns to Ozpin, who has his head still lowered. Sun the proceeds to follow Weiss.

Ozpin sadly stares at the ground. And he can feel the tears falling to the ground. Knowing that his own journey to fix Salem's actions have failed.

PATCH - YANG'S HOUSE

Looking outside the window of Yang's house, Neo slowly pets Zwei, humming. She turns her head to the Corgi and smiles when he wags his tail happily at her. The sounds of a whoosh is starting to fade in, causing Neo to turn her head and look surprised. She watches as Raven descends from the air, carrying Yang until the two of them land on the ground. Yang then walk towards the house as Neo opens the front door. Raven begins to take out her sword upon seeing the smaller girl. But Yang raises her arm, and her mother stops.

When she enters the house, Yang turns to stare at Neo for a few seconds, before proceeding to walk upstairs. Neo watches Yang with worry as Raven enters the house and closes the door. Neo begins to back away in fear, remembering their last encounter on the train. Raven sighs and goes to sit down onto the couch, while Neo sits too, holding Zwei. And the two of them would look at opposite directions.

In her room, Yang sits down in her chair, staring at the desk in front of her. More tears begin to fall down her faces and her whole body begins to shake.

AIRSHIP

Inside the restroom in the airship, Weiss is sitting with her back on the wall. She is softly sobbing and hitting her head on the wall, knowing that they can't bring everyone back now. She would then do something unexpected. She would start a long scream. A scream of anger and despair that echoes throughout the restroom.

The door to the restroom would open immediately. Winter rushes inside to see the crying Weiss on the ground. She crouches down and, knowing what is happening, proceeds to hold her sister. Weiss at first, tries to stuggle to get out. But she quickly allows her sister to comfort her and continues to cry. Winter starts stroking her sister's hair, her own tears falling to her face.

She was never there when Weiss had her breakdowns. But she will be here for this one.

EVENING - BLAKE'S ROOM

Blake and Ilia lie in bed, with Blake resting her head on the latter's lap. Blake is sniffling, having already cried for about 30 minutes, and is now trying to calm herself. Ilia sadly watches her girlfriend in silence.

Sun is now alive. And now Blake needs to figure out what to do next.

JAUNE'S HOME

Jaune sits at the backyard of his house, where the Arcs have lived for many generations. As he sits down, he looks at the 5 gravestones that are present. The graves of those in his family that were taken, because of Salem. Jaune wipes his nose, before turning his head. Looking surprised, he sees someone wearing a black hoodie, the hood over her head. The woman would walk to Jaune and sit next to him. Jaune watches as Saphron takes her hood off, and seeing the scars on his sister's face. Saphron sadly looks at her brother, before the sibling comfort each other while looking at the graves.

YANG'S HOME

Lying on the ground of her bedroom, Yang stares at the same photo. The one she stared at on the airship the year before. And as before, tears were falling down the side of her face. As she stares at the picture, the sounds of knocking can be heard. Yang shifts herself in order to sit on the ground, before the door opens. She watches as Neo is present, bearing a worried look. The two of them would stare at each other, before the latter suddenly crouches down and wrapping her arms around the blonde. Yang slowly accepts the hug and they stay like that for a few seconds. When they seperate, Neo proceeds to extend her hand. Yang looks at the latter's hand, before taking it, accepting Neo's help to stand up. Not letting go, Neo guides Yang outside her room, down the hallway, and downstairs all the way to the kitchen.

Yang looks to see Raven, who is sitting at the dining table, which was moved to the center of the kitchen, and has plates of food in 3 spots. Raven squints her eyes upon seeing the two of them holding hands. Neo goes eyes-wide and releases her grip. She would then shift a chair, so that Yang would sit down, before sitting down herself. The three of them awkwardly freeze for a minute, before they proceed to eat. As they do so, Yang notices that Neo struggles to get a bite from her steak and proceeds to smile. Raven nods and lowers her head, hiding her own smile. Neo finally gets the piece of her steak and notices Yang smiling at her, before slowly eating.

The three of them would silently eat their food, while also smiling and having a nice evening, away from the events of today.

THE NEXT MORNING - ROOFTOP

In the early morning, the sun shining over Vale, Weiss is sitting alone on the rooftop of her apartment building. As the birds fly over her, she sadly lowers her head, staring at the concrete floor. The door to the roof is heard being opened, causing Weiss to turn her head to it. She quickly stands up and has a worried face, as she watches Velvet, who is using a crutch to help her walk, standing there.

"You shouldn't be up." Weiss said.

"...I know." Velvet said. "But I woke up and you weren't in bed. Last time that happened...you were up here. On the ledge."

Weiss walks forward when she stops, she proceeds to hold Velvet's hand. "I'm sorry if I made you worried. I just...I just needed to be alone. After yesterday...it was just too much."

Velvet proceeds to rest her head on Weiss'. "It's okay. I'm okay. And you are, too. And that's all that matters."

"Is it?" Weiss asked. "Cinder is still out there. And I wasn't able to protect you."

"I know." Velvet said, wiping a tear from Weiss' eye. "But it wasn't your fault. Don't do this yourself, again. Please."

Weiss shakily sighs before nodding, before she backs up a little.

"Will be heading to work today?"

"...No." Weiss answers. "I think I'll be taking a couple days off. Besides...I don't want to leave you alone, while you recover."

Velvet smiles. "That's sweet of you. But are you sure about about not going?"

"Absolutely. It's not like the company's going to just collapse because I'm not there. It'll be fine. Unless they burn the place down. Then it won't be fine."

Velvet chuckles. "They'll be fine, then."

Weiss smiles. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed."

PATCH - YANG'S HOME

Sitting in the backyard of the Xiao Long household, Yang stares at the ground as Neo is nearby, happily playing with Zwei. Yang sowly turns her head and sees Raven, standing nearby and her arms crossed.

"Did you sleep okay?" Raven asked.

All Yang does is nod, before staring back at the ground. Raven sighs and then proceeds to sit next to her daughter.

"How long did you know?" Yang asked. "...About what Ozpin told us?"

"...I didn't know. Not until he talked to all of you at the docks." Raven answered. "Can't believe I even worked with him."

"Let me guess...he promised to bring your tribe back."

"Pretty much. But I guess that plan's never going to happen."

"...Yeah." Yang begins to tremble. "It's not fair, Mom. To give us some hope, only to hit us with that bombshell. It's just not."

"Hey." Raven said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "No more crying. You've done enough of that these past few days. I know how much pain you're in. Believe me. I do. But the best thing to do now...you have to move on."

"I don't...I don't how I can."

"It's easy. You look at the what you have now. And you think of the ones who still love and support you. Keeping at the past is only going to bring more pain. You have to think about the future. What you want to do for the rest of your life. No more crying. No more sulking. You can still grieve. But you can't do that forever."

Yang stares at the ground for a few seconds, before nodding her head. "I can try. Yeah. I need to."

Zwei happily barks as he approaches Yang, who smiles and opens her arms, allowing the corgi to get a hug from his owner.

"Good boy." Yang said. "Good boy."

BLAKE'S ROOM

Inside her room, Blake sits next to her window, staring at the sky outside. Still reeling from the events of yesterday, she sighs and proceeds to stand up.

"Blake."

Blake turns around to see Iila, who is wearing a bathrobe and using a towel to dry her heair. All Blake does is smile.

"Morning." She said. "Did you sleep well."

"I was going to ask you that question." Ilia said. "Given what happened yesterday."

Blake's smile fades to sadness. "I...no. I didn't. Barely had at least a couple hours last night."

Ilia then proceeds to take her girlfriend's hands and guide her to the bed, the two of them sitting down. "I think you should today off. Take the next few hours to get some sleep."

"I...I can't." Blake said. "I've got meetings. I have to meet the mayor for lunch. I-"

"Can reschedule." Ilia said. ''In fact, I'll handle that. You need to sleep. And that's not a plead. That's a order."

Blake just chuckles and nods. "Okay. Okay. Fine. But can you do me one small favor?"

"Of course." Ilia answered.

"...Contact Weiss. Tell her that I want to speak to Sun. Tonight."

Ilia looks a bit surprrised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Blake answered. "I need to talk to him before he goes home. And maybe settle a couple things. Please, Ilia?"

Ilia sighs. "Okay. I'll do that."

Blake then proceeds to give Ilia a quick kiss, before the latter stands up and grabs some clothes and head inside the bathroom.

WEISS' APARTMENT

Weiss walks around her apartment, sadly looking around her apartment...the one she wanted to have with...

Weiss stops upon looking outside one of her windows and proceeds to open it, in order to see what's she's seeing. Outside, across the street, a young man just finished spray painting something. A rose. A burning rose. Ruby's emblem. The man turns around and looks up to see Weiss, who doesn't move or back away. He nods at her, before finishing up the rest.

"Gone. But not forgotten."

The man then walks away as people begin to notice the art on the wall. Weiss then turns her head and opens one of her drawers in it. Inside, she finds and picks up an object. A pocketwatch. She would then sit down and open it up. And although hesitant...she eventuallu opens it. On one side is a working clock. And on the other...a picture of her...and Ruby. Both of them with Beacon Academy behind them.

That's when the emotions begin to come out. Weiss tries to calm down...but it's not enough. Tears fall down her face, as she lowers her head on the dresser, softly crying. After a few seconds, she does her best to compose herself. Weiss then puts the pocketwatch away, closing the drawer. As she turns around, she looks surprised to see Velvet, looking at her with worry.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Weiss said. "I thought you were asleep." She sniffles.

Velvet slowly walks forward to Weiss, who is trying not to break down again.

"Come on." Velvet said. "It's okay."

Weiss, without hesitation, wraps her arms around Velvet, hugging her tightly. Velvet slowly strokes Weiss' hair as she comforts. After a few seconds, the two of them seperate from their hug and rests their heads on each other.

"You going to be okay?" Velvet asked.

"...Yeah." Weiss answered. "I will be. Thank you."

Velvet then grabs Weiss' hands and smiles at her. "Come on. It's been a while."

"Really?" Weiss said. "Can't have been that long."

"...Does a month count as that long?"

Weiss looks embarrassed and starts to blush. "Are you sure you want to? Your injury-"

"Don't worry." Velvet said, giving Weiss a quick peck. "We'll be gentle."

Velvet then proceeds to lead Weiss to the bedroom, with the latter closing the door. As the door is shut, Weiss' Scroll vibrates and Ilia's pic is shown.

NOON - YANG'S HOME

Alone in the living room of her home, while Raven and Neo head to the village to shop for groceries, Yang sits on her couch, petting the sleeping Zwei. Yang slightly smiles while looking at her dog. But after a minute, it slowly fades. She would then place Zwei to his bed, Yang would then go to one of the windows and proceeds to stare outside. And for minutes, that stare would be like this, before Yang eventually lowers her head and resting it on the glass. As she lifts her head, she notices 2 people approaching her house. She sees that it's Jaune and Saphron getting closer. Yang walks to her front door and opens the door, just as Jaune is about to knock.

"Hey, Yang." Jaune said.

"Jaune." Yang said. "Saphron. It's been a while."

"It has." Saphron said. "It's good to see you again."

"Can we come in?" Jaune asked.

Yang nods and allows the siblings to enter the house. Zwei wakes up and immediatelt wags his tail in happiness. Saphron crouches down and puts him, while Jaune goes to sit down.

"So...what brings you to Patch, today?" Yang asked.

"Well...just wanted to see how you were doing." Jaune said. "Given what Ozpin told us yesterday."

"That's understandable. But I'm fine, Jaune. I got my mom. And I got Neo. They're helping me to move on."

"Who's Neo?" Saphron asked.

"A former enemy." Jaune asnwered. "And by the looks of it, she's now a friend."

Yang nods. "Yes. I trust her. Do you?"

"Of course, I do now."

"...Good." Yang sits down. "It's really gone down to shit. Hasn't it. The one chance we had...the only chance to bring everyone back...is gone."

"...Yeah." Jaune said. "It sucks. I really does."

Yang stares at the ground. "We all grieved, Jaune. Grieved for those we lost. Qrow. My dad. Sun. Half of your family. R...Ruby. We lost them all. And we won't ever get them back. It's...it's not fair. But then again, life's never fair. Isn't it?"

"Sometimes, it isn't." Jaune answered. "But we all know, Yang. We have to move on from this. We can't grieve forever."

"Indeed." Saphron said. "It took me months to move on after I lost Terra...and Adrian. I still feel that way, every now and then. But I do my best. I...I am actually seeing someone."

Yang looks surprised. "Really?"

Saphron. "She's super sweet. And funny. And knows how to cheer me up. I...I'll actually be seeing her next week."

"Well, congratulations." Yang said, smiling.

Jaune smiles as well, before looking at the floor. Knowing what threat is still out there, his smile fades. "Cinder is still out there, you know."

Yang looks at Jaune. "...I know. And we have to be ready. Just in case."

"You still know how to fight?"

"A bit. Going to need to train again."

Jaune then stands up and places his fists on his waist. "Think you'll need a little help with training again? I'm willing to be of service."

Yang raises her eyebrows. "Seriously?" Watches Jaune smile and nods. She then chuckles. "Okay. Okay. I would appreciate the help. Thank you."

All of a sudden, Zwei jumps out of his bed and starts running around the living room.

"Looks like Zwei wants to play outside." Yang said.

"Hey Saph." Jaune said. "Think you take him out? Play a bit of fetch with him? We'll be out in a couple minutes."

"No problem." Saphron answered, before grabbing Zwei. "C'mon, little guy. Let's go out and play."

Jaune and Yang watch as Saphron takes Zwei outside to play. Yang stands up and heads to the kitchen in order to grab a box of dog treats.

"Hey, Yang?"

Yang turns around, holding the box, looking at Jaune, who is looking a bit nervous.

"What's up?"

Jaune begins to rub the back of his head. "I um...I wanted to ask you this, since the day after we saw each other at the hospital last week. But I guess I either got too nervous or I just forgot."

Yang looks confused. "O...kay. What is it?"

"Well...you know that new coffee place that opened up in Vale last month?"

"Yeah. Shepard's Cafe. I've been there a few times. Why?"

"Well, um...I...I was wondering...maybe, you'd want to...hang out with me, there?"

Yang is very surprised by what Jaune's asking. "Are you...are you asking me out on a date?"

Jaune looks embarrassed. "Well...it doesn't have to be. We just go as friends. Just 2 friends...hanging out...getting a cup of coffee...yeah. I...I'm asking you out. But if you don't feel confortable-"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Yang said, raising her hand. "It's okay. I get it. Now doesn't feel like the best time. But honestly...I think this could help."

"So...is it a yes?"

Yang chuckles. "Tomorrow. 9am. Meet me there."

Jaune just watches Yang walk past him and exit the front door. He softly chuckles, proud to finally ask Yang out. "Yes!"

BLAKE'S ROOM

Blake, alone and sitting on her bed, breathes slowly as she stares outside, watching the cars and civilians past by. Her hands are clamped together and her leg is shaking. She is very, very nervous.

Knock, knock.

Blake then freeze upon hearing the knocks, knowing who it is, outside of it. After a few seconds, she sighs and stands up. Blake goes to the door and proceeds to open it. Sun stands in the hallway, his arms crossed and slightly smiling.

"Hey." He said.

"...Hey." Blake said. "Thank you for coming. Please. Come in and have a seat."

Blake moves out of the way, allowing Sun to enter the room.

Sun whistles. "Nice place. Living well, I see."

"It's only temoparary." Blake said. "Once I am done here in Vale, we'll be heading out back to Menagerie."

"We." Sun said. "As in you and...well...Ilia?"

"...Not just us, Sun." Blake said. "Please. Sit down and I'll tell you."

Sun sits on Blake's bed, while the latter sits in a chair across from him. Blake's foot taps repeatedly on the floor.

"How much...how much has Weiss or anyone told you?" Blake said.

"With execption of everything Ozpin said and what Weiss told me yesterday, nothing else. Sorry about your folks, by the way."

"I appreciate it." Blake said, staring at the ground. "Sun. A lot happened since Salem. A lot of people lost their friends. Their families. And that was before the aftermath. Suicides rised in months. Crime increased just slightly. And the Academies are barely holding on, right now. So far, only Beacon is running smoothly."

"Beacon's operational again?"

Blake nods. "Yeah. But there's only much that they can do, with half of the students and faculty, having been killed by Salem. But they're doing all they can."

As Sun listens, he notices a flag with a lotus symbol. Blake turns her head and proceeds to stand up. She walks to the flag and picks it up to show Sun.

"This is the flag of the White Lotus." Blake said.

"The White Lotus?" Sun asked, confused. "Never heard of them."

"And you wouldn't have before." Blake said. "Because I created it."

Sun is surprised.

"After my parents died, and Ilia helped me get back on my feet, I decided to create the White Loutus and a peaceful organization. In the hopes of stopping Faunus discrimiation and forming more equality to the people of Remnant." She places the flag on. "We've been doing great so far. We've set up outposts all over the world...well except for Atlas, of course. And the number of members keep rising every week. Which is great. But...we get the occasional aggressor, trying to destroy everything we've built. But we managed throughout all of it." Blake sits down. "We're only here in Vale to discuss seting up an embassy. We're just about close to approval. And once we succeed...we leave."

"And that's it?" Sun asked.

"That's it." Blake answered. "But coming here was worth it. I got to see my friends again. Jaune. Weiss. Velvet. All of them, that survived."

"...Yang, too?"

Blake lowers her head. "I...Yang and I...we really didn't talk after Salem. I...I wasn't there for her...after Ruby died. I just...I abandoned everyone, once I went home. I abandoned her. And now she hates me. Just like Beacon all over again."

"But she forgave you. Right?"

"She did. But I don't think it'll work, this time."

"It won't work until you talk to her. Don't wait for her to do so. And no matter how much she lets her anger out on you, hold your ground and ask for forgiveness."

"...I want to try." Blake said, a tear falling down her face. "She's...she was my friend. And I'm just afraid."

"Well, you should not leave Vale, knowing that Yang still hates you, then. That thought's gonna eat you up, if you leave it like that. You have to at least try to talk to her. Come on. I thought you were a cat Faunus. Not a chicken one."

"I'm not a chicken!" Blake exclaims, embarrassed.

Sun smiles. "Sorry. But seriously. You gotta try. Okay?"

Blake sighs before nodding. "Alright. Alright."

The door to the room opens. Blake and Sun turn to see Ilia entering.

"Just in time." Blake said. "Come."

Ilia slowly walks to Blake and stands behind her.

"Okay." Blake said. "Here comes the hard part."

"I think talking about Yang was the hard part." Sun said. "Listen, Blake. You don't have to talk about you and Ilia. I get it."

"You do?" Ilia asked.

"Yeah. I was dead. I wasn't there when your parent's died, Blake. She was. You moved on with your life. And I completely understand. Just like I did, back in Haven. At the train station."

"...I...I don't know what to say." Blake said.

Sun just smiles and stands up. "You don't have to. Just give me a hug, and we'll be friends again."

Blake smiles. "Always trying to make things cheerful, even at the baddest of times."

"It's who I am."

Blake then stands up and proceeds to give Sun a hug. After a few seconds, they seperate. Sun then places his hands on Blake's shoulders.

"Everything will be fine. I promise."

Blake smiles. "Thank you."

Sun lowers his arms. "Now, then. Weiss has an airship waiting for me at the docks. I should be heading out."

"That explains the bags in the hallway." Ilia said. "But the docks is about 10 miles from here. You sure you wanna walk all the way there?"

"Eh. I can manage."

"Oh, no you're not." Blake said, picking up her Scroll. "One of the many perks of leading an organization: You get your own chauffer. We'll take you there."

Sun chuckles. "Awesome."

EVENING - WEISS ROOM

Weiss is combing her hair, humming and smiling, while looking at the mirror in front of her.

"Feeling better?"

Weiss turns to see Velvet, a towel wrapped around her, sitting on their bed.

"A lot." Weiss answered. "I'm glad you suggested. Took a lot of the stress away."

Velvet giggles. "I haven't seen you smile this much in a while. It makes me happy."

Beep

Weiss picks up her Scroll and notices a message.

Meet us at the park. 1 hour. And bring your weapons.

Weiss notices that everyone else she knew were messaged as well. She also sees Velvet's Scroll having the same message.

"This is suspicious." She said.

"Cinder?" Velvet said, said a worried look.

"No." Weiss answered. "Cinder would just crash in here and attack us directly. No, this is someone else."

Weiss stands up and proceeds to take out a case from underneath her bed and placing on top. Although hesitant, Weiss eventually opens, revelaing Myrtenaster, having never used this since...since Ruby died.

"Are you sure, you want to take that with you?" Velvet asked.

"...I wasn't able to protect myself that last few times." Weiss said, picking up her weapon. "This time...I won't let that repeat."

PARK

In the middle of an empty park, where the last of the citizens are leaving, a vehicle enters and parks as another arrives. The doors to the 1st viehicle open, with Yang, Neo and Jaune exiting. Raven, who had flown, lands nearby. Yang watches as Blake, Ilia and Sun arrived, having walked. She then sees Weiss and Velvet exiting the other 2nd vehicle.

"Damn." Jaune said. "Everyone's been called."

"And when they meant everyone..."

Yang quickly knows the voice and turns her head to see Oscar arriving at the park, along with Winter and Emerald.

"They meant everyone, I guess." Oscar said.

Jaune starts walking to Oscar with anger showing in his face. But stops upon seeing Yang grab his arm.

"No." Yang said. "Not now, Jaune."

Jaune angrily stares at Oscar, who is looking at the ground, now.

"Were you the one, who messaged all of us?" Blake asked. "Or was is Ozpin?"

Oscar looks at Blake with confusion. "Neither." He takes out his Scroll to show the same message. "I was given this message as well. And I would've known if Oz sent it. Somebody else did."

"...Who?" Weiss asked.

Just before Oscar can answer something, he is jumps into the air, avoiding the sword that struck the ground, underneath him. Everyone has their weapons ready, looking around for whoever is attacking.

"See anyone?" Blake asked.

"No." Weiss answered. "Where are they?"

As Jaune looks around, he quickly turns and is hit my a blunt object, sending him to the ground. Yang crouches down goes to check on Juane, who has a cut on his forehead. Sensing something coming, she then picks up Juane's shield, stands up and blocks a blast from someone. But the force causes her to fall on her back.

Blake turns her head and looks a bit shocked, her eyes wide. "No...no. It can't be."

Everyone turns to where Blake is looking and react the same way. Yang groans as she gets up. She turns her head to see Blake's shocked face and looks the same direction. Her eye's go wide in shock too, dropping the shield and falling to her knees.

Staring at the entire group, carrying a black hammer with pink accents, Nora Valkyrie...or at least, someone looking like her, but with pale skin and red eyes, has an angry look on her face.

"No...Nora?" Jaune said.

END OF CHAPTER 5

Hey guys. This is a new, revised version as I decided to erase the multiverse idea for this story and as well as 2 others. And I wanted to make this a standalone story. And I wanted to add a new twist to this story. New chapter coming soon.