A/N: Here's a long chapter to set up the V5 finale. Only 2 more chapters left in this volume!

Cheers to those of you leaving reviews- I really appreciate it! It's always rewarding to read your comments, so keep them coming! (and if you're a silent reader, maybe drop something in the reviews so I know I'm not just spewing thousands of words into the void? ;D)

What We Call Home

Nora spent that night wrapped up in thought as she lay in her bed. There were just so many things to think about after all- who would've thought that Yang and Weiss would have found their way back to each other? How could anyone have guessed that Raven would be able to get Yang and Weiss all the way to Mistral?

Her heart grew warm thinking of the two girls' arrival to Mistral. Ruby hadn't smiled that much in months- it felt truly wonderful to be able to see her actually be the happy, bubbly person she used to be at Beacon without any reservations. And Nora had missed her friends- even Weiss, admittedly.

All they need is Blake, and they'll be whole again.

A pang of grief hit her heart- powerful, unexpected. She ran her fingers through her hair, staring up listlessly at the ceiling. They might be complete again one day. Team… RWBY.

I guess JNRR isn't really a thing anymore. We got Ruby to Mistral. We're done.

…She missed Pyrrha.

The moonlight filtering through the curtains caught her eye, and she sighed, rolling over, thoughts clouding. Despite all of the joys of the day, there were still so many questions. Why had everyone been so upset about Qrow and Raven? She still didn't really understand what he meant by 'turning them into birds', but at the end of the day, Nora didn't truly care- she had seen Qrow play video games with Ruby and tease Jaune's clumsiness and come back drunk out of his mind. His normal life didn't seem to be suffering because of whatever Ozpin had done, so what was the big issue?

Rolling onto her other side, her thoughts drifted towards the list Qrow had shown her and Ren. How could all those Huntsmen go missing? What was going on?

She let out a frustrated groan, kicking her feet up into the air and pouting. "This is so annoying!" she yelled into the darkened room. Thankfully, Ruby had decided to spend the night in the same room as Weiss and Yang, so there was no one to disturb with her cries.

Eventually, though, Nora tuckered herself out by flailing and yelling until she fell into a deep, dreamless slumber, only opening her eyes with the rising of the sun, a rush of energy flooding through her again as her thoughts drifted back into focus. It was going to be a long, long day.

That morning, everyone was split up doing their own thing. Jaune decided to train a bit more by himself, so he was off in the dojo quietly practicing. The girls of Team RWBY hopped between coaching Jaune and chatting amongst themselves, planning to take a little bit of time to go explore the city of Mistral before night fell. Oscar and Qrow were engaged in serious discussions from the early morn, leaving Ren and Nora to plan their trip to the lower levels as precisely as they could.

"We'll start on this path," Ren murmured, pointing out where they could go on a digital map. "If we get split up for any reason, meet back here. We shouldn't need to, but just in case… You need to stay behind me- don't let go of my hand. If you're sure the information broker is around this area, we'll need to make sure we remain unseen as much as possible. We don't want to draw any attention to ourselves." He handed her a large robe, worry in his eyes. "I borrowed this from our hosts- it should hide your face and hair. You're sticking with me, okay-"

"Ren," Nora chuckled, grabbing onto his hands instead of the cloak, "I'll be fine."

His eyebrows were knitted together, but with a sigh, he relented, backing up. "I'm… Okay, Nora. Are you ready?"

She grinned, slipping on the robe with its large hood anyways. It was far too big, falling into her eyes- still, she pushed it up slightly and sent him a wink. "As long as you're with me."

Ren relaxed a little, turning his attention back to the task at hand. "We need to pay for the info-"

"I've got it covered," Nora said. She hadn't spent any of the money Ozpin had given her, aside from buying sweets and tea for Ren during that one day into the upper markets. "This should be more than enough Lien."

"You sure you want to spend all of it?"

She blew a raspberry at him, waving off his concerns. "As if I had a ton of stuff I needed to buy, anyways."

He pouted, looking skeptical, but finally he nodded. "Right. And we've already tried calling them while in Mistral-"

"And we get nothing but dial tones," Nora pointed out.

He tugged on a cloak of his own to cover his face, ensuring his weapons were ready, just in case. "Let's go." And so, they set off on their adventure to find an information broker, taking the steps into the lower levels of the city without looking back.

Her heart was pounding in her ears with every step they took, electricity practically jolting through her veins in trepidation. How could she be willingly going back? What was she doing?

It'll be fine, she repeated over and over as Ren led her to their destination. We'll be fine. She concentrated on the shape of Magnhild hanging in its holster at her waist and the sensation of Ren's gloved hand covering hers any time it grew too much.

The trip down couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes. Still, by the time they arrived to the main street in the lower tiers- the slums, they essentially were- she was already exhausted. "Well," she murmured to Ren, "might as well get lookin'."

Nora remembered these streets. They were dark and looming, filled with ramshackle buildings and people eager to take advantage of the poor souls who came wandering in. Poverty was clear in every corner of every street, with the homeless far outnumbering those with proper housing. The scent of alcohol and unwashed bodies and vomit lingered in the air, no matter what they passed by- bakeries, grocers, schools. Despite the fact that it was nearly always raining down there due to the misty spray off of nearby waterfalls in the mountainside, it always smelled like piss and regret, and she hated it.

As they walked, Ren held her hand tight and kept her tucked behind him. His protectiveness brought a smile to her face- he had never truly known these streets at a very young age as she had. If anyone needed protecting, it was him. Then again, no one's bothering him, she realized distantly, watching as he seamlessly wove his way through the crowd with her close behind. If I didn't have this hood, it might be different.

Although Ren was being extremely vigilant, Nora found herself slowly relaxing as they wandered through the streets of Mistral that late morning. Yes, it was familiar- she remember passing through that alleyway, hiding behind that butcher shop, begging at that woman's doorstep since she always gave soup to the strays, even the unusual ones like Nora. But the streets were no longer large and daunting and scary to her.

She was too powerful for the streets to scare her like they used to.

Slowly, she reached up and tugged Ren's arm. "Hey, Ren," she whispered, pulling him to the side of the street to avoid anyone's eye.

He frowned, looking at her face carefully. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, worry setting in.

She shook her head. "No, silly. I just…" Her face heated up a bit as she muttered, "I just wanted to say, thanks. I'm not really nervous anymore being here." She snorted. "Mostly because we could probably kick anyone's butt right now, but… also because of you."

He blushed, but his concern never left his face. "Still, we must remain on guard." Glancing around, he asked, "So. You said that there was a… symbol?"

She nodded. Howl and Kalian and I went here before- what was it again? It had been over five years since she had been to this part of Mistral, but she could remember what it was, couldn't she? She pouted, looking around at passersby in hopes of finding inspiration. What was it…

And then, she saw it. Tattooed on the back of a petite woman walking past them was a black spider web, the inked lines clean and thin and menacing against her pale skin.

Nora grinned, baring her teeth. "Found it."

Ren peeked over his shoulder, spotting the woman as she entered a small, unassuming bar. "A spider web?"

"That's the one." Nora reached down and patted her thigh where her wallet was still firmly strapped under her skirt. "You ready?"

He nodded. "Let's get some info." So, they entered the pub, ready to get the information they needed. Holding her breath, Nora squeezed her eyes shut as they passed through the entryway. What would they find inside?

…It was honestly a little bit of a let-down in the end. The establishment itself was a nice-enough place, looking clean and tidy despite the less-than-reputable clientele. Everyone seated inside seemed to bear the same tattoo somewhere on their bodies- Nora spotted the woman they had followed taking a seat in the corner, laughing jovially with a few other customers. They looked like rough-and-tumble folk, but there was an alertness about them.

"Play nice," Ren murmured. "This could go south quick."

"I got it," she replied, walking towards the back of the pub.

Near the kitchen sat a large table occupied by a single heavyset woman, backed by two bodyguards. The woman peered up at the pair through fake lashes, a coy smile on her lips as she fanned herself with a purple lace folding fan. "May I help you, darlings?" she drawled, watching them with amused cunning in her eyes.

"We're looking for some people," Ren stated quietly.

Nora stepped forward, pulling the envelope out and pushing it across the table to the woman. "That's enough, right?"

The woman motioned to one of her bodyguards, who quickly stepped forward, counted the money, and placed the Lien in front of the woman. Upon seeing the stack, she leaned forward, an eager, curious expression on her face. "Oh, customers. You've come to the right place. Lil' Miss Malachite will take care of you any day." She leaned back, crossing her arms as she watched the pair. "So- who're you looking for?"

Ren pulled out his Scroll, showing Miss Malachite a saved photo of Caelus, Kalian and Howl. The trio had been posing victoriously beside a waterfall, their faces radiating positivity (well, Caelus' face radiating positivity- Kalian was always pretending to be grumpy, and Howl barely showed emotion at all) at the camera.

Oh, please say yes, Nora prayed fervently. Please say you can find them. We need to know if they're okay! We've gotta find them!

Miss Malachite hummed, eyes flitting over the photograph rapidly. After a few seconds, she leaned back yet again. "My spiders will find what you need. Come back by Wednesday and we'll have your information," she cooed, waving pudgy fingers at them. "Tata for now, sweeties."

Ren bowed slightly to her, whilst Nora simply settled for a quick nod. "Thank you. We'll be back." Then, after Ren had pocketed his Scroll, they exited the pub and entered the rainy street.

Nora's heart was pounding in her ears in unease, but she couldn't help but grab both of Ren's hands and squeak, "We've got it, Ren!"

He grinned happily. "I doubt we'll leave the city by then- our meeting with the headmaster tonight will only be a planning meeting, after all." He paused, face clouding slightly. "If all goes well."

Nora beamed, nodding emphatically despite his gloom. However, before they could discuss it further, her stomach growled and she slumped over dramatically. "Can we eat on the way home?" she implored.

Ren's eyes softened. "Of course, Nora. Let's get to the middle tier marketplaces."

"Okay, Ren!" She looped her arm through his, the sense of unease she had felt at the start completely washed away. She knew she'd survive in the streets of Mistral now- she had Ren by her side, she was strong, and they had a potential lead on their former guardians. It was turning out to be a great day.

"Your treat, right?" She paused. "I mean, I did just spend all my cash on info. That might not come through." She frowned. "Maybe giving it all wasn't a good idea…"

Ren rolled his eyes, but didn't argue- and when they arrived at a steamed dumpling stall on a sunnier side of the mountain, Ren paid for hers without hesitation.

When they finally arrived back at the house, it was mid-afternoon. Ren was sleepy, so Nora shooed him off to take a nap before they met up with everyone else. The boy refused, instead heading to the balcony to meditate a bit. She grabbed his cloak from him before he left, but he forgot to tell her from exactly he had taken them. I'll just fold 'em and pop them on his desk. He can give it to the owners after.

Entering Ren and Jaune's room, the blond was nowhere to be seen. It was easy enough to tell which bed Ren was using- despite all the time they had spent together, Jaune's bed was still a disaster each day, while Ren's bed was always neatly made. She rolled her eyes, wandering over to his empty desk with cloaks in hand.

To her surprise, there was a beautiful box sitting upon the desk. White parchment with golden filigree lined the edges of it, a familiar symbol painted with a calligraphy brush on the center. Where do I know this symbol from? she thought, tracing her hands over it.

At the side of the box sat a small note. She bit her lip- it was clearly a gift or something for someone. It wouldn't be good to peek, she scolded herself. Still, her hand reached for the note, the girl unable to restrain her curiosity.

Before she could pick it up, however, Ren's voice roared, "Nora!"

Immediately, she placed the robes on the desk and took a wide step away from the box, grinning sheepishly. "Hiya, Ren!" she squeaked. "Just putting the cloaks here! You didn't tell me where to put them, you silly-billy."

Ren looked at her deadpan, not reacting to her statement. She sighed, relenting- when he looked like that, there was no point pretending. She slouched over, pointing to the box. "I didn't mean to look, but what is that?!"

Ren let out a long breath, pinching his nose. Still, he walked past her, placed the note onto the box, and picked the whole ensemble up. "I suppose I should commend you for not reading the note," he muttered.

"Oh, don't say it like that," she protested. If ya gave me ten more seconds…

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her, but gestured for her to sit on his bed anyways. Grinning, she complied and took a seat, bouncing in place as she waited for the big reveal.

To her surprise, Ren placed the box and note on her lap. "They're for you," he said quietly, looking away from her in embarrassment. "I was going to give it to you after tonight's meeting, but… I guess we'll do it now."

Nora stared at him, confused. "What the heckie could you possibly buy me in this thing?" she cried, rapping on the box with her knuckle. "This looks pricey."

"It was," he admitted, "but I thought it would be… nice."

She frowned, searching his face. It didn't seem like a prank (although why Ren would play a prank on her, she didn't know- he wasn't Ruby) and it didn't seem like anything had gone horribly wrong (oh my god is he breaking up with me? No, no way-) so she instead focused her attention on the note.

The note was certainly written by Ren. It read:

I saw you looking at this the other day. I hope you like it. –Ren.

She squished her cheeks with her hands, trying to remember what in the world she had been looking at that could necessitate such a grand box. They had barely left the house over the past few weeks, only popping out for groceries here and there-

Oh my god.

She dropped the note, pulling off the lid of the box with shaking fingers. Inside lay sheets of fine tissue which she removed gingerly, peeling back the layers until she found what sat within.

A familiar pink cloth fading into lavender with little sprigs of embroidered leaves on the edges met her eye. On top of it all sat a traditional Mistralian hairpiece- a pin small enough to twist and clip short hair back, the lotus flower inlaid on the clip the same blue as her eyes.

She gasped, feeling her eyes filling up with tears. Instantly, she pushed the box to the side, staring up at Ren breathlessly. "Ren, I can't-"

He frowned, panic crossing his face. "Wait- is that the wrong one?" he asked, rushing to look at the box. "I thought this was the one you were-"

"No, no, Ren," she laughed, stopping him in his tracks, "you're right- but…" Her mind was racing. He's gone once or twice out with just Jaune- he must've bought it then! The dress from the small boutique in the corner of the market had been absolutely gorgeous- was this what he had spent all of Ozpin's money on? Why would he do it? "You know I can't wear this, right?"

Ren paused, confused. "Why not? Sure, it's not for a mission or anything, but-"

She sighed. She knew that Ren never really understood the gravity of who she was- of her difference. "This dress is really beautiful," she murmured, tracing the embroidery with a careful fingertip. "But it's meant to go on… y'know… someone from Mistral. Some high-class, tiny, dark-haired beauty." She stood, mimicking the serene bow the worker at the boutique had done before her. "I'm not the target audience."

He still seemed baffled. "…Okay, why is that?"

She groaned, flipping her bangs out of her eyes. "Look at me! I'm not one of those women! I'm…" and she gestured wildly to herself, not knowing how to put it into words.

He stayed silent for a few moments, eyes closed as he analyzed the situation. She bit her tongue and sat back down- he needed time to think.

When he was finally ready, Ren murmured, "If you would like me to return it all, let me know," he stated evenly. "But… if your concern is that you don't look 'traditional' enough, I don't think it's a concern at all." He blushed, looking at his feet timidly. "I… think you'd look good in it."

With that admission, he quickly put the lid back onto the box and pushed her out of the room. "I'm going to take a nap after all," he said hurriedly. "See you later."

That was all it took to flip everything in her. Nora was left standing outside of his room, her racing, cheeks bright and eyes shining with a giddiness she had never felt.

Ren wants me to wear that dress. He thinks I'll look nice in it. It doesn't matter to him if I'm not Mistralian.

She took in a deep breath, then practically squealed in glee as she skipped down the stairs. If Jaune was still training, she'd join him- she suddenly had a ton of energy she needed to put to use, and smacking some technique into Jaune was certainly a good way to do it.

Eventually, night began to fall. Qrow gathered everyone in the living room, starting by saying, "Leo says that he has an update on the Mistral Council." He then explained the situation with the other Huntsmen he had tried to find to the larger group at last. "That's why we're going in alone," he concluded. "I have my suspicions as to what's going on, but we'll only know tonight."

Jaune raised his hand worriedly. "Are we sure Oscar should go? I thought we weren't going to tell Professor Lionheart about Ozpin-"

"I'll stay in control unless we really need Oz," Oscar explained, holding his cane close to his chest with both hands nervously.

Nora smiled, sidling over to Oscar. "It's okay, little-cute-boy Oz," she whispered in his ear. "We'll back you up if you need anything- but you won't. You're a good fighter."

Oscar stepped back momentarily, but his face quickly broke out into a grateful smile. "Thanks, Nora," he beamed, but his face quickly grew clouded. "But… will we really have to fight? Who are we fighting?"

Nora pressed her lips together, glancing at Qrow. She knew what he was thinking, based on the previous night's conversation.

Professor Lionheart… might have something to do with all the missing Huntsmen.

The ramifications of that were far too big for Nora to even begin to process. She sighed, shaking the thought out of her head.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ruby asked, looking around determinedly at the group. "Let's go get our answers."

Qrow smirked, ruffled Ruby's hair, and gestured to the door. "Alright, kiddos. Grab your gear. It's time to go."

So, for the second time ever, Nora followed Qrow up to Haven Academy as the light of the moon began to illuminate the grounds.

At the start, the group was lively and full of energy, thanks to the addition of Yang, Weiss and Oscar to their previous group. Ruby excitedly played the tour guide, parroting the same information that Qrow had shared with her the last time they had walked this route to the new members of their team.

While Nora enjoyed her friends' banter, she couldn't help but keep an eye on Qrow. No matter how loving the man was towards his nieces, no matter how much of a support he was to their group, she just couldn't shake the mental association she had created between the Branwens, and Ozpin, and the Fall, and Pyrrha- with Qrow in the center of it all.

It made her uneasy.

By the time they reached Haven's grounds, in stark contrast to when they had left the house, everyone in their group was silent. The luxury and splendour of Mistral's moonlit mountainside quickly faded amongst the sinking realization that had struck them all about halfway up the elevator ride.

It's too quiet.

Other than the creaking of the elevator, they couldn't hear anything in the upper nor middle tiers of Mistral. Even Haven, which should have been preparing to bring students back in just a few weeks, betrayed no sound or sign of life.

Something was definitely wrong with all this.

Nora stayed acutely aware of Magnhild's presence in its holster and Ren's footsteps by her side as they crossed the wide courtyard of Haven Academy and headed towards the main building.

The door swung open easily and the group entered the front hall without a fuss, filing in to stand before the central staircase silently. The last time they had been there, Nora hadn't paid much attention to her surroundings, having been far too wary of their few numbers and the distinct lack of their contact waiting for them.

This time was different. She looked up slowly, examining the room they stood in with all the time in the world. The front hall was simple for the most part- the main attraction was a lovely white marble statue of a woman between the two sides of the central staircase, the golden chains around her hips and wrists catching the light as she held up the central landing platform at the top of the stairs. Other than the statue, however, the entire room was decorated in muted greens and browns, maintaining the traditional Mistralian look with ease.

Finally, her eyes fell to the figure standing at the top of the platform above the statue. Guess he decided to greet us this time, she thought wryly, narrowing her eyes at Professor Lionheart. The man was dressed innocuously, every bit as defenseless as he had been in his office weeks earlier.

The man shuffled, grabbing his wrist nervously as he watched everyone file in. Nora looked at his arm- he was sporting what looked like a large cross on his bracer. Even at a distance, she could see the thick metal shine. "He's armed," she whispered to Ren.

The boy kept his eyes locked onto the headmaster. "This isn't going to go well," he said darkly.

Professor Lionheart made no move to join them on the main floor, staying perched warily on the platform at the top of the staircase. "Why hello," he called as they approached. "Thank you for…" Nora's lips twisted into a frown as the man paused, eyes flashing anxiously before stuttering, "... coming. There... seems to be more of you than last time." His eyes darted over the group, nervous laughter bubbling through his lips.

Qrow subtly held up his hand to stop the group, then stepped forward. His face, which had shown nothing but distrust and tension throughout their entire ride up the elevator, was now wearing the perfect mask of ease. He shrugged lazily, waving away the headmaster's concerns with an errant brush of the hand. "Eh, you know what they say," he drawled, "'the more the merrier'. So what's going on with the council?"

Professor Lionheart seemed uneasy still, ignoring Qrow's question in favour of glancing around nervously. "Why... did you bring your weapons?"

Nora grimaced when the man brought his own hands behind his back, as if to hide the obvious bracer on his forearm. This isn't looking good.

Qrow scoffed, still maintaining that air of naiveté. "What? Leo, we're Huntsmen. You okay?" he asked in concern.

Professor Lionheart's eyes practically bugged out of his face, a few clumsy coughs providing a cover. "Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee." The Huntsman tried to look at the rest of them for support, but they all met his gaze with stony expressions.

Taking another step forward, Qrow ran his fingers through his hair, flashing a smile at Haven's headmaster. "Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?"

And then, everything changed.

Suddenly, Yang called, voice hesitant and confused, "Mom?"

Without missing a beat, Qrow raised his weapon and fired off a shot to the upper-right wing of the main hall. Through the smoke emerged a dark bird, eyes flashing red as it swooped down to fly behind Professor Lionheart-

-and when it re-emerged on the other side of him, there was no longer a bird. It was a woman- donning a black and red getup, feather streaming down her back from a high headpiece, and a long blade strapped to her hip. On her face was a mask which made Nora's blood run cold, her fingers twitching automatically to the reach for the trigger to extend Magnhild in her hands.

It was a full-face Grimm mask. It was too much like what the White Fang wore. She hadn't seen one since that day- since the Fall. Before she could really process it all, however, Ruby muttered, "Raven…"

Finally, it clicked.

Oh my god. That's Raven. That's Yang's mom. That's the leader of the Branwens. Her eyes jumped between the masked figure and Qrow, heart thudding louder and louder between her ears, the words from the night before coming back in full force. They're birds. Ozpin cursed them to turn into birds.

But how? Are they… are they even human anymore?

They're birds.

"They... they really are magic..." she breathed, barely able to speak.

How could she? It was all well and good to say that magic was real and that they were fighting for a cause, but… to see it right in front of her was terrifying.

The woman took off her mask, revealing a face that made Nora recoil. It looked so much like Yang's, just with a colour scheme to match Qrow. The woman's red eyes were bored, nonplussed by the fact that there were eight trained fighters staring her down.

Nora froze, memorizing that face, carving it into her heart forever. It's your fault that everything bad happened to me and Ren. They came from your tribe. You were responsible for creating them, right? Do you even have any idea how much suffering they've caused?

She nearly jumped when she felt a light touch on her arm. Sometime during this turn of events, Ren had reached over and gently pressed his fingertips against her skin, sending his Semblance through her body. Instantly, she felt the nerves fade, her heartbeat calming down. Ren's mouth was pressed into a bitter, thin line as he regarded Raven.

He feels the same.

Raven called out, "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting."

To Nora's surprise, all elements of calm were gone from Qrow as well. He gripped his blade in both hands, ready to strike. "What are you doing here?!" he growled.

Raven's mouth curled up into a wicked smile as she began to saunter down the staircase, keeping her eyes locked on Qrow. "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister."

"Leo…" Qrow gasped, turning back to Professor Lionheart. "What have you done?!"

The other man, still standing at the top of the staircase, guilt oozing off of him. "I-I..."

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position - he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too," Raven interjected, sending a pointed look towards Yang as she stopped in front of the statue, level with their group.

Qrow stated darkly, "You have the Spring Maiden."

"I do."

He sighed, folding his blade and placing it back into its holster. "Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!"

Nora nodded along. If she has the Spring Maiden, then we can just move on, right? The Maidens are powerful- if we're sure one's on our side, it's better than nothing.

Raven didn't seem to agree, sneering, "All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!"

"You're wrong," Ruby called, stepping forward.

Ruby, she's not- Nora traded looks with Ren, who looked equally worried. I don't think she's safe, Ruby…

The younger girl continued on her grand speech. "We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please." She held out a hand, imploring for the woman to join them, innocence and hope radiating from every pore.

Raven stared at the offered hand for a moment, eyes clouded. Then, she muttered in disgust, "You sound just like your mother," and pulled out her sword, slicing the very air beside her.

Before everyone's eyes, the world itself seemed to tear apart along the arc of her blade, opening up to a dark void surrounded by a blood-red Aura. And, before anyone could react, a large ball of fire flew out from the darkness, landing squarely in Ruby's chest and sending the girl flying back.

"Ruby!" Yang cried, rushing over to her sister.

Nora made a move for the girl, but immediately froze in place as a figure stepped out of the portal Raven had created. Her long, one-armed dress was just as red as Raven's eyes, dark, short-cropped hair hanging low over one eye. However, it didn't hide enough of her face to hide her identity. Nora knew immediately who it was, her entire body turning numb and cold and empty. People kept talking, but she barely heard anything after the newcomer's first words.

"Hello boys and girls," Cinder Fall cooed, golden eyes flashing with inner fire.

She killed Pyrrha.

Other people stepped out of the portal in a line- one face was new, while two were more familiar. Nora instinctively snarled at Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, remembering the chaos the pair had caused throughout the entire semester leading up to the Fall of Beacon. Pyrrha never liked you, she glowered, watching the four newcomers form a line by Raven. And then you ruined the festival for Yang, and you messed with Coco, and-

She ground her teeth together, feeling hot tears welling up in her eyes, breaking the cold spell binding her body. She glared at each of them in turn, remembering the information Ruby had given them all the way back in Patch. Mercury- you made Pyrrha so uncomfortable, you were the worst- and Emerald, you used illusions? And you were the reason Pyrrha killed Penny. You hurt her, you tricked her…

Her eyes finally dragged back to Cinder, a hatred she had never felt before welling up in her core. She hated this woman. She hated her more than the Grimm, more than the Nuckelavee, more than Salem or whatever the monster they were fighting was. She hated Cinder more than even Sotz and his gang- more than the Branwens, more than anyone.

Cinder took Pyrrha way from us.

It didn't matter if it was Pyrrha's choice to enter that fight. It didn't change the fact that Nora wasn't going to be satisfied until she got to break this woman into pieces.

Suddenly, the front doors of the main hall creaked. Nora turned around just in time to see an unfamiliar giant, muscled man closing the doors behind him, reporting evenly, "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

She looked nervously at Qrow, whose face had paled considerably since the addition of Cinder to the group. He has no idea what to do. Why the hell is the White Fang here, too?

Weiss muttered faintly, "This was all just a trap?"

Ren tensed by her side. "It appears so..."

Qrow was shaking in anger, his voice scant above a whisper. "Raven, tell me... how long have you been with them?"

Cinder stepped forward, and Nora tensed, lowering herself to the ground as the woman sauntered towards them, a smug smile on her face. "Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand..." She gestured towards Professor Lionheart, giggling leisurely. "Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat. Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?"

"Stop it..." the man begged in shame.

"It was you," Qrow breathed, his eyes growing wide as he approached the statue. "You sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her?" Professor Lionheart tried to speak, but Qrow screamed over him, "I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!"

Nora wanted to gag. They had been right. All of those Huntsmen… all those names crossed off on that list…

Caelus, Kalian… Howl… she bit her lip, glaring up at the man on the staircase. They didn't get you, too, right?

Cinder kept rambling on condescendingly. "Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart. I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually."

"What is wrong with you?" Jaune suddenly asked, head hanging low and body trembling with barely-contained rage.

Nora immediately straightened up, her heart plummeting to the floor as she realized the blond's situation. Jaune sounded near tears. Jaune- don't, please, don't-

"How can you be so broken inside... to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?!"

She wanted to run to him, but her legs wouldn't move. She wanted to comfort him.

There was no way she could.

He was there. Pyrrha saved him from Cinder.

What guilt was he bearing?

He doesn't need to feel guilty.

The grief in his heart said otherwise, clearly.

"Jaune..." she whimpered, eyes falling back to Cinder.

The more she looked, however, the more she didn't understand it. Cinder had been so quiet at Beacon. She had been quiet, and unassuming, and not that strong, right? So how was it that she was able to hurt Pyrrha? How was it that she had been able to win, against Pyrrha? Nora's Pyrrha? Her sister, her best friend, Pyrrha Nikos?

It just didn't make sense.

She quickly glanced over at Ren, a sense of overwhelming anxiety rising up into her throat like bile. Nothing made sense.

Jaune lifted his head at last, tears pouring down his cheeks unfiltered. "All with that damn smile on your face!" he screeched, voice cracking in agony.

Magnhild was in her hands before she even knew it, Qrow's voice registering in her brain without the words accompanying it. She was far too focused on Jaune- her leader, her friend. The boy who had been broken inside since the Fall.

Jaune's expression grew manic, eyes widening in pure rage as he screamed hoarsely, "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?! Well?! Say something!"

Nora finally looked back at their opponents. Despite all of her grief, all of Jaune's tears, all of their agony… no one standing before them had shown any reaction whatsoever. They were completely and utterly removed from it all.

After the longest moment of Nora's life, Cinder finally replied to his heart-wrenching declaration.

"Who are you again?"

And that was when Nora knew that she was going to destroy Cinder Fall.