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(Double Chapter Release)
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Of Ash and Ember (Part Two)
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"The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions."
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Above the ruined city of Gjallahorn, time slowed to a near standstill—both literally and figuratively.
Standing amid the collapsing debris frozen midair, Yang and Cinder faced Ruby, Weiss, and Blake. Only a few moments ago, Yang revealed a strange truth to her little sister.
"…What?" Ruby's voice hushed with uncertainty. She shook her head in disbelief. "Ho-Why, w-how could you say that?"
"It's the truth," Yang answered her.
"It can't be. You and dad, and Qrow. You all said—"
"We didn't know. Dad still probably doesn't know."
Ruby continued to shake her head, more frantically now.
"It's a trick…! You're just saying this to—!"
"I'd say a lot of things to get under your skin, Ruby. I want to win, but I also want you to know the truth."
A sad sort of smile broke across Yang's expression. It was genuine confliction. She herself, still wasn't sure how to feel about it. But the truth was there—
"Mom's alive, Ruby. And you're the proof."
"Me?"
Beside Yang, Cinder nodded.
"Your sister is correct. All the Maidens share a special bond," she explained. "We possess a fundamental awareness of each other on a certain level. All of us."
Ruby wondered what that implied, when Cinder nudged her head towards Weiss.
"Weiss?"
"Ask your partner if you don't believe us. Although, one glance at her reaction and I'm sure you understand."
Weiss couldn't meet Ruby's eyes. Her head was tilted down. The front of her bangs hiding the top half of her expression, but her lips could be seen quivering.
"I don't understand…" Ruby murmured. "If she's alive, then where is she?! Why haven't you gone after her?!"
"We can't," Yang answered.
"Why?"
"We can't find her, Ruby. Don't you think that's the first thing I would've done? There's no trace of her anywhere… except right here."
"…"
Yang focused intently on her younger sibling.
"Not all your powers come from your silver eyes. You have half the Summer Maiden's Inheritance. We can all feel it."
"That's—! That's insane! I'm not a Maiden!"
"Not a complete one," Cinder smirked. "Welcome to the club, as it were."
"But, how does that make sense?"
"That is the question, isn't it? How do you possess part of a Maiden's Inheritance? Well, there is precedent for it. Which eludes to the idea that Summer Rose may be in rather a precarious situation. One that requires immediate attention," Cinder flashed a sinister grin. "Makes one rethink their priorities, doesn't it? Should you really be fighting your own sister, when your mother is somewhere in Remna—"
"Enough!"
All of them turned to the girl, who was trembling with rage. A shockwave of frost and cold exploded from her word. Fury exuded her, aiming hostility and bloodthirst like it was something tangible.
Finally meeting her partner's gaze, Weiss spoke her heart.
"I'm so sorry, Ruby. I vowed to myself that after the fight, I would tell you the truth. I failed you. But I'll tell you another vow I made, and that was to help you find your mother once this was over and done with. So, please. I know it's unreasonable to ask, but I need you to cast your emotions aside."
"Are you really going to say that?" Yang asked.
Weiss' rage quickly returned. There was no question. Rather than Cinder, it was Yang that was the focus of her hatred.
In the same vein, Yang glare back with an equally hot loathing.
"I think it's time we finished our dance, ice queen," she added with an edge.
"I'll never forgive you, Yang Xiao Long. It's time you and I settled things once and for all."
Cinder crossed over to Yang and grasped her shoulder. Her smoky voice wafted in her ear.
"Remember my counsel."
"I'll remember," Yang replied with the same whisper. "Same to you. I gave you every edge you need. Ruby won't recover that fast. Bring Blake down a life."
"Hmph. To whom do you think you are speaking?"
Yang and Cinder both raised their fists and tapped them together.
Meanwhile, Weiss dropped to the ground floor. Her Myrtenaster stabbed into the sea of lava, freezing its surface in ice. Although layered in frost, she could feel the molten still broiling below. It would break through with time, but for the purposes of this match, the make-shift terrain would hold long enough.
Yang dropped down soon after, Cinder's words cycling her thoughts.
The heiress possesses a simple weakness exposed exclusively to you alone.
Her rage over her sister, and likely your own, clouds her judgment. Unlike yourself, she is ill-equipped to channeling such emotions productively. I suggest getting inside her head, and then obliterating her.
"Sorry, Cinder. But that's not how Weiss and I do things, no matter how much we might hate each other."
Upon landing, chunks of glacier spewed from the impact. Cracks scattered across the surface, then automatically reformed from the Winter Maiden's Magic.
"Your own sister…!" Weiss growled. "You put Ruby through so much pain, just to suit your own needs. You're despicable."
"That's what I should be saying to you! You hid the truth from her! You thought it'd improve your chances of winning, but you only left an opening for Cinder to take."
"I knew I could convince Ruby to block Cinder out! But it was you! I didn't expect her own sister to stoop so low. You're nothing, who I thought you were!"
"Right back at you."
"Don't say that. I'm nothing like you. You've done so much worse."
"AND YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER THAN ME!" Yang roared. "I trusted Ruby with you! Because I knew, I wouldn't be the one by her side anymore! You were supposed to be the one she could count on!"
"Then, I suppose we've both failed her." Weiss held her rapier straight and saluted.
"Yeah. Guess so," Yang scoffed, and then bowed.
The two extended their respective weapons to each other and a piercing ring resounded—christening their rematch.
The battle between the Spring and Winter Maiden had begun.
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X
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"YoU ToRE Us APArT, yOU MONSTER!" Blake cried as she pounced at Cinder.
"I can't help but sense a bitter irony at you naming me a monster. Besides," Cinder circled around to a slow falling stalactite of volcanic glass the size of her body. "The flaws were already there, Salem's pawn. Your 'friends and family' were broken the moment you entered their lives." She placed her hand against the crystal, causing it to shatter into microscopic particles.
"Blake! Calm down!" Ruby shouted.
"She can't," Cinder laughed. "It seems the Bane she's taken has made her rather unstable. Quite the unreliable teammate, I must say."
"Shut up!"
The Fall Maiden sent the cloud of grounded glass towards her oncoming enemies, but the two simply dodged the larger fragments. The harmless pieces, they ignored and let bounce off their person.
As the two approached within striking distance, Cinder made no move to defend. Only holding one hand up, she pressed her fingers together in a motion they were all too familiar with.
*Snap*
Blake and Ruby felt their insides shred, before a layer of Aura laced their lungs for healing and protection. The Fall Maiden's previous attack contained such fine particles of glass that the two unknowingly inhaled some.
Cinder followed the opening move by aiming her bow point-blank at Blake's head. Just as she released the string, the body's neck snapped back, and the shadow clone faded.
The vines whipping around Ruby latched to a nearby platform, rappelling her from further harm. After Blake rejoined her, the pair coughed up little glittering pieces that sprinkled across the rock's surface.
Cinder grinned at the result.
I must remember to thank Neo for teaching me that little trick.
Now, according to Yang, their next pathetic attempt would be to set me off balance. A combination of feints, while the other follows with a heavy blow.
Cinder watched her opponents recover, after coughing out the rest of the glass particles. Blake began fashioning a number of afterimages of herself. Ruby took a position slightly behind.
Hmph. Right according to script.
As the gang of look-a-likes swarmed her position, Cinder notched a few arrows to her bowstring. A shotgun blast of lethal obsidian rendered the figures to empty silhouettes. Every one of them crying in some twisted death throe. But the real was absent.
Although predictable, I must remember to mind the distance from this one.
Cinder cracked her bow into twin shortswords. With a swift lunge, she performed a cross-section on the space behind her. Blake reappeared there and materialized a clone just in time for the blades to carve a large "X" into its chest.
The girl misty-stepped back to Ruby's position. She touched her fingertips to her chest and flinched from the shallow cut there. One of her two remaining lives was almost taken by Cinder's fake opening.
Ruby and Blake frowned to each other, as the former wasn't allowed a chance at her turn. Their adversary had put an end to their combo before it could even take form.
How did she know where I was? Blake thought to herself.
Raven and Salem said her Semblance shouldn't allow her to track me like Yang's.
How…?
Seeing the uncertainty in Blake gave Cinder a small measure of delight. She thanked her fellow glass-using teammate once more.
Neo's teachings in being a mischievous ambusher is paying dividends.
And as Raven thoroughly taught me, it always pays to keep a treasury of tricks in reserve.
Cinder's Ring pulsed with Runes. It resonated with the grafts carved on the insides of Ruby and Blake's lungs by the glass particles earlier. No matter how fast they were or what stealthiness they took, Cinder would know their exact locations without relying on sight. A secret radar that all but nullified the combo's surprise attacks.
Now that they know clandestine tactics are no longer an option… they should plan to initiate directly. A chain sequence—linking their attacks with another until I falter.
Almost on command, Ruby and Blake repositioned themselves shoulder to shoulder.
Oh, no. I think I'm having a little too much fun.
Just then, Yang's words from the past cautioned Cinder's confidence.
"Ruby was our play caller and our team synergist. I know how she comes off, but if you underestimate her even a little bit, she'll make you pay for it."
"Noted. I will not let my guard down against your sister's… unassuming nature."
"Part of her Semblance is speed, and she uses it to become our team's momentum driver. If she gains a little bit of footing against you, she'll run with it, and pull whoever she's comboing with along for the ride."
"Interesting. That certainly is a sound threat."
"The key is disrupting her tempo. As good as she is at accelerating her teammates, it can also backfire. Break her pattern, and you break her teammate's pattern, Weiss or Blake."
"This is applicable to Blake as well, even though they are not partners?"
"Especially for Blake. When those two combo, they go for the 'death by a thousand cuts' style."
"Hm…" Cinder absorbed the advice and committed it to memory. "And you're sure they wouldn't have communicated these weaknesses amongst themselves?"
"Heh. They don't even know they do it. I've been keeping that in my back pocket just in case I ever had to fight them."
"…May I correctly assume you have such a trump card against Weiss Schnee?"
"No," Yang answered. "When it comes to Weiss, she probably has my beat."
"That doesn't exactly put my reservations to rest."
"I still have my ways," the girl shrugged. "You just concentrate on your own fight, when we get there."
"Very well," Cinder said to herself aloud. "I shall devote my full focus to these two…for the moment."
Ruby and Blake advanced on her again. The red and black figures danced, as they swapped front position like a spinning roulette. On another occasion, Cinder would have praised them for such control and synchronicity. But in this moment, it would be their undoing.
"Stop Ruby on the first step," Yang's voice echoed her mind's recesses. "With your Semblance and sense of timing…"
Cinder rocketed herself towards the pair right as Ruby rotated into lead position.
"…It shouldn't be a problem for you."
The Fall Maiden's Semblance activated, and she saw the fragility in their formation. Her elbow jutted out to nail Ruby right in the sternum. All the air escaped the little red's lungs with a violent cough.
Yes—
Cinder derived a sickly pleasure from taking revenge on the one who had previously imprisoned her.
This is much too fun.
"W-why is Yang helping you?"
She paused at the question.
"There's a reason, right?" Ruby rasped through the pain. "Why is Yang helping you?!"
"A Kingdom isn't a poor prize."
"…"
Cinder's lips curled with annoyance.
"You're too curious for your own good. Truth be told, I would like nothing more than to answer your question, if not to sow more discontent in your heart. But due to Yang's conditions, I have no obligation to divulge the reason for her betrayal."
Seeing the younger girl's expression stiffen came with its own advantages. A vague word, and Ruby grew more vulnerable without Cinder breaking her promise with Yang.
"So, so much fun."
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X
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While the fight waged in the indoor's falling sky, another battle unfolded below. The sheer raw power between two successors to their Inheritances sundered and rebuilt the world around them in an endless karmic waltz.
Every clash sent a dimensional rift through the Never Realm around them. Whatever pieces of Gjallahorn's city was left, toppled over into the crunching snow. A blizzard howled in the lower atmosphere of the cavern, only interrupted by violent solar flares.
Weiss waved her hand and called forth the best knights in her arsenal. The squadron dashed towards Yang on summoning. And what she saw resulted in yet another paradigm shift of what she understood about her former teammate.
In contrast to the boxer's signature infight style, the girl stepped back and strafed sideways. The distance and pacing under her complete control. And instead of having her guard up, high and tight to the head; she had only one hand up for protection, while her lead right swung loosely. The southpaw stance was devoid of tension. A front fist rocking back and forth like a pendulum.
Whenever one of the knights drew close, Yang's jab flicked out like a whip. The strike itself wasn't very strong, but it did carry a sharpness. Combined with her Semblance's sight, it became a lethal instrument of its own.
The jabs snapped at the incoming hostiles, sniping some through their critical vitals. And if the knights were to press ahead regardless, a hard left-straight awaited to smash their helmets through.
Outboxing?
Weiss could hardly grasp what she was seeing. Yang practically lived to fight in the pocket, in the middle of danger. But this demonstrated a technique and control she didn't know the other had.
With a small annoyance, the Winter Maiden unsummoned the rest of her knights.
Counter-punching is a surprise.
Did she train that specifically to deal with my constructs?
Fine.
Let's see how far she took it.
Being an out-fighter herself, Weiss accepted the challenge. She cast a Haste Glyph on herself, as well as coated her rapier in red Dust. With a small step forward, she bolted into a smooth glide.
The point of collision, where Myrtenaster and Ember Celica met, twisted and rippled like a watery surface. Yang's snapping jab met the high-pitch whistle of Weiss' rapier again and again. Following the first strike, multiple shots traded in sequence. The speed of the blows came so fast, it was like they were all thrown at the same time.
She's matching me.
Then, how about this?
Weiss cast a shield bubble around herself and dove straight in. Her barrier shattered on taking three flicker fists, but she had entered deep into the enemy's territory by then. Weiss primed a riposte to counter the left Yang would inevitably throw.
But the main punch never came.
Instead, something odd happened.
Yang's backfoot slid away to a wider stance. The boxer's center of gravity shifted lower as a result. The right jab that was still up, came down in a chopping motion. At the solidifying of her martial arts form, Yang brought a vicious hammer fist atop Weiss' skull.
G-gong fu?!
Yang had often expressed how much she disliked mixing martial arts styles. But the transition between boxing and traditional martial arts was nothing short of immaculate—if not effectively executed.
Weiss had her brain matter jostled and dark spots blotted her vision. It was enough pause to prompt Yang's bread and butter. The Spring Maiden switched up styles again to the up-close-and-personal method she favored so much. Firing off a two-hit gutshot, she ended the combo with a winding uppercut.
The sequence finisher sent Weiss flying, but an odd sensation accompanied the strike. Yang felt the feedback from her knuckles. She also saw the yellow veins across Weiss' body shrink just before contact.
As she watched her adversary float midair, she understood why. A number of Glyphs spun around her former teammate's joints. The amount of layering effects couldn't be discerned, but it was clear Weiss enhanced herself just before receiving Yang's close-range onslaught.
She blinked in disbelief, and her opponent disappeared from view.
"Huh?"
A high-pitch scream came from the side, forcing Yang's arm up to guard. She didn't see the attack, only felt it. And it was the mightiest blow she had ever received in her entire life. Nothing Cinder or anyone else threw her way had come close.
Like she was run through at full joust, Weiss' sonic boom sent Yang careening the whole width of the mountain. She was so deeply imbedded into the wall, she almost broke through to the outside.
Yang fought the daze encroaching her consciousness and the ringing in her ear that refused to dissipate. It threatened to take her, if she didn't will everything she had into staying awake.
Giant pieces of rubble crumbled into the snow, while Yang dug herself out. When she took in the image of the silver fencer standing above the snowy carnage, she understood what Weiss had done.
The girl's figure was donned in the ghostly armor her summons wore. Countless Glyphs spun wildly along the Winter Maiden's sword arm like a sleeve of overclocking gears. Afterimages could be gleaned from just staying still, like watching something in fast forward. A similar collection of emblems rotated the girl's ankles. Yang could only imagine the compounding effects the buffs over buffs had.
The gyrating Glyphs faded and the suit of armor fissured until it broke from the stress.
She can probably only do it a couple times.
A normal person's body couldn't handle that many Glyphs at once. Probably not a Maiden either, but…
That's Weiss for you.
Never a boring fight.
Yang felt something loose in the back of her mouth. She tongued it, and then spat it to the side with indifference. The lost tooth clattered loudly across a sheet of ice.
Watching her injured enemy limping towards her, Weiss couldn't help but reveal the barest of smiles.
No matter what stood between them, there existed an unsaid promise to duel honorably. It was an odd sentiment to carry into the fight. But to Weiss and Yang, it might as well have been an oath only broken by painful death.
There were no tricks, no underhanded practices, no subterfuge compared to their previous fights with others. Only with each other as opponents, were things different. They fought to be better. They fought to be the best. Speed and power versus speed and power, technique versus technique, pound for pound. Something about having each other as opponents made them honest—allowed them a code of conduct that was both special and rare.
A mutual belief held solely between the two—
And perhaps, only one other.
"Alright, now what do I do?" Yang laughed to herself.
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This time, is it okay if I remember you?
…
I couldn't before.
I blocked it off 'cause it was too painful.
Or maybe, I was just too ashamed of myself.
But I wonder if it's okay now.
…
Hey.
…
Is it okay to remember you?
…
Is it okay if I remember your voice?
Yang dove into the depths of her memories, like dreams of deepest sleep.
"That was very good, Yang," the familiar voice echoed.
"Still wasn't good enough. Urrrggghhh!" Yang groaned in frustration. "You and Weiss are the only ones I have losing records against!"
"Now, now, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself."
In the empty practice room, Yang sat alone with another. After nursing the injuries of her defeat, she turned to the girl out of curiosity.
"Hey, let me ask you something."
"Of course."
"You've got a positive win rate against Weiss, right?"
"Ahaha… I haven't been keeping track."
"Yeah, you have. Don't lie."
"…Fine, I have. But only in the spirit of healthy competition."
"Sure, sure, it's only us here. So I wanna know, how do I beat Weiss?"
"Hm…" The other thought for a moment. "Her technique is impeccable. The overall balance of her abilities is probably her strongest point."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she isn't the most powerful or the fastest. BUT she's extremely capable in each facet of combat. Her fighting style is based on finding the most advantageous compatibility against her opponent, and then using that to achieve victory."
"Oh, that thing Professor Goodwitch talked about. If you're opponent's slow, use speed. If they're weak, use strength. Pretty basic stuff."
"Yes, but as fighters grow, they naturally gravitate towards one particular specialty. So employing this style of countering everything becomes nigh impossible. Just like how you would stick to your rush style, even though it may not be optimal against your opponent."
"Huh. So, at the higher levels, it's basically rock-paper-scissors."
"That is, one way of putting it. In fact, it's very helpful in describing what I want to say next. If you can only use rock, what would that make me and Weiss?"
"Paper, I guess?"
"And if we fought someone that was scissors?"
"You'd—" Yang paused. "You'd want to go with rock. But you're both paper-types…Wait—"
"That is the very essence of all-rounders. We can switch to whatever weapon the need calls for."
"But you just said countering every style is impossible!"
"Nigh impossible, not undoable," the girl smiled confidently. "Weiss and I trained very hard to do what we're able to do. Throwing out different styles is our specialty."
"Wait, so if you and Weiss are both all-rounders, how do you win all the time?"
"I think I might be slightly better than Weiss, that's all."
"'That's all'," Yang grinned. "So, I guess fighting you guys will always be an uphill battle from the start."
"There are other factors that determine a fight. Opponents who are highly unorthodox are probably our greatest weakness. But you could catch Weiss with a surprise tactic. Although, it would win you the first victory, but not the ones after."
"…Uggghhhh!"
As Yang continued to roll around, the other girl had a sudden thought when remembering a lesson from her old teacher. Her expression turned complicated at that.
"What is it?"
"Yes?"
"You're making a face."
"I—ehm, well, there is a way you could stand on equal footing with an all-rounder with an orthodox style. Although," she turned away. "I have half a mind not to tell you, since it could be used against me."
"PYRRHA!"
"Ahaha~ I'm only joking," Pyrrha waved her hand. "It's a simple solution, really. If we go back to the rock-paper-scissors analogy, then there is a way for rock to beat paper."
"Oh, yeah? How's that?"
Pyrrha smiled in the lighthearted, good nature she always did.
"Well, you could just use a very strong rock!"
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"Alright, Pyrrha. Guess I'll just throw the biggest rock I can throw."
Yang tilted her head back to let out a fearsome roar. She gave in to the throes of her emotion. The wounds she received became the fuel for her strength. The ephemeral diadem on her head shined brighter than it did before. Her Ember Celica rumbled with her rising spirit. Its form shifted to its most powerful setting.
As the Spring Maiden's Aura manifested, a pillar of comets streamed from her body. The fragments spat about like fireworks, causing seismic tremors wherever they land. The whole cavern was erupting with Yang's fierce battlecry.
In response, Weiss cast her Glyphs once more. They whirred all along her limbs, stressing her body with supernatural ability. Condensed armor interlocked tight, transforming her into a majestic instrument of destruction. A long cape draped the back of her shoulders, shedding snowflakes and freezing mist.
It would be a single strike, Weiss thought.
She saw the situation play out, or at least recognized its similarity to their past battle. Her mind recalled the defeat vividly. And she reviewed it countless times.
Weiss underestimated Yang and was repeatedly taken surprise in the course of the fight. But this time, there would be no mistake. The same move would not work twice. If she could parry it even partially, and then attack right afterwards, victory would be hers.
With her rapier poised high above her shoulder, Weiss made a sonic dash towards Yang. At the same time, Yang kicked off the ground with such force the whole volcano jolted. Snow burned away, leaving fire and magma in the Spring Maiden's wake. In its opposite, a violent blizzard howled at the tail-end of the Winter Maiden's stride.
The two set upon a path to determine an undisputed victor together, while gambling on the risk of mutual destruction. It was a clash warriors dreamt of—and a death many sought. A pure ending no one would have regretted or would trade away for anything.
—Save, maybe victory.
It was a fraction of a second. A sliver thinner than the shallowest breath.
The moment Weiss realized what she was doing, she was overcome with regret and shame.
…
I admit defeat, Yang.
This duel belongs to you.
I've broken our Oath.
…
The empty armored knight disintegrated instantly against Yang's fist, as if she had struck nothing but air.
Weiss leapt from behind, out of the lava, while encased in a shield Glyph. She had ejected from her armor at the last moment, and traveled underneath the snow and molten flow to sneak behind her enemy.
It made a sham of their duel, but it did not stop her. Nothing would, regardless of the dishonor.
I take neither joy nor pride in this.
Victory is the imperative end result to some, but it was never ours. Not when you and I were concern, at least.
But I've betrayed that now.
I won't ask your forgiveness, and I don't deserve it.
…
"This is goodbye, Yang."
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X
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(A short moment ago)
…
Hm. Seems my partner is getting a little over-eager, Cinder thought as she watched Yang unleash the full fury of her Aura.
Weiss Schnee seems to be taking a similar stance.
A true duel, where victory is secondary to a battle waged to the fullest of one's heart.
It's not to my taste, but I can respect the—
"Yang…!" Cinder squinted with an anger that was out of place.
She saw through the trick Weiss was pulling. It was a disgraceful maneuver. Cinder was the last person to critique underhanded tactics, but the sight left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.
As if I would allow such a thing to stand.
The arrowhead of the projectile notched to her bow, twisted into a wicked spiral. Its material composition was modified to become denser and designed for more sleekness. Her shot would need to be faster, reach a longer range.
Cinder took aim.
As Weiss reappeared, ready to inflict the fatal blow on Yang, Ruby launched her own attack against Cinder.
Now?! She chooses now to attack?!
Is she so naïve to think Weiss Schnee would spare the life of her sister?
Learn to recognize what a killing blow is, you fool!
At that point, Cinder's Shatterpoint Semblance activated with vast precognition. It highlighted several coexisting weaknesses at once:
The obvious one being Yang's. Her back was completely defenseless to the sword thrust Weiss was about to impart.
The second focus was Weiss. She was vulnerable to a fatal shot by Cinder. Unfortunately, killing her would not stop Weiss from killing Yang.
The next point of vulnerability was Cinder herself. If she took the shot, she left herself open to a severe wound from Ruby.
The last worthy point of fragility was Myrtenaster. Cinder could fire her arrow at the rapier to disarm Weiss. The only scenario, where Yang would survive the next crucial moment.
Cinder had a choice to make.
Her Semblance laid out paths of different futures beyond the point of divergence.
Victory would be hers if she eliminated Weiss now, even if she took a hit for it.
In the event she defended against Ruby's scythe, Weiss would be significantly weakened by the use of so many Glyphs. They would be relatively immobile, and the Fall Maiden could easily swoop down to pick them off.
But if she chose to save Yang, not only would she suffer serious injury, victory would no longer be assured.
I should let Yang die…
The choice is obvious.
Cinder did the calculations over and over in her head.
The merits clearly outweigh any of the negatives.
Yang's death here can only benefit me greatly.
She cycled the predictions again. The Tower would be hers. Atlas would be hers.
I will not sacrifice everything I've built to save a former enemy.
Her team would be hers again. Emerald and Mercury would answer only to her.
You've made for a very good pawn, Yang. As promised, I will carry out your wish, despite your demise.
You've served me well.
Cinder swung her aim towards Ruby, when she felt a sudden discord.
…
Her fingers freed the arrow from its string. A sigh escaped her lips as she bore full witness to what she had done.
Cinder experienced anguish. A thousand of her inner voices scolded her, admonished her for being an absolute fool. All her training, all her nerves released a negative feedback, punishing her for the action.
…
But her heart was full…
…
Her heart was full.
…
Ruby's scythe slashed down. Cinder saw a flash of crimson before her left eye was cut out completely.
Ah.
I've been wounded by this stupid girl again.
No amount of reparations will be enough for this…
Yang.
Cinder's arrow descended like the falling of a cursed star. Its glass snapped on knocking Myrtenaster out of Weiss' hand. Yang wheeled around and leapt to safety.
The Fall Maiden breathed another sigh as her vision faded black.
What a disgrace…
What misguided sentiment caused me to choose so poorly?
…
An unknown voice resonated from the abyss of her soul.
(( "Selflessness." ))
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(Double Chapter Release)