Greetings everyone!

Welcome back to the 12th chapter of "The Knight The Wizard", everybody's favorite story about two VERY unlikely individuals working together to defeat an evil sorceress! And by the by, I am freakin' over the moon because I recently watched the latest episodes of RWBY and HOLY GUTTER SHITE do I have literally LOADS of headcanon that I'm planning to use for this story now. That's right this story will be having its own canon! Can I get a hell yeah?!

And just to make sure you all got it... NOTE: THIS STORY WILL NOT BE FOLLOWING THE TRADITIONAL STORYLINE FOR FUTURE EPISODES. IT WILL INSTEAD BE FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS WHILE ALSO MAKING ITS OWN PATH. Heed this warning to all who enter here!

And like I mentioned before, this chapter will be somewhat shorter due to some workplace scheduling as I was originally going to just put the entire "Brunswick Farms" mini arc into a single chapter but hopefully I got enough in here to keep everyone satisfied until the next chapter's release.

Next Scheduled Release:

Dec. 23rd: "The Knight The Wizard - Ch. 13"

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Till next time!

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Chapter Twelve

None of us spoke as the visions of Ozpin's mysterious past faded away from our surroundings, taking Jinn along with them as the Relic of Knowledge fell into the heap of snow. It was impossible. It had to be untrue. But I believe Yang had described it best as the harsh reality settled upon our shoulders like a bag of bricks.

"Salem can't be killed..." said Yang, her words felt like a massive weight being placed upon our backs. "You all heard her too, right?" she asked, praying that it was all a lie only to receive no reply in return.

We asked for answers to the questions we held in the back of our minds. And in return for our curiosity our hopes were dashed away before our eyes, like dust scattering to the wind. I could not even believe it despite living it... No, perhaps I just didn't want to believe that it could be true. That all the hard work we've done... The sacrifices we've made... were all for naught.

Pyrrha, my partner, my love, who was willing give herself up to a lifetime of running away with a target painted on her back to protect the people she cherished... people like me... And instead she was killed by some power-hungry bitch and used as a pawn in someone else's game.

I had already hated Ozpin with enough passion that if we weren't already bonded then I'd do whatever it took to take his life. But even then it would all be pointless in the end. And Salem was already on my shit list but now... Now, I couldn't even stand to think about her anymore... but now, all I felt was confusion whenever I thought about her... Mainly because I knew that if I had even the slightest chance to bring Pyrrha back to me, I'd do in a heartbeat.

I curled my gloved fingers into the pristine white snow that laid before my eyes as reality began to set itself back into place, allowing the snow that stopped mid-fall to settle back into motion. Silence greeted my eardrums until the sound of Yang's growl caught my attention, causing me to look up and see her flaming red eyes glaring death down at me. And with the slightest twinge of rage, I turned the tables on that bastardized man of a wizard and I did something I'd never thought I'd willingly do... I forced him back into control of my body.

It was high time the Wizard got what he deserved.

The sight of Yang clutching onto my hoodie as she lifted my body above the snow, continuing to glare at the elderly wizard that was now forced to control my body filled with what little joy I could muster. But even though I was somewhat happy that Ozpin was getting what he deserved, the weight of regret and guilt that he was forced to face after so many years of trying to forget washed over me, ripping away my joy and turning it into sorrow and anger.

"There was so much you hadn't told us!" shouted Yang, her fingers turning white as she tightened her grip on my hoodie, continuing to deliver her anger onto the man that wore my skin. "How could you think that was okay?!"

But Ozpin, like always, had no answer to give. All he could do was hang my head in shame over the guilt that filled his soul. Finally, Yang released her hold on my hoodie, dropping my body back into the snow that crushed beneath my body's legs as Ozpin, still in control, could only hang my head in shame.

"Professor..." said Ruby, causing Ozpin to lift my head up to see the look on Ruby's face as she slowly inched her way towards my kneeling form. "What is your plan to defeat Salem?" she asked, no doubt hoping to see even a shred of hope that may light the dark tunnel of uncertainty we now found ourselves in.

"I... I dont's have one..." said Ozpin, the sound of his voice coming from my mouth was heavy with guilt and regret. But, truthfully, I knew that Ozpin had no plan for defeating Salem... He never did... All he had been doing was trying to delay the inevitable that was Humanity's destruction... Using each and every piece he held in his pocket to delay his defeat... And to see the hope in your best friend's silver eyes being dashed away was more painful than a thousand blades.

Suddenly, I watched as an object flashed in my vision before seeing as my body flew backwards into a nearby tree, The force was nearly enough to shock me back into control only for Ozpin, weak as he was, to gain back what little control he held as she lifted my head to see Qrow, his own friend and trusted confidant look away in disappointment. It was in that moment as I saw the painful reality settle upon his shoulders that I realized something... Qrow was just another pawn used in Ozpin's game... He held no valuable place just like the rest of us... And it pained him all the more so that it the truth didn't come from the one person he trusted more than life itself.

"No one wanted me..." he said softly, his words were enough to cause Ozpin to cease his movements as he watched through my eyes at his student and trusted friend. "I was cursed.." Cursed with a Semblance he could not control. Cursed to remain a loner not because he wanted to but because it was the only way he could protect those he cherished. "I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world..." A place where he could be finally be welcomed with open arms instead of being turned away for the misfortune he brought upon those around him. "I thought I was finally doing some good..."

I watched as tears began to fall from my own eyes as the sadness that was welling within Ozpin's soul was pushed to the surface. "But, you are!" shouted Ozpin, trying desperately to keep the last thing that made him feel even remotely close to mortal as possible. But the despair I felt Ozpin feel was beyond even my own as I watched through my own eyes at Qrow turning away from his mentor, my own hand outstretched to meet another that would never come.

"Meeting you... Was the worst luck of my life..." said Qrow, turning away from the shattered shell of a man as he slumped my body back against the tree in sorrow.

"Maybe you're right..." said Ozpin, relinquishing control back onto me as I thrusted back into the driver seat of my own body as the pain from Qrow's sudden punch came rushing upon me, causing me to raise my gloved hand onto my cheek with a grimace.

"What happened?" asked Ruby, no doubt noticing that Ozpin was no longer in control of my body as she raced to my side, placing her hands upon my shoulder as I cradled my red swollen cheek as I willed my Semblance to heal my cheek.

But there was something different this time when I regained back control of my body. No matter how hard I tried I could no longer feel Ozpin's presence in the back of my mind... It was almost as if he was gone... completely from the depths of my mind. My eyes widened in confusion as the reality settled upon my shoulders. "He's... gone?" I asked aloud, causing the others to turn their heads towards me with the same expressions of confusion as I was feeling in that very moment.

"What the hell do you mean "he's gone"?" asked Yang, turning her red eyes upon me. "That fucking bastard! Tell him we're not through with him yet!"

"No, it's different this time. He's gone-gone. It... It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. No, our head?" I groaned clamping my hands onto my head as waves of migraines washed over my brain at the thought. Was my body even mine any more? Was it ever was mine to begin with? Or was I always fated to be an empty shell for some failure of a wizard? No! That wasn't possible! I was born to be a Huntsman! A hero! Like my father! My grandfather! And every Arc before me! It can't be like this, could it? "I hate this! Gah! I just want it to stop!" I shouted, clutching my head in pain and denial.

"He just left us?" asked Weiss, sharing the same disbelief that we were all feeling in that moment.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Blake, her feline ears folding over her head as the snowfall fell all around us.

"ENOUGH!" shouted a voice that echoed through the snowfall, causing all of us to turn our heads towards the one that spoke with confidence and clarity. Though her physical body was weak and frail, it was her heart and mind that were strong and hopeful. And as my gaze fell upon Maria Calavera I couldn't help the feeling of pride that I felt towards her as she remained confidant in this weary world. "We need to get a move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity!" she shouted, thrusting her cane towards me, to which I grabbed onto, before lifting me back onto my feet with Ruby standing beside me in case I fell over. "There's a trail over there, trails usually lead somewhere." she commanded as she slowly began making her way towards said trail.

That is until Yang decided that now was the best time to take her aggression out on someone other than myself. Not that her anger wasn't justified but that it was doing very little to help with our current situation.

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but-" But the sound of Maria slamming her cane into the ground silenced all words from Yang's mouth as she turned her attention onto my fellow blonde.

"No buts!" she demanded before calming herself enough to speak. "I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we will all die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!" shouted Maria, once again causing me to swell up with pride towards the dark skinned elderly woman that stood confidently before my eyes.

"She's right." agreed Ruby, grabbing her pack off the ground before swinging it over her shoulder. "Come on everyone."

After several minutes of searching for our supplies and anything extra that would eventually help us in our journey to Argus, I was busy with looking through a nearby crate when the sound of crunching snow coming from behind me caused me to turn my head and see Ruby, standing with flakes of white snow in her hair and in her outstretched hand was Ozpin's cane. I eyed the cane with disdain before remembering the adventures it had been through... Reluctantly, I took the cane from Ruby's soft and gentle hand before looking down at it in sadness.

I was right... By the end of this journey I would be nothing but an empty shell used by another... A shadow of my former self... Another soul in a massive collection of those that failed to break this curse.

"I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?" I asked aloud, wanting so desperately for all of this be a dream before looking up and seeing Ruby's own silver eyes widening at my question before she tried to put on a brave face for me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Of course not, Jaune." she said with a fake smile, not even believing her own words. "You're your own person and you're going to beat this and go off on amazing adventures with your teammates."

I wanted to believe her words of hope... Gods know I wanted to believe them... But... I couldn't... No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't believe in the even tiniest shred of hope that she tried desperately to share with me...

And it appears that judging by the expression on Qrow's face as he walked past the two of us that not even he shared Ruby's optimism. "Don't lie to him, Ruby." said Qrow, lifting his flask to his lips as he allowed the burning liquid to pass between his lips and down into his gullet before reluctantly pulling the cap away from his lips. "We're better than that..." he mumbled before stopping in his tracks to turn towards us with a saddened expression on his face. "Sorry... About hitting you..."

You know, there was something about Qrow that made me both despise his very being and yet at the same time I couldn't help but feel like in some sort of way we were more alike than either one of us originally thought. We had both felt like outcasts in our own homes and we'd both lost someone close to us... And now, all we were doing now was living day-to-day with no clear destination in sight. Forever wandering in a desolate world.

"It's fine. Honestly, I'd probably do the same if I wasn't bonded with him." I replied with a tiny smirk before finishing up healing my swollen cheek.

And Ruby, hearing her own Uncle apologize to me must've been even more of shock to her than me as her silver eyes widened to comedic levels before closing in a slow blink. She turned to face me with a conflicted expression on her face before I felt both of her hand reach out to grasp one of my own. I looked down to see her pale white hands holding onto my own. The butterflies in my stomach were not helping things as she looked up to me with those seemingly bottomless pools of silver.

"Listen, I don't know how we'll beat Salem or how we'll break this curse... But I do know that no matter what happens that I will always be there for you, Jaune. And nothing will ever take you away from me. Not Salem. Not Ozpin. Not even the Gods, themselves. You just have to trust me... Do you trust me?" she asked, staring up at me with the tiniest light of hope that seemed to burn in her silver eyes.

I couldn't stop the smile that grew on my face even if I wanted to. I knew better than anyone that Ruby was a girl that you could do more than just put your trust in her. She was like a beacon of hope in this darkness we found ourselves in. Without even realizing it, I had instinctively raised my hand to meet her left cheek. Cradling her soft pale white cheek against the warmth of my gloved palm as I continued to smile softly down at her.

"I trust you more than anyone in this entire world, Ruby." I said, smiling before noticing that Ruby was looking up at me with a smile, her silver eyes were almost shining as we continued to stare into each other's eyes. I wanted this moment to last a lifetime... But, sadly, like with most everything else that had happened today, the sound of a whistle broke our moment of peace and brought our attention over to see Qrow, playfully smirking at us with his flask still in hand.

"If you two lovebirds are done over there, we need to get a move on before this storm gets any worse!" he shouted, his words were enough to cause the both of us to blush and release each other's hands our of embarrassment.

Neither one of us spoke but I couldn't help but notice the lingering feeling on my hand. I glanced down to see nothing strange before looking back up to see Ruby's retreating form as she hurriedly raced to the front of the pack alongside her fellow teammates. The pain that was filling in my chest had somewhat subsided but it didn't go away... It never did after all. Part of me wanted that fleeting moment with Ruby to last forever while another part of me wanted nothing more that distance myself from her... I was already doomed to fail, the last thing I wanted was to drag her, or the others, down with me...

And so, we walked aimlessly down the snow covered path into the unknown wilderness as the snowfall slowly began to pick up, cascading a blanket of white all around us. I had no clue as to how long we'd been walking though I could tell that we had been walking long enough for the snow to cover our own tracks. Which meant that we now had little choice than to continue forward with fleeting hope for shelter. But who was I kidding... Hope was for that fools that were ignorant of the reality that was before their very eyes. Honestly, I was wondering why I was even bothering continuing onward as I was right now. I knew that no matter how far we walked or how close we came to our destination that my fate was written. I would no longer be the hopeful boy I once was and I would be nothing but a shadow. And if that was truly the case that what was the point in going to Atlas?

But, even so, we continued down the path that Maria had chosen for us. The bottom of my shoes were wet from the snow that crunched beneath my weight while the red sash that hung loosely from my waist was fluttering about in the wind as the snowfall around was slowly making it's way into a flurry as more and more flakes of snow fell all around us.

Qrow, lifting his head up to see the same as I, released a heavy sigh from his mouth, the heat from his breath showcasing as a visible wisp in the frigid temperature of the snowy forest that surrounded us. "Doesn't look like this is gonna let up." he said with a sigh of exhaustion and annoyance.

And, truthfully, I had to agree with him... We were already at rock bottom because of Salem. Was there any REAL point to crushing our spirits any more than they already were?

"Just wanna get this stupid Relic to Altas." said Blake, huffing a puff of annoyance.

Well, nice to see that Blake shares our same sentiment over how royally fucked up our predicament really was.

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there." said Weiss, breathing a wisp of exhaustion as the rest of us silently agreed with her words.

With our luck, the odds of that happening were slowly going into the triple digits.

"I thought trails led somewhere?" asked a very sarcastic Yang, who seemed to shoot a backwards glare at Maria, who was resting atop Yang's motorbike due to being too weak and frail to brave the harrowing journey the rest of us were on.

But Maria was not one to take shit lying down as she turned her head to look at the back of Yang's head. "Do you honestly have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?" she asked with a ghost smile as Yang huffed in annoyance but chose to still her tongue, lest she say something she might regret.

Suddenly, the sight of Ruby stopping in her tracks caused the rest of us to stop as well as we watched her gaze off into the distance with a quizzical expression. "Do you guys hear that?" she asked before the sound of squeaking metal echo through the snowy forest. Before long, we had all walked further along the trail that now we had arrived at an abandoned farm. The sign above the main gate read out "Brunswick Farms". But to our dismay, there was no one in sight.

"Well. at least one good thing happened today." said Blake, obviously trying to remained optimistic despite how clear cut everything was.

"It looks abandoned." said Weiss as we all slowly walked into the compound, the sound of the squeaking gate echoing behind us as we walked further into the farm.

"Come on, I think we could all use some rest." commanded Qrow, leading the rest of us towards one of the large houses that rested within the farm's perimeter.

I took one last glance up at the Brunswick Farm's sigh as a wave of exhaustion washed over me like an ocean wave. My body felt heavier as I stared at the sign above... Eh, I was probably just tired from all of the walking... Without much else to do, I walked beneath the sign to join the others at one of the nearby houses. Oh yeah, an abandoned farm in the middle of snow-covered forest with not even a single soul in sight? What could possibly go wrong?

It wasn't until I'd noticed just how far away we were from the main building that I was able to properly take notice of how utterly perserved the farm was when compared with the many other abandoned villages and towns we'd past prior to reaching Haven Academy. And judging by the perplexed expression on Ruby's face as she and I walked side-by-side together, I could tell that she, too, shared my feelings of confusion.

"I don't get it." I heard Ruby say with a sigh, causing me to twist my head and look at her. "The empty towns we've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks..."

"Fine?" I asked, finishing her sentence which in turn caused her expression to shift into worrisome.

It was true though. The sheer number of destroyed and uncompleted frontier towns were nearly in the double digits by the time we made half-way to Haven. But to actually see a untouched farm in the middle of a snowy terrain and yet completely abandoned was enough to make me second guess staying here. But as I turned my head back to see that our tracks had long since been covered by the rapidly falling snow, I knew that even if we did turn back we'd surely get even more lost than we were right now. Right now we had little other choice than to continue forward into this seemingly abandoned farm.

As we neared closer to the main building I couldn't help but notice how Weiss was clinging onto herself, shivering from the cold. At first, I thought it was strange for someone like her, who was born in the frigid temperatures of Atlas to even feel cold till I remembered that she'd spent the better part of six months in Vale, a drastic change when compared with the snowy continent where Atlas was held.

"Maybe everyone left in a hurry? Before things took a turn?" asked Weiss, placing the question into each of our heads.

True, there was the possibility that the farmers here had noticed how utterly barren this farm would become and had decided it was best to leave before anything bad could happen. But then again, how did that explain all the leftover farming equipment? One of the few things I was able to take notice of was what looked to be a snow-covered tractor out in the middle of a nearby field. It made me wonder; what sort of people would leave farming equipment out in the middle of nowhere?

But before I could even have a chance to rebuke Weiss's suggestion, we were already at the main entrance of the house. Qrow, after trying to open the door only to find it locked, turned his head towards us with a serious and commanding expression. "Stay on your guard and be ready for anything." he commanded before turning to face the locked door and with all of his might, kicked the door wide open before allowing the rest of us to enter with our weapons poised and ready to defend ourselves.

But, surprise-surprise, there was no one here. We all looked around the area we were in with caution as we entered further into the foyer of the house. Silence was all that we could hear as we entered the seemingly abandoned farmhouse. That is until we heard the loud and commanding voice of Maria coming from behind us.

"Close the damn door already!" she shouted loudly, causing the rest of us to jump in alarm before splitting apart as she slowly made her way into the house with her skull-headed cane in hand. "It's cold enough in here as it is."

After putting our weapons back into their sheaths, Blake and I took it upon ourselves to block up the now swinging front door with a nearby drawer. True, it may not be enough to keep the cold out completely but at the very least we wouldn't freeze to death. Afterwards, we walking into the main living room of the house, each of us thankful that at the very least now we were somewhat safe from the cold.

"I think I saw a chimney from the outside." said Blake, causing the rest of us to turn towards her. "Maybe we could get a fire going?"

"Please." pleaded Weiss, no doubt feeling over the shattered moon at the thought of being near the warmth of roaring fire. "I'll see if I can find some blankets."

Upon hearing this, Qrow turned and directed his index finger towards Yang, who was standing nearby with her back leaning against the wall. "Yang, go with mini-ice queen."

The sound of her obnoxious nickname was enough to make Weiss huff out in annoyance while simultaneously making Yang snort in laughter before the feeling the heated glare from the ice queen herself. The two of them then proceeded their way further into the house with Weiss opting to take the upstairs while Yang chose to remain on the first floor while the rest of us remained downstairs. Eventually, after searching through the nearby rooms, I finally came upon one with a fireplace. The room, itself, was filled with bookshelves and reading chairs. Swinging the squeaky door open further, Ruby and I walked into the room with our weapons at the ready.

"Looks like a study. Or, maybe a library?" I asked aloud, twisting my head to look at Ruby, who could only shrug her shoulders before putting her scythe away as she walked towards one of the nearby walls that was lined with photographs. Joining her by her side, we notice that all of the photos on the wall were of the family that lived here.

"What do you think happened here?" I asked aloud just as Blake came in to join by our side, also taking notice of the family photographs that hung from the wall.

"It's hard to imagine that they'd just up and leave this place without even taking these." said Blake, also noticing that the house was really well preserved with items one wouldn't usually leave when leaving their home.

But it was Ruby who was the first to voice her concerns as she looked at the main family photo that hung before her eyes. "Something doesn't feel right..." she said, causing both Blake and I to look at her in concern before Blake went to turn away from the mysterious family photos.

"Let's see if we can find some-" But suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed through the house, causing us to widen our eyes in alarm at it's sound. It must've came from upstairs. But the only person to go upstairs was...

"Weiss!" shouted Ruby, whipping out her sniper-scythe and took off with her Semblance up the stairs while Blake, Qrow, and I followed closely behind with our weapons at the ready.

But what soon greeted our sights was something I hoped no one ever had the displeasure of ever seeing even once in their entire life. There, lying on the bed where Weiss was kneeling in, were the cold and lifeless bodies of a man and woman. The sight was nearly enough to make me want to vomit but I held true as Qrow and I walked towards the decomposing couple lying dead on their bed. Their bodies were blackened from what looked to be frostbite but there was something strange with the way they were lying in the bed. It almost liked they were comfortably sleeping in their bed. But, if that was to be the case then it still left one question unanswered... How did they die in the first place? The shared look Qrow and I gave one another did very little to calm my nerves as the two of us raced back out of the house and further into the compound before splitting up to look through the other houses with our weapons at the ready.

But it was the same in each and every house we searched through. Bodies in every bed of every house in the entire compound. It was stranger than fiction as Qrow and I met outside the main house. Neither of us knew what to make of it all. What the hell happened here? How did everyone here die in their sleep? Was it from starvation or was it the cold? Honestly, neither answer was going satisfy our curiosity. But, seeing nothing else to do, Qrow and I re-entered the house where we soon found a red glow originating from the library. Someone must've gotten the fire going. Lucky for us though I was having a hard time believing anything in the past few hours had been lucky at all. As we entered the library, the faces of our friends and family all twisting to look at us, each of them hoping that we held the answers to the questions they all sought. But we didn't know shit.

Finally, it was Qrow that spoke first, pulling our his silver flask from his jacket pocket with a grimace. "It's the same in every house..." he said softly, causing their eyes to widen at the words.

"What?" asked Yang in disbelief.

"He's right." I said, causing their attention to shift towards me as Qrow walked towards the fireplace to warm himself up. "Bodies... In every bed... In every house... Almost as if everyone just-"

"Went to sleep and didn't wake up..." finished Qrow, taking another swig from his flask before putting it away.

And Weiss, having firsthand seen what happened to the couple that slept peacefully in their bed was the first to voice her concerns at the though of remaining in a thought-to-be abandoned farmhouse where people died in their sleep. "Then we're not staying here, right?" she asked, her icy-blue eyes meeting those of our own.

"We don't exactly have that much of a choice. The storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere." said Qrow, not sounding even the tiniest bit happy about staying in this place just like the rest of us.

"Well, then we might as well get comfortable." said Maria, taking a book off the shelf with an "I" on the front cover before going to sit on a nearby reading chair.

But Yang was not one to just sit quietly anywhere. Especially, if the so-called safe haven from the cold was also being shared by the lifeless bodies of a couple that died here. "Yeah, fat chance at that happening."

"Either way, let's at least do something." said Ruby, raising to her feet with her hands on her hips. "If this place wasn't abandoned then it might still have some supplies we could us."

"Yeah, like medicine or food. Maybe even a car." I replied, feeling a little bit of hope thanks to Ruby's optimism.

Upon hearing this, Qrow was the first to take action as he, too, rose back onto his feet, placing his silver flask back into his jacket pocket before turning to face the rest of us. "I'll do another sweep of the grounds. No one else goes anywhere alone." he commanded, making his way towards the door just before I made the effort to stop him.

"Want me to come along? Give you some back up?" I asked him only to receive a playful smirk as he ran his greasy hands through my hair.

"Thanks for the offer, Spellsword, but it might be safer if you stayed here with the others, especially with my kind of luck. Plus, the last thing I need is shortstack getting antsy about where her knight in shinning armor is." joked Qrow, smirking despite my heated glare being directed at him as he left the house to search the compound for any kind of supplies that may help us in our endeavors.

Before long, Blake, too, rose back onto her feet, dusting off the dirt from her knees before joining beside Yang's side. "Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles."

To which Yang only released a sigh of annoyance as she pushed her back off of the wall with a huff. "Fine. Whatever gets me out of this damn house."

Afterwards, the two of them left the house and out into the snowy compound to search for a car or even a truck. Honestly, I'd even take a damn soccer mom van if it was the only thing that would help us get the fuck out of here. I watched from the side as Ruby, too, stood up before casting her eyes on her partner, who was still trying to remain warm with a blanket as she stared into the living room with a melancholic expression on her face. The sight of Ruby turning her attention onto me made me smile in return before I silently nodded my head in agreement. I knew better than anyone that what Weiss needed right now was a distraction from this dire mood. And who better to distract her than her own rambunctious partner?

"You know, food always makes me feel better..." said Ruby, chuckling nervously, making me smile at it's adorable sound and Weiss to turn and look at her in contemplation. "Just saying."

And with a sigh of complacency, Weiss reluctantly dropped the blanket onto the back of the couch. "Right..." she said softly before turning to exit the room with Ruby, after turning back to give me one last smile, following closely behind her.

Now all that was left was Maria, who was busy reading through the same book she'd picked off the bookshelf, and myself, as I tried to keep the fire going. Neither one of us spoke to the other. That is until I heard the sound of her chuckling, causing me to turn my head to look at her in confusion.

"What? Find something funny in there?" I asked, wondering if she'd found an interesting and humorous portion of the story.

"No, just feeling glad that young love can still blossom even in times like this." said Maria, lowering the book she was ready to playfully smile at me.

But, being myself, a socially awkward boy housing the spirit of an ancient wizard, could only turn my head away from the elderly woman as I felt my cheeks begin to redden at her words. "I don't know what you're talking about." I denied, hoping to just avoid this conversation all together.

"Please, you can't fool these eyes, boy. I've seen how the two of you look at each other." said Maria, calling my bluff as she lowered the book onto her lap. "We live in trying times and judging from what that Jinn-woman said it's only going to get worse from here on. We have to take what little happiness we can in moments like this."

"Ruby's just a friend. That's all..." I said, not even believing my own words as I continued rekindling the fire.

"You and I both know that she is MORE than just a friend." said Maria, causing me to stop from messing with the fire. "Why are you so adamant about denying what is truly there?" she asked.

I knew that she was right. I did love Ruby. More than I should've. But I also knew that the last thing we needed in times like this was romantic drama. And I also knew that even if we did get together it would, at best, be very short-lived.

"Because what's the point in trying if at the end I won't be here anymore?" I asked her, turning my head to look at her. "What's the point in admitting I love her if by tomorrow's end I won't be the same person?"When silence was all that my questions were met with, I released a huff of annoyance before turning my attention back onto rekindling the fire.

"Hope." she said softly, causing me to turn my head to look at her in confusion.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Hope is what makes us strong. It is what fuels us to keep moving forward through even the darkest nights. It is what empowers us to fight back against the hardships of life. It is what each and every one of us dreams of. And when all else fails, when our weapons are broken and our homes are laid to waste. It is hope that we have left." said Maria, smiling at me, once again awakening feelings of pride deep from within my core. "And you and I both know that that girl you love has it in spades."

For once, despite all of the hardships we've faced throughout our lifetimes, I couldn't stop the smile that grew on me as I turned back to see the others had made their returns, each of them at least partially successful in their objectives. But it wasn't until I saw Ruby, her arms full of canned food and smiling like she'd just found a humongous box of ammunition for her weapon that I realized just how right Maria was. Ruby, despite everything, was still hopeful that everything would work out in the end and that everything would go back to the way it was. Perhaps hope was just the kind of thing we needed in times like this?

Little did I know just how true that statement would become the following morning at Brunswick Farms.