The Fall Project

From Ashes: Part 1 Finale

Confrontation

Mistral was chosen as the rendezvous point for the refugees. It was the closest and at the moment could provide enough security and supplies for an extra kingdom worth of people. The position was ideal as well, with Atlas nearby setting up a safe trade ship route should be relatively simple.

Professors Port and Glynda were sent ahead as representatives while the transports landed along the northeastern coast to refuel before crossing the sea. They made sure to inform anyone there that Vale was no longer occupied and there may not be any support for some time. Many joined the refugees, fearful of their safety.

In one of the many small conference rooms built into the dozens of military craft, Ironwood, Winter, and Ozpin were meeting together to figure out how to locate a particular avian faunus. The rooms were cramped because of the limits on an airship's size and weight, but were still large enough for half a dozen people. The lights were low, and all electronics and miscellaneous gadgets were deactivated to preserve power.

Ironwood was in a bit of a rage, fussing over the fact that Nova attacked him. "Can't you see that he would've gotten away with it, Oz? If he killed me no one would've questioned him, and simply written me off as the one responsible for the robots' malfunction."

"You will be held accountable for that malfunction either way," Ozpin remarked. "That alone is enough for a court martial with a full investigation from the Council."

He shook his head, "They wouldn't remove me from my position. I'm the only one prepared enough to lead the armies of Atlas. Still… It's likely that there will be some restrictions."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed, knowing that many of the General's crimes would go overlooked.

James started to pace the room as he considered where Nova may have been since he escaped the Special Forces. "Somehow someone managed to kill him... and he must have joined the White Fang after recovering his memories. With someone like Nova, they will be more formidable than ever before." He lifted a primitive version of a prosthetic arm to scratch his head and sighed deeply, "He knows so much about Atlas..."

Professor Ozpin furrowed his brow. "James, don't worry so much. Since the beginning of the school year he's been at Beacon as a first year student."

The General's eyes widened with disbelief, "He what?! You were hiding him with your students? Are you insane?! You know full well his capabilities, Ozpin." his frustration was evident, with gritting teeth and desperation in his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? How did you even find out about him?"

The Professor interlaced his fingers as he considered how to answer best. "Qrow brought him to me. Where he learned of Milo is a mystery to me but I can assure you we've had the boy's best interest at heart and have been keeping a close eye on him since day one."

Ironwood raged, blurting out several expletives as he slammed his fist into the metal wall. No one noticed Winter's nervous bead of sweat as Qrow's unknown source was mentioned. Ironwood turned back to the old professor, his mouth pressed in a firm line, "Do you have any idea what you've done, what that boy means to the world? I did what I had to for the sake of Remnant, and you stole that from me!"

As the General finished the sentence with a raised voice, Ozpin stood and slammed the tip of his cane on the ground, spraying bright sparks around the room. The room seemed to darken and his voice echoed far more deeply than it should. "You stole him from his home, tore away the memory of the young woman he loved!" The light returned to normal as he calmly sat, leaving the two Atlesians in stunned silence.

Ozpin took several gulps from his coffee mug, and gently placed it on the table. "I did what I could to give him a purpose when he had no one to guide him. I still believe that he should be on the right path, but first we must find him and make sure that he calms down before his anger drives him into doing something rash."

"Like trying to kill me," Ironwood remarked. "What's to say if he won't try again? Don't you know that he was probably the one who destroyed the school?"

"He was not," Ozpin said sternly and shook his head. "One of my best students, Jaune, was in the coliseum. He told me there was an Atlas superweapon in the lower floors, and Nova used his semblance to turn the heat into light. He saved everyone in the coliseum, as well as countless more that would've died if the arena fell onto the city."

Ironwood paled as he remembered the missing weapons that he had given to the Schnee Dust company with orders to transport them to Vale. He felt sick to his stomach, knowing that a Huntsman Academy had been destroyed because of his misplaced faith in machines.

Ozpin sighed. "When he was brought to me, Nova was a nervous, confused, paranoid young man. But his stay at Beacon has changed him entirely," the Headmaster said while opening his palms, vouching for the avian. "He is now completely trusting of his closest friends, and knows what it means to be a true Huntsman. In less than six months, he has saved the lives of Pyrrha Nikos, all of Team CFVY, and countless others when he sacrificed himself to stop the explosion."

Ironwood shook his head. "He presented his true colors when he tried to kill me."

Ozpin was clearly frustrated with the General. "The demons you created came back to haunt you, James. You're lucky to have someone like Winter to pull you out of the fire at the last second."

"And who's to stop him if he tries again?! He could have cut through her in half a second!" Ironwood froze for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Why would he listen to you, anyway?"

She hesitated for the slightest moment. "I don't know, sir. Perhaps he was coming to his senses and only needed someone to intervene."

He grit his teeth at her response. "You were supposed to find him, and here he was. You told me that you checked Beacon," he voiced with an accusatory tone.

Ozpin interjected, "I went through great lengths to-" Before he could finish his answer about protecting Nova, the meeting room door opened with a hiss as Pyrrha stepped into the room. Ozpin gestured for her to sit and she obeyed without a word, clearly nervous.

The old professor gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm proud of you all, Pyrrha. The citizens of Vale are in your debt."

"Thank you, Professor," the young huntress returned the smile, which faded as she redirected the praise toward another, "but it was Jaune who told us what to do. He deserves most of the credit."

Ozpin nodded and leaned on his cane. "Do you know why we called you here?"

Pyrrha paused for a moment, taking a glance at General Ironwood. She seemed to nervously fidget and shrink into her chair, "Is it because of... Nova?"

"Smart girl," James said as he crossed his arms. "If you have any idea where he went we need to-"

Ozpin gave the man a glare that commanded silence, then turned his focus back on the red-headed champion. He placed a tattered black notebook on the desk in front of her, "Bart found this in CMSN's room when we were trying to figure out where he might have gone." She looked up at him with a confused glance and he gestured for her to open it.

When she turned the first page, she couldn't stop the blush on her cheeks, nor the feeling of her heart plummeting deep into her chest. It was a highly-detailed picture of her, merely drawn in pencil but still a nearly flawless depiction of a younger version of herself. There was a small bit of scenery in the background, some trees and rays of sunlight.

"I believe that he was getting glimpses of you in past memories," Ozpin said in a low, serious voice. "Perhaps he drew them to help in recovering those memories."

She recognized the picture, one of the first times she started to see the young man as more than just a friend. As she flipped through the pages, she recalled each and every moment of Milo's drawings. She envisioned those moments frozen in time, fighting when they were children, sparring when they started receiving actual training, and the growing intimacy in their days at Sanctum.

Pyrrha slapped the notebook shut and released a breath she had been holding, her heart beating furiously in her chest.

Ozpin sighed, seeing her turmoil. "Before the attack, did you know that he was actually Milo?"

"Yes."

"And did you approach him?"

Slowly, she shook her head.

"...I see," he said while leaning back in his chair. That… was both unexpected, and it certainly complicated things. Still, she is one of the few that could be of assistance to them. "We need your help to find him, Pyrrha. You know him better than anyone else on Remnant. So can you think of someplace he might have gone?"

She considered the question carefully, rubbing her eyes clear and taking a deep breath. "There was a spot in Forever Fall that he liked, up in a tall tree next to a large lake."

Winter shook her head and chimed in for the first time since the start of the meeting. "Atlas checked the entire surrounding area and no trace of him was found. He left Vale entirely."

"Then… Did you check with Yang? She and Nova were pretty close during school."

Ozpin shook his head. "Miss Xiao Long is still recovering from her injury. Last I heard, she was very… sensitive on the topic of Nova. He has not visited her since the attack."

Pyrrha bit her lip, uncertain. Where would Nova Chrysus go? "Maybe he would've gone to Vacuo? He's good at hiding, so I'm sure it would be an easy place for him to lay low for awhile."

"I don't think he would go there," Winter said, shutting down the idea again. "The last stand of Artemis was at the Battle of Burning Plains in Vacuo. Because of her fervor in battle, Oasis Academy has a statue of her in their courtyard. Everyone there would recognize an avian faunus, so if even one person saw Nova's wings the rumor would spread like wildfire."

Pyrrha sighed. Mistral would be simple enough for him to disappear, but where would he go from there? "I don't know..." She finally said, averting her eyes from the professor.

"You can't just say 'I don't know,'" Ironwood interrupted, showing his obsession of the young faunus. "This is too important to-"

"James, you have done quite enough," Ozpin warned, stopping him with a raised hand. He looked back at Pyrrha, giving a reassuring smile. If she didn't already know, then at this time there was no need for her to find out how Milo disappeared. For now, they needed her co-operation.

Her eyes were downcast and apologetic as she failed to come up with some useful information. "I don't know where he would've gone, Professor. I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright, Miss Nikos. Thank you for your assistance," Ozpin concluded, seeing her safely out the door. Before letting her go, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Should anything come to mind, you must come to me directly. Do you understand?"

She nodded and excused herself, but still felt duty-bound to come up with some idea of the young man's location. Even as she left the boarding ramp of the airship, she was still wracking her brain for ideas.

Thankfully, Jaune was waiting for her outside and asked why they had summoned her. She quickly explained the situation, saying that they were looking for Nova and thought she might know where on Remnant he had gone.

"Do you know where he might go? I can't think of anywhere he would want to go…" she said dejectedly.

Jaune let out a defeated sigh. He knew the love they shared back then. Who was he to get in the way of that? "He was just brought back to life, Pyrrha. His memories are back and his body is whole. Right now, he must be feeling incredibly overwhelmed by everything, so the question isn't, 'where would Nova go.' The real question you need to ask yourself is, 'where would Milo go?'"

She shook her head in confusion. "How does that change anything? I don't understand."

"Pyrrha, from what I've heard, he just re-lived the loss of his family, right? No one knew Milo better than you, so if anyone knows where he would go, it's you."

She blinked, knowing that Jaune was right. Visions of the past came to light…. A young boy pouting, pleading for her and Milo to let him fight with them. Thinking of Milo's fallen family, an idea surfaced. "I think I might know where he is."

For Mistral, winter was the rainy season. The day was bleak, with the sky overcast by gray clouds that showered the land for days on end. Pyrrha trudged forward on a beaten path through the forest, one all too familiar to the young huntress. The cold rain tapped against the shield on her back and lightly pattered against the hood of her raincoat.

She didn't tell anyone where she was going and took care to ensure she wasn't being followed. If she led Ironwood to him, Nova might not ever trust her again.

The path through the forest opened into a meadow, where dozens of gravestones littered the clearing. The area was kept trimmed and clean out of respect for the lost, though time had withered away at some, leaving words faded and monuments cracked. Many of the old graves bore the mark of a sheathed sword, a symbol of honor for those who fell during the Great War. The light rain, coupled with a thin layer of drifting fog, gave Cemetery an air of bitter gloom.

Nova stood with his back to her. His wings hung low, nearly touching the ground as he stared at five gravestones in front of him. They belonged to his family. The oldest grave belonged to his blood mother, Angela, who died moments after Milo's birth. The rest were nearly three years old, and held the remains of his brother Akouo, his father Marcus, and his step-mother Vivian. The last was his own.

She quietly walked up behind him and removed her hood, "Nova?"

"It's me, Nikki," he replied, "It's Milo." He pointed at the fifth grave, staring blankly at the name carved into the dark stone. "It's me." Her mouth hung open for a moment, the words stolen away

"H-How are you feeling?" she asked, hesitating because of his odd behavior.

Milo breathed deep, taking in the scent of the cool rain and the wet forest. "I feel powerful. I can see everything with both eyes, my wings are strong and agile, and my semblance has never been stronger." He released his breath and looked to her with concern. "It scares me."

"Scares you? Why?" she questioned.

"Because I'm so… angry. I need to control it before I end up hurting someone I care about." She nodded while silence permeated the cemetery once again. The rain drizzled against the cold stone of each grave, giving each one a glossy sheen.

"Did you come to my funeral?" He questioned as his head swiveled in her direction. Still unsure of how to respond, Pyrrha said nothing, but her eyes spoke of her torment that fateful day. He turned back to the gravestone, giving a slight sigh. "Of course you did."

She had rehearsed the conversation countless times in her head, but suddenly she felt skittish and nervous. How was she supposed to speak to the young man after everything that happened? Mustering her courage, she took a chilling breath.

"I watched them bury you."

The statement was sincere... and carried the weight of all the pain she bared over the years. Milo's wings pulled in slightly, a cringe that he tried to hide and bury with the guilt he felt for not being there for her.

Her brow furrowed as the questions rose in her mind, "What happened? Why didn't you come to me after the accident?"

Milo's wings twitched and his fists clenched with rage as the hatred filled him again. "Ironwood happened," he growled through his teeth, "He took me to Atlas and erased my memory. He filled my head with lies and turned me into a puppet. I want to rip him apart for everything he's done."

Pyrrha bit her lip, and shivered as the cold rain traced its way down the strands of her long hair and streamed down her back. Or perhaps it wasn't the rain. "So you attacked him? That doesn't solve anything, Milo." She paused as he snapped around and gave her a look of surprise. "Look, Professor Ozpin is worried about you. Please go to him. He can help you figure things out with General Ironwood."

He turned to face her now, his wings lifting so they wouldn't drag across the muddy ground. "Oh, so Ozpin used you to find me? To bring me in like I'm a fugitive? What crime did I commit? You weren't there, Pyrrha. I will never forgive Ironwood!" He took a few steps toward her, eyebrows furrowed in a steely glare. "Do you fully grasp the extent of what he did to the both of us?"

"Yes, I do," she stated. "He changed us forever."

"He ruined our lives, Pyrrha!"

"Maybe!" she shouted back, immediately biting her tongue as her heart pounded and her face reddened as the truth slowly came to light. "But don't make things worse. Turn yourself in before you become an enemy of the military and end up in prison."

Milo's eyes flared bright gold, then dimmed as he released a heavy breath. His shoulders and wings slouched and Pyrrha saw something extremely rare in the young man she had known for so many years.

He looked defeated.

With a long sigh, he faced her once more, diverting the subject to questions of his own. "How long did you know it was me behind the mask?"

Knowing that there was no more hiding, Pyrrha swallowed her nerves. "Ever since you came back with Team CFVY."

"Did you think I remembered, but was avoiding you?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because..." Pyrrha's heart seized and her mouth froze. The truth would hurt him... and how could she do that to someone she cared about for so long? As she began to consider how to avoid telling him everything, she realized that he knew her far too well. Milo would see straight through her evasive responses and find the truth whether she wanted him to or not.

She gave in, taking a deep breath. "Because you were dead. I had to move on, or the pain would've destroyed me." She saw the look of despair grow in his eyes as she spoke, tearing what remained of her mending heart to ribbons. "I thought it was better that you didn't remember."

"Better?!" he spat, "Even after everything we've done together you would just-" He froze as his wings suddenly flickered slight with fire. He hissed through his teeth to calm down. "What changed?"

"I buried you, Milo. You were everything to me and I had to bury you." She hesitated, trying to explain, "Something like that changes you forever."

"I didn't want it to happen any more than you, Pyrrha. And it's not like I had a choice in the matter," he growled. "The decision was made for me!"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha wanted to say that it was okay, that everything could go back to normal, but she couldn't lie to him. She forced her eyes downward, the guilt making it impossible to look him in the eyes.

He turned away and let go let go of his frustration, letting himself ask the most difficult question thus far. "Why Jaune? Of all the people, why him? He's hardly worthy of any Huntress, let alone someone like you."

It only took a heartbeat for her to come up with an answer. "I chose Jaune because I didn't want to be with anyone that reminded me of you."

The words pierced through him with every syllable. He felt as though his heart would stop beating. "You wanted to forget about me? Huh? Forget I existed?!" He nearly shouted at her, his anger no longer able to be contained.

"No. You are not understanding my reasoning," she said with sincerity. "I didn't want a replacement, some replica that looked like you; that moved like you; that fought and won like you. There is only one Milo Aurelius. And I couldn't have him because he was in a grave."

Milo was left stunned, his heart crushed and his life decimated all over again. When he peered back at her, he took in all that he could. From her bright emerald eyes to her fiery-red hair, the seriousness in her stance, and the kindness in her heart. He knew this would be the last chance to see her as more than a companion, so he would be sure to remember everything.

"That's how it is, then?" he rhetorically asked, taking a few steps closer.

Pyrrha couldn't help but feel terrible. She of all people knew what it was like to lose someone so important to her, but their relationship was in a cherished past, where it needed to stay.

"I didn't think-mph!" Her body tensed as pulled her in and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Her heart lurched, feeling shocks of electricity through her veins from the passionate, stolen kiss. After only a few moments he pulled away, just as her mind began to register the contact.

With the kiss came a flood of memories that scrambled Pyrrha's thoughts, leaving her stammering and stumbling over her words, "I-You can't… I-I-I'm with Jaune now."

He backed away, but only slightly. All he wanted to do in that moment was to kiss her again; to say words that would keep her his. But the ache in his heart told him it was too late. "Go. Go be with your sidekick," he growled as his wings spread wide, preparing to leave.

"Please, go to Ozpin. He's in Mistral," she pleaded, but he ignored her request.

"Milo, wait-"

"Milo is dead," he interrupted, the pain he was feeling clear in his voice. "Like you said, it's better that way," he hissed and leaped into the air, vanishing through the falling rain.

Pyrrha licked her lips, remembering the familiar taste, her heart still pounding a million beats a second. The lingering ghost of Milo's final kiss haunted her with bittersweet images of the days past, bringing forward memories that had long since been blanketed by grief.

And yet, she didn't feel the urge to turn and go after him. She wiped her lips and lifted her hood, starting the long walk back to the Kingdom of Mistral.

There was a sense of closure in telling Milo the truth about her and Jaune, that she was sorry about what happened but at the same time, things could never return to the way they were. Eventually, perhaps he would learn to move forward as well.

"And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

-John 8:32

This concludes part 1 of The Fall Project.

I'd like to thank everyone for your support so far. :) I know I don't update very often, but rest assured that I plan to continue writing this story all the way to the finish. Anyway thanks again, and please remember to favorite/follow and review. I'd love to hear from you!

Join our favorite young Huntsmen and Huntresses in The Fall Project: Part 2...

War.