The Fall Project
Part 2: War
The Angel of Vale
The people of Vale were not adjusting well to their new homes. It was to be expected, that so many people would have difficulty adjusting from the convenience of civilization to poverty. It took the combined effort of Mistral and Vale to build something for the vast number of refugees.
Establishing food and shelter was an arduous task to say the least. The entire population banded together to quickly build hundreds of temporary homes around the city, establish food lines, and the Beacon staff took it upon themselves to ensure that the more unsavory characters of Mistral stayed away from the people of Vale.
It was a somber start to a long future, but many were willing to help. Teams RWBY, CMSN, and JNPR were often found helping the citizens of Vale build homes and distribute food and water. Save for Milo, who was still nowhere to be found even after a week had passed, and save for Yang, who was currently resting at the Mistral Xiao Long residence, little more than a hotel for a roaming Huntsman.
She sat at the window for days, staring blankly into the distance, and did little more than what her basic needs demanded. The hospital stitched up her arm, making sure that it wouldn't become infected, then sent her away because of more urgent injuries they needed to attend to. Losing a limb and witnessing the atrocities of the attack on Vale left her feeling helpless. The doctors told the team that she was suffering from depression and recommended medication, but the hot-headed blonde refused. They visit often, hoping for her to come to her senses soon.
But today was no better than the others. As the team piled into the room, bringing good news about the Vale refugees, or anything they thought might cheer her up. Weiss even brought her favorite drink, a Strawberry Sunrise, in a hope that it might cheer her up. Instead, she set the drink down and sighed dejectedly, thanking the heiress for the gesture.
It was sad to see her so distant, so… quiet.
Some of them may not have fully understood her melancholy, but Ruby knew exactly why she was so down. Losing her arm took a toll on her confidence, but some would say that Nova had come to be her best friend. The red reaper wasn't exactly a social butterfly, but she knew her big sister well. Because of Yang's reaction to his absence, it was pretty clear that her feelings went beyond a simple friendship. She felt abandoned by him, and that cut deeper than any blade ever could.
While Ruby didn't have any news of his whereabouts, she did hear a few things about him. Hoping to cheer Yang up at least a little, she clasped her hands and smiled. "Remember how I used to ask for bedtime stories?"
The blonde turned, giving her a perplexed glance and a raised eyebrow, then nodded.
"Well," the red reaper started, "I heard a really good one from one of the people from Vale." Yang huffed and rolled her eyes, but the young huntress continued nonetheless. "It started with a little girl who was hiding her face, huddled in close with her mother. All around her hundreds of people fought to get on the escape ship, panicking because of the disaster at Amity Coliseum. Every crack of a weapon made the girl flinch, every howl of a Bullhead's engines hurt her ears."
"They finally got onto the airship, her mother telling her 'Everything will be okay now, honey. We're safe.'" Now she had gained the attention of the entire room, giving her the motivation to press further. "Suddenly, the ship lurched to the side as a flock of Griffins latched on, clawing their way through the metal like tinfoil! The girl screamed and her mother shielded her as the monsters crawled into the cabin and attacked the citizens who had nowhere left to run."
"A bright flash of heavenly fire burned the monsters away. At the gaping hole of the ship an angel stood, his hand raised against the burning tide of creatures..." Yang turned and stared at Ruby with wide eyes and eyebrows slightly furrowed, thinking that there could only be one person she was referring to.
"But there were too many," the young huntress continued with a sad tone. "One of the Grimm managed to snatch the girl's collar and tried to tear her from her mother's grip, then was pulverized by a sweep of the angel's sword. The Griffin fell from the airship and pulled them both into a plummeting free fall down on the city of Vale."
Ruby felt the tension of the group in the air, their imaginations running wild. "Only moments before the hard ground reached them they were both caught by the angel, who carried them both to another transport, far from harm. The girl hugged him while the mother spoke to him; 'We could never repay you… Thank you.' The angel simply nodded, then flew off toward the battle once more." Everyone relaxed their shoulders and let out breaths they had been holding, then waited for Yang to respond to Ruby's tale. Unfortunately, she had gone back to staring out of the window, making ruby sigh.
"Did… he actually do that?" The blonde asked quietly, peering over at her sister with the corner of her eye.
Ruby nodded and gave Yang a smile. "People are calling him 'The Angel of Vale.'"
"Pretentious bastard," she chuckled, wiping the swelling water from her eyes. "Has anyone seen him?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
The red-hooded reaper shook her head with a frown, "No, but maybe he's out saving more people, like he did in Vale."
"I seriously doubt he's helping anyone. After destroying those robots he att-" Blake started, but caught her tongue before saying any more. Considering how sensitive of a topic this was for Yang, it probably wasn't a good idea to involve her.
Yang went wide-eyed, glaring at the young faunus in a way that made Blake want to shrink and disappear. "He what?"
Weiss stepped in, trying to make sure that Yang's temper wasn't directed at Blake. "He attacked General Ironwood. We're all supposed to tell him if Nova comes back."
"If he attacked the General, he had a damn good reason for it," the blonde said coldly, then turned away, her angry and depressed state taking shape once again. "Why isn't he here?" she asked no one in particular, staring at nothing through the window. For days, she had been wracking her brain for a reason that he would avoid them all, but nothing… No. There was one thing, but she didn't know for sure.
Jaune looked at Pyrrha, an unspoken question in his eyes. She nodded, so he stood to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, there's something that you all should know about our avian friend..." the young leader began. He quickly explained Nova's amnesia, saying that he had little memory of everything that happened before an incident that took his family. The group followed the story well enough, staying quietly attentive as he unfolded the truth of Nova's identity.
"When he… 'woke up.'" Jaune paused, considering his words carefully. "His amnesia was cured, the same as his body. He realized and remembered who he was; his real name is Milo Aurelius."
The young man then turned to Pyrrha, allowing her to tell them the most critical piece of the story; the true reason why their friend was nowhere to be found.
She gulped because of the anticipation and cleared her throat before speaking. "It's been a few years, but he and I were close..." An exasperated sigh hissed through her teeth as she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to hide things. "We were very close. With Jaune's help I figured out where he would go at a time like this so I went and spoke with him a few days ago."
Yang flashed an incredulous look at the champion, a hundred questions sprouting in her mind, but she didn't feel like talking just yet and waited for Pyrrha to finish.
"I told him that..." She hesitated, her cheeks turning bright red. "Well I told him that what we had was lost, that I had to move on because I thought he was dead. After that he left and didn't tell me where he was going." Silence filled the room when Pyrrha finished speaking, all of them waiting for Yang's response.
"What?!" The blonde glared at Pyrrha, clear frustration on her face as her brow furrowed and her face and eyes burned red with anger. Her mouth flew open, words forming before her brain had time to process them. "How could you not figure out who he was? You saw him without his mask plenty of times!" She blinked as the realization dawned on her, then grit her teeth, "You did know it was him... and you didn't tell him!? What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I didn't make the decision lightly, Yang. Please understand-"
"No, YOU understand! He should have helped us during the attack on Vale! He should be here, where we need him." The blonde's eyes brimmed with angry tears, but she grit her teeth and willed them not to fall. "If you had just told him who he was and to get over it, he would be here."
"Yang!" Ruby gasped. "It's not Pyrrha's-"
"No, she's right," the redhead interrupted. Her eyes were tired and she wore a solemn expression, lowering her gaze to the floor. "Had I not been so afraid of what he would think, things might have been different."
"Just..." Yang shook her head, waving the others out of the room with her only remaining arm. "Just leave me alone."
They each said their farewells, quietly removing themselves from the tension of the room before going off to eat dinner at Haven. Ruby was the last to leave, turning back to her older sister with a reassuring smile, "He'll come back. He always does."
Yang gazed through the window, realizing for the first time that the leaves of Mistral didn't change color in the fall like in Vale. Here, the branches were thick and the leaves filled the forest canopies. It was a strange world to her, full of uncertainties and mystery. But one thing was completely true; Ruby was right.
She watched from the corner of her eye as the young scythe-wielder left the room. "I know," she said, watching the skies for an angel with golden wings.
As Ruby caught up with the group, she heard them debating their opinions on their avian comrade. At the moment the twins were defending him, arguing that he had to relive the single most horrible moment in his life.
"He deserves some time on his own after everything he's been through," Gabe explained. "I think that when he comes back, we shouldn't get mad at him for leaving." Mike nodded in agreement.
"Maybe so, but he should know well enough that it is more important to take care of Vale and to stay with his friends," Blake argued.
"Either way, when he comes back we're going to welcome him," Cade said, trying not to take a side. "And we need to thank him for stopping that bomb."
"Speaking of which, what are we supposed to call him now? We know him as Nova, but his real name is Milo, right?" Ruby asked, thinking of his 'resurrection.'
"I have a few things I'd like to call him..." Weiss muttered under her breath and crossed her arms. Several members of the group shook her heads in disapproval, making her huff in defense of her opinion, "What?! Can't you see what he's doing to Yang? If he weren't so self-centered she would probably be back on her feet and fighting already!"
Cade grit his teeth, "Would you all stop blaming him? Don't you all get it, the whole reason why he attacked General Ironwood?" Many of them exchanged glances, uncertain. "He already had issues with the General and based on his reaction, Atlas may have been involved with the death of Milo's family. He must have been there when his family died. On top of that, do any of you think he would sit idly by and watch?"
They all shook their heads.
"Then that means he tried to save them, and failed. Someone like him would hate himself for failing, and he hates Ironwood even more for starting the whole thing. As for this attack on Vale and what happened to Yang… None of us knew that any of it would happen, alright? Just… Play with the hand you're dealt, and no more blaming each other."
They fell silent. What Cade said was true; they needed to trust each other now more than ever before. When Milo returned, many of them would be sure to at least thank him for what he did at the coliseum.
Continuing with the previous conversation, Nora tapped her lip with a finger, "Well we all did know him as Nova, maybe he won't mind if we just keep calling him that."
Finally, Pyrrha was the one to put things straight. "He grew up as Milo. Even if he wants to forget everything, that is his true name. He'll accept it better than anything else."
After the unanimous agreement on Milo's name they ate dinner in peace, happily putting the events of the past week behind them.
Cadence Claret walked quickly through the darkly-lit hallways of an unfamiliar building. Every hundred feet or so held a security checkpoint, with armed guards at either side of each remotely controlled door. 'High Security' was an understatement for a prison like this, one that was built to hold some of the most dangerous criminals in Mistral.
The last few halls he passed through were the most unnerving. A guard accompanied him down the lines of semblance-nullifying cells with a pair of criminals wearing red jumpsuits in each one, giving him spiteful glares as he passed.
One man went so far as to press his face between the bars and grin wide, showing razor-sharp canine teeth. His bright red eyes spoke of insanity and his nostrils flared as he sniffed in Cade's direction, and the young man noticed the wolf ears atop the man's ears perk up in his direction.
"Brother!" The man looked back into the cell at his slightly older, yet similar looking counterpart, clear elation on his face as he frantically pointed at Cade. "He smells like the birdy! He smells like the little birdy!"
"Does he now?" The older man stood and seemed to study the young huntsman. His eyes didn't hold the rabid insanity of his brother, but instead held an inquisitive longing, a carnal desire to learn each and every one of his darkest secrets. Cade could feel the malevolence emanating from the both of them.
Deciding it would be unwise to speak, he pressed forward and ignored any and all interruptions until he finally reached his destination. Two Atlesian soldiers stood at either side of a door, leading into an interrogation room.
Cade fully knew that it could be a trap, set for him to be captured or some other unspeakable horror. But that's why he told his teammates where he was going and who he was meeting. Should he go missing, there would be someone looking for him and more than two hundred witnesses who saw him walking down the halls of the prison.
The guards nodded for him to enter, and a loud buzzing sounded from a speaker above the door, followed by a metallic click. He pulled on the heavy door, feeling a tingling sensation on the back of his neck as he walked into the brightly lit room.
Apparently the interrogation rooms were also semblance-nullifying. That provided a bit of comfort as the nerves made his stomach twist into knots. General Ironwood sat patiently across the table, his expression unreadable. The man's prosthetic had been replaced with a newer, more powerful version, but it seemed to be thicker and more bulky than before.
Cade took a seat across from the man, his heart rate spiking when he considered the last time he'd met the man. Back then, he thanked Cade for his determination, declined his application to Atlas Huntsman academy, and offered him an alternate route into the military. The young Huntsman made a different choice, ultimately leading him here.
"General Ironwood, Sir." Despite Milo's incessant hatred for the man, Cade would always hold respect for someone of his position and authority.
"Mr. Cadence Claret, it's good to see you made it out of Vale in one piece," Ironwood said with a slight smile at the corner of his lips.
Cade noted that his eyes were absent of general concern or happiness for him. "Thank you, sir." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully to remain respectful. "Excuse me, sir, but I doubt you called me here out of concern for my well being. I may not be the best at what I do, but I guarantee that you will have my best effort. How can I be of service, sir?"
This time, Ironwood smiled for real. "Very well, I require a favor of you. As you can imagine, the past week has been rather trying. A disaster has occurred, and it is up to men like you and I to put these nations back together." He spoke honestly, but Cade felt some underlying motive beneath those words. He was about to be asked to do something he wouldn't like to do.
Intertwining his hands, the General leaned in and looked Cade in the eyes. "I need you to serve as my eyes and ears. You will be required to inform me of any and all movements and activities of Milo, once he comes back."
Cade leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing at the man. "S-Sir?"
He pursed his lips, "I have to attend to things in Atlas, and won't be able to stay here much longer. Besides, you are one of the few people he trusts."
The breath in his lungs seemed to hang still, refusing to fill as he tried to breathe. How could he betray one of his best friends? How could he openly spy on someone he trusted with his life?
Before he could object, Ironwood saw his hesitation. "This is very important, Cadence. Milo is a very dangerous young man. In the wrong hands, he could cause a tremendous amount of trouble for all of Remnant."
Cade blinked, trying to clear his head. He knew that Milo was powerful, but he showed no sign of turning on any of them. The danger Ironwood was speaking of seemed a bit unwarranted. "He was on my team since the beginning, and he hasn't shown any hostility… I'm not so sure he is as dangerous as you say."
General gave him a stern look, "Did he ever talk to you about the missions he undertook when he worked with Atlas? Do you have any idea how many men and women he has killed? He is among a very small handful of soldiers with more than 100 confirmed kills, not including the people he had to silence to keep his existence a secret."
The young man's eyes widened. He had expected some casualties from the missions Milo went on… but more than a hundred? Cade considered the way he held himself at the beginning of the year; a bit twitchy and a lack of trust with anyone outside of his close-knit group of friends. But after a couple months, he really opened up to his fellow Huntsmen-in-training.
Ironwood continued, trying to sway the young man's opinion. "I'm sure you saw the Rosso brothers on the way here, the two wolf faunus. They were captured by Milo last year. Once he tracked them down and defeated them, I was forced to have him subdued because he wanted to kill them. You understand? He wanted to kill them."
CMSN team leader found himself in turmoil, unable to decide between acting with the Headmaster he initially wanted to follow, or siding with his current teammate, who has had an incredibly difficult time in the past week. Collecting his thoughts, he realized that Milo certainly didn't seem like some kind of psychopath, but if Ironwood was this adamant…
No. Something about this just didn't feel right.
Cade shook his head "He's a friend and I can't just… I can't betray him like that, sir."
"I urge you to reconsider," Ironwood said, the hint of a threat in his voice.
Again, the young leader refused. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that."
The General sighed deeply, briefly closing his eyes as he tapped a finger on the table. "I was afraid you would say something like that..." He slowly stood, making Cadence tense up and place a hand on the pommel of his sword. Immediately the combat options began to cycle through his head; the lack of a shield would nearly devastate his chances, but if he blocked the prosthetic with a blade…
As Cade analyzed and planned for combat, Ironwood stepped to the door and tapped three times. The buzzer sounded again and the scrape of metal on metal rang as the young Huntsman partially drew his sword in preparation. What walked through the interrogation room door was the last thing he expected.
Her tri-colored hair was now a mess of unkempt strands, her clothes reduced to the prison red jumpsuit, as compared to the intricate white, pink, and brown clothing she usually wore. What truly set Cade's teeth on edge and filled him with anger was the cold steel around her neck and wrists, connected behind her back with a metal bar to keep her from moving around.
One of the Atlesian guards harshly pushed Neo into the room, holding her in place by the metal bar as she squirmed, trying to wrench herself from the man's grip.
"Neo?" Cade gasped, immediately sheathing his blade and stepping forward.
Click.
The young huntsman froze, his hand instinctively falling to the grip of his revolver. He saw Neo's eyes go wide and switch colors as she blinked, staring down the barrel of Ironwood's weapon. She bared her teeth and snarled, glaring at him with hatred and defiance.
Cade's heart quickly rose into his throat, beating faster each second that passed.
"I really didn't want to do this, but I have little choice in the matter," Ironwood said, staring intently at Cade. "You will do as I command, or I will be forced to execute this criminal. Or…" he eyed the young huntsman, a sinister glare in his eyes. "I could save the ammo and just give the Rosso brothers a new cellmate."
The young woman shuddered at his threat and Cade grit his teeth hard, forcing himself not to rip out his pistol and started firing with reckless abandon. This was a horror beyond imagining, realizing too late that Milo was right about the General. He would do anything and everything to see victory and wasn't afraid to play dirty to get his way.
In a blur of motion, Neo suddenly kicked the pistol from Ironwood's grasp. The guard acted quickly, spinning her around and shoving her face-first into the wall. As the soldier raised his fist to strike her, Cade drew his revolver. "Stop!" His heart pounded in his chest, terrified that he may be forced to pull the trigger. The infusion crystals quickly began to glow, illuminating the room with a dark red hue.
The General waved for the guard to step back, and they both raised their hands in surrender. Neo scrambled over to Cade, partially hiding behind the young Huntsman's much larger frame, and glaring hatefully at the two Atlesians.
"That's a rare weapon you're holding Cadence," Ironwood stated with his mouth pressed in a firm line, clearly recognizing the illegal revolver. "What will you do with it now?"
Cade thought carefully, making sure to keep the two Atlesians in his sights. If he were to go out fighting, ultimately he would lose. He only had six shots, a sword, and no shield to fight his way through an entire prison filled with highly-trained guards.
He realized that even though he was the one holding a weapon, he had no actual say in the matter. Nonetheless, he held his aim steady. "I'll do it, but Neo will be cleared of all charges and safely released. That is my only condition," Cade finished, lowering his pistol.
The General couldn't hide the smile that curled at the corners of his mouth. "Accepted. Corporal?" The soldier gave Ironwood a stunned glance, but complied. He pressed a series of buttons on his wristpad, making Neo's harness sound a beep and release. She swiftly tore the clamps off, flinging them away as if they were toxic.
"Be careful with her, Cadence. She's a killer,"
Ironwood taunted. Ignoring him, Cade immediately took his leave, tugging Neo out of the room before she created a bloodbath. The remaining guard accompanied them down the hall they came from, toward the evidence room so Neo could collect her things.
They were greeted once again by the unsettling red eyes of a wolf faunus, an eerie grin on the man's face as he sniffed the air. "I smell ice cream," the man drooled, his eyes gleaming with horrid eagerness. Neo slammed a boot down on his fingers, hearing a sickeningly satisfying crunch as he yelped in pain and cradled his hand. The woman drew a finger across her neck in their direction, a promise of what would happen if they were to ever come near her. They both then turned and left the prison as quickly as they could.
"I want ice cream," the brother whimpered, gingerly cradling his fractured fingers. "I want the ice-cream girl!" he hissed in anger.
The eldest brother grinned and bared his fangs, a sinister gleam in his eyes and a smirk growing on his cracked lips. "In time, brother. War is coming and when it does, chaos shall set us free."
A large duffel bag was dropped on the ground in front of Neo and Cade and the young woman immediately tore into its contents, searching furiously for her parasol. Once she found it, she quickly opened it to check for damage, letting out a long sigh of relief as she found it in perfect working order.
Cade waited patiently as she sorted out the rest of the items, taking notice when she seemed to tense up and lifted a tattered bowler hat. It seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite think of where he'd seen it before.
Neo stared at the hat, her face contorted into a grimace as her shoulders shook.
It wasn't until the tears began to fall that he realized it had belonged to Roman Torchwick. The young huntsman sighed and wrapped an arm around the young woman, who turned and clung to him, silently weeping into his chest.
Who else did she have? Was it only Torchwick, or was there someone else that can take care of her? Cade sighed, knowing the answers before he asked them. Neo was alone.
He piled her belongings into the duffel bag and zipped it shut, slinging it over his shoulder. Seeing that Neo was still sobbing, he lifted her up in his arms to carry her home. He told her everything would be okay, that she would be safe, but nothing could calm the swirling tempest of grief and raw emotion that plagued her. He hated to see anyone like this, but he promised himself that he would be there for her.
Ironwood's threats filled his mind, and an idea formed in his head. He could take care of her. It wouldn't matter that she used to be on the wrong side if she doesn't fight for them anymore, and if he could convince the others, she could easily join their entourage.
"Do you trust me?" he asked with a smile.
She pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes, sniffling and blinking away the tears. Slowly, she nodded.
"Then stay here with me."
Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide in surprise. For several long moments he thought that he made a terrible mistake… until her mismatched eyes began brightening to light shades of pink.
Neo smiled wide and hugged him tighter, knowing that she wouldn't have to be alone after all.
Cinder sprinted through the halls of The Summit, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her heart pounding and her breathing heavy, fear choked her lungs. Salem had summoned her a day before, but the old witch was very, very angry.
Considering the resounding success of the assault on Vale, Cinder couldn't imagine a reason for her to be so enraged. By the tone of the message her anger wasn't necessarily directed at the young woman, but still… She had seen Salem's wrath once before and wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone, not even her most hated enemies.
As she came to the massive set of double doors they were flung open by shadowy fingers, the loud click of Salem's heels against the cold stone echoed down the long halls. Her red eyes were wide and her brows furrowed in frustration. "Where have you been? The Legions of Mistral are falling by the thousands!"
Cinder swallowed a spiteful retort, deciding instead to be the level head in this situation. "How are they being killed so quickly? Are the Huntsmen focusing on Mistral?"
Salem shook her head, "There is only one." She closed her eyes, envisioning the young faunus that cleaved through her armies as if they were common animals. "A lost boy that has turned out to be far more powerful than I anticipated." A few moments passed as the familiarity dawned on her and she hissed at Cinder with rage. "He is the boy you wanted to recruit, isn't he?"
Cinder nodded, her chest filling with a sense of gratification and pride; She had proven the Witch wrong. "Yes, his name is Nova."
"He killed Conquest!" she hissed, black magic starting to swirl around her as raw emotion made manifest, darkening the room and bringing a chill to the air. "Famine fell in Kuroyuri, and now only War and Death remain." Salem scowled at the young woman, rage filling her eyes. "My four Horsemen were made to counter the Maidens, and if this boy is strong enough to take them down, then I want him dealt with!"
"What do you need me to do?" Cinder asked.
"He has been fighting in northwestern Mistral. You will find this boy and when you do, make him yours or kill him, I don't care which! We have little time and I cannot afford to lose another Lieutenant this quickly."
"Consider it done," Cinder bowed, feeling the power of the Fall Maiden rise into her chest. Her newly-found strength was formidable, but extremely difficult to control. It would take a large amount of time to learn how to properly use it, but for now the raw power seemed to be sufficient. She left The Summit with a brisk pace, eager to leave the bleak castle and hunt down a possible new follower.
It took her a few days to make it to the Mistral mainland, so she took a few moments to rest and learn what she could about the young Huntsman she needed to track.
Apparently, Adam had already taken an interest in the young man and gathered a significant amount of information about him. As it turned out, he was actually an avian faunus, most likely the only remaining one in existence. During the attack on Vale he somehow regenerated his missing wings and started wreaking havoc on Adam's men. What's more, 'Nova Chrysus' wasn't even his real name. As it turned out he was from Mistral, a boy named…
Milo Aurelius.
Her entire outlook on the situation changed immediately, and finding him became her complete obsession. Once she did, there would be questions that needed answering.
She moved west, following the scarred and burned forests of northwestern continent of Mistral, but he was difficult to track because of his ability to fly. Often times the only evidence of him would be a large area of forest completely reduced to ashes and dust, making it appear as though he was flying from place to place, attracting masses of Grimm and slaughtering them all with unbridled fury.
It took her an entire week, but eventually she did succeed in catching up with Milo.
He was a blur of motion, tearing apart a group of stampeding Boarbatusks as they bowled through the thick trees of the forest. He spun and slashed, dashing and hacking through the ocean of fur and bone. His wings burned with angry flame and with a beat of his wings a group of Grimm were consumed in a fiery conflagration.
He was rage and wrath given form.
She approached carefully, knowing that attempting stealth would only end with blood. As she neared, he finished off the remaining Boars and stood tall, sheathing his weapons with a fluid motion. He remained still, taking the time to recover his breath and prepare for the flight to the next forest.
"So the Dragon of Mistral graces me with her presence…" he began, turning to her with a harsh frown and an angry glare. "What do you want, Cinder?" Her jaw hung slack for a moment and she grit her teeth, cursing her own incompetence. Sighing deeply, she raised her chin and looked him in the eyes.
One of the many things she always prided herself with was the unique color of her eyes. With her aura she could make them respond with her emotions, shining with blazing golden fire at her command.
His eyes were identical to her own, a detail she could never see because of the mask he wore. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again, brother."
"I was only eight when you left us," he sneered, "So it's not like you would recognize me anyway."
She found herself staring at his wings. They were larger than she would expect and gave him an intimidating presence, but at the moment the feathers were matted with dirt and mud. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, looking as though he hasn't had a proper rest in weeks.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I came home to an ashen forest and a collection of graves. I knew Atlas was involved, so I've been working to bring down Ironwood's empire ever since." He said nothing, opting instead to sit himself down on a fallen log and start sharpening his swords. Cinder grit her teeth, "Enough of this, Milo. It's time for you to start involving yourself in this struggle. Whatever has you so angry needs to be set aside. Take that anger and move forward with it, instead of purging Salem's army."
The young man stopped scraping the stone against his sword and looked up at her, his face contorted in regret and pain. "I'm sorry, Cinder."
Her brow furrowed, "It's Salem's army, not mine. I don't care about the Grimm."
"No," he said shaking his head. "I'm sorry for failing to protect our family."
A pang of remorse stabbed at her heart. Yes, she did leave the family early to start training to be a Huntress, but she would never turn her back on the only family she had left. "It wasn't your fault," she managed to say. "Ironwood is the one to blame. Come with me and we'll avenge our family together."
Silence permeated the forest.
Milo slid the sharpening stone across the steel one last time, then swung hard at a nearby treebranch, cutting clean through the heavy wood. He slowly turned to her with a stern glare. "I have one condition. Fail to meet it, and I'll end it all here and now."
Cinder's eyes narrowed. "Name your terms."
In a flash, he raised his swords and charged.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
-Deuteronomy 31:6