Chapter 67

The clock tower began to crumble as the flames consumed it whole. They could hear a loud creak as one of the main supports gave way and the whole structure came tumbling down into a burning wreckage. Yang and Blake watched in horror as the dust kicked up in the distance. They were stunned for words and within the belief that Weiss and Qrow were still in the tower when it fell. Their vision was drawn ahead as they saw a figure approaching from around the corner; it was Qrow and behind him was Weiss. The latter was bloodied and beaten and her once glistening eyes were now dull and void of emotion as they stared to the ground. Behind her she dragged Myrtenaster which scraped against the dirt.

Before they reached Yang and Blake, Weiss paused and looked to the blackened scorch-mark upon the ground. Within the mark sat what was left of Neo's umbrella. Qrow stopped to glance back at her; his expression frowning slightly before he continued on towards the others. Weiss approached the umbrella and stared down upon it. Slowly she knelt as her hand grasped around the charred remains of the shaft. The black rubbed off of the metal and onto her hand as she picked it up into her grasp. She wasn't sure how many of the ashes on the ground belonged to Neo and how many belonged to whatever else used to be there, maybe none at all belonged to her and were instead blown into the wind already. Her grave would be empty regardless.

"Weiss..." Blake winced and approached her friend steadily as she reached out her right arm towards her shoulder. Before she could comfort her she turned and avoided the hand. She didn't even look at the Faunus as she made her way closer to the others. Blake watched as she was ignored and the thought that Weiss might have blamed her for Neo's death crossed her mind. She frowned and lowered her head dejectedly.

Yang watched the two with a saddened expression before looking to Qrow who came to a halt in front of her. The man gave out a drawn sigh, "She didn't need help."

Lilac eyes widened in realization, "She... She killed her?" There was a line that none from team RWBY had crossed, and that line was murder. Weiss may have been justified in what she did, but taking another's life was a point of no return.

"Yeah... She did. I won't give you the details but..." Qrow's red eyes glanced over to Weiss who now stood still and silent; she was faced away from the group. "She's gonna need her friends." Yang's frown deepened as she also looked to Weiss before nodding to Qrow.

"Qrow, we can't stay here forever," Taiyang called out as he held Ruby in his arms; she was unconscious and the Geist mask was absent, yet it appeared to have left lasting effects upon the young girl as her skin was paler than usual and red veins covered small sections of her face.

Qrow nodded in response to Taiyang, "You're right. Let's move, the nearest village isn't far." The man turned to once more regard Weiss before looking back at Yang, "Go see her. You probably have more chance of moving her than I do."

Yang's eyes drifted towards Weiss before she gave Qrow a confirming nod. She walked with a slight limp as she approached the woman. The blonde was quick to take note of just how many wounds she had. The sleeves of her once white coat were simply... Red. Stained with her own blood. Before she could speak to her, Weiss seemed to sway back and forth lightly. In silence she collapsed. "Weiss!" Yang was quick to catch her as she fell back unconscious. Her loss of blood had been enough to make her faint as Myrtenaster and Neo's umbrella fell to the floor.

"That makes things easier, just carry her." Qrow's voice called out to Yang. The blonde glanced to the weapons upon the floor before she lifted Weiss up into her arms. The woman was light, almost as light as Neo was. Her lilac eyes glanced around to meet golden ones as she turned to Blake.

"Blake, can you grab those?" Yang gestured with her head towards the weapons upon the floor. Blake nodded as she maintained her frown and knelt down to pick up the rapier and the umbrella. She paused as her hand came into contact with the cold charred metal. It was true she never liked Neo much... But she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to die. To think that she had done so for her own safety too. When Blake thought about it, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to show the same kindness to her if their positions were reversed. Just what was that girl thinking when she threw herself in front of the fire? She stood back up with the weapons in hand as she turned to glance at Weiss in Yang's arms. Shortly after, the group left the burning village.

The night was late now, some time past midnight perhaps. Everyone was tired and most were in pain from their wounds. The cuts upon Weiss had dried with the blood as they clung to the sleeves of her jacket. Yang had wanted to apply bandages to her using anything they could, but pulling the sleeves from her arms would simply re-open the wounds and cause her to bleed even more than she already had.

Yang walked besides Qrow who was leading the group. She looked to him and asked, "Should we rest for a bit...?"

Qrow never looked back to her as he kept on marching, his voice grew quiet in response, "We're not sure how much time we have left... Ruby? She'll be fine. But your friend there...? I'm not gonna sugar coat it kid. She might die before we even make it to the village. She lost too much blood and while she ain't losing any more it still might just be enough to make this the last time she closes her eyes."

The blonde peered down at Weiss. She felt cold in her arms, yet she was still breathing. "Isn't there something we can do...?"

"Yeah. Keep moving," Qrow continued on. He finally glanced to Yang as he looked to her wounded leg. "Want me to carry her the rest of the way?"

Yang shook her head, "It's fine, I got her."

An hour or so later and the group pressed on through the night as they emerged into an open field beneath the clear star-filled sky. The moon gleamed down upon the plains and made their path visible beneath its silver light. The wind was dead and filled the air with silence. The dirt path led them atop a small hill and Yang had hoped to see the village over its horizon, but there was nothing. Her face grew with concern as the woman in her arms grew colder and paler. Her short breaths were beginning to stagger and there was still no help in sight. She looked to Qrow for answers, for a way that he could help like he so often could. He simply regarded her with a sorry expression as he pressed on, as if he already knew the answer and had not the heart to share it. His crimson gaze stared on ahead over the silent fields of grass, "We can only walk faster..."

With that, Yang's pace quickened as she glared ahead at the path. Her limp became more obvious as she staggered each step forward.

Qrow watched her, "Yang, I'll carry her."

"I've got her," Yang stated clearly as she kept pressing forward. Blake and Taiyang matched her pace as they walked behind. She couldn't lose another friend in the same night, she just couldn't.

But half an hour later, and with her quickened pace, she continued to see no village ahead of them. Each small hill they climbed only revealed another behind it. As a result her hope was waning quickly. She held Weiss tighter as she took another step forward and stumbled heavily. She almost fell but regained her balance. It was quickly dawning on her that not even she would be able to make it to the village before morning with the state her leg was in.

Taiyang's voice called out, "Yang, stop."

It was those words that struck fear into her heart. To stop would either mean Weiss had little time left, or it had ran out already. Her lilac eyes looked down upon her, she was still and cold. She shook her slightly and she saw another shuddering breath escape her lips. She was still alive, but it wouldn't be for long. Perhaps it was simply time to accept that Weiss wasn't going to make it. That she was going to die here in her arms. Yang's lower lip quivered as tears formed in her eyes. She inhaled a deep breath before she felt a soft hand upon her shoulder, "Come on kid, don't get emotional yet. There's still time."

Yang narrowed her eyes as she looked to Qrow, she was about to lash out at him with rash words but she was halted as she looked over his shoulder. The village wasn't ahead of them; it was to the side and nestled behind a blind spot. She pushed past Qrow and quickened her pace down a second path she hadn't noticed. Her eyes were so focused ahead that she didn't realize they had come to a crossroad.

There were small lights dotting the village, they were lights that renewed her hope as she endured the pain in her leg. Weiss was going to be okay.

A golden light forced her to shut her eyes tighter. Her body felt heavy and her heart felt heavier. Maybe when she opened her eyes she'd realise it was all just a dream, and she would find Neo laying besides her. She opened them and glanced away from the morning rays of the sun. Besides her she saw no one. Her neck ached as she looked to her right instead, once again there was nobody there. Her expression dulled as she realised it was no dream. The room she was in was small and and she could see the blue sky outside the window.

What right did the sky have to look so clear and peaceful on a day like this? She made to move her arm and winced. Her cold blue eyes glanced down to see that her arms were both bandaged from shoulder to wrist. There was also something on her face where she was clawed by the Sire, and her right shoulder felt tight as another bandage was wrapped around the pierced flesh. She was in a broken state and she could barely move herself.

There was something else though. Something that was new. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she felt... Complete. There was a cold draft in the room, but it confused her. There were no open doors or windows and it seemed like it was warm the day they made for Higanbana. Was she simply asleep for so long? Was she even in Mistral? Her cold eyes caught a glass of water upon the bedside table. She winced once more as she reached her arm out towards it. Her body ached as she leaned onto her side and her arm shook as it extended out towards the water. She saw condensation upon the glass as her fingers neared it. There was a soft cracking sound too.

Her hand knocked over the glass by mistake but once the cup fell she noticed that the water inside was frozen solid. She was puzzled as she pulled her arm back, her fingers tracing upon the table as lines of frost formed upon it where she touched. She rested her arm back upon the bed and realised that the quilts themselves had a thin layer of frost over them. Her pillow too, her whole bed in fact. Yet she didn't feel bothered by the cold. Unsure with what was going on, she glanced side to side as her eyes searched for the memento she had taken from Higanbana: Neo's umbrella. Yet she saw no sight of the object. Her cold blue eyes stared back towards the ceiling. The walls and the ceiling of the room were slowly gaining the same sheet of frost as everything she touched. She could even see her breath in the air in front of her.

Maybe it was a dream after all. Maybe she was still dreaming. There was still a chance Neo could be alive and well, and she could forget about everything that had happened. Eventually the room sparkled with golden shimmers as the light from the sun reflected from the frost that coated everything. Even her body and her silver-white hair were coated in a thin layer of the same frost. She closed her eyes in the hopes that she would simply wake up again, but no matter for how long or how many times she'd open them again, she was met with the same harsh reality.

She exhaled a visible breath as she pulled her quilt aside. She was in nothing but her underwear and an assortment of bandages as she struggled to sit herself up in her bed. When she sat upright she noticed how dizzy she felt and so she brought her hand to her head as if in an attempt to steady herself. When she felt confident enough she pushed herself to the side of the bed and stood up. The frost beneath her feet crunched as she walked over it and towards the window. Outside she could see that it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and children were playing in the nearby field.

Her eyes stared out at the scene lifelessly. There was so much hope and joy in this place. It felt wrong to hate them for the fun they were having and she knew they had no idea what had transpired... Yet she couldn't help but despise what she saw. She reached her hand towards the glass of the window, but it quickly fogged up and froze the closer she got. She had no idea what was happening to her or why things were reacting in the way they were to her touch.

She slowly lowered her arm and gazed into her own distorted reflection that was left behind by the layer of frost. Her reflection was scattered, as if a mirror had been shattered and frozen in place. She could see a large plaster upon her cheek that was stained red in blood. Another imperfection.

There was a crack behind her; it came from the door as someone had attempted to open it. The frost had grown thicker and made the door slightly more difficult to open. It pushed open as it brushed audibly against the floor. Weiss could hear someone call her name.