Staying in one place for too long always managed to make Tyrian antsy, even going back to the days when he'd been a young boy carried across his mother's back through burning desert sands. Years of hardship and travel had only managed to make that nervousness grow stronger.

The day before had been too difficult, as was also the case for the days before that one.

It was enough to make Tyrian question what was going to happen next. He'd tried many times over to categorize his thoughts in a way that made some sort of sense, but it was hard. No matter how hard he tried, Tyrian couldn't help the feeling that his mind had somehow gotten scattered along the roads. Concentration was too hard won, too exhausting to maintain.

That night, he'd awoken with a jolt to the sound of tortured screaming echoing in the confines of his head that he hadn't been able to ignore or forget about. Memory. Dream. Nightmare. Vision. Tyrian didn't know what it was, just that it gripped him and he was so, so afraid.

There was a cold sweat the clung to his entire body, and Tyrian knew that his long hair had fallen out of its braid much earlier in that night.

Over on the other beds, all of his teammates were still asleep. Hazel, snoring quietly. Cinder, resting on her right side. The good Doctor Watts, lying on his back and with earplugs in so that he couldn't be disturbed.

He was alone.

Tyrian felt his stomach flip and forced himself up out of bed. All that he could think to do was get up and go out into the world and try to make himself relax that way. No matter how hard he tried, he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to shake the urge that told him to do perimeter checks, or to set traps, or to sit up and stand guard.

Even in society, it wasn't something that was so easily achieved. Tyrian hated himself for it, but that screaming was there in the back of his head for a reason. In all his life, he had never been able to escape such a torture.

He climbed out of his bed and stepped down onto the wooden floor as carefully as he could manage. A quick glance over his shoulder didn't give Tyrian much of anything to go on to tell him that his teammates were still asleep.

The man froze where he was standing, for a little bit longer than he probably should have. He let his eyes slip shut for a moment and just focused on their sounds. None of them sounded like they'd managed to wake up, and so that made Tyrian feel a little better as he slipped out of the room that the four of them were inhabiting.

He was as careful as he could possibly be to make sure that the sound of the door closing behind him wouldn't be able to wake the others. When it was closed and he was free for the time being, that was when Tyrian was able to relax.

The man wrapped his tail tight around himself as he made his way down out of the hotel until he was outside and in the night air. It was cold against his skin, and Tyrian wasn't able to help the almost delightful shiver that ran up his spine at the sensation. Off in the distance, he was able to hear the sounds of creatures out in the woods.

Subtle rustlings, footsteps maybe. The world looked like it was painted in greyscale around him, the light of the moon being the only thing that was able to light the land. For Tyrian, it was much more comfortable than sunlight would ever be.

He took the first few steps forward into the middle of the road that clearly went untravelled by anything other than foot. He figured that it was possible that people used wagons on it, but that was unlikely. That said, they were much more likely than cars ever would be out in the wilderness like he was. Without Dust at every stop, such technology was useless.

Over the course of his life, Tyrian could only remember a small handful of times when he'd seen a car over the course of his life. They were always in the cities, and almost always belonged to the wealthy. In a way, being able to see them was a sign that he'd gotten lucky once or twice.

Tyrian suspected that if Watts had been able to be in one place for a long time, then he would have bought a car of his own. He didn't know why he wanted to think about that sort of thing, but he was just able to imagine it. He was sure that the good Arthur Watts would love his car much more than he could ever love another person.

Yeah, Tyrian thought to himself as he walked down the roads and picked his head up to see whether or not any light other than the moon was peeking through. All that he needed was the glint of yellow against black. That was all that he would ever need to tell him how the world was.

As he walked, Tyrian couldn't figure out what it was that was bringing him in the direction that he was going. It felt almost like there was something tugging him along, but Tyrian couldn't imagine what could be doing that. Maybe it was just instinct.

More likely, it was that he couldn't bear to be in a city for so long. Not after spending so much time on the roads.

Why did he have to be woken by screaming rather than be spared by the mercy of his Goddess?

There was something that Tyrian could only describe as deeply uncomfortable that told him that he was wrong to be dwelling on such things. It was like a nagging sense in the back of his mind that told him that whatever he went through in the Goddess' name was what he deserved. It felt like an itch, so intense that he was never going to be able to get the feeling to go away.

In the end, he grimaced and let his feet carry him for as far as he needed to be carried until he felt calm enough that he could go back to the inn and hopefully get some rest. Whether or not that was going to be able to happen in a timely manner wasn't something that Tyrian was ready to speculate on.

But he walked, because that was all that Tyrian could think to do when he was already feeling so exhausted and antsy.

The man passed by closed storefronts and small homes, with only the occasional glow of lights through a window polluted the landscape that he was travelling through. Tyrian didn't pay much attention to it, just kept his eyes on the road ahead of him and walked.

At the very worst, he was expecting that he was going to be out for an hour or so before he finally made his way back to bed. If he was lucky, Tyrian was sure that all of the others were going to be asleep. If one of them were awake, then he didn't know what he was going to have to deal with. Arthur would mock him. Hazel would grunt his displeasure.

The girl...

Tyrian didn't know about the girl. He couldn't say anything for how that would go if she ended up being the one that he woke upon his arrival back at the room.

At some point, he managed to lose track of where he was supposed to going and where he was. It felt like he blinked, and when he reopened his eyes he was a good distance outside of the village. He was alone, and he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine as he wrapped his arms around himself. He should have taken his coat when he'd left the inn, Tyrian couldn't help but think to himself.

What was he doing here?

Tyrian picked his head up and looked around the treetops all too warily as he tried to figure out whether or not he was even safe there. What if there was something out in the forest that was waiting to go after anything that was foolish enough to make its way out into the wilderness.

Distantly, Tyrian heard some sort of cry, but it didn't sound even remotely human.

That wasn't good.

Tyrian let out a heavy breath and held his head back up high. His eyes flicked up to the moon, and for a moment he was able to see the dark outline of something against its light. Something flying in front of it, perhaps.

He looked back over his shoulder to see that he had wandered off the road at some point. Tyrian couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach that told him that he'd wandered fairly far off of the road and was going to need to make his way back to it at some point. If he could manage to find the road.

Maybe he was going to be unable to do so, and then the others weren't going to be able to find them again.

The thought made his stomach flip. What if the others really couldn't find him again? What if he had been carried out to this part of the forest because the goddess was trying to dispose of him?

Tyrian couldn't help the quiet pained whimper that escaped him when he felt the pain in his arms began to flare. He rubbed at his right arm, knowing that he was probably about to reopen some sort of injury in the process. Tyrian couldn't help it, he needed something to remind him that he actually belonged there and that it was okay for him to be there.

He'd feel too much like he was floating and disconnected otherwise.

"-ome"

The sound was so quiet that Tyrian wasn't sure that it was an actual word. He was sure that it was the misheard rustling of the wind through trees, or it was an animal moving through the underbrush. But there was something in his head that told him, that there was someone trying to whisper to him and tempt him away from where he was, or wherever it was going.

"Hell-"

"-ome." The sound was there again, before Tyrian could get a chance to give a nervous greeting in hopes that he was going to be able to get whatever it was that was bothering him to leave him alone. Maybe it was another traveler thinking that he was someone else. Or an animal, Tyrian reminded himself was a strong possibility. He didn't want to discount that chance.

Not when he was so upset already.

Tyrian shifted and turned in the space where he was standing, his eyes darting around his surroundings like he thought that he was going to be able to find something there. When he found nothing, Tyrian bit back a too frustrated snarl before dropping down into a crouch and pressing one of his hands against the ground.

The man's eyes slip shut, and for just a little while, Tyrian had no choice for what he was supposed to do other than wait there, listen, and feel. If there was something else out in the forest and it was using the ground, then Tyrian would be able to feel it coming.

At least, that was the theory that Tyrian decided to attach himself to.

He felt nothing, and Tyrian couldn't help how unhappy that made him. He wasn't as able to watch the skies as he could have been. If there was something waiting to attack him from above, then Tyrian was sure that he wasn't going to be able to deal with it.

The fact that he'd left the inn room unarmed didn't help with any of that. It meant that Tyrian was going to have so much more to be afraid of. When he'd wandered out of the inn that night, he'd been hoping to relax. Not to fight. If worse came to worse, all that he was going to have was going to be his own tail and semblance to depend on.

It was a losing battle if he'd ever heard of one. Tyrian didn't like the prospect of having to face that on any level.

"-ome." There was the sound again, too strong and too insistent. It was becoming less of a call, it was now a command. One that Tyrian felt compelled to obey by something outside of his realm of his understanding.

Tyrian paused and didn't allow himself to move at that point. Maybe if he stood there and waited in silence, then he would be able to make out where it was coming from. Or whether or not there was something in particular looking to reach out for him.

It was there, calling to him. This time, Tyrian was certain that what he was hearing was definitely a word, a voice beckoning him close and closer to something that he wasn't able to imagine.

And despite every instinct that screamed at Tyrian to react to it, he followed it further and further into the woods. If he was smart he would listen to those instincts. He'd backtrack, or he'd do something to make sure that he was ready to go into a fight at some point. He'd find a place to hide or try to find a way to contact the others so that he wasn't just out there in the woods all alone.

"Hello?" Tyrian called into the forest, hoping that he'd hear some sort of response. Even if he was expecting to hear the voice saying the same word that it had been every other time, he wanted to try. "Who is-"

Tyrian took a few steps forward, not bothering to look down at the ground. If he ended up falling and getting injured, then Tyrian was certain that his aura was going to be enough to heal him before it became a serious problem.

Unless...

"Come, Tyrian."

The voice echoed even louder through the forests. Tyrian desperately wished that he wasn't struck by fear. He wished that his heart didn't managed to freeze in his chest. He wished that he wasn't alone and had some sort of way to call for help.

How would it know his name?

That was the only thing that Tyrian could think of all of a sudden as he took shaky step after shaky step forward in the hopes that he'd be able to find some sort of salvation. The feeling of his foot making contact with something that was less than solid was enough to make Tyrian freeze in place one more.

"Tyrian." The voice was there again, much louder than before and now without any of the resonation that the forest had offered earlier.

And yet, Tyrian was completely alone.

"Hello?" Tyrian asked, his eyes widening and darting around the area in search of anything that could tell him what was actually happening there. Deep down, Tyrian was absolutely certain that this was something that would only manage to defy all logic.

"Tyrian." The voice said again, this time so close that it almost felt like it was echoing in his ears and nothing else. The voice was more than a whisper. And yet, there was something gentle about it.

For the first time, he took the chance to examine and begin to understand what he was hearing. The voice was definitely feminine, with a sort of familiarity about it that Tyrian couldn't quite put his finger on.

"He-"

"Thank you for coming to me, Tyrian." The voice whispered to him, and Tyrian almost thought that he could feel something brushing against his skin that wasn't quite there. It was too real.

"Who are-"

"Who am I, Tyrian?" The voice asked him, with that feeling akin to contact pulling away from his skin. For a moment, he became well aware of the injuries on his arms. The brands and scars there began to burn and ache in ways that Tyrian couldn't ignore. It was too intense, but also pleasant in a rare way. But the voice dragged his attention back to whatever he was hearing. "Do you not recognize my voice?"

Tyrian swallowed hard, searching his mind for any sort of answer that he could give the disembodied voice. He blinked, and his tail twitched back and forth. Despite all of that, Tyrian didn't do anything to try and protect himself from the world around him.

The one saving grace of this was that he no longer had screams echoing in his head.

Finally, everything slotted into place.

"My Goddess-"

"Yes, Tyrian." She said. "Close your eyes for me, my child."

Tyrian wanted to go ahead and attempt to protest, but it almost felt like his eyes had been tugged shut against his will entirely. In his mind, he was almost able to imagine her. He imagined her as tall, with long fingers that would wrap around his wrist when he needed her. He imagined her hair, tied back but also loose. For some reason, it was dark like his.

He imagined a soft smile that Tyrian wasn't entirely sure that belonged to someone he'd never seen in person.

The visage began to shift itself and rearrange itself. The woman's skin paled and went whiter and whiter, until dark veins began to creep across her body like a lattice.

This was Her, his Goddess. He didn't know who the face that she had before belonged to, but it came with the painful tug of a long buried memory.

She stared at him with one red eye, and one amber eye. Her smile wasn't quite Her own.

"Hello, Tyrian."

"My Goddess," Tyrian began, searching his mind for anything that he could say to Her to make Her explain Herself to him. "My Goddess, come to see me-"

"Yes, Tyrian." She whispered to him, stepping forward and watching him. She didn't raise a hand to touch him, but She did look him up and down as though he was a specimen under her microscope. "I'm sorry to have brought you here so late, and so unsuspectedly."

There was a long pause, where Tyrian was fighting himself on whether or not it was for the best for him to speak up. He knew the consequences for what would happen if he stepped out of line all too well. He knew his Goddess' touch.

He knew that it was as full of love as it was of anguish.

"Thank you, my Goddess." Tyrian managed to get the words out, at barely above a whisper. He wanted to reach out for Her, but didn't dare for the for the fear of being burned. "I am glad to be here at your service-"

"But you are alone, Tyrian." She said, watching him with careful mismatched eyes. "I was expecting that you would come with others."

That was more than enough to make Tyrian feel like his stomach had managed to flip over. Alone? Was he supposed to have brought the others along with him? Had he done something wrong?

Already there was anxiety beginning to stir in Tyrian's stomach over the whole thing.. If he had been meant to be with others, then he was sure that the Goddess wouldn't hesitate to punish him. He bit back a whimper that threatened to make its way out of him. She seemed to understand and leaned in towards him just slightly.

A wave of a pale, black vein-lined hand was enough to make Tyrian life his head though. It was a slow process, and Tyrian's nervousness seemed to flow out of his every pore. She seemed to be more than well aware of it, based on the slight pursing of her lips.

"Why are you alone, Tyrian?"

"They were sleeping." Tyrian forced his answer out in a whisper. It wasn't enough to make him feel even the slightest bit calmer about everything that was happening. If things were falling apart, then She wouldn't hesitate to lash out at him. He swallowed hard and felt his tail twitch. "I didn't want to wake them."

"I see." The Goddess held her head high, and she straightened up. Her hands laced together in front of her as she watched him. "You are to return here, Tyrian." Tyrian nodded slowly in understanding, and fought back every urge that told for him to drop down to his knees and grovel for Her. He needed to place himself below Her in every way.

A nod wasn't what She wanted from him though, that was all too obvious, based on the sneering tone in Her voice when She spoke down to him. "Do you understand?"

"I do, my Goddess."

"Good." She snapped the word out. "You are to return here tonight at nightfall, and when you do, you will be with your teammates. Do you understand?"

"I do, my Goddess."

She smiled, and still it was not her own.

"Who can tell me about the construction of this road?" Doctor Oobleck called as he walked with the four of them, and Ruby was happy to bounce alongside him as they walked. With Doctor Oobleck, it almost felt like some of the awkwardness that existed between the team wasn't really there.

Besides, Ruby thought to herself, he'd been a part of her life for as long as she could remember. Doctor Oobleck was almost like home in some ways.

When nobody answered his question though, he frowned and stopped beside an old mile marker and turned to the four of them. "No answers?"

Ruby blinked and looked over at Yang, who just shrugged. Weiss and Blake exchanged a look in what seemed to be a very rare example of understanding between the two of them. Neither of them spoke up, and so Ruby was left wracking hr mind for something that she could say.

Maybe she had missed that day of class?

A solid half minute passed before Doctor Oobleck decided to speak up, reaching over to the mile marker and resting an open hand on top of it. The stone had began to become overgrown with soft green moss, but underneath it Ruby could almost make out a carving that looked like a woman, surrounded by leaves.

It was beautiful, but it also looked like it had been carved ages ago. "I don't think we know." Ruby finally admitted, shifting uncomfortably before reaching up to brush some of her hair out of her face. "Why do we need to know that?"

Doctor Oobleck nodded and seemed to be holding out some sort of sigh before he began his explanation. "It's not necessarily common knowledge." He began his explanation. "This road has been there ever since the first construction of Vale. It's rare that certain routes are able to stay the same for so long, but this one has never changed."

"Why does that matter?" Weiss asked, blinking her blue eyes but standing there tall like she was somehow one of the prides in that group. Like she was something to be shown off. Ruby didn't quite know what to think, but she guessed that it was good that Weiss looked confident. "It's just a road."

"Not exactly." Doctor Oobleck began his explanation again. "Nothing merely exists for the sake of existing, and nothing is able to stay standing for no good reason." Ruby glanced over at the mile marked again, and watched the way that Doctor Oobleck's thumb brushed over the carving on the stone, almost reverently. "In the case of this road, it's one of the few early trade routes between Vale and Vacuo that has managed to be maintained over the years."

Yang nodded slowly, lacing her hands behind her head and stretching slightly before speaking up for herself. "So this road has been here for forever. But nobody ever seems to use it."

Doctor Oobleck grimaced and he picked his head up to look up at the sky. The sun glinted against his glasses, and a soft breeze slipped through the trees before he decided to continue. "Travel between kingdoms has historically shifted in how safe it was several times over. As of now, we are in a period where travel by sky is much safer than using the ground routes. Aside from that..." He shook his head. "You've all been able to see the grimm."

Ruby paused, and she took a step forward, finally beginning to feel confident about what she wanted to ask doctor Oobleck about the road. "So what about when you were-"

"When I was your age, people used this road quite often." Doctor Oobleck explained all too calmly. "One wouldn't want to travel alone, of course, but it was much safer back then. These markers were here, but they weren't in as dismal of a condition."

"Right." Blake spoke up, shifting and crossing her arms over her chest like she was almost angry. "This road stuff is all nice and good for you, but I don't see why it's important."

"We move forward partially by understanding our pasts, miss Belladonna." Doctor Oobleck said, his voice almost deadly calm as he stood there and watched the four of them. "And some of those things remain as constants, for as long as people have been around."

"Right."

Weiss looked over at the marker, and Ruby almost wanted to ask her about whether or not there were roads like this one out of Atlas. Maybe this was something special, and that was why Doctor Oobleck was talking about it. But instead, she decided to look back at the professor and ask a question once again.

"Hey, Doctor Oobleck?"

"Yes, Ruby?" He asked, turning to face her all too quickly. "What is it?"

Ruby glanced over at the marker. "What's with the carving there?"

The Doctor smiled softly. "That my dears, is a very long story."

Ruby looked over at her teammates, curious to see what their reactions were. What she saw was that they were all standing there, all seeming attentive in their own ways.

She blinked, unsure of what to do, smiled and looked up to Doctor Oobleck. "If we're travelling, I guess we have time?"

Doctor Oobleck smiled back down at her, nodded, and began to walk away with her, telling stories about young girls and the seasons.

Ruby listened to every word intently, remembering a time when her father would tell her and Yang stories before they went to bed every night.