Of all the circumstances that could've led her back to Adam, Weiss never would've imagined it would be the fall of Beacon.
He was a soulless copy of the boy she once knew.
Weiss had almost missed the opportunity to see him again. She was planning to stay in the courtyard and help clear out the Grimm, but the thought of leaving Blake to fend for herself kept nagging at the back of her mind. It grew so heavy she couldn't bear to ignore it any longer.
Weiss told the others where she was going and hurried in the direction where she last saw Blake heading. That's when she found him amidst the fire and black smoke, overpowering Blake in a painfully one-sided battle.
He was a seasoned fighter, it was evident in the way he effortlessly controlled his sword. Though he hid his face behind an ugly mask, she recognised his crimson hair and black horns immediately.
Adam was attacking Beacon.
He was wearing a White Fang mask.
Adam was a terrorist.
All she could think about was the night he held her when he saw what Father did to her.
Weiss snapped out of her stupor when he threw Blake on the ground and kicked aside her weapon.
"Don't make me do something I'll regret." His voice was hard and cold. It was much deeper than the last time they met, but there was no mistaking who it belonged to.
This savage brute was her Adam.
He turned his attention to the helpless Human victim on the ground. The student lay unconscious, completely at the mercy of his sword. Weiss moved even before she could register what was going on. Her rapier blocked his blade before it could pierce into his victim's chest.
She clenched her teeth when he looked at her. Even with the Grimm mask hiding half his face, she felt his striking blue eyes piercing right into her. For a moment, neither of them said a thing. Their blades remained locked and their faces mere inches from each other.
"You!" he growled.
They withdrew their swords and leapt back. Her heart beat out of her chest and her hands were cold as the polar winds.
"Blake, can you stand?" Weiss asked without taking her eyes off Adam.
"You need to leave! He's dangerous!" Blake cried.
"Go ahead and run, Princess," he mocked. "I'll cut you in half before you can step foot out of this room."
"I don't think you will," she countered bravely.
He closed in on her, colliding his sword so violently with hers it almost flew out of her hand. They exchanged parry after parry. He moved as fast as lightning, attacked with the ruthlessness of fire. Though his blade zeroed in on her chest and throat, Weiss couldn't retaliate.
What happened to that sweet little boy she once knew? Did he not recognise her after so many years apart?
Weiss could hardly focus on the fight as she struggled to process what was happening. This had to be some misunderstanding. Adam wasn't like the heartless beasts who joined the White Fang. He was different from the rest of them – he had to be.
Adam; however, didn't share her hesitancy. He took full advantage of her inner turmoil, doubling down on the speed of his attacks and forcing her to back away.
Her thoughts went silent when she backed into a wall. The fiery red glow of his sword and hair paralysed her. He rushed forward and swung. His blade made contact with her left arm, shattering her Aura and knocking her rapier right out of her grasp.
She hissed in pain, cradling her injured arm close to her chest. A gash ripped down from her wrist to her elbow, staining her skirt red. The bloody glow of his Semblance extinguished, but it didn't stop him from drawing closer to her like a predator.
"Adam," Weiss whispered as if the mere acknowledgement of his name would stop his rampage.
"It's always an honour to kill a Schnee." He smirked coldly.
He never referred to her by her last name before.
"Don't you remember me?" she breathed.
That made him freeze for a second. She held her breath and stared into his Grimm mask, hoping their shared past would snap him out of whatever frenzy he was in.
Her hope shattered as the tip of his blade thrust against the base of her neck. His sword touched her like burning coals.
He was going to murder her in cold blood. She was wrong about him. He was just like the rest of them.
This wasn't the boy she left behind. This was a heartless killer.
"What happened to you?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Don't flatter yourself, Princess. You don't deserve to know anything."
The pressure on his sword tightened. The tip of his blade sank into her skin, sending a sharp pain into her neck.
If Blake hadn't tackled him, Weiss was certain she would've died right then and there. The next couple of seconds went by in an agonising blur. Adam and Blake fought for control over his sword, only for him to overpower her and throw her down to the ground.
It was at that very moment Yang stumbled across the scene. Without warning, she shot towards him with her fist drawn back and eyes burning red.
Weiss was sure he was going to get pummeled by Yang, but within a single breath and a flash of red, he completely severed Yang's right arm. Though it wasn't Weiss who met the end of his blade, something deep inside of her shredded into pieces.
Her head spun as a cold weight dropped into her stomach. Even as she stared wide-eyed at Yang's severed arm, laying in the Dining Hall where they'd shared breakfast together that very morning, it didn't feel real.
This had to be a dream. At any moment she would surely wake up in her dorm room where everyone was safe and unharmed.
She just needed to wake up.
Why couldn't she wake up?
"Weiss, let's go!" Blake's cry snapped her away from the dismembered limb.
She numbly followed Blake out of the building, still clinging to hope she'd wake up in the real world soon.
Father arrived at Beacon a couple of hours later to take her back to Atlas. Though she left Beacon without any serious injuries, a part of her had died when the boy she once held so dearly in her heart mutilated Yang.
Weiss almost wished she never had the chance to attend Beacon. At least then she never would've known what freedom tasted like. Father made it clear she wasn't leaving Atlas any time soon.
"It's awfully dangerous for you to be running around with no guards," Father told her when they arrived at the Manor. "You're staying home where you'll be safe."
Weiss didn't bother reminding him that she knew how to defend herself.
Her first couple of days back in Atlas were agonising. She'd gotten so used to waking up in their small dorm, listening to the soft snores of her teammates, and staring up at Ruby's bed hanging precariously over her head that she forgot how suffocating her room in Atlas was. Now, she woke up to an icy bed chamber smothered in silence.
She never noticed it before, but after experiencing life outside of Atlas, she saw the Manor was devoid of life. Lethargic blues and greys consumed every ounce of warmth from sunlight washing in through their windows. Their hallways stood still day in and day out. The only evidence of life existing within the Manor were stilted family portraits hanging from the walls and guards patrolling the building like jailers.
It was so unlike Beacon where students and staff breathed colour and life into every part of campus.
Weiss considered herself lucky if she managed to catch any servants working. She spent most of her days imprisoned inside colourless walls. Alone. Weiss almost looked forward to Whitley's daily verbal harassment. At least then, she had someone to talk to.
The increased security in the Manor only exasperated the feeling of confinement. Father mentioned there had been more terrorist attacks in Atlas lately, with reports of Faunus criminals breaking into the homes and offices of his trusted business partners. He wasn't taking any chances after the devastating fall of Beacon.
Father wasn't the only one concerned about future terrorist attacks. After the fall of Beacon, the people of Mantle and Atlas feared the White Fang would target them next. Tightened security measures were put in place all over the Kingdom to watch for Faunus criminals. The Silver Robins didn't like these regulations.
Every day Weiss woke up to news reports detailing public disturbances created by the Silver Robins. Some reports even claimed they were supporters of the White Fang, with many speculating they were a new branch of the White Fang. She stopped watching Atlas News after the third consecutive day of hearing how the Silver Robins were throwing Mantle into chaos.
Weiss threw herself into her studies again. If she tried hard enough, she could pretend her life at Beacon never happened – that she'd never met so many wonderful people in her short time away. Adam and the White Fang hardly crossed her mind when she was drowning in financial reports.
But when fatigue forced her to stop studying, she couldn't help but revisit much simpler times in her past. She remembered when it was just him and her in that lonely cave, sharing secrets, laughs, and warm embraces beneath a cold sky. It was these memories that made her see red.
She should hate him.
He mutilated Yang.
He attacked their school and hurt hundreds of innocent students.
He held her when no one else cared.
If Father or Whitley noticed the heavy bags beneath her eyes, neither of them said anything about it.
"You must be the Weiss Schnee, I must say your beauty rivals that of this painting."
Weiss very quickly regretted her decision to take a closer look at the painting of Beacon Academy. She knew the charity event was going to be insufferable, but not this insufferable.
A young man cornered her as soon as she was alone to catch her breath. From the way he dressed, Weiss presumed he was from an upper-class family. His side-swept blue hair reminded her a bit of her ex, Neptune. The biggest difference between them was that this stranger lacked any charm or personality.
"Henry Marigold," he offered his hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
She bit back her grimace when their hands met.
Weiss put on a practised smile and nodded along to whatever he was saying. She didn't need to hear what he was saying to know what he wanted, the greedy glint in his eye told her everything.
"That's all very interesting," Weiss said once he finished his monologue. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go back–"
"My family owns some of the finest jewels in all of Remnant, your father has bought several of our collections in the past. I'd be happy to let you try some of our latest jewellery whenever you have time."
"I appreciate your offer but–"
"I heard your performance on stage. It was as beautiful as you are, and I don't say that to anyone. It's rare to find a lady who is as talented as she is pretty these days."
Weiss rolled her eyes as soon as the word beautiful left his mouth. If she had to hear another guy throw empty compliments about her looks she was going to vomit.
"That's very kind of you but–"
"I used to take singing lessons myself. I'm not as skilled as you are but I've been told…"
Weiss gave up trying to reason with him and examined the artwork in front of her. The painting depicted Beacon at its prime, with clean white pavements and delicate architecture as its focal point. In reality, the school grounds were now in shambles - stained with the blood of students and staff.
Ruby called her recently about teaming up with Jaune's team to investigate the source of Beacon's downfall. From what Weiss gathered, it sounded more serious than a one-off event. Even after losing so many friends and seeing her sister in such a miserable state, Ruby still wanted to face the forces that bested Beacon and Atlas Military. It was an admirable endeavour. She understood why Professor Ozpin had chosen Ruby to be the leader now.
The only thing Weiss had done during this time was sulk at home and sing at a charity event - a charity event where she barely heard any of the guests talking about the tragedy that happened.
If Winter was in her position, she'd no doubt be conducting a similar investigation despite Father's expectations for her. She wouldn't let Father intimidate her no matter the consequence.
"I'm not an expert in art or anything, but this thing seems a bit too pricey." Henry inched closer, his hand brushing against hers.
"It's for charity," she snapped, folding her arms over her chest.
"Oh, so that's what this is for."
"How did you not know this was a charity event?"
"I heard from my parents that you'd be singing at the event. Didn't matter what the event was, I just wanted to see your performance in person." The grin on his face only made her blood boil.
"You're unbelievable! Kids died at Beacon!"
"Wow, calm down. I'm sure whatever happened was tragic, but it's not like I can do anything to fix it. There's no point crying over spilt milk."
"You—! You're only here because you want to show off your money - just like everyone in this room! You can send valuable resources to help Vale, but no. Everyone is too busy talking about nothing and pretending to care about the lives lost! You should be ashamed of yourself!"
The silence in the party hall made Weiss realise her mistake. Whatever rage pushed her to scream at Henry extinguished from the cold clutches of fear. Father observed her coolly, but she knew better than to believe his calm facade. Even Whitley had taken a sudden interest in staring at his shoes.
She was promptly escorted to her bedroom where she faced Father alone. The fallout from her display of anger left Weiss more frustrated than she ever had before.
The worst part wasn't the house arrest Father had put on her nor when he took away her status as Heiress. She could even handle Whitley's taunts about his new position from sunrise to sunset.
The most humiliating part was allowing Father to hurt her again.
It was only a single slap to the face, she'd faced so much worse before, but it wasn't supposed to happen again.
Weiss trained at Beacon so she could protect herself from Father's wrath. How could she let him lay a hand on her again? What would her friends think if they saw how pathetic she was?
How disappointed would Winter be?
Weiss needed to leave. She couldn't stay at home for a second longer – not without losing whatever sense of dignity she had left.
The best course of action was to find Ruby. Weiss wasn't sure how much she would be able to help, but at least she wouldn't be Father's punching bag.
She spent every precious minute that night reviewing her combat lessons until she was able to Summon a Boarbatusk Grimm. She still couldn't call upon her strongest Summon, but it didn't matter. She was going to leave one way or another.
She packed lightly, bringing only an extra combat skirt, her nightgown, and a portable charger for her Scroll.
Her childhood adventures through the Manor finally proved useful. Weiss crept down the quiet hallways to the Library. There, behind one of the bookshelves, was a hidden passage leading out to the back of the Manor near the Servants' Quarters.
Yet, even when she managed to hide in an airship destined for Mistral City, she failed to get rid of the growing weight pressing on her chest.
Weiss was eighteen when she left Atlas for a second time. Despite being an entire year older, she felt more directionless than ever.
End of Act 1
And the stage is all set for the second and third acts. Now it's time for some of my favourite chapters to start rolling out.
Special thanks to Able and Table, Gleaming Onyx, Phoenix4Lord, Fisherman342, and two guests for the reviews!
And to answer Fisherman342's question regarding the intensity of future drama…you'll just have to sit back and see what I have planned ;)