Chapter 7

Cieryl fought Beowolf after Beowolf, kill after kill, the woman he loved fighting gracefully by his side. Her rapier, Equinox, glistening brightly as she danced a deadly ballet. Parrying claws, and thrusting her blade into the hearts of the creatures again and again as they fell by her hand. She grinned and Cieryl, never knowing how he felt.
A shadow loomed behind her and Cieryl turned too late.

"Summer, MOVE!"

She turned and lurched backward as the feather pierced her body and her eyes widened in shock, blood pouring from her mouth.

"NOOOOOOO!" Cieryl screamed as he swung Tempus high, rending the head off of the last Beowolf in its pack. He ran to her, scooping her up in his arms,
stroking her hair as she coughed, more blood pouring past her lips. "I'm sorry Summer! Please, don't leave me alone! You're all I have! Please!" Tears poured down his face.
"I love you, Summer! Don't leave me!" she smiled at him, and past all the blood, she still looked beautiful, even with Death looming over her. The light started to flicker in her eyes as she spoke.

"Cieryl... I'm sorry..." she reached down to her chest, pulling the pin from her cloak, a silver and gold rose with opal petals. "Take this... take it..." she whispered

"Please... don't leave me alone..." Cieryl pleaded as he took the rose from her.

"Thus kindly... I scatter..." her voice trailed off, and her silver eyes met his green ones for a moment and something left the silver pair. She took a last shuddering breath, and Cieryl knew she was gone.

"No... Summer..." his face contorted into the most grotesque look of pain ever seen on it, as tears flowed uncontrollably from his face. He look to skies and screamed the most horrid, heart shattering sound of a man who had lost everything he cared for in the world.

He sat up, drenched in a cold sweat, looking around. He was in a hospital bed. He turned and saw a familiar pair of eyes looking at him with an expression of worry.

"Summer!" He grabbed her and held her tight.

"No Uncle!" the girl wheezed out, obviousl being crushed by his bear hug. "It's me Ruby!" she strained out, and Cieryl immediately let go, looking shocked.

"I'm sorry, Ruby... I... I had a nightmare." he explained.

"I know, Cieryl. It's okay. You dreamt of my mom, didn't you? You kept saying her name in your sleep." Ruby said

Cieryl sighed and scratched his face, which was still wet from the tears. "Yeah... It's all I ever dream any more."

"Uncle Cieryl, can I ask you something?" Ruby inquired.

"Sure."

"Did you... You loved my mom, didn't you?" she asked him softly.

"I never stopped. I never told her either. Not up until her last moments." Cieryl replied, his voice solemn.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"Because, Ruby, she was my student. I was over 170 years old when I met her, and she was 21 when she graduated, I was too old, and too afraid to say anything. Plus, after she started trusting me more and more, she was already after Taiyang. So I just spent what time I could with her. I didn't want to ruin our friendship, or her trust. In all honesty, I've never loved anyone other than your mother. I don't have kids, not that they'd still be around at my age anyway, never got married. Only been in one or two relationships. I've never just found an interest in that. Being ageless is a curse, Ruby. If I ever married someone, and had kids, I'd watch them wither and die with time. I don't grow old. I'm over 200 years old. I'm tired. My eyes are heavy with the weight of all I've seen. Qrow figured out how to forget a long time ago. I just don't care for his method."

Ruby looked at him with sad eyes. "I never thought of it that way..."

"Most people don't. Truth be told, I've been ready to die for a loooong time. I just refuse to go out without a fight. Speaking of which, How long was I out?" he asked, pointing at the heartbeat moniter next to him.

"A couple weeks. I guess your semblance ran out of years to heal with, since it was constantly healing you under that debris, so you had to heal the old fashioned way. You weren't seriously injured though. Your guts just took a beating. Also speaking of which, my friend Penny is fighting in the tournament right now!" she clicked on the TV. Penny was fighting against Pyrrha and the battle was obviously a tough one. "Oh no... No... no!" Ruby yelled

"No what?" Cieryl asked

"Penny is a machine! Pyrrha's semblance is polarity!" she ran out of the room in a flurry of petals again. Cieryl started to stand, nd looked up to see Pyrrha use her semblance. The cables from Penny's blades wrapped around their owner. Cieryl's mouth opened in horror as she was torn in two. "Oh, God..." he got up and grabbed his gear from the nearby belongings bin. He quickly got dressed and armed Tempus when a voice echoed throughout the halls.

"This is NOT a tragedy, This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men. Our academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both.
They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil.
What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching HIS students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrranical dictator that has occupied and unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces? Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are on the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: When the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

Cieryl stood, at a complete loss for words. Gunfire caught his attention and he looked towards the windows.

Grimm were pouring out of the woods. Ruby is going out there! He thought. He pulled out his scroll and called Yang.

"Hello?"

"Yang meet me at your dorm, we need to find Ruby. Grimm are invading, and she's out there somewhere!" Cieryl told her.

"I'll be right there!" She said hastily and hung up Cieryl started running, arming Tempus as he went. He bumped into a very worried looking Neo as he rounded a corner. "Come with me, we're gonna need yo-" He was cut off as an alarm started wailing around the school, alongside an announcement.

"Alert, Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

Dread and fear filled Cieryl's very soul as he ran, Neo right on his heels.

War was indeed coming to Beacon.