(The following is part of 'Shattered Assumptions')

Neve POV

The day started normally enough.

I woke up in the room I was given at the Schnee manor with Cinder laying next to me. I smiled at the sight and then got up to get ready for the day, going through my routine before dressing in my original outfit. I didn't have much of a plan for that day, only intending to enjoy the peace while it lasted.

Most of the day was even peaceful, it was late in the afternoon when things started to go wrong.

I was drinking a cup of hot chocolate in one of the Schnee 'sitting rooms', which was just a room with a fireplace, bookshelves, and a bunch of fancy chairs, when I got the call.

James was on the other side and his voice hid a clear panic that I had never heard from him before, even as his face remained stoic, "Neve, we have a problem."

I sipped my drink before asking calmly, "What is it, James?"

The look on his face only grew more grim, the tone in his voice took a downturn, and he said, "It's Fria, the Winter Maiden. She's gone, and… so are her powers."

I almost dropped my mug at the revelation. My voice faltered at first, "Sh-She's gone? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I regained some control over my tone, "How? Who? We can't let this go unanswered."

"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if Fria was even dead until recently. I sent out Atlas' military and scoured for her, but no signs came back. After we confirmed she wasn't just lost, I decided to call you. As for a retaliation, I agree fully," James began, "I've put Atlas and Mantle on high alert. The civilian populace has not been alerted to anything yet. As far as they see, we're just increasing security. That being said, I have every reason to believe that Atlas will soon be in grave danger, and you most of all. Given your unparalleled magical capabilities, any opponent would likely want to take you down while you're unaware or unsuspecting."

I took a deep breath before I responded, "Right… then I believe we both have things to settle."

"Of course. Keep in contact, Neve, say the word and I'll have all of Atlas' might at your back."

I smiled at his words of support. In spite of the circumstances he was still a loyal friend, "I will. Good luck, James, and stay safe." I ended the call and stood up, then I downed the rest of my drink in one gulp and sent a text to the group chat that contained everyone still in Atlas. It read simply, "Come to the Dining Hall, be ready for war."

Everyone assembled fairly quickly, all dressed in their gear. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Shi, Jaune, Pyrrha, and my team. Weiss was the one to ask, "What is all this about, Neve? War? Do you mean…"

I nodded and paced back and forth, "Fria, the Winter Maiden, is dead." The whole group gasped, and I continued, "We don't know who did it officially, but I think we all know who it was."

Shi put her hand on the table and stood up from her seat, "Orchid! She's the one who took the Summer Maiden's powers, right?"

Again, I nodded, "Precisely. If she's got the Winter Maiden's powers as well, then we should expect her to be prepared to attack. Now-"

That was when my scroll went off, however instead of a call it was just a text message, still from James. It read, "Mantle is under attack, large numbers of Grimm are mobilizing," followed by a series of coordinates detailing the locations where the problem was the worst.

"And that's what I was afraid of," I muttered, before speaking up, "Alright, Mantle is under heavy Grimm attack right now. I'm going to send coordinates to the group chat. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Emerald, Mercury, go to Mantle and do what you do best. Everyone else I need to stay here, I'm afraid that Atlas will likely soon be under attack as well. We can't take any chances."

Nobody asked questions, instead they just agreed in chorus and hurried out. Time was of the essence. "Now-"

Another message, again from Ironwood. This time Atlas itself was coming under attack, several flying Grimm of all types, including Wyverns, stretching Atlas' military thin between Mantle and Atlas. I figured something like this would happen, if Orchid could really command Grimm in Salem's name, then she would organize an attack that gave her as much of an advantage as possible. I sighed, "Lunus, Jeanne, Violet, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Atlas is under attack. I need all of you to go meet the enemy, they're primarily in the air, but I expect they'll land, and the Wyverns will spread Grimm ooze to spawn terrestrial creatures."

As they began to leave, Shi spoke up, "Let me go too, Dad! I can fight. I don't want to sit around while there's a war going on outside!" I could see that fire in her eyes again, what I had seen in her from the very beginning, an inferno that could not and would not be quenched.

I hesitated, but Cinder put her hand on my shoulder and nodded. I relented with a sigh, "Very well, but be careful. If you get tired or injured, I'm giving the others express permission to drag you back here."

The others nodded in affirmation, and I smiled at them. Shi huffed but nodded, "Okay, I won't give them a reason to."

With that, she and the others started to leave.

Cinder frowned as she took hold of my hand and squeezed it, "So what do we do? Why'd you want us to stay here?"

I took a deep breath, "Because I get the feeling that she's looking for us, specifically. We don't know if she knows Yang has the Maiden powers yet, but she knows you do. She'll come for us here. So we need to prepare."

Another squeeze of my hand. She gained a determined expression, "I'm with you all the way, Neve."

"Good… Now let's go and prepare ourselves."

Before we could leave, however, we heard glass somewhere in the house shatter.

(Note from Neve: "Shi recorded what happened to her after leaving the mansion. I transcribed it here, after fixing her spelling and prose to be consistent with the rest of the story while still keeping it hers.")

Shi POV

The others hurried out ahead of me, while I trailed behind. They were faster than me, and I only had my shorter legs to blame. I just hope that when I get older I get taller.

We left the mansion and hurried towards the exit, but as I looked to the sky, I slowed to a stop. I clenched my fists tightly as I took in the scope of what was happening.

The sky was filled with flying Grimm. Wyverns, Nevermore, Griffons, and more that I didn't recognize. It was equally filled with Atlesian warships of all kinds, I don't know the names for them, but they fought with Dust cannons and bullets, like swarms of bees fighting large birds.

I realized a bit too late that the others had gone on ahead without me. I could see them growing smaller and smaller as they got further away. I took a deep breath and prepared to start running to join them, but before I could, something happened that made me freeze.

A man began to approach, walking up the long driveway split in two by a giant fountain. I recognized him from pictures Dad had shown me: Hazel Rainart, a powerful beastly man that he had told me to avoid at all costs. Yet the others were gone, and I knew Mom and Dad were busy trying to prepare for what was to come. This was up to me.

He stopped several feet away from me, and for a brief moment his stoic gaze broke. His eyes widened and he gained a look of shock prior to hardening his gaze and clenching his fists, "So, Ozpin is using even younger soldiers to fight his war now? Child, you don't have to throw away your life for this war. Let me pass."

I reached back and in one fluid movement drew Theta, deploying her in her scythe form before spinning her and holding her at the ready, "Ozpin is gone! My Dad didn't make me fight, he wanted me to stay home, but I wasn't going to watch him leave like everyone else! No… If you want to get to him, you're gonna have to get through me!"

Hazel sighed and closed his eyes, looking down before opening them again and looking back up, "Fine." He reached up to his vest and yanked it off before tossing it to the side in one fluid movement. He was covered in scars, and I soon found out why as he said, "But just because you're a kid doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

He pulled out two lightning dust crystals and stabbed them into his arms, causing me to recoil in disgust. I was told all about him, and the others, by Dad. He'd wanted me to be prepared in case I had to face them. I knew what to expect, but that didn't make it any less disturbing.

Hazel growled before racing forward towards me. I put my left foot forward and sent out ice that surged forward while spikes appeared out of the ground while my right side burned. Hazel plowed through the spikes with superhuman strength, but he began to slow down as the ice crept up his legs.

In response, he took out two more dust crystals, one fire and one ice, before jamming them into his arms. His veins colored yellow, red, and blue as he punched at the ground. A small gout of fire shot out of his hand and melted the ice enough for him to break out. He jumped into the air, raising his fist while yelling like a madman.

I jumped out of the way just as he slammed his fist into the ground where I had been standing. The ground cracked under the force of his fist, and I slashed in an uppercut, sending more ice towards him as it spiked out of the ground.

The final one managed to connect with his stomach as he tried to move. It launched him into the air, before he punched in my direction, sending a fireball at me. I tried to jump out of the way, but it was too fast. It crashed into the ground right next to me, the force of the blast it created throwing me away from it.

I rolled across the ground before putting my hands on the ground and growling, baring my teeth and glaring at the man before me as he walked towards me. I stood up and shifted Theta into her gunblade form. He bolted forward with frightening speed before punching straight ahead. I ducked under his punch, remembering the lessons Auntie Neo had given me on dodging, and stepped to his right, staying low until I reached his back, then I popped up and swung Theta, detonating a dust cartridge just as the blade connected with his back.

The explosion sent him staggering forward, and I quickly followed up with several swings, each one detonating another cartridge. Each one caused him to stagger forward more, and the final one knocked him forward a few feet. However, he remained standing, even if he seemed a little winded. He took out yet another lightning dust crystal and started to jam it into his arm.

My eyes widened and I put a lot of aura into my semblance, creating a blazing inferno on my right side while ice began to form on the left. A massive ice pillar shot up, encasing Hazel as it went. He tried to move and get out before it completely froze, but he wasn't fast enough. Instead, he was trapped.

I lowered my weapon and sighed in relief, knowing that I wouldn't have been able to keep that fight up for very long. Yet, as I began to leave, walking down the path towards the city, I heard the ice begin to crack. I stopped and turned back towards it with wide eyes.

The ice shattered and Hazel raced out of it faster than I could keep up with. His fist connected with my stomach and sent me flying backward. My aura blocked the worst of the damage, but I still felt the pain. I rolled on the ground, Theta clattering to the ground not far from me, as I once again put my hands on the ground to try and stand.

He was trying to leave, now, into the manor. I channeled ice, which crept forward and grabbed at his foot again while I yelled, "Stop!"

He growled and looked back at me, "You know you're outmatched! Why won't you stay down?! I don't want to kill you. Ozpin is brainwashing you."

My voice filled with desperate anger as I yelled at him again, "Ozpin had nothing to do with it! My dad…" I felt my voice shake with sadness, "My dad saved me! The Grimm killed my parents… The things, the monsters, that you are working with! He was the one who saved me! He is the one who took me in, who gave up so much to try and give me the life he felt I deserved! When I was alone, when I had nothing left, he was the torch that scared away the monsters, every night!"

Hazel stared at me and hesitated, before trying to explain, "Ozpin…"

I cut him off, "His name isn't Ozpin! Ozpin is gone! He's part of my dad now, my hero. The man that inspired me to become a Huntress. Not brainwashed, inspired. His name… isn't… Ozpin. It's Neve Cadere! And if you're going to try to hurt him I will not stop getting back up, not until I die."

I began to stand shakily, "If you're going to try and kill him… Then you're no better than the Grimm, no better than what you think Ozpin is."

He stared at me still as I grabbed Theta off the ground, and then he looked away with a forlorn expression on his face. He grunted, "...Fine. I'll see for myself if this man isn't Ozpin… After we stop my old work partner. She's going to attack them soon."

My eyes widened, but then I broke into a smile, transforming Theta back into a scythe, "Really?! Thank you."

"Thank me later, kid. Let's go."

(The following is part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions'.)

Neve POV

After the glass broke, we raced to see what had happened. We found Orchid, grinning like a madwoman, and… a new Hound. This one was bigger than the old one, and it looked tougher. It remained by Orchid's side as she readied her guitar, "Just the power couple I was looking for~ You know, Atlas hasn't changed much since I left. The same kinds of people, the same kinds of problems, the same kinds of pests. You know, at first I wanted you as a pet, Neve, but now… I just want you dead~"

I spun my cane in one hand while brandishing Dawn in the other, "The feeling's mutual, Orchid. I think it's about time we finished this."

Orchid chuckled, "I couldn't have said it better myself." She brought up her hand and then strummed downward, sending out a powerful wave of fire. I brought up a bubble shield and then burst it outward before I charged at her, while Cinder leapt towards the Hound.

As we came closer to our foes, time slowed down. Text appeared over a picture of an orchid overlaying a snowflake.

ORCHID GROVE

The Summer and Winter Maiden

Dal Segno al Fine

TYRIAN CALLOWS

Assassin of Evernight

The Monster of Mistral

Time sped back up and Orchid flew up to avoid my cane. I couldn't see Tyrian, but the System had let me know that he was here. I kept my guard up as Orchid began to play "Damage" by Fit for Rivals

"You don't know anything~ You don't know anything~ You don't know anything about me!"

A wave of sound mixed with gouts of fire and water raced towards me. I braced myself and created a shield that blocked the attack before raising the shield bubble into the air. Once I reached Orchid, I pushed the bubble out; however, she created a shield of magic energy infront of her to block the attack. She smirked before continuing to play.

"Once it starts, it never stops! Discipline, it's all I'm not! Can't help myself, you listening? Why can't I say just what I want?"

A powerful blast of wind sent me tumbling backwards in the air. My back slammed against a wall of ice she erected before I brought up my cane to block several ice shards she sent to attack me. I placed my foot against the wall before launching myself towards her again.

"You don't know anything! No, you don't know anything about me!"

I struck out once I was upon her again, and she created a sword made of wind to try and stave off my attack. I infused my cane with magic and pushed through it, shattering her constructed sword before connecting with her head. She was pushed down towards the ground and fell while I flew after her. She landed on her feet and prepared to meet me.

"Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined! Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined!"

A blast of the four elements raced out towards me rapidly from her guitar's head, twisting in a helix. I was unable to dodge in time, and they connected with me, sending me flying backwards. I landed on the ground again with a grunt and looked for Cinder. She was not only fighting the new Hound, but also Tyrian. I started to move to help, but Orchid continued her song.

"Chain me up, hold me down! Just let me go, there's always more!"

She created several magical chains that rose out of the ground and tried to grab onto me, but I activated my semblance while infusing it with magic, creating a powerful blizzard that shattered the chains. I raced towards her while my semblance was still activated and used her surprise to whack her side before jabbing outward with my cane, connecting to her stomach several times in rapid succession before pushing her back with one final jab.

"I want it all excluding you! Losing control, so construed!"

She recovered quickly enough to keep playing, sending out a wave of water towards me that froze and shattered before my semblance. Yet I couldn't keep it up lest I wanted to burn through my aura, so I cut it off while charging at her again. She used the opening to send out several fireballs and lightning bolts from her guitar. I was able to dodge a few of them, but one of the bolts caught me in the chest and staggered me backward.

"Oh, you don't know anything~ No, you don't know anything about me Oh, you don't know anything~ No, you don't know anything about me!"

It was then that I heard Shi's voice, "Dad! We're here to help!" I was shocked as Hazel raced past me and punched the Hound with enough strength to send it flying into a wall while Shi sent out a wave of ice towards Tyrian, forcing him to jump backwards. Shi raced past me and shot me a smile before going to engage with Tyrian. I couldn't warn her against it, because there were other things on my mind, and I was partially amazed that she had managed to convince Hazel to turn.

Orchid seemed amused, if anything, although she gained a look of annoyance as Cinder ran to my side. I smiled at her and held out Dawn in front of us both. She crossed it with one of Midnight's blades with a smirk briefly, before we readied ourselves and charged her together. Orchid scoffed before starting her next lyric.

"Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined!"

She sent out a wave of ice, fire, and water. Cinder shot out a gout of flame while I sent one of ice. They twisted in a helix, like Orchid's attack before, then crashed into her ice and fire streams respectively. The water froze and fell to the ground as I activated my semblance.

"Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined. Steady damage, cross the line."

Cinder swiped at one side with Midnight while I slashed at the other with Dawn. We both caught one of her sides before she used wind magic to pulse us back, sending us skidding backwards.

"All that is done is left behind. Steady damage, cross the line! You had it all, now I've got mine!"

After I recovered I shot out a beam of pure magical energy, which Orchid was able to block with a Hard-Light barrier. Cinder fired a pulse of pure kinetic energy, knocking Orchid to the ground, however, she recovered quickly, floating into the air once again.

"I can't wait to see your face when I make it without you! Nothing seems to go your way, you'll never amount to…"

I realized that we were drawing close to the right time, so I told Cinder, "Cover me!" before planting my cane on the ground and closing my eyes, beginning to channel the spell I had been preparing for over a year at this point. Cinder obeyed, racing towards Orchid and engaging her to keep her busy.

"Get away, get away, get away from me! Get away, you'll never amount to… Get away, get away, get away from me! Get away, you'll never amount to shit!"

As I began to channel the power, The Long Memory started to glow with a golden light. Meanwhile, Cinder slashed out at Orchid, who dodged her attack and sent out an energy beam of her own, catching Cinder in the chest and causing her to yelp in pain.

"Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined! Steady damage, cross the line! What's become clearly defined! Steady damage, cross the line!"

Cinder retaliated with a wave of ice, a gout of fire, and several bolts of lightning. Orchid focused on dodging all of those while continuing to play, using both her magic and her own skill to weave in and out of attacks while sending out waves of sound that Cinder in turn had to dodge.

"All that is done is left behind. Steady damage, cross the line! You had it all, now I've got mine! You don't know anything~"

Finally, as her song came to an end, I stood and shot out a bolt of pure magic. It sailed towards her while she was busy dodging Cinder's attacks. It connected with her side and sent what appeared to be electricity through her body, eliciting a scream of pain from her, and she pushed down on a string so hard that it snapped audibly.

This spell had taken me too long to prepare, and tired me out immensely to cast. I could only hope that it actually worked.

We watched as Orchid fell to her knees and began to breathe raggedly. Her eyes were wide, and her hands went to her head as she grasped it while shaking, "Wh-What did you do to me?! What is this… What is this feeling?! It's… It's so… I…"

I looked for Tyrian and the Hound, only to find that they were elsewhere, in another room. The sound of the fighting was audible even from here. Then I looked at Orchid, "You're feeling emotion for the first time Orchid. Not just that… You're feeling the weight of every sin you've committed. Every life taken, every bone broken… Everything."

Before Orchid could say anything else, a wall broke and Tyrian sailed out of it. He caught himself with his tail and bounced back to his feet. He grinned and looked at Orchid, "My my, what's wrong? Are these two too much for the Twice Maiden?"

We all stared at Orchid, before she said, "I… I snapped a string! I have to fix it, cover for me!" before she leapt backward and flew up the stairs and out of sight.

Cinder looked at me skeptically, but I just put a finger over my lips in a 'shush' motion before we turned our attention to Tyrian, who groaned, "Well, if I must."

That was when the Hound jumped back to Tyrian's side, looking somewhat beaten but otherwise completely fine, and howled. In response, we heard the howling and screeching of several Grimm. I cursed under my breath and readied myself to keep fighting, "As if a few Grimm have ever stopped us."

Before we could move to engage, however, we heard yet more Grimm, much closer this time. The front doors of the Schnee manor flew open as several Beowolves, Ursa, Manticores, and other assorted Grimm charged in. I swore under my breath while Hazel, Cinder, and Shi prepared to fight them off as well.

Suddenly, a guitar riff ripped through the room. Tyrian grinned wildly before it was immediately wiped from his face as the wave of sound hit him and pushed him away while scattering several Grimm.

There was Orchid, flying in the air, tears still streaming down her face as she looked a mixture of ashamed in herself and enraged at the Grimm before her. She reached out a robotic hand and then seemingly plunged it into her chest. I gasped, and even Tyrian seemed shocked, before she pulled out what appeared to be a Grimm not unlike the one Cinder had used, the beetle that drained Maiden powers. It squirmed in her hand before she crushed it, and it seemed that what she had done had not actually hurt her in any way.

That, or she just ignored the pain. Either way, it left no wound.

Tyrian got up and asked, "Orchid, Orchid, what happened to you? Getting cold feet at the eleventh hour? I thought that wasn't you!"

Orchid, through her tears, said, "It is now!" She looked at us and said, "Go! This is my fight."

I snapped out of my shock and grabbed Cinder's hand before yelling, "Shi, Hazel, come on!"

We ran towards the exit, and I used my magic to clear a path through the Grimm as we raced out of the house.

As we left and retreated away from the house, Shi asked me, "What did you do, Dad? She was totally different!"

I managed a small, sad, smile as I simply said…

"I gave her what the stars couldn't."

(The following is not part of 'Shattered Assumptions')

Orchid watched as the Grimm turned to growl at her, and Tyrian cackled in confusion. If she thought it was possible, she might have even thought he looked intimidated, but Tyrian Callows didn't know what fear was. She and him used to be so alike, but now…

The visions of what she'd done, the stabbing sadness of each terrible act… It weighed on her, and there was only one way to stop it.

She raised her hand and began to play a song, 'Hunter'.

"Destroy apathy and hope~ Destroy everything you own! Nihilistic tendencies within my bones~ You gotta break a few! You gotta lose it all!"

A Manticore leapt at her as she began to play, but she easily shot it down with a blast of magical energy. Then she sailed down to the ground level and emitted a burst of fire that took several of the Grimm around her out and lit much of the area on fire. The Hound ran out to her and swiped, but she ducked under it and let out a pulse of kinetic energy that sent it backwards.

"This fear! No, I'm not ashamed~ Giants tower over bodies, charred and maimed! Am I sick with a disease or am I sane? You gotta start to run! Before you learn to crawl~"

Tyrian raced at her while she was singing, but she easily ducked under his stinger and shot out a bolt of lightning that caught him in the stomach and sent him sailing back. She created several cyclones that tore into the Grimm around her while catching fire and burning hot.

"My mind's a wreck~ Oh, they tell me everything will be okay~ Well, I wanna be the hunter not the hunted! I wanna be the killer not the prey!"

An Ursa managed to catch her on the back, but it was swiftly turned to ash by her growing firestorm. She shot pure magical energy out at the Hound as it came to attack her again. It howled in pain and stopped racing closer while repeating, "Death… Death… Death!"

"My heart can't take much more! Constantly repeating every single beat I felt before! Every single time I hit that wall!"

Tyrian came back for another round, yet this time she ran towards him. She slid across the ground in a power slide as she played, sending another powerful soundwave out that sent him crashing into the wall. She then launched into the air just in time for two Beowolves that were charging her to crash into each other.

"Crystal bodies hold me tight. as I fall into the night, ohh~ Just for a chance to see the light!"

She created several meteorites above her head before raining them down on the horde of Grimm, the Hound, and Tyrian. As they landed, they exploded and sent several Grimm flying away, bleeding smoke. Tyrian was able to hide from the explosions, and soon came back to try and jump at Orchid.

"The beating of the drum~ That I heard so many times I became numb… Are we constantly tormented just for fun? We'll never understand… The killer starting gun…"

She let out a burst of pure kinetic energy, sending him flying back before creating a blast of magical energy behind him. It connected with his back and sent him up into the air again before a gout of water slammed him back onto the ground.

"Hold your breath and plunge too deep! My demons always had my soul to keep~ And I'm dying every time I fall asleep~ I wanna be reborn! Instead of being done~"

Tyrian tried to get up again, but Orchid let out another guitar riff mixed with fire, water, ice, and air in one powerful stream before it crashed into his chest. Tyrian coughed and remained in the crater, but didn't seem to be dead yet.

"My mind's a wreck~ What use is believing if I can't pray…? I wanna be the hunter not the hunted… I wanna live one more day~!"

As the song grew softer at the start of the verse, her playing seemed to slow down and her voice softened, quivering with sadness. Then, as the song picked up, she returned to full force, creating a ball of gravity in the middle of the room that began to draw all of the remaining mundane Grimm together.

"Can't take much more! Constantly repeating every single beat I felt before! Every single time I hit that wall~ Crystal bodies hold me tight!"

Once they were in one spot, she crushed them into a small ball before destroying it with a burst of magic. The Hound howled at the loss of its comrades and bared its teeth, preparing to attack.

"As I fall into the night~ Just for a chance to see the light!"

Orchid dispatched it by sending out another gravity stream, grabbing it and holding it in the air. She then forced it to explode, sending Grimm goo all over the room.

"Give me a chance to see the light!"

All that remained were the burning mansion, Tyrian Callows, and herself. As she landed on the ground in front of Tyrian, he opened his mouth to speak but was immediately struck by a bolt of lightning powerful enough that it made him explode into bits.

"Human disease~ I'm getting sick of it~ Fall to your knees~ Fake it 'til it washes all away…"

She finished out the song, in spite of there being no fight left to fight, and as she finished the final chord, she took a deep breath. The only sound left in the mansion was the sound of fire and her own shaky breathing.

Orchid could put out the fire, she could leave out of a hole in the building—she could do so many things. Yet all she did was take off Muse, her guitar, and lay it gently on the ground before holding a hand out and sending out a blast of magical energy into it, destroying it. Following that, she shot one up at the ceiling, creating a hole clear through to the sky, which had begun turning to night.

Her tears continued, yet she smiled sadly. What she had done could not be fixed, but there was one way it could be repented for, and only one way. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. She spoke softly, "...The stars look beautiful tonight."

The manor caved in.

Mantle, Pietro's workshop

Sarcelle beckoned in another wave of civilians as they took shelter within the workshop. It was a tight fit, but it was safe. She held in her hand her energy sword, glowing bright white, and near her was Penny, with Floating Array readied and hovering around her. Penny smiled, "Sarcelle, by my calculations we've sheltered every civilian still within the area! Now all we have to do is-"

Suddenly, a roar shook the area, and both looked to see two large Trolls lumbering through the city, towards them. They were twenty feet tall humanoid beasts with one arm that had a bone sword instead of a hand and another that was a regular humanoid hand. They also had bone facemasks and knee-caps. Penny finished her sentence as she readied herself, "Defend them!"

Sarcelle nodded, "Don't worry, Penny. I'm not going anywhere, not even if I have to stand here for the rest of my life."

As both Grimm roared at them, they moved.

Penny literally rocketed forward, flying through the air as she gestured ahead, sending Floating Array ahead and slashing into one of the beasts' chests. It staggered backwards with a groan before swinging its bone sword. Penny rose above it, but one of her feet was just a bit too low. As she was clipped, she started to lose her balance and flew further in the air than she intended to.

Sarcelle ran between the other Troll's legs and extended out her energy blade, slashing at one of its calves. She connected and caused the beast to roar before it raised its other foot and stomped on the ground, staggering her. She swung her blade again, hitting its other calf and knocking it to its knees. The impact shook the ground, but Sarcelle rode it out and took out a lightning dust crystal.

She opened a compartment on the hilt of her blade before slotting it in and closing it. Her blade began to spark and it started to glow yellow as she pointed it towards the Troll. However, it fell backward intentionally, trying to crush her, and she had to instead move quickly to avoid it.

Penny fixed her flight before creating a laser beam using Floating Array, sending its powerful blast straight at the creature's face and destroying its bone mask. It began to fall backwards as well, and that was when Penny noticed Sarcelle was stuck between two falling Trolls. She flew down to her and swept her off her feet before flying back to where she had been.

Sarcelle looked at her with wide eyes from her position being princess carried. She smiled shyly, "You're always my hero, Penny."

"Oh Sarcelle, and you are my hero too." She floated down to the ground before setting Sarcelle down. Then she took to the air again before preparing another laser and shooting it at the Troll that had intentionally fallen back. It burst into smoke, and Penny was ready to celebrate; however, the sound of several more groans and roars put a stop to that.

Several more Trolls, at least ten of them, ambled through the city. Penny's eyes widened, "Our offensive measures are not enough to take them all out, Sarcelle! What do we do?"

Sarcelle got an idea, it was something she didn't suggest lightly, but these were desperate times, "Penny. I'm going to use my semblance on you, but… I'm going to go dee- uhh… further. If I'm right, I might be able to give you the strength you need."

Penny nodded dutifully before saluting, "I am soul-linking ready!"

"Alright, good." Sarcelle took a deep breath before activating her semblance. She reached out towards Penny, not just her circuitry, but her everything. She could have drowned in her heroism, in her kindness, in her patience, all of it. For the briefest moment, the two thought as one, as Sarcelle added her own strength to Penny's, in a way her semblance was never meant to be used. An idea she got from Jaune.

Penny gasped as she felt Sarcelle. Her intelligence, her bravery, her determination, her love. For her, for her family, for everyone. Then, Penny closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, and for the briefest moment they flashed ocean blue. Her blades began spinning above her again, faster than they were ever programmed to, and the beam grew larger and larger, before…

She loosed it, sending the powerful beam that was so large it covered the entire street from sidewalk to sidewalk straight at the beasts. It punched right through them, all of them, evaporating their bodies. It lasted for several moments, and once it was done, there was naught left of the Grimm on the road but dust.

Penny flew down to Sarcelle, who looked tired, and threw her arms around her in a hug, "We did it, Sarcelle! We've saved the civilians!" In a rare instance of fluster, she stammered, "And that… was an… experience."

Sarcelle returned the hug and shyly, if tiredly, smiled, "It was… but we can talk about it later. We need to keep defending the workshop. We don't know if there'll be any more." They separated, and Penny nodded.

"Right, Sarcelle!"

Streets of Atlas

They had split away from the others some time ago now.

Lunus, Violet, and Jeanne had gone one way, while the others took their own paths. On the streets they had been battling types of Grimm not at all native to Atlas. At the moment, they were engaged with a pack of Beringels.

Lunus dodged as one tried to punch the area he was just at before he swung Selene, in her polearm form, at the beast. His weapon sawed into it and cleaved it in half before he transformed it back into a buzzsaw.

He threw it on the ground and began to race towards more of the monsters, passing Jeanne on his way, who ducked under a Beringel's arm as it swung it at her. She then raised back up and, while doing so, stabbed Alba Mors with a battlecry, running the beast completely through. She kicked the body back and let it fall to the ground before stepping over it and racing to another opponent.

She raced past Violet, who was fighting several of the beasts at once. She shot her Mini-14 at one several times, causing it to stagger backwards while Suncutter in its chakram form raced at another, sawing into its chest until it fell backwards. Meanwhile, Aura punched another Grimm away like it was nothing.

The group seemingly cleared out all of the Beringel after a few more minutes. As they all began to catch their breaths, suddenly they heard a loud roar, and all of them looked in the direction it came from.

Not far down the street, there was another Beringel. Except the average Beringel was about two times the height of a person, while this one was easily four times as large. As it beat its chest and roared, Lunus and Jeanne's eyes widened. Jeanne asked, "Uhh, can we take that thing? Maybe we should get Yang."

Lunus was about to say something, but Violet stepped in front of them while cracking her knuckles, "Stay back, guys, I'll take care of this one."

"V-Violet? Are you sure?" Lunus stammered, "That thing is massive. Even your usual fighting style would struggle with it."

Violet's chakram undid itself while her Mini-14 turned back into a grip. She attached it to the blade and began to put it back into its sheath, "I know. That's why I'm not going to use my normal fighting style. I'm going to try something, I've only done this a few times before, so I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it, but…"

Jeanne thought for a moment before it clicked in her head. Worriedly, she said "Vi, if you lose focus, the Beringel could kill you! Are you sure?" Violet was glad that her friends were worried about her, she'd come a long way from the friendless girl she had been before Beacon.

She decided to reassure them, "Guys, please." She looked back at them and grinned, giving them a peace sign, "I've got this!" As she looked back at the beast, her body was covered with Aura. Not just her aura, but Aura herself, as she fused with her other self. Her whole body was now somewhat obscured by the distorting effect of Aura, as her charcoal aura was shown to be visibly layered over her skin.

As the Beringel Alpha began to charge towards her, she moved and launched herself forward, using Aura's enhanced abilities as her own. She pulled back to punch as the Grimm prepared to do the same. Their fists collided with enough force to send shockwaves of wind pressure out, forcing Lunus and Jeanne to take cover. Even though she was much smaller than the Beringel, Violet fought with the strength of a giant.

She stepped forward into the beast's guard and uppercut it in the stomach. The force of her punch sent it staggering backward. It swiped outwards and managed to hit her on the side, causing her to stumble and growl in pain before lunging forward again.

Violet landed a hit on the beast's chest again before it kicked outward and hit her in the torso, knocking her backward. She managed to twist in the air and extend her aura down to the ground, stopping her momentum and letting her land on her feet.

The Beringel grabbed a car off the road and threw it towards her. As the car sailed through the air towards her, Violet cocked a fist back and waited for the perfect moment. A split second passed and Violet threw her fist out just as the vehicle was about to hit her. Aura reinforced flesh met metal, and the sheer strength behind Violet's punch buckled the roof of the car. As the weight of the car continued, the roof sheared in two, bending away from Violet's fist violently. Violet put more strength behind her fist as it met the bulk of the car, and it similarly split it in two. After the dust settled, Violet was left standing in the street unharmed with her fist extended, the car in two pieces behind her.

The beast then lunged forward and punched as she was preparing to move, center-mass. She got sent flying backwards and hit the ground with a roll. Her aura flashed and she gritted her teeth as she struggled to get back up. Yet she fell back down, and the beast was closing in on her. She could hear Lunus and Jeanne moving and she yelled, "Stay back!"

She then froze, her eyes widened, and her vision went white.

Violet found herself standing in a white featureless void, eyes wide with shock. She looked around in confusion, and wondered briefly if she had somehow died. However, her gaze eventually rested on someone that caused her to gasp before she glared at them, "You."

Orchid Grove seemed different. Her face didn't hold its implacable cruelty. Rather, she smiled softly and sadly, her eyes betrayed her sorrow, "Me." She took a deep breath before sighing, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt anyone ever again. I made sure of that, and now… I'm splitting the powers again. No one person should be that strong, hold that much power in their hand, over everyone else…"

Violet could only gawk at the other woman and, voice filled with shock, could only ask one question, "What… happened to you?"

"I saw the stars again." Orchid's smile grew slightly, "...And I finally got what I had wanted, years ago. It… weighed on me. I couldn't handle the truth of what I had done… so, I struck up the band one last time, and played my heart out till the stage lights were broken. Call me a coward, I am, but… There's no repenting for what I've done, not in any other way."

She held out her hand, "Now… I give the power of winter to you, Violet Merino. You are one of the most powerful, determined Huntresses I've met."

Violet blinked a few times before shaking her head, "W-Why not give the power to Weiss?"

As if this couldn't get any stranger, tears fell from Orchid's eyes, yet her smile remained, "Weiss should live a quiet life when all this is over, and… I don't want to leave an imprint of myself on her. She deserves to never have to think of me again."

Under any other circumstance, Violet would have protested that she didn't want to think about Orchid anymore either, but… in a situation like the one she was in, she knew there wasn't much in the way of options. She stepped forward, "Fine… I won't forgive you, but I'll take the power."

Orchid nodded, "That's all I ask."

Violet reached out and clasped her hand to Orchid's.

Back on the street, Violet's eyes ignited with charcoal colored Maiden Fire. Her aura burned, and she saw the Beringel was still approaching her, not that much time had passed at all.

She stood fully and let out a beam of magical energy from her hand that staggered the Beringel. It roared as it regained its footing, but she was already rocketing forward with the wind at her back. She grabbed the Beringel by its arm and carried it into the air using her strength, now augmented not just with Aura but also with magic, to make the massive beast look as if it weighed nothing. Once she was in the air, she spun in the air before throwing it back to the ground.

As it crashed and bounced on the ground, she flew after it and landed on the ground while it was still in the air. Her aura-enhanced legs shook the ground and cracked the pavement before she pulled back her fist and grinned wildly, "Atlas…"

She punched into the Beringel's stomach as it fell towards her with everything she had, "STANDS!" Her fist dug into its chest before her sheer strength sent it rocketing away into the air. It flailed helplessly, crashing into a Queen Lancer, and such was the force of the attack that both beasts simply kept flying into the air until they disappeared into the stratosphere. There wasn't a twinkle in the sky, but Violet liked to imagine that there was.

She breathed heavily as she kept her grin. She heard Lunus and Jeanne call her name, "Violet!" As she looked at them, she was taken off-guard as both of them hugged her. Jeanne stated the obvious, "You're a Maiden now!"

Lunus laughed, "You're really something else, you know that, Vi?"

Violet smiled softly as she hugged them back, "Aw, guys… dont talk me up too much. I'm just another story." One that, in her mind, wasn't really worth reading, either. Who would want to see her do anything? "We need to keep going. That Beringel is gone, but there's still more."

Both of her friends agreed, and soon they were off to fight more Grimm.

(The following is part of the book 'Shattered Assumptions')

(Written in the margins is a note from Neve, "I've run out of drafting paper, and I'm not in a position to get any more from where I am. I've tried to correct any problems I see, but I write in pen, so this might get messy. Sorry.")

Neve POV

When we were far enough away from the collapsing Manor, we stopped running. Everyone looked and felt tired, and it was Hazel who asked, "What do we do now?" as if we hadn't been mortal enemies just yesterday. I supposed it made sense, though, we had other things to worry about.

There were a few options. I could get the Relic of Destruction and use it to wipe out the Grimm, but at a personal cost. We could just fight them traditionally…

…Or…

"I have an idea." I started, looking at The Long Memory, "I should have used it earlier, much earlier, but I've been hesitant…" Not because I thought it would kill innocents, I knew that the move I was about to do didn't kill people, nor did it destroy buildings… Not only did I remember it from the show, but the rest of me knew it from when I first built the cane, "I recommend you guys get indoors. It's not going to hurt you, but it's not the most pleasant thing to see, or h̴e̴r̶e̸ hear."

Cinder and Shi looked at me with a̶ concerne̶d̸ ̸l̴o̴o̷. It was Cinder who asked, "What are you planning to do, Neve?"

I smirked, "Just a trick I've b̵e̴e̵n̴ ̸k̶e̴e̸p̷i̴n̴g̴ kept up my sleeve for a few thousand years. Ozma knew a thing or two about preparing for any eventuality. Now, get going, all three of you. I'll catch up."

Hazel squinted at|me suspiciously, but still began to leave for a building. Shi and Cinder hesitated before they moved to find a place to hide as well.

I looked to the sky and then called the air to lift me higher. The wind whipped against my face, and several flying Grimm tried to attack me, but a blast of magical energy was all I needed to dissolve them. When I reached the height t̵͕̓ò̶̭p̸̤̅ of the highest skyscraper, right in the center of the city, I took my cane in both my hands and closed my eyes.

The gears began to turn, and then I pressed down on the clip.

A white light burst out from me, from the cane. Pure concentrated energy not dissimilar to what the Silver Eyed Warriors have. Magic that was designed to kill Grimm, designed to free humanity from|their oppressive grasp. It emitted from me, stretching out and growing to encompass the entire city. The buildings were fine, the people were safe, and the Grimm?

The g̵̯͝ȓ̶̖ Grimm were vaporized, the darkness w̷a̴s̷ ̶pushed back by blinding light. They didn't even have time to howl or screech as they dissolved. The whole of the city of Atlas was cleared in one move, with one power, and as the light died, t̸͔̆ḥ̶̀e̶̱̾r̵̗͗e̸͎͛ ̷͎͝w̸̟̋ǎ̷̘s̴̼̄ a stilling silence fell over the city, only broken by the sound of Atlesian aircraft still in the sky.

No more Grimm roared there, and as I stayed in the air taking in the silence, I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't be able to pull that move twice, not for a long time. I received a call from Ironwood, who looked alarmed and shaken, "Neve?! What was that?"

I smiled, "Relax, James. I used a little trick of mine to clear out the Grimm within the city. Now Atlas' military might can be entirely dedicated to Mantle, and I recommend you make haste. The Mantelian walls have no doubt taken some serious damage."

He looked relieved, "Good, good. I'll give the order. I don't know what that was, but… thank you."

We cut off the call, and I was about to move to join the others, but then, for the first time in a long time, I received a notification.

Ability Unveiled

Last Resort

Erase a̶n̷ the unerasable o̴b̷j̸e̵c̷t̴, expunging it from this plane of existence and the next. Effect on the caster will be immense and dramatic, breaking the fabric of reality itself, in what way exactly is unknown.

I stared at the notification with wide eyes for some time before dismissing it with a sigh. I had anticipated something like this, because of what Jinn had told Caine and I that day. Yet the true nature of that spell was still,̵ unknown to me, and I had no clue what was going to b̶̦͑e̷̙͆c̷͎͂o̸̡̕m̸̧̑ȅ̶͖ ̸͎̓ọ̷͊f̵̯̉ ̵̫͌m̸̧̽è̵͚ ̶̻̄r̵̺̔e̷̻͗s̴̖͝t̷̡̓ṵ̵̓l̶̯͂t̴̛͙ result. I just knew that it would be powerful, and immense.

I took a deep breath before putting on a smile and sailing back down to ground level. When I got there, I found Shi,|Hazel, and Cinder h̵̰̽a̸̧̔v̵͖̔i̶͖͆n̸̲͑g̶̟̏ ̷͍̔ä̴̘́l̵̠͗l̶͉̀ all emerging from their hiding places. When I got to the ground, Shi ran up and hugged me, "Dad! I don't know what that was, but… it was so cool!"

I hugged her back with a smile, "Don't get used to it, Shi. I'm not that cool when you get past the flashy stuff." I might have had an extra five thousand years of life experience, but in my heart I was still just me, and I was not at all by any stretch of the word 'cool'.

"Duh," Shi giggled, "you're really lame when you're not doing something magical. You tell really bad jokes."

I sighed in mock defeat as Shi and Cinder both laughed at me. I heard Hazel clear his throat. Shi let go and I looked at him. He was standing a ways away with a frown on his face, arms folded across his chest. I walked up to him, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Neve Osiris Cadere, and… I'm sure Shi already told you, but Ozma is gone."

"No," Hazel b̶̙̕e̶̗̓ĝ̵͖u̸̫͌n̵̟͒ ̶̦͑began, "He's part of you now." That didn't seem to bother him that much, "But, clearly he's not as big a part of you as he was for others, according to what Salem said. I believe you when I say you are yourself." He stepped forward and put his hands on my arms, lifting me up in front of him. I heard ⁐ Shi and Cinder move, but I simply shook my head at them.

Hazel stared into my eyes for a long time. I wasn't sure what he was searching for, but it seemed he found it. He lowered his voice and muttered just to me, "No more Gretchens, boy.'' Then he let go and started to walk away.

Shi called out, "Hazel!" He stopped and looked back at her, and she smiled, "I know you'll find happiness someday. You're not a bad person, you're a good person who was on the wrong side."

Hazel smiled slightly but said nothing, instead he turned and kept walking away.

I looked at Shi and Cinder before smiling, "Come on, let's get back to the manor. I think w̵̮̅ḙ̸̒ ̴̤̉Cinder and I should fix it with our magic before Weiss comes back and throws a fit."

Both girls laughed, and together we started back to the manor, walking the opposite direction to Hazel. I could only hope that he found happiness and peace ̴͙͋n̸̬̕o̶͚͒w̵̬͌. He was alive this time, I would consider that a victory, but it would've tasted sweeter if he found a place where he felt he belonged.

Civilians were emerging from the subways and their homes, looking around in shock at the sudden lack of Grimm. Atlas' military had completely moved to Mantle, and I knew that the remaining Grimm would be|easy to clean up. Now that all of Atlas could focus on them, and now that they had no organization, they were nothing but beasts to the slaughter.

When we arrived at the Schnee Manor, dilapidated as it was, I raised my cane while Cinder held out her hand. We both channeled our magic and used it to rebuild the home. Everything was slowly put back to where it needed to be, although towards the end we began to tire.

That was when Violet and the others came, and I was shocked to see that Violet and Aura were both flying while carrying Jeanne and Lunus respectively. Lunus looked annoyed at being carried, while Jeanne seemed to be having the time of her life. As they set down, I saw the Maiden Fire around her eyes, and smiled, "Violet!̵ Are you…?"

Violet smiled back, "I guess I'm the guardian of winter now. Orchid said she gave summer to someone else, but she didn't say who."

I was about to say something when suddenly I received a text on my phone.

It was Vesta and Damian, grinning at the screen. Vesta had Maiden Fire glowing around her eyes, and her text simply read, "Summer's come early."

I smirked and put my scroll away, vowing to call them later, "Vesta has it." I took a deep breath and sighed. Before I could even ask, Violet stepped forward and held her hands out, trying to do what we had been doing. She was unpracticed, but after I gave her some direction, the three of us were finally able to finish putting together the Schnee Manor again.

We found Orchid there, surrounded by the ashes of Grimm and the splatterings of what I assumed had been Tyrian. We agreed to cremate her, turning her body to ash after carrying it to the garden.

We let the wind carry the ashes across the garden, and finally, we could rest easy knowing our second greatest foe was dead.

The others eventually came back. The fight had indeed been swiftly cleaned up in Mantle following the arrival of Atlas' Armed Forces. We all swapped accounts of what happened, although I left out Last Resort from the discussion. Nobody else knew about it, and while I had pledged to stop keeping secrets, I knew I couldn't|tell them about this. I wanted them to be happy, not worried.

We were all sitting together in the dining hall just a few hours later. That was where Weiss finally asked, "So… she's really… gone?" I nodded, and she sighed, "...I feel awful. I can't help but feel like, if I'd not listened to my father, this call all could have gone so differently."

Cinder shook her head, "You had no way of knowing what would happen. You might shoulder the burden of having betrayed her in the first place, but… there was no way anyone could have known the truth. Not even her father entirely under⁐stood the breadth of her psychopathy. She's gone, now, and maybe she'll be able to repent in death, or in her next life."

I had no idea if the In-Between would let her reincarnate, but odds were that was where she was going to end up. Whether they would punish her for her crimes, I didn't know either. I could have asked Alex, but I decided it was better to just leave well enough alone, on that front.

Lunus leaned back and sighed, "So… the biggest bitch on Remnant is dead, Salem's insane sidekick is dead, Watts is missing, presumed dead… It kind of feels a bit weird. Suddenly almost all of our biggest problems are dealt with… well, except for 'The Big One' as Theodore called her. What are we going to do about her?"

Violet frowned, "I mean… I'm not sure there's much we can do about her. If she's supposed to be immortal, then even with all of the Maidens on our side, even with all of her pawns dead, all she has to do is wait a few decades to try again. It's not like she's going to run out of time."

Jeanne sighed, "Guys, we shouldn't be talking about Salem right now. We just saved Atlas! We should be happy, and worry about all that heavy stuff later. If we're too worried about Salem, we're just going to wear ourselves out before any solution presents itself!"

Jeanne, always the girl who tried to make people smile. I was happy to see she had made it through all of this with her spirit intact. I nodded in agreement, "She's right. Right now, we need to focus on helping with reconstruction, and resting. We've had a lot going on, and now we don't have to keep looking over our shoulders. At least, for a little while."

I knew what I was going to have to do, and I knew that it could mean I would never see my friends or family again. I hid that burden, and I hid it well, I̸̦̾ ̵̣͘ḧ̶̥á̶͈d̵̪̓ ̷̖̃ṱ̴̕h̷̹̀o̸̹̿ú̵̢s̴̙̾a̴̩̐ṇ̶͠d̶̛̥s̵̞͌ ̷̟͝o̷̙͌f̷͓̈́ ̸͖́y̸͙͑ȅ̴̖a̸̮̔r̵̲̐s̷͈̀ ̶̣̌ő̷͓f̵̭̄ ̶̣̓p̸̩̔r̴͉͊ḁ̸̃c̴̯͊t̸̡̐ĩ̵͎c̴̱͗e̵̫̿ ̴̦͋a̸̻͒f̷̞͝t̴̮̀e̵͕̒r̸͂ͅ ̷̺͌a̶͈͘l̷̛̞l̶̦͝ ̷͇̑After all, I had thousands of years of practice. So, softly, I said, "Right now, well…"

"It's time to rest."

Author's Note

The zalgo/scribbled text was initially going to be strikeouts, but FFN didn't want to let them work for me, so I had to fix this up a different way.