Author's Note

The zalgo'd/corrupted text in this chapter represents smudges, splotches, and stains, rather than strikeouts, most of the time. It should be evident when.

(Note from Neve: "For these 'tales' detailing my time with my loved ones, I've decided to pick out some nicknames that encapsulate them and I. I got this idea from Violet, so blame her.")

Tale of Pluto

After the dust settled, reconstruction took basically the rest of the month, so we didn't have as much time to relax as we would have liked just yet. Now that we had the time, I started to plan. I wanted to spend time with everyone, before I set what I had been thinking of doing into motion, and I didn't want to group everyone together or something like that.

I wanted to spend time with my closest friends, one at a time. I wanted to make it count.

That was what led to me inviting Lunus out for a day in the city. I didn't know what we'd do, and neither did he, but we were content just picking a direction and walking in it. The city was alive and bustling with activity, having recovered from the Battle for Atlas fairly quickly.

We were dressed in our regular outfits that day, I in my original and he in the outfit Ruby made him. I asked, "How are things going with Ruby these days?"

Lunus smiled, "Pretty good, we've been busy with all the other stuff so we didn't exactly have time to relax before. We went on a date at a confectionary the other day." He chuckled, "She says she still prefers that one shop in Vale, but that the place we went to wasn't bad." He looked at me, "How're you and Cinder?"

I returned his smile, "Well. We haven't exactly gotten the chance to live the 'wedded life' yet, but we make due do. A lot of our time is spent with Shi, training her and getting her ready. She turns twelve in a couple weeks, so she's going back to Patch after her birthday so she can take the Signal Entry Exams next month."

He whistled and looked forward again, "Man… Can't believe she's already gonna be twelve. She was ten, like, yesterday. Time flies when you're saving the world, I guess. Who's gonna go back with her? I don't think we can just leave a twelve year old alone in a big house. Even if she is really mature and knows how to cook better than I do."

"Pyrrha and Jaune are going to go back with her first, so they can see the rest of their team and settle back into Vale. Although eventually we will we'll all be going back there." You all. I meant you all. "Now that the immediate threat is out of the way, we can afford to take some time to relax at home. At least, relax and try to figure out a way to stop Salem." No, all of them are living in peace. I will stop Salem, soon after this point.

Lunus nodded, "Man… It's gonna be weird not having to worry about Grimm and the end of the world all the time for once. Hard to get out of work mode out here, even if we're supposed to chill." Suddenly, he spotted something, "Hey hey…" He pointed out a neon billboard, "Check this out."

The billboard advertised a safe snowboarding experience not that far out of Atlas, on one of the nearby mountains. I frowned in mock worry, "You're not going to make me…"

"Yes, I'm going to make you snowboard with me. Come on, last one down has to buy lunch."

I went along with him. We had to take a passenger airship to the ski lodge, but it didn't take very long. Once we got there, we rented some equipment, and I was feeling a distinct sense of deja vu, like I was back on those sand slopes again. The mountain itself was fairly tall, I had no clue how tall, but it was certainly a mountain.

I pulled the hood of my coat up as we stood outside and prepared to race down. Lunus smirked and teasingly said, "Try not to hurt yourself, 'old man'." before he took off on his board down the slope. I sighed in mock exasperation before starting to chase after him.

I was lucky enough to have at least some idea what I was doing—I had a feeling falling down a mountain would have been a quick ticket to pain. Instead, I felt the cold wind on my face as I tried to speed up, leaning forward in an effort to catch up to Lunus, who was already ahead of m̴̢̌i̶͍̔ṅ̸̡ȩ̶͋ ̴̗̎me.

He hit the small slope ahead of us first, using it to catch airtime as he grabbed his board with one hand while pitching his body in the opposite direction. He backflipped three-hundred and sixty degrees before landing on his board again, continuing down the mountain without slowing down.

As I hit the slope, I didn't dare try to replicate him. Instead I just held onto my board with one hand in order to keep balance before hitting the ground again and continuing after him. We picked up speed as the path became steeper, with snow trailing down the mountain due to the two of us.

Of course, Lunus got to the bottom before I did. He knew all of the tricks and movements that I didn't. As I got to the bottom, he laughed, "Woo! That's the rush I was looking for." He gave me a lopsided grin, "Guess you're buying lunch. Let's catch the lift so we can turn this stuff back in and get back to Atlas."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue. Together we went about returning our rented gear and then catching a Manta back to Atlas. By the time we returned, it was well past lunchtime. So, instead, I suggested we get dinner. We ended up at a rather low-key diner, sitting in a booth in the corner.

After we ordered our drinks and looked over the menus, I started looking around. It was a very classic looking diner, reminiscent of the kind of thing you'd see in small town America. There was a place like it back in the town I went to college at, on Earth. That memory felt faded and distant now. It also reminded me slightly of the Changing Seasons, except it was a proper diner and markedly less cozy.

After a moment, Lunus cleared his throat, getting my attention as he asked, "Your head in the clouds again? What're you thinking about?"

I chuckled, "That obvious, huh?" I sighed as I looked out the window, "I'm thinking about the Changing Seasons. It's been a long time since I've been, wondering how June is doing…"

Lunus furrowed his brow, "Well, why not call her? You've still got her scroll number, right?"

I waved my hand in feigned dismissiveness, "Ah, I dunno. I'd rather not be a bother, if she's busy. Besides, I'm just the guy she housed for a little while, I doubt she even remembers me."

He scoffed and shook his head, "Just call her when we get back. Seriously, after everything we've done, I'm sure she remembers you." He smirked, "Man, you'd think someone like you would have a bit higher self-esteem."

It wasn't so much that I had low self-esteem, in fact, I felt confident in myself. It was more that I desperately hoped that June didn't remember me, so she wouldn't get hurt too badly, should something have happened to me. Yet if I didn't call her, and I did die, or something else terrible happened to me, I knew I would regret not talking to her one more time.

"Alright, alright." I smiled, "I'll give her a call once we get back to the manor." I took a deep breath before saying, "You know, Lunus, I'm glad to have you on my team, and as a friend. You've been with me through thick and thin, always looking out for my best interest, even if I wasn't."

"Where's this coming from?" He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, leaning back in his seat, "You don't need to thank me. You're like the brother I never had, regardless of your 'arrangement'. Of course I'm gonna look out for you, even if you're being stupid. Hell, especially if you're being stupid. But, seriously, I don't regret a thing."

I laughed softly, "I just felt like saying it, guess I'm just being sentimental. Must be something in the air." The amulet felt heavy on my chest, "But seriously, thanks." I decided to change the subject, "Remember when we were at Beacon? Things felt a lot easier back then."

"Ooh yeah. We were just a bunch of bright eyed wannabes." He chuckled, "I think the Battle for Beacon snapped us right out of that, though. Now I'm just looking forward to this being over so I can settle down. It'd be nice to get to stay in a place for more than a few months or a year, y'know?"

I nodded, the waitress brought us our drinks and I sipped on my Dr. Spicy before saying, "I'm looking forward to settling back on Patch. Maybe I'll get a teaching position at Beacon, work my way up to Headmaster. I know Glynda must really want a break."

He smirked, "Headmaster Cadere, huh? Yeah, has a nice ring to it. I bet you'll be there by the time Shi's ready to come to Beacon, if not earlier, and if Ruby and I decide to have a kid and they want to become a Huntsmen, well, we'll know who to bother if they get a failing grade."

But it won't be me.

"I'm sure any kid you guys have will go far. I don't think you'll have to bust down my door when the time comes."

We continued to trade smalltalk, speculating about the future, wondering about what would come next, how we were looking forward to going back home. Things that stung to think of, because I knew that there was a good chance I'd never see any of it.

After we got our food, we ate and I paid before heading back to the manor. It was late, but still early enough that I felt I could try to call June without feeling bad about it. I ended up going to one of the sitting rooms, where I stared at June's phone number. I hesitated to press it, and battled myself for almost a solid minute before I finally pressed call.

It rang a couple times, and just when I was beginning to wonder if I should call back later, she picked up. She was smiling brightly, and looked just the same as I remembered her, two years h̴͈̊a̸̙͐ḓ̵̒n̴̞̍'̵̩͌t̶͈̐ ̵̹́having not done much to her. She looked and sounded happy as she said, "Neve! I've been wondering when I'd hear from you again. It's been a long time, how are you?"

I smiled back, and did my best to hide the melancholy, "Hey, June. Sorry I haven't called you in… so long. It's been real busy, you know? But… it's not all business, you know I adopted that girl, Shi, a couple years ago." I had mentioned it to her once, the last time we spoke, "Well… I got married not long ago to Cinder."

June gasped, "Really?! And you didn't invite me?" She huffed, before the mock anger disappeared, "Ah, well, you're in Atlas, right? It's fine. I just can't wait to see you both when you get back. Watchin' you go on dates was always so sweet."

It took all of my emotional control to not look sad, "Yeah. I can't wait to see you either, June. It all started with you, and… I still don't really know exactly why you took me in. You told me before, but…"

June's smile softened, "Neve, when you came into my cafe, a lost boy with nothin' to his name, I saw something in you. I told myself, this boy's gonna do great things, and my instinct hasn't been wrong yet. Neve… I know we haven't exactly known each other long, or really kept up, but… in a way, I consider you my son. I'm proud of you, and everything you've done. You're a hero, and I'm glad that the world can see the same thing I did, back in the day."

My composure was growing weak, but I held, "Thank you, June… Th-That means a lot to me. I've gotta go, but… it's been great talking to you again."

"You too, Neve." She grinned, "You'd better come see me when you're back in Vale. I wanna treat you and your friends to some free drinks."

"I will. See you, June."

I hung up, and once I did, I received a knock on the door. I looked towards it as it opened, and Lunus stepped in. I smiled, "Were you listening in?"

He shook his head as he walked up to me, "Just the end, I was walking by and caught some of it. How'd it go?"

"Great. It went great. Thanks for encouraging me to talk to her."

"No problem man, you know I've got your back." He yawned and then turned on his heels, "Well, I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow." He waved and left the room.

I sat in total silence for several minutes before I eventually got up and went to bed.

Tale of Winter Knights

Jeanne was next, and I'll be the first to admit that coming up with something for us to do together was… difficult, to say the least.

It occurred to me that I only had a vague idea of what she liked to do, and that weighed on me slightly. I'd spent so little time with her over the years that we hadn't really developed an incredibly deep bond. Just that of two partners, and two friends, but nowhere near as close as I was to Lunus, or to Violet.

I took a shot in the dark and recommended that we go to the arcade together, and luckily she was more than happy to agree. It seemed that, no matter what we went through, her love for games was implacable.

We headed out together the day after Lunus and I went out. We were wearing our usual outfits, and on the way towards the arcade I asked, "So, how are things with you and Peregrine?" The question wasn't dissimilar to what I asked Lunus, but it was a genuine question, and it helped fill the silence.

"Oh, great!" Jeanne grinned, "We went to the movies the other day, and she had never had popcorn before! Can you believe that? Okay, well, maybe you can, she's kind of a wandering loner, but still! Seeing her reaction to eating it for the first time was great, she loved it! The movie was kinda bad, but we made jokes about it, so it was fine."

She continued, "She told me that she's going to settle down on Patch eventually! I couldn't believe it, but it's perfect! Now she and I can live next to each other, and maybe someday we'll be living together!"

I smiled warmly, "Wonderful. I'm glad things are going so well for you both, you deserve happiness." I chuckled, "At this rate everyone in the Saviors of Remnant is going to be living the married life in a few years."

"If that's what they want, I hope they do!" Her grin turned into a bright smile, "I think all of us deserve to live whatever life we want, and now that we're heroes, nobody can tell us what to do! Well, unless we break the law or something, but that's different."

"I would hope none of us break the law." I chuckled, "That wouldn't be very heroic, and Shi needs all the good role models she can get if she's going to keep her motivation as strong as it is."

Because, odds were, I wasn't going to be there.

We got to the arcade after that, and I was thankful to see we weren't the only adults there. It seemed that a lot of people liked to blow off stress at places like this, filled with games both older and newer. I was about to ask what Jeanne wanted to do, but it seemed she already had a selection, "Hey, I haven't played this in forever! Come on!" She took me by the wrist and practically dragged me to this game that appeared to be some sort of on-rails shooter, 'Huntsman Rising' it was called.

It had two 'pistols' as controllers. We took one each and I paid for our go before the game began. For people like us, something like this was easy. All the same, though, Jeanne took to it with her usual enthusiasm. She grinned like a madwoman as she shot at Grimm, taunted them by calling them different derisive nicknames based on what type they were, and in general looked like she was having the time of her life. After we brought down the final boss, she laughed and declared, "This is nothing to a Savior of Remnant!"

That was when we heard a young boy's voice directed towards us, "Mom, look! It's them!" We turned and, indeed, saw a young boy and his mother.

The boy, who looked to be about nine, was pointing at us, until his mom gently lowered his hand, "Don't point, sweetie. It's impolite." She smiled at us, "You two are members of that group, aren't you?" We nodded, and her smile brightened, "Thank you so much for what you've done, my son's watched all sorts of videos on you guys, he's a big fan."

I was shocked to hear there were videos of us, we were just Huntsmen like any other after all, but we had been at the center of several large battles, and no doubt more than a few people saw us in action. The media likely had a part in playing us up, and I supposed there was nothing to be done about that. I just smiled gently, "We're just Huntsmen, ma'am, doing our part the same as any other."

"Don't sell yourselves so short!" She insisted, "Plenty of Huntsmen are only in it to make money, or for fame, but you guys are the real deal. You've done so much, and never asked for a thing! My son's been talking about becoming a Huntsman because of you guys."

I almost wanted to apologize, but I held back. Instead, the son gestured to his shirt, which read in big yellow letters 'JEANNE SWEEP', complete with a small 'chibi' graphic of Jeanne on it, "Yeah! Mom even found this shirt for me!"

Jeanne gasped and I could tell she was holding back some more excited reaction, "I have merch?! That's amazing!" She grinned, "We're just happy to help, and if you do decide to study to become a Huntsman, make sure you give it your all! Push past your limits! Go beyond!"

The boy nodded eagerly, and then I reached into my coat, producing a piece of paper and a pen I had been planning to use to take notes for this story, but instead I offered, "Ẅ̷̖͈̽ȟ̶̩̄̈́͜ͅȃ̴̫͈͍̽t̵̡͙̦̒͆ Want us to sign this?"

Of course, they were all for that, and so Jeanne and I autographed the paper before giving it to the boy, who looked absolutely over the moon. They left after that, and once they were gone, Jeanne squealed, "Oh my Brothers! We just signed autographs for someone! I feel like a real celebrity!" She grinned and hopped up and down a few times, "This feels amazing!"

I smiled at her joy, "Just don't let it get to your head. Not that I think you will." Jeanne was a pure heart, a simple soul, and I firmly believe that she would never intentionally do anything to hurt anyone, including growing a large ego. She was far too humble for that.

Jeanne huffed, "Don't be such a worrywort, now come on! I want to play Immortal Fight Six, they have an arcade cabinet version here!" She pointed in the direction of the cabinet and led me to it, before putting in her own money so we could play. Admittedly, I wasn't the best at the game, Jeanne was clearly far better at it than me, but I still had plenty of fun. It was nice to play games and forget about the future for a little while. I could almost believe I was just a normal Huntsman, living for the day, and not worrying about what was to come.

All good things, however, eventually come to an end. We played for almost an hour before we decided to call it. Jeanne had a date with Peregrine in a couple hours, and I had some preparations I needed to do for Shi's birthday party that was coming up in a couple weeks.

We left the arcade, and I waited until we were coming up the Schnee driveway to take a deep breath and say, "Jeanne. I wanted to… apologize." We stopped and she looked at me with clear confusion before I explained, "I've not been the best partner: we never spent all that much time together, just the two of us, and we never did anything that partners are supposed to do, really. Like training together, and… doing things just for fun, like we did today. I even told myself I'd do better, and… I didn't. I'm sorry."

Jeanne smiled softly, "Aw, Neve… it's okay. You were busy, we were all busy, even if it was just being busy with other people. That's fine." She placed a hand on my arm, "Sure, there were times when I wished you and I could do more partner stuff, but…" She searched for the right words, before saying, "If I had to do it all over again, I'd love to get shot out of the sky by you again. You're the best partner I could have asked for, and a great friend. I wouldn't change a thing, not for anything. Besides! It's never too late, you know? We can still do tons of partner stuff after everything is said and done! Just because we're not at Beacon anymore doesn't mean we aren't partners, we're partners forever! Right?"

I smiled back, albeit it was strained, "Yeah. Partners forever. I'm glad to have met you too, Jeanne. You're a great friend, and… maybe we can do more partner stuff together, eventually."

She nodded and her smile grew before her phone buzzed and she checked it, "Oh! That's Peregrine!" She grinned, "I have to go get ready. I'll talk to you later, okay? Thanks for today, it was fun."

She started hurrying inside, waving back to me as she went, and I waved back while calling out, "Yeah, it was fun." As she disappeared inside, I could only close my eyes and take a deep breath before muttering under my breath…

"Partners forever."

Tale of Bright Nights

Setting this one up was… awkward, and difficult.

Violet and I had plenty of baggage, but that was all the more reason for me to set this up. So I knew there were really no hard feelings, and that, at the end of it all, we were still friends.

Of course, she accepted my offer to hang out without any hesitation, although I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was hiding a tension. The same tension I was feeling, because we both knew how the other really felt, and neither of us wanted to be the first to broach that topic.

It was a couple days after my hangout with Jeanne, we set aside the whole day to just hang out. We started the day very simply, going into one of the Schnee 'entertainment rooms', which was now stocked with the latest game systems and a bevy of things to play, and sat on the couch together while playing.

It was easy to not focus on the awkwardness when we were killing monsters in a game. Not a Grimm in sight, just fantastical creatures like goblins, orcs, trolls (the non-Grimm kind), etc. When we got tired of that sort of RPG, Violet insisted we play a Mistrali Action-RPG, a rare instance of one that was coop.

It reminded me of Dark Souls, and playing it was kind of nostalgic. I didn't get too lost in the feeling, though. Violet made it easy to focus on other things, like her callouts, and the story she told.

"So this one time Jeanne and I decided to head into the city together, and I found this really cool manga shop! We bought a bunch of manga and ended up heading back to read it. That was fun, although after I started reading some of the, uhh… more mature ones on my own. Then Shi saw me reading and asked what it was, I never put a book away so fast!" She giggled, "She was so upset that I didn't want to show her, she said she'd get you to tell me, but I guess she hasn't come to you, yet?"

"Nope. Odds are she either forgot about it or put two and two together and decided not to ask about it. I'm for the second option, personally." I chuckled, "She's old enough that she can put those kinds of things together. I'm kind of afraid to check her scroll history…" I shuddered and shook my head, "She's still my innocent daughter, as far as I'm concerned. Puberty? Don't know what that is."

Violet laughed, "Gods, you should have seen me at that age! Grandpa was always so worried about me, he gave me 'the talk' when I was thirteen. That was awkward as hell, but he was trying his best. I hated it at the time, but it was important, so I can't blame him. Besides, it's not like he had to worry about me going out and getting dates; I never left my room anyway, and Aura was the only one I hung out with."

To demonstrate that point, Aura created a charcoal colored heart above Violet's head, causing me to smirk, "Hopefully you and the other ladies will be able to help her in that department, because I have no idea how to deliver that kind of thing to her. I already told her about puberty and how that changes the body, that was… traumatic. I didn't go into the other stuff, though. I figured I'd save us both that embarrassment."

She grinned, "Don't worry, we'll have a girls night and talk about all that stuff one of these days. I don't think Cinder is prepared to handle that sort of thing on her own, she looks terrified at the idea of trying to explain the birds and the bees o̸͖̿n̴̤̕ ̵̻̈́ḩ̷̑ĕ̴͔ṙ̴̖ ̴̞̄o̴͓̐w̴̒͜n̸̯̐. It takes a village and all that."

"I couldn't agree more."

After that, we finished playing, and opted to head into the city. It was a beautiful day, the weather ẃ̸͉a̶̝̐s̵̏ͅn̸̢̊'̵̮͋t̵̳̎ ̴̞̾not too cold nor too hot—Violet called it 'sweater weather', and I felt that fit. It was a good thing, then, that both of us wore sweaters as part of our regular outfits.

We had no particular destination in mind, so we just started to wander. There were a few landmarks in Atlas that we could use to sort of approximate where we were if we got lost, and Violet actually suggested we do that instead of using our scrolls. She said it was like a miniature adventure, and while I would have thought she'd have had her fill of adventure by this point, I went along with it all the same.

While we were walking, we started to talk, and I asked, "So what's your plan, now that you're a Maiden? Are you going to stay in Atlas, or…?"

Violet shook her head, "No. I'll probably come here a lot, but… I d̶̢̽ȯ̸̟n̷͔̅'̵̘͗t̴̠̂ ̴̱̏can't see myself living here. This place isn't home, Vale is, and I really want to see our home on Patch again." She rubbed the back of her neck, "I think we all do."

She lowered her hand and smiled, "That being said, I am gonna be trying to do my best to help the people here. The Happy Huntresses might be an official organization now, but they could still use a hand every so often, and I've got some pull with Ironwood, since I've got this power now. It's… a lot, but I'm not going to let this power go to waste. I'm going to use it for good."

I nodded along to her explanation, and couldn't help but admire her resolve, "I'm glad to hear that. You're definitely fit for the job, if you ask me. Hell, when I first got into… my position, I kind of freaked out. I only kept it together because of… well, him, Shi, and you guys."

Vi's smile softened, "I mean… I'll admit, I was kinda freaked out when the dust settled, but… I didn't have much time to think about all the scary stuff in the heat of battle. I had a Beringel to send into orbit." She chuckled, "But, I mean… I told myself, if you could handle something like what happened to you, well… I can handle this. It's the least I can do."

We spotted a park and decided to head to it, while we were walking, I said, "Well… I'm happy you could use me as inspiration. I'll try and write down some stuff on the 'subject' when I have the free time, so you can use it to learn. Maybe other Maidens will find it helpful in the future, too."

Violet smiled, "That'd be very nice." She spotted something, "Hey, look at that!" She pointed at something in the middle of the park, and I saw that it was a statue of a man with short hair, angular features, a shirt under a jacket, dress pants, and finally dress shoes. I recognized him immediately, although I dearly wished that I hadn't. She got closer and read the inscription on the statue's base, "Ozel… Hey, is he-"

I nodded, "Yes. He was… a bit different than the other ones. Less about the Emerald Curtain and more about fire and sword. He… did a lot to stop Salem in his time, but his methods were… questionable, for a variety of reasons. He got the statue here for his part in saving a large number of civilians, one of his best acts, in my mind." I shook my head, "L-Let's move on from that, though." I started to walk away, causing Violet to come with me.

We started walking and talking about nothing of import, and as we went, my mind drifted. I wondered about a lot of what-ifs. What if I had loved Violet back, what if Cinder had never entered the picture, or what if she was just a friend? I love Cinder, the thoughts were purely hypotheticals, but…

I contemplated what our first date might have been like. Would we have played games together, or would I have taught her more about cooking, since she used to be so hopeless at it? How would certain events have played out differently if she had been there instead? I couldn't, and can't, answer that question, and it was ultimately one that I didn't want answered, but my mind still wandered.

Violet's mind seemed to be wandering too, although to what I wasn't sure. I knew it involved me. The way she kept glancing at me, the way she sometimes paused for a long period of time before saying something, it was very evident. Yet I didn't feel right asking about it, because she wasn't asking about my clear distraction.

I also wondered what things would be like if she hadn't fallen in love with me. Would our friendship be stronger? Weaker? The same? I didn't know, but I knew that she'd be so, so much happier. I felt as if I was a curse on her, and maybe I was doing the right thing by planning what I was planning. Maybe it would help her as much, if not more, than it would help Remnant.

I grasp at straws that I can't see, because they're all I have to try and make myself feel better. I have to remind myself that I did the right thing, no matter how much it hurts me.

Eventually we came to a stop at a lake, it was an artificial one, obviously, but it was one of the few respites of nature in this most artificial city. It was in a different park, filled with trees, grass, places to rest, and flowers. Loads of beautiful flowers of different colors and breeds.

And yet, in spite of all those flowers, Violet was drawn to one in particular. She found a small group of her namesake, striking purple flowers. I followed her to them, and she sat down in front of them, staring at them for a few moments before asking, "Do you think the flowers like being here?"

I took a deep breath before sitting next to her, "It's all they know, and they get everything they need. I'm sure they're happy."

Violet laughed softly, and in a voice tinged with clear melancholy, said, "Flowers are so weird… Some of them will live no matter what you do, and others will die if they're looked at the wrong way. You can give them everything they want, and some will still die, while others will survive, but worse for the experience."

I listened to her, watched her, as she reached a hand out and gently caressed one of the flowers, using her magic to make it grow a bit larger, "With the right care, they can become more than they ever thought possible, but… I still wonder, if a flower could ask for something, what would it ask for?" She chuckled, "Maybe for more water and sunlight. I wish… I was a flower."

She reached out and plucked one out of the ground, looking it over, "Flowers don't have to worry about complex stuff, they just are. Maidens? Grimm? Huntsmen? People? They don't care. They just are, and… I wish I could be that way. Just be happy with what I have."

I stared at the flower in her hands before looking forward, "I'm… sorry. I've hurt you a lot, and I know that we can't help things like this, but… I'm still sorry. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and out of everyone, I was the one who came into your life. If… it had been someone else… you might have been happier."

Violet closed her eyes before lowering the flower. Her voice was shaky, "Maybe. Maybe I would have, but… probably not. You think you're a bad person, Neve, but you're not. I wouldn't change a damn thing that's happened for anything. If I was given a wand that I could wave and make you love me… I wouldn't, because that wouldn't be you anymore. What's artificial love? It's no better than keeping a flower under UV light. They'll survive, but… it's not the sun. It's not rain, and wind, it's not… living."

She opened her eyes and looked at me, clear sadness within her artificial eyes, so perfectly real I would have believed them so had I not known otherwise, "I still love you, Neve Cadere, but… I'm not upset. Not anymore. I'm only sorry for making things so awkward between us… It's hard to appreciate the time we spend together when this… cloud hangs over it… but… there's something else."

She moved, turning to face me as she sat on her knees, "You're not telling us something, and it's big. The others haven't noticed, but I have…" She placed a hand on my shoulder, her voice was shaky as she asked, "Neve… tell me the truth… what are you planning?"

I wasn't even surprised.

Cinder had likely noticed too, but I knew she wasn't going to say anything, not yet at least. She would assume everything else before my real plan, and each assumption would break like glass.

I closed my eyes and looked down, before I took a deep breath and explained, "I… have something that I have to do next month. I don't know exactly what's going to happen to me, but… if this goes right, I'll stop Salem. The problem is… I might not come back."

Violet sniffled before she put her arms around me and hugged me, "Neve…" She whispered, "This kind of thing is why I fell in love with you. You say you're awful, but you're really selfless… I want you to lie to me. Tell me… tell me you're going to come back safe and sound. Tell me that you're going to live a long and happy life with Cinder, you're going to see Shi go to school, and… you're not going to leave me alone."

…I wanted to. God, I wanted to, and I wish I had, even if it would have been the wrong thing to do.

Instead, I kept my eyes closed as I whispered, "I can't."

She sobbed and held me tighter, muttering, "Damn you, Neve… Damn you…" I moved within her grasp and hugged her back, "You can't just leave… Shi needs you… Cinder needs you…"

There were words unspoken, ringing in my ears. I pretended not to hear them, as if they were white noise.

I wish I couldn't hear them at all. I hope I won't, some day, because they will no longer be true.

I softly muttered, "Violet… I need you… to do something for me. For your sake, and theirs… be there for Cinder and Shi, be there for everyone. I don't have the right to ask you that… but… if I really don't come back, then… I want to know that everyone will be okay."

Violet hummed shakily, "I will. I'll be there for them… I'll protect this… this big stupid family of ours. Even if they don't need it. They deserve to be safe, and happy, and healthy…"

I hugged her tighter, "Thank you…"

She whispered, "I hope that someday… I won't love you anymore. It already hurts so much…"

I closed my eyes and rested my head on her shoulder as I whispered softly.

"̴I̴ ̶h̸o̷p̷e̶ ̶s̷o̷ ̷t̶o̴o̵.̸"̷

I'm sorry, I smudged the text.

Tale of Calefaction

Violet and I returned home after that, and what came next was, I knew, one of the most difficult ones.

It was a couple weeks before I could bring myself to set this up. It was just two days before Shi's birthday, and a lot of work had been going into making sure it was memorable. Of course, Shi insisted she didn't need much, and maybe she doesn't, but I didn't want to give her anything less than what I felt she deserved.

I tried to turn my attention away from that for just a day, however, because there was something else I had to do with the other most important lady in my life.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me to suggest that we spend a day together, of course. We were married, and still in the honeymoon phase besides. Maybe that's a cynical way to see it, but I can't help that side of me sometimes. I love her regardless of that, just as I loved her in spite of logic telling me that I should really have done otherwise, several times in the past.

The heart wants what the heart wants.

The first thing we did was eat some breakfast together. We didn't have to cook, the Schnee family had chefs, but I still made us breakfast anyway. There's a certain quality that's easily missed in professionally made food. Not always, but frequently they don't capture the essence of home, through no fault of their own. They're in the business of making food, an inevitable difference to someone who made it just for their family, not that that was always a bad thing.

Once breakfast was down, we opted to watch some movies together, as we had done a few times before. There were various memories that could have stuck in my head, as we sat together in one of the Schnee entertainment rooms and watched a movie while we cuddled up together. Yet I was most vividly reminded of our first 'date'. Back when she and I were both less mature and a lot angstier.

It seemed it was on her mind as well, as after the first movie ended, she muttered from her place leaning on my side, "Remember when we did this back in Vale? It felt like everything was the end of the world." She chuckled, "We were a couple of fools, you most of all, but… you didn't give up."

I snickered, "You know me. I was a real sad sap at the start of all of this, so dramatic, but I meant everything I said and felt. I still do." I kissed her cheek, "You know I love you, right?"

Cinder closed her eyes and smiled, "I love you too, Coffee Boy."

We shared a small laugh at the old nickname before turning our attention back to the movie.

When we finished watching movies, it was already five in the afternoon, so we decided to head out into the city. We walked together for a while, before finding a place to eat, a hole in the wall restaurant, the kind of thing that was incredibly rare in Atlas, but hung around purely out of its quality and the dedication of the owners. We were seated fairly quickly, and given our menus.

While we were looking over our choices, Cinder laughed softly. I looked and saw she was looking at me with a small smile on her face, "Remember when we first met? I didn't think much of you at first, but… even when it was just stupid gestures like a free frappe every so often, you were trying your hardest to be nice to me. Then there was that day when you said you had to get to Beacon… You were lying when you said you'd always wanted to be a Huntsman, weren't you?"

I chuckled, "Yeah. Back then I'd have been happy with just making frappes for the rest of my life. Call me melodramatic. However, I wasn't lying when I said that I wanted to be a Huntsman for places like the Changing Seasons, to protect them, and the routine they provide."

She repeated my words to me, the ones I spoke to her that day, "'I'm no hero, that's not my business. I just want to protect what's dear to me.'" She smiled softly, a smile not dissimilar to the one she gave me when I first said those words, "I was worried, you know. I rarely ever worried about other people, but you were different. I wanted to give you a chance to survive, and you went and surpassed everything I'd expected. Even beat me at my own game… I'd say you became a hero while at Beacon, even if you didn't think so."

Her gaze wandered as she seemed to be picturing something in her head, "The burning tower where we fought, you to defend everything you loved, me to do Salem's bidding in my quest for power. I lost in part due to that, I think. You were fighting for far more than I was, that day."

I placed my hand over hers, "I was fighting for you, too, you know." She nodded slightly while looking into my eyes, so I continued, "I wanted nothing more than to change your mind. I didn't want to hurt you, but you were so damn stubborn. We ended up almost burning the whole tower down that night, but I wanted with all my soul to show you that I loved you, and show you that I wanted to be there for you… I think that's why I unlocked my semblance."

She giggled, "You know it is, you theatrical sap. Everything that's happened since then has done little to dim that, and that's something I'm happy about. That you're still you, in spite of it all, you're still the man I love."

I'm sorry, Cinder.

"And you're still the woman I love." I responded easily, and after that the waitress came and took our orders.

While we were eating, Cinder asked, "What're your plans next, Neve?" She smiled, "I know that you've got something in that head of yours. There's no way you don't." I both hated and loved how much she knew me, she wasn't dissimilar to Violet, but she was far more difficult to read herself.

I had a harder time figuring out if she was trying to call me out and tease an answer out of me, or if she was just genuinely asking what my hopes were for the future. The truth was, I concluded, somewhere in the middle. I smiled softly, "I hope to become a Beacon professor, and Headmaster eventually, so I can continue where Oz left off. I hope to see Shi come to my school, and I hope to see the next generation grow and mature before my eyes. I hope to be able to come home to a loving family, both blood-related and not, and I hope to see you every day."

Cinder's eyes glistened lightly with tears as she asked, "And what's your real plan, Neve?" I could tell she was holding back more emotion, she was normally fairly good at keeping herself composed, and she'd gotten better at it over the years. Not quite the same Cinder that ran away from me at Forever Fall.

I closed my eyes and looked down, "We'll talk about it after we get back. I don't think this is the kind of place we should be discussing those things." I opened them and looked up, smiling softly, "Let's eat, and then we can discuss it after we get back to the manor."

She looked skeptical, but relented all the same, and I was grateful for that.

We enjoyed the rest of our meal. When it was done, we got up and left after splitting the bill. We walked together, back towards the manor, but Cinder had a different idea. We took a detour, out of sight, before we took to the air, and she led us to the top of a tall building. Not the tallest, but tall enough that we could look out and see the sprawl of Atlas clearly below us, the city was transitioning to night, and the lights were coming on.

We stood at the very top. There was some railing, it was clearly a building you were meant to be able to enjoy the view from. A good choice, I felt.

As we stood together, looking out at the city, Cinder looked at me and asked softly, "Now, Neve… what's going on? You know I give you your space for your plans, because I trust you, but if it's something big… I need to know."

She'd make this difficult. I knew she would. Why wouldn't she? The woman I loved did things like this all the time. She could tell.

I smiled gently as I stared out at the city, "There's something I have to do. If it works, then Salem won't be a problem anymore, but… I might not come back. I don't know. It's… the Relic of Progress. It's giving me a way to finish this once and for all forever." I grasped the amulet in my hand.

Cinder took a sharp inhale before exhaling, and I could hear the strain in her voice, "So… that's that? You're going to just… leave me? Save the world and leave me? I-"

"Cinder." I cut her off as I looked at her, "I'm not leaving you. I would never leave you… but I'm also not going to stay my hand when there's something that can end this threat once and for all. With Salem gone, the Grimm will be much more disorganized, and the world will be safer. So much safer."

Her voice grew shaky, "And what about you? About me? About us? Neve… so what if the world would be safe? So what if the world wouldn't be destroyed? If you're not there to live in it with me, then what's the point? I don't…" She took a deep breath, "I don't see a point."

I turned fully towards her, and she turned towards me. I took her hands in mine, "Cinder, you know it's not just about us, and of course there's a point. You see the points every day. Shi, and our friends. I have to give them a safe future, especially Shi."

She closed her eyes and then pulled me forward, into a hug, "I know, damn it, I know." She held me tightly, "You're too much of a nuisance to let an opportunity like this go to waste. I know nothing I say will stop you, and I don't know what you're planning to do, but… how am I going to survive?"

"Just as you have been. With the rest of the Saviors, you'll have a family there. They'll help you. I promise." I pulled back slightly and looked her in the eyes, "Cinder… you're the most beautiful and wonderful woman I've ever met. Every day I've counted myself luckier and luckier to have known you, let alone married you. Through all of our difficulties, we've stayed strong, and I would never trade you, or the experiences we've shared, for anything else in the world."

Cinder's face heated up to a dark red and she looked away bashfully. She muttered, "Y-You too.." before looking back at me, "I wouldn't trade anything for the time we've spent together either, and… I can't promise I'll be fine. I can't promise everything will work out, but… I promise I'll try."

I smiled, "That's all I ask, my love." I desperately wanted to cry, but I held on, because I didn't want to make Cinder cry, and I was stronger than that. I was. I was.

"Well…" She began softly, "If you're going to do something crazy, soon… then… how about you know me again tonight?" Her blush remained, she had never quite gotten used to this sort of intimate stuff, "̷.̵.̷.̷W̸e̵ ̷n̸e̶e̸d̴ ̵t̴o̷ ̵m̷a̴k̵e̶ ̵i̸t̸ ̴a̴ ̵n̴i̶g̵h̶t̷ ̸t̷h̶a̶t̷ ̷w̵e̴ ̴w̴o̵n̵'̷t̷ ̷f̸o̸r̸g̴e̴t̷.̷ ̸J̷u̶s̸t̴ ̸l̵i̸k̸e̸ ̵t̷h̸e̷ ̴f̶i̷r̵s̷t̴ ̷t̸i̵m̴e̵.̴"̵

̵"̸I̵ ̴c̸o̸u̶l̶d̴n̵'̶t̷ ̴a̴g̸r̸e̶e̴ ̴m̴o̴r̵e̷.̴"̴

…God damn it.

T̶͉͑̃a̶̰̯̓̀l̷̪͙͊̀e̶͙͍͐̅ ̸̳̙̑õ̶̞͋f̶̰̰̎ ̷̖̓̿Ş̸̇h̸͔͆̾ỏ̷̹̑ǩ̴̻̣o̴̯͝ ̵̬̳̈́T̷͒̈ͅȍ̴̡͖͗d̵̨̊o̴͇͗̈́r̶̤̃̔o̸̹̟͛̈́k̴͈̽i̶̠͎͑̒ ̵̞̹̓2̸̛̪͛ ̷̩̞͠C̸͍̋̅o̴͓̐l̴̯͂̈́d̴̛̲̰̀ ̵͇̄Ä̸̧̻͋ņ̷̖́ť̷̳̟ĭ̴̥̬ṕ̷̢̫̈́o̶͚͆d̵̰͆ę̸͈̂͛s̴̮̃ ̶̹̥́̉P̵͍̼̒̽õ̵̜l̷̨͌̀a̵͇̽̈r̶͖̿͝ ̸͇̍Ḯ̶͈͝m̷̩̀b̴̬͉̑ą̴͔̉l̷̳̾a̷̠̣͑̋n̵̮̬͑̈́c̸̖̋e̷̘͇̒

Tale of My Daughter

It was her birthday.

She was turning twelve, and we threw a party for her. We didn't go all out with the presents or things like that, but I made her her favorite chocolate waffles, the chefs made her one of the best looking cakes I had ever seen, and she looked so happy, if a bit awkward, to be spen̴̳͈̂̓d̷̘̲͊̃i̷͚̽̆n̴̦͕͆̌g̴͇̈̅ ̵͙̓͛t̵̖̏̈ĩ̵̘̦ḿ̷̩e̸͉͎͋̇ ̴̡̅ẁ̸̙̟̋i̷̡̓t̴̨̤̽h̵̦̠̓ ̶̨͉̋ä̸̱́̌l̴͓͗l̴̺̗͑͗ ̸͖͝o̷̙͂̓͜ḟ̴̧̈́ ̵̯̀͋ȕ̸͉͜s̵̢͊͝.̴̛̯̬̒.

God damn it. This is difficult. I'm sorry.

After the party was over, she wanted to spend time with just me, and I told her we could spend the rest of the day together and do whatever she wanted to do. Anything she wanted. The first thing we did was play some video games together, because while Shi was not super familiar with them, she still enjoyed a lot of the more action-based ones, shooters too.

I never cared to restrict the types of games she played, because she killed Grimm, and she had seen real death. Fictional death didn't bother her, and I could never see it doing so.

I was wearing my loose turtleneck, black slacks, and matching boots. Shi was wearing a burnt orange sweater, a pair of black winter pants, and her own black boots. We were playing 'Left Alive 2', a zombie shooter reminiscent of 'Left 4 Dead'. After a little while, she asked, "Dad, why do people come up with stuff like this? It's fun, but… we have a lot of Grimm and other bad things in life, you'd think they would want to play stuff that's calmer."

I hummed, "I think it's because they like to feel that they have some measure of control. If they're the ones killing the monsters, then everything is fine, and they can feel good about it." I shrugged awkwardly, "It could also be that they just like playing games like that. Some people just like the thrill."

She giggled, "Dad, even when you're trying to be philosophical you're so lame." She smiled, "But that does make sense. Even if I don't really get it… I guess everyone needs a way to feel like everything is fine, and they've got it all under control…"

I always felt she was smart for her age. Maybe not all the time, and maybe she was a little stubborn, but she had a way with people that couldn't be denied, even if she was socially awkward and didn't see it herself. She always had this driven idealism that could crack the coldest heart, and I knew that it had. She was so strong, and so ready to try anything for the people she loved, that I knew what she was.

She's the real hero of this story.

"Yeah, I'm lame." I chuckled, "An important lesson, Shi, you should always be yourself. Even if 'yourself' is a dorky loser like me." Nobody else made me feel quite so in touch with myself, with Neve Cadere, than her. Cinder came close, but Shi reminded me of the life before, and of why this one was worth still fighting for.

She reminded Osiris why we carried on.

W̷̹͋h̵͙͋ỵ̴̃ ̷̞͆i̸̳͋ş̴̓ ̷͇́ţ̷̓h̴̛̹i̵̢̒s̶͙͛ ̴̜̋s̶̥̀o̷̱̎ ̷̟̑h̷̡̓ä̷̬́r̸̭͒d̴̗͠?̸̣̀

After some more time playing, she lowered the controller, "Dad… can we do some training together? We haven't gotten to do it a lot recently."

"On your birthday?" I raised an eyebrow, and she nodded, "Okay. Not for long, though. We should try to focus on having fun today, and we can train any day, but your birthday only comes once a year."

"I know." She smiled warmly, "But everything I do with you is fun, so even if I'm training, it's going to be fun. That makes it fine, right? I couldn't do it and not smile ̵̠͛͝i̷̫̿f̴̜̬̃̇ ̵̣̂y̸͕̕ͅo̸̹͖͒͠u̸̞̓̒'̷̥̔͆r̸͖̱͗e̴͍͙͗ ̴̟̣̾t̵͕̝̏ḫ̶̐e̴̥͌̿r̵͙̪͛̕e̵̲̮͂.̷͎͌̂"̴̟͑

I can't do this.

But I have to.

I managed Cinder's.

"...Okay." I smiled softly, and the visage cracked slightly, my smile was sad. I knew it was, I could feel it.

She could see it, too. She asked, so concerned, with worry in her eyes that no light escaped, "What's wrong, Dad?"

I shook my head and managed to smile a bit happier, because I didn't want to make her sad or worried, "N̴̢̠̋o̵͚͉͊t̵̢̊͗h̷̲̀i̶̮͌̎n̵̤̉g̵̱͎̐.̵̺̽ Just thinking about how much you've already grown up. You're so mature."

She smiled warmly, "Well… I had a good teacher."

I stood up and grinned, "Then come on. Let's go to one of the training rooms, we'll spar a little bit."

We walked out of the room and went to grab our weapons. We didn't bother changing into our Huntsmen gear, because we wouldn't be very long. After we had our equipment, we headed into one of the training rooms. It was a large hall, like the one Weiss took her 'royal test' in, and we stood on opposite sides of the Schnee emblem in the middle of the room.

After I drew The Long Memory and Dawn, and she drew Theta, I said, "Let's begin."

She immediately ran at me, Theta in scythe form, and swung it at me. I stopped the scythe by placing my cane against the crook where the blade met the pole, and time slowed down, before a symbol that was half a snowflake and half a flame appeared. Text overlaid it.

Shi Cadere

Member of the Saviors of Remnant

Hero of Tomorrow

Time sped back up and the icon and text vanished before I pushed it back and clicked my tongue, "Shi, I told you scythes aren't good against most human opponents. You'll need to be much faster and stronger if you want to make them work in your favor. Even Qrow uses his sword against humans, so you should use your gunblade."

Shi huffed before transforming Theta into its gunblade form. After that, she swung at me again, I was able to block with Dawn, but she detonated a cartridge right as I did, causing me to stagger backward and exclaim, "Good! Your timing is getting better on that, but remember to-"

She moved before I could finish, side-stepping me and striking at my side while I was distracted. She caught me and detonated another cartridge, causing me to stagger away. I looked at her with surprise, and she smiled, "Don't get distracted, Dad. We're sparring, remember?"

I chuckled, "Of course. Let's keep going. Now it's my turn." I burst forward and whacked her in the side with my cane before swinging downward with Dawn. She was able to block that, but not my cane as I jabbed her stomach several times before one final strike sent her skidding backwards. The pained expression on her face hurt me to see, but I knew it was for the best. I smirked, "You have to work on your defenses, Shi. You might be good at offense, but if you don't close that gap, you're going to lose."

She huffed and called on her semblance, one side with icy mist coming off of it, and the other smoldering with embers. She sent out a wave of ice, something I was able to dodge by jumping to the side. I called out, "Not bad! Your control is getting better, but you need to learn to direct your ice in more than one direction, and you need to learn to go faster."

She nodded resolutely, and continued her attack. We sparred a bit longer, she would send an attack, or try to defend, and I would instruct her on what she should be doing differently. I didn't know that much about using a scythe, so I knew I'd leave that in Ruby and Qrow's hands, but I directed her well enough with her sword, semblance, and a bit with her rifle.

The recoil was a lot easier on her now. She was getting stronger. She is getting stronger.

When we were done, she put Theta back in her room while I put Dawn back in mine. I kept my cane as we left. Shi said she wanted to go to the park next, and I wasn't going to say no to that. A nice day in the park, like a normal father and daughter might have, that was what she deserved.

The weather was perfect that day, just as it had been previously. I would have thanked the Gods if I felt they had anything to do with it, because it meant that we could enjoy the peaceful day perfectly.

The park had several cobblestone paths, and it reminded me of the one that I had gone to after losing my wallet, way back when. When Roman Torchwick gave me some friendly advice. When I felt like my problems were the biggest on the planet.

We walked for a while before stopping and looking at a playground. It wasn't super populated, but children and their parents were enjoying the weather together, just the same as us. I thought we'd just move on without saying anything, but Shi had another idea. She sounded hesitant as she asked, "Dad?" I looked at her, and she smiled an embarrassed smile, "Can you push me on the swing? I haven't done anything like that in years."

Of course we could. Of course we would. I'd do it again. I wish I could do it again.

I want to go back.

"Of course." I smiled encouragingly, "Let's go." We walked together over to the swings, where she sat, and I took a position behind her so I could push, after putting away my cane.

I started gently first, just small pushes, but eventually she said, "Dad, I'm not a little kid." and I took that as my encouragement to push her until she was getting some good airtime, but she still didn't seem satisfied.

So, finally, I pushed with all of my strength, slightly magically enhanced, and then jumped out of the way as the swing did a full rotation and she shouted in glee. When it went for a second spin, she jumped off and spun in the air before landing on her feet with a grin, "That was fun!"

I̷t̴ ̴w̵a̷s̷.̷ ̵I̷ ̶w̵i̴s̴h̵ ̵w̵e̸ ̴c̸o̶u̷l̸d̴ ̸d̶o̵ ̴i̵t̸ ̸a̵g̸a̷i̸n̴.̷

I smiled, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Wanna go again?"

Shi shook her head, "Nah, let's keep walking for a bit."

We walked together in silence. We didn't need to say anything, because I knew she was happy just to have me there, and I was glad to be there, to fill that role. Not just because she deserved it, but because I truly felt she was family to me now, even if I didn't deserve it, or her.

I didn't want that day to end. I wish it hadn't.

She eventually decided that we should take a break and sit together on a park bench, so we did. As we sat there, watching people pass, I eventually summoned the strength I needed to speak, albeit I was strained, trying to keep my voice under control, "Shi. I wanted to apologize for not always being the best role model. You know I lie, you know I make mistakes, and you know all my weaknesses… If I could patch them up, maybe I'd have been better."

I̴'̷m̵ ̵s̴o̵r̵r̸y̴.̷

Shi just smiled gently at me, and I remember how she looked at me, so proudly, but not of herself, "Dad… I call you lame sometimes, but…" She reached out for a hug, and I hugged her back. She hugged me tightly, and I can remember its warmth so vividly, "I'm happy. I'm really happy. I wouldn't replace you for anything… Even if I went back in time, and even if I somehow saved Mama and Papa… I would never want to get rid of you. I'd just h̶a̴d̶ ̷have a dad and a papa. You've always acted like what happened was your fault, but… I always felt like I should have done more…"

I shook my head and held her tighter, "Shi, Shi. You were only ten, and you had no way of knowing what would happen. Even experienced Huntsmen would have struggled there, at Amity. They did. It's not your fault."

"Then it's not yours either." She insisted, eye as she rested her head on my arm, "Nobody did it but the Grimm. It's Salem's fault. She's the one who killed my parents." She pulled away just a little bit to look me in the eyes, "And you know what, Dad? If I could go back and save them, if I could do it over again… I'd never want to live in a world where I didn't meet you. You're Dad, and you're awesome. I love you, you know, even if it's embarrassing to say. No matter what happens, I'll always be Shi Cadere. I'll always be your daughter, and… I'll always wear that title with pride."

I miss you.

I smiled, and it took everything I had left to not let the facade of happiness crack, "I love you too, Shi. I'm proud of you. I know you're going to do great things in your life, and I'll always be happy to say that you're my daughter. I'll make sure to embarass you by saying 'look, that famous Huntress, she's my daughter. Shi Cadere.'"

She laughed, "Daad, don't do that. It's embarrassing!" She looked at the sky. The sun was setting.

I wanted it to go back up. I asked it to please go back up, but it didn't listen to me.

She huffed, "I wish the day would last longer. I want to spend more time with you, and you're always so busy… Can we do this again sometime?"

Please don't ask me that. Please.

"Of course."

Stop lying.

She grinned, "Great! Then let's go back! We can watch a movie! I want to watch that new one that came out about the fencing cat."

I nodded, and as she stood up, I stood as well. She took my hand in hers, and I smiled down at her, "Anything you want, Shi."

We walked together, slowly. I walked with my daughter, and I wondered what I had done to deserve her. I didn't. There were others who deserved someone so brave and true, so heroic, so strong, they should be the ones to call her their daughter. But they didn't, they couldn't.

She's Shi Cadere.

M̷̬̿y̷͖̅ ̷̬̏d̵̛ͅa̶̹̎u̷͓͋g̷̬͊h̷͜͝t̷̺͝ȅ̶̝r̴̞͊.̵̯̉

…Damn it. I can't catch all of them with my sleeve.

Tale of the Final Farewell

It was finally time.

Before first light, at 2 AM. I slipped out while Cinder was asleep, using a spell to keep myself quiet, and then I took my outfit and gear before heading to another room to change out of my nightclothes and into my gear;

I put on the shirt, the turtleneck, the jeans, and the boots just fine; I put on my scarf, but as I started for the door, I hesitated. I looked at it, the scarf that'd become such a clear part of my apparel, and contemplated leaving it behind.

Before I could make a decision one way or another, from behind me I heard, "So… this is it?"

I looked and saw Alex. They had a sad smile on their face, "You're going to Evernight. To put an end to the troubles of this world…"

I nodded and turned entirely to face them, "Last Resort is supposed to be able to erase Salem, it's all I can do. Even if I might die, or worse. I don't know what its effect is, but… The way it was worded, and the feeling I have in my gut tells me that it's not something I'm going to come back from."

Before I said anything else, I closed my eyes and looked down for a moment and shook my head. Then I looked up and opened my eyes again, "How are you?"

Alex snorted, "Tsch. Of course you'd ask me that." They shook their head, "I'm fine… still dealing with the stuff I told you about before, but… I'm fine." They crossed their arms, "How are you feeling? You're the one about to put your life on the line."

I chuckled, "Fair enough. I'm…" I took a deep breath before stepping forward and pulling them into a hug, one they returned. I finally allowed tears to fall, "I'm afraid, Alex. I'm afraid I'll never see them again. My friends, my family… Lunus, Jeanne, Violet, Cinder, Shi, everyone… Their friendship, their love, their… everything. I'm going to miss them."

I miss them so much.

Alex took a deep breath and sighed as they appeared to be collecting themself, "It's okay… Okay, it's not, but… Ugh. Okay… I'll find a way to help you. I don't know what I'll do, but… I'll do something, but… it won't happen for a while… not until after you finish the job. I promise."

I had no clue what she meant, and I still don't. I just smiled and tried to gather myself, "Thank you, Alex…" I thought of what I could do to help him out in turn, "Do you… want me to call on Ozymandias for you? So you can talk to him one more time…"

Alex, to my surprise, shook their head, "No. I want to tell you farewell. Not Ozy. I'm still holding out hope that I'll see the real him again, someday, not just one that was melded with Ozma." She smiled up at me, "So don't worry about that. I'll… I'll see you soon, okay? Good luck."

I nodded in understanding, and took a deep breath, before I broke my cardinal rule. I whispered softly, "Goodbye, Fairy Blue."

Tears stung my eyes and theirs, I could see. They chuckled shakily, "I thought I told you not to call on him."

I shook my head, "I didn't. That was all me."

They sighed and closed their eyes, "Goodbye, Neve Osiris Cadere… you sap."

They vanished, and I was alone, but I had one more place I needed to go.

Slowly, deliberately, I opened the door and walked the halls of Schnee manor. The silence meant all I heard was my own footfalls against the tile flooring. Everyone was sleeping, save for the night staff, but I didn't see any on my way to my destination.

I reached her room and opened it slowly, and was relieved to see Shi fast asleep. I walked over to her nightstand carefully, and stared at her for a moment. Then I reached up and took hold of my scarf before infusing it with extra magic, to make sure it would keep her warm on cold days, and cool on hot days. Should she decide to wear it.

I gently pulled it off by one end, and I felt the fabric against my neck as it went. It left me and I looked at it in my hands before I folded it carefully. I left it on her nightstand, and kissed her on the forehead.

Then I walked out of the room and shut the door, this time I left the manor entirely.

Once I was outside, I stared at the shattered moon and took a deep breath before closing my eyes and channeling a spell.

I blinked out of view, my destination clear in my mind.

Author's Note

The next chapter is shorter than most. To that end, I will release it tomorrow.