The door to the crypt opened slowly, light pouring inside the sacred resting place for a brief moment, before it was closed again. A pair of amber eyes shone in the darkness, approaching one of the many coffins on top of a small platform.

Careful to not drop it, Blake raised the glass top of the coffin and deposited it on the ground. Then, she jumped and sat on the platform, crossing her legs. A small plate filled with mashed potatoes and a glass of water were on her hands.

"Hey, Ruby," she whispered softly. "It's nice to see you. Sorry for not coming yesterday. Things have been a little… hectic lately."

She put the glass of water down and gently opened the sleeping redhead's mouth. Using a spoon, she scooped a bit of mashed potatoes and fed her. Blake had to move Ruby's jaw, but after a while, she swallowed.

Blake knew the queen hadn't understood her request at first. Weiss had ordered her sister and Ruby be fed regularly, but Blake had wanted to care for her friend with her own hands. Ruby had been kind beyond belief, taking her in when she had no home and risking her own life by bringing her to the castle… Blake couldn't let a stranger see to her out of obligation to the throne.

"Being the royal bodyguard is harder than I expected," she said. "I thought it was just about protecting the queen from assassins and the like, but… It's not just that. It's… hard, to adhere to her vision, to care for her when she…"

Blake shook her head and continued to feed Ruby in small amounts, sometimes giving her a sip of water between bites. She was happy to see Ruby didn't look sick. Her diligence was paying off greatly.

"Yesterday, there was an accident. Velvet brought tea and I caused her to drop it. Weiss slapped her, even though it was my fault… Just because she's a faunus," Blake told. "And at night…"

She didn't want to talk about Summer. If by any chance Ruby was actually listening, she would be distraught at her mother's behavior.

"Velvet slipped inside the queen's chambers and tried to murder her," Blake continued. "I stopped her. Weiss sent her to the dungeons, and she is to be executed today. Ruby, she's wrong. I know Velvet wasn't going to do it. I just know. But Weiss will never see that."

The food was gone, and the water was reaching its end.

"I wonder what you would do, Ruby," Blake muttered. "You wanted to be a hero. But I doubt you ever considered that might lead to betraying your liege," she smiled shakily. "You cared about her to the very end."

Blake bent down and kissed the sleeping girl in the forehead.

"Bye, Ruby. I'll see you tomorrow."

The castle courtyard was filled with the sound of clashing steel and triggered firearms. Weiss observed the training soldiers from a safe distance, standing beneath the shade of a lonely tree. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were focused intently on what was in front of her, but she had little to say about it.

"This is good work, General," she said slowly, turning to look at Summer briefly. "They seem to be training well."

"Most of them have been in the Guard for years, so it's no surprise," the general nodded. "The new recruits should have some difficulty adjusting to their roles, seeing as they never had any combat experience before."

"Yes," Weiss frowned. "I still can't believe you managed to convince so many to join in one visit to the town."

"Why, they didn't have to be convinced, my queen," Summer smirked. "They were more than eager to fight for you and their kingdom."

Ozpin had never accomplished something like this. Weiss guessed the Guard's numbers had almost doubled, if not more. Perhaps it was because the people knew the new High General wasn't just some noblewoman gifted by her birth…

But, then again, Ozpin hadn't been that either. He had probably never even tried, busy as he was plotting his schemes behind their backs.

Another person joined them under the tree's shade. Weiss turned her eyes and saw Pyrrha Nikos staring at the crowded courtyard with poorly-concealed surprise, and, if the queen was right… dismay?

"Lady Nikos," Weiss greeted cordially. "I haven't seen much of you recently. Have you been busy elsewhere in the city?"

"Your Highness," Pyrrha bowed for a second, her eyes darting to Summer, then back to the queen. "I've busied myself with keeping watch of the castle's defenses. Your Guard is already on it, I know, but I can't help myself. I'm a warrior at heart."

"Yes, you've proved yourself a valuable ally," Weiss agreed. "You were the one who took down the Golliath during the breach, after all."

"I helped a little." Summer piped up anxiously.

Weiss smiled slightly. Was that the general's attempt at boasting?

Pyrrha didn't look at Summer. Instead, her eyes wandered over their surroundings, examining every shadow and possible hiding place.

"Pardon me, Your Highness," she said hesitantly. "But shouldn't Lady Belladonna be with you? She is your bodyguard, isn't she?"

"I understand your concern, Lady Nikos," Weiss replied somberly. "She is busy right now. I gave her permission to look after Ruby's health."

"Oh," Pyrrha frowned. "I… I didn't realize… I'm sorry."

"It's alright. She should join us any time now. There is only so much a sleeping girl can eat…"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, my queen," Summer noted. "Ruby had quite the appetite. Even as a baby, it was hard to satisfy her hunger. We used to say she had a hole where her stomach was supposed to be."

Weiss smiled humorlessly. That did sound like the Ruby she remembered. She hoped Blake had prepared well for her new responsibility.

Pyrrha stayed silent for a great while, her eyes fixed uneasily on Summer. Weiss watched wordlessly, not understanding what was going on inside the mistralian's head. She looked at Summer, expecting her to appear uncomfortable or even angry, but instead, her expression was unreadable.

"I am sorry for your loss, General Rose," Pyrrha finally said graciously. "And I apologize for not saying this sooner."

"Don't worry about it. The whole kingdom doesn't revolve around me," Summer replied. "Now that you are here, would you like to give a demonstration to our soldiers? I think we could learn a lot from a mistralian warrior like you."

"I…" Pyrrha closed her eyes for a moment, her lips tightening as if she were in pain.

"Lady Nikos?" Weiss called worriedly. "Are you sick?"

"No. Just a slight headache," the redhead forced a smile. "I would be happy to give a demonstration."

Pyrrha took her sword and shield from her back and walked out of the shade, drawing the attention of the training soldiers. She started to talk to them, but Weiss didn't pay too much attention to her specific words.

"Something about her felt… off, don't you think?" The queen muttered.

"Perhaps it's the weather. Mistral is much, much warmer than Vale, even at this time of year." Summer noted.

"You've been there before," Weiss assumed. "With so much worldly experience, perhaps you too should impart some wisdom onto our soldiers?"

"Oh, it's one thing to visit a kingdom, another to be born in it," Summer smiled. "I assure you, Pyrrha Nikos will contribute much better than I ever could. And, who knows… Maybe I have ulterior motives for suggesting her leave us alone."

Suddenly, Weiss had the urge to look at everything but the woman beside her.

"Blake should have been back by now." She said uncomfortably.

"Like I said," Summer shrugged. "My daughter is a voracious one."

Blake took a deep breath as she approached the castle's dungeon. She kept telling herself there was no reason to worry or to feel guilty, but every time she passed by somebody, she felt a pressure in her chest, as if they were inspecting her very soul.

"I am to talk to the faunus prisoner," she muttered to the soldiers standing guard in front of the dungeon's door. "Queen's orders."

Her reputation as the royal bodyguard had spread quickly through the castle during the past week. The guards just took one look at her before allowing her to pass. One of them offered a lantern, but she refused with a simple gesture before entering.

Her eyes adjusted fast to the darkness of the dungeon. She climbed down the steps in the entrance slowly, her shoulders straight with tension. Silence reigned in the accursed place, save for her light breathing and an occasional sob some distance away.

Blake walked to the source of that noise. Her vision blurred slightly as she saw Velvet lying on the stone floor, hugging her legs and crying silently. A steel cage trapped her at every side.

A faunus in a cage. It brought back memories.

"Velvet. It's me, Blake."

The captive girl's ears perked up straight, and she raised her head slightly to stare at her visitor. Blake sat down at the other side of the cage.

"Are you… are you here to t-take me away…?" Velvet asked. "I don't want to die."

"No," Blake said sorrowfully. "Someone will be here to take you soon. But I want to talk to you first," her eyes straightened so she could examine Velvet better. "Last night, you said someone told you to murder the queen. Who was it?"

"I can't," Velvet shook her head. "She said she would cut me open and burn my ears off my head if I told anyone."

"Velvet," the bodyguard held back a sigh. "I know you're scared. I truly understand that. But if you don't talk, this person might get away with threatening other people. She might target the queen again, and next time, I might not be nearby to save her."

Velvet stirred. Blake's shoulders dropped as she assumed her cause was lost. How could she convince someone to talk when they were intended to not live to see another day? Why should Velvet care about the queen's life, when she was the one who dictated her execution?

But before she could walk away, Velvet sat up. Her entire body was shaking, but she had a fierce look in her eyes, as if she was desperately holding on to a newfound piece of courage within her.

"She approached me when I was going to sleep with the others in our quarters. It was almost midnight," Velvet muttered. "I was just walking when she pulled me aside, and I was sure I was going to die. Nobody walks the slaves' hallways for good reasons. A-and she started to tell me I should stab the queen. She handed me a knife, but I didn't want it. I don't want to kill anyone, ever."

"I'm sorry," Blake leaned forward. "Who was she? Did you recognize her?"

"Yeah. It was Lady – Sorry. It was General Rose."

Blake's blood ran cold.

"She told me to stab the queen, and I just had to, even though I didn't want to," Velvet continued. "I wasn't going to kill her. I mean, they would save her. Right?"

"Velvet," Blake swallowed dryly. "Are you absolutely sure it was General Rose?"

The rabbit faunus nodded slowly.

Why? What reason had Summer to send an assassin at the queen? But it wasn't even that. Velvet had made it very clear all was meant to happen was an injury.

This wasn't the time to ponder about that. Blake had a more pressing matter at hand. Wordlessly, she stood and unsheathed one of her daggers. Velvet's eyes went wide and she backed towards the wall behind her, ears flattening against her head.

Then, Blake gritted her teeth and brought the dagger down against the cage's lock. Metal shattered at the impact, and the door jarred open slightly. Blake took a step back and nodded.

"Wait a minute before following me," she said. "I'm going to knock out the guards outside, then I'll get you out the castle through the rooftops."

"What?" Velvet was shivering wildly. "W-why would you do that? Is this a trick?!"

"I'm like you, Velvet," Blake's ears twitched beneath her bow. "And I can't stand by and let you die because of what you are… what we are."

The bodyguard turned and walked towards the entrance to the dungeon.

On the way there, she paused and looked at another cage. Emerald's.

It was empty.

"I mean, it's not like Atlas is that much warmer. But at least we don't have to keep a fire going twenty-four hours a day so as to not freeze."

Weiss nodded silently. If she opened her mouth, she knew Neptune would instantly realize how bored she was. When had their conversation become so… dreadful? Weeks ago, she would have killed to have an opportunity to talk to him.

Weeks ago, her sister was alive, Ozpin was her ally, and Summer wasn't making advances on her. Much had changed. Perhaps her crown had taken the place of her more youthful sources of joy.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to start talking about home," Neptune shrugged and looked out the window of his room. "I'm just tired of this forsaken blizzard. We can't see anything beyond the walls because of it. I hope it ends soon."

"You'll have to wait a few months," the queen said. "I won't lie and say I don't want the season to be over too… If only because then I won't need to listen about food production and rationing reports. These are always awfully dull."

"Sounds like they would be," he frowned. "I'm, uh… Really sorry about your sister. I guess I've already said that, but…"

"I appreciate it."

She didn't. Weiss couldn't find a damn corner of the castle where someone wouldn't stop her to deliver their condolences and well-wishes. Did anyone really expect those to make her feel better?

Neptune fidgeted in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Anyway," he said. "Did you visit just for a friendly conversation, or… anything else…?"

Weiss tensed. Bloody Moon, hadn't she rehearsed this in her head a thousand times already? She didn't want to do it, and she didn't try to tell herself otherwise, but she needed to do it. Vale needed her to do it.

"N-no," Weiss could vividly imagine her sister shaking her by the shoulders for her incompetence. "I just needed to talk to a friend. Pardon me, I didn't mean to take so much your time."

"It's not like I have anything important to do here," Neptune smiled. "I'm always available, Your Majesty. Except for when the blizzard dies down. Then I'll hightail it out of here as soon as possible."

Weiss smiled slightly and stood up. Wishing him a good afternoon, she exited his room. As soon as she was out in the hallway, her chin fell and she clenched her fists in frustration.

What a fool. Was this how she would honor her family's legacy? Winter had always said she would need to rule one day, and insisted she be prepared for it. She had been right, and Weiss now felt like a helpless little girl.

"Something bothering you, my queen?"

Weiss almost jumped as Summer appeared beside her, silver eyes staring down at her inquisitively.

"G-general," she stuttered, taking a step away from the woman. "What are you doing here?"

"Seeing as how your bodyguard is currently nowhere to be found, I took it upon myself to see to your safety," Summer informed, then graciously gestured at Neptune's door. "Might I ask what you were doing in Prince Vasilias' room?"

"I was having a conversation with him."

"About?"

Weiss frowned. She didn't have to keep Summer informed of every action she took in her life.

"I was considering-" Weiss paused. Why was she speaking? "I was considering a proposition that would benefit both our kingdoms. A marriage between him and I. Vale lacks someone to sit the throne in case of my death, so it is imperative that I choose a king and bear an heir."

"Ah. I see. Very wise," Summer's eyes seemed to shimmer for a split second. "And did you carry through with that proposition?"

"No," the queen looked away. "I don't wish to marry. Not yet. And not to someone I don't love."

The general smiled and put an arm around her shoulders, then began to lead her away from Neptune's room.

"Your sister thought the same way," she said. "Which, I must admit, was confusing to me. Winter was a very methodical, responsible queen. It was so strange that she insisted on not having a political marriage."

"Perhaps she thought it was for the good of the kingdom," Weiss noted. "Do we want a king who accepts a marriage to benefit himself or his own land? Vale has maintained itself free of outside ties for centuries, but the royal line has survived nonetheless."

"I think you're right, my queen," Summer nodded. "And you do not need to birth a child for the safety of your line. He or she wouldn't be old enough to occupy the throne for many years, anyway. The safest path to take is naming someone as regent in case of your death. Someone you trust, who has always been by your side."

Weiss stopped walking and stared at the general. The message could only be clearer if it was written in ink.

"But you needn't worry about these matters, my queen," Summer bowed exaggeratedly. "I will make sure you live long enough to hold your grandchildren's children in your arms," her eyes narrowed. "And Belladonna should work on that, too, as soon as she shows her face again. Perhaps the pressure of guarding you was too much for her. Poor girl."

"Perhaps," Weiss agreed mutely. "Thank you for your words, Summer. I will find the way to my room alone now, if you may."

"Of course, my queen," Summer kissed her on the forehead. "Always a pleasure."

"Pyrrha?" Jaune frowned as he held his friend's arm in concern of her falling over. "Are you sure you're fine? Should you be walking?"

"Yes. I'm just dizzy," the redhead took a deep breath and stood up straighter. "Dragon's blood. If Rose's wizardry has this effect on people, how come no one ever found out about it?"

"I think it's because you resisted it," he suggested meekly. "Because your mind's telling you to do something, but at the same time, not…?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Thinking about it will only make matters worse," she said. "Come on. We need to find Lady Belladonna before-"

"What?"

Jaune and Pyrrha turned around and saw the royal bodyguard standing in the middle of the hallway, frozen like an animal at a hunter's aim. She looked halfway ready to pull out her daggers.

"Lady Belladonna! Thank the stars we found you!" Pyrrha shook free from Jaune's grip. "We need to talk in private. It concerns the safety of the queen, and the whole kingdom."

Blake stood still for a few moments, seemingly considering the mistralian's words. Then, she shook her head and approached the pair.

"Do we need to find a room?" She asked quietly. "Because I don't have much time."

"Here's fine, we just need to keep our voices down," Pyrrha examined their surroundings briefly. Nobody else was passing through the hallway. "General Rose is a threat. She charmed Winter, and the council, and now she's always at the queen's side. We think she means to take the throne for herself, or gain complete control over Weiss' actions."

Pyrrha winced, immediately regretting her words. Her current state of mind had caused her to throw caution to the wind, when she otherwise would have taken a much safer approach. Now, Belladonna would probably think she was mad, and possibly report her to the Guard… and that would reach Rose's ears in no time.

"Wait," Blake said. "Do you mean charm, as in, magic?"

"Yes," Jaune replied before Pyrrha could. "She's not the Summer Rose. She took her body, or something. She implicated General Ozpin and cursed Ruby and the queen."

"Wait, wait!" The bodyguard stared at him harshly. "Explain this properly."

And so, Jaune took to telling her about the day of Ozpin's supposed betrayal, and how he had overhead him telling Ruby about Summer's true nature. Blake's face paled as she heard of what was really behind her friend's current state. Then, Pyrrha interjected, telling her she had just been subjected to the general's magic herself.

"I knew what was happening. I knew she was charming me," the redhead spoke bitterly. "But I couldn't do anything. She said I should give a demonstration, and so I did. I feel sick."

"Damn. This is absurd, but it makes sense," Blake had a faraway look on her face. "I just broke a girl named Velvet out of the dungeon. She said Summer Rose told her to attack the queen during her sleep. It… all checks out…"

Her hands flew to her daggers.

"I'm going to kill that witch for what she did." She said venomously.

"No! We need to think about this," Pyrrha gripped her hands. "We don't know what she's capable of. For all we know, you could step into her room and turn to dust instantly. Before doing anything else, we need to protect the queen. She has to understand what is happening in her own castle."

"Yeah," Jaune nodded. "We should talk to her right now."

Blake shook her head.

"I'll do it. You two need to stay clear of Summer's sight," she glared at her own feet. "Besides, I've already betrayed the queen once today. If she doesn't believe me, I'll take the fall. If that happens, you'll still be able to fight."

Pyrrha shifted her weight between her feet anxiously. It wasn't like her to leave someone to face danger alone, but Blake's words rang true. In their current situation, no measure was too safe.

Blake nodded once and walked away determinedly. Pyrrha leaned against a wall with one hand. Her head still felt awfully hot.

"I hope this works out." Jaune said.

"Yeah," Pyrrha muttered. "I hope so too."

Weiss practically stumbled inside her room. Every step it had taken to get there had felt heavy, and she couldn't focus her mind on anything. It was like a fever, except these never came out of nowhere with no reason whatsoever.

She drudged towards her mirror and notice her skin was pale, even more so than it was supposed to be, except for her red-tinged cheeks. Her blue irises seemed to have shrunk somewhat.

Curses. On top of everything bad happening in her life, she was sick.

"Your Highness," Blake's voice sounded behind her. "Are you feeling fine? You look… bad."

Weiss turned around and saw the brunette girl sitting at the edge of her bed, worry expressed in her stare.

"Well, look who it is. My bodyguard," the queen rolled her eyes. "I hope you haven't turned Ruby fat. Did you feed her the entire kitchen's provision?"

"I'm sorry for my absence," Blake said seriously. "I had important matters to attend to."

"Yes, I'm sure, but I don't care," Weiss gestured dismissively. "You're fired. Feel free to visit frequently to take care of your friend, but I won't have you around me anymore."

Weiss turned back to her mirror, fighting to keep from collapsing. Summer was right. She couldn't have a bodyguard that was more worried about a sleeping girl's health than hers.

But Blake didn't move. Weiss watched her reflection with increasing anger.

"Dragon's blood, you are slow!" She turned around again and pointed to the door. "Out!"

"Your Highness… Weiss. I think you're not in your right mind," Blake stood up and approached her. "Have you been talking to the High General?"

"Yes, I have, but I don't see how that is relevant both to my condition and your being insufferable!"

Blake took a deep breath and grabbed the queen's wrists gently. Weiss eyed her in silent indignation.

"Weiss. I need you to listen to me. I'm about to say some very absurd things, but they're true. Just. Listen," the brunette said. "The General is not Summer Rose. She's some sort of witch. She took Summer's form to trick Vale's court. She charms people. That means she can influence them to see things the way she wants it. That's how she made it seem like Ozpin poisoned your sister and Ruby, when in fact, she cursed them to eternal sleep."

She paused momentarily to inspect the queen's reaction. Weiss was listening with the same furious expression, but she had yet to interject.

"That is also how she ordered Velvet to enter your room last night. That's how Winter named her as High General temporarily, yet nobody has questioned her title in weeks," Blake tilted her head to look Weiss in the eye. "And now she's trying to charm you. You know it. Last night, she got this close to-"

A loud noise echoed through the chamber. Blake stumbled back, touching her stinging cheek. She couldn't see it, but she was sure the form of a hand was now imprinted on her face. Anger boiled inside her, but she held it back.

"I understand. It's a lot to take in and-"

"How dare you!" Weiss interrupted. "Did you honestly think you could come into my room and say to my face that my most trusted ally is a witch and that she attacked her own daughter and my sister?!"

"What, do you think I'm mad?!" Blake exclaimed, losing her composure. "I'm putting my life on the line here, of course I'm serious! Why would I lie about Ruby's mother?"

"How should I know?!" Weiss scoffed. "Who knows, maybe you are so obsessed with that girl that you can't stand the thought of there existing someone who is legitimately closer to her than you are! Is that it, Belladonna? Would you prefer if Summer had stayed dead?!"

"You take that back, you spoiled little-"

Weiss swung again, and this time, Blake fell to the ground.

Blake's vision wavered, the room spinning around her for a moment. Dazed, she stood up and look at the princess, ready to shout like never before in her life… and then she noticed two things. Weiss' eyes were focused on the top of her head…

… and her bow was lying on the floor, having been ripped off by the force of Weiss' slap.

"You…" The queen was barely audible. "You're one of them."

"No," Blake said. A second passed, and her gaze hardened. "Yes. I'm a faunus, Your Highness. All this time, you were just too blind to see it. Are you disgusted? Do you need to take a bath to rid yourself of my scent?"

Weiss drew her rapier, but before she could do anything, Blake swung with her leg, kicking the sword off of the queen's hand. In the blink of an eye, the faunus had both of her daggers pointed menacingly at her.

"I should have known," Weiss said through gritted teeth. "I suppose Ruby was aligned with Ozpin after all. Why else would she be your friend? Planting you right beneath my roof… Bidding your time until your White Fang friends gave the signal…"

"Stop it! I am sick and tired of hearing your kind talking about us as if we're animals!" Blake interrupted roughly. "You honestly believe you're better than me? You've never worked a day in your life! You think you're suffering because your sister died? Well, I'm sorry, but I've never known if I have any sisters, and I never met my parents! I lived in a fucking cage for seventeen years, starving, while you had a comfortable bed and food brought to you at a hand's gesture!"

One of her daggers pierced the skin of Weiss' chin, drawing a slight trickle of blood.

"You've been blessed with a perfect life, and you act like it's a burden!" Blake continued. "I just can't stand looking at you. Ruby dedicated herself to protecting you and your kingdom, and you repay her by disgracing her name," she leaned closer to Weiss, their noses almost touching. "Well, guess what. I'm glad your sister is dead. I only wish she would have suffered more."

She smiled humorlessly.

"How does it feel, Weiss?"

And suddenly, she was knocked to the other side of the room, slamming against a wall. Blake gasped in pain as she looked down. Her torso was encased in solid ice, holding her in place and burning her skin at contact.

"What…" She looked at Weiss with wide eyes. "You're a witch too."

"Not exactly," Weiss pointed a hand at her. The air swirled around it, crystalizing and glowing with power. "It doesn't matter. You're dead."

Blake gritted her teeth and pushed forward. To her surprise, the ice broke easily. She rolled on the ground and leaped onto the queen's bed as a trail of ice whizzed just behind her neck, striking the wall instead.

The faunus landed back on the floor and ran to the balcony. If Weiss had been using only her rapier, she would have gladly taken her on, but now? She knew better than to fight a witch.

"Get back here!" Weiss shrieked. "Guards!"

Blake took a sudden decision and jumped off. Weiss gasped and ran to the balcony, expecting to see the faunus splattered on the ground below… but instead, she saw Blake running on a nearby roof, headed towards the walls.

The queen cursed and sat down on the floor as soldiers poured inside her room. Suddenly, all the symptoms she had been feeling before came back at once, making it difficult to even keep her head straight. She wished she could just fall asleep…

After many minutes, two hands fell on her shoulders.

"Weiss," Summer whispered. "What happened?"

"Belladonna," the queen mumbled. "She was one of them."

"A faunus?"

Weiss nodded.

"You look awful," Summer noted sadly. "Come. You can sleep peacefully for as long as you want in my room."

Should she take that offer?

"Thank you, Summer."

It was already taken.

"Belladonna!"

Blake didn't stop moving as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards the common sector of Vale. Behind her, she kept hearing Summer – or whoever she was – calling out her name, and every time she did, it was closer and louder.

"Belladonna!"

She came to a halt and hid behind a chimney, hoping she had been quick enough to avoid detection. Nearby, tiles shattered beneath someone's feet and… the air grew hotter?

"Belladonna. Come out."

Before she could even think, Blake stepped away from the chimney, becoming incredibly visible against the night sky. Summer stood on the house opposite to her, cape billowing in the wind, eyes blazing in the darkness.

"Good girl."

Fire trailed the air and struck Blake's front. She screamed in pain and stumbled back beyond the edge of the roof… and fell to the ground in a nameless alley.

*Insert sad violin music*

This was a fun chapter to write. And a painful one. Usually, when I focus on Weiss and Blake, it's because of Monochrome. Not here, though. That ship was never even projected in this universe.

I am very excited for next chapter. It should be very good, and topical. Make of that what you will.

-Zeroan