"How about we start… with you?"
Adam spun just in time to block Cinder's sword with his own, the clash of the blades producing a shrill noise that rang through the town square. The crowd rose in an uproar and ran away in all directions, a sea of helpless townsfolk.
"How surprising," Adam said, showing a little smirk. "It had been so long since we met face to face, I was beginning to think you had grown scared of me."
He pulled back his sword and swung in a downward diagonal motion, aiming at her head, but Cinder raised her free hand and grasped his wrist, stopping him. She tilted her head slightly to the side, peering into his eyes with contempt.
"Your bravado won't save you, boy." She let go of his wrist and shoved him in the chest, sending him flying from the stage and down to the hard pavement below.
She took a step forward, then stopped abruptly and turned her head to look at Weiss, who was midway through getting up to run, and Blake, about to throw a dagger at her.
"Princess," Cinder pointed at Weiss and smiled warmly. "Stay there. And, if you please, keep a hold of Belladonna until I can deal with her."
Weiss froze for a brief second, then tackled Blake, pressing her to the ground with all her weight. Blake's dagger escaped her grip as she swung her hands at the queen's face, trying to get her off her, but it was useless.
Cinder hopped off the stage and walked slowly towards Adam, slashing at the air to flick off the blood on her sword. A gunshot rang, and her head snapped to the side as a bullet impacted her skull. She looked around and saw White Fang members coming at her from every direction, pointing guns and raising bladed weapons.
"Ah. I would have to dispose of your little rebellion one day," Cinder said. "Try to take me down, if you must. It is only convenient to me."
As they collapsed around her, the pavement was painted red.
The blizzard was seeping into the city from the new breach in the walls, bringing the temperature down to an unbearable level. From beyond the pale, shadows scurried about, Grimm waiting for the time to strike. Combined, the two were a recipe for disaster. If nothing was done about it soon, the city would plunge into chaos.
Yang didn't care about any of that. The only thing she cared about was pulverizing every obstacle she found in front of her. The ruins of the tower were being steadily reduced by her efforts, but it had been hours now, and there was no sign of her sister.
Hope. That was all she had left. What else could she have? The rebellion? Blake? Weiss? Ruby had been the one to bring them into her life. Without her, everything felt empty.
Just like before.
"Please," Yang gasped, falling to her knees and bracing herself against the floor. Her vision was obstructed by tears, and the red in her eyes was giving way to a morose purple. "Please. Not again. Don't leave me."
She slammed her hands down and sobbed, the dam finally breaking. There was no hope. And, unlike before, she didn't even have her rage to keep her going.
"Don't leave me."
Suddenly, something exploded within the ruins, sending rubble flying in all directions. Rocks immediately started slipping back to fill the void that was left, but for a moment, Yang saw something white there.
She jumped to her feet and leaped towards the area, reaching forward with a hand… and closed it around another one. With a yell, she pulled, and went stumbling back as the weight of a body struck her.
Yang fell sitting and looked up, and in that moment, her heart soared.
"Hey, Yang," Ruby waved weakly, looking back at the collapsing rubble. "That was risky. Good thing you were there."
"Ruby!" Yang jumped and hugged her, exerting more strength than was probably necessary. "I was so scared. Everyone thought you were a goner. Not me, though."
"We almost were goners." Another voice butted in.
Yang turned and saw Emerald Sustrai standing shakily in the street, beating the dust off her attire. The blonde's eyes turned red, and she raised a fist to strike, but Ruby yelped and jumped between them.
"Wait! Emerald's good!" Ruby yelled. "She's just another one of Cinder's victims."
"Really?" Yang asked, not lowering her fist. "How convenient for her. Stuck under tons of rock, and suddenly she's a victim."
"Come on, Yang," Ruby said quietly. "What are you going to do to her?"
Yang paused, the tone of her sister's voice making her realize how aggressive she was being. She lowered her fist and took a step back, then looked at Emerald over Ruby's shoulder.
"Fine. You're free to go," Yang said. "But if I ever see you anywhere near my sister again, you better have a good explanation for it. Understood?"
"I have no problem with that," Emerald said. The air shimmered around her, and suddenly, she had changed into an elderly-looking woman. "Let's hope we never cross paths again."
She walked away, leaving Ruby and Yang standing alone in the ruins. The redhead looked around quizzically, then turned to her sister.
"Where's everyone?" She asked.
"They left for Sun's home." Yang said.
"What about Weiss?" Ruby insisted, her bodyguard duties jumping to the front of her mind. "Emerald tricked me into thinking she was her, so I assumed something bad happened to her."
"I don't know. She's missing," Yang answered. "Blake too."
Ruby was still for a moment, then she raised her chin and fixed her cloak straighter around her neck. "What are we waiting for, then? Let's find them."
The noise from the battle could be heard even before they got to the town square. Gunshots; blades clashing; screams of pain, terror and sorrow. Innocent bystanders ran past them, seeking refuge from the terrible mess.
Ozpin stepped into the square and faced the battle, taking in the sight of the White Fang and the Regent's enchanted soldiers tearing each other apart. The brutality at display was enough to make even his stomach turn.
"Well, sir," Coco said, stopping beside him. She was trying to maintain a brave face, but her voice was shaky. "I wasn't expecting this. What do we do?"
"What we always end up doing," Ozpin cocked his gun. "We fight."
He took aim and fired, taking down a White Fang spearman from afar. Not wasting a second, he began walking towards the heat of the battle, preparing his gun for another shot. The rest of his group – Coco, Nora, Ren, Penny and Sun – followed suit, bracing themselves for the upcoming bloodbath.
"So that's all you have to say?" Sun asked anxiously, holding his staff tightly in his hands. "We just fight?"
"No. Not just fight, but that is inevitable, no matter our objective," Ozpin said. "Find the Queen and protect her, if she is still alive. And if you see Cinder Fall…"
For a brief moment, the flow of the combatants revealed a sight of Cinder holding off five opponents at once, her sword arcing impossibly fast to block their attacks.
Ozpin paused, then raised his gun and headed towards the Regent. "…do everything in your power to kill her."
Yang opened Sun's front door and peered inside cautiously. Seeing nothing of interest in the darkness, she turned to look over her shoulder and nodded to her sister. Ruby stepped past her and entered the house, frowning a bit.
"Didn't you say everyone would be here?" She asked.
"That was the plan," Yang said. "Maybe they are all out searching for our missing friends?"
"Wouldn't they have left something behind to-" Ruby stopped talking when she heard a moan from a dark corner of the house. She looked at Yang with wide eyes and quickly shuffled behind her, suddenly not feeling very comfortable with where they were.
Yang waited a few seconds, then extended her right hand with her palm turned upwards and conjured a small flame, casting out the shadows around them. In the corner, they saw Velvet kneeling on the floor beside a passed-out Neptune.
"Oh," Ruby sighed, then puffed up her chest and walked to the faunus as if she hadn't been cowering in fear a second ago. "It's just Velvet and Neptune. No reason to be scared, Yang!"
"My hero," Yang said amusedly. "Velvet?"
Velvet turned her eyes away from Neptune and jumped away, only then realizing she wasn't alone anymore. "Y-Yang! Ruby! I-I didn't realize you were – wait, Ruby? I thought you were…"
"Dead?" Ruby shrugged. "I know this kind of conversation should freak me out, but I'm actually used to it by now."
"Don't get cocky," Yang said. "Velvet, where's everyone?"
The faunus' ears pressed against her head, and she bit her lip nervously. "They went to the town square…" She muttered. "Apparently, the Queen and Blake are in trouble with the White Fang."
Yang crossed her arms and shifted her weight between her feet. This could only end badly. "Velvet… What kind of trouble?"
Velvet looked away, then pressed a finger to her neck and made a slicing motion. Yang's blood ran cold, and she turned to shout to her sister that they needed to go…
But Ruby was already gone.
Cinder drew back her sword, letting the last of her opponents fall to the ground with a gaping hole in his chest. She paused amidst the battle to look to the stage, where the Schnee and Belladonna where they still fighting – so to speak. Not having a fleeing royal to worry about, Cinder decided to search for that accursed coward, Taurus…
Before she could even begin, she heard a bullet coming her way, and raised her sword to deflect it. The blade rang from the impact, but did not shatter. Cinder turned, locking eyes with Ozpin, who was approaching her with his gun raised.
"Oh. Truly, this is my lucky day," Cinder said, smiling humorlessly. "The White Fang and your troublesome rebellion, wiped out at once. Thank you for this opportunity, General."
"You stole that title from me, witch," Ozpin recalled. "Worse, you put my city and the house of my liege in peril of extinction. For that, I will show you no mercy."
"So the sage strategist finally bares his teeth," Cinder laughed. "Ah, but you are so… insignificant. Let's make this more enjoyable, yes?"
She tossed her sword at him, and he let go of his gun to grasp it by the hilt. Before he could get used to the feeling of his new weapon, she was upon him, swinging a hand towards his neck.
Ozpin raised the sword and her hand collided against the blade and bounced off. Cinder's smile widened as she ducked low and swung at his chin, but Ozpin dodged with a flourish and struck her in the shoulder, to no effect.
"Do you see now?" Cinder hissed. "Do you see how useless your defiance is? You could have been great, Ozpin. You could have been my right-hand man. But you are too proud for that, aren't you?"
"Funny," Ozpin said. "I don't see anyone standing by your side right now. Just a bunch of soldiers with their minds bent to your will. Where is your right-hand man, Fall?"
Cinder growled and took him by the collar, then shoved him to the ground savagely. She stomped down on his chest and pointed a palm at his face, heat beginning to build up around it.
"If only I had known how careless you truly are, Ozpin," Cinder muttered. "I never would have bothered hiding my true self. Everything you've protected is mine, and now I will end your meaningless life. How does it feel?"
"I must admit," Ozpin looked up at her and smiled. "It feels pretty damn good to see how over your head you are."
Cinder stopped charging her attack to gawk at him.
She went reeling back when something struck her in the chest and exploded. Cinder dragged her hands on the ground, halting her momentum, and looked up ferociously, a strand of hair covering her left eye.
"That's right, you evil temptress!" Nora yelled, stepping in front of Ozpin and tossing a vial filled with a strange red liquid between her hands. "And there's more where that came from! …Well actually this is my last explosive 'cause everything else was lost in the collapse but you don't need to know that."
"I think she heard you, Nora." Ren said, standing by her side.
"She most definitely heard me," Nora agreed. "Eat smoke, witch!"
She tossed the vial, but to the pair's surprise, Cinder ran straight at them and smacked it aside, prompting the explosion to occur early. Smoke concealed her for but a moment, and then she appeared again, swinging a hand in a claw-like manner towards Nora.
"Penny, now!" Ren yelled.
Cinder felt someone wrapping their arms around her belly, and in the next second, somehow, she was soaring high up in the air. The witch snarled and struggled in her aggressor's hold, but it was futile – whoever it was, they had a grip even she couldn't escape from.
"You," she said through gritted teeth. "You will land and put me back down. Now."
"Are you trying to charm me?" A deceptively sweet voice answered. "Sorry. I'm not a real girl, so I don't think that's going to work on me. But since you want to go back down so badly…"
The girl let go, and Cinder went plummeting down. Instead of panicking, Cinder looked up for the stranger and caught sight of her, flapping her wings to keep herself in place.
Cinder yelled furiously and thrust a hand in her direction, unleashing a barrage of fire that struck the girl and caused her to start falling to. Smiling triumphantly, Cinder turned and produced another two similar fires below her, slowing her descent until her feet touched the ground again.
She stood and looked at her unbelieving enemies, her expression the peak of arrogance. After not much more time, the girl fell right beside her with a horrifying crunching noise.
"Penny!" Nora yelled. "Are you alright?"
"I'm…" Penny struggled to say, standing up slowly. Her legs were contorted slightly and her body was dented in several places, but somehow, she managed to stay up. "I'm fine. Just a little… stunned…"
"Interesting," Cinder mused, her eyes straightening dangerously. "I don't like you."
She stepped forward and closed a hand around Penny's throat, then slammed her head on the ground. Bolts and metal plates went flying through the air, and a puddle of oil began to form where she lay. Nora screamed and lunged at Cinder, but Ren and Ozpin held her back.
"How resilient," Cinder said. "I'll have to learn more about this thing later. For now…" She stomped down on Penny's neck, crushing it completely, then kicked her head towards the rebels. "I assume you two created it. Contemplate the fruits of your rebellion."
Nora and Ren kneeled on the ground, unable to tear their eyes away from Penny's head as the life faded from her eyes.
Cinder pointed at Ozpin. "As for you, General…"
Suddenly, the temperature around them dropped substantially, enough for even Cinder to be disturbed by it. She looked back at the stage and frowned.
"Do the same. I'll get to you later."
Ruby ran through the streets at a breakneck pace, appearing as nothing but a mirage for anyone that looked at her. She maintained a hand on her scythe at her back, prepared to use it at a moment's notice.
She slowed down when she spotted another person running in the same direction as her, but much slower and, very predictably, clumsier.
"Jaune," she stopped beside him. "You heard what's happening?"
"Yeah," he said seriously, fidgeting with his gun. "Cinder's there too."
"Well, things just keep getting better and better," Ruby huffed. "Want a ride?"
Jaune nodded, and Ruby lifted him in her arms and began running again.
"Stop it, Weiss!" Blake yelled, stepping back slowly as Weiss advanced on her, the air crystallizing around them. "You can fight this!"
"I can't," Weiss grunted. "Just stay down!"
She swung her hand down, and Blake was pushed to the ground and frozen to the stage by her torso. Reacting quickly, the faunus turned to shadow and escaped from her prison before it enveloped her whole.
"You can!" Blake insisted. "You've done it before!"
"After – after that?!" Weiss stopped, shaking uncontrollably. "Don't… I can't…"
Blake cursed under her breath, eyeing the queen up and down. Her attire was almost all red now, her wound having opened when they started fighting. If Blake didn't do something about that, Weiss could end up hurt beyond repair.
But what options did she have? The cleanest would be to knock her out, but with Weiss using her magic, there was no guarantee she could even get close enough to do it. She could tire her out, but that wouldn't be good for Weiss. And she could kill her.
That last one wasn't an option at all.
"Listen," Blake said, raising her hands amicably. "I understand how you feel. Right now, you feel like you're in a cage, because of what she's done to you – and what she's doing to you now. It feels horrible. But you can't stop fighting, or she wins."
"All I've been doing is fighting," Weiss said brokenly. "I just want to stop."
"You can't!" Blake exclaimed. "Fight her, or else you're throwing everything away! Us! Your throne! Your sister!"
Weiss stood still, looking down at her feet helplessly. Blake watched in silence, waiting for a sign that her words had reached her…
A warm hand fell gently on Weiss' shoulder, and she lifted her head slowly.
"Shh, princess. I'm here," Cinder said. "You don't need to worry about anything anymore."
"Don't…" Weiss spun around and faced her. "…TOUCH ME!" She thrust against Cinder's chest, and the witch went flying, a multitude of icy explosions rocking her powerfully.
Blake smiled and begun to run towards Weiss, but midway there, Cinder rose and jumped back to the stage, her red eyes focused intently on the exiled queen.
"I was always nice to you, when I could have treated you as a tool," she said. "Now you don't deserve even that."
Without warning, Cinder waved a hand, conjuring a fiery tendril and whipping it at Weiss, who had barely enough time to raise her hands and block it with her frost magic. Cinder continued to swing, and with each block, Weiss found it harder to maintain her defense.
"Insolent brat." Cinder conjured a second tendril on her other hand and swung both simultaneously. Startled, Weiss tried to block the two separately, but both attacks connected and knocked her to the ground, simmering red lashes forming on her arms' fair skin.
"You are clueless to how gifted you are. Your forefathers claimed the throne of Vale because, at the time, they were more powerful than mine – no matter if they were worthy of it or not," Cinder said. "That should reflect how things are today. But you are weak and stupid. It's almost disappointing to defeat you so easily."
Weiss got on her knees and mumbled something.
"What did you say?" Cinder asked, smiling. "Didn't you sister teach you how to address others properly, princess?"
"I said…" Weiss stood up and glared at her, holding out her hands. White glyphs spun on her wrists and below her feet, and she shone with an aura that was almost blinding. "I am not clueless at all. You are."
Cinder examined her warily for a moment, then chuckled and bowed. "Well, then… Care to demonstrate?"
Adam rose to his feet with difficulty, his legs trembling painfully. During the battle, he had had a bullet pass through his right leg, a club slammed against his left arm at full force, and a bunch of other minor injuries. He was bloody and beaten, but not defeated.
He ignored the trivial battling happening around him and set his eyes on the two women fighting on top of the stage, making a deadly spectacle of fire and ice. He couldn't tell who was winning, and he didn't care about that. Whoever was left in the end would meet his blade and be sent to their next life.
Before that, however… Adam could see Blake standing near the fight, also watching with dual amazement and fear, and completely unaware of her surroundings. Smiling, he walked towards her, gripping his sword in both hands.
Stopping just behind her, he raised his blade and aimed at her neck, pausing for a moment to enjoy the moment of the kill… and felt something hit the back of his head, then collapsed, unconscious.
Blake jumped at the sound of him falling and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw Ruby standing there, resting her scythe on her shoulders. "You're… safe," she smiled. "That's good."
"I'm glad you're safe too," Ruby said, then poked Adam with her foot. "I am taking a bit of credit, though."
"Sure. But you are not my bodyguard, now are you?" Blake remarked lightly.
Ruby frowned at that and turned to look at the magical battle. "You're right about that." She said, beginning to walk forward.
Blake blocked her path with an arm and shook her head. "You don't want to get close to them, Ruby. Trust me."
"We can't just watch, Blake!" Ruby protested. "Look at Weiss. She was already hurt before, and now she's fighting Cinder. You know that's going to end badly."
At the moment she said that, Weiss blocked a fireball from Cinder with a glyph and fell on one knee, gasping and clutching her belly.
Blake winced. "It's already getting there," she said. "But my point stands. If we try to interfere now, we're going to be torn apart by their magic. So, seeing as you're the most battle-savvy of the two of us…"
Ruby continued to stare at Weiss, and Blake could see she was resisting the urge to run and help her. Fortunately, the redhead seemed to listen to what she had said and agreed, as she turned to her and nodded.
"Alright. A plan…" She said. "We can't go in right now. So we wait for Cinder to let her guard down – which she'll probably do when she thinks Weiss is defeated…"
"And then I engage Cinder, while you get Weiss out of there." Blake finished.
"Yes, but flip the roles." Ruby corrected.
"No," Blake said. "You're not fighting Cinder. I already told you how dangerous she is to you."
"She's dangerous to you too," Ruby noted. "And she's not wearing your mother's body."
"You're blinded by emotion."
"You too! You are not Yang, you can't overprotect me like she does!"
"Children."
The pair stopped arguing and turned to look. They had been so engaged in their discussion, they had failed to notice Yang's arrival.
"…Save it for the wedding."
Yang pushed them apart and walked past, cracking her knuckles.
Cinder breathed out in relief and eased her stance. Sweat poured down her forehead, and her whole body felt hot – much hotter than usual.
It was hard for her to admit to herself, but the Schnee had been a lot more difficult to deal with than she had expected. There had been times during their battle that Cinder truly had thought she was going to lose, but in the end – as always – she rose above the challenge.
The royal was now on her knees, gasping for breath, her magic reduced to minuscule snowflakes floating down around her. One well-aimed projectile, and she was dead. But, for some reason she didn't quite understand, Cinder refrained from doing that.
When had she become so soft? And so arrogant? She hadn't always been this always. Or had she? Her head was a mess, and all she could do about it was to keep herself going without pause.
Cinder walked to Weiss, stopping in front of her. "One more chance," she said, looking down at her. "Give up. Come with me. You won't be queen, but the best thing after that. And with all we will accomplish together…" She smiled, perhaps a little more honestly than she thought was right. "You'll realize it was the better choice all along, to bow to me, instead of sitting pettily on your throne."
"Petty. Me," Weiss scoffed, lifting her head to meet her stare. "Go rot in a hole."
Cinder's anger ignited at the sight of the queen, so broken, yet so prideful at the same time. She raised a hand to strike, gritting her teeth…
"Hey! How about you take on someone who actually knows how to fight, and not some prissy princess who somehow found her way out of her castle?!"
Cinder spun and faced Yang.
"No offense meant, of course." Yang added, winking at Weiss. The royal stared emotionlessly for a while, then gave her a little smile.
"So. The whole city was invited, it seems," Cinder said. "Except for my daughter. Where is she, dear?"
"Wash your tongue, hag," Yang growled. "Ruby is not your daughter, and I'm not your anything. Well, except your end, that is."
"Hah. Spoken like a true Fall," Cinder smiled. "Speaking of. We don't need to fight, Yang. If you would only-"
"Oh, shut up already, would you?" Yang stepped forward and grabbed her by her hair, then slammed her head down on her knee. "I'm so sick of you."
Cinder stumbled away, dazed, blood pouring down her face. She glared at Yang, eyes glowing red, only to be responded with the exact same stare.
The two dashed at each other, but Yang landed the first hit, a powerful punch to the cheek that sent Cinder spinning. Not wasting a second, Yang closed in and struck her with as many punches as she could fit per second, locking the regent in a hopeless daze.
Finally, one punch surpassed the others and sent Cinder sprawling on the ground face-first. Yang went to continue her assault, but Cinder shoved herself back up and smacked her with the back of her hand, stunning her.
"Child." Cinder kicked her back and showered her with fire from up-close. "I offered to teach you."
"Shut up!" Yang yelled, leaping through her flames and taking hold of her by the shoulders. Cinder headbutted immediately, striking her in the forehead. Yang let go and stepped back, rubbing her injury.
"You are weak," Cinder punched her in the stomach, driving the breath out of her lungs. "Just like your mother was."
Yang shouted furiously and grabbed her again, then tackled her down to the ground. Straddling her, Yang laid down punch after punch, sending Cinder's head snapping from left to right mercilessly.
Cinder took the beating for a while, her eyes never leaving Yang's, until finally, she lifted her hands and closed them around Yang's wrists. Her arms shook with the effort of holding back the younger woman's powerful movement, and her lips formed a frustrated line.
"Getting tired, are we?" Yang taunted.
Cinder faltered for a moment, letting her advance a bit, then suddenly took back control and flipped them around. On top for a brief moment, Cinder punched her in the face, then jumped to her feet.
"You are not only weak, but crude. Ridiculously crude," she said. "A waste of potential."
She grabbed Yang by her shirt and lifted her up, then let go and shoved her, sending her stumbling back. Cinder circled around her fast and elbowed her in the back, then struck her in the side of the neck with a chop.
Yang felt pain spike through her whole body. She tried to turn around and fight back, but every movement she made felt rigid and slow now. As such, she could do nothing as Cinder fell upon her with a series of precise strikes, each one debilitating her even more.
After what felt like an eternity, Cinder stopped, letting Yang stand still to take in the world of hurt she was in. The regent was too exhausted to fully appreciate the extent of her work, but nonetheless, she didn't pry her eyes from the scene.
"That's… a lesson…" She said between heavy breaths. "To not underestimate… me…"
Yang closed her eyes and started shaking. Cinder stared at her in bewilderment. The girl wasn't about to cry, was she? If she did, Cinder would feel humiliated for having ever considered her family.
"You…" Yang opened her eyes and smiled. She wasn't shaking anymore. "You are one big hypocrite, aren't you?"
She swung a fist at Cinder. The regent watched it coming, as if the world was slowing down, and stepped aside, the attack coming so close to hitting her that it sent her hair flying and made her cheek heat up from friction.
That was enough.
Cinder closed in, grabbing a shoulder with one hand, while pulling back her other. Then, not uttering a sound, she thrust forward and pierced Yang's chest from front to back.
"Wha…" Yang whispered, her eyelids opening and closing slowly. "What…?"
They stood that way for what could have been seconds, but felt like hours, until Yang didn't open her eyes again. Her body trembled, and suddenly, she exploded into a million tiny embers that floated through the air aimlessly.
Cinder sighed, looking down at her bloodied hand. She had hoped it wouldn't come down to this. But looking back, she supposed there never had been another option. Yang was too loyal to her 'sister' and her friends.
There was no time for lamentation, though. Cinder shook her head and looked towards where Weiss had been kneeling… only to find she was gone. Predictable, but frustrating anyway.
She spun slowly to scan the town square. The battle was coming to a close, only a few handfuls of her soldiers still standing, but they were being defeated quickly by the rebels. The entirety of the White Fang was down.
Cinder groaned internally, realizing she would have to fight every single one of the rebels now, as no doubt Yang's demise would only serve to-
She froze.
Silver eyes.
Red cloak.
The scythe.
Ruby yelled and dashed at Cinder, swinging Crescent Rose with all her strength. The witch raised her arms to block, but that wasn't enough, and she screamed and fell on her back, the bones of her arms aching from the impact.
"You killed her!" Ruby shouted, tears streaming down her face. "You killed my sister!"
She brought her scythe over her head and down to pierce Cinder from above, but she rolled aside and the blade collided on the ground. Cinder cursed and crawled away backwards, her eyes wide with terror.
"Don't – please, don't," she said shakily. "She – she forced my hand. It's not my fault, I didn't want to do it!"
"I don't care!" Ruby yelled, walking to her, dragging her scythe on the ground. "I told you I would come for you. I told you!"
Cinder threw a fireball at her, but it was a weak attempt, fading before it even reached its target. Her back met with the fountain in the middle of the square, halting her retreat.
Ruby stopped before her and slammed her scythe down to her right. Her lips were trembling, and the rage in her eyes was quickly giving way to sorrow. Cinder stared at her… and closed her eyes.
"Little Rose." She said softly.
The girl flinched at the sound. "Don't call me that."
"It's me," Cinder spoke again. "She's gone. She's gone."
"Stop it!" Ruby lifted her scythe again. "STOP!"
"Please. You're… you're so grown… so strong and… beautiful…"
Ruby let out a wordless scream and dropped to her knees, letting her scythe fall beside her. She leaned her head forward, and Summer touched her cheek gingerly, her silver eyes watching her in simultaneous joy and sadness.
"I was there, inside her, watching… but I missed so much…" Her mother muttered. "I never meant for this to happen."
"You left me."
"Forgive me. Please. You're all I have left."
"No, I'm not."
Ruby whipped her tears away and stood up. She grabbed her scythe and turned her back to Summer.
"You don't have anyone," Ruby said sadly. "Because you're not her. You never were."
She began to walk away, but froze when she saw Yang's scattered embers circling around Weiss.
The queen looked around in a panic, slapping the embers away, but they kept spinning around her, faster by the second. Soon, she was barely visible in their midst, and the space between her and them became null.
Suddenly, the embers backed away, forming a brilliant globe around her… and closed in again, disappearing inside her.
What is this?
I'm… inside you?
What? That's ridiculous. How – oh, no. You're a Fall. GET OUT.
I don't know how! It was an accident!
You can figure it out, I'm sure, you oaf!
Hmm.
Hmm?!
I mean, is it really that bad?
Yes. Yes, it is.
I like it. It's so… I don't know how to describe it. But it's nice.
If I agree with you, will you get out?
I'll try to.
You're insufferable.
"She did it."
Ruby turned to look at Cinder. The witch seemed amazed by what had just transpired – more than everyone else was, in fact.
"It's supposed… Supposed to be impossible."
Cinder stared for a while more, then suddenly pried her gaze away and locked eyes with Ruby.
The girl knew what she was going to do before she even started.
Cinder got up and started towards her, reaching to grasp her face. "Your mother served me well," she grunted. "You'll be even better."
Ruby hissed and backed away from her touch, trying to find room to land the last, merciful attack. She managed to make enough space to kick Cinder in the stomach, driving her back. Bracing herself, Ruby raised Crescent Rose…
A round exploded against Cinder's forehead. She collapsed immediately, her arms and legs going limp. There was a sickening crunch when her skull met the ground. Blood spilled from her and began to taint her white cloak.
Jaune stopped beside Ruby, lowering his smoking gun.
"That was for Pyrrha Nikos."
Oh. I think I got it.
You think?
That's what I said. Or, uh, thought? What are we doing exactly?
It doesn't matter! Just get out of my head.
Alright, alright. Hold on to your tiara, princess, because-
Weiss gasped and fell forward. Blake caught her and brought her back to her feet.
"That was… By the Moon…" She breathed in and out hardily.
"That was… something, I agree."
Weiss looked to her right and saw Yang standing there, not a sign of injury on her, except for the hole in her shirt.
"But…" Weiss blinked. "You were dead."
"And you were bleeding from a week-old gunshot wound." Yang said, pointing to her belly. Weiss palmed for her wound, but there was nothing there, not even a scar.
"Did you just…" Blake looked from Yang to Weiss and back. "Possess her?"
Weiss and Yang looked at each other.
"Yes."
"No."
Blake crossed her arms.
"Look, we don't know, alright?" Yang sighed. "We'll figure that out later. For now…"
Ruby approached them slowly, as if she were afraid what she was seeing was an illusion. Yang smiled and stepped towards her, enveloping her in a hug.
"Let's just be glad this is finally over."
Hmm. Is it over? *checks notes* Nope, it's not over yet. Just because they killed Cinder, doesn't mean our rebels are free of trouble yet!
This chapter was so action-packed... It was very exciting to write! Feels like ages since I've done something like this, to this magnitude, at least. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as me.
As always, thank you for reading, dropping your reviews, following/favoriting, telling your pet about the story, etc...! Thanks for sticking with Of Vale Blood to this point! See ya'll next chapter!
-Zeroan