Hey all! Uit Het Hart here with my first commission from Lucky Pickle!

Just for those of y'all who have commission ideas or didn't know I offered commissions, they're currently on pause so I can get most of the way through this story first. I'll let you know when they reopen, so hold onto those plots of yours!

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy!

Jaune rolled his shoulder, the limb stiff from an unlucky attack. His control over his Semblance was nebulous at best, as evidenced by the pulsing pain in his limb. He allowed his Aura to seep into the forming bruise. The warmth that followed relaxed him, almost allowing Jaune to melt into his seat.

Although the young huntsman in training had grown leaps and bounds compared to his first few weeks in Beacon, his Semblance helped push him to new undiscovered heights. He could still remember the day it activated, Nora and him were participating in a spar to prepare for the Vytal festival. Ren and Pyrrha were on the opposing side, providing quite the insurmountable challenge to the other pair.

The actual goal of their trainings was to develop more teamwork and get used to each others fighting styles. Team JNPR worked best as two pairs, Jaune and Pyrrha, and Ren and Nora. And for good reason. Nora and Ren grew up together, they very literally built their fighting styles around each other, building trust and teamwork that was impossible to replicate in less than a year. The pair's lifelong camaraderie practically forced Jaune and Pyrrha together.

But even still, the two of them meshed well with each other. Pyrrha's overwhelming skill and damage output were more than enough to overcome Jaune's own weaknesses. And his rapidly developing defenses covered for one of Pyrrha's few shortcomings. Despite all of Pyrrha's skill and fast movement, she can't really take a hit. Her Aura reserves are fairly low, and her lifetime of dodging attacks left her ill prepared for taking any real damage.

Even with that in mind, the pair of Jaune and Nora were having a hard time actually damaging the other pair. Both fighters were much too fast for Nora's powerful swings to connect, and much too skilled for any of Jaune's telegraphed attacks to hit.

It was while his frustrations were mounting that his Semblance finally manifested. His shield was raised to tank an attack from Pyrrha meant for his temporary partner. Normally such an attack would have thrown Jaune onto his ass, shield ripped from his hands by Pyrrha's power.

He could still remember seeing the spear tip flying for his shield, the memory of the move repeated over hundreds of times during their nighttime sparring. He could already imagine the sting of concrete imprinting onto his back. The feeling of weakness soon overtaking the little damage the fall created.

It was that sting of failure that finally pushed him over the edge. His mind flared with anger over the thought, and unbeknownst to him, his arm flared with Aura. His Semblance finally activated, empowering his body with the simple request his very soul sung with.

Withstand the attack, don't hit the floor.

It was because of that that his Semblance empowered his own defensive capabilities. The arm, already strengthened with his Aura, hardened even more to withstand the full might of his partner. His shield held back her spear with hardly any movement on his part, instead her spear grinded against the Aura clad metal of Crocea Mors. Before rebounding back with a mighty clang that rattled the champion's arm.

Her face held only a single second of confusion, before she was right back on him again. She quickly bore him back down with her rapid attacks, but after that the battle was put on pause. Pyrrha wanted to know where the sudden strength came from, and Ren had taken notice of the glow coming from behind his shield.

Jaune himself already knew what the cause was. The Arc family Semblance had manifested. He could remember the jubilation that came from such a revelation. Before the crushing feeling of resentment took back over.

He pushed those feelings to the side, telling his teammates what his Semblance was, detailing everything he had previously known about it from his father. Needless to say, his training was quickly switched over to training in his new ability.

The power of the Arc family was nothing to sneeze at. The Semblance granted to him by his blood was all powerful, even though all he could do at the moment was simple enhancements. Really only two, buffing his strength or his defense. But he still remembered the heights that such an ability could eventually reach. After less than a month of having it, he was strong enough to accompany Pyrrha in the double rounds.

Granted, she still did much of the work, but Jaune had still felt the pride that came with knowing that he could actually stand side by side with his partner. Finally not as a liability, but as a legitimate teammate. But he craved more. He wanted to be able to stand with her as her equal. To be as strong as his own father was.

Jaune briefly remembered witnessing his father on the battlefield, Aura erupting from the man in waves. Each attack decimating the Grimm as he tore a line through the horde.

The blonde groaned, leaning his head against the seats in the students section of the Vytal festival. Currently Yang and Weiss were fighting against a duo from Atlas, Jaune couldn't remember their names, and were in a delicate position. The Atlas team had emerged with an actual plan, separating the other team and putting them in disadvantages with their particular matchups.

Yang and Weiss had actually seemed like they were about to lose. Up until Weiss busted out a suicide attack to try and bring down one of the Atlas team. The opening had allowed Yang to quickly deal with both halves of the foreign team. The buzzer sounding out team RWBY's victory.

But damn, if it wasn't hard to not rush down there and check on Weiss. He might've given up on chasing after the white haired heiress, but his heart was less easily swayed than the mind. The petite huntress coughed up a puff of black smoke, raising a shaky thumbs up to the remainder of her team a row below him.

Jaune sighed, not realizing he had leaned forward in anxiety until that moment. He pushed himself up from the seat heading towards the exit. His team had retired earlier in the day to get lunch. With Jaune only present to cheer on their sister team. He idly pulled out his phone, intent on checking for any messages for his team's whereabouts, only to freeze in the hallway.

A few people pushed past the frozen knight, but his body was rooted to the spot. His eyes kept rereading the surprise message. "Hi, son! Just caught your performance on the tv! Look at my little boy, leading his team to victory! You're father and I are on our way to say hi. See you soon love! -Mom 3" He didn't know why she always finished her messages with her name, scrolls have long since included contact info on the top of the screen. Just a little quirk of his mothers.

His Mom who was on the way here.

Jaune tore down the hallway, shoes slapping the metal floors of the Vytal hallways as he hurried towards his teammates below. He mentally calculated the flying time from here to Ansel. The little village where he grew up was just on the other side of the sea separating Anima and Sanus. Luckily Vale was on the other side of the continent. So that should give him two more days until his parents arrive.

Just long enough to book a ticket to Vacuo.

It would be a shame for Pyrrha to miss the end of the tournament, but she'd understand.

Unfortunately his team wouldn't head to Vacuo with no notice and no reason. Which is fair, no one goes to Vacuo. The only reason you're in Vacuo is because you were born there, or you're trying to leave.

He didn't want to tell them the real reason he wanted to go to that hellhole either. He knew exactly what their responses would be. Ren would be inquisitive, but ultimately want to meet them, mainly because Nora would. Nora would be just as inquisitive as Ren, but in the completely wrong direction. Ren would want to know about their travels and the various Grimm they've fought.

Nora would want to know how his Mom could walk after birthing eight kids.

Pyrrha would be over the moon, she was such a perfect partner to him that she'd try her best to get on his parents' good side. She'd throw up her photogenic smile and just be a delight. But not one of them would understand his need to get away as fast as possible.

Okay, Nora might. But that would have nothing to do with his own reasons. Rather, she'd want to bust heads in the lawless sands of Vacuo.

Jaune hung his head in shame, knowing he was stuck in Vale.

The blonde hunter in training reread through the message again, trying to gain any new insight towards their spontaneous trip. His Mom might've just felt the need to see her children again, she routinely made trips to Saphron in Argus and the twins in Atlas. It could just be that she happened to see him on the tv while one of her feelings sprung up.

But Jaune knew the truth. He hadn't exactly informed any of his family on his joining Beacon. Instead he had left them various text messages about working some fast food job in Vale for work experience. He made sure to include as many details from online message boards to make it seem as believable as possible too. Unfortunately his time was up, and far too soon for the young man.

Jaune lamented his partners' need to compete in the tournament. She just had to keep her sponsors happy, and couldn't even realize that by keeping her manager happy, she'd doomed Jaune to the last mistake of his life.

The doors to the library swung close behind him, the soft catch of the latch echoing amongst the empty tables. Jaune's steps muffled into the old carpet, his sole catching on a sticky part of the elder fabric. He wandered the aisles, lost and alone with the novels surrounding him.

A soft beanbag let out a pitiful whine of protest as he collapsed into it. His head lolled back onto the bag as he stared at the raised ceiling. His eyes crisscrossed on the various mahogany boards above. His mind whirled too fast for the young man to even realize where he was, just a general sense of sitting somewhere quiet led him to the library. With all the students out competing or watching the competition, the library was empty and quiet.

Jaune signed to the open air, the soft sound transitioning towards a loud groan he muffled behind his hands. His palms pulled his face taunt as he dragged them down. He really didn't want to deal with any of this, he just wanted to leave.

His head rolled across the beanbag, heart leaping out of his chest when his eyes landed on a person who wasn't there before. His hand tried to calm the rapid beating of his heart as he regarded the smirk Blake held.

Jaune sucked in a deep breath through his teeth, "What are you doing here, Blake? Shouldn't you be celebrating your team's victory?"

Blake raised an eyebrow at him, "Like you should be? In fact, you should be celebrating more than I. All I did was sit on the sidelines."

"Uhh, I got tired of Nora?"

Blake snorted, rolling her eyes as she spoke. "Well, far be it for me to deny someone their break from over enthusiastic teammates. That's the reason I'm here too. I'm all tapped out on my daily allotment of social interaction. Yang wants to visit a club to celebrate their victory, and when I left she was busy trying to convince Weiss to go out drinking."

Jaune snorted himself, "Like she'll agree to that, I can't imagine Weiss drinking during the day. Much less at a club Yang would enjoy."

"You're correct. Weiss was really making her displeasure known when I split. I'm shocked we can't hear her from here." They shared a chuckle, Blakes eyes returning to the novel in her hands. Jaune peeked at the title, but it was hidden behind a dark brown note card taped to the front.

With nothing else to occupy his time, the young knight returned to his previous musings. But now with a person nearby, Jaune couldn't focus his thoughts quite right. He sighed instead, turning back to Blake with a complicated expression on his face.

"Hey, Blake, we're friends, right?" Her book closed with a silent thump, her eyes questioning his next words even as she thought over her own.

"Closer to… friends of a friend, I'd say. You know Ruby, who knows me. And Ren, who knows me as well. We know of each other, but I'd say this is the longest conversation the two of us have shared while here at Beacon."

Jaune's attention switched to a particular part of that conversation. "Ren? How'd that happen?"

"Well, I was coming to this corner to read a month or so into Beacon. A sort of break from my team, Ren was doing the same when I entered. I offered to leave, but he was fine with me quietly reading next to him. We bonded over the poems he was reading at the time. He didn't read a lot of longer books, mainly because they couldn't hold his attention for long. But also because of Nora. We meet up nearly every week to talk about what we are reading."

Jaune blinked slowly as he processed that. "Huh, the more you know."

"But why did you ask?" Her head tilted slightly to the side, bow flexing as she stared at him.

"Ah, well. You see. I kinda have a problem. One that's only come up recently." Jaune fidgeted, eyes anywhere but her.

"Pyrrha?"

"Brothers, no! Pyrrha's been great. It's actually something I don't want my team knowing about." His eyes focused back on her. "Well, my parents are coming to visit." She made a noise of understanding, her mouth open to ask another question. Jaune cut her off. "Before you ask, it's a problem because my parents didn't know I was at Beacon. They think I'm working a safer job at a McSchnee's in downtown Vale."

"Ah, I get it now. You're worried that they will be mad at you working towards such a dangerous occupation."

"Exactly. But not quite. They'll likely test me, but not worry once I show the Arc semblance. No, my problem is what follows them. My Dad's always been an understanding kind of guy. Didn't even flinch when my eldest sibling came out as gay. Just nodded and said, "It's the curse of all Arcs to fall for strong women. I'm glad you can continue this trend.' and then accepted twenty lien from Mom!"

"I'm glad my parents are accepting and all, but you'd expect a little bit of curiousness, or even confusion before the acceptance. Instead he just nodded and moved on! He acts like he knows exactly what's going on with you, often before you'd even know it! But no, he's not the real issue. It's my Mom."

Jaune looked Blake in the eyes, his cerulean orbs hardening as he imparted his warning onto Blake. "Whatever she says, do not acknowledge it. She will say the wildest things, with a soft smile on her face the entire time. Do not believe a word that leaves her mouth. Promise me this, Blake." Jaune had risen to stand above her, hands on her shoulders as he spoke.

Blake nodded in the affirmative as he lowered back into his seat. His mouth continued before Blake could speak. "My Mom's always been a little lonely. She grew up as an only child in a controlling household. She loves to surround herself with as many people as possible. It's part of the reason I have so many siblings. You already know I have seven siblings right?"

Blake nodded, "Ruby might've mentioned it once or twice."

"Alright, cool, cool. Well, she's obsessed with children. Even the ones who aren't hers. My Dad had to drag her away from a Chuck'E'Schnee's during my eight birthday. She kept wanting to adopt every kid she came across who didn't have an adult within three feet of them. She spent most of the time spoiling a green haired child who she swore was homeless. We had to calm her down with the fact that no child would enter without any money."

Jaune chuckled, a haunted look entering his eye as he continued. "And the sex, Blake. The sex. The entire left wing of our house is an unofficial dead zone. Every single Arc kid has seen our parents having sex on atleast one of the surfaces in that part of the house. Just before I left I had to console Cinnamon, the youngest, after she walked down for a glass of milk and ended up seeing more than she should have."

"Since age nine, I've been teaching myself to sleep with loud music playing in my headphones. Now I can't sleep without scream metal playing." He shook his head slowly, "Do you know what happened the one time I lost my headphones and tried using my speaker?"

"My Mom slapped the wall and claimed it was throwing off Dad's rhythm."

He met her eyes, his face aging thousands of years in those few seconds. "So whatever she says to you, do not give an inch. If you do, she will assume we are dating. She will latch onto you, like a grandbaby seeking missile. And she will not leave until she finds a way to convince you to ride me into the sunset. Like the gunslinger movies of old. And that's not a hyperbole by the way. She honestly believes people can have sex hard enough to bounce the bed into the sunset. By this point, I'm too scared to try and persuade her otherwise."

Blake looked suitably horrified at this point, and Jaune considered his mission done. He stood up, patting her shoulder as he walked away. "Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, Blake. I really needed to talk to someone about that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be buying some earmuffs. Preferably those big ones they use in gun ranges."

He chuckled, hand raising over his shoulder to wave goodbye. Blake stared in shock at the retreating back of the blonde. Her mind was currently playing over his words and their implications. She only had one thing to say.

"What the fuck!"

Ruby grunted, bleeding off her impact from the ground with a roll and flash of Aura. She wondered how it could all go so wrong so quickly. Just two days ago they were celebrating their advancement in the tournament. Jokes and snacks flew hard and fast. Cheese dust covered fingers fighting over the last sodas and Nora furiously fought Yang behind her.

And now Vale burned. The fire's lights reflected off her scythes blade. Ruby only barely held back her tears as she remembered Penny's death. She sucked in a hard breath, spinning back to the battlefield that was Beacon's courtyard.

Cracked tiles shifted under her feet. The same tiles she walked down to enter Beacon. The same ones where she first met Weiss, where Jaune picked her up. Over to the left was the tree they'd study under on those days where staying inside felt too stuffy. She remembered wrestling with her sister over showing her friends baby pictures. Of sitting on the fountain older than her as she watched other students walk by.

Now the courtyard was littered with the scars of a fight. Beacon students fought White Fang and Grimm in equal measure. Bodies and spent shell casings littered the grass. She felt a weak chuckle break through, imagining the look on Miss Goodwitch's face when she saw the destruction she would have to fix.

A scream tore her from her thoughts. A White Fang member had just been knocked down by an ursa, the great bear Grimm standing over their form. Ruby felt her Semblance activate as she streaked forward, her form nothing but a red blur. Her scythe cut through the Grimms hind legs, forcing it down onto its front paws. A rifle shot. Its head was flying in the opposite direction.

She turned back to check on the White Fang member. They may be enemies at this current moment, but she didn't want to see any more death today.

The body, and it was dead, sat there. It's eyes wide and unblinking under a smashed mask, the barest hints of porcelain stuck to their face. Ruby promised to return and bury the body.

For now, she had to focus on those who still lived. A tear streaked down her cheek.

First things first, her team. If she could find them, she could access the situation. She jogged across the courtyard, her eyes wide for any sign of them. A pale white light shone from one end of the courtyard, near the cafeteria.

She recognized the sight as one of Weiss' glyphs. Her semblance activated once more, scythe streaking forward to kill another Grimm as she moved towards Weiss.

The heiress entered her vision, and luckily Blake was nearby. The disguised faunus had just said something, turning back towards the cafeteria. Ruby intervened before the two could split.

"Weiss! Blake! Oh brothers, am I glad to see you!" She tackled the two, arms tight as she hugged the pair.

If their clothing came away with a few extra wet spots, then that must have been their imagination.

Blake spoke first, "Ruby, I'm glad to see you're okay. No doubt Yang would have our hides if you got injured."

Ruby chuckled at that, knowing her sister absolutely would. "Well I'm fine, no worries. Speaking of, do either of you know where she is?"

Weiss interjected, eyes scanning for any sign of enemies. "No, not yet. She was still in the room when we left for the tournament today. We moved through that area, picking up extra dust for me, but she was already gone by the time we reached our dorms."

Ruby sighed, but steeled her eyes as she spoke. "Knowing her, she's probably in the medical areas. She may like a good fight, but she'd want to protect the injured more than leaving. For now, we should stick together. I'd rather deal with any problems as a team."

Weiss nodded, finding the hidden meaning in her order. Blake looked hesitant, about to voice her objections were it not for a loud crack from behind Ruby's back. Her eyes widened, finger pointing.

Ruby followed the finger, palling at the sight before them. Just outside of Vale, a rather large landslide had just occurred. Its culprit, a monstrously sized Grimm Dragon. It shook boulders from its wings in much the same way one would shake the water from their arms after a shower.

The dragon stood tall, its wings opening to their full size. The monster roared, eyes looking towards Beacon tower. Ruby knew there was no way it could see them at this distance. Yet she shivered, its eyes peering past her aura and to her soul.

It slowly took to the sky, wings beating faster and faster as it gained height. They had at most a minute or so before it reached Vale proper.

She gulped her eyes following the beast as it flew. Peering over at Weiss and Blake showed the same emotions flashing across their faces, fear. Ruby took a deep breath, fortifying her emotions as she spoke to her teammates.

"Team, we have our current objective. That thing can not be allowed to destroy Beacon."

Weiss looked at her in objection, "What are we even supposed to do against that? It's the size of the dorm building!"

Blake nodded with Weiss, "She's right. Even your weapon couldn't harm that beast."

Ruby smiled, a shaky thing that betrayed her true feelings through the facade she attempted to put up. "Well we won't know until we try. Will we girls?"

Weiss sighed, her ponytail swaying as she shook her head. "I don't think we could so much as tickle that monster."

Crescent Rose unfurled, the angular base stabbing into the ground as she spoke. "What else are we to do but fight? We are Huntress' are we not? And that is a Grimm, correct?" She waited for their nods before continuing. "Then we will fight!"

Black and White shared a smile as they looked upon their leader. Both of their weapons rose as they stared past her. Blake stepped forward, Gambol Shroud collapsing into its more accurate gun form. "Well what's the plan, Ruby?"

Ruby chuckled, turning back towards the quickly closing in monster. "I'll tell you when I think of it."

The dragon had just crossed over the Valen walls. AA turret fire bounced uselessly off of its body. Another roar shook the buildings, several windows blowing out from the sound. It was just another minute or so out from Beacon.

"Are we ready, team RWBY?!"

"Yeah!" Came the cry of both girls, weapons raised to lay long ranged attacks against the monster.

"Weiss, I need you to-" Ruby was cut off, not from the dragon itself, but from a brilliant white light.

A figure, just barely visible from this distance, dropped from the sky. In their hands was a glowing white blade, it's shine enough to light up the fire licked sky. Their glowing blade fell impossibly fast, lengthening to something much larger than itself. The dragon cried out once, quickly falling even as the dark ash that composed the Grimm floated into the sky.

The figure that bisected the dragon continued falling, white blade sheathed as it passed behind a taller building.

The three members of RWBY stood there in silence, mouths agape and eyes wide as they processed the sight in front of them.

Blake was the first to speak up, "What the fu-"

"Hello dearies!" A soft melodic voice came from Ruby's right, causing the three to jump from the sudden interjection.

All three spun to face the figure. In front of them was a gorgeous woman, even Ruby would admit as such. Her hair fell like spun gold, the color pale as it rested to her lower back. Her hair was contained by a white nun's habit, with her robes the same unstained white with several blue and gold accents on the trim. Her outfit, despite being designed after a religious outfit, was actually rather revealing. It showed off the sides of her torso and the edges of her hips, hinting at so much yet showing nothing.

A black blindfold finished off her look as she faced three fourths of team RWBY. "Oh! I'm so sorry for scaring you. I forget just how impressive my husband is." She sighed, the sound full of love. "He tends to go a bit overboard at times, but I guarantee you he is just fine, children. He's probably down there dealing with the smaller Grimm."

She giggled as she imagined him down their fighting. "He's probably having the time of his life right now, saving people left and right as he moves through the city. I was the one who actually remembered we came here for a reason." She huffed.

"Anyways, do you mind leading me towards the medical areas? I'm looking for my son, and chances are he's out there protecting the defenseless."

Ruby was the first to shake herself from her stupefaction. "Uh yeah. It's over here."

And so Ruby led the strange woman towards the medical area. Several students and a few professional Hunters formed a loose ring to protect those wounded inside. Ruby's eyes flitted from face to face, before breathing out a sigh of relief, Yang was not among the wounded.

The woman strode forward, white robes fluttering in the wind. "Oh you poor things!" She clasped her hands together, and numerous pale blue orbs peeled away from her form. They fluttered to and fro, landing onto each and everyone of the injured, with more than a few landing on the flagging protectors.

A feeling of comfort and serenity oozed through the battlefield. The injured saw their wounds close, many looking upon the woman with awe. The weakened guards stood taller, the blue orbs merging into their own Aura, changing color and reigniting their spirit.

The woman looked around the grounds, her blindfold moving from face to face, before she tutted. She said something under her breath, before turning back towards Ruby.

"Well, it appears my son isn't here. I am going to go out and find him. You three should help here, if I find any more wounded I will send them in this direction."

With that, the woman left. Team RWB was left staring at her retreating form. A few Grimm lunged at her, yet her pace didn't stop. One by one the approaching Grimm fell, flashes of light blue forming behind their heads and near the unarmored areas.

The woman paused near Ozpin's tower, her head cocked as if listening to some unknown sound. A blue platform formed before her, quickly lifting her to the top. Flashes of fire lit up the inside of Ozpin's office, until the woman stepped inside.

Ruby was the first to shake herself from her stupor, stepping forward to the woman in charge of the medical area's defense. "Where do you need us?"

The woman stepped forward, her heels making a clicking sound on Ozpin's marble flooring. Yet the sound was swallowed up by the fierce battle taking place before her. A woman, wielding what felt suspiciously like magic, flung fire towards a bronze wreathed figure. The bronze warrior danced among the fire, her shield taking attacks where she could not dodge.

The robed woman took a second to admire the bronze figure's acrobatic moves, fondly remembering a time when she witnessed her own husband doing the same. He used to be quite the showboat back in the day, before she took him to task that is.

She was finally forced to step in. The fire woman fired a glass arrow at the bronze figure, and in response, she threw her shield at the arrow. Unfortunately, the arrow broke apart, reforming just behind the shield. It flew towards the woman's unprotected ankle, only to stop short.

A blue glow had overtaken the black arrow, light shining through the translucent projectile. Both women stopped, staring at the arrow as the robed figure slowly brought it towards herself. She left it floating point first above her hand, delighting in the way the fire woman's eyes opened. She briefly wondered if it was shock?

Or fear?

The fire woman's voice came out shaky, her own projection of superiority shattered in a simple move. "You. You're supposed to be halfway across the world!"

The robed woman's smile curved, so it was fear she showed before. "Ah! You know of me then? Usually people know of my husband. I am more of a… shall we say, afterthought."

The woman growled, "The last thought people have."

The robed woman fanned her face, "You flatter me, darling. Well, I suppose we should get this started, hmm?"

Cinder's eyes widened even further, breath hitching as information about the robed woman floated to the front of her mind.

She was known by many names. The blind protector, saving hundreds without asking for anything in return. The Healer, roaming the world and healing any malady she came across. The silent bodyguard, always behind her husband's back with a leading hand, and a sharp knife for those wishing harm upon him.

But the one that Cinder remembered more than any other came with its own legend. She had once repelled a Grimm horde from the village of Lourdes. A veritable tidal wave of black, grasping claws and open mouths destroyed the landscape. The trees surrounding the village were flattened for miles. Yet this woman alone stood upon the walls, protecting every inch of the village from the Grimm.

Some reports claim that the smoke from the bodies rose for days. Some claim she fought for a week straight, seven days and seven nights of her slaying Grimm. Even more claim that she was sent by the Brothers themselves. For she stood upon the wall, never moving, only her hands raising in prayer as countless blue blades fell upon the horde.

Her name from then on, was known the world over as The Brother's Apostle. The scourge of Grimm and protector of the Brother's creations.

It took Cinder roughly a second to remember this information. Less than a second later, she was pushing all of her remaining Maiden power to her feet and hands. In even less time than that, she was thrusting herself towards the closest window. Her eyes closed, trusting in her Aura to protect her from the window shattering.

When the sound of shattering glass failed to meet her ears, she cracked open an eye. The pane of glass hovered just in front of her nose.

She glanced back, her mind running blank at the sight of ethereal blue chains clasped around her ankles. The Brother's Apostle hadn't moved from her position, only tilting her head at the Fall Maiden.

"Careful, miss, you might have hurt yourself on the glass." The chains slowly started reeling her back. "Besides, we were not done with our conversation just yet. I was wondering where exactly you obtained those powers of yours."

Cinder put even more of the Maiden's power towards getting away. But it was all for naught. Flashes of light once again lit up Ozpin's office. Before with a scream, it fell silent.

And done with the first chapter. This is a newer, and shorter, story, so forgive any lengthy periods between updates. I have to be pretty meticulous in my planning so I can fit the story into a specific length.

Anyways, what did y'all think?

Review, Favorite, and Follow!

And have just the best of days.