AU: Sorry for the long wait on this one, folks. Some stuff came up that slowed down the progress on this chapter. However, the school year is coming a close soon, and I'll hopefully get back to the productivity I had last summer. I also wanted to give a massive shout out to Kamen Rider Raika for helping so much on this chapter, and others before. His influence has really upped the quality of this story, and it would be criminal to not mention his exceptional help here since he actually wrote quite a good chunk of the chapter while I was unable to. Again, I simply can't thank the guy enough. Thanks Raika, and to everyone else, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

-SubtleSaber

Rowand could hear the screams from behind the metal door. An overtone of laughter was just barely audible above the agonized wails, something that would've sent chills down a normal person's spine. But Rowand had long been desensitized to it. His partner was having the time of her life right now, at the expense of someone else's. The thought of intervening would've crossed his mind in the past, but that was no longer the case. He was an Inquisitor now. That was all that mattered to him.

He leaned against the cold steel wall, impatiently tapping his foot. Why had Nyxona called him? Didn't she know he was busy gathering information from Cinder? A trip to some underground city ruins wasn't exactly his idea of a fun detour.

At last, the door creaked opened, and out came Nyxona. The woman looked like she was about done when she took notice of Rowand just as the door boomed shut behind her. "Rowand! So good for you to come!" she beamed a smile at him. There was a faint hiss as she removed her helmet, revealing not only the green skin and tattoos of her Mirialan decent, but several deep claw marks that their mentor had inflicted upon her all those years ago.

Rowand silently glared at his fellow Inquisitor, and after a moment of nothing from him, Nyxona gave a play pout. "Fine, be that way," she said with a twirl of her head.

"What do you want, Nyxona?" Rowand asked impatiently.

Nyxona did not answer immediately. She side-glanced the two Stormtroopers guarding the door, then looked to Rowand. "Why don't we go somewhere a little quiet?" she said before she began walking down the cracked walkway.

Rowand trailed behind cautiously. It had been several minutes of walking until the two Inquisitors came across one of the many broken and exposed windows. During that time, Nyxona was silent. That was something Rowand had never seen before, and it only troubled him. "What is going on, Nyxona?" Rowand demanded when they came to their stop.

Nyxona leaned forward and rested her hands on the window sill. "What do you think of our admiral?"

Kayana? Rowand crossed his arms, and replied, "Was is there to say? She's loyal to the Empire, and her skills make her a decent admiral… but she can be abrasive towards us."

"Do you think she's holding us back?"

Rowand was taken aback by the question, and it took him a second to compose himself. "… Yes, I do," he answered honestly.

"Then, we're on the same page. Despite all the power we have, we're still in her platoon, under her command. You know she would do anything to keep us in check, if it meant saving her own skin from the emperor's wrath, and we can't do a thing about it."

"So?"

Nyxona turned her head, and her fiery-colored eyes glowed in the moonlight, creating an eerie contrast with her dark green skin. "So why follow her when we can follow another?"

Rowand's eyes widen. "You mean…" his voice trailed off, but he knew whom she spoke of.

"I do, indeed."

"But the Empire–" Rowand said, but was cut off.

"Is in another galaxy. We don't have contact with back home, and even the Emperor can't sense us all the way out here. Why shouldn't we take this opportunity?!" Nyxona turned to Rowand and raised a clenched fist. "Under the emperor, we're nothing more than his tools, but under her, we could be so much more!"

Rowand stood there for several moments and pondered in silence. At last, he said, "What do you have in mind exactly?"

Nyxona lowered her first and smiled. "Can't reveal all my secrets. Just know that the three of us have to be ready for when our chance happens."

So Xaelos was also involved, as well. Another problem he would have to deal with later, Rowand knew. "Very well," he conceded.

"By the way!" Nyxona told him as she backed away. "I was having a fascinating chat with our two 'guests' about our prey."

Rowand decided to humor her. "Really?"

"I've been talking to one of them about our Mandalorian mutt. Though there is something else that might interest you."

Rowand's breath staggered for a moment. The "Mandalorian mutt"... Azrilin's son was actually alive. But of course, he couldn't let that cloud his mind. He regained his composure, continuing on with his annoyed front. "And that is…?"

"Something to do with an orange holocron… and the crystal it houses."

Nyxona turned with a smirk. Without bothering to continue on with Rowand, she strode away, making soft tapping sounds as her boots walked along the pavement. After she had left, Rowand stared at the spot where she stood a moment ago. He was glad Nyxona had not seen his surprise, and his gaze sunk into the ray of moonlight that came through the window.

Rowand knew it would not be much longer before he grasped his opportunity, but the threat of his "fellow" Inquisitors lingered in the back of his mind. Serving with them for many years, Rowand knew Nyxona and Xaelos well enough. Their motives were different than his, and so were their skills. If they became as powerful as he planned to become, they would become far worse than obstacles in his plans. If only he had that power, then he could eliminate them easily, and maybe he could even take on Darth Vader and the Emperor themselves with that kind of might. After what the Empire had done to him, his sister, and their way of life, it was the least they deserved.

Rowand strode down the hall and returned back to the door leading back to Nyxona's playthings. "Sir?" one of the guarding Stormtroopers inquired.

"I just wish to see the prisoners." Rowand reported.

The two Stormtroopers backed away from the door, and Rowand came up to the door's little window. Through it, he saw two figures–both Faunus with a golden tail from a male and cat ears for the female–were chained up to the wall. Faint lines of smoke rose from their lithe bodies, and only groans were audible from their cell. Rowand did his best to ignore the scent of burning flesh that had overtaken the chamber.

Rowand sighed inwardly. He could not go in there now, not after what Nyxona gave them and what she had told him. Interrogating the prisoners any further would not do anything, and it was better to have a living body to question than a corpse. Rowand began to turn with a defeated look.

"Kebiin?"

The meager whisper made Rowand come to a halt. He looked through the small opening once more, right at the female. Her head was slightly raised, and the slits of her feline eyes glowing in the cell's shadows. The two stared at each other for what felt like forever, yet it was nothing more than an instant when Rowand turned around and continued onwards. The prisoner was another question for another time. Now, he had other matters to attend to.

Weiss panicked as she attempted to tend to Kebiin's crimson soaked body. He was unmoving, pale, and his vibrant amber eyes had turned into a dull orangish brown. She tore off bits of her clothing to wrap around his forearm and leg, the constant bleeding turning her normally clean white outfit into red.

"Don't you dare die on me!" She cried as she wiped away her tears, smearing red across her cheeks. "I won't forgive you if you do this to us, you dunce!"

Ruby was practically hyperventilating while studdering into her scroll, hoping the ambulance she was calling would arrive in time. After swallowing, she dropped her scroll and rushed over to Kebiin to help Weiss.

"I need to get this around his arm." Weiss held up what used to be her sleeve. "Ruby, I need you to keep the pressure up on his leg. Just remember what we learned in school, and he'll be okay."

Ruby nodded statically and pressed her hands across the massive gash along his upper leg.

"Weiss, it's his artery…"

"I know it is!" Weiss yelled. "Just one more minute, and he'll be off the hospital. He'll be okay after we get him there." She said partly to convince herself just as much as her leader.

"Penny, help us!" Ruby called over to their petrified friend. Penny was completely pale, frozen at the sight of Kebiin's draining body. But her eyes were darting back and forth as though she were giving him some sort of scan.

"He's not going to last long enough…" Penny whispered.

"Of course he is!" Weiss snapped at her. "He's going to make it! Just get over here and help!"

"Weiss, you have to close the wound." Penny straightened out, her face regaining its color. Her eyes shifted from her usual curious naivety to a more methodical and calmed tone. "You have a fire Dust crystal in your rapier, right?"

"Y-yes, I do." Weiss said as she raised her eyebrow just slightly. "What do you…" She trailed off, realizing what Penny was suggesting. "Ruby, keep the pressure on his wounds, just give me a moment."

"What? What are you gonna do?" Ruby stepped over Kebiin to take Weiss' place, applying both of her hands on the open wound. Weiss retrieved her sword from the ground, and cycled through the revolving Dust cylinder in the guard. She settled on the red fire cartridge, and began to heat the blade. It hissed and glowed a bright orange as Weiss adjusted the settings for cauterization.

Ruby's eyes widened when she realized what Weiss was doing, but didn't protest. This needed to be done.

"Sorry, Kebiin…" Weiss said once she settled on the right temperature of her blade. "This is going to hurt…"

Still sitting over her friend, Ruby felt a sudden wet clasp over the side of her face. She looked down to see Kebiin's panicked and agonized face, desperately gasping for breath.

"Kebiin!" Ruby cheered. "Weiss, he's still alive! He's awake!"

"Buir…" Kebiin croaked. "Buir jetii'kad…kaysh at hiibir bic..."

"Ruby, try to calm him down. He needs to be still." Weiss said as she rushed to his side. She motioned for Penny to join them again, and this time, she did so. "Penny, help Ruby keep him down." Penny nodded.

Ruby moved her body to the side to allow Weiss more room, placing the bloody hand Kebiin had on her cheek into her own hands. Was there anything she could say to comfort him? How much of his language did she know?

"Uh… Udesiir, hettir tal, oyacyir." If she remembered correctly, that would translate into "Relax, burn blood, live." It was broken and disjointed, but Kebiin did settle down at least somewhat. Maybe it was simply at the sound of a familiar language, but it was what they needed.

Kebiin's watery eyes fluttered back to Weiss, who was holding her hot glowing blade. Kebiin tried to express something, maybe fear, but he was too weak to attempt much.

"Cuyir ibac… jetii'kad?"

"I'm sorry, just hold still…"

Ruby grabbed hold of Kebiin's hand, ready for him to squeeze. Penny placed her hands on his open leg, holding down it down to make the work easier for Weiss.

"Buir? Cuyir ibac gar? Bic cuyir an bid ge'tal. . . Ni aalar ut'reeyah…"

"R-ready?" Weiss shivered, and Ruby and Penny nodded.

Weiss applied the flat of her scalding blade against the open wound on Kebiin's leg, sizzling the flesh back together. Kebiin instantly kicked and screamed, nearly sending Weiss' blade further into his limb. Ruby felt the wind carry the vapor of Kebiin's burning flesh slithering toward her face, causing her to bury her face in the crease of her elbow. She gagged as she tried not to imagine breathing in someone else's evaporated blood mist. She didn't even notice how hard Kebiin was squeezing her hand.

Weiss took several heavy breaths as she wiped a few drops of sweat from her brow. It was all so quick, but they still had his arm to worry about. Ruby stayed by Kebiin's functional hand, while Penny shifted to grab his gashed arm. Weiss blew a few times on the end of her blade, sending a few embers to the ground.

"One more…"

Weiss once again applied the searing blade flat, but this time on Kebiin's open arm. He winced and twitched, seeming to better handle the pain, but the continuing clenching of his hand caused Ruby to yelp and grimace. After the small amount of steam had dissipated, Weiss tossed her sword aside and let out a teary sigh.

"He's unconscious." Penny said in an almost monotone voice.

"I don't blame him…" Weiss exhaled as she began working on Kebiin's makeshift bandages again. "All that matters is that he'll be okay…"

Red and blue lights began to flash from behind them, followed by the loud but relieving sounds of ambulance sirens. Ruby stood up first, noticing that one of the cars approaching the scene wasn't a police or medical vehicle. It was Ozpin's shiny black limo.

Immediately and without question or hesitation, a large group of medics equipped with respirators and a stretcher rushed out to get Kebiin into the ambulance. Weiss backed away, placing her hands on Penny's shoulders to shift her aside. At this point, all that any of them could do was hope for the best.

Ozpin, accompanied by several more paramedics, rushed over to the three girls. Ozpin didn't pay much attention to Penny immediately, wanting to check up on his students. The medics sat the girls down, wiping the blood off of their hands and faces while checking for injuries.

"Professor…" Ruby teared up again. "I'm sorry, I had no idea this would happen… I… I didn't mean…"

"Ruby, Weiss." Ozpin bent down onto one knee, placing a hand on the girl's shoulders, looking at the two of them. "Both of you handled yourselves more than competently in a combat situation, and both of you took the charge in aiding an injured comrade."

"But he could die!" Ruby snapped. "What does all that matter if we let him die!?"

"You didn't." Ozpins said calmly. "You three did everything in your power to help him, and I have faith he will persevere because of that. You didn't do anything to 'let him die', you gave him a chance to survive."

Ozpin stood back up, helping the two girls back onto their feet. "Let's get back to Beacon. Yang needs to know what happened, and you all need to rest."

The two of them nodded and walked solemnly toward the limo. Ozpin turned to Penny to introduce himself, but a multi-winged object began to block some of the moonlight.

"An Atlas shuttle?" Weiss recognized before getting in the car. "What are they doing here?" Several more cars pulled over onto the scene, all of them heavily armored and pristinely white. Atlas military police. The three-winged shuttle made a surprisingly smooth landing as the side wings folded upward and the cockpit steam vents hissed. The doors to the white cars opened, pouring out several equally pristine white armored troops.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the girl and leave." One of the helmeted soldiers said to Ozpin.

"What is he thinking!?" Ruby whispered over to Weiss. "You can't just talk to a headmaster like that!"

"Ruby, you don't understand. They're Atlas military police." She shoved her leader into the car, followed her in, and quickly shut the door.

"What are you doing? Why are you so scared?"

"Don't talk to them, don't even look at them. They're not your regular friendly cops. Ozpin is lucky they even acknowledged him before shoving him away or aim their weapons at him."

Ruby peeked out of the tinted window, seeing one of the white armored military police gripping Ozpin by his arm, guiding him toward his black limo. Ozpin stepped inside, and frustratedly told the driver to head back home.

"Hey Ruby?" Weiss asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Kebiin kept saying saying the same word a bunch… buir, I think. And there was something else. Jetti… umm… something. Do you have any idea what that means?"

"Buir?" Ruby glanced up to the ceiling of the car in thought. "I think… I think it means 'mother'. He was calling for his mom…" Ruby moved her head down, looking at some of the dried blood still imbedded in the creases of her hands. "He's just like Yang and I…"

"Ruby?" Weiss placed a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?"

"Huh? Yeah, yeah. Just still shocked and all. Look, my hands are still shaking… But yeah, that other word he used a lot. Jedee'kaht? Jetti'kad? I don't know what 'Jetti' means, but 'kad' means sword or saber. But whatever it really means, but he said he lost whatever that is. He was apologising."

"To whom?"

"His mom. At least, I think that's what he was doing."

"Well… we could ask him if he's-"

"No, we'll ask him when he gets better. He's going to pull through."

Weiss lightly slapped the side of her head several times to get the thought out of her head. "Of course! He's going to be fine…"

Penny was rushed into the tri-winged shuttle by the white armored troops as soon as her friends from Beacon were out of view. Now that the moment was over, her medical programing had ceased. Her eyes glazed over as she looked down at her reddened hands, still trying to recover from her unfamiliarity with blood. Were people really hurt that easily? It was all so scary… she didn't even want to think about the idea of losing her new friend.

"Leave us." Penny heard a voice say.

"Uncle?"

The black-clad pilot of the shuttle came into her view, only to exit down the loading ramp to the outside. The door shut, putting a divide between Penny and the scene she had just been put through. She heard footsteps come from the closed cockpit interior, finally recognizing the dark robed and armored figure that was approaching her.

"Uncle Rowand!" Penny lept forward into her uncle's arm's, tearing up and unintentionally getting stains on his uniform.

"Penny, what happened? Where have you been? Your father's been-"

"I'm sorry!" Penny whimpered. "He just looked so much like you and I thought he could be my friend! B-but then they needed help, and I know you said you didn't want me to talk about you to others, but I thought maybe you'd like to help him too, but-"

"Penny, slow down!" Rowand exclaimed. "Stay calm, and tell me what's going on."

"-but then he got hurt!" She shouted, ignoring his request. "I'm so worried… there was so much blood…"

She brought her teary face up to look at her uncle. It was true that Kebiin looked a lot like him. The same blue hair, a similar shade of light brown skin… they both had amber eyes, but they were… different in a way. Rowand's seemed… sadder. More suppressed.

"Hold on a moment." Rowand guided Penny to the seats bolted on the interior walls of the craft. "What did you mean 'he looked like me'? Who did you meet?"

"I'm sorry, I know father said he didn't want me to meet with anyone other than you, but-"

"No, Penny, it's fine." Rowand cut her off. "If father has an issue with it, I can talk with him. Who did you make friends with?"

"Well…" Penny sniffed. "One of the teams from Beacon. They're all really nice, and one of them looked just like you. His Aura is strange just like yours, too. Their friend Blake went missing, we tried to find her, but…"

"The White Fang?"

Penny nodded, tilting her head down in shame. Rowand paused, almost as though he were recuperating from something. Penny looked back up at him, only to find him with a look of shock plastered on his face.

"What was his name?" He asked.

"Kebiin Ceibur."

Rowand made some sort of noise in the back of his throat, not knowing how to respond. His eyes widened, and his hand twitched.

"Uncle?"

"Where is he now?"

"They're taking him to the hospital…"

"Did you run a scan on him when he got injured?"

"Y-yes. Why?"

"Is he going to live?"

Penny shook her head. "I don't know. He lost so much blood, but it was almost as if… his body was willing itself to not die."

"I think I can help your friend." Rowand stood back up. "We're going to the hospital. But remember: don't tell anyone. Not my colleagues, not the officers, and certainly not Kebiin. This is staying a secret."

Penny was awestruck. She wiped her damp eyes with her sleeve, sniffing again as she did so. "Wait… huh? How can you help? Why does it have to be a secret?"

"Penny, there are some things that you and even your father don't know. Atlas has changed, and the rest of the world will follow it soon. Frankly, there are going to be people in power that shouldn't be. Your friend might be able to change that."

"I don't understand… you said that you helped make all the changes in Atlas possible. Why do you want to stop it? Are more people going to get hurt? Are you trying to protect them?"

Rowand didn't turn back to face her. He stood up, strode into the cockpit, and began to activate the controls. Penny felt the shuttle gently lift off the ground as the wings slid into position, setting them on course for their destination.

"Yeah…" Rowand sighed uncertainty. "Protecting people…"

Kebiin was being rushed into a room, his eyes fluttering as voices and machines whirled around him. The lights were a blinding white, but they eventually dimmed out enough that it didn't sting his eyes. His leg and arm throbbed and itched, and his body felt too light. The people above him were wearing white and light blue outfits, all of them sticking needles and tubes into his limbs. He tried to resist, but all he could muster was an exaggerated twitch.

"Doctor!" A female voice called out. "We ran the tests, and his blood type… it doesn't match any other on record!"

"What do you mean it doesn't match anything!?" A man's voice replied. "He has to match something!"

"Sir, we'd need to run more tests to see what would happen if-"

"There isn't any time to run more tests! We're lucky those girls sealed his wounds, but it's not enough to save him. It's a miracle that he's even still alive at all."

The door to the room opened, but Kebiin couldn't even turn his head to see. But something about the presence felt familiar in a way.

"Who are you!?" One of the doctors shouted. "We're in the middle of a procedure, you can't just-"

A sharp and deep voice cut through them. "You will forget everything you saw here and report it to no one. Fabricate this boy's records to make it unassuming."

"We will forget what we saw here and fabricate this boy's records to make him unassuming..." the voices all replied.

"Leave us," the new man commanded.

Kebiin heard the doctor's swiftly turn on their heels and neatly exit the room, leaving him to this strange new person. But before he had the time to react, he felt an overwhelming urge to sleep. In his current state, he had no ability to resist, nor did he want to. His muscles relaxed as he let himself fade back into unconsciousness.

"Uncle, how are we going to do this?" Penny whispered nervously. "What if they come back? They might think that we're hurting him more."

"Don't worry." Rowand assured her. "They won't even know we were here."

He tried to take a tentative step toward the boy, but something halted him. Did he really have the right to see his sister's child? He was an Inquisitor, an agent of the Empire. He should kill him now while he had the chance, depriving Nyxona or Xaelos of the pleasure or credit as well as proving his loyalty, but…

"Uncle? We should hurry."

Rowand snapped back into reality at the sound of the android's voice. He looked down at her, throwing back up his attitude of an "uncle." For all he knew, he might have to act like a real uncle someday, but that was wishful thinking. He didn't know if he really should help Kebiin now that he was here, but some part of him told him that he wanted to.

"Right." Rowand nodded. "Let's get to work." The two of them gathered different materials from around the room, ready to perform a blood transfusion, with Rowand himself as the donor. Afterall, he was probably the only person in this new galaxy who could do so.

After Penny finished the makeshift operation, she finally let herself relax. She knew Kebiin would be okay. She took a seat next to his bedside and held his hand in both of hers, letting out a few tears.

"Penny, we need to go. We shouldn't stay here too long." Rowand said. After the transfusion, he felt plenty woozy. He could use a rest somewhere more comfortable.

"Sorry uncle, I'm just wishing him good luck." She said innocently. She gave the boy a quick peck on the forehead and patted his hand before peeling herself away.

"Said goodbye?"

"Mhm." Penny nodded. "Do you want to say anything? I think the two of you could be friends, too."

Rowand froze his breath. "I… I don't think we could be friends, Penny."

"Why not? I already made a lot of friends! Besides, you always say that you don't like the other people you work with."

"I already told you that he can't know about this. We're leaving."

"He's asleep. He won't hear. C'mon, I can introduce you!"

"Penny, I said-" Before he could finish, the little droid girl was already pulling his hand back to Kebiin's bed.

"Go on, just say hi." Penny nearly giggled.

Rowand didn't know what to say when he looked down and saw Kebiin's frame hooked up to all this machinery. The boy his fellow Inquisitors were hunting, his nephew, was right in front of him. Rowand and Kebiin shared the same hair, the same skin tone, and a similar overall frame. It was like looking at his child self, the idealistic young Jedi from before Order 66. Rowand felt his eyes tense with the beginnings of tears as he continued to look down on the last remaining thing he had of his sister. The one thing he could have been.

"Uncle?" Penny asked softly.

"Okay, let's go." Rowand swiftly turned on his heel and began to exit out the door. Penny rushed to follow him.

'Azrilin,' he thought on his way out. 'I found him.'

Kebiin's vision was still hazy, but he knew he wasn't in his hospital bed anymore. He felt drowsy and slow, but nowhere near as fragile as he did before. He could hear waves gently buffering against rocks and sand all around him, the salty smell of a sea filling his senses. The air was crisp and clean, and his eyes were beginning to clear up.

Sure enough, he was on a sandy island, overlooking a vast expanse of saltwater, but this sea was different. All around him, the wreckage of crashed ships dotted the landscape, some the rusted remains of ancient white and orange Republic, Mandalorian, and other vessels of unknown designs. He looked at the near-cyan sky, and saw that it was divided by a narrow dark ring, with smaller dark points orbiting it. Squinting to get a better look, the dark line looked like it was made of smaller metal pieces that had naturally fused due to gravity. He didn't know what it was exactly, but that metal orbital ring did not sit right with him. It felt… cruel in a way.

A new sound began to cut through the waves, causing Kebiin to rear his head to the small cliffs behind him to find the source. When he saw the dark shape descending from the sky, Kebiin knew exactly what it was. An Imperial shuttle made its elegant descent on the rock ledge above him, landing in front of a woman clad in a black armored tunic. Kebiin didn't know his exact location, but he recognized the woman.

"Mom…"

Kebiin now knew what was going on. The Force had given him another vision. He took several steps forward, ready to get closer to the people that he knew wouldn't be aware of his presence. But as soon as he took his first stride to his destination, he found himself already there. Did his dream just jump him to the spot he wanted to be?

The loading ramp on the shuttle hissed open, revealing his shadow of an uncle, Rowand. Kebiin looked back at his mom, who he was standing just a few feet away from. Her head was tilted down to the ground, her face some odd contortion between sadness and relief.

"Azrilin…" Rowand said when he came to face his sister. "I didn't think you were really going to do it…"

Azrilin didn't respond yet. She let the waves fill the environment, allowing her the time to work up the courage to speak.

"...I found them. Both of them." She reached under her cloak, revealing two cubical holocrons. Kebiin instantly recognized the one that glowed a faint light blue. Revan's holocron, the one he had learned from. But the other, glowing a strong orange, was unknown to him.

"Rowand, I've listened to them both." Azrilin said. "We both know neither of us wanted the Dark Side. We're supposed to be Jedi, not… not what we are."

"No!" Rowand snapped, much quicker than his sister. "The Jedi are gone, Azrilin! We made sure of that! Come back to Imperial space. You found two Jedi artifacts that could be beyond valuable to the Emperor and Lord Vader!"

"I'm not going back! Rowand, do you know who these holocrons belonged to? He can help us!"

"No, he'll lead to our execution! Do you really want to join the rest of the Jedi, Azrilin? They're gone, and they'll never come back because of people like us."

"So you're just going to let the galaxy plunge into darkness?"

"I helped it plunge into darkness. We helped plunge it into darkness. How can you be so blind? The Sith rule now. At least this way, the Force has a place in the galaxy."

"Rowand…" Azrilin was beginning to tear up. "You were going to become a temple guard. You were meant to preserve and defend everything the Jedi stood for. Don't tell me that you-"

"But I'm not a temple guard and I'm not a padawan anymore. I'm still fulfilling my purpose, just for the Empire. And there's no stopping them. If you leave, you'll be hunted. If you try to reject the Darkside, it will always linger. You won't last long."

"Is that what you really believe? Or is that what Vader told you to believe?"

"It's stone-cold fact. It's not a matter of belief."

"I see…" Azrilin sighed. She tucked the blue holocron back under her cloak, but tossed to orange one at Rowand's feet. "Keep it. If you use it, it'll help you. If not, I'm sure Lord Vader might give you a pat on the head." Azrilin spun on her heel to walk away from her brother, toward where Kebiin assumed a ship would be.

"Don't you dare move, Azrilin!" Crimson light reflected off the white sand as Rowand ignited his lightsaber. "If you leave now, you'll be considered a traitor and a Jedi in the eyes of the Empire. And we of all people know what happens to traitors and Jedi…"

Without turning to face her brother, Azrilin reached into her cloak, pulling out another object that Rowand found all too familiar.

"Rowand…" She began softly. "I remember when you couldn't wait to get into the guard. You looked up to them so much, wishing you could be as vigilant and unwavering as they were. It took some digging, but I finally found one…" She turned to face her brother, revealing the object she held in her hand. The white and gold helmet of the temple guard. "If you won't take the holocron, then at least take this!"

Rowand was stunned. The mask his sister held toward him was the very symbol of everything he had been taught to destroy, but it was what he so very desired to be all those years ago. His lightsaber retracted back into its guarded hilt while his mouth still hung just slightly open.

"Where did you get that? The Emperor said that he wanted to destroy all that remained…"

"Turns out not even the Empire can find everything they want to destroy. If you're going to stay, then fine. But please, if you truly need to find me… I'm certain you can find where I am."

Azrilin moved to give Rowand a hug, which after a brief moment of hesitation, Rowand returned it.

"Even if we can never be knighted, we can try to come as close as possible." Azrilin pushed the mask into Rowands hands, which after getting a better look at it, he began to tear up. In his hands was the life he had originally desired. The life that he still longed for. The life that his sister thought he could achieve, but it was the life that would be forever denied to him.

"Goodbye, Rowand." Azrilin whispered, still embracing her brother. "May the Force be with you."

She broke away from the still awe-struck Rowand, and turned her back to him one last time, pacing back to her own ship. After she was gone from view, Rowand began to fiddle with the white and gold mask. He turned it over and tilted his head to try it on, but he hesitated. He didn't do anything to deserve such a prestigious badge of honor and valor. But… he decided to keep it. He tucked the mask under his arm, and turned back to board his shuttle. When he placed his first foot on the steel ramp, he extended his arm, and called the orange cubicle holocron from the sand into his palm. He couldn't just leave a relic of Revan unattended.

The ramp slid upwards, hissing as it pressurized to seal the hull from outside conditions. The wings folded downward as it lifted off the ground, and everything turned white as the engines lit up to leave orbit. In the white light, a voice called out to him.

"… someone get the doctor! He's waking up!"

The woman's voice cut through the whiteness like a thin knife, as welcoming as it was unknown. More voices crowded his ears, and shadows loomed overhead. Kebiin's mind barely managed to make sense of it all, in spite of his senses being a little too clouded to even think straight. He recalled Ruby and Weiss with him, following Penny down Vale's streets.

That was when Kebiin remembered what had happened. The White Fang at the docks. Penny, and her laser. The fleeing airships. Him finding Roman Torchwick. That strange woman and her long needle. Him falling from the airship.

Torchwick taking his mom's lightsaber from him.

Kebiin's breathing grew erratic. The Force inside of him flooded out of him and went in every direction. It gripped the primitive equipment placed around him, rattling their legs and causing the readings to beep uncontrollably. The blurred faces moved in and out of his hazy sight, and their voices were clearly filled with alarm.

"The readings are going crazy!"

"Forget the readings! The equipment's moving!"

"Hold him down! Bring that sedative!"

Kebiin's panic rose. They were trying to drug him. They were trying to make him their prisoner. He would not allow that! He would not…

"KEBIIN!"

Kebiin froze, and so did the equipment around him. He recognized that voice. It was gentle and full of warmth, like his mom. He blinked his eyes, and his vision finally cleared to a pair of silver eyes staring back at him. The small, fair face was etched in concern for his wellbeing.

"Kebiin, you're with friends! Safe!" the face told him. "Please, calm down! Udesiir!"

Kebiin did, repressing the sudden surge of the Force, and all of the medical equipment stopped rattling. Relief came over him and everyone else. A calm silence followed, only for a short while when a new voice joined in.

"Ruby, what happened?! Is Kebiin alright?"

Tilting his head back up, Kebiin saw the silver eyes squinting away some small hints of weariness. Her face was now obvious, even when she turned to talk to the paler newcomer. "Kebiin's fine, Weiss," she said.

Ruby? Weiss? Kebiin was surprised to even see their faces, though he was not ungrateful. "Wha…" he tried to speak, but his hoarse tone turned into a cough.

A strong hand rested on Kebiin's heaving chest. "Easy," Yang's voice came through, and Kebiin saw the familiar wild blonde on the other side of his bed. "Can you give us a few minutes?"

The gowned nurses, barely in Kebiin's sight, did not argue and wordlessly left the room. In fact, they looked relief, which was no surprise, given what he just did. When they were gone, Kebiin looked around. He certainly was not in a cell, but a plain room like Beacon's medical wing, and he wore a hospital gown. Kebiin's teammates were on his right, left, and at the foot of his bed, each with looks of relief and concern.

Lying in his bed, Kebiin managed to ask, "Where am I?"

"Vale hospital," Yang answered from Kebiin's left. "You've been out for several days. Do you remember what happened?"

Kebiin nodded, though he really wished he had not. "How?"

"Weiss used her Dust crystals to heal your wounds," replied Ruby, who sat on Kebiin's right. "She saved your life."

Kebiin turned to Weiss. The heiress stood at the foot of the bed, and she looked everywhere to avoid his gaze. She was still ashamed of screaming at Blake and forcing her away from everyone. However, all of the hate Kebiin held for her and the shame he held for himself seemed to fade away.

"Vor entye. Thank you."

Surprised, Weiss brought her gaze to meet Kebiin's. There was the flicker of hope, sorrow, and happiness when she spoke, trying to keep her usual demeanor, "Just don't do it again, okay? You had us all scared."

Kebiin smiled, and so did Ruby and Yang at that. It was short-lived when Kebiin voiced his next question: "Did you find anything on Blake?"

Now, the girls' expressions dropped, and they hesitated to say anything. "Actually… there was something…" said Ruby as she reached into her cloak and pulled out a familiar soft and black of Blake's bow.

Kebiin sat up, even though Yang and his aching body wanted him lie down, and he stared at the black ribbon in Ruby's hand. Kebiin was not sure how long he had been staring at it. Seconds, maybe longer, but he did notice the familiar wetness building in his eyes. He failed to hold them in, and small tears dripped out and wetted his cheeks.

Yang's hand gently rested on Kebiin's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. We'll find her."

"She couldn't have gotten far," Weiss agreed. "If anyone can take care of herself, it's Blake."

Sniffling, Kebiin wiped away his tears. "Y-yeah. You're right. Can I?" Ruby gave him the bow, and his still-wet eyes studied it. "W-where did you find it?"

"Actually, Jaune found it," Ruby said. "He said he didn't know how, but he did."

Kebiin was surprised and would have asked more, but Weiss interrupted them, "I hate to break this up, but we should get going. The nurses will be back soon."

Yang removed her hand. "Take care of yourself," she told Kebiin, and she left the bed.

Weiss managed a small wave of her hand before she joined Yang and exited the room. Ruby, too, stood and was about to follow when Kebiin called her, "Ruby? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Ruby stopped and turned to him with a curious look. "Sure," she said and she returned to his side.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask…" Staring at Ruby, Kebiin hesitated at first, "… back at the docks, did I… did I say anything?"

"You did. Why'd you ask?"

"I don't remember that much," Kebiin looked down at his hands. "I just remembered lying down… and… and I was calling for her."

"You mean your mom?" Kebiin's head rose up to Ruby, who explained, "Weiss heard you calling her when you were out. She didn't understand it, but..."

Kebiin understood clearly when Ruby let the sentence unfinished. He felt Ruby's sadness and pain rising to the surface, just like his own. Knowing it would not do any good to let it be, so he looked away and let out a sigh. "I miss her a lot… After she died, I was on my own for seven years. I haven't had anyone else."

"You're no longer alone. You have us, now," Ruby gave an assured smile.

"I know, but it's still hard." Kebiin turned to her, again. "I guess you understand what that's like."

Ruby tilted her head in her usual goofy manner. "Did you read my mind?"

Kebiin allowed himself a chuckle to lighten the mood. "No, Yang told me. Can you tell me more about her? Your mom, I mean?"

"She died when I was little, but I can still remember her." Ruby stared off and smiled wistfully. "She was the best. She was Kind. Beautiful. Whenever she wasn't on Huntress duty, she would always read to me and Yang. Her cookies were terrific, too."

A small smile spread on Kebiin's lips for the briefest moment. He frowned again and let his true question come out. "Do… do you think she would be proud of you?"

Ruby's silver eyes sparkled as she stared back at her friend. "I hope so. I do worry sometimes that I'm not good enough, but I always tell myself mom would not like that. In fact, if she saw me, I think she would say 'great job, Ruby!'" Ruby said with her beaming smile. "And I think if your mom saw you now, she'd probably say the same thing. She would be proud of you."

Kebiin sat there, a little stunned to give back to the comment. He was brought out when Ruby told him. "Get some rest, 'kay?"

"I will," Kebiin agreed. A reminder popped into his head and he called out, "Ruby, can you tell Jaune to meet me? I want to talk to him about something."

"Will do," she smiled.

Ruby made her exit, and her footsteps faded after she was out of the door. Alone at last, Kebiin softly exhaled through his nostrils, and he looked down at the black ribbon in his hands. "Proud…" Kebiin murmured to himself.

"Ah, you're back." Cinder purred as she sat across her desk. "How was your little trip?"

Rowand strode through the doorway, moving Emerald and Mercury aside by nudging against their shoulders. His brow was slightly more furrowed than usual, giving a sense that he had something rather unusual on his mind. "I need to see your master." He said urgently.

Cinder's usual sly grin slowly faded away. She hopped off of her little perch and darted her eyes at her lackeys, both of them raising their brows in confusion. "Go outside," she told Emerald and Mercury. "This is above the two of you."

"Cinder..." Emerald tried to begin, but she stopped when small embers form behind Cinder's irises. After what almost looked like a flinch, Emerald nodded and motioned for Mercury to join her as they exited the room.

Once the door shut behind them, Cinder turned to Rowand. "How do you know?"

"Believe it or not, there are some things even you aren't allowed to know," he replied coolly.

Cinder was somewhat amused by the remark. "Is that so? I don't find that hard to believe, but having those words coming from the mouth of my subordinate is rather… insulting."

"I'm not a subordinate. I'm an ambassador of the Midnight Song."

"Yes, an ambassador who follows my orders and commands. Just because Atlas has greater weaponry due to your party doesn't mean you can make demands like this of me."

"Are you going to take me to your master or not?"

Cinder snorted. "Why so urgent? And why would you need to see her now of all times?"

Rowand leaned forward, his nose a mere inch away from Cinder's. "Because I know what she is. She is like me, my colleagues, and my masters. And if she is truly like us, she could crush you in an instant if she so desired. If you will not give me what I want, then I will take it in the same fashion she would."

Sneering and amused, Cinder leaned forward and placed her mouth right next to Rowand's ear. With her cruel and nearly seductive voice, she whispered. "Prove it."

Without moving his head from Cinder's, he raised his hand next to her temple. A low purring overtook the room, reverberating off of the walls. Cinder's sly grin faded away as was replaced with an unnatural contortion as she tried to keep grimacing.

"She can do this too, right?" Rowand said as he moved his hand even closer to Cinder's

"I-I can't move…" Cinder fought back, and failed to break the hold on her. "How are you doing this? This can't be a Semblance, you said yours was telekinesis!"

"I lied."

Rowand pulled back, releasing Cinder form his chilling grasp. She took a few gasps, but regained her composure astonishingly quick. She cupped her long fingers against her cheek, allowing her amused grin to return. "You're right." Cinder confirmed. The Witch does have that power, and many others. So you can use magic they way she can?"

"Magic?" Rowand scoffed. "That is literally the terminology of primitive beings. But it's not something you can understand. Only I and your master can."

"Fine. I'll take you to her."

Rowand raised an eyebrow. "I expected a little more resistance from you."

"Trust me, if I could fight back, I would. If you are like Salem, then you admittedly eclipse me. But once I gain the power I seek… maybe then, we can see who surpasses who."

"You're beginning to sound like my own master."

Cinder ignored the comment. "If you want to see her, we'll need get to her by aircraft. How fast can your Atlas ships make the journey?"

"Less than a day, easy."

"Good," Walking past Rowand, Cinder spared him a glance. "I hope you're ready to meet the Dark Lady of Remnant."

Jaune almost groaned as he dragged his polished school shoes down the halls of Beacon's medical facility. His current state drew a couple stares from the nurses, and even some students who came in for treatment. That did not matter, though. Jaune's body ached all over he was not sure how he could even stand, let alone walk, after what happened an hour ago.

As he walked, Jaune noticed a nurse came up to him. "Excuse me," she said, "do you need any help?"

Jaune immediately answered. "Ugh… I think I bruised a couple of ribs and…" He caught himself "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm here to see a student. Kebiin Ceibur."

The nurse looked down at her pad. "Ceibur… Ceibur… ah, yes! This way."

Ignoring his own aches, Jaune followed the nurse down the long corridor. It was not long until the nurse stopped at a door and gestured right in. "He's right in here," she told Jaune.

"Thank you."

As the nurse left, Jaune took a peek inside. Though Kebiin sat there in his bed, seemingly fine, he certainly looked like he had been through a lot. The blue-haired boy, dressed in a hospital gown, looked out the window and his mind was somewhere else.

Kebiin turned his head and noticed his visitor. "Hey, Jaune."

Jaune came into the room with a smile, "Hey Kebiin! How are you doing?"

Kebiin, instead of answering, quickly stated, "Why do you have food on you?"

Jaune looked down, seeing some ketchup and mustard on his school uniform. "I thought I got rid of the last of it," he sighed, wiping some of it all with his hand.

"Was it Nora?"

"Who else?" Jaune stated as he came up to the bedside.

"Weiss?" Kebiin chortled.

"Well… you're not wrong there."

"For real?" Kebiin stared blankly and squinted as he contemplated an image of Weiss charging into battle like a Mandalorian Crusader with bread in hand and covered in tomato, soda, and who knows what else. "I hate to ask, but what's the damage?"

"The entire cafeteria."

Kebiin blinked his eyes. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh.' Anyway…" Jaune pulled up a chair, "Ruby said you wanted to see me, right?"

"I did. I wanted to thank you for finding Blake's bow. It's means a lot to me and my team."

Jaune sat down. "It was nothing. Honestly, I don't even know how I found it."

"Jaune, do you remember our last conversation?" He nodded and Kebiin continued, "Pyrrha told me that you don't know what your Semblance is yet. But I think you might have similar abilities to my own."

Jaune tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Similar abilities? What do you mean?"

"When you said you always used to feel sick as a kid, I knew exactly what you were feeling. The nausea, the emptiness, the way the world seemed sluggish. But… you can hear it."

"Hear what?" Jaune scratched his head. "You're making it sound like an imaginary friend."

"It was what led you to Blake's bow. How you sensed my frustration on that one morning. Please Jaune, this is important. Can you sense it?"

A soft purr overtook the room as Kebiin closed his eyes in concentration. A small hollow whistling overtone joined him as he felt an additional surge of energy brush against his senses.

After a lengthy pause of nothing but the mental noise, the flow of energy ceased. Kebiin opened his eyes to see Jaune, panting and wide eyed, but… smiling just ever so slightly.

"Woah… what… what was that?"

"The Fo-" Kebiin almost placed his finger against his lips to keep himself quiet. He couldn't bring that up just yet. He had to keep it in a context Jaune would understand. He didn't want to overwhelm him. "You're like me, Jaune. Our Semblance and Aura is unlike any other. My mother and… uncle had it. I have it. You have it too."

"Man, you're starting to sound all wizard," Jaune cracked, "but I did feel something. It was like when Pyrrha felt my Aura near the beginning of the year. She said I had a lot of it somehow. I was beginning to worry it would never manifest, though."

"Don't worry, it's like that for people like us. If you want, I can show you the ropes."

"Show me the ropes? I don't even know what my Semblance actually is. You're the one who can use yours. If they're the same, what does it do?"

"Your Semblance?" Kebiin placed a hand on his chin. "How do I explain this… You can do more than a lot of other people. Move things without touching them, strengthening your body, even influencing the minds of others."

"Woah." Jaune said, somewhat disbelievingly. "How does one Semblance manage all

"Very carefully." Kebiin joked.

"Then what about that thing we heard just now? That… rumbling. The little whistle. I've never heard of any Semblances like that."

"That? Well… think of it as a voice. If you listen to it, it can tell you a lot of things that will help. It can tell you where an attack is coming, give you hints where some people might be… or help you find objects you wouldn't normally find."

"You mean…"

Kebiin nodded as he glanced over to Blake's bow. "It's almost like a faunus' survival instinct, that voice. But it's beyond primal instinct. At least, that's what mom and Revan told me."

Jaune cocked his head to the side and raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Revan? Who's

Kebiin froze up once he realized what he let slip out. "Huh? Oh, nothing, nothing! I'm just thinking out loud, is all." Kebiin cringed internally at how awful his attempted recovery was.

"Hey, you doing alright, man? You panicked a bit there."

"Nah, it's no problem." Kebiin said with a little more confidence. "I'm just dizzy from the loss of blood. I should probably rest. See you in a few days?"

Jaune scratched his head, noticing that Kebiin was obviously lying about something. But he didn't decide to press on the issue. If he didn't want to talk about something, he didn't have to talk. Besides, the kid nearly died. Even if it was an excuse, he needed his rest. "Right." Jaune nodded and turned around to leave. "Say hi to the team for me when they swing by."

Kebiin spoke up one more time. "Oh, I almost forgot. Could you tell Ruby to bring me my pack from our dorm? There's some stuff in there I'd like to keep on me."

"No problem. I'll let them know."

Kebiin nodded in thanks one more time as Jaune closed the door behind him. He let out another unrelaxed sigh as he sunk into his paper covered pillow, looking at the long burned mark across his forearm.

"First real scars…" Kebiin cracked a small grin. "First step in becoming a real Mando."

The auto-piloted Lambda shuttle made its rickety landing on the vast bog. Cinder was the first to come walking down the ramp, donned a black form-fitting outfit, which included a pair of long-sleeved gloves and high boots for the swamplands ahead. Rowand, on the other hand, hesitated and covered his scrunched nose with his sleeve. Though he was gifted in his natural abilities in the Force, the smell was something he had to get used to.

"Are you sure about this?" Rowand's muffled voice cut through the smog. "I can sense something in the distance, but this storm won't exactly be pleasant to trudge through."

At the bottom of the ramp, Cinder lit a small flame in her palm. "No, she prefers it this way. Her Grimm can inspect any guests and intruders."

Grimm? Was that what Rowand was sensing? No, those dark beasts had smaller signatures. They were far more primal and unnerving. But this new feeling… Rowand knew he had sensed something similar back home. It was definitely dark, but it didn't belong to an individual organism.

"Well, come on." Cinder waved with her flaming hand. "This way."

Arm still over his face, Rowand trailed down the ramp and right into the swamp. The very ground turned to mush under the boots, and Rowand took careful steps to not sink into the bottom. He followed the woman, letting the light in her palm guide the way through the thick fog, and as Rowand did, he could start sensing them now. Grimm. A lot of them.

The first one came into their view, it's black outline contrasting their white surroundings. A Beowolf with an exceptionally feral fur coat. Rowand automatically reached for his lightsaber.

"Don't." Cinder placed her hand on Rowand's, keeping her eyes on the Grimm. "Don't let them think you're hostile."

"And you are speaking from personal experience?" Rowand guessed somewhat sarcastically.

Cinder didn't respond. She just kept moving forward, past the Beowolf. It didn't so much as snarl as she walked by, but it jerked its head forward as Rowand walked near it. It sniffed at him head to toe, bearing its' fangs if he moved even a minuscule amount.

"Rowand, don't move." Cinder said, nearly wincing as she examined the beast.

Rowand acknowledged that this was the first he had seen her genuinely worried. Not for his actual well-being of course. She likely didn't want to disturb Salem by bringing her a mere corpse. After a little too much time inspecting Rowand, the Beowolf pulled its head back. Rowand relaxed, but as he did so, the creature puffed its chest. It glared at him, making a decision that Rowand had to anticipate.

The Beowolf raised its claws up to swipe at him, only to bring it down on Rowand's now ignited lightsaber. In one small motion, the Grimm was left amputated, and in another, it was left decapitated. The creaking and low groaning of the swamp immediately ceased, allowing the raspy whistling of Rowand's glowing blade resound across the environment.

"That was a stupid move," Cinder scolded him from behind, "but we're just going to have to deal with it. More Grimm will be on their way."

No sooner than she said it, howls echoed. Forms, large and small, slowly crept out of the shadows with their red eyes gleaming at their new prey. Around the two humans, were dozens of Grimm of all sorts of species Rowand had never seen before. And all of them were baring their fangs, claws, and other weapons and Rowand and Cinder.

Cinder immediately went back-to- back with him, readying herself for a fight. "I hope you're as powerful as you say you are."

"So do I." Rowand said.

Igniting his second blade, Rowand brought the hilt vertically to his chest and activated the spinning ring to create a shield of lightsaber to put between himself and the approaching Grimm. The encroaching monsters jerked backwards, unsure of what to make of the strange spinning red beam. But their worries and curiosities were quickly set aside. Several Ursa made the first move, charging at Rowand without hesitation.

Still spinning his blades, Rowand made a hook punch motion with his weapon, sending sparks into the air as the lightsaber made contact with the Grimm's flesh. Their wounds sizzled and burned as they backed away from the scorching weapon, causing all of the other Grimm to take better notice of his capabilities.

He looked over his shoulder expecting to see Cinder fighting her own battle, but she just… stood there. The Grimm parted for her, clearing a path away from the circle of Grimm. "Cinder?"

"She says she will grant your audience if you survive." Cinder said in her typical purring tone. "I've already fought and won this test before. Now, you must do the same."

"Of course…" Rowand grunted. He knew that the darkside would only do so well against his swarm of enemies. The Grimm fed off of negative emotions, and his usual combat style emphasized those very feelings. He needed to change things up.

Rowand took a deep breath and emptied his mind. He remembered the lessons from the holocron the Faunus stole from him, the one his sister gave him on Lehon all those years ago. His mind calm, Rowand folded the ring on his lightsaber, setting his weapon back into a regular double bladed position. Taking his fighting stance, Rowand braced himself for the hoard of monsters deep in the dark.

"Easy, easy, you just got into those." Jaune cautioned Kebiin as the latter stretched out.

The two boys were in the school courtyard trying to hone of Jaune's Semblance. He had already lined up several rocks with his mind, but it was a lot more grueling than it looked from the outside.

"I'm just glad to be out of that thing." Kebiin said, tilting his head over to his discarded hospital gown. For the afternoon, he was finally back in a semi-armored tunic, jeans, and boots. "It ain't exactly beskar armor, but this is much more fitting of my people."

"Alright, I've got all the stones lined up," Jaune gestured to the line of stones. "I gotta say, I didn't think I'd be moving things with my mind so fast."

"Neither did I, to be honest…"

"Hey! At least give me a little credit."

Kebiin raised up his hands in front of him. "I don't mean to insult, I'm just genuinely surprised. Took me weeks before I was able to manipulate my surroundings. You got to that point in just a few days."

"So… I'm doing good?"

"Very good."

"Alright, what next? More rocks? Bigger rocks? Meditating on rocks?"

"Hmm…" Kebiin placed a knuckle to his mouth as he focused his senses outwards. A familiar presence was making her way from the school. This would be the perfect moment. "Jaune, tell me, what do you feel?"

Jaune blinked. "Well, I'm kinda hungry…"

"No, not that! I mean can you sense the things around you yet? The people, the plants, the feelings in the air?"

"Haha, I get it. Love is in the air what with the Dance coming up."

Kebiin groaned. "C'mon Jaune, I'm serious! Here, focus your perceptions outwards until you hear that voice again."

Jaune shrugged but did as told, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Hear it?"

Jaune didn't respond.

"Umm… can you hear it?" Kebiin asked. Silence again. "... hearing it now?"

"I can definitely hear your voice." Jaune joked.

Kebiin rolled his eyes and scoffed at him playfully. "Fine, I'll just tell you what to look for. She's walking down the steps in the academy right now. I'm sure you might recognize her Aura signature."

Now, Jaune opened his eyes. "Pyrrha!"

"Sorry to interrupt." Pyrrha said as she approached the two of them. "I saw you two from the window and I couldn't help but see what was going on. I also see you're doing a lot better, Kebiin."

"I am!" Kebiin said. "I feel like I can finally move freely. And I only hurt a little bit as opposed to a lot." Kebiin bounced on the balls of his feet a couple of times while making a few jabs at the air.

"Did the nurses say you could move around like that?"

"Probably not. But hey, what are they gonna do, arrest me? I'm a sickly patient. They think I'm fragile."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Pyrrha smiled at her leader. "And Jaune? I see your Semblance is beginning to manifest more and more. I'm really proud of you!"

Jaune blushed as he scratched the back of his head a couple of times. "Oh, uh, thanks Pyrrha! I think this is really helping though. Who knew I'd run into someone who could teach me this sort of thing? Let alone that he would the 'new kid.' I'm feeling pretty lucky."

"Well, that's good to see. You're making a lot of progress here, Jaune. You do Beacon proud."

"Man, I dunno about that."

"C'mon Jaune, don't downplay yourself too much!" Kebiin tapped his shoulder. "You're more talented than you know. Trust me, once you master your Semblance, you can accomplish–" Kebiin froze right on the spot. His pupils dilated, his tan skin whitened, and his arms began to shake uncontrollably.

"Kebiin?" Jaune said.

He and Pyrrha rushed over to Kebiin, trying to keep him steady as he fell onto his knees and covered his ears.

"Nayc!" Kebiin was absolutely petrified. He had reverted into a child-like state, crying out in his native language. "Nayc, nayc, nayc! Nayc ret'yc… Pehea…"

"Kebiin, what's going on!?" Pyrrha asked frantically.

"It's them… I can hear it… that howling… shab'rudur ner kov'nyn…"

"Kebiin, we can't understand what you're saying."

"Wait…" Jaune interrupted and tilted his head up a little, "hear that?"

Pyrrha listened in closely, finally picking up on an odd howling noise. She knew what it was. "Kebiin, you're okay. You're alright, it's just Atlas visiting for the festival," she explained soothingly.

Kebiin looked up at her in absolute shock, tears rolling down his cheeks and his eyes reddened. Atlas' trademark new fighters soared over the sky, displaying their unique H-shaped design. Several larger three winged craft were among them, likely shuttles. One made its' way to the landing pad on the roof of the academy. The fighters continued to soar overhead, Kebiin twitching more and more violently as each one flew by.

"Pyrrha, that's not… they're not…" Kebiin stood up, his face devoid of relaxation and wit, but full of terror despair. "TIE fighters… the Empire…"

"Kebiin, I don't know what you're talking about," Pyrrha told him. "That's Atlas, they're just-"

"No! They killed my mother! My father! My clan and my home! I have to tell Ozpin, I can't let them take Remnant away from me!"

"Please, calm down, it's not what-"

Both Pyrrha and Jaune felt a sudden burst of energy and they were flung from their feet, away from Kebiin. They looked up to see him pull Atiniir from the ground to his hand, and dash toward the school.