WARNING: This chapter is pretty dark and very dramatic, but it explains key parts of the plot whilst progressing it at the same time.

Chapter VI: Revelations

'They'd love nothing more but to tear you to pieces...'

It took a minute or two to get the projector screen up and running.

"No turning back now…" I thought to myself.

"Well, it's ready when you are," Professor Port stated, his personal scroll in hand ready to play the video.

Before he started though, I said: "If you don't mind sir, I'd rather control the video myself. It's kind of personal…"

"I understand," he said handing me the scroll.

After mentally preparing myself for what I was about to see, I sighed and addressed the class. "What you're about to see is classified to the highest tier. It does not leave this room. Understood?" They all nodded. "Good," I concluded, turning to the screen.

At the push of an icon, the screen flared into life. A girl appeared on the screen, she had long chestnut coloured hair and had white tattoos on her face.

Shadow.

"This is BM Operative Codename Shadow conducting a preliminary report for assignment number: 08963. Classification: Tier One. My brother and I will be leaving for the ruins known as 'Grimm's Respite' at 1900 hours. There we will be investigating high levels of Grimm activity."

Watching the footage gave me lumps in my throat. It was nice to finally see her face again. Alive.

I had now entered the room, my helmet clicking into place as I finished putting it on. She turned to me.

"Hey Spec, are you ready to sign in?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there Shad." I moved out of the camera's field of view for a few moments.

Shadow sighed to the camera. "I worry about him sometimes, I really do…"

I then moved back to the camera. "This is BM Operative Codename: Spectre reporting in. I will be assisting Shadow in this assignment. Our objectives are previously stated."

I quickly found myself muttering my lines to myself, word for word. Snapping out of my trace, I began to fast forward the video to a more appropriate point. I continued playing when we were in the treeline, scouting out the area around the ruins. I remember them well; they were high atop a huge rock connected from top to bottom by intricate cave systems. The area between us and the caves were open and teeming with various Grimm. They were all alert, as if on guard.

"Spectre, can you pause the footage please?" Professor Port asked. I did just that and he continued. "There are many species of Grimm that can coordinate their minors, as you can see here. This however, seems to be something else entirely. Notice how those Beowolves are scanning the treeline; normally they would be attending to whatever their kind does, but here they appear to be constantly on guard, as if protecting something… Carry on Spectre."

I thumbed the icon and vid started to play again.

We were crouched down low, concealing ourselves in the undergrowth as much as we could.

"This side seems to have the least Grimm," I said to Shadow.

The camera was attached to her helmet, so the screen shook when she nodded. "Yeah…"

"You don't seem so certain. Have you… seen anything?"

"Nothing that will help us here," she replied eventually, "C'mon, I'm ready. You?"

"Always."

"Then let's go." She grabbed my arm and I Void-Jumped the gap between us and the Grimm. We surged forward, weapons drawn. I was in front, firing off shots with Doom and Fall as I advanced. Shadow leaped up in the air, releasing a scattershot into the rabble with her bow, Death's Whisper. The black arrows from her weapon tore through the ranks of the Grimm; for every shot fired, at least one fell.

I had always admired her grace as she bombarded her foes from a far. It was like a dance of silent, shadowy death – I grim thought I know, but in our line of work, it can sometimes define us as Hunters or Huntresses.

Before we knew it, a larger Ursa had withstood Shadow's endless volley and was going in for a mortal blow. Then with a bone-shattering crack, its head recoiled back and its body flopped to the icy ground, a gaping hole in its skull. The camera turned to me, my blades pointed to where the beast had stood.

"I got you," I said.

Shadow straightened up from her braced stance. "Thanks bro," she breathed.

"Any time." I sheathed my weapons and made my way to her, not noticing the two remaining Beowolves behind me. Shadow's hand sped to her bow.

"Spectre, freeze!" In an instant, I did so and she shot off another scattershot. The projectile split into two, whizzing past both sides of my head and slamming into the Beowolves behind.

I looked behind me to inspect the damage. "Thanks sis," I breathed, turning back to her.

"Any time," she replied happily. Then we laughed for a few moments as the irony sank in.

"Is that really what my laugh sounds like?" I thought. The odd thing is, I don't remember actually laughing, like full-on laughing, past that point. I had not laughed for two months – two long months…

Seeing as the trek through the caves wasn't too eventful, I fast forwarded to the peak of the rock pillar. The ruins themselves.

We emerged from the darkness of the caves and directly on to a small area of stone flooring, intricately carved and showing no sign of age. There was a flight of stairs directly in front of us, almost daring us to climb them. And we did. Not a word was uttered as the main plateau came ever closer. Only the arctic wind and the roars of the Grimm below could be heard. The camera didn't even pick up our footsteps; whether we really were that sneaky or the background noise was too loud, I will never know.

Once the stairs had come to an end, we were greeted by a husk of a structure. It was circular, the walls shattered in places but mostly intact. The same couldn't be said for the roof or the opposite end of the ruins however. There was no real way of defining what Grimm's Respite was in ancient times, but there was a gothic look to it, with the odd stain-glass window here and there.

We searched the area, not quite sure what we were looking for. Or what was to come.

"Nothing?" I asked to no one in particular.

"No…" Shadow said still figuring things out, "There's something here, I can feel it."

"Feel what?"

"I can feel a sort of… buzzing. I hear it too. Can't you hear it?"

"No." I hesitated before continuing, "Wait, isn't this just like…"

She nodded slowly.

Before we even knew about his place, Shadow had seen a vision. This vision had stayed with her for quite some time, and at first we didn't know what to think of it. But now I know.

"It's getting stronger…" Shadow said, clutching her head now.

"What's getting stronger?"

"The buzzing, Spec… It feels like my head is going to explode…" She fell to her knees, groaning in pain.

"Shadow!" I ran towards her and kept her upright. "Talk to me! What do you see?"

"I'm as good as dead Spectre…"

"To hell with that! What. Do. You. See?"

That was the scary part. She was so still, so cold, it was almost like she had turned to stone.

"It's here…" she said raising her head slowly, her voice only just a whisper.

"What's here?"

"It's here for me… You need to run…"

I made her visor level with mine. "Never."

Suddenly, there was the flap of wings and a heavy thud behind me. At this angle, the camera could only see a large bone-plated foot with cracks in the stone floor from its landing. Shadow's breathing was heavy and shaky. She was scared. She never had been scared before, but she was scared.

With time running out quickly, I spoke one last sentence to Shadow: "I will protect you until my last breath, just as you always have done for me." I gripped her on the shoulder one last time, and turned to face my ultimate foe.

The camera now had full view of the monster. It was three times taller than I was, and had thick bone-armour greaves up to its knees. Its hands were bigger than its torso, and in its right was a bone sword of huge scale, capable of tearing through anything that met its edge. It looked like some sort of distorted human, except for its head. It had no nose to speak of, only a pair of holes, like a skull but with a papery layer of black flesh. Then there was the mouth, nearly big enough to swallow me whole, lined with teeth the size of my hands. Large bovine horns protruded from the sides of its head, and its eyes… they were the most menacing feature. Its glare could sunder entire armies if it wished. And yet still I stood against it.

I charged, unleashing a battle cry as I closed ground. The beast's roar tore through me, sapping me of my strength, and the arctic winds became a blizzard around us. It was so thick that it clouded the camera's lens, making Shadow blind to the duel that raged on though the whiteout.

I reflected on that tragic moment, how the beast pushed me back again and again. I remember it swinging a back hand with its gargantuan fist, sending me hurtling into a wall, barely clinging to consciousness... Then it came for Shadow.

The beast reached out for her, wrapping its long bony fingers around her and holding her up to the sky. It opened its mouth, smiling maleficently into the camera.

It was almost as if it knew I was watching...

Shadow's groans grew into mutters and mutters grew into silence. Her body became limp, and her head dropped.

"NOOOO!" An explosive round slammed into the side of the Grimm's face, taking a bloody chunk from its upper jaw and cracking its right horn. It screamed in pain, deafening my ears and echoing for miles around. Realising it was vulnerable, it fled to the skies, dropping its prize before taking flight.

The blizzard had cleared now, and the camera stared up at the grey that was the clouds above. You could hear me grunting, then a violent crunch as I relocated my shoulder, followed by a sharp howl of pain.

"Shadow!" I cried stumbling over to her, "Shadow, talk to me!" I pressed the buttons on the side of her helmet. The vents alongside her jaw hissed to one side, allowing me to take her helmet off. I threw it to one side, the camera still filming the whole thing.

"Shadow come on! You're not… You can't be…" I placed my hand behind her head and lifted it up, holding her forehead against mine.

"No…"

The film turned to nothing but static. End recording. It was only now that I felt the warm wetness inside my helmet, running down my cheek. Tears. And I didn't care. I stood there for a few moments more, returning to the present. Then I grabbed the memory card, placing the professor's scroll on his desk and grabbed my things from under my desk. I didn't look around at anyone, or even make a sound. Neither did anyone else. I just walked out of the lecture room.

I closed the door behind me, leaving me alone to the emptiness of my dorm. It had no character to it, nothing that shown it as my dorm. It needed to change.

I moved to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, peering at the reflection of an older boy in a helmet. There was no face. No identity. Just a lone soul with nothing to gain from its existence. A soul that had sworn to never show his true face. Why? I didn't even know my own past, or even what I am now. Was I a soldier? A robot? Was I known for the things I did and not the person I was? So many questions, but no answers…

I placed the memory card next to the sink, pondering on what to do next. Then a light bulb pinged on. "I need to remember…" I muttered, "Remember myself…" Deep down, I knew I was human, I just needed to prove it to myself. Gradually moved my hands to the sides of my head. "What do I remember…?" I pressed the buttons and the jaw vents clunked open. I took a moment to breathe the fresh air as normal people did. It tasted sweet and soothing. I lifted my arms higher and…

Knock knock.

I hesitated, then replaced my helmet, sighing at the interruption, and moved to the door. I opened it about halfway and poked my head around.

"Hey Spectre." It was Yang. Should have figured she'd be the first to turn up. She had her hands behind her back and was looking down awkwardly. "How are you holding up?"

"I've… been better," I said. There was an uneasy silence for a few moments. She must have come straight here, as she was still wearing her uniform.

"Y'know, we're all worried about you. That a pretty intense lesson for all of us…"

"I'll be fine," I said cutting her off, "I just need some time alone, OK?" I went to close the door on her, but she wouldn't have that. She barged into the room and sat on one of the beds.

"Sit," she said pointing to the spot next to her.

"Yang…"

"Now."

"…Really?"

"Yup."

"I'm not a dog…"

"I know, now sit."

"Yang, seriously, I fine…"

"Don't lie to me."

"Oh bitch please…"

"Hey! Don't you dare talk to me like that!" she snapped. Her hair started to glow as she said it, and her eyes turned a blazing red. "Now, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND SIT THE HELL DOWN!"

I really wasn't in the mood for this, but better judgement stopped me from arguing further. I closed the door behind me and Jumped to the bed, sitting next to Yang just as asked.

Her fiery scowl melted away, leaving only concern on her face. "What's wrong?"

"You know."

"Do I?"

I sighed and put my head in my hands. "I failed, Yang. I failed and it cost me her life…"

She rubbed my arm gently. "We all lose people sometimes… it's just one of those things."

"But how many people can say they've lost everything in a matter of seconds?" I asked looking at her.

"You didn't lose everything. You're still here aren't you?"

"You don't understand…"

"Then tell me what's going on."

I looked away, took a deep breath and explained my life story. I started with waking up in the cave, how we joined the Blades and how I didn't ever know any family besides her. "She was the only person, the only thing that I knew from my childhood. What am I if I have no name or legacy to follow?"

Yang sat in silence for a long time before answering. "You came here to escape from it all didn't you?" she said finally, "To use your skills for a better cause, I mean. You're moving on in a way, and she's been gone for a while now - so maybe you should move on about this too…"

"You want me to forget her?" I said raising my voice, "You want me to forget everything she did for me?"

"No, that's not what I…"

I stood and turned to face her. "She made me what I am today. If I forget her, what little I had in the first place will be gone. I will be nothing!"

She faltered. "Spectre…"

"No Yang," I interjected, "I failed to save Shadow and now I am paying the price. How would you feel if Weiss wasn't there to save Ruby in the Emerald Forest yesterday? You failed to save her, and it was luck alone that she stepped in when she did."

Yang was looking down at her lap in otherwise worrying silence.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about..." I finished spitefully.

That was the last straw. She rose and flung an almost invisible punch, hitting me square in the face. I flew backward, my back slamming against the wall behind me. I bounced off, landing on my hands and knees. Now I was really angry. I stood back up and kicked the bed in front of me, sending it flying at Yang. It collided with her legs and caught her in a vice grip against the bed we were sat on. I followed up quickly by Void-Jumping forward into mid-air and slamming my fist into her face. After a rolling recovery, I turned to face her, and she answered by hurling one of the beds towards me. With no room to manoeuvre, I took the hit and was knocked back against the other wall in a shower of splinters.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" The rest of team RWBY had walked through the door and witnessed the destruction.

I stood from the remains of the bed, my voice uneven with rage. "I told her to leave me alone…"

"You know what?" Yang said accusingly, "You can have your precious quite time…"

"Good. Now get out of my dorm."

"Fine!" she said stomping to the door, "You're dead to me anyway!" After she left, Weiss and Blake followed her out, still in shock from what they walked in on. Only Ruby was left.

She looked around what was left of the room in distress. "What happened here?" she asked desperately. When I didn't answer, she sped out of the room, probably afraid of what I'd do if she played her cards wrong.

I stood for another minute or two, thinking over what had just occurred. Then I heard crying through the wall. I didn't even care about what I just did; there was no guilt and no remorse. That is what scared me the most…