1-X: Aftermath

It had been 10 hours after the fall of ... the fort.

Sure, the home that the White Fang had built up had a name, but it didn't matter anymore.

Both the fort and its Captain had fallen to grimm. Whatever significance those broken walls once held, strategic or sentimental, have been cast aside. Having been abandoned and destroyed once more, these once-reclaimed ruins have returned to simply being ruins. But this was an outcome that many in the wildlands were prepared to face, so each of the White Fang could only accept the loss with a heavy heart.

And so too did Lieutenant Vermont.

No. He was Captain Vermont now. A new Captain, he had to remind himself, for the old one had fallen. Even now, he could see his superior's last moments, hear his last words as he ordered them all to retreat.

A few solemn commands had sent the engineers to the motor pool, where they remained as the rest of the recruits and soldiers fled. And just as the old Captain went to fend off the humanoid grimm, so too did his fellow Lieutenant resolve herself to stay with the engineers. A loud explosion, and a terrible collapse signaled the end of Iris, the Engineers, and the very fort itself. Countless crates of dust disappeared overnight, a heavy cost for the White Fang, almost as heavy as the lives that had been lost in the entire battle.

But one that was worth it, for many more had been saved.

At least, Vermont tried to convince himself of this as he gave the old Captain, and the rest of his fallen colleagues, a moment of silence.

He was not alone in his grieving, as the everyone in the trucks were somber, not willing to speak a single word as they drove through the dirt roads. But even grieving had to end, and the new Captain had new responsibilities on his mind as he turned to the rest of the Faunus. They had been displaced, certainly, but they were not refugees. There were other White Fang encampments nearby, and in time, they would find a new home. What was important right now was to count the living and move on.

It was for this sake that Vermont made his way to the covered truck. He rapped at the small window that connected passenger to driver, and the driver handed him the radio without another word. It took a few minutes for the person in the passenger's seat to fiddle with the radio, but he eventually tuned the device to the local area's emergency frequency. In the wildlands, these radio frequencies were few and far in between, as few towers remained unmolested by the grimm, but the old Fort had been a hub of activity for the White Fang, and it only took Vermont a few moments to reach the nearest Camp.

"This is Captain Vermont. I have over two hundred displaced White Fang." His voice was solemn, but despite the radio's age and unsteady signal, his tone was carried through perfectly.

"T-this is South Watch 3. Say again?"

"This is Captain Vermont..." He paused for a moment, not wanting to use the fort's old name; It held too much meaning for him. Yet, he had to say something. The Jackal-Faunus fumbled a bit longer before he remembered that their old home was supposed to get a new name, in light of White Fang's new militarization policy. "... The Central Arms Depot has fallen."

"What? How?!"

"Grimm attack. Far beyond expected numbers for the area." And that was certainly saying something. This region had always been subject to grimm incursions, and the only reasons the Fort saw manageable numbers was because the White Fang regularly exterminated the local grimm. "... There were too many grimm. Too many kinds of grimm. Deathstalkers, Nevermore, even a strange humanoid one."

There was shuffling and silence on the other end. It dragged on for nearly a minute, as the people at the Outpost scrambled to check through papers, region reports, and who knows what else. However, even that didn't last long, as another voice came up.

"...Acknowledged. We'll be ready to receive your wounded. And once you get here, get ready to make a report. Command isn't going to like this."

"Are you certain of this?" The voice belonged to a middle-aged man, but carried the weight of someone who had experienced life for far longer.

"Yep." The second voice was equally old, and carried the experience that came with surviving long enough to be a Veteran. For few lived long enough to truly call themselves Veterans, when they fought as private security for upstart corporations. "And just so you know, I've sold the same information to a few other outlets as well. This is too big to stay exclusive, even for someone like you."

"...Is that so?" It was more of a statement than a question, and the other side knew it.

"Yeah. It is so." Still, he humoured him. "Not even the old Colonel can afford exclusivity on this." The Veteran gave a tired chuckle, one devoid of mirth. And that lack of enthusiasm was conveyed from the middle-aged man's scroll perfectly.

"Oh? Our old friend's a Colonel now?"

"Your old friend, not mine." His tone made this quite clear, even as the sour face fired off an uncharacteristic smirk. "And also your problem. Don't forget that he's in bed with my bosses' biggest rivals... And not even he can afford to keep this information quiet."

"Yes..." The man had a somber tone, pausing for just a moment as he stared out the window. His reflection was barely visible against the morning sky, as the sun began to rise in the distance. "... Is the weapon truly that terrifying?"

"I told you already, I don't even know if it was a weapon. It was something, though, and whatever it was froze the grimm for a good ten seconds." As the Veteran reiterated his report, the other man tapped his scroll, bringing up the recorded footage. And, just as he said, the video showed a mysterious flash of purple, freezing countless flocks of Nevermore and other grimm froze in place. "Either way, it's something no one's ever seen before"

"I understand. Thank you for the information."

"Sure thing." The Veteran paused, mentally debating something as his face made a complicated expression. This wasn't lost on his contact, who merely threw him an inquisitive glance. After a minute of silence, however, the old security guy finally spoke up. "... Just know that if you wanna do something with it, you'd better do it fast. I've got orders to bring a larger group to investigate by the end of the week."

"I'll put that information to good use." This time, the man gave a rare smile of gratitude to old Veteran. "Thanks again, old friend."

"I'll say it again, Ozpin, but I'm no friend." The words were quiet, and their meaning was lost to all but the two men."...No problem, Ozpin."

And with that, the call ended.

Ozpin stood at his desk, his smile fading into a frown, his eyes cast to the distance. He spoke out to the empty room, trying to gather his thoughts as he stared into empty space. "... I wonder, what could this mean?"

Only silence answered him.

It seems that there were little answers for anything these days, and it was with a heavy air that the man returned to his desk. One hand took his mug, an eternal part of his repertoire, as brought it up to his lips. It was one of the few calming gestures he had as of late, and one that he found himself increasingly falling back to. Taking his scroll, the Headmaster tapped a certain contact, his eyes fixed on the device until the call connected.

Red eyes met his own.

"... Ozpin."

"Hello Qrow... Have you heard the news?"

In a space far beyond mortal eyes, completely separate from a world in turmoil, stood four figures.

The first sat on empty air, one leg crossed over the other as he casually leaned back, his skull an ever-present smirk. The second one fluttered about, darting around the room in idle attention, her eyes glancing between her colleagues and the artifact at the center of the room. The third was curled up, arms wrapped around her knees, her vision glued to the artifact, completely quiet as her wings wrapped around her arms. And the fourth stood silent, staring out into the Krosmoz, his gaze the only one that did not behold the mysterious item.

"Would you look at that? Not only did your little tragic villain lead a bunch of monsters to a settlement of innocent people, he also kidnapped two of them." Sram chuckled, his voice a haunting echo as he turned to the Lady of Compassion. How could something so monotonous carry so much weight? "Well, at least it isn't as bad as trying to wipe out an entire race, right? Baby steps."

Sacrier threw a sharp glance at her godly companion, only to be met with an empty grin, the same rictus smile that was permanently fixed on Sram's skull. Honestly, she couldn't say a thing, couldn't refute his claims as she turned her attention back to the Mirror.

Yes, the Mirror. Though calling it that wasn't completely accurate.

To say that it was an oddity was putting it lightly. Shortly after they sent Nox's soul through the portal, it closed. A few of them thought that that'd be the end of it, that the spiral of Wakfu torn in the universe would dissipate into nothingness... but that didn't happen. Rather than disappearing, the portal flickered for a few moments longer, twisting and bending the space within it, until it changed to something far more tangible.

Not quite corporeal, but something far more stable than a simple tear, that circle of Wakfu was something not even they could not understand. The light blue glow of energy fused into itself, morphing from a steady hum of light, to a thin pane that hovered in the air. And through that mysterious pane, they could see Nox's journey through the Krosmoz.

And his journey beyond. First, through the darkness that they knew surrounded the edges, then into something darker than darkness. What they didn't expect was that something existed beyond that.

Or maybe it wasn't beyond that. It was something not even the gods knew, and it shook nearly all of them to the core.

Yet, throughout its formation, only Xelor and Ecaflip remained unperturbed. The Keeper of Time merely watched with silent stoicism, while the God of Chance contented himself with a knowing smirk, accepting the strange phenomenon for what it was without asking further questions.

Of course, Gods were fickle beings, and while the descent of Nox was a curiosity, the fact that the mirror conveyed nothing beyond sight did little to sate their curiosity. And when the only sight was the broken Xelor standing amidst a group of unknown beasts, neither party moving for the better part of an hour, their interest waned. Many disappeared to parts unknown, with only Sacrier, Xelor, Sram and Eniripsa staying behind.

"Still, even if he is improving, I doubt Sadida's going to be happy with this little result." Sram spoke up again, leaning back against the empty air as his gaze shifted from the mirror to Sacrier. "Even if he technically didn't kill them... Eh, who knows. Maybe he won't care, since they aren't Sadida? He's weird like that." And yet, for all of Sram's poking and prodding, the Lady of Compassion didn't make another sound.

And this silence seemed to bore the God, as he gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Eh. Feel free to continue watching him do whatever he's up to. I've got something that needs doing." And with that, Sram disappeared, setting off to do whatever it was Gods of Shadows do.

"Just ignore him, Sacchi!" The moment Sram disappeared, fairy goddess immediately chirped up, fluttering over to her fellow goddess's shoulder as Eniripsa gave the woman a playful pat. "It's not like Noxie's doing anything bad, or did anything on purpose! Those monster-things were already there when he arrived! And I'm sure he has a reason for kidnapping those two people!"

"... What reason could he possibly have for that?"

Sacrier's voice was quiet as she stared at the ground. She of all people knew what drove Nox. He had been no small curiosity for the Lady of Compassion; After all, she bore another title, one that resonated fiercely with the misguided efforts of Nox. Sacrier, the Goddess of Sacrifice, turned her gaze back up to Eniripsa.

"Just why would he need to kidnap people? He's got a new start now!" Sure, it wasn't reincarnation, but fate had dealt the Xelor a new chance. And rather than take it, the Shadow of Noxemilien Coxen chose to squander it. "... What is he thinking?"

And yet, nothing but silence chose to respond to the Goddess's question. Her silent pleas to the Miracle Fairy went unanswered, and the quiet gaze she threw to the God of Time was met with in kind.

He hurt.

Those were the first cognitive thoughts that entered the Captain's mind. The rest of his body remained inert as he slowly began tallying his mental and physical faculties, trying to find the source of the pain. Yet, after a few moments, all he could discern was that his everything hurt. The Captain opened his eyes, only to be greeted with the dim hue of some metallic ceiling, and the distant sound of unintelligible chatter.

And something ticking.

He held back a groan as he sat himself up, trying to steady himself as he sat up. It still hurt to move, but he couldn't afford to lie around on the metal floor. As he gathered himself, the Tiger-Faunus slowly brought his attention away from his internal pain to his surroundings. It only took him a minute to realize that he was in... Trouble.

He was in a cell. And beyond that cell was a pack of Beowolves and Ursai, each glaring at him with crimson eyes. He instantly tried to reach for his weapon, only to find that his hands were bound. The sudden clatter of bindings echoed through the room, and the Captain froze for a moment. It was only for a moment, though, as another voice sounded out.

"Shh!" It was quiet, but the voice was familiar. Instantly, the Captain's attention was diverted, as he slowly turned to face the source. There, as handcuffed as he was, seated in the center of the cage, was his Lieutenant.

"Sorry Captain, but I'm as lost as you were... Just stay quiet, before-"

The Grizzly-Faunus's words were interrupted when a strange laugh echoed throughout the room. The captives turned to the source, and saw the Humanoid grimm enter the room. Both of the White Fang elite froze, unable to do anything, at the mercy of this strange thing as it stepped closer.

It spoke out, obscure words that they couldn't understand. And yet, despite their visible confusion, the being made no effort to elaborate, laughing instead as it turned around.

The growl of an Ursa resounded, as it suddenly lounged at the cage. Both Faunus brought their hands up in defense, having resolved themselves till the end. Yet, neither were prepared when the ... mummy suddenly brought out a hand, firing a blast of purple at the Ursa, annihilating it utterly.

The masked mummy's voice sounded out once more, this time taunting, as though it were chiding waning wisp of smoke, paying no heed to the fact that the Ursa had died instantly. It continued on for a moment longer, before its unknown words finally ceased. The humanoid grimm gave one final laugh, before leaving the room once more.

All while that incessant ticking echoed in the background.