A/N: Quite a few teasing hints for the future, hopefully you guys pick up on it (probably will). Here we have the end of season 1, and I'll take a short Hiatus to write up some more chapters and, hopefully, write some for my Bleach fics, since they are in desperate need of an update, but I can't be certain.

We've also reached 36 favourites and 37 followers and 5k views! Thank you to all~

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

Chapter 14: Nothing is Eternal

Three days. That's how long we scouted the forest and swamps where Seraphim should be, but we had zero evidence of its existence. It was irritating. I couldn't pick up any trace of the Grimm-human either, so unless they were naturally disguised as a human instead of Grimm or not even appearing - the former always led to a dead end. Raven had stayed though, and after returning her weapon she still stayed, thankfully. I presume it was because she didn't want both Yang and Ruby to suffer the loss of a mother figure for the third time, but I couldn't be sure. She said she'd continue her mission, but would stay with us until the end of the mission at least with the promise of visiting. Hopefully I could convince her to stay like I did with the others.

I sighed quietly as I looked at the ceiling, the moonlight from the window shining down across the middle of the room. I rarely ever fully lost consciousness, usually just ending up scanning through the memories of the pasts of others for the majority of the night before I woke up early. The bathroom door opened with a quiet click as Ruby came out in her pyjamas, not even considering her own bed and instead coming to mine, snuggling against my chest. A smile spread across my face at the action, even as I ran a hand through her crimson and black hair.

''I wouldn't be surprised if you were a dog Faunus, with how much you like cuddling'' I joked lightly, getting a giggle from Ruby.

''It'd be awesome, I'd have little doggy ears'' She giggled and I chuckled in amusement as she raised her hands to her head, making an impression of having ears ''Woof~''.

''You're too cute Sweet Rose'' I chuckled and she blushed, but giggled along ''I wonder if we'll run into Seraphim again, or if they've fled?''.

''They shouldn't be too strong'' She hummed, playfully poking my cheek ''Especially since we've got the best leader ever~''.

I smiled ''And the best teammates ever''.

She giggled ''Yeah, our team's awesome''.

''Mm, get some sleep now'' I smiled as I pulled her into a comfortable hug, she hummed in reply as she closed her eyes. Several minutes later her breathing evened out as she fell asleep, and not too long after I also fell asleep, or into my usual state of semi-unconsciousness at least.

I tapped my foot impatiently as we waited for Qrow, Lavender wanted to come help us but she was talking forever, longer than Yang did with her hair. I sighed and occupied myself by sensing the Aura signatures of those around me, intentionally clouding my mind with memories to make it harder. It was a simple, but unique form of training I had devised myself, since it had - so far - proven to be effective.

The door swung open as Lavender and Qrow exited the building, the former locking it up behind her. Without a word Qrow and Lavender led us back towards the gate, and I swore I had the feeling I was being watched, but I couldn't sense anyone or see anyone. I ultimately dismissed it as I followed the veteran Huntsman out of Rockledge, into the narrow passageway and out into the open once more.

''Damn~'' Lavender whistled as she looked over the edge of the cliff ''I see what you mean, its like my first year at Haven''.

Ruby looked at her curiously ''What d'ya mean?''.

She grinned ''Heh, back then I was still testing the limits of my Semblance... and I may have blown up half of a mountain, by accident of course''.

''How does one blow up a mountain by accident?'' I deadpanned.

''By creating a fireball mixed with lightning and spinning a whole lot'' She grinned widely, patting my head as she passed, getting an annoyed twitch from me. It didn't happen often, and most the time I uncaringly ignored the remark, but subtly jibbing at my height was not a favourite of mine. Probably went for every short person out there.

''See you at the bottom'' Lavender winked at us before jumping off the edge. Even I blinked owlishly and immediately moved to the edge, and I shamelessly gawked as she started flying without wings.

''She's flying'' Yang said evenly ''She. Is. Fucking. Flying''.

''I wonder if I can fly?'' I tilted my head, immediately getting a resounding 'No!' from my friends, however I persisted ''No I'm serious, my Semblance allows me to effect matter, my body is made from matter. Doesn't that mean I could technically make my body into oxygen or something and... fly?''.

Qrow cut in sharply ''Maybe, but I recommend talking with Ozpin about it, last thing we need is you turning into a cloud and flying away''.

''Hm'' I hummed, nodding ''Whatever you say, Ossan''.

He looked at me weirdly ''What?''.

I smirked, looking at Reality who giggled before she answered for me ''It means 'Old Man' in an old language''.

Qrow glared ''Son of a-''.

''See ya~'' I smirked and used SchattenSchritt to move a few feet backwards, avoiding his punch at my head. With a mock-salute I began repeatingly using the technique, transforming the downward trip into an impromptu training session, beginning my descent.

I missed the silver eyes watching me from a distance, before the person disappeared with the wind.

''How many times have I told you? We need to help them before one of them gets seriously wounded, Oum forbid dead!''.

''I know you're concerned *****, but we have to let them grow on their own, otherwise they'll remain children when she arrives''.

The first person sighed, running a hand through their hair stressfully ''I know, I know... its just not fair. We both know what Seraphim is capable of, and in her territory she has another advantage''.

''Well...''.

''What are you thinking?''.

''If she were to, I don't know, attack Rockledge-''.

''*****! You cant be seriously considering sacrificing innocent civilians for the sake of bringing down one of them!'' The first yelled furiously, making the second wince.

''I know it sounds bad, but its the best option''.

''I...''.

''You know I'm right''.

''...That's what I find annoying, you're always right, whether its in a fight or a conversation'' The first grumbled with an annoyed scowl, making the second smirk victoriously, before falling back into a serious look.

''Anyway, lets just watch from a distance'' The second decided, getting a sigh and a nod from the companion.

''But... what if she shows up?'' The first asked hesitantly.

''She won't dare leave her territory, not when Ozpin is still alive. They'll be fine, and if Seraphim is too strong, then we'll intervene''.

The forest stretched on forever as always, but I meaninglessly trudged with the rest of my team as we 'patrolled' the area. Lavender and JNPR were checking out a rocky valley that could potentially hold some value, and AREME plus Qrow were in the swamps a few miles out, Raven tagging along. Qrow had told me to message him if anything occurred that we wouldn't be able to handle, and that he'd be over in minutes if it was - leading me to believe he had some kind of teleporting Semblance or high-speed movement Semblance if he was able to clear the distance that quickly.

Shaking those thoughts off I continued walking through, my team behind me with their weapons lazily holstered, wary but bored. I could say the same too, even as I held Judgement in one hand my other was periodically summoning the strange black energy up and creating another Grimm mask, placing it on my face and waiting for it to crack and crumble. Currently the average time limit was fifty seconds.

A small flash drew my eye and I narrowed said ocular appendages, narrowing my focus down to the small glint. It looked to be metal, so not Grimm, but judging from the vines it was likely a facility of some kind - I've heard of them, testing facilities for dangerous kinds of Dust. I pointed it out to my friends and they gave me a 'check it out?' look and I nodded, trudging through the thick grass and vines towards it. I passed around a fallen tree and clicked my tongue in faint awe at the sight of it. The metal was a Dust-infused with a blue-ish tint, I knew this from the many Atlas magazines I read back when I was younger, and this stuff was expensive.

The Schnee Dust Corporation logo was on the side of the building, and below it were a pair of sliding doors, or what was left of them. They were closed, but they had been caved in... or rather outwards, towards us. I felt a chill run down my spine at the sight of it, it was honestly like something from a sci-fi horror film; it indicated something had been contained, and escaped. Possibly Seraphim, or something else? Shrugging, I walked up towards the doors, switching Judgement to sniper form just to be safe.

''Anyone getting a creepy vibe?'' Yang said with a nervous laugh.

''Mm'' I only grunted as I slid between the gaps, easily wide enough for a Beowulf. At my gesture my companions hesitantly followed. The small lobby we found ourselves in was painted white, looking like an eerie hospital with the dull crimson lines on the ground turning down the corridors. Vines grew on the walls and roof, obscuring our vision slightly. Lighting was minimal, but not dark enough that we couldn't see anything. A Grimm would be able to ambush us, but we had just enough light to see it coming. Small holes jutted in the walls and floors, joined by claw marks and very old blood, showed by its dark, nearly black colour and looking like it was painted on.

''Weiss, do you know anything about this place?'' I questioned, not even bothering to look at her. I had to be on guard in this place after all.

''Not particularly. I do know it had something to do with Dust, obviously, but it was also a place of experimentation'' She bit out the last part acidly, making me pause to look at her.

''Experimenting with Dust?'' I asked quietly. She grimaced, shaking her head and mumbling something incoherent ''What?''.

''Dust, Humans and Grimm'' She repeated, her twisted face showing her great disdain for it. Ruby and Yang sucked in breath, and Blake paled. I shared a look with the Faunus ninja, and silently I prayed it wasn't Faunus-exclusive, else Blake will have a fit... or worse.

''I see'' I nodded, transforming Judgement and doing a single, quick sweep with it to cut the vines before changing into its compact form. I sighed as I walked up to the nearest wall and placed my back to it, moving and peek my head round the corner, nothing. It was unnatural. Not that I was expecting Grimm to be littered throughout the facility, but it had this vibe that spelled trouble, but also enticed with the promise of answers. I was about to call out to my team when I saw something move and I froze, holding a hand out to them, signalling them to be quiet.

Because of the lighting the figure was fully black, and vaguely humanoid. One side looked more bulky than the others, but it was hard to say. I couldn't make out any crimson eyes, so that was a good sign for now. Still the figure limped slightly, before pausing, idly standing there before moving down another corridor, leaving my sight. I turned and was mildly surprised when I saw my team had also been watching, our heads stacked atop one another comically. Thankfully we didn't fall, instead carefully and quietly dislodged ourselves.

''The hell was that?'' Yang whispered quickly.

''I don't know, Grimm?'' Weiss responded, unsure.

''Never seen one like it'' I added. Before I could add anything else I heard a low 'clak-clak-clak'. Instincts from fighting Deathstalkers kicked in as my eyes darted all around us, finding nothing. I peeked around the corner, but found nothing either. I heard the sound again, but found nothing in my sights, so hopefully whatever it was wasn't coming closer, or even more hopefully it wasn't even a living thing.

''Hear that?'' I whispered hastily and I noticed, subtly, that the pitch had increased. Definitely getting closer.

''Lets just get the hell out of here, whatever is in here isn't worth waiting around for'' Yang grumbled as she got up, hunched and striding towards the door. Blake and Weiss immediately followed, and I helped Ruby up before following, my eyes trained on the only hallway in the room. As we backed up, the clanking noise increased gradually. When Yang got out, it was closer, and a cold feeling of dread settled in my stomach as I sensed something coming, and judging from the look on Blake and Weiss's face, they also picked it up as they quickened their pace.

Just as Ruby got out, the source of the clanking became apparent to me. It was a human... I think. It had the body of a human with a hospital gown on, but her face, chest, arms and hands were covered in black fur, crimson eyes glaring at me as a mad grin stretched across her face to the point of splitting her face. Her nails were the source of the clanking, long ivory spears that were as long as Jaune's sword each. They tapped together idly, creating the horribly eerie noise as she tilted her head at me, grin never falling from her face. Her legs were so pale and skinny it was a miracle she was still standing... but she clearly wasn't human.

Silently, I reached up with slow, watchable movements. The creature watched curiously, tilting its head the other way as I created the ball of dark energy and formed it into a mask, before clipping it onto my face. Slowly, I raised my gaze to meet the creature, opening my mouth...

...only for a strangled grunt to escape my lips as I felt my nerves scream in pain. I looked down slowly... to find the woman's nails in the centre of my collar bone, I looked up equally as slowly, seeing the twisted grin on her lips. Surprisingly she had not moved, instead her nails extended and pierced me like an extendable spear. I stood there for a few seconds, not fully comprehending how her nails did that, before with a soft whizz the nails retracted with the speed of a bullet. The pain struck and I stumbled, but survival instincts kicked in and I bolted it over the ledge where my team had been frozen in shock. I immediately turned and fired Judgement, hitting her chest, but only creating a hole in her chest, which she ignored.

I roughly and haphazardly reached for a Blood-infused Earth Dust Crystal. Implanting my will for a thick oak tree, I shoved it into the ground at my feet and backtracked, dragging Yang who had yet to break from her stupor. The others also got back, unsheathing their weapons and waiting. The creature inside cackled, but it was muted as the tree rumbled into existence, as tall as the facility. I grimaced as I realised my wound was being healed by Life's Mark, but because of the low amount of power in it, it was slow... and oxygen was becoming a problem.

I fell to my knees to lessen the pressure, pushing my Aura to the wound in an effort to speed up the regeneration. It worked, but breathing through a gap less than a straw was painful and panic-inducing, not to mention my friends around me also panicking. When my oxygen returned I sighed, flopping onto my back as I heaved in air, Weiss on my left and Ruby on my right, Yang and Blake apparently looking out for Grimm.

''Idiot'' Weiss muttered while Ruby just looked at me with a 'Not again' look. I chuckled lightly as I breathed deeply, regaining the lost oxygen and regaining my composure and mental stability. Wouldn't do any good to go into a panic. Weiss helped me to my feet while Ruby pulled out her scroll, probably sending a message to Qrow. I sighed as I looked back at the building, still hearing the incessant clanking inside.

As soon as possible we left, with me having a mental note to return later, unaware of silver eyes watching me.

''Guys'' Ruby abruptly broke the silence, making us pause in our return walk up the mountain to look at her ''Uncle Qrow said... Good news: We got a lead on Seraphim. Bad news: we pissed off a lot of Grimm. And we're coming your way with JNPR''.

''Oum dammit'' I sighed, face-palming as I unslung Judgement again ''Lets just head towards the base of the mountain-''.

The end of my sentence was cut off as the whole world shook, and a truly enormous explosion at the top of the mountain erupted. It grew into the size of a dome as a shockwave of wind blew past us, knocking Ruby off her feet and making me stumble. I blinked owlishly at the sight, before it clicked in my head that this mountain held Rockledge, and that thought brought a curse out of my mouth.

''Shit...'' Yang summed up pretty well.

''...lets go, now'' I said sternly ''Ruby, send a message to Qrow''.

''On it'' She nodded, fingers tapping away as we all began sprinting up the mountain.

''I'm going ahead, see if anyone's alright'' I explained and my team nodding, understanding. I nodded back and activated my Dunkelheit, and immediately moved into a SchattenSchritt. I cleared thirty-odd metres, before I took off in another burst. When I reappeared Ruby took off next to me, disappearing in a burst of rose petals and appearing ahead of me. I chased after her, clearing to the top of the path and up onto the ledge and joining Ruby. The narrow pathway was still intact, but it no longer ended in a gate. I took off, Ruby not far behind as we closed in on the end of the pathway in seconds.

When we reached where the gate once stood, I froze in surprise at the sight before me, Ruby in a similar predicament. The town was totally and utterly gone, only a smoking crater was left, the grey rock singed black nearer the centre. In the centre however, stood a person with full silver eyes, Seraphim most likely. It was, presumably, female judging from the slight mounds on the chest and figure.

She wore black leggings, a black bodysuit with purple designs swirling all over it with the cloth stretching to cover her arms fully, the fingertips white. On her head was something that vaguely resembled a helmet, being an almost oval-bowl shape on each side of her head and black in colour with a stripe of white diagonally across it, protecting the sides of her head. Her face itself was pale, skin an ivory colour, nearly as white as snow. Her lips stood out because of their black colour, a red line on each eye that started about her eyebrow and stopped below her eye, like the red marks on Grimm masks. On her forehead was a small, crimson gem, standing out against her white skin and silver hair. Some purple construct was on her back, but I couldn't tell what it was.

I took a step forward ''Seraphim, I presume?''.

Silver eyes stared back emotionlessly ''Indeed I am, human, but who might you be?''.

''Eien'' I replied coolly, slowly walking towards her, Ruby not even needing to be told not to intervene yet. Perhaps I could bring her to my side, after all if she was this powerful, then it would be a great assistance against Cinder and Salem ''So... any particular reason for destroying the town?''.

''To get closer to my objective'' She responded crisply, face remaining as blank as my own.

''Which is?''.

''I see no need to inform you of it'' She denied smoothly.

''I see'' I responded as I levelled Judgement at her, already in blade form ''Then we are enemies, unless you care to join my side?''.

''I will not abandon Lady Salem'' She retorted with disdain, making my eyes narrow.

''Very well'' I said before firing. She didn't move an inch from her spot, instead leaning to the left and allowing the bullet to travel under her arm and into the other side of the crater. I used SchattenSchritt to get close to her, making her eyes widen slightly, and swung down at her shoulder.

However I was unashamedly shocked when the blade failed to puncture her, instead clanking against her skin like I hit steel, which was surprising considering that Judgement had been reformed with Adamantite. She didn't even wait for a second before I found her fist buried in my stomach, the surprising amount of strength behind it enough to shoot me back into the ground a dozen feet back.

''Idiotic move, child'' Seraphim taunted/chided ''Is this what Lady Salem warned me of? You don't seem any different to you fellow humans''.

I grumbled, getting to my feet ''Does every major figure know who I am or something?''.

''I would not be surprised'' Seraphim answered, her face barely having twitched a muscle in emotion. She snapped her fingers, and a few seconds later a dozen caws were heard as a flock of Nevermore came from the clouds, as if they had been waiting amongst the clouds. They all began circling the mountain, and their eyes flickered between myself and Ruby, before deciding on the latter.

''Ruby, go to the others'' I called out to her hastily, and she nodded, sending me one last glance before disappearing in a flurry of petals, an onyx feather taking her place a moment after. I turned back to Seraphim and glared, Dunkelheit already having activated subconsciously, and raised a palm to her. A simple mental image brought up a red Sigil, which glowed instantly.

''Insho: Kasai!'' I barked, sending two worms of fire towards Seraphim. She was surprised, eyes widening and she actually dodge-rolled to the side, the flames impacting where she stood. Before I could angle it to chase her, she raised her left hand and revealed an orange circle on palm, which glowed before the same laser from before shot at me. I immediately dodged to the left, letting the Sigil fade as I did so.

''Interesting'' Seraphim remarked as she got to her feet once more, and I did the same, glaring at her as she returned the glare with her pupil-less eyes ''Interesting indeed''.

''Enough talk'' I grunted as I used SchattenSchritt to get behind her, also revealing the purple construct. It appeared to be folded up wings, but I couldn't be entirely sure. Regardless I swung Judgement, succeeding in cleaving through the softer flesh and making Seraphim gasp in pain. Before I could even blink however she spun and a laser burned through my shoulder, making my own pained gasp escape my throat as I was sent tumbling back again. I barely stopped rolling when I was forced to dodge again, my Aura working to seal the hole in my shoulder.

''Insho: Juryoku!'' I barked as a large black gravity Sigil appeared beneath us, increasing the gravity ten-fold. I probably only felt it four-times over, as I was not exempt from its effect but still reduced it naturally. Seraphim grunted but remained remarkably able as she fired another laser, forcing me to roll out of the way before taking off into another SchattenSchritt. I reformed behind her formed a Sigil, my palm resting against her back.

''Insho: Raitoningu'' I intoned as multiple spears of lightning shot out at her back, making her screech. I ducked under her bullet-time retaliation, but was unprepared for the elbow striking my jaw, followed by a hand grasping my neck and slamming me into the ground, knocking the air from my lungs. Unable to move, she easily blew a hole in my stomach with another one of her lasers, making my breath come out in a gasp.

''I-Insho: H-Han Juryoku!'' I gasped out, and immediately an ivory Sigil appeared beneath us as gravity was inversed. I deactivated it the moment she was forced to let go of me, allowing me to regain some air as my Aura worked overtime to regenerate my wounds. My Aura was still mostly full, around 90%, but was still steadily dropping from being forced to regenerate my wounds when Aura is not normally meant for it.

'Neo, Eleanor, could really use your help right now' I mentally called, not calling Doran as he was occupied with a task I assigned him.

''Of course, father'' Eleanor dutifully responded and Neo gave a feminine grunt. I raised my palms outwards and summoned the duo, their forms rising from the grey Sigils coated in black before it melted away. The duo sent a glance my way, before nodding at each other in an unseen message, showing the coordination they possessed.

''Lets go!'' I barked, changing forwards as the two girls followed.

How did things go south so quickly?

The mountain-top had become a full-on battleground now, with Nevermore cawing and flying around in the skies and Beowolves climbing up the hill, Stalkers creeping and lunging from the shadows. The only reason they were still alive was their overall strength of three first-year teams and three badass Hunters/Huntresses. They had been forced to move away from the original location outside of the crater that was Rockledge and into a flat part around the right side of the town a few lower than the original area.

Raven slashed at a Deathstalker, cracking its shell only for it to be fully shattered by Nora, who's hammer came crashing down on its face, killing it. Yang was unleashing mass destruction against the Beowolves with Ruby, the two of them fighting individually but absolutely tearing through their forces of unending Grimm. Qrow and Lavender worked in tandem against the heavier foes like Ursa and Stalkers, respectively. Weiss was supporting the team and picking off the odd Grimm that made it past their defences with Ren while Pyrrha and Jaune tried clearing a way towards Eien's location, but the masses of Grimm didn't let up. AREME worked with surprising teamwork, with Adam dealing heavy blows, Mercury and Emerald distracting and Reality and Era shooting motherfucking beams of pure Aura at the Grimm.

''Not much longer!'' Raven called out to the rest of them as she slashed an Ursa down its front, its body falling back down the side of the mountain, which was not as steep as the other side judging from the mass of Grimm climbing it ''They're slowly giving up!''.

''Joy!'' Qrow called back sarcastically as she slashed through two Beowolves ''Because my muscles are killing me!''.

''Lazy ass'' Lavender commented dryly as she flicked her wrist, sending a dozen orange marble-sized objects down the hill, causing them all to explode into domes of flames.

''Coming from a fucking wizard''.

''I wish I was one, these babies are Dust'' Lavender rolled her eyes ''...and I'm nearly out, shit''.

''Language'' Qrow sniped cheekily.

''WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT! SHUT UP!'' Weiss barked irritably, annoyed by their distracting banter.

''Prissy'' All three adults muttered, making Weiss's eyebrow twitch.

''Incoming!'' Jaune cried as he raised his shield, Nevermore feathers shooting around him, one bouncing off his shield, proving its sturdiness. Several others followed his example, while others either avoided or even cut through the feathers.

''These things are annoying'' Reality commented with a huff as she closed one eye, raising her arm like it was a rifle and fired, the purified Aura shooting out of her palm like a sniper and striking the avian Grimm in the head, killing it instantly.

''Nice'' Emerald smirked.

''I know right?'' Reality giggled, sniping another bird from the air ''Its like Duck Hunt''.

''Duck Hunt?'' Mercury asked curiously, snapping the neck of another Beowulf with only his legs.

''Meh, something from where I come from'' Reality lied smoothly, dodging another Beowulf ''Its pretty easy, you just shoot the ducks and-''.

''FOCUS!'' Weiss yelled at them ''Am I the only one taking this seriously!?''.

''Meh'' Everyone responded in unison, making the heiress fume. The silence stretched then, the only noise being that of the Grimm as they attacked. They were being attacked from two sides, one from the less-steep hill and from the mountains around them. Stalkers and Cacklers came from the mountains while Beowolves, Deathstalkers, Ursa, Griffons, Nevermore and other types of Grimm coming from the forest below.

It was easily apparent that this was not a natural amount of Grimm, meaning that Eien and Seraphim were drawing their attention, so they had to draw the attention and stop them from going to Eien. They hoped he would be okay.

I appeared behind Seraphim and slashed, but once again she spun and blocked the attack with a growl. Her back was her weak point it seemed. Eleanor came in from her side and lunged with her Sai and pierced the Grimm-Human's back, making her hiss before back-handing Eleanor away into Neo, sending both of them tumbling. I took advantage of her distraction and shoved my knee into her stomach, making her grunt. Like Aura her armour was not immune to blunt trauma, only cutting. I grabbed her throat and shoved her to the ground, slamming her down making her gasp as I attempted to choke her out.

It was not to be, as she haphazardly aimed her laser and shot, barely missing my heart and instead burning the side of my ribs, making me hiss. I put all my strength into a punch and broke her nose before hopping backwards, Judgement laying at my feet. Fragment certainly helped my hand-to-hand skills, since it was made from Adamantite. She had no weapon aside from her lasers, so as long as I didn't give her the opportunity to aim I was good. I'd call Yang and ask for her to help, but the major problem was that if she took a hit like I tended to do, then she'd likely be incapacitated, and she could bleed out if I didn't get the time to heal her. I knew she, along with all my friends, were strong, but I didn't like seeing them get hurt.

I dodged under an abrupt blow as cast at me with her elbow, only to take a knee to the face. I stumbled back and barely rolled out of the way of a laser shot. Neo appeared behind the girl in a shatter of glass via her Semblance, and stabbed Seraphim in the back with her katana, umbrella in the other hand. Seraphim screeched and swung behind her haphazardly, but Neo used her short stature well and ducked, slashing at the back of Seraphim's legs and making a small cut. Seraphim spun back to me and lashed out angrily, preventing me from attacking and forcing me to defend and dodge as she attacked.

''You... are by far the most annoying individual I've met'' She scowled as she cleared some distance between us.

''I believe I might say the same'' I countered slyly, Neo and Eleanor splitting up to surround her ''What purpose do you have here at Rockledge, Hm?''.

She glared heatedly ''This area is my home''.

''But not the town'' I countered, and she smirked.

''You have no idea, do you?'' She whispered until I could barely hear her, but the grin didn't leave her face.

''Enlighten me'' I said with narrowed eyes.

The smugness on her face was evident ''You'll see''.

I grunted in annoyance at her, but surprise overtook my features when she opened both palm and pointed them downwards and fired. Unlike previously these beams were pure onyx black in colour, and burned through the rock like fast-acting acid. Still stunned at the action, I only watched for another ten seconds before the beams became fiery red-orange, exploding at the bottom of the holes she dug. I flinched at the shockwave and jumped back, using a Sigil to help me while Neo and Eleanor ran backwards as the centre of the crater collapsed under them, Seraphim landing on the edges of the now-present hole.

''What...?'' I questioned, unsure of why she collapsed the inner part of the mountain. An unearthly, ear-shattering roar answered my question as even more of the ground caved in, the sound of wings flapping hinting at the source of the sound. I grimaced as a rather thin, but still intimidating Dragon Grimm, otherwise known as Draconis, came flying out of the cave. It was thin with its claws on the wings instead of arms, but the tail had a club on it to make up for the lack of arms. Despite its lithe-looking form, it was undoubtedly just as tough as other members of its species.

''Shit'' I summed it up pretty well as the Draconis got airborne, roaring against and sending visible shockwaves through the air. I stumbled slightly but remained upright, unlike Eleanor and Neo who fell onto the ground because of their footwear. I gave an annoyed glare at Seraphim, who only glared back, as if in both challenge and smugness. The Draconis just hovered idly before turning its gaze to me, crimson eyes glaring. My mask was donned already, but it didn't seem to dissuade it or make it hesitate like it did other Grimm. This could either be because of its massive advantages compared to me, or because Seraphim had some hand in it, whether she was controlling it or not was unimportant.

''I believe this is where we part ways, Eien'' Seraphim stated, smugness radiating off her as she began to walk towards the dragons outstretched tail. I scowled and raised my palm, Aura flowing through my veins angrily as if it was a sentient part of my subconscious. That's new.

''Insho: Juryoku!'' I barked and summoned three of the Sigil above the dragon, increasing the gravity by thirty times. The effect was instant. The Draconis screeched as it was suddenly plunged down back into the inner cave of the mountain, taking Seraphim with it. Without hesitation I jumped down after the duo, cancelling the effect of the triple Sigil with a mental whim while de-summoning Neo and Eleanor at the same mental gesture. As I raced down towards the ground I shoved my hand into the wall, grunting as my arm was nearly torn from its socket as it significantly slowed my descend, Fragment preventing my hand from being damaged.

As I reached the bottom I jumped off the wall, going full-out from the start and aiming for the dragon. It made a whiny-groan as it raised its head, having fallen on its front and damaged both of its wings. I slipped out an Ice Dust crystal and cut my finger with the sharp edge of it, letting my blood change it with ease. I landed on the head of the dragon and without pause shoved the crystal into its crimson eye, making it roar in pain as the crystal shattered, the black ice already beginning to spread like a virus. Regardless of how powerful a Grimm was, no Grimm out there is invulnerable, and most can be killed by destroying the brain. In this case, the ice will slowly freeze it and then kill it. I'd have to wait a few minutes, but it'd get the job done without effort on my part.

I jumped off its thrashing form and lunged at Seraphim with Judgement. She caught the blade with her hand but I carried my momentum and spun around her, whipping out Punishment and immediately pulling the trigger three times into her back, making her howl in angry pain. I took a punch to the stomach but ignored it and wrapped an arm around her neck, attempting to choke her out. She struggled momentarily before aiming her palms towards me, forcing me to let go else my arm get burned off. I scowled as I whipped out a Fire Dust and repeated my acting with the ice one, letting my blood transform it. Before it finished transforming I used SchattenSchritt to get behind of Seraphim and jammed the crystal into her back.

''Bastard!'' She screeched and I winced at the sound, only to find something impact my side and send me hurling into the wall while Seraphim lit up like a midnight flame. I groaned and looked at the offending object; the tail of the thrashing dragon. I scowled, especially since the dragon wasn't even aiming for me and was just panicking, and ultimately decided to ignore it until it died. I peeled myself from the wall and sighed as I watched Seraphim's thrashing form. It was almost certainly over for her, since the flames so far have been inextinguishable, but it never hurts to keep your guard up.

It was worth it as I watched the flames abruptly flicker and die off, absorbed into Seraphim it seemed. She released a painful sigh, smoke trailing from her mouth as she presumably ate the flames, which didn't seem all that unrealistic if you thought about it. Her entire body was burnt, and I was - internally - delighted to see it had seemingly withered away some of her armoured skin, and as such I mercilessly took advantage of that fact.

With a burst of SchattenSchritt I appeared in front of her and swung Judgement, taking possibly sadistic glee when it punctured her skin, creating a long gash diagonally down her torso. I dodged back when she lashed out, and was forced to use my teleporting technique multiple times to avoid her lasers, but my side took a shot anyway. The dragons thrashing slowed as the ice undoubtedly reached its brain, slowing its control. I stood on a small mound of rock, glaring at Seraphim as she angrily returned the visual gesture.

''You...'' She snarled, her body shaking with obvious fury as an unnerving grin came to her face ''Of course... how did I not see it? You must be her child... purple eyes, magic-like abilities, teleportation, scythe with the intelligence to back it all up... you're a Haizen, aren't you?''.

I narrowed my eyes, the flicker of anger in my veins burning ''How do you know that name?''.

''You're mother, sister, whatever she is... Marisol Haizen'' She continued to rant ''The first human creature to ever cut my skin... and not one has done so again... until now''.

''You fought my mother?'' I questioned, my grip on Judgement tightening.

''Of course! She tried to intervene with Lady Salem's plans more than once, so I was bestowed the honour of removing her, but alas she someone managed to survive, even wound me! I'll never forgive her for the humiliation I felt that day... and now I have her child to feel my full wrath!''.

Abruptly from her back, the purple construct extended, revealing it to be a set of odd purple wings, without the feathers or skin but only having the bone layout. They flapped twice as Seraphim grinned, body glowing with what was undoubtedly Aura as her hands glowed.

''Come child... feel the wrath of one of the nine Ancients!'' She roared in a bloodthirsty manner as she charged with all the speed of a bullet. I raised Judgement and ducked under her, slashing at her stomach and cutting her once more. She growled and her foot lashed out, nicking my shoulder and making me stumble long enough for a laser to strike my leg, burning my thigh. I grunted in response as I spun my blade and threw it, the scythe gaining momentum on its own before imbedding the blade into her stomach. I raised my hand to summon a Sigil, but her laser pierced through it before it was done, making it fall apart to ash as I rolled away from it.

I grunted as I dashed out of the way of her laser, ducking when she did a sweep with it and I charged, calling Judgement back to me as it flew out of her, causing her to stumble from the abrupt removal of my weapon. The shaft landed in my hand and I swung it around, catching her shoulder and making her hiss in pain. Her fist abruptly found my chin and my head almost snapped off by the vicious amount of force applied, enough to kill an Ursa for sure. I stumbled back and I hissed as another laser passed through my torso, missing my lung and heart by millimetres. Aura worked well enough to seal the wound and stop blood loss, but even that was slowly draining, probably down to 60%.

''Dammit'' I cursed as I held my hand out to her ''Insho: Raitoningu!''.

A sporadic burst of nearly a dozen shots of lightning burst from the yellow-tinted Sigil, two immediately piercing her chest and thigh, making her grunt in pain as she returned the favour as the laser burnt my own thigh before I could dodge, slowing my movement even more. Seraphim flew at me, grabbing me by the neck before I could dodge and went airborne, lessening the air in my lungs as we ascended. I winced as I lashed out with my foot, but it barely harmed her. She spun and threw me and the remaining air in my lungs was evaporated as I shot down like a missile to the ground, creating velocity rings as I went.

I gasped as I impacted the cold ground, my back screaming in protest. I coughed as blood leaked from my lips, signalling internal damage, and making me scowl as I wobbled to my feet. I barely saw Seraphim before she grabbed me by the face and smashed me into the wall of the hole, making me gasp in pain once more.

''Pathetic'' She snarled with a delighted expression, and white spots filled my vision as she slammed me against the wall once more, and again, again... again... and again. I don't know how many times she did it, but I lost my vision after the third time, and when she was done I could barely feel anything... like when I was born. Slowly my vision cleared, letting me acknowledge I was lying on my front with my head tilted to the right, my eyes slowly rising up to look at Seraphim standing over me. Instinctively I coughed as more blood filled my mouth, reflex keeping me from drowning on my own life-fluid. A burning sensation slowly burned in my chest, as if my soul was screaming, but for a reason other than pain.

Like when my Dunkelheit activates, my vision became clearer, my sense of touch more sensitive, my hearing more perfect, every sense enhancing themselves. It took less than a second to realise from the feeling of it, it was the Grimm mask, even if I didn't intentionally summon it. Regardless I lunged to my feet, barely taking note of my wounds slowly healing as I charged Seraphim, roaring as I threw a fist at her. She did the same and our fists clashed, sending a loud 'SMACK' echoing around us, and both of us winced. My right leg came up and I turned slightly, my foot striking her in the chin. She didn't hesitate and grabbed my ankle, snapping the appendage with a rough twist, making me growl unnaturally.

I detaches my fist from hers and swung the other, smashing it into the side of her helmet. She twitched from the shockwave it produced but the armour protected her, but I didn't care. I ignored my healing leg and plunged my fist into her face, smashing her already broken nose and sending her flying into the wall behind her, creating a hole in the wall. I barely noticed I used SchattenSchritt to appear in front of her as I tore her out of the wall, only to slam her into the ground and coat my fist in Aura, smashing it into her temple. I found myself airborne as she delivered a titan-level kick to my stomach, but I used it to my advantage as I instinctively made a gravity Sigil, my descent taking less than three seconds as I coated my fist in Aura and slammed it into her stomach, making her cry out at the pain.

I dodged out of the way of her laser, instead grapping her right hand by the wrist and snapping it with a single, morbidly satisfying snap. She screamed in fury and pain and I grunted as her other laser pierced my right shoulder, which I retorted to my slamming my boot down on her face, and raising it for a second. She grabbed the foot by the ankle while I balanced on my wounded one. Instead of snapping it she attempted to throw me away, but I dropped to the ground and onto my hands, skidding to a stop a few feet away. I couldn't give her the chance to get airborne again.

As if reading my thoughts, she growled as she extended her wings in an attempt to fly, but I slammed my shoulder into her, upsetting her balance and sending both of us to the floor. My vision swam as I got up, adrenaline the only thing keeping me standing really as I summoned Judgement without even looking at it, the weapon flying into my hands. Seraphim got to her knees as I swung Judgement, cutting her wings off at the stubs. Predictably she howled in pain, stumbling away from me in a pain-induced haze. For the first time I fired the anti-material rounds of Judgement, piercing her shoulder making her gasp. Without hesitation I lashed out viciously, severing her left arm, leaving her with a broken wrist. I kicked her in the chest, knocking her to the floor as I stood over her, before my right fist glowed a onyx black as I felt Death's power activate on its own.

I slammed my fist down once more into her chest, making her cry out an unnatural screech as a skull formed on the stone below her, a shockwave recoiling back at me as I felt my arm go limp, the energy burning my hand sourly. It didn't kill her, oddly enough, but judging from her shocked look and faint breathing, it severely damaged her.

''I win'' I growled out, instincts telling me to just kill her and be done with it. Odd. Seraphim was a panting, bleeding mess. Her left arm was now gone, her right hand broken, her nose broken and face bruised, stomach bruised and bleeding internally, legs bleeding from various wounds and other injuries. I didn't escape these wounds either, my right leg fractured but healing quickly from whatever reason, cuts and bruises literally my legs and stomach, my face and head were bruised and bleeding, my vision swaying slightly as I wiped blood out of my eye.

Seraphim said nothing, but glared feebly at me as she twitched, ragged breaths coming out. A question was brought to the forefront of my mind, that I just had to ask.

''Why do you work for Salem?'' I asked curiously, allowing myself to falling onto my ass on a pile of rocks.

Seraphim remained quiet for a while, but after noticing I wasn't going to give up she quietly, hoarsely spoke ''She created me... my soul...''.

''I see'' I nodded, deciding not to beat around the bush and use wordplay this time. I was in need of proper medical attention, or else I'll die ''Why don't you join me?''.

Her head snapped to me, silver eyes wide ''WHAT?!''.

I smiled wryly, throwing away the tattered remains of my cloak ''Others of the Human-Grimm have joined me, Nazai and Alexia being the names of my lieutenants''.

''So?'' I asked, smiling as best I could ''I'm willing to offer you a second chance''.

''I...'' She hesitated, but before she could finish her sentence... another unfamiliar one did.

''She already has an allegiance, fool'' I spun on my heel, finding a woman a dozen feet behind me. Her skin is a deathly pallor, covered with tortuous, deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclera of her eyes are jet black and her irises glow red. She had a black diamond-shaped marking in the centre of her forehead and wearing a very long black cloak with red designs resembling eyes. Her hair was stark white and tied into a bun with six off-shoots where ornaments are currently hanging.

''And who might you be?'' I said with a blank face, hiding my grimace behing a mask of blankness. If her appearance was anything to go by, along with her speech pattern, she was like Seraphim or at least on the same side as her, and I had nowhere near enough strength to fight another Seraphim look-a-like.

''L-Lady Salem...'' Seraphim squeaked out in obvious fear, shrinking in on herself. I felt myself grow cold at the name. Seraphim was strong, so her reaction made it obvious Salem was either her superior or that much stronger than her. Shit.

''That would be me'' Salem said with a smug smile as she stared into my eyes, boring holes into my soul ''What an interesting offer you proposed to my dear servant. A new life? Don't humour yourself''.

I glared, but my mouth was dry from nervousness so I feigned the act of being adamant, refusing to answer.

''However I came here personally to... extend an offer to you'' She smiled wickedly, approaching and stopping a few feet away ''Join me, and gain power superior to that of which you currently wield, and purify this world of which you don't wish to exist. You're so called friends are only letting you down, I assure you''.

My eyes widened at the offer. Power in exchange for allegiance? That was... the oldest trick in the book. I wasn't an idiot by any standard, my intelligence being proof of that despite my mental issues. She implied I would abandon my friends, but if she's as intelligent as Ozpin eluded then she wouldn't be foolish enough to believe I would accept this. Perhaps this was a chance thing? Her hoping that I'd cave by the fact I was surrounded (Technically) and weakened? Logically most people in this case would go covert, joining them only to betray them later, but she'd be aware of it. Perhaps if I did take that route, then I'd get screwed over down the line, but I had a better plan.

I sighed, feigning hesitation and guilt ''...Very well... Lady Salem''.

Salem's smile seemed to widen as she extended a hand to shake ''Excellent''.

I shook it, but then pumped all my Aura into my other fist as I gripped her hand as hard as possible. With a desperate roar I flung my fist forward, black flames engulfing my hand as the full power of Death's Mark poured and mixed with my Aura. My fist slammed into her stomach in an upward curve, an audible crack was heard as a shockwave passed around us, the wall behind Salem shattering completely as the rocks fell around us, a good ten feet of stone wall destroyed and caved in. I gasped as my Aura plummeted, draining down into the below 20% area. I stood there, Salem hunched over my fist, and I felt the slightest amount of pride when I saw she didn't twitch.

I opened my mouth to speak, but her voice rang out first ''Fool''.

My eyes widened, but before I could blink I was flung into the wall opposite her, something in me cracking as I wheezed out in pain. I slumped to the floor, the oxygen in my lungs suddenly feeling so much harder to gain. It wasn't helped when a hand encircled my neck and lifted me off the ground, Salem forcing me to meet her gaze as I glared at her. She smirked back, shaking her head slowly.

''Pathetic, truly pathetic Eien Haizen... you were given the power of the gods, yet barely used any of them. Even the powers of Death himself were so poorly used that it was truly humorous'' She mocked and I felt my airways tighten, darkness encompassing my vision ''Goodbye, Eien Haizen''.

My last thought however, made me smile weakly, a single tear leaking from my eye.

'Ruby... I'm sorry'.

And with a vicious SNAP, it was all over.

''What the hell happened here?'' Yang gawked, looking at what remained of Rockledge.

''Eien!'' Ruby called out, running over to the hole and looking down, and paling ''EIEN!''.

That sprung the rest into action, as they all climbed down the rocky edge that had been made when the part of the hole collapsed. Others like Ruby just jumped down, using their weapons to slow their descent. Upon arriving however, Ruby fell to her knees in front of Eien. His neck was contorted at an unnatural angle, his eyes dull and lifeless, and his Aura not healing his wounds.

''E-Eien...'' Ruby sobbed, fingers gripping the dirt beneath her feet as tears fell, slowly falling into hysterics. Yang stood beside her with Blake, both frozen, disbelief and sadness on their face, a few tears unknowingly falling down their cheeks. Weiss had a hand over her mouth to stifle the noise she made, tears unashamedly running down her cheeks. Nora held onto Ren, head buried in his shoulder crying while Ren himself remained calm, but grief filled his features as he closed his eyes, silently praying for Eien. Pyrrha and Jaune were in a similar position, tears leaking from their eyes as they held one another for support. Adam was grimacing, looking down and swearing vengeance, while Mercury and Emerald awkwardly looked away. They weren't that close to him, but they were still friends, and it wasn't nice knowing he was dead.

At the top of the hole, two figures stood, both equally sad as they turned and left with the wind, not wanting to observe the scene any longer, les their tears join the students'.

Lavender, Qrow and Raven grimaced and looked away, saddened but not letting themselves fall into grieving yet. Era and Reality were in perfect sync; silent as tears ran down their face. Reality gripped the necklace tightly, mumbling one phrase over and over in her head repeatedly, sadly.

'I'm sorry Eien... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...'.

''Where is your trump card now, Ozpin?'' The scroll message said from the anonymous user, a picture of Eien's corpse below it. Despite not being tagged, he knew who sent the message. Ozpin calmly, almost too calmly, took a sip from his mug before placing it on his desk. Despite the amount of restraint, the desk shattered at the mere contact, the force hidden beneath the mere action far too strong for it to handle.

He gripped his cane with his now-free hand, the Adamantite groaning under his iron grip as he let not a single emotion show on his face, but on the inside it was a hurricane of grief, rage, sorrow and everything in-between. He took a very deep breath, fist shaking as he glared at his scroll.

''It is not over yet, Salem''.

A/N: BOOM! That's the conclusion for season 1! Hopefully I made you sad with the ending, because if not then I need to work on that. This isn't the ending of the series, I assure you, and the next chapter will be updated after a bit of a Hiatus, during that time it will allow me to write more. It could just be a normal 4-days until update, or I could take 2 weeks off, it depends on how much I can pump out.

Eien's dead. Who saw that coming? I really want to know if anyone saw this coming, whether the chapter title gave it away, or if you guessed it before then. Like most things in this story loose ends will be tied up later, including the mutations found at the Schnee facility, they'll be shown at a later date. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed what I've done so far, since I fear it may be a bit sub-par at best, so its nice when you guys say you like the story :)

If you want a power scale, I'd say Seraphim is on par with a C-class to B-Class Huntsman. For those who haven't caught on yet to the system; E-Rank is lowest, then D, C, B, A and then S as the highest. Ozpin is the only revealed S-Rank so far, while Glynda, Qrow, Raven, Summer, Taiyang, etc. are A-Rank.

Salem is definitely S-Rank if not higher, you'll have to wait to see ;)

I hope you all enjoyed, and until next time~