A/N: Apologies for the delay, more connectivity problems have been sent my way, making it either impossible to connect or impossible to write. However during the times where I could write, I found it hard to. You'll be able to see through the chapter that its not as good as others, and that also may be because my mood has been a little sullen as of late and that produced a writers block, so yeah.

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

Chapter 21: Falling Snow

The roar of the Bullhead engines was muted as the modified Bullhead flew over Atlas, heading towards the SDC Headquarters near the northern part of the city. Not far ahead was another Bullhead, containing Ruby, Weiss and Yang. It was already a few hundred feet ahead of them, its destination the helipad at the SDC Headquarters while ours was above the building itself. On our ship was Myself, Blake, Summer and Marisol, as planned. Raven and Qrow had originally been the ones to be chosen instead of the two Maidens, but in the end the two teachers remained at Beacon while the Maiden duo came with me. I wasn't present for the conversation, and I had no idea why they were coming instead of hunters who specialised in stealth, but it was Ozpin's call.

It had certainly been interesting meeting my mother, someone who couldn't exactly qualify for that role aside from blood relations. I wasn't upset with her for leaving, given her reasons, since the fact my father died because she had that power and refused to let me suffer the same, if not worse fate. Despite that, it felt so weird for her to be in the motherly role, and I could tell it was awkward for her too. A person can't exactly just walk out of nowhere and forge familial ties just because of blood. With people like Summer and Raven, their children had early memories of them that were good, precious times, and they longed to feel those days again.

I never had those good memories with my mother, as I had not seen her at all when I was a child, nor had I sensed her - though that was a can of worms all together. However, I was willing to try and form a bond with my mother, however fragile it will be. But that would have to wait, as more important things were needed to be done first.

''Drop in thirty seconds!'' The pilot called out and I nodded, even though he wouldn't see it.

''Everyone remember the plan?'' I asked, voice quieter than normal, as if it would carry through the metallic hull of the Bullhead and down into the streets below.

''Drop onto the roof, break in, beat up the bad guys?'' Summer summed up with a friendly smile ''Yup! A-Okay!''.

''Blake? Mom?'' I asked, getting nods from the duo ''Alright then...''.

We didn't have to wait long before the pilot informed us it was time, the side door sliding open. My mother led the jump, falling the twenty-something feet as the Bullhead did a dip before going high into the air to avoid suspicion and get further out of range. My Aura soaked up the kinetic force of the impact, making nothing more than a soft thud, as it did for Blake and Summer. All it took was a quick glance to find the ventilation shaft that Ozpin deemed the best point of entry. Sneaking over to it with the three girls shadowing me, I placed a hand on the metal, tapping into my own Semblance and disintegrating it with ease.

''Lets go'' I merely murmured, jumping down the vertical vent, my boots crashing into the other barrier and breaking through it, sending me into one of the many labs in the building. It was surprisingly empty, but it looked like someone had been in here recently, so the noise might've attracted attention. Blake, Marisol and Summer landed one after the other, not making a sound.

The door opened, an SDC Scientist taking a single step in before freezing. I thrust my palm forward, unleashing a small Force Sigil, the force directed at his head and the blunt trauma knocking him out, likely causing some internal damages, but I cared little for them. Gin and Juha spawned beside me, both wielding their respective swords.

Time to get down to business.

It was easy to get past the security gates, as I was the heiress of the company and widely known as Weiss Schnee, so any checks were relatively light. Yang and Ruby got a bit more of an extensive search, but not to the point where it might be considered invasive. Still, it held us up a minute or two in doing so, but I may have been able to hasten the process by showing an excess of irritation towards the guards. Sometimes little things like that was a gift opposed to a burden, but only rarely.

As it was, we were walking down the hall towards the grandeur room that looked more fitting in a house opposed to an extensive laboratory. I wasn't particularly eager to face my father, especially in light of all these horrific things he had apparently done, or at least authorised. It was... scary, in a sense. The fact her father had allowed his men to mutant and alter the souls of innocent people, all for some overarching goal that would never be considered a moral thing to do.

My lips thinned in... a myriad of emotions, really, all of them mixed and uncertainty lingering over them all with an unnerving intensity. I forced myself to calm down, unwilling to let this take advantage of me, to let my nerves get the better of me, a Schnee... a name I used to wear with pride, a pride that is now wilting.

'No!' I thought definitely, clenching my fists 'I will restore honour to the name Schnee! Even if... even if I have to take it into my own hands'.

Immediately shoving that thought away in light of the potential of my actions, I stormed forward, Ruby and Yang keeping pace with me silently. We passed many people who quickly made way for me and my 'bodyguards', my father having likely been alerted to my presence the moment I stepped into the building. Through the training I had done over the past few months I could almost sense the people around me, something I desired to recreate ever since Eien mentioned he was capable of it. As someone who avidly used Dust and Aura, it seemed prudent to do so.

Granted I was having a fair amount of difficulty with it, since detecting another's Aura without a specialised Semblance was like sensing someone by how their body moved the air; incredibly hard, but not impossible. I was making progress, but it was slow. Perhaps I could ask Marisol for some help, given that Eien seemed to be busy with an abundance of things he wasn't particularly willing to openly speak about. I was under no delusions that what my father had caused played at least some part in it.

Finally we reached the end of the hall, the room breaking off into a grand, large room that had a hallway to the right that led somewhere I didn't bother learning. To the right of the room was a staircase that led up to a balcony on the second floor, which in turn led down to another series of hallways that I never explored. At the moment however, my father stood at the top of the balcony, watching me impassively. He was dressed in his usual white business suit, bushy white moustache and brushed back white hair. He hadn't aged once in the past year, not that he could age much aside from wrinkle, but that wasn't a pleasant thought.

''Weiss'' He addressed, staring down at me ''I do hope you have a good reason for why you came all the way to Atlas on such short notice''.

''Yes, Father'' I nodded slightly ''I-''.

I was saved from delaying him as the wall to the right of us exploded, debris scattering around the room as a Spider Droid stumbled in, the front of its armour dented as if it had taken a blunt strike to it. Only a few seconds later a smiling Eien walked in, but at a glance I could tell the smile was dimmer than it usually was, perhaps the grimness of the situation has finally dawned on my cheerful leader.

''Hello Weiss, Ruby, Yang'' He greeted as Blake walked up beside him, looking no worse for ware, Marisol and Summer not being present ''...and Shiro Schnee''.

''And who might you be?'' My father intoned, narrowing his eyes. I had no delusions of Eien's strength, considering he had fought on equal terms with Ozpin and had a small army within his own soul, but I still felt responsible for this. He was my father, and even though the difference in strength was large, I would take this matter into my own hands.

The Spider Droid clanked loudly as its arms attempted to aim at Eien, but whatever had hit it had made doing so incredibly difficult. Eien cast what might be an apologetic look at the robot before flicking his wrist, his cheek glowing faintly as the robot was crushed by an invisible force and turned into a compact ball before being hurled at my father, who prompting dodged out of the way with a Glyph. The wall behind him was crushed as the ball of steel, prompting cries of pain from those on the other side of the wall.

''Eien'' Eien said simply, hands shifting under his cloak, presumably to his sword ''I happened to come across your facility in Western Mistral, and I can say I wasn't pleased with what I found, nor the fact you authorised this''.

''I see'' He only said, not moving ''And what do you intend to do now?''.

''Isn't it obvious?'' Eien remarked quietly, heterochromic eyes narrowing as the ground beneath my fathers feed cracked and shattered, but he paid it almost no mind as he leapt off a chunk of metal and stone, moving at a surprising speed at Eien, wielding his rapier, Heilig. Myrtenaster had been based off of it, as the two were relatively similar, but my blade was more suited to a fencing-oriented style while my father preferred a mix of jabs and slashes, hence the rapier.

He cleared the distance in less than a second, far too fast for any of us to react, sans Eien and Ruby. He barely paid attention to any of us sans Eien, as it was obvious to everyone in the room he was the strongest out of us. His rapier came down, but instead of slashing at the immobile Eien, it hit an invisible barrier, making a dull thud. A ripple spread out from the impact sight, coursing around Eien as the blockade revealed to be a grey-tinted shield, one I remember one of his Spirits using prior.

''I would be lying if I said that was amusing in any sense'' Eien intoned flatly even as my father gained distance between them ''Then again, given recent events and everything that's on my mind, things have become a little duller as of late. Regardless, you must pay for the crimes you have committed, and you are smart enough to know what I mean''.

His hand moved underneath his cloak, but I had seen the action enough to know he was reaching for his katana, so I made my decision ''Wait''.

Immediately he stopped the movement, turning his head slightly as if to look at me, but not enough that I could fully make out his face. I steeled my expression, taking slow, impressionable steps forward as I drew Myrtenaster out of its sheath.

''I'll fight him'' I said with a touch of bitterness at the prospect, but it was a responsibility that fell to me. Eien stared for a moment, unreadable, until he inclined his head in a barely-there nod.

''Very Well, I will catch up with you later'' He intoned, his wording eluding to the fact he knew I would win ''Blake, Yang, Ruby. Come''.

Nodding, my three other teammates ran after our leader as he led them down the hallway, my father making no move to stop them. I waited until their footfalls disappeared down the hall, leaving us in relative silence, aside from the fire alarm in the background as something caught fire. Killed the mood a little.

I raised my blade, as did he.

Then as one, we moved.

I ran down the halls, leading my team towards where Ozpin had claimed the labs would be, or at least something that would lead to the labs. I felt two presences ahead, both of them on par with my team - aside from Ruby, since she had been training extensively more during her time in Death's soul. Still, I said nothing, leaving the two mysterious figures to let us walk into whatever trap they held for us - I was confident in my ability to counter it.

As we neared the set of double doors near the end of the hall, I slowed down, and in turn my team slowed down. Eventually I moved to a slow walk until I stopped completely, staring ahead.

''Do not waste our time by watching us'' I intoned, tapping into Jaeger's Semblance and destroying part of the pillar beside where they were hiding, exploding it and making the duo yelp in surprise, jumping out into the open; A boy and a girl. The male of the two was perhaps a few years older than Weiss, maybe in his mid-twenties. His white hair was shaved back much like Shiro's, wearing a teal coat with fur cuffs and collar, tipped up but still letting me see the dark blue undershirt beneath. He had ivory white gauntlets on his hands, spikes on the knuckles that looked sharp enough to give a Goliath a bit of trouble. His white pants were tucked into a pair of black boots, fur cuffs on the pants as well.

The female of the duo had long white hair that was held in a high ponytail behind her, unlike Weiss who had it to the side. Her flawless skin and faint blue eyes were that of a Schnee's, much like her male companion. She was wearing a dark blue vest and white fur coat over it, the coat left open. Her sense of fashion was very much akin to her partners, having the same white pants and black boots, except their weapons were different. Hers was a snow white bow with a quiver of teal arrows loaded on her back, all holding Teal Dust.

As the seconds passed, they regained their composure from my abrupt attack, cocky confidence on their faces, but also a trace of uncertainty.

''And who might you be?'' I mused questioningly.

''Himmel Schnee'' The male answered, head held high.

''Danika Schnee'' The female of the duo smiled, but not in a friendly manner.

''I see'' I intoned ''Yang, Blake. Deal with them''.

''Right'' Both grunted, charging at them. As they provided a distraction I grabbed Ruby by the arm, tapping into a SchattenSchritt and teleporting us ahead. I materialised on the other side of the door, letting Ruby go as we proceeded deeper into the SDC Headquarters.

''Will they be alright?'' Ruby murmured.

I smiled lightly ''Of course''.

A loud clang echoed as our blades me, recoiling me back before I landed on a Glyph, propelling me to the side and then forwards. My father didn't even move from his spot, raising his blade and blocking me and stopping my momentum with practical ease. I danced around him, trying to find a gap in his defence, but my father was a hunter - perhaps not a famous one, or even a particularly strong one, but a trained Huntsman all the same.

I switched the Dust Cartridge in Myrtenaster to Red Dust, swinging it and sending an arc of flames at him. He raised an eyebrow, as if barely amused by my attack, slashing it in half and sending what remained of the arc behind him, exploding into the wall. I summoned another set of Glyphs around him, letting me zoom around him at an incredible speed. I moved behind him and moved in, blade becoming alight with flames as I swung at his back, only for him to spin around and block my slash.

'Dammit!' I grit my teeth as I sped off, trying to find a weak point. My father was a Huntsman, and all Huntsman - even ones who had barely seen combat like my father - were strong, most of varying degree. But the fact he had blocked every attack so far without so much as moving, much less show signs of effort, was beyond aggravating. She knew she wasn't up to far with him, but she expected to at least scores marks on him and push him to use the family Semblance. He hadn't seen combat in years, possibly decades!

...unless he had trained in secret. He couldn't of, logically, given he was the CEO of the most powerful non-militaristic/hunter company in the world. But even so, I remember times in my past where he had left for a day, coming back roughed up and looking like he had been fighting an Ursa bare-handed, yet when questioned just claimed it was a stressful meeting. Had he been actually training all this time, and if so, for what purpose? What over-arching goal had he planned by training on at least a weekly or bi-weekly basis. He might've just been keeping his skills sharp encase an assassin was sent his way, as it had in the past, but what if it was for a another reason? What if he had expected this, all of it?

He didn't have any future-seeing abilities, those kind of Semblances were incredibly rare. Perhaps he never intended for this immoral experimentation to go on forever, and expected to be hunted down for it. If that was the case, was he planning to run when it happened, or stand and die? There was a chance he could've bailed himself out.

So lost in thought, I was almost unable to see that he had decided to take the offensive, given his slight but meaningful change in posture. I noticed at the last moment, immediately backpedalling with the help of a Glyph as he lunged forward with a sharp slash before tailing after me. It spoke of how strong and adept he was at using his Semblance when he moved almost twice as fast as me. I raised my blade as the revolving chamber of dust turned, but not fast enough before his blade crashed into mine, the dust in it causing a furious explosion that sent me flying through the air until I managed to make a Glyph to stop myself.

I would've glared, had he not been less than five metres away and closing. With that short amount of distance all I could do was raise my blade, causing another explosion as I was sent airborne. Making a Glyph in the air I haphazardly swung Myrtenaster and sent a projectile of condensed ice dust, impacting into the ground at his feet, but he merely jumped back to avoid the resulting flower of ice. There was a brief lull in the battle, one that I used to... relatively good use by glaring at my father as I reloaded my Dust chamber. I was admittedly running low on options, the prospect of myself fighting my father seemed preferable when Eien made it look so easy, but now I couldn't back down.

I had one trick in reserve that could work; Temporal Glyph. It was one that Winter had shown me last time I visited, back during the last semester break when it was more of an obligation to come home opposed to a preferable option. It did what the name implied; slowing or accelerating time within the range of the Glyph, the larger it was costing more Aura. It only affected the caster, so if I accelerated myself I could match my father in speed or ever surpass him, but the constant drain on my Aura would be taxing, especially since I never had large reserves like Eien or Jaune. That wasn't even talking about the cost of screwing up the Glyph. Sadly, it was my only option.

Taking a breath, more for a vote of confidence than anything, I raised my blade and drew upon my Aura. Keeping one eye on my father, I carefully weaved it through my blade as if it was a part of my body. It wasn't my actual Aura, but rather a manifestation of it, more akin to a reflection of a person in an analogical sense. I swung my blade, sending a dark green projectile through the air before it impacted the ground, summoning a large beige clock the size of the whole room, time accelerating for me as I zoomed towards my father.

He seemed surprised, but not enough so that it would be gratifying. I practically hammered my blade against his, taking slight pride when the ground at his feet cracked from the sheer force behind my strike, and immediately used a Glyph to shoot towards the other side of the room. Summoning several Glyph's, I used them like a slide and kept my momentum as I did a U-turn back to my father, blade extended like a spear. He moved to the side, but I was moving too fast and clipped his side, cutting his suit and hurting his Aura. Confidence renewed, I repeated the act, moving fast as I could to make use of my Aura.

I dove in from an upwards-diagonal angle, piercing his shoulder without stopping. I did another U-turn and slashed at his side, curving up the side of the wall and then sliding low, slashing at his thigh. Slowly I whittled away at his Aura, even as my own was constantly drained by the effects of the Temporal Glyph. I swung around again, moving with my blade ready to pierced his side once more, following my strategy-

Until suddenly he grabbed me by the face as I was moving, stopping my momentum entirely and making me get whiplash as all my momentum and force snapped into my head, my Aura saving my life but making spots appear in my vision, to save nothing of the fingers partially covering my vision as he held my head with one hand. With a sudden amount of force, he slammed me into the ground, knocking the breath from my lungs and making something in my back go SNAP painfully loudly, to say nothing of the flames that coursed through my back. It was probably a rib or something, but you could never be sure.

It took me a moment to realise that I had actually been slammed a solid foot into the ground, something that made me acutely aware that not only had my father been holding back massively but he also had insane strength. His hand left my face, probably deeming me an easy target at this point as he straightened up, looking down at me with disappointment.

''I won't kill you, I could never do that to my own child - Helga would never forgive me'' He said. His words may have seem kind in a sense, his tone was anything but ''However... I could simply remove an arm, force you to stay here since you could no longer pursue the life of a Huntress with the same effectiveness''.

My eyes widened at the threat ''You wouldn't''.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at me with disinterest ''I am aware that your friend Eien is more than capable of restoring them... the question is if he can reach you to do so. I happen to have many safe houses which I could store you in, keep you safe''.

''Keep me safe?!'' I yelled, almost shrieked. I never liked my father, mainly for how apathetic he was to everything, but also for the fact he had no issues sacrificing others in the name of business. Even so... he only spoke of me as an object, like a doll to keep safe! It was humiliating, horrifying, and beyond all that, insulting.

''Of course'' He smiled - smiled ''I need my heir to be in top condition after all''.

I felt a cold feeling settle in my stomach as he snapped his fingers, two scarily familiar figures coming out from his shadow. Both dressed in suits with matching black hair and grey eyes were Dmitri and Ivan Babinski, my fathers right hand men. Like my father they were rather uncaring for almost everything, and I was acutely aware of how many dark things they had done in the past on my fathers orders, the murder of the former leader of the good White Fang being the most prominent. They were assassins, businessmen, servants and everything in-between. Versatility was practically in their name.

''Take her to Safe House Omega'' My father ordered crisply, both men nodding silently as they approached. Desperately, I tried to lash out with Myrtenaster, but given I was a foot deep in solid concrete I could barely wiggle it free, and by that time they were by my sides. Ivan picked up the weapon by the blade, tearing it from my shaky grip and tossing it across the room carelessly. Both of them grabbed my shoulders and yanked me out, instantly setting fire to my nerves as I screamed in pain. I flailed like a child, I kicked my legs, I even tried spitting at them as they began to move, but they paid my struggle the same amount of care as a parent would a misbehaving child.

I knew of my fathers safe houses, places isolated so far into Remnant it would be impossible to find me. There was a chance - a chance - Eien could track me down with his sensing abilities, but to do so he'd have to scour all of Mantle, not to mention the prospect of them moving me. I wouldn't be able to escape once I was there, lest I either be killed be Beowolves or the harsh temperature. So I struggled, flailed and screaming, all but begging for assistance until-

SNAP! My arm went as Ivan intentionally snapped it, making me shriek in pain and writhe less in an instinctive measure to lessen the pain. I felt a cold feeling flow through me as I caught sight of the Bullhead hovering outside the building, no doubt attracting attention from the workers. The cold feeling rushed through me, through my legs, along my arms and up my neck. Time seemed to slow, the world almost turning grey, sound stopping altogether until...

''Take care, my child'' A voice of an eerily familiar person spoke in her ear as time suddenly resumed, and an explosion of power erupted from within me, expanding outwards like a sphere, knocking away Ivan and Dmitri roughly. A soft chime drew my attention, revealing the source of the soft song to be the necklace Eien had made for her over a year ago. It was the source of the shield and she felt her Aura rapidly restore itself, something she was surprised about, but did not question at the moment. I could ask later, for now I had a fight to win.

The cold feeling in my veins lingered and I held my hand out to the side, watching as wisps of teal-coloured energy spawned from thin air, forming into a clone of Myrtenaster. Behind me, a much larger version formed, one that was almost identical to the blade the Grimm Armour had used against me during my test. I paid it little mind, as if were a normal thing - and with someone like Eien around, it generally was classified as normal when he made living beings on a whim like it wasn't something extraordinary.

I glared at Dimitri and Ivan, two teal-colour Beowolves spawning beside me as the dome faded from existence, the necklace returning to normal. I did little else than give a mental whim, sending the two teal beings towards the assassins. Dismissing them from my thoughts, I turned my glare on my father, who looked shocked for the first time in his life. My back didn't hurt anymore, but my arm was still limp, meaning it hadn't healed even if the pain was almost unnoticeable.

Summoning a Glyph beneath me, I launched towards him, slashing at him before I even got into melee range. The large, ethereal clone behind me swung in tandem, crashing into the spot where my father stood. He scowled, blade glowing as the dust changed, but I didn't let him any reprieve as I swung again with my enlarged blade. He jumped, landing atop it and hopping off, dashing at me with his own Glyph. I danced to the side, idly noting my increase in reflexes and speed as I dodged his strike and delivered my own. Faux-Myrtenaster pierced his Aura, cutting into his arm and spilling blood, even if it was a small amount.

I gathered the newfound energy into my blade and slashed, my blade clashing against his and causing a one-way explosion and sending him tumbling back. My body almost moving on its own accord, as if by instinct, I raised my blade and brought it down as the energy engulfed the weapon more prominently. Another, more controlled explosion splattered a thick sheen of ice around the floor of room, making it almost into an ice-skating arena.

I didn't stop, instead I rushed my father in his moment of weakness, capitalising in a way he would've done to me. Without any shame or remorse, I slashed and cut off his arm, his expression one of pure shock. I just glared with all the fury of a cold winter storm as I did a elegant twirl, before piercing his chest with my energy-based blade, right where his heart was. I waited, gauging his reaction, before tearing the blade open by pulling it out horizontally, cutting through his lung, skin and muscle. Without care, hell, with apathy I pushed him, the sudden force sent him falling onto his back, unintentionally bringing him from his stupor even as his henchmen fought, and died in the background against a pair of invincible Beowolves.

''I... am not an object for you to use'' I growled at him, raising my blade with little hesitation ''See you in hell, you bastard of a father!''.

With a rather exaggerated slice, I brought down both the corporeal blade and the enlarged one, ensuring his death as I cut both his neck and body in half. I turned my head, alert as I checked on the other two, only to see the manifested wolves waiting for me, the corpses of his henchmen at their feet.

I took a breath, the cold feeling in my veins seemingly fading. From my hands my weapon dissipated, the Beowolves and the enlarged one also dissipating. I gulped in an attempt to moisturise my throat as I became aware of how tired, thirsty and fucking hungry she felt. Despite that, she could only take a single step towards her trusty and currently abandoned weapon before her vision swam, fading rapidly.

As she fell, she heard the soft bubbling sound of something strangely familiar, but couldn't identify it as her mind checked out.

Blake grunted as she leapt backwards, dodging another series of arrows from the Schnee girl. They had been fighting for... five minutes? Even so, the girl was good, probably would've been one of the best in their year if she went to Beacon. Of course, the fact she was intentionally fighting because she was defending Shiro Schnee and by extension defending his horrific deeds made her a valid opponent, nigh sworn enemy.

Regardless, she was good. Her aim was precise, her arrows could home in if she willed them to and all of them were loaded with Dust, making it very painful if they struck. My own Semblance was the only thing that saved me most of the time, since the clones could act as a barrier that caught the arrows and mostly stopped their momentum. Not only that, she was fast, and the fact she had boots that allowed her to walk on walls and ceilings was immeasurably irritating.

When the fight started, Danika had led her into a mix of complex corridors that were abandoned by the looks of it, given the lack of staff. Since then she had been using the unusually high hallways to her advantage, using ranged attacks and refusing to get in range of my melee attacks. I reloaded Gambol Shroud and immediately began taking more pot shots at er, even as she ran along the ceiling, reloading another three arrows and drawing them. I threw Gambol, wrapping it around a door handle and yanking myself out of the was as three bullet-speed black arrows smashed and exploded onto the ground where I once stood.

I spun, withdrawing Gambol as I aimed and took another series of shots, but she used small adjustments with the use of the Schnee Family Glyph's. Despite being a ranged fighter, she seemed to be unable to move herself much with the use of Glyph's - perhaps she was simply bad at using her Semblance? Even so, her ranged attacks and seemingly inexhaustible supply of arrows were proving to be a pain - I had taken an arrow to the knee earlier, it wasn't fun.

Growling, I spawned a shadow clone and jumped atop it, using it to propel me closer. I did this twice more in less than two seconds before throwing my weapon like a flail, the blade spinning towards her until she simply dodged to the side. I grit my teeth and jumped again, following her down the hall and escalating in height as I closed in. I saw my chance as she slowed down to reload and I took it, throwing it at her, spinning towards her back. It would've hit, had she not have made a slight adjustment to the side before suddenly rocketing along the roof at a speed previously not displayed.

She moved above me, smirking as I noticed three arrows drawn before she let them loose. I gasped as they pierced my stomach, sending me shooting towards the ground below and making my bones groan as my Aura absorbed the rough blow. I tried to get up, but the wind was torn from my lungs as the arrows in me only tore deeper wounds, making me hesitate to move. That hesitation was all it took as another two arrows pierced my wrists, conveniently missing the arteries, but inconveniently keeping me pinning to the floor.

I reached for Gambol, pulling on the ribbon to bring it towards me. It only moved a foot before another two arrows came down, one pinning and cutting the ribbon while the other landed in the middle of the trigger guard. Danika landed softly in front of me, smirking down at me as if she had known this would happen all along. Maybe it would've. She bent down in front of me, smirk in place as she roughly tore the ribbon off my head, making me hiss as it stung my second pair of ears slightly.

''Ha! I knew it'' Danika grinned, shaking her head ''Even now you filthy animals hide amongst us. Does your team know? Probably, so that options out the window... perhaps I could tear them off? Then again... Hm...''.

Growling as she practically ignored me in favour of decided on what to do to me, I tried to raise my arms through the arrows, but the spikes parts on them prevented me from doing so without cutting into my arteries. Since my arms were pinned, I lashed out with my feet, kicking her shin. Danika yelped in pain, stumbling back a step in surprise before glaring at me.

''Dirty bitch'' She seethed, kicking me in the leg as she reached for another arrow ''I'll put you down like the rest of your kind should be''.

The insults bounced off me relatively harmlessly, given I had endured worse in the past. That, and the fact I had an arrow pointed at my face and little way to dodge it. I jerked my body forwards, tapping into my Semblance and summoning a shadow clone, just enough so that it startled her. She released the arrow, piercing the clone's stomach and destroying it, the arrow flying and impacting the wall behind me.

''Avenge me, child of mine'' A voice whispered in her ear as her veins felt like they were flushed with a cool liquid, dropping the temperature of her body in seconds. A clone formed in front of me, seemingly of its own will as it raised a clone of Gambol Shroud, firing off a burst of bullets towards Danika. As it did that, it walked straight in front of me, its shadow covering me.

My body felt lighter and I had the sudden urge to swim, despite not liking said activity in my past. The ground felt nice and cool, and it ripples as my body floated down into it, leaving me in a world of purple-blackness. It was like looking through a window almost, as I could see my clone now fighting Danika without dying when taking a hit. Any questions or doubts fled my mind with surprising ease as I just followed what felt natural, swimming under Danika before diving out of her shadow.

A ribbon formed in my hands, comprised of purple-black energy that I did not question as I pulled it over her head and settled it on her neck, pulling her head back towards me as I garrotted her. She gasped in surprise, flailing slightly before a soft squelch knocked the wind from her lungs. My clone stood on the other side of her, Gambol Shroud - the real one - protruding through her heart and out her back. Without mercy my clone twisted the blade, tugging it out before cutting the neck of the Schnee brat, letting her fall to the floor, dying.

I looked at my clone, the adrenaline of the fight dimming a slight amount. My clone smirked, nodded, and then her whole form unravelled into ribbons of shadow-like energy, darting into my own shadow. My breaths were coming out in pants and the pain from earlier was returning, so I sheathed Gambol Shroud and turned to the direction of where Eien and Ruby went, only for my vision to swim and darken.

As I fell, I swore I heard a gentle swishing sound, but I couldn't be sure.

Another wall exploded as Yang was sent flying through it, courtesy of the hulk-strength of a strike that Himmel had. Despite his rather average frame, he was surprisingly good at handling himself in hand-to-hand combat, so good she idly wondered if he could stand a chance against her father. She got to her feet, finding herself now in a large concert hall, the stage being quite large. Probably used for presentations or something.

Himmel came through the wall, dashing in on a Glyph with his fists raised. I jerked my fists forth, unloading several rounds at him that were mostly ignored. When he got into melee range I raised my arms into an 'X' shape and blocked his strike, the spikes on his knuckles almost piercing the metal. I growled, ducking under his next strike and punching him in the gut, followed by an uppercut to the hit and a strike to his face, the combo only sending him stumbling back. Even so I chased, not willing to make the same mistake as before.

Still, he recovered quickly and blocked my strike, hitting me back twice as hard as I was sent skidding back. I felt my Semblance activate as my hair glowed, almost like it was on fire and my vision turning dark around the corners, a form of tunnel vision. I sprinted at him, blocking one strike and putting all my momentum into my other, firing a slug off a point-blank as he was sent flying back. Despite that, he skidding to a stop and shot back at me with equal speed due to his damn Glyph's.

I blocked his attack, but the momentum behind it knocked me back a foot or two. I ducked under his strike, aiming for his chin until he took a step back, making me miss and leaving me open. His spiked gauntlet came down on my stomach and I gasped in pain as I felt the spikes pierce my Aura, jabbing through my skin. He yanked his weapon out and slammed the other into my cheek, the spikes sending flares of pain through my skull as I felt them scratch bone. Another strike hit my chin in an uppercut, knocking my head back before my legs were kicked out from under me.

I fell onto my back, blood running from a head wound I didn't realise I had gained and blocking sight from my right eye. I caught sight of him bringing another strike down so I rolled to the side, missing the attack only to get a boot in the face. I tumbled only a foot before I felt him grab my hair, yanking me back before his knee smashed into my nose, flaring another set of nerves on fire. I growled at him as he held me up by a clump of my hair, smirking as he drew back a hand and smashed it into my face, sending spots into my vision as I went flying across the stage, off it, and into the chairs and causing an explosion on impact.

My vision swam, but I stumbled to my feet, willing my sight to readjust and cast off the blurriness that came with getting punched in the face. My right eye was still covered in blood, preventing me from opening it and seeing with it, but with only one eye I could see something that made me freeze. Standing in the middle of the stage, wearing a slightly surprised look, was grasping a clump of blonde hair.

My hair.

''Kill''.

I felt a rush flow through me, like when my Semblance activates. Tunnel vision vanished, replaced with the unadulterated desire to smash the living shit out of him. I screamed in rage, kicking off of a seat and practically flying across the room. I landed on the stage, breaking out into a full-on sprint at him as he recovered from his surprise. He swung at me but I dodged to the side slightly, blood pumping in my ears as I slammed a fist into his chest, hearing a satisfying crack as he cried out in pain like a bitch. With a grin I grabbed him by the face, slamming him into the ground and snapping his arm with a single punch, as if my damage had increased ten-fold.

I paid it no mind, instead raising my fist and slamming it into his face, pulling back, and smashing it again. I let out a slight laugh as I slammed my fist into his face, again, again, and again and again and again and again and again!

''Yang?''.

I froze at the familiar voice, the voice of Ruby. Slowly I turned my head to the hole in the wall, seeing Ruby standing there with a slightly shocked look on her face. She was a little banged up, but looked more scared. Terrified even. Terrified of her. I turned my gaze below me, back to what remained of Himmel Schnee, everything above his chest nothing more than a red mass of blood and flesh. I became acutely aware of the amount of blood covering my hands, face, even in my hair. My whole body was covered in his blood... and a part of me liked it.

A shaky breath came out of me as I stumbled to my feet, another breath coming in less than a second as I began hyperventilating. I took another step back, a cold feeling of dread in my stomach as I dared to glance back at Ruby.

Only for something to hit the back of my neck, plunging me into darkness.

When my lilac eyes fluttered open once again, I was greeted by bright daylight so intense I closed my eyes again, groaning. There was a shuffling to my left, a few murmurs of words that alerted me that I was not alone. I opened my eyes slowly, finding myself in a large room with nice brown walls decorated with a multitude of paintings of varying sizes. The artsy wall was nice, and it wasn't too bad on my eyes. The lighter coloured floor and white ceiling were partially brightened by the rays of bright daylight that came from the tall rectangular windows behind me, birds chirping idly.

''Where... am I?'' I murmured, more to myself than anything.

Still, I got a response that came in a monotone ''You are currently within Father's Mansion, within his soul''.

Blinking groggily, I turned my gaze on Eleanor, who was sitting on a rich-brown leather chair in the corner of the room. On the other corner of the room was the witch-like girl Kotori, sitting on her broom with a sketchpad in hand as she sketched away with a pencil. Weiss and Blake were also here, lying down in their own beds that had intricate designs on them that weren't particularly easy on the eyes. My breath hitched slightly as I saw Ruby, sitting on the windowsill, gazing out the paned glass with a solemn look on her face.

Question registering, I slowly looked back at Eleanor, swallowing my fears for now ''What happened?''.

''Lots of things'' Kotori snapped, her tone holding little to no cheer, if anything she seemed pissed.

Eleanor sent Kotori a glare before replying ''As Kotori had put it, many things have occurred. Shiro Schnee was defeated and killed by Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna defeated and killed Danika Schnee, and you defeated and killed Himmel Schnee''.

I winced at the memory, but she continued.

''Father ran into... complications during the invasion, and unfortunately has taken critical injuries that he is currently addressing. Mother and Risa were the ones who brought you all here after you had lost consciousness. All of us were involved in assisting Father... and unfortunately that fight is the source of my allies frustrations, in that many of them died''.

I froze ''Wait... you mean...?''.

Eleanor nodded ''Yes, many of us died. Father brought us back of course, but the cost on his Aura and the distraction cost him a lot''.

''Who was it?'' Blake spoke up, making me jump slightly, as I hadn't realised the other two were awake.

Eleanor pursed her lips ''I would rather not say, lest his name cause Kotori to blow up the wall... again''.

''Shut it'' Kotori sniped in annoyance, continuing to fiddle away with her notepad.

''Gin, Juha, Jaeger, Kenshi and Natasha were the only ones who did not die'' Eleanor added gravely, but also in a slightly ashamed tone ''Even so, they took harsh injuries also, and with Father in such a bad state he is currently unable to heal them''.

''Oh'' Was all I could say. It was slightly stunning to learn that Eien got his ass handed to him, given he was capable of fighting Ozpin on equal ground, and even then Weiss had mentioned something about neither going all out, but it had been a rumour apparently. The fact that someone was at the SDC and was capable of wounding Eien and his Spirits so badly... it was slightly worrying. More than that, she was worried about what she had done, especially since Ruby had seen her... why had she done it? She had went so berserk she had punched his face to mush and she liked it. That last part was the hardest pill to swallow.

The door of the room, a matching chocolate brown with gold handle, opened up with a quiet creek as a familiar teen walked in. Eien walked in, Risa next to him as he helped support him, the wounds on him evident by the bandages covering half of his face and obscuring one of his eyes. He wasn't wearing his signature cloak for once, showing his entire torso covered in bandages, descending below into his pants too, even peeking out near his boots.

''Sheesh, you look like hell'' I tried lightening the atmosphere, but it barely helped it seemed.

''I agree'' He sighed as Risa helped him into another leather seat ''I got my ass handed to me, for lack of better word''.

''That bad?'' I murmured questioningly, making him give me a light smile.

''Yeah, that bad'' He conceded as Risa took a seat next to him, sitting on the armrest in an almost casual manner, had it not been for the fact she looked ready to fight in a heartbeat ''We won in the end, but not without losses''.

''Yes, having your body torn in half while alive is not pleasant'' Risa said bluntly, a slight twitch as she shifted in her seat.

''Ouch'' I said quietly.

''Yes, unfortunately our opponent was not kind nor merciful in the deaths he handed out, they were instead done in a way to inflict the most pain'' Eien intoned, bringing a bandaged hand up to massage his face ''I am also aware of your own battles through Risa and Ruby, and congratulate you on winning''.

''Does that mean you know what happened during the last part of my fight?'' Weiss asked quietly, frowning ''The whole... energy thing?''.

''Indeed'' He nodded, leaning back ''All three of you have, unintentionally or not, awoken what can be coined with a simple term of 'special ability'. Like my Dunkelheit and Ruby's Silver Eyes, each of you have an ability of your own. Weiss; Summoning. Blake; Shades. Yang; Berserker Rage''.

''That's what it was?'' I asked, slightly relieved I hadn't gone off the deep end, but also concerned about it.

''Yeah. The information I have on all three of your abilities are rather scarce and undocumented, both because those before you either didn't documented it or weren't particularly knowledgeable about it. However, there may be a chance that you could gain assistance with yours Yang, as your father is apparently part of the bloodline that holds that particular gene. Blake, unfortunately, has no familial ties, and you'll have to figure out your ability on your own. Weiss, your sister has an advanced amount of knowledge about the Summoning aspect of your Semblance, so she can assist you in that regard''.

''Aside from that, business continues as usual, I suppose'' He said, looking down at his injuries ''Given that other things have occupied me recently, I believe I will need to make a stop at Forever Fall soon to gather more sap''.

''Sap?'' Ruby spoke for the first time, her tone quiet and curious.

Eien smiled slightly ''Yes, remember back when Glynda Goodwitch led us, JNPR and CRDL along with some others there? The extra sap I gathered was for a sort of opposite to an adrenaline shot, instead inflicting a numbing effect as it accelerates the regeneration of lost tissue. I hadn't found a use for them so far, so they went off and I need to get some new ones''.

Risa leaned down next to Eien, whispering something in his ear before straightening up again. Eien frowned slightly, nodding in acceptance as he got to his feet, Risa helping him in doing so, given he looked like he should be in bed instead of walking around.

''Unfortunately I'll have to leave you in Eleanor's care, as I have some business that needs attention. You should be fully healed, both in bodily wounds and Aura - including your hair, Yang'' He added with a touch of amusement ''Feel free to leave whenever, but I advise staying near my other Spirits for now''.

''Why?'' Weiss asked with a frown.

Eien hesitated for the briefest moment, before responding ''My soul isn't at its most stable point at the moment, since I took so much damage. If you're near the others then they can pull you out of danger before something bad happens. Anyway, I bid you adieu, girls''.

''Wait!'' I called, making him and Risa stop halfway out the door ''Who did this? To all of you?''.

Eien was quiet for a moment, opening his mouth before closing it a few times before finally responding.

''It was a naïve, inconsiderate choice of mine that caused all of this''.

And with that, he left.

Both he and Risa were silent as they walked down the hall, his Aura restored enough that he could walk on his own. He had kept many things secret from his team, but Ruby knew the truth of what happened, though seemed hesitant to speak on it. The reason behind it was unknown to him, but he wouldn't question her, not after the genuine horror she felt when she saw Yang in her Berserker state. Had he been able to he might've shared that feeling of horror, but he couldn't exactly claim to know what it felt like.

As he passed through one of the many winding halls, he passed Aria, who gave him a nod and faint smile which I returned. Aria had one of the worst deaths, having her eardrums blown out by their opponent as they screeched in her ears, killing her in the process. It was my fault, really, that I had been so foolish to not bear the burdens I had acquired, leaving my Spirits to bear them for me.

''Wakey-wakey'' Risa murmured, poking my cheek with her finger as we arrived in the basement. I sighed, moving across the dusty room and to the crate that held the Dust Crystals that were infused with Souls. He sighed again, already regretting what he was about to do, but it was necessary, and potentially an end to their suffering.

''I'm sorry'' I murmured, holding up a crystal in each hand.

And began draining the power from them, adding to my own.

A/N: And that's a wrap.

The SDC Arc is now over, with Shiro Schnee dead and Weiss's cousins Himmel and Danika Schnee. I tried going with the whole Germanic theme, so I hope the names fit well. Weiss, Yang and Blake have all unlocked their special little powers, what will becoming of that?

Next is the final arc, which I will be calling the 'Black Winter Arc'. This will likely last about... 3-9 chapters, more likely closer to the former. Who was the one who caused such damage to Eien and all his Spirits? Who knows? Soon to be revealed~

Again, sorry for the late update time, my internet has been fucked recently with all the weather and the flooding, so my next update might also be late. Can't help it, but sorry!

Until next time!