The corpses of dozens of Beowolves lined the path out of the cave as Ruby and Jaune helped Nuri to the surface. As they made the tedious trek, Nuri's legs finally gave out completely, nearly bringing down Jaune and Ruby with her. Luckily, the duo caught her before she could fully hit the ground.
Nuri grabbed onto Jaune's collar and leaned in close to his ear, much to Jaune's discomfort.
" Don't trust those that bear the Flamesong's blood." Nuri said weakly as she lost consciousness.
Orion waited semi-patiently as he watched Jaune and Ruby emerge from the cave and into the daylight. Jaune passed Nuri off to Ruby as they shared a few choice words before Ruby and Nuri vanished in a flurry of rose petals.
Orion was leaning against a tree, calmly smoking what looked like a cigar between his fingers. Jaune simply looked at him as Orion exhaled and released a puff of smoke that actually didn't smell like smoke at all. Orion tiredly acknowledged Jaune as he sighed.
" What ? I wanted to have a smoke so I did. "
" Not what's bugging me." Jaune said as he crossed his arms. " I'm curious what that whole scene you had with the angel. What was that about anyway ? "
Orion let out one last puff of smoke as he threw his cigar onto the ground. He stamped it out with his boot. Without giving him a second look, Orion walked past Jaune and continued in silence, but was stopped as Jaune grabbed his arm tightly.
" I wasn't done with you yet." Jaune said as his entire expression became dark and threatening. The wind howled ominously as Orion pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, and held it up to Jaune. Jaune released his grip on his Orion and took the paper he offered him.
Wordlessly, Orion was surrounded by elegant golden flames that enveloped him. Jaune watched Orion change from into a flaming golden phoenix and take off into the sky, vanishing beyond the clouds.
Jaune sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in annoyance. " Great now I gotta walk back."
Ironically, Ruby reappeared and looked around to see that Orion was now gone. " Where'd the maniac go ? "
As designated on the paper Orion had provided to Jaune, they met again in a rather popular nightclub in Downtown Vale.
The whole atmosphere was an uproar of music, strobe lights and enjoyment. At the farthest and darkest end of the club Jaune could see Orion sitting alone and keeping to himself. Yet, he motioned subtly for Jaune to join him, even through the loud noises and hyper-active crowd he still managed to spot him easily.
When they met up, Orion leaned back in his seat and downed whatever else was in his cup as Jaune sat down across from him. They simply stared at each other in silence until Orion sighed and threw his head back.
" How long you are gonna just glare at me ? I told you where to find me and since you showed up that means you want something from me so let's cut to the chase. You wanted to talk about that scene me and the angel had so ask away."
" No, I don't care about that anymore." Jaune told Orion, catching him by surprise. " I have enough to deal with without having to figure out why an angel told me not to trust your blood. Listen, it's obvious you know more about Chaos, angels and pretty much this entire situation than I do. Ever since we fought Elias, that woman in the white hood has been on my mind. Something tells me you know exactly who she is. Am I right or wrong ? "
Instead of giving a straight answer, Orion merely opened a small satchel by his foot and retrieved a worn and torn notebook. He placed it on the table and slid across to Jaune.
" I have a pretty good idea. Take this, Arc. It's everything that I've learned these past few years. So, if you wanna help me stop Chaos, then we're going to need to work together. What happens afterwards if we win is up to you."
Orion got up from his seat and reached into his pockets. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and placed it atop of the notebook on the table. " When you're ready, go ahead and call this number. Though, just in case I'd appreciate if you could find Sun and tell him to give me my knife back."
" Hold up, there was an island off the coast of Mistral that vanished. To be more exact, it was destroyed. Did you have anything to do with that ? "
Orion chuckled slightly at the question. " Yeah, I blew it up for an angel. I did her a favor and took it off the map so she didn't have to look at it again."
With that said, Orion made his way out of the nightclub, leaving Jaune alone as he picked up the piece of paper Orion had left. It took him a minute, but he quickly realized who's number it was.
It had take awhile, but her long trip had finally come to an end and Yang was looking forward to being back in Vale. Though the rain made her disembarking more tedious, she was just glad to be home.
Instead of either Ruby or Blake welcoming her return, she was met by Orion who was standing at the end of the docks with an umbrella. They met up under Orion's umbrella and quickly made their way out of the rain.
Yang had given Ruby a spare key to get into her house whenever she wanted. Today, Ruby had decided that she would stop by Yang's home and simply stay there for a few days instead of her own place.
When got there, Ruby quickly jogged up the steps to Yang's upscale apartment complex and quickly made her way up the stairs. She used her key and let herself into Yang's apartment. Finding it empty as it usually was she decided to enter the bedroom to see that someone was currently sleeping under the sheets. She silently backed out and closed the door just as Yang exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Ruby turned to see her sister, but instead of bursting with an enjoyment she was filled with confusion as she looked back at the closed door. Yang quickly pulled her sister away and urgently rushed her into the living room and sat her down on the couch opposite a large television.
Yang simply put her finger to her lips and motioned for her sister to be quiet. She rushed back to the bedroom and Ruby could faintly her the sounds of Yang rushing and changing her clothes. She came out a few minutes later wearing a yellow t-shirt along with pajama pants decorated with a serpentine dragon. She leaned against the door as she sighed as she looked at her sister.
" Hey Sis, soooo...Hi." Yang said awkwardly as Ruby's eye twitched in voluntarily. Yang took that as a sign as she sighed. " Look, i'm sorry that I didn't tell you that I was back, but-"
" Who was that ? " Ruby questioned Yang as she cut her off. Yang sighed in defeat as she walked over to her sister and took Ruby's hands in hers.
" Can you promise me you'll keep an open-mind ? " Yang asked her sister. Ruby glared at her, but nonetheless nodded her head in agreement. Yang gathered herself and entered the bedroom for several minutes and returned with a tired person who was wearing a black t-shirt and grey pajama pants. Ruby recognized the messy red hair and red eyes immediately as she drew Crescent Rose. Orion shot to attention as he instinctively extended his arm in Ruby's direction and ignited a blue flame in his hand. Yang got between them put both her hands up as she got between Ruby and Orion.
Orion realized what was going on and extinguished the flames he had created. " Well...this is awkward..."
Ruby's hands were shaking and she involuntarily dropped Crescent Rose as put one hand on her stomach and the other over her mouth as she turned away from the others. " I think...i'm gonna be sick." Ruby said, the disgust obvious in her voice as obvious as the sun shining through the windows.
" Ruby.." Yang said softly to her as she tried to put a hand on shoulder. Ruby recoiled at her touch and moved further away. " This isn't how I wanted you to find out. I wanted to tell you, but I-"
" How long, Yang ? "
" Ruby I-"
HOW LONG YANG ?! " Ruby snapped, her feeling of sickness growing worse by the second. "
Yang's silence confirmed Ruby's suspicions about when it began as pieces started to form and fit together in her mind.
" He's changed, Ruby. He's not the same person from before. Please, Ruby just believe me ! Believe in us ! "
" OF COURSE YOU'D SAY THAT ! YOU'RE FUCKING SLEEPING WITH HIM ! " Ruby snapped, shocking and hurting Yang in one motion.
" I should've told you when I had the chance." Orion said to Ruby who only shot him a menacing walked past Yang and picked up Crescent Rose, much to the ire of Ruby. He activated the scythe and handed it to Ruby. He placed the very end of the weapon's barrel on his chest, directly over his heart.
" I get it, you don't trust me for what I've done. Even if you could forgive me, you won't ever trust me, but all that hatred you have for me is just for me, not your sister. She didn't pull the trigger that nearly killed Pyrrha or light the fires that harmed your friends. That was all me, not her. If you really want to get even for everything that I did, I understand, I really do. I know saying I've changed won't do much right now and you can't stand me as much I think you do then get even. My Phoenix Flames can heal me and practically anyone that I desire, but I won't let it happen. Put a bullet in my heart and I won't heal myself. I owe you that much, so go ahead, Ruby. I don't wanna fight you..."
Ruby looked at Yang and then back to Orion, who seemed completely sincere and serious. There wasn't a touch of the hateful red eyes that haunted her from the past, but instead they were eyes full of regret and loss. She felt her hands twitch and tremble as she was torn between fury and forgiveness. She ultimately retracted Crescent Rose as she collapsed onto Yang's couch in exhaustion.
" Why do you always drag me into these situations, Yang ? " Ruby asked her sister, weakly as Yang sat down next to her. Yang put Ruby's head in her lap and ran her finger through her little sister's hair.
" I know, I'm sorry sis. Can you just...not tell Weiss or anyone else ? " Yang asked Ruby who sighed and nodded weakly.
" Fine, I won't tell a soul about this. I'm trying to wrap my head around this, but...I trust you, Yang."
On the opposite side of the world, Sun and his team were busy as well. Well to be exact, Neptune had followed Sun as he investigated a disturbance in Vacuo while Sage and Scarlet stayed in Mistral for reasons of their own.
Sun and Neptune had found what Sun been looking for since he, Orion and Jaune had defeated Elias. Sun taken the time after that to do several things. Among the most important were investigating what the woman in white had told him. With Blake's help and Weiss' resources, Sun had located an underground temple. Within it was an immense library that contained hundreds upon hundreds of tomes, but Sun only took a map. On the map was a location, the new underground temple that he and Neptune were exploring.
They finally came to the lowest level of the temple and there they found a woman with scarlet hair, golden armor and jade greens bound to the ground by several dark spears that pierced her throughout her body. The woman looked up and took notice of Sun and Neptune, but instead of a look of shock, she had a look of relief and acceptance.
" Holy crap ! Dude, we gotta help her ! " Neptune told Sun as he tried to rush forward, but stopped as Sun pulled him back.
" Don't be stupid, Neptune. Don't you hear it ? " Sun asked he took several steps back. A low hissing noise followed as bone scrapped against stone. Neptune felt a drop of liquid land on his head. He sighed as he looked up to see an eight-legged spider Grimm descend upon him. He screamed as it caught him and hoisted up and into darkness.
" NEPTUNE YOU ALRIGHT ?! " Sun yelled out.
No response, but the sounds of the creatures pained yells soon followed. Sun took that as a sign as he rushed over to the scarlet-haired woman. He looked at the bound woman and quickly pulled all the black spears that impaled. He then began to tug at the chains that bound her to the ground with no avail. He groaned as a golden aura enveloped his and he tugged again at the chain, but this time shattering them.
The woman fell into Sun's arms as he looked up, hoping to see Neptune, but instead seeing only darkness. The woman in his arms extended her hand and let loose a ray of light that pierced the shadows with its radiance. Sun watched as the spider Grimm fell from the darkness and landed in front of him.
Neptune cleaved his way out of the creature's stomach and emerged, covered in a thick layer of bile and saliva. While he forced himself out of the creature's corpse, Sun gave his attention to the woman in his arms. She created a small orb of light and placed it between her and Sun. The orb made contact with Sun's forehead and he began to feel an immense pain as visions, sounds and images flooded his mind.
When they ceased, Sun had come to realize many things, mainly who the woman was. More importantly, what she was and how, Orion, Jaune and him fit into everything. With this information came a price, as the woman in his arms began grow paler. She cupped her hands together as a golden gem manifested in her palm. Sun only watched as a golden mist escaped the woman's lips and entered the gem, causing it to glow with a strange energy. She forcibly, but weakly placed the gem in Sun's hand and he could only watch as the life began to ebb from her eyes.
" Hey ! Naomi, DON'T DIE !? WE DIDN'T COME ALL THIS WAY TO LET YOU DIE ! " Sun screamed as Naomi weakly pulled him closer to her.
" Tell my sisters...I'm sorry..." Naomi said weakly as Sun watched the life fled from her eyes. Her hands went slack and her eyes went dull and Sun could only hold her close in her final moments.