Well, it's time to wrap up 2022 with one last chapter of "Reality" to close its second act. A lot's happened this year. And there's definitely some things I'm excited to talk about once we move into next year, especially with the upcoming stories like "Power" and the rest of "The Challenge of a Lifetime", along with this.
"Through the Rough" is also getting good traction, so it's safe to say that I'm feeling pretty comfortable going into next year with the content ahead. I'm glad to have everyone's continued support, much like TerrorKing10's, as his help on this story has made it one of the more memorable ones for me to write. I'll be providing more information around the end of the chapter as to what you can expect for next year, so please be on the lookout.
Anyways, it's time for us to get into this chapter!
REALITY
The threat has passed… for now. After Yang's group embarked on their perilous rescue mission to retrieve the captured Oscar from Salem's clutches, they were joined by Emerald Sustrai, who was aiming to defect from the immortal witch's ranks. And she wasn't the only one…
Hazel Rainart also chose to turn against Salem, having understood that Oscar wasn't lying to him. Working together with Ben, they fought off the immortal witch to let their comrades escape. And in doing so, provided Oscar an opening to seemingly eviscerate Salem.
Before that though, Enji swooped in and managed to take the Reality Stone from her. Will having it help turn the tide of the battle? Well… an ultimatum for what's ahead has yet to be determined.
It was nearly dawn as James overlooked the battlefield from his office at the academy, having his hands held together behind his back. Manta airships were flying by. The sheer volume of the battle lurking beyond the city was daunting. All of Atlas' forces had been deployed to fight against the Monstra and the Grimm its black liquid spawned.
Yet all the general could think about were other pressing matters. He looked at the security footage displaying from the holographic screen, seeing Enji freeing both Qrow and Robyn, while Raven was standing by. His eyes narrowed onto them with anger. Someone behind him cleared their throat, being one of two commanders there to report to him.
"Sir, we have confirmation that Doctor Watts has escaped military headquarters with the assistance of Cinder Fall," the woman of the two explained, looking very nervous and scared alongside her colleague, doing their best to remain composed, "We do have Jacques Schnee in custody—"
"I don't give a damn about Jacques Schnee…" James snarled, interrupting her, "What about the other two?" he asked, glancing back at the commanders. Both officers stood at attention, still nervous. Sweat dripped from the side of the woman's face as she looked down for a moment. "Have you found them yet?" her superior questioned on.
"Sir…" she uttered out, "Branwen and Hill have… evaded capture…" she confirmed. Elsewhere in the compound, Qrow and Robyn were sneakily hurrying about the halls, hiding in corridors to avoid being found by soldiers. The former of the two seemed relatively irritated, his right hand shaking as he wanted to reach for his Harbinger. His colleague noticed sadly, knowing how frustrated he was. "But we are monitoring every exit," the Atlas commander informed to James, "so they must still be inside the compound," she affirmed.
"And those other two?" the general inquired, returning to his desk.
"N-No sign of them, sir…" the other officer answered with a stutter.
"Damn it!" James cursed, slamming his robotic left fist onto his desk. He huffed angrily before managing to compose himself. "Search everywhere for them," he demanded as he stood up and held his left hand out, "Do not return to this office until you have Qrow Branwen in custody…" he advised seriously in a threatening tone.
"Of course, sir," the female commander responded, saluting alongside her colleague before they promptly left. Their superior turned around to look outside the large window again. His metal hands were twitching with rage. He sighed to calm himself, bringing his fingers up to the comlink in his right ear.
"What's the status of our—?" All of a sudden, a series of bright flashes occurred outside the window, making him gasp before he glanced out to see the massive explosion of light engulfing the Monstra on the battlefield. It shined so bright that it even seemed to engulf his office. Down on the battlefield, Winter had led the charge with her sword drawn as the Ace Operatives were moving the bomb meant to blow up the gargantuant Grimm, only for them to be knocked back from the explosion.
At the Schnee Manor, Weiss entered her room carrying a plate of bread, soup and a drink, but she dropped it in shock upon seeing the bright explosion occurring outside her window. Nora, Jenny and Klein also watched the blast from the bedside. The explosion's force further reached into the city, knocking back and obliterating some Lancers. The entire area was engulfed in the bright light.
When the luminosity subsided, most of the Monstra's body was obliterated, with specks of its dissipating form floating up. The morning sun shone through the particles of the slain Grimm. And through the dust, Neopolitan was happily skipping away from the remnants of the giant beast with the Relic of Knowledge in her possession. Elsewhere, Winter brought herself back up to witness the now quiet battlefield, with particles raining about. She widened her eyes at the sight of the destroyed Monstra.
"Is everyone all right?!" she called out in question, getting onto her feet alongside Vine.
"No injuries here…" he responded as he stretched his arms. Elm and Harriet walked over, with the former having a hand on her right ear, while the latter gingerly rubbed her right arm.
"What?!" the burly Ace Operative exclaimed after a moment as her ears were still ringing from the blast, making her mohawk-haired colleague flinch.
"They…" Marrow breathed out in shock, getting their attentions as they looked over to the canine Faunus, who widened his eyes in horror, "They were still inside!" he realized, running up the hill leading to the now deceased Grimm. He climbed up and found more particles floating about from the Monstra's massive dead body. He couldn't find a sign of the group that he and his colleagues had let go. Winter walked up to him as he shut his eyes in frustration. Just then, she heard a ping in her communicator, enticing her to bring her fingers up to her right ear.
"Target destroyed," James noted over the line, "Good work," he complimented, "But no time to celebrate," he added seriously as Vine went over to put a sympathetic hand onto Elm's shoulder, only for her to pull it away in a huff, "Return to the academy at once," the general advised, "We've got a new problem," he pointed out. Winter narrowed her eyes. What was so alarming now?
"But… that wasn't us…" Marrow noted, gesturing toward the destroyed Monstra.
"Then we can tell him in person," Winter replied, turning away as she took her fingers off of her earpiece, "Load it back up," she instructed, "We're leaving," she said. The Ace Operatives went ahead and moved the bomb back onto the cargo ship, with other soldiers gathering to depart to quiet battlefield as well. The fight was over… but only for now.
X
On the roof of a skyscraper in Atlas, Cinder and Arthur stared at the disintegrating carcass of the Monstra. Even they were shocked by such destruction. And now, there was an uncertainty in the air.
"Did…Did anyone respond?" the former doctor asked. The Fall Maiden glanced down at the Scroll in her right hand.
"No," she answered, turning her device off and pocketing it.
"Well…" Arthur uttered after a moment, "she'll come back," he affirmed as he looked into the dawning distance, "In the interim we need a plan," he insisted, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets.
"Plan?" Cinder repeated in confusion, "The plan hasn't changed," she stated with a slight shake of her head, "I'm going to rip the Maiden power out of Penny Polendina," she declared as she turned and walked a short distance away from her colleague, closing her Shadow Hand into a fist confidently, "because you're going to bring her to me…" she said. Arthur turned to her, slightly widening his eyes.
"I beg your pardon?" he remarked.
"You said in your message that you have control over Penny," the Fall Maiden pointed out to him, having her back turned to him.
"I said I had Penny under control," he corrected, "not that I could telekinetically force her to do whatever I want…" he muttered as he wiggled his left fingers for emphasis.
"What?" Cinder snarled in question, looking irritated as she gritted her teeth and glared at her ally.
"I implanted a virus in her, you dimwit…" he told her mockingly, causing her to close her right hand into a fist angrily after it twitched, "She's on a set path now," he noted, "At least, she should be…" he muttered out additionally, glancing away, "As much as I hate to admit it, there seems to be some part of her capable of resisting…" he concluded as he turned away, clenching his right fist tightly, "Regardless, it's only the matter of time before her mechanical body succumbs to the virus," he explained, "She'll open the Vault, then she'll destroy herself and our little Penny problem will be do—" Before he could finish his remarks, the Fall Maiden's Shadow Hand lashed forward, grabbing him by his collar as he yelped, feeling himself get pulled toward her.
"What do you mean, she'll destroy herself?!" she questioned angrily, hoisting him up a foot over the surface, "How am I supposed to take her power if she's dead?!" she inquired on.
"You know, it's impressive that you haven't realized this yet, but I don't work for you!" Arthur retorted as he grabbed onto the Grimm arm, attempting to pry himself free of her grasp. She growled, making orange flames of energy trail out from her eye. She then extended her arm again, hanging the former doctor off the edge of the roof as he yelped. He looked to see that it was a long way down to the ground below. "Please!" he yelled out, "You can't just threaten me like everyone else!" he shouted.
"You think you're so clever, don't you Arthur?" Cinder questioned as she started walking toward him.
"Salem sent you to bring me back—!"
"Salem isn't here right now…" the Fall Maiden noted as she continued her approach, interrupting Arthur, "but I think we can still come up with a plan while she's pulling herself together…" she affirmed as the former doctor glanced back at the ground, frightened by what she could possibly do next, "First, I'm gonna watch you plummet to an unremarkable end," she decided, "And then I'm going to burn a path directly to the Vault," she continued as she stood face-to-face with her colleague, grinning wickedly as she kept her grip firmly on him, "where I will wait to tear that magical puppet to pieces…" she proclaimed, extending her Shadow Hand out further, dangling Arthur high in the air above the streets below as he reflexively gripped her Grimm arm, "And take…" she kept doing as a flame was conjured in her free hand as she smiled confidently, "what is mine…" she finished, closing her hand into a fist as the flame went out. She was far more motivated than she had ever been to obtain the power she sought. But that smile on her face started to fade as she heard her captive start to laugh. The flame around her eye went out as she was perplexed by his sudden laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled, "Oh, of course you are!" he yelled, "Because that's just what you do, isn't it?" he inferred, willing letting go of the Fall Maiden's Shadow Hand, as if he was allowing her to drop him. But she didn't. "And how has that worked out for you?" he inquired on, "You stormed into Fria's room, thinking you can take on Ironwood's top fighter and war machine, along with those Omni Force pests," he recalled, making Cinder flinch at the memory of her failure against her foes when trying to obtain the power she sought the first time, "But you couldn't," Arthur noted, "And that machine became the Winter Maiden!" he emphatically pointed out, "Oh, and let's not forget your deal with Raven Branwen!" he mentioned, smacking himself on the head with his right hand as he rolled his eyes. The Fall Maiden winced, recalling how the Spring Maiden bested her in combat, having been frozen before plummeting in Haven's Vault. "Get all your enemies in one place so you'd have a shot at revenge!" the former doctor pointed out mockingly.
Cinder's eye flared angrily. She didn't want to hear any of this from someone who was so weak in her mind. But he was pushing her buttons, reminding her of her failures.
"If only someone could have warned you against such a miserable idea…" he mockingly noted, putting his right hand onto his chin, "Oh wait…" he uttered in realization, widening his eyes, "I did!" he exclaimed as he pointed to himself, "But you pushed ahead and you lost it, when all you had to do was your job!" he shouted, pointing at her. A storm started to build up around the Fall Maiden, with a vortex of orange energy swirling. She gritted her teeth, becoming increasingly angrier. Yet Arthur wasn't intimidated in the least. "You think you're entitled to everything just because you've suffered, but suffering isn't enough!" he roared on, making her think back to her past where she was essentially enslaved during her abusive childhood, "You can't just be strong, you have to be smart!" he argued as he pointed at his head. Cinder's right hand closed into a tight fist. "You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy!" he continued angrily, not even bothering to grip her Shadow Hand for safety in case she did drop him, "But all you have ever been…" he kept going, "IS A BLOODY MIGRAINE!" he bellowed out angrily, throwing his arms down.
The Fall Maiden screamed in rage. But instead of dropping the former doctor, she dragged him back onto the roof, letting him fall out of her grasp onto his knees in front of her. He looked up to find her having an expression of realization on her face. She calmed her breathing and turned away, walking to the edge of the roof as her eye flame dissipated. It was an awkward silence, but one of deep thought for her.
In the end, Arthur was right. She was a failure. She wasn't smart, and she wasn't worthy. All she thought she was… was a disappointment. She sat on the edge of the roof, trying to hold herself together before a tear streaked out from her eye. She held her hands together over her lap, trying to come to terms with the fact that she was nothing more than a burden.
All the while, the scientist behind her exhaled with relief. He was so willing to let himself die that he hadn't expected Cinder to pull him back. She wiped her teary eye, sniffling a little.
It's frustrating, isn't it?
The Fall Maiden's eye shot open upon hearing the familiar voice from her recent dreams. She immediately looked to her left and found Xiaomei seated just a few feet away from her, swinging her legs back and forth over the streets below.
"Your lust for power means nothing if you can't do anything with it," she noted to Cinder, who glared at her, "And what you're doing with it is pointless," she added firmly, "All it'll lead up to is the end of this world," she pointed out, "I'm certain you know that," she affirmed, looking out toward the horizon.
"What are you?" the Fall Maiden asked. All the while, Arthur stood up and looked on in bewilderment. From his perspective, it seemed like Cinder was talking with herself…
"Call me a conscience trying to give you a wake-up call," the time oracle responded as she stood up, walking on the very air over the streets as if it was a tangible surface, "The good doctor may have helped…" she noted as she glanced off to the side, "but you're still under the impression that remaining in Salem's ranks will get you what you want," she mentioned, turning to face the Fall Maiden, who blinked twice.
"What I want?" she repeated in confusion, "What I want is—"
"Power, but that's not all," Xiaomei answered for her, "You want agency, you want meaning to your life…" she listed off, turning to face Cinder, "Someone like Salem will never give that to you," she confirmed on with a shake of her head, "And no matter how much power you receive…" she kept going, "it will be meaningless when Salem succeeds in her goal of destruction," she noted firmly, "Think on that, Cinder Fall…" she warned. The Fall Maiden blinked, and the time oracle was gone. Arthur walked over.
"I don't suppose you've finally cracked after all this time…" he remarked. However, he was a bit surprised to not see even a glance back from Cinder, who merely lowered her head in contemplation. So much was on her mind. And whatever she would do next would determine how things would go for her future…
X
"Holy shit…" Yang cursed as she, Ren, Jaune, Emerald, Gaara, Kevin and Sabo all looked at the deceased carcass of the Monstra, with its particles floating into the morning sky above. The hybrid Osmosian of the group was carrying the unconscious Wendy in his arms, looking at the black burn mark at her stomach. He could tell that she was in great pain, seeing her wince.
"Did anybody see if Ben or Oscar made it outta that?" he asked of the group.
"I dunno…" the blonde-haired huntress answered, "I'll try radioing, but—" the moment she pulled out her Scroll, a red portal suddenly appeared nearby. Reflexively, she took on a defensive stance, only to blink in surprise as her biological mother came out of the rift.
"Nice to see to you, too…" she muttered out. Yang scoffed, but then gasped to see Oscar, Ben, and Enji exiting the portal.
"Guys!" Jaune exclaimed as he ran over. However, he came to a screeching halt beside the blonde-haired huntress, both widening their eyes at the sight of the unconscious Hazel having his arms around the Omni Force leader and the Hellflame Quirk user as they carried him out.
"I can't believe you brought him with us…" Raven grumbled with her hands at her hips.
"Yeah, go ahead and blame me for that one…" Ben retorted with a roll of his eyes, "I'm not about to let another guy die when I know there's something I can do about it," he stated firmly.
"Hazel!" Emerald cried out as she ran over. She saw how bloodied and battered he was. "Is he…?" she started to ask, letting her teary eyes shake.
"He'll be fine," Enji assured, removing the scarred man's left arm from his shoulders, allowing Ben to take full hold of him, "But I doubt he'll be waking up for a while," he mentioned. The green-haired girl lowered her head sadly. She felt that it because of her that Hazel had gotten involved at all. But she was at least relieved to see that he was alive.
"Okay, having one of the people who followed Salem come with us is bad enough…" Jaune grumbled out, "but now two?!" he inquired on emphatically.
"Jaune, you saw what he did back there, didn't you?" the Omni Force leader questioned as he approached, "As far as I'm concerned, he's not on Salem's side anymore," he affirmed.
"Does that mean we should trust him?" Kevin asked from nearby, getting his attention.
"Kev…" he uttered out.
"Wendy!" Oscar exclaimed as he hurried over, approaching the hybrid Osmosian as he held the Sky Dragon Slayer in his arms. He looked at her, breathing rapidly in panic.
'Oscar, calm down…' Ozpin advised from within his mind, trying to get him to stay composed. He did manage to calm himself down, putting a gloved hand onto Wendy's head as she was seemingly soothed for a moment. Raven looked over curiously.
"What happened there?" she asked as she approached Enji.
"Marvell battled Salem on her own before being bested," he answered, "I'm more curious as to how you managed to conjure a portal to get us away…" he noted, looking back at the Spring Maiden.
"I flew in, what's the difference?" she responded in question, folding her arms over her chest. The Flame Hero let out a huff, reaching down to his belt to pull out a spherical device.
"Well, we managed to come away with this in the chaos…" he noted, getting Raven's attention as she looked down in surprise to see the glowing red stone in his open right hand. Yang took notice of it as well as she came over.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, while the others approached as well.
"Yes, the Reality Stone," Enji replied, "I managed to pull it away from Salem before the boy there destroyed her," he told the group, "Not that it means much since we still can't depart from this universe…" he mentioned out of frustration, containing the stone in the device he had.
"Uh…" Jaune uttered in confusion.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Ren advised with a shake of his head, putting a reassuring hand onto his team leader's shoulder. Meanwhile, Gaara had his fingers over his right eye, as one of sand was floating about, witnessing the departure of the military's forces.
"How's it look?" Sabo asked as he walked up to his side.
"They're all leaving," the Kazekage confirmed in response, removing his fingers from his eye as it opened, "I'm assuming they believe there's no way we could've survived that blast," he inferred, making the Flame-Flame Devil Fruit user lower his head in contemplation, "Sabo…" his squadron leader uttered out of worry.
"I'm good," he assured as he raised his right hand, "We should probably get moving, right?" he guessed, earning a nod from Gaara. As they reconvened with the others, Yang felt a buzz in her pocket. She pulled out her Scroll and activated it, seeing that it was Blake who had started a video call. She saw that the cat Faunus was biting her fingernail on her left pointer finger in concern.
"Blake?" the blonde-haired huntress said, causing her to immediately perk up upon seeing that she had answered the call.
"Yang!" she exclaimed, "Are you okay?! Where are you?!" she questioned frantically.
"Yeah…" Jaune responded for Yang as he walked over, "we're fine," he assured with a smile, putting a comforting hand onto his friend's shoulder, "Is everyone there all right?" he asked of the cat Faunus.
"We're… alive…" the cat Faunus answered. "This'll help though," she affirmed. Her voice from the Scroll caught Ben's attention as he glanced over. "Guys! They're okay!" she called out. The Omni Force leader heard Hazel groan, enticing him to make sure he had a good grip on his arm over his shoulders. Emerald then came over and hoisted the scarred man's right arm around her own shoulders. She glanced over to the Biomnitrix bearer.
"…Thanks…" she uttered out simply with gratitude. Ben cracked a small smile. As Ruby, Weiss, Peter and Danny joined the call on the Scroll, voicing their relief, everyone else ventured over.
"I'm sending you a map," the ex-heiress confirmed as Yang saw a diagram of Atlas appear on her device, "You're in the agricultural area," she pointed out, "Just head to this access point to reach the red line subway tunnel, then follow the route I've drawn for you," she instructed as a line was drawn through the city to a certain point that was marked upon the Scroll.
"Got it," Jaune responded as the frame shifted back to the group at the manor, "We'll see you soon," he promised. Blake waved before the call ended.
"Huh…" Ben sighed out, "So where to?" he asked. Moments later, he was walking through the dark subway tunnel with Hazel still being carried by both him and Emerald. Though, it was little unsettling with Yang having her Ember Celica gauntlet aimed at them. She and the others were walking behind them, the blonde-haired Huntress holding the female defector's weapons in her prosthetic arm. Meanwhile, Ren and Jaune were using their Scrolls as flashlights, while Enji merely used his own flames expelling from his shoulders for illumination ahead.
"You can't be serious…." Yang said as she looked over to Oscar in shock, "You want us to work with her?" she questioned of him.
"I'm just saying it makes the most sense," he responded, "We're all enemies of Salem, including her," he pointed out, gesturing toward the green-haired girl, who sighed.
"No, I'm with blondie…" she muttered out, getting their attentions, "You don't like me, I don't like you," she noted on, "So how 'bout we just part ways and you never have to see me again?" she suggested.
"You're not going anywhere…" Jaune stated as he raised the sword of his Crocea Mors at her, "Not after everything you've done…" he affirmed on.
"Same goes for the big bruiser," Kevin added while still carrying the unconscious Wendy.
"Guys, seriously…" Ben grumbled.
"We can't let all of our actions stem from fear," Ren argued with a shake of his head, "If she could help us, I think we should consider it," he insisted of the group.
"She is part of the reason I have this…" Yang snarled, holding up her metal prosthetic as she clutched the Thief's Respite tightly.
"Yang…" Gaara uttered out.
"I'm not going to just… forgive her…" his girlfriend stated, keeping her Ember Celica aimed at Emerald, "Everything that happened at Beacon…" she continued as Ren looked over to the green-haired girl, seeing the purple flower petals flickering around her, "She lied to us, tricked us…" she listed off as points, "She's dangerous!" she emphasized.
"And yet she was willing to help us escape from Salem," her boyfriend mentioned seriously, "I agree with Ren in spite of my personal feelings," he said, "Ultimately… I only think she did what she did because she had no choice," he told the blonde-haired huntress, who was a little surprised.
"And you don't have to forgive her," Oscar chimed in, getting her attention, "You have every reason to feel that way," he affirmed as he held his hands out at her, "Just maybe… give her a second chance," he inferred, "We've already gotten quite a bit of help today from someone… we don't exactly trust right now…" he mentioned as he turned away.
"Do you mean Ozpin?" Ren guessed, causing him to blink in surprise before he looked back at the ponytailed teen, who cracked a small smile, "I had a feeling," he admitted. Everyone stopped.
"Wait, what?!" Yang exclaimed.
"Oz is back?!" Jaune questioned in shock.
"When?!" Sabo inquired.
"I know how you feel, but he saved my life," the former farmhand affirmed as he held up his hands to the group, "When we were tortured, he took it…" he noted in remembrance as Emerald looked down ashamedly for a moment, "So I wouldn't have to…" he added. He then pulled out The Long Memory, which was hooked to the back of his belt in its handle form. Depressing the lever, he made the cane extend out. "He entrusted me with this," he said as he held it gently, "and the massive amount of power he had stored up in it," he mentioned, "Kinetic energy that he spent lifetime after lifetime accumulating in the cane he built," he explained to the group.
"Whoa…" Kevin uttered.
"So… that's how you did that?" Jaune guessed, "Using all of the stored up power…" he assumed.
"Not all, but… most…" Oscar replied as he glanced down for a moment, "We have to be careful with how we use the rest," he noted, having the cane retract before he put it away onto the back of his belt, "He trusted my judgment and it saved us," he added with his hands over his heart, "I want to reciprocate that trust. There's a lot to sort out, but…" he kept going as his colleagues looked on at him with conflicted expressions, "Oz really wants to help," he said.
'…Thank you, Oscar,' Ozpin said through the boy's head, making him grin a little.
"Agh…" Hazel groaned, slowly starting to awaken as his eyes fluttered open.
"Hazel!" Emerald exclaimed. He clenched his teeth and groaned again before his vision fully focused.
"Am I… dead…?" he asked slowly.
"You're alive and well, big guy," Ben confirmed in response with a grin, "Well… not exactly well, but…" he continued, letting out a chuckle.
"You… saved me…" Hazel realized.
"Not just me," the Omni Force leader retorted, "If it wasn't for Oscar, we wouldn't have gotten away," he pointed out, "Not to mention Mister Firebeard did his thing, too," he added, looking over at Enji.
"You know…" Yang uttered as she turned to look at the Hellflame Quirk user, "now that I'm looking at you more…" she continued, "you're… kinda familiar…" she admitted.
"Should be," Ben chimed in, "He's the guy second to Toshi back in his world," he pointed out.
"Wait, All Might?! Seriously?!" the blonde-haired huntress exclaimed.
"Uh…" Ren uttered in confusion, looking over to Jaune, who could only shrug.
"I remember you as well…" Gaara noted as he approached the Flame Hero, "You didn't exactly have a favorable opinion of Toshinori…" he recalled.
"Yeah, he was kind of a dick," Ben bluntly added, "So I'm just guessing…" he continued, "Paradox brought you here, didn't he?" he assumed.
"Huh…" Enji sighed, "He did," he confirmed, "More specifically, he brought me back from about thirteen years from now," he told the group.
"Wait…" Yang uttered, "so does that mean that my mom's—?"
"I'm from this damn time, Yang," Raven interjected as an answer, folding her arms over her chest, "I'm the same Raven you remember from Haven's Vault…" she affirmed, glancing away for a moment. There was a bit of an awkward silence.
"Well, glad to have you on our side," Ben said to the Team Tower members, "And with that stone in hand, we're bound to have things start to turn in our favor," he mentioned assuredly.
"I've been meaning to ask…" Jaune chimed in, "what is it exactly?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"The Reality Stone," Hazel responded, causing him and everyone else to look over at him, "Salem's only told me about it a few times…" he recalled, "It's the first thing she remembered after becoming…" he started to say, "well… what she is now…" he told the group.
"Wait…" Oscar uttered as he blinked in realization, "Yang, Gaara, do you remember what Jinn showed us back then?" he asked of the blonde-haired huntress, getting her attention, "When she went into the Pool of Grimm?" he inquired on.
"…Yeah…" she responded, slowly widening her eyes, "There was this… red light that… merged with her…" she recollected.
"Paradox sent you guys here to get that stone from Salem, right?" Ben inquired of Enji and Raven.
"And help you end this conflict, yes," the Flame Hero added in reply.
"Well, we have the stone…" Jaune noted.
"But the battle's not over," Oscar retorted with a shake of his head, "There's still hundreds upon thousands of Grimm in Atlas and Mantle that are all after the people," he pointed out.
"And it seems like the military's more focused on fending Grimm off than actually protecting them…" Ren mentioned.
"…Could we… use the Reality Stone somehow?" Sabo inferred. The group looked over to Hazel again. He sighed.
"I don't think so…" he answered to their dismay, "The way Salem used it was to enhance her own magic," he explained, "She could create new species of Grimm or enhance older ones," he added on, "even change environments to turn battles into her favor…" he continued, "I doubt taking the stone changes much, but…" he kept going, letting out a wince, "it's good that we have it," he affirmed.
"At least this way, she probably won't be able to bring more Grimm out with that giant whale dead," Yang noted with a shrug.
"Agh…" Wendy groaned in Kevin's arms, causing everyone to look over and see her writhe out of pain. The blonde-haired huntress took on a saddened expression as she glanced down ashamedly. Her biological mother walked up to her side.
"That little girl took on Salem all by herself, huh?" she guessed, looking over at her daughter.
"Yeah…" she answered, "She… didn't care if she was afraid…" she mentioned as Oscar and Gaara went over to check on the unconscious Sky Dragon Slayer, "She was… strong…" she added through a sob. The Spring Maiden blinked in surprise. She then saw Yang step forward, approaching Emerald.
"H-Hey…" she stammered, taking a defensive stance. However, she was surprised to see the blonde-haired huntress handing her the Thief's Respite, which she took into her grasp.
"I'll give you a chance, but that's it," Yang decided, causing her to blink in surprise. She then turned around to the rest of the group. "Guys… I'm…" she started to say, taking a deep breath through her nose as everyone looked over at her, "I'm so sorry…" she apologized, "If I had just told you guys about my mom being the Spring Maiden…" she continued as Raven turned her gaze away slightly, "then… maybe we wouldn't be in this mess…" she assumed, lowering her head ashamedly. No one said a word, exchanging worried glances. Gaara walked forward, embracing his girlfriend warmly as she cried into his shoulder.
"I know how you feel, Yang," he said, putting his right hand onto the back of her head, "But none of this is your fault," he added firmly, "We can't keep blaming each other for the choices we make as a team, nor for trying to deal with things ourselves," he explained to her as she pulled her head back to look and see the comforting smile on his face, "We're going to get through it together," he stated. His girlfriend gave him a small smile back.
"Thanks, Gaara," she said with gratitude, leaning in and closing her eyes to kiss him on the lips. He accepted the affectionate gesture, closing his eyes and kissing her back as he held her close. Most everyone looked on with smiles, though Ben took a moment to glance down and think.
"If… we're gonna be doing apologies, then I—"
"Save it," Kevin interjected as he walked past him, much to his surprise.
"Kev…" he uttered out.
"I know you wanna say sorry for leaving to try and stop Salem," the hybrid Osmosian noted as he continued onward, "Trust me, I would've done the same thing in your shoes," he pointed out additionally, "You don't need to apologize to me or any of us," he affirmed on, causing the Omni Force leader to look back at the others, "Save it for the one person who was really worried about you from the beginning," he insisted. Blinking in realization, Ben chuckled.
"I'm expecting a good ol' smack to the face before I can even say a word…" he said, earning a laugh out of Kevin. The group continued onward, with Emerald and Hazel no longer being treated with hostility from the others. Raven looked over at Yang, seeing her and Gaara holding hands as they trekked down the dark subway tunnel.
"You seem conflicted…" Enji quietly noted, getting her attention.
"…Maybe a little…" she admitted in reply after a moment. She then took notice of the small wisps of smoke coming from her colleague's body. "Overheated?" she guessed.
"Salem was powerful enough to regenerate from my Prominence Burn…" the Flame Hero recalled, "Had I not reacted quickly enough…" he continued as he held the contained Reality Stone in his right hand, "we may have not gotten the stone," he noted. The Spring Maiden huffed with a small grin. She then reached over and placed her right hand onto his left arm, making a blue light emit from her palm. Enji felt his body cool, making him sigh with relief. He looked over at his comrade, who blushed as she glanced away.
"Figured… you still needed the cooldown…" she pointed out, awkwardly coughing into her left fist.
"Thank you, Raven," the Hellflame Quirk user said with gratitude. Yang glanced back at them, giving off a little smile. Her biological mother was changing for the better, if only a little.
Just then, the group heard the echo of a baby crying in the distance, causing them to stop for a moment. They decided to pick up the pace and run toward the noise. As they rounded a corner, they were left shocked. They had come across a large group of Atlas' citizens taking refuge in the subway. The lights were occasionally flickering as vibrations were felt from above.
"All of Atlas is down here…" Jaune realized as he and Ren pocketed their Scrolls, turning off their flashlights beforehand.
"And no soldiers in sight…" Ben mentioned with narrowed eyes, "Guess we know what James really cares about…" he muttered, closing his left hand into a fist, which Hazel noticed. The somber fear could be felt all throughout the immediate area. Everyone was essentially trapped with no way out.
Emerald looked around. This was what Salem's attacks had wrought. People were frightened and sad. And she knew that she had been a part of it. Hazel did, too. Ashamed expressions were upon their faces.
"I've seen what you can do, Emerald," Oscar noted to the green-haired girl, getting her attention as she folded her arms underneath her chest, "However this fight ends…" he continued as the group ventured down the dark tunnel, with Sabo igniting a flame upon his right hand to illuminate the way, "we could really use someone like you," he said, "You and Hazel," he added.
X
Back at the academy, James was interacting quickly with the holographic interfaces above his table, while Winter and the Ace Operatives made their entry. Harriet had to fake a cough to get his attention. He looked over and smiled a little at all of them.
"It's about time," he remarked, "While we dealt a decisive blow to Salem today—"
"Actually, that wasn't our payload, sir," Winter confirmed with her hands behind her back, interjecting the general, "I brought it back with us…" she mentioned. Needless to say, James was surprised by the news.
"Then who could've…?" he started to wonder, brushing his gloved right hand against his bearded chin, "Maybe Tennyson or even…" he suggested, "But you still have it…" he realized as he started pacing around the table, "This may be useful," he concluded, "Penny still hasn't come to the Vault," he told the group, "meaning Watts was either incompetent… or he betrayed us," he noted on, having his hands together behind his back, "At this point, we'll never know," he said, "Cinder Fall has attacked command and escaped with him," he mentioned as he closed his gloved right hand into a fist, "And that's not all we've lost…" he muttered out additionally.
"Sir?" Winter uttered in concern, seeing her superior turn around and grab his newer prosthesis.
"Qrow and Robyn… have also escaped," he confirmed. Harriet gained an angry expression on her face as her eyes started to glow gold and emit electricity. She sharply pivoted to the door to begin searching for the escapees, but James had her stop with a motion of his left hand. "Those two were freed by two other individuals who have since left the compound," he pointed out, going over to his table to pull up a holographic monitor. It had security footage of Enji destroying the Hard-Light walls around Qrow and Robyn's cells, with Raven standing by.
"Those guys…" the mohawk-haired Ace Operative growled.
"We can worry about them at another juncture," the general said as he started to approach the group, "Salem's creature was destroyed…" he noted, holding his hands behind his back again, "but that doesn't mean we've stopped her…" he confirmed with a shake of his head, "She will return and she will throw everything she has at us until there is nothing left," he explained to the group, passing by each of them, "And we are perilously close to that already," he added grimly as he came to a stop, "I need the Winter Maiden, now!" he exclaimed as he turned and walked back toward his table, "It's the only way Atlas can survive!" he declared on, coming to a stop. Ben's words were echoing in his head again. He shook those thoughts away as he brushed his hair back with his right hand. A deep breath left his nostrils. "Schnee," he said, causing Winter to perk up slightly, "bring me Arc, Ren, Xiao Long, and the others," he ordered. The special operative suddenly felt an odd and… foreboding air in the room.
"What… for, sir?" she asked nervously.
"I had Qrow in my hands… and I didn't do what needed to be done," James responded as he turned to her, "I will not make that mistake again," he proclaimed, closing his metal left hand into a fist. Winter was still confused as to what he was insinuating. But from how it sounded… it wasn't good. The general walked up to her. "I know," he chuckled out, "I'm ashamed I didn't think of it earlier…" he admitted with a grin, "Leveraging the lives of her friends… is the only way to make Penny listen to reason," he noted as he placed his gloved right hand onto the special operative's shoulder. Finally realizing what he had meant, Winter was stunned. He was willing to wage lives for Penny to come and open the Vault?
"Sir," Harriet chimed in, getting the general's attention, "I'm sorry, but…" she apologized, "we don't have them," she confirmed, "Operative Schnee let them go…" she pointed out, shooting a glare at the shocked Winter. James blinked in disbelief, looking back at the special operative.
"You… what?" he growled in question.
"Winter allowed them to go on board the creature to rescue their friend…" Harriet explained as the woman in question was looking down at the floor in guilt and fright, "and they never came back…" she mentioned. The general's eyes narrowed with anger. He took his hand off of the special operative's shoulder. He walked back over to his table, seemingly distraught over the new news. He placed his robotic hands onto the tabletop as he stared down at it in contemplation.
"They were our last… chance…" he noted, "Now…" he continued, closing his eyes for a moment, "Now I have NOTHING!" he roared, bring his arms up and down in an instant to smash the table in half. The others in the room looked on in shock, seeing the holographic screens upon the table flicker before fading away. All the while, their superior breathed heavily with anger. If not for the complications that continued to plague him and his forces, then things would be different.
"Sir!" an officer called out over a communication line, causing him to perk up, "We are detecting non-military ships on radar," he informed as the general made his way over to his desk at the other end of the room, "dozens of them!" he added.
"Ships?" he repeated in confusion, activating his holographic keyboard and screen, "Whose ships?" he asked as he typed on the interface at his desk. In the command center, the one officer who had contacted him was typing on his keyboard.
"They appear to be Schnee Dust Company freighters, sir," he responded, standing up to look at the ships flying beneath Atlas, "They're heading straight for Mantle," he mentioned. Zooming in on them, James could see the SDC logo branded upon them.
"Weiss…" he uttered in realization, causing Winter to lightly gasp upon overhearing her sister's name, while Harriet glanced over at her, "I see…" he said, going over to sit down in his chair, "They're trying to save Mantle…" he concluded, tenting his hands together as he grinned, with a new plan forming in his mind. A chuckle left his lips. "This has always been about Mantle, hasn't it?" he assumed, letting the barricades over his windows come down as he looked toward the dawning horizon. Another laugh left his mouth before he sat up straight. "I need to make a call," he said.
Back in the city, Arthur was adjusting his necktie as he paced about the rooftop. He was wary about approaching the uncharacteristically silent Cinder. Having heard her seemingly talk to herself didn't make him feel any more at ease. He could've just left then and there. Then, the Fall Maiden heard her Scroll ping. She pulled it out and opened it to see a new notification. And her eyes narrowed upon seeing that it was Neopoliation.
Your boss won't stay dead…But you will without this ;)
Another message came along, being a picture of the mute girl holding the Relic of Knowledge in her left hand while posing as if she was laughing haughtily. Cinder growled. Arthur approached.
"Who is it?" he asked curiously, "Did someone survive?" he questioned on. Another message came through.
If you want her name, you know what you owe me.
"Huh…" Cinder sighed, standing up, "We need to go," she decided.
X
It wasn't long before the large group had arrived at the Schnee Manor. Ruby was there to open the doors with Weiss, Blake, Peter and Danny by her side. They all smiled upon seeing their friends. Yang stepped forward, allowing her little sister to leap happily into her arms as they spun around, hugging each other warmly. She was crying tears of joy as she looked up at the blonde-haired huntress, who smiled back at her.
"I missed you, too," she said. The silver-eyed huntress wiped her eyes before going to greet Gaara, Jaune, Sabo and Ren, exchanging relieved hugs with them as well. Yang went ahead and embraced Weiss, followed by going over to Blake. They hugged warmly, breathing sighs of relief.
"Where's Nora?" Ren asked as he ventured into the manor.
"And what about Jenny and Penny?" Jaune questioned on curiously. Some members of the group that had already taken residence frowned. Weiss and Danny walked over, starting to explain what had happened since they had separated to the others. In the meantime, Ruby turned to see Oscar there. She smiled, starting to approach him as he held his arms out for a hug.
"Oscar, you—" Before she could finish her greeting, she stopped as she noticed Emerald standing nearby. She gasped with widened eyes, clenching her teeth before reaching for her Crescent Rose. The green-haired girl also reached for her Thief's Respite reflexively.
"No, she's okay," Oscar assured as he stepped in between the two, holding his hands out.
"Yeah, she's alright Ruby," another voice chimed in, causing the silver-eyed huntress to blink in surprise as she turned her gaze slightly to her right to find Ben there with Hazel, "These two aren't with Salem anymore," he affirmed on.
"…Ben?" Ruby uttered out in shock upon see him there.
"What?!" Peter yelped as he stepped forward, widening his eyes to see the Omni Force leader. Weiss and Danny did as well, along with Blake. Their eyes all shook at the sight of him. He smiled.
"Hey guys…" he greeted. There was a lot of relief in the group's expressions. And then the cat Faunus started crying. She stepped forward before running up to Ben, causing him to reflexively let go of Hazel in case she was about to attack him like he envisioned. But something else happened. She leapt into his arms… and kissed him right on the lips with her eyes shut. Needless to say, everyone was surprised by the sudden action, having widened eyes that blinked every few seconds. After another moment, Blake released her lips from the Omni Force leader's, exhaling a relieved sob. He was still a bit flabbergasted to say the least… "Uh…" he uttered out.
"Wow," Raven's voice chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked over at her and Enji standing together, "If that's supposed to be a smack to the face, I'd hate to see what a kick to the balls is like…" she remarked. Hearing that made the cat Faunus blink in realization.
"AH!" she yelped with a reddening face, stumbling back out of Ben's arms, "O-Oh gosh… I'm so sorry…" she stuttered in apology, "I-I was just so happy to see you and—!"
"It's cool, Blake… really…" the Omni Force leader assured, interjecting her, "I get that you were really worried about—"
"We didn't know if you were gonna come back or even be alive after what happened, so—"
"Listen, it's cool, believe me—"
"I just moved without thinking and—!"
"No need to apologize for—" Ben and Blake stopped themselves, realizing they were cutting in on each other's sentences. They shared a laugh.
"…Welcome back…" the cat Faunus said, making him smile.
"HUH!" Weiss suddenly gasped, having just noticed Raven, "You!" she yelled, pulling out her Myrtenaster and aiming it at her.
"Oh right…" she muttered out, rolling her eyes as she put her hands onto her hips, "You're here…" she noted. The ex-heiress growled, causing Danny to nervously step away from her.
"Raven?" another voice chimed in, belonging to Tifa as she stepped outside to spot her teammates, "Enji!" she exclaimed, jogging over to them.
"Lockhart…" the Flame Hero uttered, seeing her go over to embrace the Spring Maiden, who grunted from the surprising hug. She chuckled though, embracing her back.
"Wait…" Ruby uttered, "they're with you?!" she exclaimed in question.
"Mm-hmm!" Tifa responded with a nod as she let go of Raven, "So, what's the news?" she asked of her teammates.
"Well, we got the damn stone," the Spring Maiden replied, "All that's left is to find a way out of this universe," she pointed out, folding her arms over her chest.
"After we save the people of Atlas and Mantle from this threat," Enji mentioned firmly, earning an eye roll from Raven, "Where's Kenobi?" he asked.
"Down in Mantle with a few others to help keep the people there safe," Tifa replied, putting her hands onto her hips, "We actually have SDC cargo ships being sent down to pick them up and get them away from all this," she explained on.
"Wait, seriously?" Jaune chimed in out of surprise, "How?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Surprisingly, Whitley gave us that option," Weiss confirmed.
"Uh, not to butt in at a bad time…" Kevin chimed in, "but is there somewhere in this damn place where people can get patched up?" he questioned, looking down at the writhing Wendy in his arms.
"Wendy…!" Ruby gasped.
"What happened to her?" Blake asked out of concern.
"It's a long story…" Yang replied as she lowered her head sadly. Danny assumed his ghost form as rings of light flowed up and down his body.
"I'll get her to Klein," he affirmed, taking the unconscious Sky Dragon Slayer into his arms, turning intangible and flying off with her into the manor.
"So now that we've got things in Mantle under control from the sound of it," Jaune began, "we should focus on helping the people in Atlas," he insisted of the group.
"The… military isn't doing that?" Ruby inquired.
"Not after how things went during those evacs yesterday…" Peter noted in response, folding his arms over his chest and shaking his head.
"All of Atlas' citizens are in the subway system," Enji said as he stepped forward, "While Mantle's being fully evacuated, we need to find a way to get them out as well," he advised of his colleagues, "Salem may be gone for now, but we need to keep people out of the crossfire as we deal with the Grimm before she fully returns," he explained on.
"Wait, gone as in…?" Weiss started to guess.
"She's dead, but not for long," Ben answered for her, "And we got something else pretty big," he mentioned, looking over to the Flame Hero. He pulled out the Reality Stone's container, opening it to show the rest of the group.
"This is the object Salem used to enhance her magic and alter reality at her own will," he told the group, "We were able to retrieve it upon her demise," he added.
"No doubt she'll try to get it once she comes back," Tifa realized.
"And we still don't have a way out of this universe," Raven added.
"But… it looks like things are looking up for us, at least…" Yang chimed in, going over and putting a hand onto her little sister's shoulder. She still seemed wary of the whole situation, especially with Emerald and Hazel now involved. "I know this looks really sketchy…" the blonde-haired huntress admitted, getting her attention, "but right now, I think we could use all the help we can get, given what we're still up against," she insisted. The silver-eyed girl exhaled a sigh.
"I'll trust your judgment," she decided, earning a smile from her first.
"So what do we do next?" Sabo asked.
"After the cargo ships evacuate Mantle, that lets us focus on helping Atlas' people as well," Gaara noted in response, "If we can evacuate them as well, then—" A ping from Ruby's scroll interrupted his suggestion as she reached down to grab it. She opened it up to see that it was a call from May, who was down in Mantle with Obi-Wan, Genji, and Kim as they exited a tent.
"Kids, the cargo ships you sent just made it," the Happy Huntress informed, "but they're not alone!" she mentioned in a panic. Ruby's expression turned concerned.
"May?" she said, "What are you talking about?" she inquired. She could see the Jedi drawing his lightsaber as the Happy Huntress and the others looked upwards with widening eyes.
"Oh my Gods…" May uttered in disbelief, "RUN!" she screamed, "Everyone, into the mines!" she yelled on before explosions started erupting. The call abruptly ended.
"Uh oh…" Peter uttered out.
"Were those…?" Blake started to ask. All of a sudden, alarms started blaring from everyone's Scrolls, enticing a few to cover their ears from the noise. They took out their devices, all seeing the same notification upon them.
"This is an emergency CCT broadcast," a voice from the devices said. Ruby had her Scroll project a large holographic screen for the rest of the group inside the manor, showing the Atlas Broadcast Network logo, with the ticker beneath it showing 'EMERGENCY BROADCAST'. Ben narrowed his eyes.
All of a sudden, there was live footage of the SDC freighter ships flying through the sky. They were suddenly bombarded with missiles and gunfire from Atlesian Mantas, shooting them down. Everyone watching was left shocked.
"What's going on?!" Yang exclaimed frightfully in question.
"Those ships…" Weiss uttered out of disbelief, "they were going to save people!" she pointed out, "Why would—?!" All of a sudden, the footage changed. Now on the screen was James, who was standing in the center of a dark room, under a spotlight.
"James…" Ben growled out, balling his hands into fists.
"I have always promised to defend this Kingdom," he stated with his hands held behind his back, "Its technology, its future…" he listed off, "from those who would see it destroyed," he reiterated, "Our enemy is crippled," he mentioned, "but one individual still denies Atlas its salvation," he told listeners as he held up his right pointer finger for emphasis, "The Protector of Mantle," he said. Most everyone was becoming displeased by these sudden statements. Hazel could see that the Omni Force leader especially angered, seeing his fists shake.
"What's framing Penny gonna do for him?" Peter questioned, "Is he asking us to come kick his ass?" he inquired on to the others.
"Parker, shush," Tifa advised as the broadcast continued.
"Penny, wherever you and your friends are… I need you all to listen," James instructed, "I know how much Mantle means to you, so I'm going to give you a choice," he decided, holding his hands together out in front of himself, "You can bring yourself to Atlas Academy and do your duty," he offered, "help me save as much of Atlas as I can," he kept going, "and Mantle will be left to fend for itself," he concluded, "Or…" he continued as Weiss narrowed her eyes onto the screen, "you can all watch as I destroy it," he said, causing her to gasp in shock.
"No…" Kevin uttered.
"I have one bomb," the general stated, "That's all it will take," he confirmed, "If there is no Mantle, then there is no reason for you not to work with me," he pointed out as Cinder and Arthur watched the declaration from ultimatum on a screen upon a nearby building, looking at each other, "Neither of us want it to come to that," he continued, "but one of us is willing to do it," he affirmed coldly, "If anyone tries anything other than what I've ordered," he kept going, holding his hands behind his back, "Mantle... is gone," he warned, "You have one hour to respond," he added robotically.
Back in Weiss' bedroom, Nora, now recovered but worried, watched James' ultimatum alongside Danny and Jenny. There were shocked as well. They looked over to Penny, who was still unconscious.
"I hope you live up to the title I gave you," James said.
Even with the storm having calmed a great deal, James still concerns himself with his duty to Atlas like a machine performing its most basic functions. And now, he's willing to wager lives in order to get what he wants. He's completely lost sight of what he needs to protect…
This ultimatum has come. So what will our heroes do now, with only so much time to spare? I can only hope… that they'll emerge victorious.
END
And that ends the second third of this story. Not gonna lie, I loved the stakes that were set by James. But I hate how he kinda got reduced to a cartoonish villain in some aspect. Again, I get it. He's on a set path to try and save Atlas. Yet part of it does feel forced.
Nonetheless, it's not as bad as what'll be ahead for the story, particularly the final three episodes I'll be adapting. But we'll get to those next year, as we'll be back to "The Challenge of a Lifetime" to start 2023! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! And have a Happy New Year!