Chapter 18: Battle of Haven I

It was a quiet morning, all things considered. Since there were some spare rooms in Team RNJR's apartment and they were all working together, Levi agreed to bunk with them. It had taken them a few moments to grab their things and move in, but Ruby seemed happy, especially since she had her BFF back. Levi felt out of place, so he had decided to stay by himself most of the night, letting Weiss do most of the talking about their journey and speak only when spoken to.

It was an old habit of his. Back when he was growing up, he had been a socially awkward boy, especially being a faunus. No one wanted to speak to you and when they did it was to hurl insults about your heritage. Because of that, he had built a defense mechanism. It was one that disappeared in Beacon Academy but returned in groups of people he didn't really know. Sure, he knew who Weiss's friends were, he had seen them in the halls of Beacon, but he really didn't know them. Sienna had left early to procure a weapon for herself, saying she wanted to be as prepared as possible. Levi had made plans with Weiss already, heading out into Mistral after lunch, so for now, he just sat outside waiting for the appropriate time to arrive.

The day was beautiful. The skies were shining and the local birds were chirping, the sounds of downtown Mistral were audible from where he sat, his ears twitching with the breeze. It was something he couldn't avoid, his hearing was three times better than a normal human, so even if he wanted to stay out of a conversation, he sadly couldn't. It led to a lot of fights when he was part of Team ACPL, especially with Aria. He briefly looked away from the sky, glancing at his palm seeing the tags Alto had given him, a look of sadness on his face.

"You never told us you had siblings, Aria. Did you never trust us? Or did you just want to keep that part of your life hidden as well?" he thought, thinking back to the letter she had written for him. He had been pondering its contents for a while but felt he wasn't ready to read it yet. Eventually, he would, but just not now.

There were a lot of things on his mind, a hundred million thoughts, all about the operation later on that night. What would happen, would they win? Would they lose? How many WF members would there be in attendance? CInder was going to be there, and if she was, could he beat her? Would she beat him? Where was Neo and what was she doing? Would she show up or was she going to bail out? None of these had answers. He only hoped he wouldn't answer them himself in several hours.

He heard footsteps behind him and was half expecting them to belong to Weiss, but he was instead greeted by Ruby, who had a sheepish smile on her face. She looked a lot different than she had a year prior. She had grown a bit taller and had gotten a new outfit and armor. She looked wiser, even if her face didn't show it. The most striking part of her was her Silver Eyes, they were hard to avoid.

"Hey, I hope I'm not bothering you. I noticed you were by yourself and figured I would introduce myself."

"Uh… I already know you," he replied in confusion.

"I know, but we never really spoke back at Beacon, aside from a few passing words, or whenever Professor Athan had you show us stuff. Weiss always told me first impressions stuck with people for the rest of their lives, so I wanted to leave a good one on you," she said, an awkward smile on her face. "Is it working?"

He chuckled, giving her a nod. "Yeah, it's working. I guess it's nice to properly meet you, Ruby. Feel free to sit, the ground is dry enough."

She swept her cloak around, folding her legs as she sat down, making sure her skirt didn't ride up. He caught the sharp edges of Crescent Rose, the deadly scythe she was trained to wield, sticking out from the attachment on her back. "So, are you nervous about tonight?"

"Nervous?" he asked, pursing his lips a bit. "Mmm… nope. I'm not really nervous, so to say, I'm more anxious than anything. I knew this day would come but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon, you know?"

His eyes shifted in another direction, glancing off at the distant mountains. "For the last two hundred and thirty-six days, all I've thought about is finding Cinder and killing her. I wanted nothing more than that, I yearned for it. I figure if I could make her feel what I felt that day, and make her suffer, that this trip would be worth it. But after learning what I did from Ozpin, finding out about Salem, and reading what Neo sent… I…"

"You're wondering if this is what you truly wanted?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's a sick and choking feeling, knowing this lady brought down the academy you were attending just for a magic crown. That so many died in vain all because of what one woman wanted. I started thinking about Cinder a lot, and then I asked myself, 'If I do kill her, then what?' Just because she's dead doesn't mean Aria will be back, or Cadence will magically return home. It won't bring my mother back. I just wouldn't know what to do."

Ruby remained quiet, her silver-eyed gaze locked firmly on the faunus, who had been fidgeting with the edges of his cloak. He noticed the edges were starting to get frayed and cut up, some of it turning brown from frequent use, even though he had washed it countless times. He heard Ruby take a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she spoke.

"Well, I can't deny I don't feel what you feel right now. I'm just like you, I lost my mom when I was still two. I hardly remember her, but she was awesome and really special. When she didn't come back, all I did was cry, but as I grew older, I realized just how lost I was without her. Sometimes I wonder if she knew she was going to die on that mission. Sometimes I really hated her for abandoning us and dying somewhere else. Other times, I cry because I miss her. But I don't feel sorry for what happened to her."

"Huh? You don't feel sorry about your mother dying?" he asked, an incredulous look on his face. She hugged her knees tightly, resting her chin on them.

"No, because she was a huntress. She wanted to help everyone in need, if she ran into someone who was hurt, she would tear her clothes just to make bandages. If there was a city being terrorized by Grimm, she would kill them all as swiftly as she could. She was an amazing woman and I strive to be like her every day of my life. But there's one thing I know she wouldn't do. And that is hesitate."

She returned her gaze to Levi, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "She took her mission and believed she was strong enough to handle it, but she wasn't. She didn't hesitate for a moment, because huntresses can't afford to. Similarly, I do the same, because I know that hesitation leads to mistakes, and that leads to death. If I had trained more, if I had practiced more and studied more, then maybe I would have made it to the top of Beacon Tower before Pyrrha died."

"You can't blame yourself for that, Ruby. I knew Pyrrha, not as well as I would have liked, but I knew she had her own issues with destiny. She strove to be the best of the best, but that's all people saw her as. They didn't know who Pyrrha, the person, was. That's also why I think she did what she did. Because in her heart, she knew she was in a lose/lose situation. And if she could give her life to save others, she would." Levi said, reached into his pocket for Aria's notebook, tracing the emblem with his thumb. "I think Aria did the same. She acted out and was terrible to everyone that tried getting close, but in the end, she used her body to protect her friend. Because if saving even one life at the cost of her own was something she could do, then she would."

"What do you think she would do if she was alive?"

"Aria? She'd go in there, claws blazing, kicking ass in the morning and taking names in the evening. She'd show Cinder a thing or two, and then some. But she would be too reckless, had she survived in Beacon, she likely would have died somewhere else." the miqo'te said, pocketing the notebook. "Which is why I can't fail. I spent a good few weeks questioning myself, my resolve, wondering if what I was doing was right. But I can't keep doing that, or else I'll be questioning myself all my life. Just like one of my favorite RPG characters once said, 'It isn't about can or can't, something's in life, you just do'. So I'll stand up and fight. I'll lose, but I'll also win. No shame in failing right?"

"That is very true, I suppose," Ruby said, smiling. "You know, I remember you from Signal. I was a first-year when I first noticed you. You always hid in the corner of the cafeteria, writing in your notebook. Even my dad and Uncle Qrow were concerned when you didn't participate in the more out-there activities."

"Ah… right, I forgot we both went to Signal," he said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "It wasn't that I was a loner or anything like that. Well.. I sort of was. While people were off making friends, or talking about Becky's new dress, or asking their crush out to the movies, I was studying."

"Mathematics, Calculus, Trigonometry, Algebra, Geometry, Astrophysics and Aerodynamics. Those were the subjects you always seemed interested in, and you were always muttering and writing things in your notebook. I thought you were just a Mathlete or something."

"Nah, I had to study those subjects to learn how to properly use my Semblance," he said, holding his hand out. He formed a small fire glyph in his palm, letting a swirl of flame erupt from the center, changing it to water, and then freezing it with some ice. Ruby looked at it closely, very impressed with his skills. "Unlike our former heiress, I have to calculate everything that goes into my glyphs. It takes a lot of factoring in, to make sure my glyphs don't backfire and send me off a cliff. I don't need the calculations that I did anymore, since it's all second nature, but if I wrote a new one, then I would have to write a formula. Once I deem the math is correct, I can start creating it. In high-stress situations, it will take me an hour or two to write the formula out. But I can crank one out in a few minutes, usually."

"That's so cool. I thought your glyphs were like Weiss's, where she just summons them and changes their properties on the fly."

"Hm, they sort of are. But the key difference is this. My glyphs are bound to an element once I calculate a formula. I have one basic glyph, and once I attach an element and a calculation, that glyph can only work with that element. So fire makes fire, ice is ice, water is water and hard-light is-"

"Hard-Light?"

"Close, it's a shield," he said, giving her a wink. "Weiss however has different types of glyphs ingrained into her through her bloodline. She can change the effects of her glyphs on the fly because it's a universal glyph. She doesn't have to make a new one as I do, she can edit the ones she's already summoned. There's also one major difference between hers and mine, and that's summoning."

"Oh yeah, Weiss told us about that! She can summon the creatures she has defeated, and it isn't just Grimm either. She has her Arma Gigas from the test her father put her through. She also has the boarbatusk she killed in Professor Port's class."

"Professor Port had her kill a Boarbatusk?" he inquired, earning a vigorous nod from Ruby, making him click his tongue. "That bastard, he had me fight off an Ursa Major. No one knows how he got it in that cage. Something about convincing Oobleck and Goodwitch with VIP Tickets to some movie premiere."

"Yeah, he's something else, hehe. Still, I'm glad to know you didn't make friends because you weren't capable, just that you were studying. I always wondered if you were getting discriminated against or something." she said, making him frown.

"There was a lot of that, yeah. But there's a lot of that everywhere, between you and me, I think people were just jealous of my ears." Levi said, wiggling them a bit.

"Well, they do look kind of soft," she said, causing him to roll his eyes. He leaned down a bit, gesturing for her to touch them. She did, making him jolt a bit from how cold her hands were. "Oh wow… they're so fluffy!"

"Ahem, Levi are you seducing my sister with your ears?" asked Yang, causing the two to jump a bit.

"What? Of course not! She was just curious about how they felt, nothing more nothing less."

"Pfft, relax man. I was just pulling your tail, we all know you have the hots for the Ice Queen, or should I say the Ice Cream?" she said, wiggling her brows. He flushed crimson, and thankfully, he was wearing his tribal markings, making it harder to notice.

"Here I thought I would be spared your puns when we met up again. You haven't changed a bit, have you, Yang?"

"Eh, aside from the crippling depression, the metal arm, and frequent bouts of PTSD, nope, not at all," she said, earning a cringe from her sister. "Ah, I killed the mood, didn't I?"

"Not really, you aren't the only one who has frequent bouts of PTSD. Add terrible nightmares and frequently seeing your deceased teammates and you have me to a T." the faunus said, frowning. "It doesn't go away, you sort of just make room for it."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Levi. You've had it worse than a lot of us haven't you?"

"No one has it worse than anyone else, Ruby. Our PTSD is unique to us. As my mother used to say when correcting Cardin Winchester's reports, 'same shit, different stink'."

Yang let out a snort, using her hand to cover her lips. "Oh, Professor Athan did not take his shit lightly. I remember him being a smug little shit taking apart a dust infusion system and putting it back together wrong, saying he had done a better job than anyone else. Your mom comes over to his station, sees its shit, and proceeds to hand him a vial of highly refined Schnee Dust, and he pours the entire thing into it."

"So that's what that explosion was? The campus was on lockdown for an hour because the fire crews couldn't find the source of the explosion. Heard about this one kid having to be doused with vaseline and ointment while his Aura healed his injuries. Ha, poor bastard." the young man said jovially, holding back the urge to laugh.

"Hey, Levi, there was a rumor going around that your mom hooked you and Velvet Scarlatina up. Is it true? Is it also true you were caught in Goodwitch's office making out?" Ruby asked, holding her hand up as if she had a question.

"Yes to the first, nay to the second. Coco caught me taking Velvet's camera back to her after she had forgotten it in Dust Chem. She had gone into the girl's locker room so I thought I could walk in, and walk out. Professor Goodwitch was in there and she gave me a stern talking to for not waiting, but also asked me some questions about why I had missed combat practice since I had been out with my mom for a dust resupply mission. Coco assumed we were 'sexing it up' and came up with the idea that we were doing it in Goodwitch's office because she came out with us."

"But you banged her, right?" Yang asked, causing him to blush again.

"Of course not! I didn't even get to second base with Velvet, she was too shy. The closest I got to even getting to second base was one night she convinced me to watch bunny videos. Coco was in the room and dared her to wear my tee shirt with nothing but her panties underneath it and she did." he said.

"Do you think we can talk about something else? All of this stuff is melting my brain." Ruby said, cheeks glowing as red as her cloak.

"Whoops, sorry Rubes. I forgot you weren't old enough to hear about people's sexcapades yet."

"Here I thought you were having a decent conversation and thought you could use a drink. But instead, all I hear is pervy things. Levi, you better not be corrupting my friends." said Weiss as she approached the group with a tray in her hands.

"Bruh, I wasn't even the one who brought up sex, that was your Super Saiyan best friend," he said. He took a whiff of the air, shuddering a bit as the scent of freshly brewed coffee entered his nostrils. "Southern Mistral Extra Fancy, Dark Roast, with Pumpkin Spice Creamer and sugar."

"Wow," Ruby said, impressed with his deduction skills. Weiss giggled as she handed him his cup, taking a sip from it. His tail wagged a bit happily.

"Thanks, Weiss, I appreciate it."

"Of course, you made breakfast for me yesterday, it's the least I can do," she said, handing Yang her's. She turned to Ruby, who held up her arms in mock surrender.

"Ah… no please."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I put blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar in it, just how you like it."

"Ah, thanks! Nice Weiss strikes again," she said, only for the heiress to jerk the cup away.

"I will pour this over you and it will burn."

Ruby gave her an apologetic look, finally being handed the cup. The white-haired girl sat down beside her friend, cradling her own steaming cup, eyes staring at the distant mountains. "You know, it's still hard to believe we're in Mistral."

"So much has happened and is about to happen and that's what you can't believe?" Ruby asked, earning a laugh from Yang.

"Well, and the magic and stuff. But come on, who expected all of this to be going down."

"I certainly didn't, I was expecting to already be in my third year of combat school, getting to practice with rarer types of Grimm and out on big boy missions," Levi said, sipping his coffee, sighing as the warmth filled his system. "I thought this would be the year me and my teams would get closer and bond together. That I would take this really dark and secret mission like the ones my mom had taken, find a cute girl, save her from some bad guys, and fall madly in love, only for us to move to some remote island in Vacuo and live together for the rest of our lives."

The three girls just gave him odd looks, making him snort. "Okay, that last part was just a joke, but I'm serious about the school stuff. Just thought I'd be closer to graduation, you know?"

"Hm… I honestly thought I would never see Ruby and Yang again. It took so much planning and discretion to leave Atlas, and when I did, I didn't know where to even go. When I was caught and thrown in that cage, I thought that would be the end of me. That I would go back to Atlas and get thrown in a high society prison cell. I'm glad that wasn't the case,"

"Heh, here's to breaking expectations!" Yang said, holding her cup out. Weiss clinked hers against it, all while Ruby continued to drink her boiling hot coffee.

"So… how pissed do you think Mr. Schnee is right now?"

"Extremely," Weiss said, answering Ruby's question. Levi chuckled into his cup, slowly pulling it from his lips to prevent spilling it. "What's got you giggling over there?"

"I just pictured your dad ripping off his mustache in anger, and then growing a new one in like three seconds when he was told he was still losing millions from the embargo."

"What is up with you and my father's mustache? Are you obsessed with it? Do you want one of your own?"

"Not really," he said, standing from where he sat. He sat down between Weiss and Ruby, grabbing a bit of Weiss's hair and holding it underneath his nose, much to the amusement of Yang and Ruby. "See? I can just do this, it feels the same."

"Hardy har-har. Good to know my long hair is a tool of amusement to you."

"Oh, oh! Do an Atlas aristocrat impression Levi!" the crimson-clad reaper said, causing him to clear his throat. He twirled the end of Weiss's hair, holding his nose up high as he spoke.

"Hark! I scorn thee, thine stock-fish. Hast thou become green with envy of mine beauty? Methinks you doth need to tend to your thatch, as it shall impress the maidens of late. And Lo! Mayhaps your beloved shall reacheth you in pursuit, lest she art colluding with thoust cranial physician or legaltelarian. Buffoon!"

Yang burst out laughing, almost dropping her cup. Ruby looked confused while Weiss was stifling her own laughter. Satisfied, he released his Weisstache and sipped on his coffee. "Glad I was able to make you ladies laugh."

"I wasn't aware you were into the classics, Levi. You are really well-read."

"I have no idea what he even said," Ruby said, scratching her head. "You sounded so angry but so… what the heck was it, eloquent?"

"Mhmm. That's the word. Don't worry, Ruby, I'll find you some classic poetry from three hundred years ago and have you read it. You'll be speaking like an eloquent Atlasman in no time." he said, ruffling her hair.

"That is not what people from Atlas speak like, you dolt," Weiss said, clearly amused. The group remained silent for a moment, enjoying their silence, staring out into the distance.

"I wish Blake was here, I really miss her," the youngest member of the group said, finishing her coffee.

"I'd love to get to know her. I only ever greeted her when we passed each other in the halls, or in the library. She always seemed to have good taste in literature," Levi added, swirling around his coffee, making sure he got every last bit of sugar left in the cup.

"Yeah well, she made her choice," Yang said, her tone changing. Levi lowered his cup, not exactly knowing how to respond. He gave Yang a look of concern, but she just kept looking into the distance.

"Um, what's that supposed to mean?"

"She could have been here in Mistral with us, but instead she took off." the blonde explained. Weiss and Ruby shared a look, the former giving her friend and teammate a firm look.

"Don't you want her here? With us?"

"Why would I want her here?" she returned with an eye roll.

"She's our friend, Yang. I'm sure she had her reasons for leaving. A lot of things happened, some of us couldn't really handle it."

"Tch, that sounds like an excuse to me, Weiss,"

Levi shook a bit, feeling rather uncomfortable. He reached into his pocket for his scroll, flicking it open. He subtly dialed Neo's scroll, shoving it into his vest pocket, just as Neo's started to ring, an odd and chingy ringtone echoing through the lot. He pulled it from his pocket it, hiding his own picture from it.

"Oof, I gotta take this. Hey, Richie? Yeah, I was wondering how much your most expensive explosives were. Yeah, I plan on blowing a hole in the world and wanted to know where I could get some dust infusion systems for it."

He grabbed his cup as he stood up, speed walking out of the training grounds. This was a problem that Team RWBY needed to settle, and he didn't want to be involved in it. He made it up the stairs, closing Neo's scroll as he did, frowning as he made it to the sink, opening the tap. "And we were having such a good conversation too."

He heard something behind him and glanced over his shoulder, spotting Oscar a few feet away from him, a look of both curiosity and embarrassment on his face. Levi quirked a brow as he finished washing his cup, rinsing the soap off. "Uh… you're Oscar right?"

"Y-yeah. Sorry for walking up behind you like that, I didn't mean to startle you."

"There is no startling me, kiddo. I hear everything, and when I mean everything, I mean everything," he said, shutting the faucet off. He grabbed the dishrag, drying his hands off. "So, is something the matter?"

"I heard Yang yelling so I wanted to see what was wrong."

"Something about her teammate, I don't know much. Wasn't my right to intrude in something that's clearly for Team RWBY to settle," he replied, leaning back against the counter. "How is everything with you? Qrow filled me in about your… condition."

Oscar looked down at the floor, clutching his arm in worry. "Yeah, I'm doing alright. It was rather scary at first, but there's nothing I can really do. The professor bonded with me, and I have to help him out. He said eventually I'd start getting some of his memories too. Let's just say, this Salem woman… she's someone you don't want to mess with."

"I figured that was the case. She can't be that bad, surely she isn't worse than a pissed-off mother Ursa."

Oscar didn't laugh, in fact, he didn't say much of anything. Levi closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a sigh. "You okay?"

"How do you deal with fear?"

"That was a left-field question," the faunus thought, ears twitching as he processed it. He bit the inside of his cheek as he gathered his thoughts. "There's no dealing with it. Fear is just something that exists. It's there to remind you of how human you are, er.. faunus, or… ugh, you get what I mean."

"Hehe, yeah, I understand."

He gave the young boy a smile. "As I was saying, fear is an emotion that keeps you in check. It shows you what kind of person you are. You can either run away in fear or protect someone because you're scared. Life is scary, and so is death. Losing your loved ones, failing, pressure, hell, even love, is scary. You don't get rid of it, you learn to accept it as a part of life. As for dealing with it? That's something else entirely."

"Yeah, I figured. I'm scared, Levi. Scared that I'll end up fighting in a war and losing before I do anything. I'm scared that whatever I do will amount to nothing. I always wanted to be something more than a farmhand, but I never thought I would be doing this." he said, his hand shaking a bit. "Fighting against the one who commands the Grimm, against people with magic? To protect an academy? It just sounds so… unbelievable."

"If you would have told me a year ago that this is what I would be doing, I would have laughed. But hey, we're huntsmen, that's what we do. We take our lumps and move forward. If it means helping humanity, then why not?" he said with a shrug.

"That's something else I don't get. Why are you helping? Humanity has been so terrible to your kind, to the point where you are treated like garbage. Yet here you are, wanting to risk your life for them. For us, for my kind who clearly doesn't deserve it."

"Look, if I spent time worrying about that kind of thing, I wouldn't get anything done. My race hasn't been treated kindly, but that doesn't matter. What one person or a few people do doesn't condemn an entire race. People are just closed-minded, and only insult when they don't comprehend. If someone doesn't want your help because of your race, you just help them without pay. Remember, you aren't helping that one person, but the people as a whole. If there's a murderer on the loose but the contractor of your mission hates you because you're a faunus, or black or white, are you gonna let the murderer go?"

"Of course not!"

"There you go. When you think about the worst outcome, things like race begin mattering less and less. Take the same approach with fear. Think about everyone you love that would be affected by Salem. Keep them close. Make every thrust of your weapon mean something, and when you stand over her carcass, you can let out a sigh of relief, because you know you've protected what matters to you."

"Levi that is the worst advice you can give to someone," said Weiss, as she entered the kitchen, arms crossed in annoyance.

"As opposed to telling him to head for the hills the moment he sees a Goliath?"

"You need to be scared yes but you also need to know when to let your fear speak for you. Because if you become fearless then you won't make sound judgments. You could end up getting yourself killed,"

Levi tilted his head a bit, ears wiggling as he proceeded with what she said. "Alright, fair point. But you also have to agree with some of what I said, to keep your loved ones close and use the fear of losing them to protect them instead. Wish I had done that a year ago."

"Yes, I think all of us would wish that," she replied with a sigh. "Anyway, it's about time we left to pick up some dust. I've written down what we all need so it won't take too long. Oscar, would you like to tag along?"

"Huh? Oh, no thanks. I wouldn't want to intrude or anything."

"Intrude on what?" Levi asked curiously. Oscar shook his head, leaving before he could explain, clearly embarrassed. He shrugged his shoulders, turning back to the door. "Alright, Weiss. Let's go."

xxx

"45 lien for a single vial? Who do you take me for? Refined fire dust from the Atlas Refineries have a base price of 19 lien a vial, and that's what I will pay. Who do you think you are, trying to swindle me!" Weiss snapped, causing the dust vendor to cringe. The crowd around them were looking in his direction.

"I am not trying to swindle anyone, but you must understand. With the embargo that has been placed on Schnee Dust, I have to raise the price if I wish to make a profit. I had to find my own miners and refiners just to stay in business." he said, a pleading look on his face. "Look, I'll give you a ten percent discount, how does that sound?"

"What makes you believe I would pay 40.50 for a vial of fire dust? Certainly, you can go lower than that!"

Levi honestly couldn't help but feel bad for the vendor. He and Weiss had been walking around Mistral for around an hour, getting everything they needed for the coming battle. Finding dust ammunition had been easy. He had been able to get 50 caliber rounds for Ruby, Shotgun shells for Yang and Qrow, as well as .45 caliber ammunition for Ren's pistols. Finding M32 grenades for Nora had been rather difficult, but they had managed to get several of them for cheap. But when it came to refined dust for Myrtenaster and Overture, it had been hell. Case in point, Weiss haggling prices for a single vial of her own family's dust. Thankfully, her influence in Mistral hadn't been called into question, seemingly no one knew she wasn't the SDC heiress, and that worked wonders for them.

"35?"

"30 is the most I'm willing to spend, I require 10 vials of it, ultra-refined if you'd please." the woman said. The vendor muttered several swears a 'lady' like Weiss shouldn't be hearing, but she didn't really care. He placed the vials of dust on top of his stand, all of them glowing a slight orange.

"That'll be three hundred lien, please," he said roughly. Weiss placed a single card on the stand, carefully placing the dust in her case.

"Hey, what are your prices for ultra-refined hard light dust?" Levi asked, having been looking at some dust crystals. He could have bought those for cheaper than the refined stuff but grinding it was a long and tiresome process, one that he had no time to do. The vendor looked up at him, giving him a glare.

"We don't serve your kind."

"His kind is with me, I advise you to answer his question unless you'd like for me to tell my father how you treat his clients."

Another grumble left his lips as he turned back to Levi. "55 lien a bottle, sir."

"Those vials used to be 23 lien, that's nearly a 200% increase."

"Times are tough, you want ultra-refined dust, then go mine it and refine it yourself." the man snapped angrily. Levi sighed, handing his wallet to Weiss.

"You deal with him, will you? I don't feel like going to jail right now," he said, stuffing his hands in his pocket, taking off up the street. Weiss turned back to the vendor, a glint in her eye.

"It seems to me like you are going to face my wrath. Let's start by lowering your outrageous prices. Schnee Dust is mined and sold so it becomes accessible to huntsmen and huntresses who may need it. And you sir, are doing the absolute opposite!"

Even though he was used to racism, he had hit his limit with that man. He was taught to walk away from people who were like that with customers. It was their business and they could run it however they wished. It didn't make the hurt go away, but he accepted it. He looked around for a moment, waiting for a few carts to go by before crossing the street. He felt someone bump into him, causing him to stop for a moment.

"Ah, I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't mean to bump into you like that," he said, flashing the kimono-clad woman a smile. She shook her head, giving him a bow before going on her way. He shrugged, continuing his walk, spotting a familiar face nearby. "Hey, Alto!"

The wolf faunus looked up from her clipboard, her face brightening up when she saw Levi. She waved him over, a grin on her face. "Hiya, Levi! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon! What are you up to?"

"Oh you know, grabbing some dust for my new child," he said, gesturing to Overture, which was strapped to his leg.

"Nice! I'm running inventory before the huge lunch rush we usually get. We haven't been getting a lot of customers lately, some new ramen shop opened up across town and everyone flocked over there. I'm glad we still have our regulars though."

"That's a shame. This place looks nice, smells just as good too. I'm getting hungry just smelling that broth." the young man said, biting his lower lip. Alto giggled, setting her clipboard down.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to rectify that. What'll you have?" she asked. He glanced at the menu tapping his chin in thought.

"Uh… I'll take a bowl of shoyu ramen, it's my favorite kind."

"Coming right up!" she said cheerfully. She opened the tap, washing her hands before beginning his order. "So, how long will you be in Mistral for?"

"I haven't decided yet, me and my friends… well, I only have two friends, everyone else is a former underclassman. We're not exactly sure where we go from here. We spent the better half of a year walking across Anima. So far, Haven Academy isn't interesting to me."

"Oh? And why is that?" the wolf faunus asked, causing Levi to look away.

"Oh sweetheart, if only you knew." he thought, feigning to think about her question. "I dunno just doesn't feel like a place I should finish my training at. Shade Academy is where the rest of the Beacon students went, but I don't really care for the hot weather of Vacuo."

"Sounds like Atlas is more your speed then. Not a bad academy, if I do say so myself. Even if Atlas itself is discriminatory toward the faunus, at least you are protected if you join the military,"

"I'm not a real fan of the military if I'm being honest. But out of the schools I wanted to study at, Atlas did come to mind. The way my mom described it made it seem out of this world, you know? Like Atlas was this different dimension of power and technology. I doubt I'll ever set foot there though. With shit being how it is," the miqo'te admitted, finally sitting down at one of the stools.

"Yeah, that's true for me too. Grandma was thinking about closing up shop here and heading to Mantle. It's cheaper there, given the circumstances. She figured we could make a killing with a small oriental shop. She still wants to give me and my brother a good education, just in case something happens to her."

"Hm… what do you think of that?"

Alto shrugged, ears wiggling a bit as she finished making the broth. She turned around to grab a juice bottle from the fridge, handing it to her customer, her focus returning to her cooking. "Honestly, living in Mantle would be far better than living here. Mistral is nice, but the deep underbelly is disgusting. I may have been born here, but I've never really liked it."

"I don't blame ya. I haven't been here for more than a few days and I can tell this place isn't that welcoming to our kind. I'll take freezing my ass off in Mantle over living in the balmy mountains of Mistral." he said, taking a sip of his juice. "So, if you do go to school, what would your subjects be? Not a lot of people go to regular school these days since everyone just wants to be a huntsman or huntress."

"I was thinking of just getting my G.E.D. and going to culinary school. I learned how to cook from my grandma. I may as well become a Master Chef and open a restaurant somewhere." she said, a small smile on her face. "Imagine that, being a faunus and running a 5-star restaurant in Atlas. That would be totally swell."

"You certainly dream big, that's for sure."

Alto gave him a grin, as she continued putting his order together. She poured the hot broth in a bowl, focusing on finishing up the noodles. "I was thinking about something else though. Culinary school would cost quite a lot, and my family isn't as well off as I'd like to be. My grandmother is getting up there in age and my brother is only 11. I was considering my options and noticed this in one of the tourist boards."

It was a pamphlet, a rather fancy-looking one. It was one he had seen before when he was looking for information on the four academies. This particular pamphlet was for Atlas Academy. The proud image of the best academy in the world was on the front, along with the tagline "Atlas Needs You". It briefly talked about what they offered, along with pictures of uniformed men and women, including the Special Operatives. A picture of Winter Schnee stuck out to him since she was among the youngest in the Special Ops division of the academy. He looked up at her, a serious look on his face.

"You've never been to combat school, have you?"

"I went to the school in Kuchinashi, it's a three-year school so I graduated last year. But since Aria passed away, I decided to stay away from combat training. When my grandma took me away from my father, she focused on teaching me how to cook and how the restaurant worked. I'm a bit rusty, but I'm sure Atlas will straighten me out." she said, forcing a laugh. She dropped the noodles into the broth, finishing the bowl off with some of the toppings she had prepared beforehand. She handed the bowl to Levi, along with a pair of chopsticks. "There you are, it's far from being my piece de resistance, but it's tasty!"

"Thank you, Alto."

"It's no problem, Levi." she happily said. She grabbed her clipboard, picking up where she had left off. "I do need some advice, what would you do in my position? Would you join the military or would you just keep working and hope things turn out okay?"

"Miracles don't just happen, Alto. I learned that the hard way, oftentimes you have to stare the bull in the face and let him run at you. You can dodge it all you want, but one day it will hit you. You have to make your own miracles happen with your own hands. Do you think working here will be enough to sustain yourself and your brother?"

"No."

"Do you want to pursue your dream of being a chef?"

"Yes," she said, earning a nod from Levi.

"Then I would do whatever it took to make that dream a reality. The Atlas military pays its soldiers well. There's no reason you can't be part of the army and learn how to cook. Save up your money, work hard in the military, and then when you feel like you are ready, start your culinary courses. At the end of the day, whatever you want to do is up to you. I can give you all the advice you want but it's moot if you don't decide for yourself." he said, returning to his ramen. He sighed contently, dabbing his lips with a napkin. "This is delicious, the best shoyu ramen I've had in years!"

"I'm… I'm happy. I think I'll follow my heart, my sister told me that's what I should do. I want the very best for my little brother and my grandma. Even if it sucks, I'll grit my teeth and bear it." Alto said firmly.

"Atta girl, you'll be just fine," Levi said, ruffling her hair.

"There you are! You know, ditching a lady is rather rude, especially when procuring dust for your weapons." the voice of Weiss said, causing him to look up from his bowl of ramen. She had an exasperated look on her face. "I would be a little angrier but that vendor was a brute."

"That's why Iet you handle it. I knew you could use your Icy Princess persona to get what you wanted at cheap prices. Besides, I was tired of being discriminated against. I'll make it up to you. Order whatever you want, it's on me." he said, much to her surprise. She felt herself smile as she looked up at the menu.

"I've never had ramen before, aside from the cheap stuff Blake brought along from the general store."

"Yuck! Instant ramen is shit and an insult to actual ramen all over the world! Just for that, I am giving you our most flavorful savory, and delicious menu item. The Aria Special! She came up with it a few years ago and my grandmother tweaked it, instant classic." Alto said with a wink.

"The Aria special?" the former heiress asked, looking away from the menu. She noticed Alto's ears, looking deeply into her eyes, noticing a few familiar-looking traits. Her lips curved downward in sadness. "Are you her sister? Aria I mean?"

"Mhmm… you must be Weiss Schnee. I've heard a lot of bad things about you from a lot of people, Aria included, but I can also see the goodness in your heart. You aren't like the other Atlas aristocrats."

"She's changed a lot, she used to be a real ice queen back in the day, or so I'm told," Levi said, earning a growl from the former heiress.

"I can tell! She's really pretty too, Levi. Are you two dating?"

"What? Me, date Levi? Absolutely out of the question! While I admit he's a good man, he is also utterly uncouth, not to mention perverse and vulgar." she said, earning a laugh from Levi.

"She's not wrong. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now anyway. Weiss is adorable, but she's just a friend, a very close friend."

"Riiiiight, suuuuure. Your order will be ready soon, Ms. Schnee."

"Just call me Weiss, dear. All my friends do." the white-haired girl said.

"Were you able to get all the dust we needed?" Levi inquired, earning a nod from the former heiress. She reached down for her case, resting it on her lap. He flicked the latches open, peering inside the box. "Hm, not bad. Not bad at all."

"It took me a while but I got everything at a decent price. We'll have to ration it though, it was hard enough to get it without breaking the bank too much. I spent too much on that Water and Energy Dust, so you better not waste it."

"You mean we, right? I gave you my wallet." he deadpanned, earning an eye roll from his friend, who handed his wallet over. "Still, I'll let you ration it for me. Once we top off, we'll store the rest of it away for the future."

"Since you bought dust, does that mean you'll be taking missions here? Or will you go to Atlas?" Alto asked, causing Levi to look up at her. "You never told me where you were going to finish your training."

"It'll all depend. Let's just say, the next few hours are going to be action-packed for me and our friends back home. There's also the fact that my partner is missing. We had a particularly nasty argument and she took off. It wouldn't feel right to just leave without her."

"If I can avoid returning to Atlas, I will. It took me far too much effort to leave and I am not in a hurry to go back," added Weiss, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers.

"She's scared of facing her father," Levi said softly. "Though if I'm being honest, she's just scared to see his mustache."

"Pfft."

"There you go again with the mustache. Seriously, if you like it so much why don't you grow one?"

"Nah, I'll just ask your dad for his. I'm sure it pops off like a lego piece," he said, this time causing Alto to burst out laughing. She almost dropped her knife, wiping her tears with her arm.

"D-dammit, don't make me laugh or I'll drop the knife."

"Just focus on eating your food and let the girl cook," Weiss said, causing him to chuckle. She was right, he needed to finish this food before it got cold. It would likely be the last meal he had before heading to Haven Academy. After all, it was better to fight on an empty stomach than fighting on a full one.

xxx

"You're right, that was absolutely divine," Weiss said, happily patting her stomach. Alto grinned, spinning her chopsticks around.

"Told you. Aria knew what she was doing when she came up with this dish, then again she never ate it here. She just made it one time back home."

"She had good taste, I'm happy to have tried some of it out. It made me feel closer to her," Levi said, standing up from his seat. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out some Lien. "So, how much do I owe ya?"

"Nothing."

"Huh? How can we owe you nothing? We ate quite a lot of food."

"It's on the house silly, Levi was my sister's teammate and friend, and he gave me solid advice, and he said he would cover for your tab, Weiss. So you owe me nothing. Consider it a gift from a friend." she said with a wink.

"I see… and what advice did Levi give you?" the white-haired girl asked.

"Nothing too important, he just inspired me to make my dreams come true and make miracles a reality. I'll have to make some preparations, but I'll be on my way soon. When next you see me, I might just surprise you."

"I look forward to seeing that, Alto. We'll be around for a while longer, so we'll come back to have some more ramen soon. In fact, I think the next time you see us, we'll be ordering 10 of the Aria Special." Levi said, making her face light up.

"I'll prepare then. You should probably get going, you said you had to get back to your friends right?"

"You're right, we're already late as it is. Ruby spammed my inbox earlier but I ignored her because I was too busy eating." Weiss admitted. Levi chuckled, reaching into his pocket for his own scroll, seeing the flashing red light.

"She messaged me too, I'll let her know we're on our way back," he said, typing out his reply along with an apology. He slipped his scroll in his pocket, subconsciously checking for Neo's scroll, only to notice it was gone. He looked around for a moment, emptying his pocket, only to realize it was gone. "What the hell… Weiss, did I hand you Neo's scroll?"

"No, why would you?"

"It's not in my pocket."

"Check your cloak then, and your vest." she urged, watching as he dug through all of his pockets. He even checked Overture's holster just in case. "Nothing?"

"Nope. It's just gone."

"What are you looking for, a scroll?" Alto asked.

"Yes, it belongs to our friend, Levi's partner Neo. She took off without it and we were hanging onto it, for when she came back. You probably left it back at the house." the white-haired girl said, giving Levi a look of concern as he sifted through his belongings.

"I didn't though. I had it with me earlier, I walked away from the vendor's stall and started walking over here. But I ended up… bumping into a lady," he said, closing his eyes for a moment. They snapped open, realization hitting him like a train. "That lady I bumped into… she didn't say anything, she just bowed and left. She must have taken it."

"Neo probably didn't want to face you, so she transformed into someone else, pickpocketed you, and went on her way. I really wish she would come back soon. There's a lot we need to talk about."

Their text tones went off, both looking down at their scrolls, sighing. "We need to go, thanks again for the meal Alto."

"No problem, Levi, Weiss. I'll see you again soon," she said, giving the pair a wave, just as a few customers arrived at the shop, giving her their orders. She blew her bangs out of her eyes, grabbing her notepad and pen.

"You inspired her to make her dreams come true, huh? That's so kind of you, Levi."

"Aria was her sister, and I fucked up with her. I want to make sure her sister achieves whatever goals she sets her mind to. It's the least I can do. She's thinking about joining the Atlas Army after she goes through Atlas Academy of course."

"Atlas Academy? Well, she's set her expectations high." Weiss said, glancing over her shoulder at the ramen stand, which had gotten a long line of customers. "She has what it takes, I'm sure of it."

"Mhmm… let's focus on ourselves though. We don't have much longer before our own mission. Let's make sure everything goes as well as it can."

The pair remained silent as they walked, finally leaving the downtown area. Weiss looked up at the sky, seeing the birds flying above them. She took a deep calming breath, placing a hand on the pommel of her rapier. "You are aware we are walking into a trap, correct?"

"Yep."

"If Cinder does turn out to be there, which I know for a fact she will be, will you be okay?"

"No, but I don't have a choice. Don't worry, I'm not gonna run at her like an idiot. I'll fight her, weaken her as best I can, and then drive my sword through her chest. I made a promise after all, and I intend on keeping it."

Weiss nodded, lips pressed into a thin line as she walked. "Just don't die on me, you dunce."

"And let your lessons go to waste? Not gonna happen, Snowflake. I won't let it." he said, winking at her. She flushed crimson but said nothing as she kept walking forward. It was the only thing she could do at the moment. Look forward and never look back.


Location: Haven Academy

It was a cold night. The night after a rainstorm always was, Levi mused, as he and his friends walked up the main street. Haven Academy lay before them, the campus was far different from Beacon. It was more oriental, with pagoda-like designs for most of their buildings. Dark reds and tans made up most of the tones, accented by black and white. Haven Tower stood tall and proud above everything else, thick cables extending to the four relay towers at the corners of the campus. The silence was thick, their own footsteps echoing in all directions. Not a soul was here, Levi could tell. He didn't know if he felt unnerved or thankful for that.

He could tell the others were nervous, and he didn't exactly blame them. They were, after all, walking into a trap. It hadn't been long since he and Weiss had arrived that Lionheart called Qrow, telling him that he had made a breakthrough with the Council. The former professor had kept his cool, but was seething, especially after learning Lionheart was behind the deaths of all the huntsmen and huntresses in the kingdom. He tugged on his hood a bit as he walked, his heterochromatic eyes scanning every part of the school. He paused for a moment, spotting something atop one of the buildings, but when he looked again, it was gone. He shook his head, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"I must be seeing things. You'd think I was used to seeing shit considering the fact I still see Aria and Cadence." he thought to himself.

"Hey, Levi, are you ready for this?" Sienna asked quietly, earning a nod from the young man. "Good. I'm sure the White Fang is surrounding the campus already, I trust you to handle the inside while I take care of Adam."

"We got this, Auntie. You can go ahead and fight with confidence, if you need help just give a shout. I'll cover your back."

"Me too," Weiss said, glancing around for a moment. "I was hoping Neo would be here, but I guess she really is skipping out."

"Must be scared shitless about something. Who cares, once a criminal always a criminal, they always run when the going gets tough," said Yang, tightening her fists as she walked. Levi placed a hand on the stock of his rifle, his hand shaking a bit. He felt Sienna place her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"This is where we part ways, good luck," she said, sprinting away from the group. She disappeared into the shadows, making the others frown, worry written on their faces.

"Stay alert, kids. We're walking into the snake pit. We know what we're facing, but Lionheart doesn't know we know. Just wait for your chance and go for it. But don't do anything stupid." Qrow advised as he placed his hand on the doors.

The doors opened softly, a sharp creak coursing through the empty entrance hall. Levi scanned the room, taking in every single inch of the layout and architecture. It was likely this place would be their battlefield, and he wanted to be as familiar with it as he could. He lingered toward the rear of their group, standing next to Jaune, whose gaze was solely on Lionheart. The man was standing at the edge of the upper floor, looking down on them.

"G-good evening everyone, I'm happy to see you."

"Good evening to you too, Leo," Qrow replied, his voice barely containing his anger. Thankfully, Lionheart didn't notice.

"There's uh… certainly a lot more of you than last time, haha."

"Well, you know what they say, the more the merrier. So are we going to talk or not? You said the Council was going to spare some extra manpower. If that's the case, then let's get to it. We don't have a lot of time to waste."

The headmaster looked around nervously, wringing his hands out as he straightened up. He coughed into his fist, forcing a smile onto his face. "Why did you bring your weapons?"

"Huh?" Qrow asked, clearly taken aback. He shook his head. "We're Huntsmen, Leo, why would we come here without them?"

"Why don't we just skip the formalities." Levi suddenly said, causing the headmaster to look in his direction. He lowered his hood partially, enough for the man to see his face. He took a step forward, his hand still on his weapon. "We know what you are up to, Lionheart. We know why you called us here and we know what you want to do to us. So why don't you stop acting like a coward and face us like a man?"

"M-my apologies, young man. I don't know what you are talking about. Also weren't you taught manners? That is not how you address someone who is your senior." the man said sternly. Levi was about to say something when his ears twitched, his head snapping to the upper beams. He started to draw his weapon when Yang noticed what he was staring at, a look of surprise on her face.

"Mom?"

The beam exploded, the raven flying off. It took Levi a second to register the gunshot, and another to realize it had come from Qrow. The raven circled around Lionheart for a moment, glowing a vibrant crimson before morphing into a woman, one that looked very familiar to Levi.

"They really are magic!" Nora exclaimed in disbelief. Raven stepped to the front of the podium, standing beside the headmaster.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting," the woman said smugly. She shifted her eyes around the room, sneering as she glared at Weiss. "Ah, there's my heiress. You know you and your friends cost me quite a lot of money. Am I to assume the hooded kid is the miqo'te I was planning on selling?"

"You were friends with my mother." the faunus said, lowering his hood. Raven narrowed her eyes a bit but said nothing. "I remember seeing you once as a kid. You visited my mom after she came back from a mission, and told her how much you missed her. She was your friend, and this is how you repay her? By kidnapping her son and attempting to sell him into slavery?"

"Tch, believe me, kid, selling you into slavery is mercy. You joined the wrong crowd, I've spent a long time hiding away from the creatures of the darkness. If you saw the things I've seen, understand what you are up against, you'd be pissing yourself in fear." she said, slowly walking down the stairs, hand on her katana. "All of you would, the only thing you get by trusting Ozpin is death, despair, and grief. Summer learned that the hard way,"

Ruby gasped at the mention of her name, her frame shaking a bit. Yang stood in front of her, fist tightly clenched. "I never thought you'd sink this low, mom. When I spoke with you a few weeks ago, you were kind, cordial. But this… it's like you've changed."

"I didn't change, didn't I tell you that the next time we met I wouldn't be so kind? I gave you the chance to stay with me, but you instead sided with your foolish Uncle. You better own up to that choice, because now that you have chosen, there is no going back," Raven spat in an arrogant tone.

"Whatever it is you are doing here, don't do it. We can still work together, Raven."

Her red-eyed gaze fell on her brother, her look of arrogance shifting to one of anger as she stood before the man. "You… I don't even know what to say to you. You've been scheming against me, planning to kill your own sister."

Qrow looked away, glaring at Lionheart, a look of anger and disappointment written on his face. "Leo… how could you? Feeding her information, betraying Oz?"

"I-"

"What? He didn't do anything wrong. He assessed all the pieces and made a choice, just like you all have. Before you ask, yes, I have the Spring Maiden, and no I am not going to help you. So no amount of begging and pleading will change my mind." she replied.

"I don't get it… what do you get out of all of this? The Relic of Knowledge is useless if all the questions have been asked, and they have been asked. Are you in the market for a paperweight? Because I can point you to a store down in Mistral that sells pretty ones." Levi said in a taunting manner. Raven chuckled, not at all bothered by his quip.

"You don't seem to understand the gravity of the situation, do you, boy?"

"Just listen to me, Raven. We can work together and we can beat Salem." Qrow said, a hopeful tone in his voice. "With the Spring Maiden on our side, we'll be able to accomplish a great many things. We'll be able to-"

"Shut up! All that spying for Ozpin and you still haven't learned a thing, have you? There is no beating Salem. It doesn't matter what you do. You can run, you can hide, but if she wants to find you, she will. It's only a matter of time until she does!" the woman exclaimed.

"You're wrong!"

Raven's head shifted slightly, eyes falling on Ruby. She took a step forward, holding her hand out as if extending it in an invitation. "We've been able to do things people would say aren't possible. And the only reason we were able to do it is that we weren't alone. We had people to teach us. People to help us. We have each other. Work with us, at least I know we'll have a better chance if we work together. Please."

The woman grit her teeth in anger, Levi could see it on her face. She wasn't going to help anyone. His hand slowly wrapped around the hilt of his weapon, as he slowly started drawing it. Raven finally looked up, glaring at Ruby. "You sound just like your mother."

Before anyone could react, Raven drew her sword, slashing a portal open beside her. A glowing ball of flames struck Ruby in the chest, sending her flying back. Yang immediately raced to her side, screaming her name in worry. Levi's head turned back to the portal, his eyes widening, ears flattening against his head as he saw the woman who had ruined his life.

Everything seemed to go slow motion for him. There she was, Cinder Fall, the Fall Maiden, the bitch who had started everything. The one who had planned the Fall of Beacon, the one who forced Roman to work for her. The one who killed Pyrrha Nikos. She was the woman whose plan attracted Grimm to the school, the same ones that killed his team leader, took his partner from him, and killed his mother. He could feel anger flowing through his veins. His heartbeat quickened, his pupils turning into thin slits from sheer anger alone. He took a shaky breath as he calmed his nerves down.

"Hello boys and girls, so good of you to come," she replied in an arrogant tone. Mercury and Emerald stepped out of the portal, sporting smirks of their own. The final person who stepped out of the portal was Vernal, who was quickly at Raven's side. She looked around, chuckling when her eyes fell on Weiss and Levi.

"Well, would you lookie here? If it isn't the bitchy heiress and the animal we were going to sell. I wasn't expecting to see the two of you here. Ah, but there's someone missing. That umbrella toting mute isn't here. Did she pussy out?"

"I told you last time you dumbass, it's not an umbrella, it's a goddamned parasol." Levi hissed. Cinder looked between them, a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh my, a miqo'te faunus. You weren't kidding when you said you had actually found one alive. And a male one too. You planned to sell him to slavery, what a joke, we would have offered you three times what your buyer would have offered you." she said, causing Levi to growl.

"Everyone calm down," Qrow said, holding his hand out. It was then that Levi noticed a few of his friends had drawn their weapons. His gaze returned to Cinder. He didn't want to let her out of his sight. He kept looking at her, with every ounce of hatred written on his face.

The doors slowly opened, his ear perking up as he briefly glanced over his shoulder, seeing a muscular man enter the entrance hall. He closed the door behind him, looking to the front of the room. "The White Fang is prepping demolition. They're securing the school grounds as we speak. No one gets in, no one gets out."

"Yeah, we'll see about that,"

"You seem rather confident, boy." Cinder said, making him look back at her. "Do you think you stand a chance against me?"

"I"m standing right here, aren't I? I won't let your petty threats and your arrogant tone scare me, you piece of shit." he hissed in anger.

"How long have you been with them, Raven? For how long have you been her goddamn puppet?" Qrow questioned, causing Cinder to look away from Levi, her eye glinting as she smiled at the man.

"Don't be surprised little bird. Your dear sister was a recent addition, but Lionheart, on the other hand, has been helping us for a long time. Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat."

"I'm… I'm sorry," the professor said, his tone sounding apologetic.

"Fuck you!" the miqo'te shouted, glaring at the man. "Sorry doesn't excuse what you did. Sorry doesn't make the Fall of Beacon go away! Sorry doesn't bring my mother back! Sorry doesn't make Aria come back, or Cadence! You are a coward and a disgusting piece of shit just like Cinder and just like Salem. I don't believe in hell, but believe me, you will burn in it and you will pay for everything you have done. Every single one of you!"

"Hey, watch it! Keep insulting Cinder and I'll cut your tongue off." Emerald snapped, causing Levi to flip her off.

"Bite me, bitch."

"That's enough, Levi. They're just taunting you, just stay calm and we'll resolve this." Qrow said, hoping to diffuse the situation. "He's right about one thing, Leo. You sold us out, you sold all of those huntsmen out. I tried looking for them and didn't find a single soul. I spoke to desperate husbands, worried wives, and children wondering where their parents were. And you knew the whole time."

"It's alright, Little Bird. I'm certain Hazel and Tyrian would have found them regardless of Leo's information." Cinder said smugly.

"How can you be so broken inside?"

Levi's ear perked up as he looked over his shoulder. Jaune's shoulders were shaking, anger and sadness visible on his face. He swallowed the lump in his throat, watching his hand slowly go to his sword. "So many people have died because of you. How can you stand there and say those things, with that fucking smile on you're face?!"

Cinder quirked a brow, face twisted into confusion and curiosity. She watched on, amused by this young blonde boy who thought he was tough.

"I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done! For all of the lives you've taken!"

The room was silent for a few seconds. You could almost hear a pin dropping across the room. To Levi, it sounded like something else, a fuse. A fuse that was just about to reach the powder keg. And Cinder was the one who ignited it. "Who are you again?"

Jaune froze, eyes wide in shock as he proceeded what she had said. He grabbed a hold of his sword, twisting the hilt. His shield extended around the blade, a scream erupted from his lips as he shot forward.

The powder keg exploded.

And there would be no turning back.


A/N: Here's a new chapter! I had a lot of fun writing the beginning of this one. It was one of those moments before the storm that I felt was needed. Of course this original scene was nowhere near this battle, but when you are moving things around, sometimes certain scenes fit better in other areas. These next couple of chapters were both difficult and fun to write, mostly because this was one of the big build ups for this story, for both Levi and the story. I hope the pay off is a good one.

Before I go, I'd like to answer the question left by the reviewer. For now, I have no plans to continue Through the Looking Glass right now, that story took a lot out of me and I am in no mood to return to it right now. I'd like to ask you and everyone else curious to PM me in the future. I don't mind answering questions about other stories but I don't really like when people ask questions about other stories in my current works. I'd like to keep comments related to the story that's being discussed, it's all I ask in the future. Thanks!

And yes, after writing 101 chapters for that series I kinda grew fatigued with it. I wrote that story during a dark point in my life, where I was suffering from depression, anxiety and didn't really feel like I was in a safe state of mind. I put all my feelings into that story at the time and I enjoyed it. But sometimes I think back on it and remember those times and I just lose all feelings toward it. I still love the story, but I want to see if I can rewrite it. There are a lot of things I'd like to fix and I want to do it when I'm in a right state of mind. That's all I have to say about that for now, haha. Hopefully you are liking this story so far!

As always, excuse the mistakes, I am currently working on fixing past ones so bare with me for a bit. I hope you've all had a nice weekend. See ya!