Chapter 19: Battle of Haven II
Jaune and Cinder clashed, both holding their weapons tightly, pushing each other with all their strength, neither giving an inch. The woman angled her sword, pushing the teenager back, holding her sword up, about to swing when her sword exploded. She looked up, stepping back just in time to dodge Levi's blade, the glowing blue estoc nearly took her head. He stepped back as she reformed her blades, spinning around in an effort to strike him. He placed his hand behind his back, ducking and weaving, dodging every single swing she took at him. All the while he kept measuring her up, wondering when she would land a hit. She stepped back, throwing her sword at him, willing them to explode, only to strike his hard light shield.
Jaune burst through it, bringing Crocea Mors down hard on the woman, who used her flaming hand to catch the blade. Levi darted forward, throwing a jab with his estoc, which she easily deflected. She growled angrily, sending a sweeping wave of fire at the two, causing both of them to jump back.
"Left!" Levi cried, causing Jaune to race forward. He himself did the same, creating a path of glyphs before the blonde, increasing his speed. The young man angled his sword, clashing with Cinder, who left herself unguarded. Levi formed a vermillion glyph underfoot, willing it to explode. He launched himself forward, pulling his rifle's trigger.
Jaune stepped back as the faunus threw himself into a spin, rapidly striking Cinder in the back. He pulled the trigger hard, using the recoil to power his swings, leaving her stunned. He snapped his fingers, a yellow glyph forming underneath Cinder's feet, sending a wave of electricity through her body. Levi flipped out of the way, his rifle spinning around his hand as he took aim. "Jaune!"
"Haaah!" the boy cried, jumping into the air. Cinder tried to dodge, only for her leg to buckle from Levi's gunshot. She screamed in pain as Jaune landed a solid hit, sending her flying back into the wall. He panted, taking a few steps back as Levi reloaded his rifle, this time with gravity bullets. "Did we get her?"
"She's the Fall Maiden, I doubt something like that will take her out."
As if on cue, the woman stood up, sending a wave of fire at the two. Levi flipped out of the way while Jaune used his shield to block it. She cracked her knuckles, grinning as she stood over the two. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
Weiss took a deep breath as she faced her opponent. Her friends were in their own fights at the moment and she couldn't get distracted. Vernal stood some distance away, smirking as she aimed her weapons at her. "You should have let us escort you back to Atlas, Schnee. You wouldn't have to die here like the dog you are."
The former heiress sprung forward, aiming a jab at the woman who crossed her weapons, catching her blade. Weiss expected this, and formed a glyph beneath her feet, sending her flying up. She expertly dodged Vernal's gunshots, sending a wave of fire in her direction. The woman cried in pain as she struck the ground but quickly got up, shooting at Weiss's feet, causing her glyph to shatter. She caught herself, jumping and redirecting her bullets, looking for the right opening.
Having landed on the ground, Weiss raced forward, throwing wide slashes at Vernal, sidestepping whenever she took her shot. She could tell the woman was getting angry with her. Her back struck the wall, giving Weiss the opening she needed. She darted forward, thrusting her blade at Vernal's chest, only for her blade to bounce upward.
"What?" she mentally cried, only for Vernal to throw a spinning back kick, sending her flying back a few feet. Weiss cried in pain, hastily ducking behind a column, using it as cover from Vernal's errant shots.
"Come on, Schnee! Is that all you got?!"
"No, of course, it isn't." she quietly replied.
Weiss held back a grin as she summoned a glyph behind Vernal. It swirled white as a boarbatusk appeared from it, snorting loudly. The woman jumped back in surprise, not expecting a Grimm to suddenly show up. It started running at her, jumping into its death spin, slamming into her chest. At the same time, Weiss shot forward, flipping over the woman, burying her knee into her chest, slamming her into the ground. She flipped out of the way, holding her rapier behind her back, the dust cylinder clicking softly.
"I'm going to get you for that one, you bitch."
Weiss spun on her heel, driving her rapier into the ground, a wave of fire dust raced toward Vernal, causing her to dodge roll out of the way. She sighed with relief only to see Weiss flying at her. She took two shots, striking the heiress in the shoulder. She cried in pain, slamming into the floor. Vernal aimed her guns at the heiress, who swept her feet around, knocking the woman off balance.
Several glyphs flashed to life around Vernal, all of them glowing a brilliant white. With a cry, Weiss sent a barrage of ice shards at the woman, screams of pain echoing through the entrance hall. The white-haired girl took a few steps back, gracefully spinning around as she drove her rapier into the floor, resummoning her boarbatusk. The moment her barrage ended, the glowing white Grimm struck Vernal, sending her rolling back, seemingly unconscious.
She took a deep breath, looking around for a moment, about to join Ruby in her bout with Emerald, only for a blur to fill her vision. She turned just in time to see Vernal, having shortened the distance between them. She gasped in surprise, far too late to react. Vernal drove her leg into her chest, sending the former heiress flying through one of the windows, the glass shattering loudly as her body was sent through it.
"Weiss!" Levi shouted, turning in time to deflect one of Cinder's attacks. She drove her foot into his chest. Though the armor softened the hit, the power behind it was enough to make him lose the air in his lungs. She formed an orb of fire in her palm, about to blast Levi when Jaune appeared before him, taking the hit with his shield.
"Get it together man, she'll be fine!"
Levi grabbed a hold of Jaune's shoulder, spinning his body around, placing his feet firmly on his shield. He formed a violet glyph beneath his feet launching himself into the air. Cinder growled as she missed her main target, clashing swords with Jaune. Levi righted himself mid-air, using the recoil of his rifle to send himself into a downward spin. His blade glowed green, aiding in his downward spiral as he struck Cinder's shoulder.
She let out a growl of anger and pain, her eye glowing a fierce orange, a flaming aura swirling around it. She swept her arms around, sending fire and cinder in all directions, forcing the two teens to step back. She flicked her arm forward, grabbing a hold of Jaune's throat, squeezing it tightly as she held him up.
"What the fuck are you?" Levi questioned, a look of shock and fear in his eyes as he saw the woman's Grimm arm.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she said, tightening her grip around Jaune's neck. "I don't even know who you are, boy. I thought you were just another faunus, but you seem rather special. I'm going to take immense pleasure in murdering you and your friends."
"Yeah, I don't think so." he returned, using a glyph to blast the woman's back with ice dust. She dropped Jaune, giving Levi an opening. He let out a furious scream, slashing her across the chest with a lightning-infused strike.
He swung his blade with all his strength, each pull of the trigger strengthening his strikes. He pulled his fist back, slamming it into Cinder's chin. Sweeping his arm around, he created several glowing yellow glyphs around Cinder. Launching himself upward with a vermillion glyph, he snapped his fingers, blasting the woman with thick bolts of lightning. Her screams of pain echoed through the entrance hall, causing the others to stop for a brief moment.
"Cinder!" Emerald shouted, hand reaching out for her friend. Levi let out one more furious scream, slamming Overture's trigger back, sending himself into a spin. His estoc shone violet, glowing with gravity dust.
He struck Cinder with all of his strength, sending her flying down into the ground, the wooden floor-breaking from how strong his attack had been. He landed on the ground, loading more shells into his rifle, flicking his wrist to cock his weapon, aiming his gun right in her face. "Any last words?"
"Goodbye."
Levi's eyes widened at the word, hearing something behind him. He turned back, only it was too late. Raven had flashed behind him, driving her katana into his chest. He flew back from the strike, slamming through a wooden support beam, hitting the back wall. He slid down to the floor in a heap, his rifle slipping out of his hand.
"Thanks for the assistance."
"Whatever, pick your sorry ass up and get ready to enter the vault. I tire of this exchange." Raven said, sheathing her weapon. Cinder picked herself up, dusting her dress a bit.
"Aw, but I thought you were having fun. I haven't had my fill yet, you go and kill your brother. I'll keep toying with these children for a while longer," she said, forming a sword in her grasp. Jaune had gotten back up, a look of anger on his face. Raven clicked her tongue and backed off, glancing back at her brother, who had started fighting Hazel.
"This is going to be a long night." she thought to herself.
xxx
Hiding from the faunus was something very difficult. They had heightened senses, their hearing, eyesight, and sense of smell was five times better than a regular human. They stood no chance of ever hiding from them. Of course, if you were a faunus, you had better chances. Sienna was kneeling behind one of the buildings, watching the White Fang members scurrying around, setting bombs all over the school grounds. There wasn't a spot that didn't have a bomb. Haven Tower was the most concentrated place, they wanted to blow that place sky high.
She had heard gunfire in the main hall of the academy, and while she wanted to go in there and assist Levi and Weiss, she knew they could handle themselves. Her focus was on Adam. She had been watching him the entire time, ordering his men as if they were dogs, barring the fact that a few of them were likely loyal dog faunus who just wanted praise from him. She could feel her blood boiling, her semblance already kicking in.
Grudge was an excellent skill, the more she held a grudge on a person, the more her strength increased. That worked in her favor, and not in the favor of whoever she had faced since they would have their strength and aura lowered in return. However, Adam was unique in that case. He could take any hit and send it back to his opponent and not feel an ounce of pain. That's what made him dangerous. She hadn't taken that into account when she first fought him and that had led to her unceremonious 'death'. But she wasn't going to let that happen again.
"Make sure the entire campus is covered in these bombs. Tonight Haven Falls!" Adam shouted, a look of glee on his face as he ordered his men.
Sienna narrowed her eyes, cracking her knuckles against her high. She waited for one of the sentries to walk past and immediately flicked her chain, wrapping it around his neck. She gave it a strong pull, making the man fly back into the bush. She kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She relieved him of his pistol, wrapping her chain around her arm, holding both the gun and the handle of her personal weapon tightly in her grasp. She dashed forward, pressing her pistol into his neck, causing him to jump a bit.
"So, you think you can take me out?" he asked, in a rather taunting manner. The other members dropped what they were doing, aiming their weapons at Sienna. She looked around, her face hidden by her hood. "You must have a death wish."
"No, I don't. But I have a hell of a grudge."
Adam gasped as he felt Sienna drive her knee into his back. She opened fire on the White Fang members, striking them all in the leg. Most went down, as they didn't even have their auras unlocked, while others managed to take the hit. The gun clicked empty, just as Adam recovered, throwing a flaming slash at the woman, who flipped beneath his sword. She hastily took her cloak off, using it as a shield as Adam raced at her.
The members of the White Fang all gasped when they saw her, a few of them dropping their weapons in surprise. Sienna ducked and weaved, avoiding all of Adam's attacks. She uncurled her chain whip, spinning it around, flicking it at the man. She struck him in the face, his mask almost falling off. He quickly fixed it, leaving himself open. Sienna slammed her foot into his chin, placing her hand on the ground. She spun around, kicking her flaming dagger at his face.
Adam deflected it with his sword, quickly closing the distance, using Blush to fire at the tigress, who spun her chain around, blocking every single gunshot. "How are you still alive? I drove my sword through your guts!"
"Sheer willpower, besides I told you. I have one hell of a grudge!" she cried, flinging her chain forward. She released her lightning dagger, which was deflected with ease. She pulled her chain back, curling it around her stum in time to block Adam's sword. She drove her knee into his chest, quickly sweeping him off his feet. He slammed into the ground, slamming his fist in anger.
"Shoot her you, dumb bastards!"
She spun around, flicking her wrist at the nearest gunmen, pulling his gun free from his grasp. She flipped over a volley of lightning bullets, slamming her leg into the first man. She quickly grabbed his machine gun, unloading into the remaining gunmen. The weapon clicked empty, and she threw it up, sweeping another faunus off her feet. She jumped into the air, kicking the gun into Adam, who sliced it cleanly in half.
Sienna wrapped her chain around her shoulders, releasing her finally dagger, which Adam deflected. The ice crystal burst, encasing the blade in ice. The tigress raced forward, throwing her chain at his legs which he attempted to dodge. She pulled him off his feet, using her momentum to slam her feet into his chest, sending him flying back. He flew through a bench, the wood breaking under his body.
"You never learn, do you, Adam?" she asked, as she picked Wilt off the ground, flicking the remaining ice off of the blade. "You think this is going to make a difference? You think blowing Haven up is going to make the humans fear us? All this is going to do is turn them against us!"
"You're wrong, Sienna! Bringing down the Huntsman Academies is what we have to do! Because it'll put the fear of the gods in the humans. It'll make them serve us! We will be their new masters! We will make them mine dust for us! And then people like the Schnees will never, EVER BELITTLE US!"
Sienna deflected his gunshots, using his own sword against him. He flipped Blush around, driving his stock forward, only for the tigress to deflect it. She jumped back, throwing a flaming slash at the man who angled his weapon in time to absorb it. He flipped it around, firing the stored energy at Sienna, who sliced it in half with Wilt. She moved forward, taking several swipes at Adam, only for him to kick Wilt out of her hand, firing several rounds at her, forcing her to retreat.
"You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself. Faunus rights? Making the humans fear us? That's all second to what you truly want, and that's power. I didn't let you do what you wanted so you got rid of me. You want to show how strong you are to the world by blowing up Haven Academy. But it will amount to nothing. All it'll do is show you how puny you truly are," Sienna said, spinning her chain around, watching as the man got angrier and angrier. "You should have made sure I was truly dead, Adam because you are going to regret ever trying to kill me!"
She flipped her handle around, the end transforming into a blade. She threw it at Adam, who deflected it with his sword. She caught the end of the chain and started swinging it around, jumping out of the path of his aura slashes. She ducked behind one of the new recruits, who screamed in fear as Adam sent a slash his way. She ducked behind another faunus, letting Adam systematically take them down, not caring about injuring his own men.
The tigress wrapped her chain around a nearby man, pulling him toward herself. His screams fell on deaf ears as she kicked him in Adam's direction. He dodged the faunus with ease, only for Sienna to dropkick him into a nearby wall. The bull faunus growled slowly sheathing his katana, staring at his former leader with hate and spite in his eyes.
"You took out your own men. What does that say about you, Adam? You aren't fit to lead. Give up, and disband the White Fang. It's no longer the organization it used to be, and the one at fault is me. I didn't nurture you, I misguided you. Under Ghira's leadership, we fought for equality, and undermine, all we did was use violence against the humans. But what will your leadership bring?"
"You know exactly what it'll bring, Sienna. You should be on my side, and help me bring down the academies!" he said. "I've made some very powerful friends, people who get results. And when the new world order truly begins, the faunus will be standing on top of the world!"
A sudden shattering caused Sienna to jump, glancing back at the academy. She saw a familiar girl picking herself off the ground, clutching various injuries she had sustained. She formed a glyph beneath her feet, launching herself back into the academy. Sienna looked back at Adam, her eyes widening when she saw him draw his sword. She crossed her arms, bracing for the unavoidable impact.
She felt almost weightless as she flew back. Her aura had tanked the heavy hit, but she knew she wasn't going to last long. She felt her back collide with the doors leading into the academy entrance hall, the wood shattering under her weight. She rolled across the ground for a few moments, groaning in pain.
"Sienna!" Weiss cried, about to move in her direction only for Vernal to come up behind her, slashing her across the back. She spun around, kicking her into one of the posts, her aura shattering from the impact.
"Dumbass, turning your back on your enemy, and for a stupid animal too." the black-haired woman said, shaking her head in apparent disgust.
Levi clutched his head as he came to, feeling his head swirling with pain. His ears wiggled and moved, his hearing sounding distorted. His vision cleared, returning him to the battle at hand. Everything came back to him, the battle at Haven, his friends fighting, Cinder. His eyes darted around, spotting the woman in question, fighting against Jaune. She threw a slash at him, sending his sword flying out of his hand.
"No, Jaune," he mumbled, forcing himself to stand up. He stumbled for his rifle, picking up from the floor, loading more rounds into it. Just as he finished, he lifted his gun to take aim, only for a flaming ball of rock to slam into his chest, sending him sprawling to the floor.
"I'm sorry, young man. You shouldn't be here," Lionheart said, a look of anguish on his face as he took aim at Levi. The miqo'te faunus let out a growl, ducking out of the way of the attack, driving his lightning-coated blade into the older man, stunning him long enough to attack him with an aura-infused slash.
"The title of headmaster is too heavy for you. You should be guiding the new generations, not killing them. I hope Karma bites you in the ass, old man." Levi hissed, as he shifted his aim at Cinder.
His breath got caught in his throat as he watched the woman hold her hand out. A flaming spear formed in her grasp, swirling with energy. She pulled her arm back, throwing the spear forward. He could only watch as it struck its target. He felt his strength leave him for a moment as Weiss gasped for air, hands shaking for a moment before it faded away. Weiss fell forward, unmoving.
Levi didn't know what happened after that. He heard a scream and saw a flash of silver light. His ears were ringing, everything moving in slow motion. He noticed Jaune's discarded sword a few feet away and started running for it. He slid across the ground, hand wrapping around its hilt, Overture's cylinder clicked loudly as he selected his dust. Time returned to normal as he let out a scream, throwing a slash at Cinder, who had been clutching her arm in pain.
"You fucking bitch! I'm going to end you!"
The fall maiden locked up, forming a blade in her palm just in time to deflect against his attack. He swung his blades to and fro, channeling his aura through them. He pulled Overture's trigger, sending himself into a wild spin, driving Crocea Mors into her chest. She flew back a few feet, and he followed after her with a vermillion glyph.
"You idiots are so easy to manipulate. Just attack a loved one and you turn into blubbering fools," she said, as she deflected all of his attacks. "I wonder, you mentioned your mother dying in Beacon, did she suffer in pain like that Schnee is? Or did she curl up and die like the useless faunus she was?"
Levi let out a growl as he sent a wave of gravity-infused aura at the woman, shattering the post at the other end of the room. He angled Crocea Mors in time to deflect an attack, spinning around the woman. He brought the bastard sword up above his head, slowly bringing it down when a chain wrapped around its hilt, sending it flying out of his hand. He looked to his right, seeing a smiling Emerald not far from where he stood, looming over an unconscious Ruby.
"Whoops, that was my bad."
Cinder sprung forward, delivering a fierce cross slash at his chest, sending him sprawling across the ground. He groaned in pain, clutching his chest as he struggled to breath. His eye glared up at Cinder, who stood above him with a smile on her face.
"I remember you. You were that boy who yelled at his team leader, all because she wouldn't let him perform in the Vytal Festival's second-day opening. Everyone was talking about it, it was the juiciest bit of information before the attack." Cinder said, almost in a baby voice as she spoke. Levi could see the arrogance written on her face, oh how he detested it. "Imagine making your team leader cry all because you said her death would make her pathetic life mean something, oh how cruel."
"Fuck you!"
"How droll, you aren't worth my time, you aren't even worth my breath. But people like you need to be taught a lesson," she said, moving toward Ruby. Levi grabbed his rifle, only for Mercury to kick it out of his hand. She formed a spear above Ruby's head, glancing back at Levi with a devilish smirk on her face. "Let's begin by removing these beautiful silver eyes of hers. That way she will never hurt me again."
Levi grit his teeth as he formed a vermillion glyph beneath his feet, urging it to explode. Emerald and Mercury screamed in surprise as he drove his leg into Cinder, sending her flying back. He grabbed ahold of Crescent Rose, surprised at how much lighter it was than he assumed it would be.
He spun the massive scythe around like he had seen Ruby do countless times, pulling the bolt back. He pulled the trigger, launching himself at the woman, taking a swing at her. She hissed in anger as he kept taking wide swings, keeping her on the defensive.
"Lionheart, open the path to the vault! Raven, Vernal, clear a path!" she commanded, as she threw some flaming daggers at Levi. He brought Crescent Rose down, almost slicing her arm clean off. Its blade buried itself in the wood as he took aim, firing what was left of the magazine at Cinder, who deflected each hit. "Hurry!"
"Yang!" Levi shouted as he was kicked across the room. The blonde brawler, who had been knocked out for a few moments, regained her bearings, glancing around the room. As she noticed Ruby on the floor, she looked up at Cinder, who was making her way toward the middle of the room.
She let out a scream as she propelled herself forward, eyes glowing a furious red. She threw a left hook at Cinder, only for her to fade out of existence. She looked around for a moment, seeing the fall maiden behind her. She shot some buck at her, only to be mate with the same result.
"You aren't going anywhere, Sunny Dragon." Mercury taunted, a smirk on his face. "In fact, we have a little gift for you. Right from a friend, Emerald."
The green-haired girl chuckled darkly as she activated her semblance, projecting an image of Adam Taurus in front of Yang. She gasped fearfully, hands shaking as she saw the man slowly start drawing his sword. "No, no. Not you!"
"Yang, don't pay attention to it! It's an illusion!" Levi shouted, only for it to fall on deaf ears.
He grit his teeth, ears flat against his head as he ran for his weapon. He grabbed ahold of it, ejecting the spent shell casing, loading more rounds into it. He spun it around, aiming at Emerald, only for Mercury to kick his rifle upward, redirecting the gunshot. It struck the chandelier, causing it to come crumbling down. He looked down, seeing Ruby was directly underneath it, and before Mercury could react, he fired a shot behind himself, launching himself forward. He grabbed ahold of the unconscious girl, pulling her away just in time for the chandelier to crash exactly where she had been. He hugged her tightly, glaring at Mercury and Emerald, who had sneers on their faces.
"My my, what an interesting little kitty we have here. Risking it all to save a human, how noble."
"Why do you follow someone like Cinder? All she does is use you. Once you two serve your purpose to her, she'll throw you away like yesterday's garbage. I don't know what happened in your lives, but I do know you are only going to die worthless deaths if you keep doing what she says!"
"Shut up!" Emerald cried, aiming one of her guns at the faunus. "I owe my life to Cinder, I could give a damn less about the relics or Salem. So long as Cinder gives me a place to belong, I'll stay."
"Tch… idiot." the faunus mumbled, drawing his mother's gun. He opened fire on the girl, causing her to scream in pain. Her aura shattered, one of the bullets piercing her arm. She cried in pain as Mercury dragged her away, taking cover behind a post.
Levi forced himself to stand up, holstering his weapon. He picked Overture up off the ground, making his way toward Yang who was a blubbering mess on the floor. He shook her shoulder, to no avail. The young man pulled his hand back and struck her across the face, pulling her from her reverie. She looked up at him, eyes wide and filled with tears.
"Your sister needs you. Get a grip!"
"I-I-I saw him… Adam. He was there and he was…"
"An illusion. You'll be fine, take care of your sister while we regroup. Cinder and your mom went to the vault. We need to get our shit together." he said, holding back his tears. He looked back at Weiss, gasping a bit when he saw a glowing golden light pouring from Jaune's hands. He moved over to her, kneeling down beside her.
"Is she okay?" he asked softly.
"I dunno, her wound is closing up but her breathing is still a bit off." the blonde said. The ground rumbled a bit, causing the group to look back.
"OZPIN!"
Lightning crackled as the large man, who Levi assumed was Hazel, kept throwing swings at Oscar. His distorted voice filled with anger and hatred. Ren reached for his pistols, his hands shaking a bit.
"Go, Ren. We can't let that guy hurt Oscar, he's still a kid."
"But what about-"
"Weiss will be fine, I'll hold down the fort with Nora while Jaune finishes up." the faunus said. Ren gave a reluctant nod, dashing across the room. He still didn't fully trust Levi, but at the moment, he had no choice but to trust him.
"Levi, what about Cinder? And the relic?" Nora questioned, holding her hammer outward, ready to strike whoever approached them.
"Weiss comes first, once I know she's okay and out of it, I'll go after them. I'm sorry Nora, but I don't think I can walk away and not know if she makes it out okay."
"I don't blame you. This is all my fault, Cinder egged me on and I exploded."
"Just be glad you unlocked your semblance when you did, Jaune." the orange-haired girl said, causing him to look up at her.
"My semblance?"
"Yeah, how else do you think you are healing her, dummy?"
"Doesn't look like he's just healing her. It's almost as if he's amplifying her aura with his own." Levi said, glancing up at the blonde boy. "It's impressive."
"But wait, if that's the case then aren't you worried about running out?"
"It's okay, Nora. Pyrrha once said I had a lot of it, I still believe her."
Levi placed a hand on Weiss's cheek, a look of worry on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally berating himself. "I shouldn't have focused so much on Cinder, I should have watched her back."
"Don't start doing that now, Levi." the voice of Aria said, causing him to look up. The young faunus was standing beside them, arms crossed. "You fought as well as you could have. Focus on what's important. The Relic of Knowledge can wait."
Weiss let out a gasp, causing him to look down. Her eyes fluttered open, a pained groan leaving her lips. "What's going on?"
"You took a heavy hit, I'm using my aura to heal you," Jaune said, causing Levi to smile.
"He's right, he unlocked his semblance right in the nick of time. Cinder ran you through with a spear, she managed to get into the vault," he explained, causing the young woman to pull his hand away from her face. She pushed him back, much to his surprise. "Weiss?"
"Go get her… you dunce."
"Alright, take care of her Jaune. I'll be back soon," he said, grabbing Overture. He loaded more rounds into it, walking toward the lift that led down to the vault. He formed a path of glyphs down into the vault, stepping over the edge, allowing gravity to bring him down.
Things were heating up when Blake, Sun, Ilia, and her cousin's team arrived in Beacon. The White Fang was on standby, ready to detonate the academy, while the sounds of battle came from within. The raven-haired cat faunus looked on, seeing a few people fighting in the entrance hall, but she was too far to see who they were. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced back, seeing the confident smile on Sun's face.
"We got this Blake, the others are just around the corner. All we have to do is give the signal and box them in."
"Right. Ilia, you know what to do," she said, drawing Gambol Shroud from her back. Ilia gave her a nod, quickly dashing off. Blake flicked her wrist, taking aim at the sky. She pulled the trigger, firing a single round into the air. It exploded, a crimson light illuminating the campus. Adam looked up for a brief second, turning around only to see Blake standing at the edge of the building, glaring down at him.
"Well look what the cat dragged in. And here I thought I would have to look for you. Who knew you would make the job easier for me and bring yourself to me."
"It's over, Adam. All of this is over. Can't you see what you are doing is wrong? This isn't going to get the humans to like fear the faunus. It will only get them to hate us more than they already do." she said.
"Petty words coming from a coward. I know what you did after Beacon, how you left your friends, how you ran home to your parents, with your tail between your legs. That is all you ever do. You abandoned the White Fang, turned your back on us. You left me, betrayed me, all to pursue the dream of being a hero. But you aren't, you are just a traitor, and should be dealt the maximum punishment for betraying us!" he shouted, hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword.
"The only one who needs to pay for your crimes is you, Adam!"
The man growled angrily as he turned back, seeing his former leader walking out of the entrance hall, wrapping her chain around her arm. She had a look of sheer anger on her face.
"How are you not dead?!"
"Sienna? You're alive?" Blake cried out, a look of surprise on her face. Sienna gave her a nod of acknowledgment, her gaze falling back down on Adam.
"You got the upper hand on me last time, but I'm not going to let you win this time. All you did was make my grudge on you stronger!" she shouted, racing forward. Adam snickered as he faced Sienna, sending an aura slash at her.
She jumped over it, twisting herself mid-air. She flung her chain whip at the man, the lightning dagger glowing brilliantly as it clashed with his sword. She swung her whip around, blocking and deflecting all of his hits. She was quickly overpowered, taking a powerful kick in the chest.
A gunshot filled his ears, seeing a black weapon strike the ground beside him. He turned around, only for Blake to drive her feet into his chest, sending him flying back. At the same time, Sienna launched her chain upward, wrapping it around Adam, slamming him into the ground. Adam quickly stood up, dodging all of Sienna's attacks, her chain snapping to and fro as she tried to land a solid hit. Adam closed the distance, throwing a solid punch to her face.
Blake raised her gun, pulling the trigger back. Adam drew his sword, deflecting all of the bullets with ease. He took aim, firing the blade at Blake who dodged it with ease. He darted forward, firing several shotgun blasts at Blake using Blush, sliding across the ground to grab Wilt, turning around in time to deflect a hit from the young woman. The pair clashed for a few seconds as he pushed her back, throwing several heavy hits, throwing her off balance.
"I've waited for almost a whole year for this. I finally have you in front of me, I can finally get my revenge. I told you I would take everything from you and I will. Your friends are here right now, why don't we pay the Sunny Little Dragon a visit!"
"No!" Blake shouted, ducking back, her stone copy taking the hit for Adam. Sienna flashed behind him, driving her legs into his back. Blake delivered an upward swing on the man, who somehow managed to deflect the attack. He sent the blast back at Blake, who narrowly avoided the hit.
"He's mine, Blake, don't even get involved!" the tiger faunus snapped angrily. She threw her useless chain aside, pulling Gambol Shroud from Blake's hand, pushing her back. "I promise not to break it."
The cat faunus backed off, knowing this wasn't her battle. By this time, the forces led by her father Ghira had arrived and had boxed the other members in. It had all gone by so fast she hadn't even noticed. Her eyes were firmly on the two dueling faunuses, who fought with every ounce of strength they could muster.
"Grr.. you aren't going to get in my way! I am going to kill her, Sienna! Step aside!" Adam shouted, throwing a wide swing at the woman, who deflected his hit with ease. He was getting sloppy, his attacks weren't as direct as they had been before. This made Sienna's fight a lot easier than before.
She flipped out of the way of his attack, opening fire on the man, who deflected the bullets with ease. Sienna angled Gambol Shroud, narrowly parrying Adam's attack. She panted a bit, teeth grit as she glared at the man. "You aren't going to touch her. You aren't going to kill anyone! Your reign is over, Adam. Time for you to own up to your crimes and turn yourself in!"
"Shut up!" the man shouted angrily, throwing a downward slash at Sienna. She ducked back in time to avoid the hit, throwing an upward slash of her own, slicing his mask clean off his face. He screamed in pain, clutching his face. He covered his left eye with his hand, glaring at the woman through his fingers. "You will pay for that, you bitch!"
He let out a scream of fury, his body literally glowing as he raced forward, throwing speedy slashes at Sienna who managed to block all of them. Adam didn't realize it, but her semblance was rapidly weakening him, and due to his own anger, he hadn't noticed how much her grudge had grown on him. He held his katana above his head, swirling with bright orange flames. She jumped out of the way as he swung downward, unable to avoid her attack, Sienna kneed him in the face. She threw a roundhouse kick at his chest, unloading the last of Gambol Shroud's ammunition into his chest, pelting him with ice, rock, and fire bullets.
Adam shook his head, angling his sword to send out a blast of aura, only to see Sienna quickly shortening the distance. The woman let out a furious scream as she swung Gambol Shroud, pouring her remaining aura into the weapon. She clashed with Adam, the strike cracked his sword, breaking it clean in half, much to his surprise. The tigress threw a few more slashes, successfully breaking his aura. With a shout, she drove Gambol Shroud into his abdomen, the blade going straight through his body.
"Y-y-you…"
"Adam Taurus, consider yourself excommunicated," Sienna said, pulling her sword free from his body, splashing his blood on the ground. He dropped to his knees, clutching the wound. He looked up at her, glaring into her eyes.
"I'll never forgive you for this, Sienna Khan," he said. Sienna flicked her wrist, taking aim at his forehead. Her hand shook a bit as she pulled the trigger back, only for her gun to click empty. Adam dropped a smoke grenade which burst into a thick plume of smoke. She coughed loudly, losing sight of her target.
"Son of a bitch!" she shouted, about to run into the cloud when she felt someone grab her wrist. She looked down, seeing the saddened look on Blake's face. She shook her head.
"You of all people should know how Adam is. He's luring you and planning on finishing you off. Let's just hope that wound you inflicted was enough." she said, relieving her of Gambol Shroud. She grimaced a bit, seeing her blade stained with blood, but took out a rag regardless, wiping the blood down.
She heard an explosion, and for a brief moment thought the bombs had detonated but was met with surprise when she saw a large man picking himself up off the ground. He looked around for a moment, not finding Adam among the crowd. He reached into his pockets, pulling out several dust crystals, stabbing them directly into his arms. The power coursed through his veins, causing him to scream in fury. He wasted no time in racing back inside the building, which rocked from his heavy footfalls.
"What the hell is going on in there, Sienna?"
"It's too long of a story to explain, just know that your friends are in there fighting Cinder and her lackeys," she said, panting a bit as she regained her strength. Blake nodded, looking over her shoulder for a moment, spotting Sun and Rocket nearby, both fighting a few brave members of the White Fang, looking for a death wish.
"Sun, Rocket, I'm heading inside, think you can handle things here?"
"You got it, Blake. Go, we can handle it!" the raccoon faunus said, giving her cousin a salute. Blake darted forward, running around the remaining White Fang members, deflecting their bullets and taking down anyone who got too close.
She stumbled a bit as she stepped inside, the entire building shaking from the ongoing battle. She froze for a moment, as she spotted Yang fighting Mercury, her fists glowing with each shotgun blast enhanced punch. Weiss was busy fighting Lionheart, using her glyphs to overpower the man, while Ruby was fighting Emerald. She spotted a young boy fighting the large man who injected himself with dust, being assisted by Nora, while Jaune looked over Ren, who had been recovering from a heavy hit.
She wasted no time in springing into action, throwing Gambol Shroud at Emerald, wrapping it around her legs. She looked down for a second before she was pulled off her feet. Blake lept into the air, throwing a downward ax kick at the woman, who was instantly protected by Mercury. Blake retracted her weapon, catching it in a single pull. She pulled the trigger thrice, making the silver-haired young man back away.
"Blake?"
She glanced back at Ruby, seeing the look of surprise and relief written on her face. Blake gave her a nod, her gaze shifting back to Mercury and Emerald.
"We can save the reunion for later. Right now we need to bring these two down. My father is outside gathering the White Fang. All we have to do is capture these two and take them into custody."
"Then it's time for us to get back into form, I trust you've kept up with your training?"
"Of course, Weiss, in fact, I've spent the last few weeks refining my skills. I can hold my own. Besides, I have a bit of pent-up anger against these two." she said, glancing back at Emerald and Mercury, both of whom had looks of anger and annoyance on their faces.
"As if you can beat us. Just wait until Cinder comes back, she'll destroy all of you!" Emerald boasted. The ground beneath them rumbled, sending them off balance. Yang roared as she launched herself forward, throwing a punch at Emerald.
She sent her flying back, causing Mercury to scream her name. He went to take a step forward only to realize Weiss was holding him in place with a glyph. Blake took a swing at the man, who deflected it with his arm guard. His eyes widened as Ruby took aim at his chest, cocking her scythe.
"This is for Penny!" she cried, blasting him in the chest. Yang raced after him, throwing a volley of punches at his body, delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. Blake wrapped her weapon around his body, pulling him down with all her strength. His aura shattered, fading into nothingness as he groaned in pain.
"That was for Pyrrha." the raven-haired faunus said. Emerald grit her teeth, holding her guns up, only for them to click empty. Yang cocked Ember Celica, slowly walking toward the green-haired young woman, who held her arms up in surrender, her guns slipping from her grasp.
"I give, I give," she said fearfully. Yang slammed her fist into her stomach, finishing her off. She fell to her knees, clutching her stomach in pain.
"Stay down, bitch." the blonde spat.
Weiss let out a sigh, finally lowering her sword. She turned to Blake, who was loading a magazine into her weapon. Her ears twitched a bit as she glanced back, meeting the former heiress's blue-eyed gaze. She gave her a smile, holding back a few tears. "Hey, Weiss."
"You look so much better without that silly ribbon,"
"I agree, you're finally free of that silly secret, hehe," Ruby added, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.
"You've grown taller, Ruby. I'm so happy to see you, all of you." Blake said. Yang looked away from her partner, nose held up high. The cat faunus sighed but approached her anyway, a firm yet saddened look on her face. "I'm sorry, Yang. For leaving, for not saying anything."
"Sorry doesn't cut it. We were partners, Blake. I know it sucks having your former mentor almost kill a friend, but you didn't have to leave like that. All of us missed you, we could have all been together, from the beginning. Hell, we could have gone to Atlas and kidnapped Weiss to make sure we were all in one place at the same time!" the blonde said, facing her partner. "But instead you just ran. I don't know if I can ever forget that."
Blake's ears flattened against her scalp, tears threatening to spill. She felt Yang's mechanical arm on her shoulder, causing her to look up. Yang gave her a bright toothy grin, her eye closed in a wink. "But I forgive ya. Just don't do it again or I'll seriously kick your ass."
"Hey wait… where did Levi go? I don't see him anywhere!" Ruby suddenly said, causing Yang to look around.
"I dunno, I haven't seen him anywhere either. Did he get hurt or something?"
"Oh no… he went after Cinder and Raven!" Weiss cried, glancing back at where the young man had jumped. "He hasn't come back yet!"
"What? And you let him go down there by himself?"
"I was still recovering from my wound! I was out of it when I told him to go after them!" the former heiress said. Yang blasted herself toward the edge of the lift, peering downward. She glanced back at Ruby, who gave her a nod.
"Be careful sis."
"You got it, I'll be back!"
Yang reloaded her weapons before leaping into the darkness.
Moments Earlier…
Cinder had done it, she had finally reached Haven's Vault. The lift was rattling as it slowly reached its destination. She clutched her arm tightly, recovering from the attack Ruby had given her. Raven stood to her left, while Vernal, the Spring Maiden, stood to her right. Both women were quiet, but it didn't take Cinder too much effort to figure out what they were thinking. She already knew they were planning to kill her, sadly that wasn't going to be the case. She was three steps ahead of them, after all.
"Are you nervous?" she asked, making Vernal look at her. She shook her head.
"Of course not. There's nothing for me to be nervous about. It's just an errand to me."
"An errand? Is that what this feels like? The first Spring Maiden in who knows how long, is about to open a vault. I think this is a momentous occasion. You might actually learn a little something about the world." the Fall maiden said, causing Raven to sigh.
"Leave her alone will you? She's had to go through a lot already,"
"Oh, I'm just having a little fun, Raven. It should be an honor, make no mistake, girl. This is an honor." Cinder said. Vernal shook her head, crossing her arms.
"I don't consider it an honor. I consider it a burden."
Cinder rolled her eye, deciding to end the conversation. It didn't take much longer for the lift to finally reach the bottom. The gilded gates slowly opened, revealing the vault. The fall maiden gestured for her companions to leave the lift first, slowly following after them. The moment Vernal stepped onto the blue path, it started glowing blue, the cavern lit up, the shimmering orange leaves falling slowly to the ground.
Vernal held her hand out, catching one of the leaves in her palm, looking at it with childish wonder. "Having fun?"
She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Leave her alone, Cinder, it's like you said. This is something that won't happen again for a long time."
"You are correct on that front, Raven." the woman mused, a look of joy on her face. "This will likely be the first and last time a Spring Maiden sets foot in this place. Once we have the relic, this place will serve no purpose."
"Alright, then we should get started. How does this work again?" Vernal questioned, glancing back at Cinder.
"It's quite simple. When the Spring Maiden walks up to the door, all she has to do is place her hand upon it. This door is designed to respond only to your power. So it'll open for you and only you. No one else." she explained.
"So that's how it works."
The three women turned around, surprised by the young man who was standing behind them. He held his weapon tightly in his hand, as he looked around the cavern, before locking eyes with Cinder. "You have no idea how I've longed to stand in front of you. You may not fully know me, but you took everything from me. And not just me, you took everything from Neo too."
"Pfft… Neo? Roman Torchwick's little mute? I thought she had died in the Fall of Beacon, color me surprised." she said, fully facing the young man. "You know, you remind me of another foolish idiot who thought she could defeat me. You aren't going to start spewing things about destiny, are you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just here to kill you."
"You won't stand a chance against me. I'm the Fall Maiden."
"Doesn't matter, I know your magic relies on aura to work. I don't have to hit you in order to kill you. All I have to do is make you vulnerable!" he said, cocking his rifle. He took aim at her, forming a vermillion glyph under his feet.
He willed his glyph to explode, launching himself forward. He pulled the trigger back, aiding in his swing. Cinder deflected his attack with ease, forming a pair of swords in her hands. They became locked in combat, throwing and parrying each other's attacks, Levi spun around, throwing a heavy slash at Cinder, aided with some gravity dust. She growled angrily, glancing over her shoulder.
"Open the damn vault! No one goes in but me, I'll handle the kid!"
The faunus jumped back as he avoided a barrage of flaming swords, he created several glyphs around her, firing bolts of lightning at her, all of which she managed to deflect. She flew forward, flames shooting from her feet as shortened the distance. Levi held his hands outward, a hard-light glyph forming ahead of him. Cinder shattered it with ease, sending Levi flying back.
Levi formed a platform underfoot, firing at Cinder, who deflected his bullets with ease. She let out a shout as she brought her flaming sword down on Levi who dodged the attack. Overture's cylinder clicked, his estoc glowing blow as he channeled water dust through it. He spun around throwing a water-infused slash at the woman, the blast of water sending her crashing to the ground.
He loaded hard light bullets into Overture as he ran, screaming in sheer anger as he repeatedly slashed Cinder, blasting her with hardened light. He threw a punch to her face, spinning around, throwing a lightning-infused slash at her chest, launching her back into one of the large rocks. Levi held his weapon up, forming a glyph beneath his feet. He channeled lightning dust through his blade, a clock face appearing beneath his feet.
He felt a familiar surge of energy flowing through his body, everything around him moving in slow motion. He closed the gap between himself and Cinder in a few paces, throwing as many heavy hits as he could. His furious screams echoing through the cavern as he repeatedly struck the woman. His vision turned red as he kept attacking, remembering his mother, Aria, and Cadence's faces. He jumped back as he formed a flurry of glyphs around the woman, taking aim at her. He pulled the trigger, freezing her to the boulder as his glyphs unloaded blasts of ice and fire at her.
Levi panted as he felt himself returning to normal, his aura having taken a heavy hit. He backpedaled as he loaded more bullets into Overture, cocking it as he took aim. Before he could even pull the trigger, Cinder dashed forward, driving her fist in the center of his chest, sending him sprawling back.
"You fucking child! You actually think you can get one over on me?!" she shouted, her eye glowing furiously with the fall maiden's power. "I am going to make sure you live to regret crossing paths with me. I will burn every single one of your limbs until you beg for mercy!"
"I would rather die than beg you for mercy!"
She hissed in anger, approaching the young man with a ball of flames in her palm when she remembered what she was there for. She had no time to toy with this faunus. She needed the relic. She threw the ball hard at his chest, shattering what was left of his aura. "I'll be back for you."
She moved away from the young man, heading toward the end of the vault, walking past Raven who had been watching the fight from the sidelines. She gave her a nod of acknowledgment standing in front of Vernal for a moment. "You know, I changed my mind. I've decided you don't deserve that power anymore. You aren't worthy of it. But I am."
"What?"
Cinder flung a ball of ice at Raven, freezing her in place, simultaneously digging her claws into Vernal's chest. She screamed in pain as the pitch-black arm started absorbing her aura. She grabbed ahold of it, trying to pull it out only for Cinder to dig her fingers deeper into the wound.
"I'm sorry, dear. But you were right, this power is a burden, one that you don't deserve. But I do." she said. She slowly felt the smirk on her face dropping, watching as Vernal slowly lost consciousness, her body collapsing to the ground. "What… where's the power?"
"Vernal wasn't the Spring Maiden!"
Cinder turned around, eye-widening when she saw Raven discard her mask, her eyes showered in pink energy. "I am!"
Before she could even react, Cinder was sent flying back into the vault door. She quickly righted herself using it as a springboard. She shot down at Raven like a rocket, throwing a slash with her sword, clashing with her own. Arching blasts of energy erupted from their strikes, the cavern shaking from the sheer force of their clash.
Levi forced himself to stand up, still weakened from having his aura shattered. He dragged himself back, narrowly avoiding the falling rocks. He could only stand and watch the amazing show of power these two women were displaying. It felt as if the whole world shook with every strike, blasts of orange and pink bouncing in every direction.
"What the hell did I get myself into? Is this really magic? Is this truly the power that Ozpin gave up so long ago?" Levi asked himself.
Everything was over before he knew it. The two women formed large blades of fire and ice respectively, clashing in the middle of the platform. Cinder was panting, clearly tired from the exchange only for Raven to drive her knee into her chest, her body glowing red as her aura broke. Cinder tried lighting a spark in her hand but was unable to. Levi growled angrily as he raised his rifle. This was the moment he had been waiting for.
It had been his dream to be there, face to face with the woman who had taken what was dear to him. He had wanted Neo to be there, to savor that moment, but alas she hadn't. That was a bittersweet moment, but as he leveled his gun, and wrapped his finger around the trigger, he knew this shot would be for the both of them. He squeezed the trigger, the bullet exploding from the end of his rifle, striking Cinder in the abdomen. In that moment, Raven finished her off, encasing her in a block of ice, throwing her over the edge.
He thought he would feel something. Relief, joy… but instead he felt nothing.
Levi forced himself to stand up, clutching his ribs as he holstered his weapon, making his way toward the end of the vault. Raven turned to face him, eyes still glowing fiercely as she stared deep into his soul. He met her gaze for a few moments, the frown on his face deepening.
"You weren't really going to sell me into slavery, were you?"
"No."
"Then why did you cage me up?"
She remained silent, glancing away from him. "I owed your mother a favor. Neo was a bad person, and the last thing I needed was the child of a close friend falling in with the wrong crowd. I was gonna have one of my guys cut you lose the moment you were near Mistral."
Levi nodded, glancing back at the vault doors. "Are you going to open them?"
"I might not want to work for Ozpin anymore, but there is one thing that I agree on. The relics can't fall in the hands of Salem. The moment all four of them are together… well, it'll be the end, for all of us. I will take the relic and disappear. She'll never find me."
Raven stepped up to the door, placing her hand on it. Levi watched as the markings on the outer edges of the door began glowing pink with her power. She stepped back as the doors rattled, the cavern shaking a bit as the edges of the door folded in on themselves, revealing the room just beyond it. Levi looked inside, being greeted by nothing more than a swirling desert. He could see something floating in the center of the room.
A beautiful lamp, the center being a soft sky blue in color, glowing brightly. The outer edges were forged with gold, forming various intricate markings and decorative pieces. A soft blue energy seemed to swirl around the top, fading away into the sands just beyond the doors. Raven sighed, bowing her head a bit as she looked around the door.
"Back again."
"What do you mean by that?" the faunus asked curiously. As she was about to answer, the pair heard something behind them. They glanced back, seeing Raven's daughter, Yang kneeling at the bottom of the lift. She slowly rose to her feet, walking toward them, a firm look on her face.
"You know, I don't think I've ever been as disappointed as I am this very second," she said, as she stood in front of her mother. "What is all this? Why go this far?"
"Yang, you wouldn't understand. There are things that you don't know about, things that Ozpin probably hasn't told you. There was only one way I was able to sate my thirst for knowledge and it was to come here. When the last Spring Maiden learned about everything, she ran. We ran into each other by chance, and I chose to protect her." she said, looking at the floor. "She was just a kid, and she had been sacked with this massive responsibility. It wasn't just guarding the power of the maiden, it was learning how to hone it so you can protect this very vault. This seemingly impenetrable sanctum of knowledge and power."
"What happened to her, then? Ozpin told us how it worked. The maidens can choose who receives the power upon death, usually, it's the last person they see or someone they trust immensely." Levi asked.
"She asked me to kill her. She couldn't deal with the burden anymore and asked me to put her out of her misery, and I did. With her power, I was able to come here. It wasn't easy, but I managed to find out how the lamp worked. So I did the only sensible thing I could. I asked the lamp a question, and I learned the true horrors of what Ozpin is hiding."
Yang gave her a skeptical look, her head cocked to the side. "And what is he hiding?"
"You don't want to know Yang. What the lamp showed me is something that I do not wish to impart to you. On either of you or anyone. Which is why I am going to take the relic with me and hide it. I'll hide in a place Salem will never find me."
"But there's no hiding. You said it yourself, and now that Salem knows you are the Spring Maiden, she will follow you wherever it is you choose to hide. There is no place on Remnant that you can go to. She will probably find you there." Levi said firmly.
"He's right, mom. Salem won't ever leave you alone. Which is why the lamp will be safer with us. There are a lot of things I want to say to you right now, but my sister has already suffered enough. What you did up there wasn't cool. This whole act, just to pull one over on Cinder and take the Relic for yourself, it was stupid." Yang said.
"It was the only way to protect you, Yang. There are things he's hiding from you. Question everything, if you can get your hands on that lamp and use it, do so. Do not trust everything he tells you."
"You only say that because he lost faith in you. After everything he did, you turned your back on him! You betrayed him!"
"Only because he wasn't being honest with me and Qrow!"
"I'm uh… just gonna go." the faunus said, deciding to leave the two alone. While he did, he decided to step into the vault. He looked around for a moment, awestruck at how a large space could fit in such a small area.
He felt an odd choking feeling in his throat as he slowly approached the relic. He stared at it for a few moments, lifting it off its pedestal. He felt an odd warmth coming from it, filling him with a sense of intrigue. The lamp was beautiful, an object that was completely priceless. He noticed it shrink in size as he pulled it away from the pedestal, likely entering some soft of travel mode.
"Who the hell thought this is what I would be doing here tonight. So long I yearned to fight Cinder, and make her pay with her life. And now that she's gone I feel nothing. This lamp is worthless to me. Even so, there's something compelling me to protect it. This Salem woman, if she really is real, can't get her hands on this."
He stepped outside of the vault, the inside slowly losing power, disappearing in a shimmer of sparkles. He noticed the tree above the vault entrance lost a bit of life and color but was still aglow with orange leaves. Yang stood at the center of the cavern, waiting for him to join her. She forced a smile onto her face, patting his shoulder.
"You did good, Levi. Mom told me you had the finishing blow on Cinder."
"She was the one who encased her in ice. I didn't truly defeat her, she did all the heavy lifting," he said, voice devoid of emotion. "I got the relic though, do you wanna hold it?"
"You hang onto it, at least until we can give it to Professor Ozpin. Let's get out of this cave, everyone else is waiting for us."
The pair remained silent as the lift started going up. If Yang said something, he didn't hear it. He had too much going through his mind to speak. All of the emotions he had been bottling up for nearly a year were slowly emerging. His rage, and fury toward Cinder, his grief at the loss of his friends, the immense sadness he felt. The longing and loneliness, everything had resurfaced.
He didn't know what to think, what to do or what to even say. The lift reached Haven Academy's entrance hall, coming to a stop long enough for him and Yang to step off. Ruby's face lit up as she saw her sister, throwing her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Levi briefly acknowledged her as he moved past her, stopping in front of Weiss for a moment, giving her a smile.
"Glad to see you standing up, Snowflake."
"If it was another day, I would berate you for that comment," she said. She noticed the look on his face, her smile turning into a frown. "And Cinder?"
"I shot her, Raven finished her off. She's dead."
"That isn't true!"
Levi glanced over his shoulder, spotting Emerald a few feet from where he stood. Her hands were bound behind her back, a look of anguish on her face. He shrugged his shoulders, lips pressed into a thin line.
"Believe me if you want, or don't. Fact of the matter is, she's gone. All she ever did was treat you like a pawn. It's best you start thinking about your allegiances and where they lie. If this Salem woman exists and Cinder failed her, then who do you think she's going to vent her frustrations on?"
"Shut up, you don't know what you are talking about. Cinder wouldn't die so easily to someone like you!" Mercury cried. He threw a kick at Levi, who easily dodged it. He spun around, driving his fist into his abdomen, causing the air to burst from his lungs. Mercury looked up, only to see Levi pull his arm back.
A resounding crack echoed through the entrance hall as Mercury was knocked unconscious, landing in Hazel's arms. Levi checked the Relic of Knowledge over for damage, cleaning the smear of blood from the edge of it before handing it to Oscar, who just looked at him with widened eyes.
"I'm gonna take a walk."
No one said anything, just watched him go on his way. He stepped outside of Haven Academy, noticing the members of the White Fang being loaded into airships, one by one, while several armed faunus stood around, keeping the others from running if they tried. He continued walking, pausing briefly when Sienna called his name.
"Levi, are you alright? Is everything okay in there?"
"Yeah… they have the relic and Cinder is gone."
Sienna forced a smile onto her face but said nothing as the young miqo'te stared up at the shattered moon. The wind picked up a bit, his ears wiggling from the breeze. He took a deep breath through his nose, letting the cool night air fill his lungs. He lowered his gaze and kept walking, raising his hood over his head as he headed toward the academy's exit.
His mission was over. He had kept his promise.
But now, he just felt empty inside.
Empty because he kept his promise, but lost Neo in the process.
Empty, because revenge didn't feel as good as he assumed it would.
Empty because now he had nothing to do.
The loneliness returned, and this time, he didn't know if it would ever go away.
A/N: Mercury getting hit by the Relic of Knowledge wasn't supposed to even happen, I was just particularly annoyed when I wrote this card and took my frustrations on him. I always thought it would be hilarious of someone just smacked a person with a relic. Here's this otherworldly magical item capable of granting wishes but your best use of it is to use it as a club to bash someone's face in. I can't promise the same won't happen with the Relic of Creation, which I an actual staff. Heaven knows I'd love for someone to break Cinder's shins with it. Anyway, that's about it, see ya.
