CONTENT WARNING
This chapter contains mentions of suicide.
Reader discretion is strongly advised.
Weiss stayed inside for another two days before Violet deemed her well enough to help with chores. After Violet rebandaged her shoulder, she sent her to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes.
"I'll need help gathering extra supplies for dinner," she said before Weiss closed the bathroom door. "My only rule is that you don't bring that sword with us. I will not have you swinging that thing around while you're recovering."
"But what if I need it?" Weiss protested. Didn't Violet worry about running into Grimm in the wild?
"Why would you need a rapier to pull plants from the ground?"
"The Grimm-"
"We will not be venturing far," Violet explained. "The most threatening thing you'll see is a curious squirrel."
"But what if something goes wrong?"
Like a homicidal ex-friend wanting to cut her head off.
While she was relieved to not see any signs of Adam so far, she still didn't let her guard down completely. It all felt too good to be true.
"My senses are much sharper than your own, Weiss. If I smell something off, I'll be right over to help you." Violet turned her back to Weiss before she could protest. "Or I can leave you at home again. I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind doing the foraging for me today."
Weiss didn't like the idea of waltzing in the wild completely unarmed, but it was a lot better than being alone in the house.
"Okay. No sword," she said reluctantly.
"Good." Violet's wolf ears perked up. "I'll have breakfast ready soon! You better wash up."
After a small meal, Violet led her out of the village and into the forest to gather herbs and wild vegetables. After showing her which plants to look out for, Weiss was left to forage alone near the village border.
"Return to the house once your basket is full," Violet had instructed her. "If you get lost, feel free to ask the neighbours for help."
Weiss had a feeling the neighbours wouldn't want anything to do with her, but she forced a smile and nodded.
The forest wasn't so bad when she didn't have to run away from deranged White Fang agents. It was nice to take in the fresh morning air and brush her hands against cold dewdrops. The monotonous motions of pulling plants out from the ground also helped to soothe her mind. She submerged herself so deeply in the mindless task she'd forgotten about sticking close to the village, trekking deeper into the wilderness as the minutes rolled by.
Weiss was heading toward a small cluster of wild celery in the distance when she caught the sound of rushing water. She stopped. Her blood turned cold as she recalled the chilling journal entry.
Weiss still couldn't fathom why Violet would need to provide a temporary home to injured kids. The few kids she'd seen in the village all appeared happy and healthy, and she didn't spot any orphans.
Yet, that sombre journal entry still exists.
It was possible whoever was responsible for it exaggerated the entry, or she completely misinterpreted its content. Kids made up outlandish stories all the time. The supposed waterfall could be tiny and unassuming in reality.
But would someone make up a story like that for the hell of it?
The roar of falling water continued to call out to her. Even as Weiss turned her back to it, its sound caged her in, beckoning her to come closer.
Her curiosity burned away the last of her self-control. Against her better judgement, she turned and followed the hypnotic hum of surging water.
Overgrown foliage clogged the path, snarring and catching her feet as if the forest was trying to stop her. Layers of leaves hanging overhead snuffed out the sunlight. The further she went, the darker and colder the shadows grew.
It was the smell that hit her first. Even before she made it into the clearing, the sweet scent of flowers suffocated her. It was like walking into a funeral home. When she emerged from the treeline, Weiss wasn't prepared to see so many white flowers in one place.
White lilies and chrysanthemums covered nearly every surface of the glade like snow. A craggy waterfall overlooked the clearing, haemorrhaging chalky water into a river that lacerated through the field of flowers like an open wound. Serrated rocks pierced out from the base of the falls like knives. The cool mist hanging in the air left her chilled despite the sun shining brightly above her.
Even without inspecting the river closely, she knew its roaring currents could swallow her whole. If a child tried to face its force by jumping from the very top of the falls…
Weiss tightened her grip around her basket. The flowers' sweet scent made her head hurt. She had more questions than ever, but Weiss lost all motivation to look for answers. She didn't want to know more about the creepy village.
She was ready to leave when a subtle shift in the grass made her tense. She twisted around, blood going cold at the sight of Adam standing behind her. His sword was already drawn, pointed straight at her heart.
Weiss instinctively reached for her sword, cursing when her hand met thin air. She immediately regretted letting Violet talk her into leaving her rapier behind.
"Using the Faunus as a shield. That's low, even for you," Adam accused lowly.
"You have no idea what you're talking about," she countered, surprised by the coolness in her voice.
He was going to kill her. There was nothing she could do to stop him this time.
"If you come quietly, I'll consider letting you die painlessly."
"Oh, how noble of you. I bet you must feel proud of yourself for murdering innocent victims."
His sword was on her throat once more. She didn't even catch him moving towards her. Weiss pushed down the awful memories of Yang's mutilation and bravely tilted her head up. She stared into his monstrous mask, hoping her face will haunt him for the rest of his life.
"You have no right to lecture me when you Schnees condone the murder and enslavement of my people!" he snapped. "You should be grateful I only cut off blondie's arm."
A surge of fury pushed her to press closer to him. The edge of his blade sunk into her neck.
"Making up accusations about me and my family won't justify your actions."
"If you think I'm lying, you're even more brain-dead than I thought, Schnee."
"Throwing baseless accusations around doesn't make you any less of a monster! Instead of making up excuses to justify your crimes, you should look in the mirror and reassess your life choices! You're nothing but a heartless murderer who kills Humans for no reason!"
To her surprise, Adam withdrew from her, sword and all. She rubbed her neck gingerly, relieved that her head was still attached to the rest of her.
"I almost want to keep you alive." He laughed coldly. "The shit you spout is even more entertaining than what our prisoners say."
"I'd rather die than be your prisoner!"
"That can be arranged." He took a step towards her.
Weiss jumped in surprise when a bullet shot out from her left and ricocheted off his blade.
"My next shot won't miss." Violet approached him with a single gun drawn.
Weiss' heart dropped, her eyes focused on the empty sleeve where Violet's right arm was supposed to be. Faunus or not, Weiss had a feeling he wouldn't take kindly to someone jumping in to fight on her behalf.
"Violet, you need to run," she pleaded.
"Don't worry about me, Weiss. I refuse to let my guest be in harm's way," she assured her calmly.
"Guest? Do you have any idea who she is?!" Adam snapped. Violet didn't flinch at his raised voice.
"I'm well aware of Miss Schnee's background."
"And you still want to house this piece of shit?!"
Violet's eyes narrowed. "Who I welcome in my home is none of your business."
The slight shift in Adam's foot pushed Weiss into action. She leapt in front of Violet, arms spread wide open, and glared back at him.
"She has nothing to do with this," she spoke calmly. "I'm the one you want. Don't hurt her."
His blade and hair burned with a dangerous red light, yet he made no move to attack her like she expected him to. For a tense moment, neither of them made a move. The forest held its breath in anticipation.
Violet shoved her aside. "Don't try to be the hero, Weiss." Violet pointed her gun at Adam. "I fear no man."
That snapped Adam out of whatever daze he was stuck in. The terrifying scowl remained on his face, but Adam made no move to hurt Violet.
"Do not force me to fight you here," Violet warned lowly. "These waters have seen enough tragedy. It does not need to see your blood spill."
Weiss doubted Adam cared about the history of the waterfall. Someone who could mutilate an innocent girl would happily spit in the face of sacred land.
"Next time, I won't hesitate to kill. If anyone stands in my way again, I'll dispose of them too." He stepped back and sheathed his sword, but Violet refused to withdraw her gun.
They watched as he retreated into the thick of the forest. Violet only lowered her gun once he was completely out of sight.
"I apologise, Weiss. I miscalculated the safety of the forest."
"I-it's fine."
Violet slipped the gun back into her robe, pausing as she inspected the white flowers beneath their feet.
"I used to love these flowers," she said off-handedly, brushing her fingers over the delicate petals of a white lily. "Now, they hold too many painful memories."
"W-why are there so many?" Weiss asked. She had a feeling she already knew the answer to her question.
"In Anima, we honour our dead with white lilies and chrysanthemums. Rumduol may be tiny, but we have lost many over the years."
Violet studied the falls for a moment. She bowed three times to the waterfall before turning her attention to the flowers. She plucked a couple of wild lilies, dropping them in Weiss' basket.
"Let's go back, dear."
Weiss followed Violet's lead, quietly planning her next move. There was nowhere else for her to go, but she couldn't stay any longer, especially not after Adam's threat. He was no doubt gathering troops to invade now.
The village was bustling with activity when they returned. The moment Weiss stepped into view, the entire world went still.
Like the previous day, parents hurried to pull their children back inside the house. Some villagers glared at her. Others went out of their way to sharpen their axes and swords while staring right at her. No matter where she looked, she met hostile eyes.
Weiss wished there was some way to turn completely invisible, to hide from the eyes studying her every move.
Violet, as if sensing her discomfort, quickened her pace. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief when they were inside and away from them.
"I'm going to wash these," Violet said, looking down at their baskets. "Get some rest. I'll call you when lunch is ready."
After leaving her basket on the kitchen counter, Weiss hurried into her room and packed. Luckily there weren't too many things to load up. She changed back into her old dress and left her borrowed clothes folded on the bed. Violet was busy organising their inventory in the kitchen when she emerged from her room. Violet perked her head up and gave Weiss a funny look.
"You're not ready to leave, dear."
"I can't stay," she said bluntly. "He's going to end up hurting everyone here."
"No, he won't. It was an empty threat."
"You don't know him like I do! I-I saw him—!" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
She felt like someone drenched her in ice water.
Violet abandoned the herbs and led Weiss to the couch. Even as she lit the fireplace for her, Weiss was frozen to the bone.
"H-he's going to hurt more people…" she whimpered. "He–"
He hurt her friend.
He destroyed her school.
He used to mean the world to her.
She clenched her teeth and glared furiously at the fire crackling in the hearth. Violet sat beside her and took her hand. Weiss clutched onto it, taking in as much of her warmth as she could.
"Have you wondered how this village came to be?" Violet asked gently.
Weiss couldn't see how that was relevant to their current situation, but she welcomed the change in subject.
"I never gave it much thought," she confessed.
"Today, people come here as an escape from the hardships of Human maltreatment. It's one of the only places in the world where we aren't looked at like vermin whenever we leave our homes." Violet's gaze pierced her like a blade.
"What…?" She swallowed, unsure how to answer Violet's accusation.
"I'm sure you understand what that feels like." Violet nodded her head at the front door.
A lump clogged the back of her throat.
Weiss recalled the villagers' hostile eyes following her every move whenever she left the house. Even without speaking a single word to her, they'd already condemned her as a criminal.
The clump in her throat expanded as something clicked at the back of her head. It was like someone had finally pulled back the wool from her eyes to see the bigger picture. Her heart sank into her stomach like an anchor. She pressed her palm over her mouth and bowed her head, unable to look Violet in the eyes anymore.
Weiss shouldn't have found the villager's hostile stares so foreign. How could she have been so blind? It was exactly how she looked at Faunus civilians whenever she went out. Even Fiona's interrogation about her intentions echoed Father's reaction whenever he came across Faunus workers in Atlas.
It never occurred to her that she was doing anything wrong. It was how everyone else acted in Atlas.
Violet squeezed her hand when it trembled under the weight of her guilt.
"Rumduol was founded by Faunus refugees," Violet went on.
That was news to Weiss. She couldn't remember any major conflicts that would result in Faunus refugees.
"Where did those refugees come from?" she asked.
"They were victims of the Schnee Dust Company."
Bile crawled up her throat.
She couldn't believe it.
Sure, they've made some bad business decisions, but they'd never do anything awful to their employees. It wasn't true. It was another baseless rumour perpetuated by groups with ill intent.
"The villagers don't just hate you because you're Human, Weiss, they hate you for everything you represent. You're the descendant of the people who enslaved us. Our people, my family, suffered greatly under the Schnees.
"I've seen children lose limbs during excavations, physical assaults on our elders, and other unspeakable forms of abuse-"
"That's not true!"
A rage she hadn't felt since her argument with Blake consumed her. Weiss yanked her hand from Violet's and furiously played with the Dust compartment on her sword.
"Everyone here would tell you the same thing," Violet countered coolly.
"I've been learning about our family business since I was a kid. I would know if something like…l-like that was going on!"
"Are you insisting our stories are a lie?"
"No! I-I don't know!" She scratched the back of her neck irritatingly.
She thought of Adam when he was a kid, remembering the metal ring he wore and the chains that shackled his legs. Weiss banished the mental image, refusing to entertain them for another second. There were perfectly sound explanations to back up why their employees wore what they did.
"I want to show you something." Violet rose from the couch. She didn't wait for her to catch up.
Weiss followed her into the bathroom.
"What I'm about to show you isn't to upset you," Violet explained, pulling her long hair to one side. "I only want you to see what was done to me."
Violet turned her back to Weiss and undid her dress. Weiss was about to protest when the fabric slid off her shoulders. It took her a second to register what she was seeing, but once she did, Weiss was sick to her stomach.
Weiss pushed Violet aside to vomit into the toilet. Every inch of her crawled with disgust.
SDC was burned permanently onto her right shoulder blade. The surrounding skin was clumpy and redder than the rest of her body.
Adam was right.
Everything he's accused her family of was true.
They branded the Faunus like property.
They were slave owners.
She dry-heaved into the toilet until her stomach withered in pain. Weiss collapsed onto the floor. Hot tears burned her eyes as chills ran up and down her spine. She almost missed the glass of warm water held in front of her.
"It'll help you feel better." Violet smiled.
Though her clothes now covered that horrible mark, Weiss still saw it as clear as day.
Weiss shakily accepted the glass and took a couple of feeble sips from it.
"Can you stand up?"
"Honestly? No."
Violet sat down beside her, not saying another word. That's where they stayed for the next half hour, listening to the muffled voices and laughter outside.
"Why?" Weiss finally spoke. She couldn't bring herself to even look at Violet. "Why did you help me?"
"You were a girl in distress."
"My family did this to you!" She shivered. "To everyone here…"
To him.
"O-oh gods, I'm so sorry!" The cup slipped from her fingers. Violet caught it before it could shatter on the ground.
"You are not the one who hurt me."
"It makes no difference! I'm a Schnee! You'll have to live the rest of your life with that on your back!"
"Yet, you were willing to beg a Faunus for help. You agreed to help me with my chores and even tried to protect me from your attacker." Violet laid a warm hand on her shoulder. "You are not your father, your uncle, or any of the people who support the torture of my people. We cannot control who we are born to."
"D-does everyone here also…?" Her throat tightened, silencing the rest of her question.
"Most of the adults, yes," Violet confirmed softly. "Most children are unmarked...but that doesn't mean they're immune to the consequences of Human hatred."
"They can never leave…"
Not without facing the full wrath of the world.
"Correct," Violet confirmed. "I fear they may never see the world if things continue like this."
"I still don't understand one thing. Why are you so nice to Humans? You married a Human man for gods' sake! You should hate us! Y-you should've left me in the forest to die!"
If Weiss were in her position, she would've abandoned her without a second thought.
"Being Human doesn't mean you're evil by nature," Violet answered. "Ash was also an injured traveller I found in the forest. I never thought I would show mercy to a Human, but when his life depended on my help, I couldn't turn my back on him.
"If I'd abandoned him that night, I would've been no different than the Humans who turned a blind eye to us. I also wouldn't have such a loving husband today.
"Of course, not everyone agrees with me. Many will never accept Humans. They have every right to hate Humans till the day they die, just as I have every right to give them a second chance."
"But don't you want revenge?" Weiss asked.
"Once upon a time." Violet shrugged. "Perhaps you are too young to understand, but getting revenge hardly benefits anyone. Look what good the White Fang has done with their mission to get even.
"Killing Humans will never bring my parents back. Torturing innocent Human families will never give me my arm back. It will only leave more broken families and excuses to label us as criminals. I want to heal, Weiss, not fight. I am tired."
A drip of water splashed into the kitchen sink outside with a soft plunk.
"I…I don't know how to respond to that," Weiss admitted. "I know I wouldn't be able to do that if I were you."
She would want to hurt her abusers, make them feel the pain she felt or worse. Was that what happened to Adam?
"Don't think of me as an angel. I was very tempted to leave you in that forest to rot. It would've been justice for what happened to my relatives."
"But you didn't."
"And I don't regret it." Violet smiled. "I believe youths are our key to a brighter future."
"I wouldn't put that faith in all of us…" Weiss recalled Adam's merciless wrath.
Did the boy she knew still exist beneath that fury? Or had the flames completely consumed him?
"He wasn't always like that," Violet said as if reading her mind. "He used to be a quiet little boy. It breaks my heart to see him like this."
Weiss had to do a double-take. "Y-you know Adam?"
She thought back to that drawing in the old bedroom - of the boy and girl depicted in the image. Between the hammering in her chest and the ice in her blood, Weiss didn't know what to think about it anymore.
"Adam was part of the last batch of refugees the White Fang brought in before Ghira stepped down. He was tiny for his age. I was surprised he survived the gruelling journey."
Weiss wanted to ask more about him. Had he already lost his heart when he was rescued? Or was he still that kind boy she befriended?
"Sienna quickly took a liking to him." Violet scrunched her face in disgust at the mention of the current leader's name.
"He lived in our community until Sienna took him under her wing. She must've seen the benefits of moulding a broken mind like his. She was unfit to look after a kid like him, at least, that's what I thought. If I had it my way, Sienna would've never been able to take him away."
"Why did Sienna take him?"
Where was his family in all of this? And what did she mean by a broken mind like his? Weiss swallowed. Her nausea returned with a vengeance.
What did her family do to him?
"Adam was not like the other children who were rescued. His story is much more…tragic than what we typically see from kids his age.
"He was also a strange boy. He never slandered the young Schnee heiress' name - even after everything he's been through.
"There was a bizarre rumour that he was close to the little Heiress. Of course, no one believed it. A Schnee would never befriend a Faunus, but even the most unbelievable rumours are based on some strand of truth."
Violet glanced over at her with a knowing look.
Every book she read about the Faunus, their final argument in the Dust Mine, it all came hurling back at Weiss like a pile of bricks. She wanted to get her hands on those books and throw them into a fire.
"T-that drawing in the bedroom…"
"It was the only drawing he ever made. He never told me who that pretty girl was, but he said it was a memory from a long time ago. It was a good memory, according to him."
Weiss didn't know which night he was trying to depict. As a kid, anytime she was with him was a good memory. At least for her. Maybe it was true for him at one point.
"His past alienated him from his peers. I thought it was rather silly to outcast an already suffering kid, so I looked after him," Violet continued. "Funny, of all the journals you could've snooped through, it was his you picked up."
Her breath caught in her throat. Weiss clenched her clammy hands together to keep them from trembling.
"W-when did you give it to him?" Weiss asked.
"It was a very late birthday present. I believe he was thirteen at the time."
He was the same age as when they met for the last time. She could still remember what he looked like at thirteen. He was small, thin as a toothpick, but he had a heart of gold. Even when he knew about her family's crimes, he comforted her when he saw what Father did to her.
It was that Adam who poured his heart out on the page.
"I wish I followed that old guy up the waterfall before they blocked it off."
"I heard they're still trying to find their remains downstream. That should've been me."
"I guess I didn't try hard enough."
The words he wrote burned into her head.
She could smell the white flowers from the falls. Even in the safety of Violet's home, their sickening sweet scent somehow found her again.
Adam wanted to die because of them.
Her family had taken his will to live.
It was worse than any punch or slap she'd endured from Father. At least with physical pain, there was always the assurance that it would fade with time. This; however, lingered like a festering poison with no antidote.
"What happened to him?" she whimpered.
How did he go from not speaking a bad word about her to wanting to kill her? What happened to the Adam she knew?
"His story is not mine to tell," Violet said. "Do you understand why I'm confident he will not strike us?"
"I-I don't know. He didn't show mercy to the last person who tried to challenge him," Weiss said heavily. "He could be too far gone."
Her own words cut her like knives.
"I don't think so. Not yet." Violet patted Weiss' back. "I have hope he'll remember his heart."
"And if he doesn't?"
For the first time since they started talking, Violet slumped against the wall, exhausted.
"Then force is the only way to stop him from continuing this cycle."
Weiss was suddenly very aware of the weight of her sword. It weighed her down like chains.
"Now, won't you be a dear and get dressed into something more comfortable for lunch?" Violet asked in a lighter tone.
"O-okay."
That night, Weiss stayed in bed with her rapier in hand, jumping up at every little noise she heard from in and around the house.
Despite her restless paranoia, Adam never came back to attack the village.
Exhaustion finally got the better of her in the final hours of the night. In her brief period of rest, Weiss dreamt of the cold waterfall again. She found herself at the very base of the waterfall, staring up at its colossal form. Mournful white flowers wrapped around her legs, trapping her in place as a small red-haired boy inched closer to the edge of the falls.
Weiss cried out to him, but the roaring water rendered her voice useless. She clawed at the plants keeping her legs bound in place, untangling endless layers of knots.
Her world came crashing down when he jumped. Disappearing into the white water. Staining the serrated rocks and river red.
The field of white flowers bled.
She woke up the next morning with a jolt, her heart racing. Though a part of her was relieved to escape the nightmare, it did nothing to relieve the guilt crushing her chest.
The nightmare was a scenario that could've played out had he not been caught.
It was a reality for those whose loved ones weren't stopped in time.
And it was all because of her family.
It was her guilt to bear.
When she walked out of her room to join Violet and Ash for breakfast, she saw the old children's bedroom was open. Inside, placed on the dusty desk, was a vase of white lilies.
Suicide ideation was originally in the old story, but I thought it was a bit too much compared to the rest of the narrative and took it out upon publishing.
I actually didn't like this SDC reveal scene when I revisited my first story. I wanted it to feel more personal and raw to Weiss. Now that I'm working with an M rating it felt appropriate to incorporate that darker element back in.
Special thanks to Jackmann69, Yeet, Gleaming Onyx, and a Guest reader for the reviews!
I'll see you all again next week. Take care.