A flash of lightning lit up the world with a blinding white light. Burnt onto the left side of Adam's face, possibly blinding his left eye, was the SDC logo.

Bile crawled up her throat from the sight of his scar. Weiss thought the mark on Violet's body was bad enough, but this? This made her want to crawl out of her skin and disassociate from her family name.

"Adam…" she whispered.

He ignored her, using his sword to help himself up to his feet. His dominant hand hung limply by his side.

Sienna hurt him.

His mentor and caretaker hurt him! Weiss didn't care how much stronger Sienna was, she wasn't going to back down from this fight.

"Don't act surprised, girl." Sienna casually twirled her weapon in circles. "He's always been your private property, hasn't he?"

Sienna looked over at Adam, grinning sweetly. "The Schnees groomed you well, Adam. Even after so long, you still want to be her loyal little slave."

Thunder roared overhead. The ground trembled in fear.

"What did you say?" Weiss asked through gritted teeth.

"Don't pretend, Schnee. He was your toy the day you met him."

Anger exploded deep within her chest, sending a wave of fury up to her throat. Her pulse quickened from the lava bubbling in her blood.

"You don't know anything about us!" Weiss seethed.

"There's no need to lie anymore, Princess. I can see you're trying hard to protect your property."

How many times had she told him that? How long did it take for her to rewrite history? It made her sick to think about it any further.

Weiss created the biggest Glyph she could muster and called upon her strongest Summon. The chances of success were slim but she didn't care. She'll do everything in her power to get this woman away from them.

She felt Giga Armas respond to her fury before seeing it rise from the Glyph. She'd never experienced that sort of power from her Summons before. It almost scared her of what she was about to call into the world.

With a flash of white light, a knight clad in medieval armour materialized on the White Glyph. Sienna, to her credit, didn't back down despite the towering Knight glaring down at her.

"Get her out of my sight," Weiss ordered.

Giga Armas charged at an alarming speed, yet Sienna still avoided the swing of its blade with grace. With her opponent distracted with her summon, Weiss used the last of her Red Dust to cover her blade in flames.

Weiss closed in on Sienna. As Giga Armas knocked Sienna's chained blade aside, she swung her sword across Sienna's body. Sienna's scream and Aura flashing quenched her rage somewhat, but it wasn't enough. It could never undo the damage Sienna created.

Sienna glared at Weiss, knuckles cracking like she was preparing to pummel Weiss. Weiss held her head up high and met her gaze.

"Leave us alone," Weiss ordered.

"You sure don't waste your time utilizing your tools, Princess. Getting your precious little slave to weaken me first so you can take the kill. You make me sick."

"Don't call him that!" Weiss switched back to her Light Blue Dust. She cursed internally at how little of it remained. "And I'd go back and check on your underlings."

Sienna's ears perked up. "What did you do, Schnee?"

"Why don't you go and see for yourself? Or would you rather abandon them to get to me?" Weiss smirked. For once, her family's bad reputation was working in her favour. Sienna's expression darkened at her bluff.

Sienna turned to Adam and sneered. "Remember this, Adam, you're nothing but property to this woman. The White Fang accepted you when no one else wanted you around."

"I said LEAVE!"

Sienna glared at Weiss before running back to check on her subordinates. When she was out of sight, whatever fight and courage Weiss managed to muster all came crashing down. Her damp clothes hung from her body like weights.

Weiss thanked Armas Gigas, watching it fade into a white mist. That left only her and Adam in the rain. She wasn't sure how to approach him. Though he was only a few steps away, she felt farther from him than ever before.

"Adam—"

"Don't." He grunted in pain, almost falling over when he moved away from her. She wanted to help him stay steady, but the glare he shot her kept her frozen in place.

"Adam, we need to talk." She couldn't stop herself from staring at the horrible scar.

Did it still hurt? When did he get branded? Could he still see out of his injured eye?

"There's nothing left to say." He turned the scarred half of his face away from her.

"There's plenty to say," she disagreed. "What she said isn't true."

"Just drop it!"

"Someone burned your face! I can't ignore this!"

"Why? Because it'll sully your company name?!"

"You and I know that's not true!"

"You don't know what I think!" He ran a hand through his hair. "This was a mistake. I should've killed you when I had the chance! Now you're—!" He plunged his left fist into the nearest tree.

"We're long past that point," she said. "We need to talk about this, it was stupid to try and ignore our past."

"You need to learn when to shut up, Schnee!"

"My family did this to you! They hurt my friend! I can't pretend this never happened!" She took a careful step towards him.

"Get away from me!" Adam stumbled back. It tore her heart up to see him react to her like that.

Was this how he responded to the one who branded him?

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most."

"Listen, Schnee, I don't know what you think has been happening between us, but this has been a respectful truce at most. There's nothing between us! There never has been!"

"Adam, please." She took another step forward. This time he pointed his blade at her.

"Get away from me!" His sword and hair bled with red light.

Every instinct screamed at her to run, but she held her ground. He never hurt her during their travels together, he taught her how to find food, and he protected her from the Grimm, criminals and the White Fang. The sweet, kind boy she once knew so well was still there – she was sure of it. She had nothing to fear.

"I don't know what she told you, but I promise what we shared back then was real. I had no intention of this happening to you, and I never thought of you as my property." When she took another step towards him, he snapped.

It happened so quickly. She only remembered seeing him swing his sword and the flash of red roaring past her. It was searing hot, like standing beside a wall of fire. Had she been a step closer to the left, he would've sliced her arm off.

She stood completely frozen in place, her heart pounding so loudly in her ears that it drowned out the rain and thunder.

Adam looked as shocked as her. He sheathed his sword and retreated into the tree lines. She didn't stop him from running.

Ruby, it's Weiss. I got a new Scroll after my old one broke. Are you still heading to Haven Academy?

Her thumb trembled as she pressed the send button. The light from her screen burned her eyes, but she couldn't complain when it was pitch black inside the cave. Weiss was lucky to find shelter before nightfall. The tiny cave was almost invisible amidst the darkening sky.

It was impossible to build a fire with the forest completely soaked, and she didn't have any Red Dust to keep warm with. The only thing she could do was change into the leggings Violet left her and her dry nightgown. But even with dry clothes on her back, it did little to ward off the chill of the storm.

She jumped when her scroll lit up with a new call. Weiss made sure she dried the tears from her face before answering.

"Ruby?" she spoke as cheerfully as she could.

"Hey." Ruby's voice was heavy. It was a stark contrast to the determination she heard when Ruby told her about her plans to travel.

"What happened?" Weiss asked immediately.

Ruby sniffled on the other side. "I messed up, Weiss. I'm such an idiot."

"Hey, don't say that."

"No, you don't understand!" she cried. "Uncle Qrow's hurt because of me. I-I don't know if he's going to make it."

Ruby told her about her harrowing fight with a madman named Tyrian. She detailed how her stubbornness to join the fight led to her uncle taking a fatal hit for her.

Weiss knew from the stories Ruby told her that Qrow was like a second father figure to her. If something were to happen to him, it would destroy Ruby. As if her sister losing an entire arm wasn't traumatic enough.

"Hey, I'm sure he doesn't blame you," Weiss assured her once she'd caught up with the story. "You said he's getting treated now, right? If he survived days without proper medical care, I'm sure he'll be fine now. Your uncle is a strong man."

"B-but what if he doesn't make it? W-what will I do?"

Weiss was at a complete loss for words. Nothing she could say would change the situation or make Ruby feel better. Words can never change the fact that Qrow's life was on the line.

Nothing she said could ever undo the damage her family did to Adam.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Whatever happens, I know Qrow wouldn't want you to beat yourself up."

"Y-yeah. I guess," Ruby murmured. "Where are you right now? Why do you sound so…echoey?"

Weiss wanted to tell her she was doing fine and that she was having a smooth journey to Mistral City. But she couldn't force herself to lie.

How could she pretend to be okay when her family mutilated her childhood friend?

"Hey, you can tell me anything," Ruby consoled her.

"You're going through a lot already, Ruby. You don't need my problems weighing you down."

"We're friends, Weiss. No matter what happens, I'm going to have your back. You're not alone, remember?" Weiss did begin to cry at that. If Ruby heard her quiet sobs, she didn't comment on it. "Maybe I can't do anything to fix what's wrong, but I can at least listen to you."

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

Weiss relented and told her the complicated story of her and Adam. She left out his name and any other physical descriptions that could identify him, but she told her everything that transpired between them. From their secret meetings in that lonely Mine to their most recent fallout.

Ruby didn't say a word when she learned what Weiss saw underneath Adam's mask. Weiss wondered if she'd hung up on her. Perhaps Ruby felt too disgusted to associate with her as well.

"Wow, you've had it rough lately," Ruby said with a long exhale.

"Biggest understatement of the century."

"So…where's your friend now?"

"I don't know." She sneezed. "I don't think he's coming back this time, Ruby."

"Don't say that."

"You weren't there. You didn't see how he looked at me." Weiss still couldn't shake the hate in his eye before he almost cut her arm off.

"From my perspective, he doesn't sound upset at you. It sounds more like he's scared or embarrassed. If I had a scar like that, I'd be upset if you saw it too—n-no offence!"

"I don't know anymore, Ruby." She rested her head against her knees.

She was so tired. The fights, the hatred between Faunus and Humans; the crimes buried by her own family. She wanted to close her eyes and never wake up again.

"O-oh! The doctors are coming out. I need to go."

"Thanks for listening, Ruby," Weiss said softly "Remember not to blame yourself, alright? No matter what happens, Qrow loves you."

"Thanks." Ruby paused for a second. "I know you're in a tough position with your friend, but I think he'll come around. He sounds like he cares a lot about you. He wouldn't let this thing get in between you guys."

It was an empty consolation, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"Thank you..."

"And we've just arrived in Mistral City. We'll wait for you to arrive before leaving again."

After ending the call, Weiss lay against the cavern wall and tried to fall asleep. No matter how tightly she curled into herself, it did nothing to protect her from the cold.

Weiss felt like the embodiment of death when she woke up the next morning. Her throat was dry like sandpaper, and her body trembled from chills despite feeling uncomfortably warm at the same time.

Sunlight kissed the damp forest, and early morning songbirds celebrated the start of a new day. The light outside burned her eyes like acid, and the birds' shrill shrieks hurt her head. All she wanted to do was roll into a hole and die.

"Adam?" Her voice came out raspy.

She desperately searched the cave for him, but all she saw were shadows.

Weiss knew better than to expect him to come back for her, but it didn't stop her from trying to call his name again. Only the weak echoes of her voice answered her cries.

He was never coming back. She lost him for good this time.

She blinked the burning out of her eyes and attempted to help herself sit up, regretting it as the world violently tilted sideways. Weiss groaned and curled back on the ground. Travelling in this state was going to be a death sentence. She closed her eyes and hoped to sleep off the worst of her cold.

She was back in Rumduol, watching the children play without a care in the world. Though the kids were all smiling, their innocent faces were all burned with the SDC logo. Some had the mark on their foreheads, others on one cheek, and some right over their mouths.

"They sure are happy," Violet said calmly beside her. "I'm glad we've created a better world for them to grow up in."

"This isn't right," she breathed weakly. Children shouldn't be marked as property – no one should be marked as property.

"What are you talking about?" Violet tilted her head curiously. "Can't you see how happy he is?"

"Who?"

Violet smiled and pointed to the group of children.

Weiss followed her finger and found herself staring at a small, red-haired boy playing with a younger version of herself. Though the scar disfigured his face, neither he nor her younger self seemed to notice or care.

"Adam!" she exclaimed.

Both the small children looked up at her in surprise. Her younger self whispered something into his ear, and they both took off running into the forest. Weiss followed them into the thick treeline.

"Wait! Adam!"

She could faintly see the kids in the distance, but no matter how fast she ran, they were always out of reach. The forest grew colder and colder by the second. Before long, the green foliage was buried in layers of white snow.

The wind pushed against her, sending hundreds of tiny snowflakes into her face. She hugged herself against the chills and forced herself through the snow. Despite the storm, his tiny footprints were still visible in the snow.

The flickering gold light from the Dust Mine emerged from the distance, beckoning her to come closer. Weiss ran towards it. Inside the Mine, she found Adam huddled against the cavern wall with his back facing her, sobbing into his hands. He couldn't have been older than five.

"Adam," she called out to him gently.

Adam gave no signs of hearing her, continuing to sob into his hands.

She approached him. "Hey, is everything okay?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. He cried out in pain and recoiled from her.

"W-why did you do that?!" He looked back at her angrily, his tiny hands shielding the left side of his face.

"D-do what?"

"Why did you burn me?!" He threw his hands down, revealing the fresh scar blistering his innocent face.

Weiss shot up, her body completely drenched in sweat. She immediately laid back down when her head spun from her new position.

"It's just a dream," she whispered to herself. "It's all just a bad dream."

But it couldn't have been far from the truth. Whatever remained in her stomach churned uncomfortably.

Weiss felt even worse now. The cave, despite being completely shrouded in shadows, felt like a sauna. And there were still no signs of Adam.

Weiss wanted to fall asleep again, but she couldn't waste an entire day laying inside a cave. Ruby was still expecting her in Mistral City, and she couldn't keep her waiting. A stupid cold wasn't going to keep her down.

After struggling to fight against her vertigo, Weiss finally managed to help herself up to her feet and changed back into her combat skirt. She puffed out her chest and marched into the scorching afternoon sunlight. Her dizziness returned with a vengeance, and her eyes burned from the brightness outside.

She pushed herself forward despite her body's protests. Even when the ground shifted like waves, when she doubled over dry heaving behind a bush; when she felt so hot it was like she was on fire, she kept walking.

She kept walking until she physically couldn't anymore.

Her legs finally caved in. Weiss tried to catch herself, but her arms felt like jelly, and the stars dotting her vision weren't helping. The last thing she remembered was the sun roasting her back before the world went black.

"Wake up! Wake up! Snap out of it!"

Weiss was still on fire. It was like someone had stuffed her into an oven. Was she in Hell?

It would be fitting for a Schnee to fall to the darkest corner of eternal damnation. But not even that could undo the damage done to Adam. To Violet. To the countless other children disfigured by her family. Their sins were too rancid even for hellfire to burn away.

"This isn't funny anymore! Wake up!" A hand gently pat the side of her face.

She recognized Adam's voice, but it had to be a hallucination. He wouldn't come back to her anymore. Not after what he suffered through.

"Please, Weiss. You have to wake up."

The use of her first name caught her attention.

She cracked open her eyes. A lump grew at the back of her throat when the first thing she saw was him. The orange sunlight made his hair even more vibrant than usual, but her eyes fixated on the horrifying scar instead. In the daylight, it looked even worse than she remembered.

The scar was carved into his face. It even defiled the unburnt skin around it, contorting and pulling it in to form a thick web-like texture. Her chest ached when she found his injured eye buried underneath the scar. The beautiful blue in his eye was completely incinerated, leaving only a lifeless grey behind.

"You're real?" She wanted to reach out and touch him just to confirm it wasn't an illusion, but she feared it would burn him again.

"You're running a fever."

His bare hand pressed against her forehead. It was so cool against her forehead.

"Dammit! Why did you think it was a good idea to travel in this state?!" he snapped, leaving her side.

Her eyes followed him to her backpack which lay by her feet. He zipped open the bag, haphazardly throwing items out as he dug through its contents. He visibly winced whenever he moved his right hand too much.

"Would it kill you to be more organized?" he complained as he pulled out the map and skimmed through it. "Nearest village is a couple days' walk away if we don't stop for rest. We can't go back to Azaleas unless we have a death wish."

"That sounds like a long time to walk." Weiss couldn't help but point out.

The ground was a perfectly good spot for her to lie on. The last thing she wanted was to walk for two whole days.

"As if I'm going to let you do any walking." He pocketed the map into his jacket before throwing everything back into the bag, pausing when he picked up the extra Scroll. "Why the hell did you spend a fortune on a second Scroll?"

"Oh, that's yours."

"Mine?" He furrowed his brow.

"I thought it'd be useful if we ever have to split up again. Well…that was before I saw...you probably never want to see me again anyway…"

"We can talk later." He pocketed the Scroll, zipping her bag closed and shouldering on the backpack. "I know you're not in good shape right now, but you'll need to bear with me. It'll be a bumpy ride."

He knelt next to her and reached out–

"No!" Weiss recoiled before he could touch her, her heart dropping as she remembered what happened to him in her dream. What if it was a premonition? She'd never forgive herself if she burned him a second time.

Adam immediately pulled back his hands. "Look, I know I fucked up, but you're in no state to walk."

Weiss shook her head, agitating the pain in the back of her skull.

"You can hold onto my sword if that makes you feel better, but I'm not leaving you like this!" he snapped. "You can hate me all you want after, okay? Please just let me help you."

"Why would you still want to help me after…?" She stared at that horrible scar. Why did he want to help her after her family took his eye and disfigured his face? Why didn't he leave her to rot in the forest?

"Now isn't the time for that."

"Don't you hate me?"

Adam locked his gaze with hers. His good eye burned with such intense emotion it kept her completely entranced in him.

"You already know the answer to that, Weiss." He slowly reached for her hand, stopping as she flinched away from his touch.

"I-I don't understand. How can you be so nice after I-I…?" She swallowed the knot in her throat. "A-aren't you scared I'll burn you–"

His hand clasped around hers. Weiss cried out in protest and tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"Don't be ridiculous. You weren't the one who did this," he said firmly.

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. She was too scared to pinch herself and confirm whether this was another fever dream. If it was, she never wanted to wake up from it.

"We'll talk once you can think straight. I promise." He squeezed her hand. "Is it okay if I carry you? I get it if you want to walk, but you're not getting far in this state."

"Only if you don't mind."

Adam squeezed her hand again before slipping it beneath her knees, and another on the base of her back. He waited for a moment before scooping up from the ground. Weiss groaned as the world spun from her new position in his arms.

"It's going to be a long trip, so rest a bit," he said. "Speak up if you need anything."

Weiss nodded and snuggled into his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his strong heartbeat.

Thanks to CMDR Quillon, Eramis8, Yeet, Iwr1918, Able and Table, a Guest reader, and Gleaming Onyx for the reviews!

Big thanks for the 100 favourites! It's wild we hit three digits so soon so thank you, guys :)

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