Author's note: Let's see how Saphron deals with that near-death experience.
In the morning, Sirena went downstairs and had breakfast with Team SSSN, Saphron, Terra, and Adrian. Saphron was still a bit jumpy after what had happened the previous day, despite Sirena's silver eyes passively calming her down. Team SSSN was staying with them for a few days, until they could take a train back to Mistral and continue to Vacuo.
"Hey Neptune," Sun said and asked, "Didn't you say you were afraid to use your semblance? What happened?"
"Wait, why would you be afraid to use your semblance?" Terra asked.
"When I was younger, it went out of control," Neptune answered, "I made a lot of water stick to my brother, and if he hadn't been able to evaporate it, things might've taken a dark turn."
"I… see," Terra said, "Sorry I asked."
"It's fine, you didn't know," Neptune said, "Besides, since yesterday, it's like all my worries are gone. I feel like, no matter what happens, I can't hurt people any more, as long as Sirena is nearby." Everyone looked to Sirena, expecting an answer of some sort.
"I guess I've always had that kind of effect on people," Sirena said, "As luck would have it, I do actually have some semblances that can help if yours gets out of control. I can teach people how to filter oxygen from surrounding water using their aura, for example, or just turn off your semblance."
"Is that related to your eyes?" Sun asked. Suddenly, Sirena's scroll rang.
"Sorry, I have to take this," Sirena said and pulled out her scroll.
"It's fine," Sun said. Sirena got up and went upstairs before picking up.
"Argent, what is it?" Sirena asked.
"Sirena, where are you?" Argent asked and said, "We need you in Menagerie. Talia is working overtime to make Project Alpha work, and we'll be ready in a few days."
"I'm in Argus," Sirena answered, "And I can't come. I have something to do here first. Tell Talia she can slow down. She has about two weeks."
"But we planned for this date," Argent said.
"Argent, I died," Sirena said.
"W- what?" Argent asked.
"I drowned trying to protect my people," Sirena answered, "Ruby saved me, but I had not planned for that. I knew I'd die that day. I knew all along that I couldn't help with Project Alpha all that much. I set things up so you wouldn't need me."
"But we do need you," Argent said, "When we tell the people about our plan, they'll be unsure of what to do. That uncertainty might draw Grimm, but you always had a knack for calming people's fears and getting them to trust you. You have to tell them that the plan will work, or we'll lose time and resources."
"Then you'll wait," Sirena said, "I can still help you, but until now, I hadn't planned to, so I had planned something else, which I'll need to take care of first."
"And what?" Argent asked.
"Helping Neptune Vasilias overcome his fear of water," Sirena answered, "He will go to Vacuo soon, and I cannot follow him there." Argent took a moment to respond, then sighed.
"Alright, but hurry," Argent said.
"Of course," Sirena said, "Tell Talia that she has two weeks."
"Got it," Argent said, "Bye." They both hung up, and Sirena put her scroll away and went back downstairs. The others were already done with breakfast and going about their daily lives, with Terra making more clay soldiers the size of children, using the copious amounts of aura Saphron had collected the previous day, while Team SSSN were out and about, training a little in the nearby Grimm-infested woods.
~o~
Ruby walked through the castle of Soraklia, slowly getting used to the rude glances she got. She still had hope that Sirena was alive, but the proof was taking longer than she expected to arrive. Plus, since she was no longer allowed in the treasure chamber, she couldn't send anything to the surface to have Sirena send it back, meaning she would have to rely on Sirena to send something herself. Suddenly, Prince Biser walked up to her.
"Ruby, hello," he said in old Soraklian, "I've been meaning to talk to you. About mother. Can we speak in my room? It used to be hers."
"Of course," Ruby answered, "I'd like to." The prince walked away, leading Ruby through the hallways.
"How are your studies?" Biser asked, "Are you progressing?"
"I am, yes, thank you," Ruby answered, "I recently passed another exam by creating new matter from energy, and even began drawing on ambient energy. Arch-mage Belisama said I can consider myself a fully-trained alchemist in no time at this pace."
"That is good to hear," Biser said, "Anyway, we are here." He stopped in front of a door and gave the guards a nod, and the guards let them both enter before resuming their positions in front of the door.
"So, this was Sirena's room?" Ruby asked as she looked around.
"It was, yes," Biser answered, "She wanted me to have it, if anything ever happened to her. I do not know why, but it was her wish, and we have to respect it." Ruby looked around, and when she saw a large oaken table, a memory flashed up before her inner eye.
"Wait, I've seen this before," Ruby said, "Or rather, Weiss has."
"Really? Where?" Biser asked, "And how do you know it?"
"I fused with her," Ruby answered, "She saw it in a dream, where she was kept on this very ship, before it sunk. I recognized the ship a few days after getting here. If I recall correctly, there is a hidden compartment in it."
"It may have been in the dream, but I doubt it is real," Biser said.
"No, I'm certain it is," Ruby said, "The dream was made by Niob Bolt, who is one of Sirena's teammates. The compartment served no purpose in the dream, and as the dream was a kind of story, adding something useless would only be a good idea for realism's sake. I can at least see if I'm right."
"Yes, you can," Biser said, "Also, I am a little curious myself now." Ruby walked over to the table and folded her hands, with only her thumb, index- and pinkie fingers sticking out, and the table's properties appeared as symbols around her wrists almost immediately. She lowered its gravity, and it began floating. Ruby made a small Glyph to make it float away from the wall, then put it down again and let out an exhausted sigh.
"Now, let's see what we have," Ruby said and began checking the table for the compartment. With a click, it opened, revealing a small ring wrapped in tin foil, much to both people's confusion.
"What… is this?" Biser asked.
"I don't-" Ruby answered, but paused when a realization hit her, "Actually, maybe I do know. Sirena may have taken the most valuable thing in Beacon with her, without telling anyone. Talia could definitely break into the vaults."
"What do you mean?" Biser asked, "What is it?"
"A relic," Ruby answered.
"A relic?" Biser asked, "What's that?"
"There is a legend on the surface," Ruby answered, "And it is true. Basically, the gods of light and darkness left mankind with four gifts. This may just be one such gift. The crown of choice. It was previously hidden under Beacon, but if Sirena knew it would be attacked, removing it in secret would be the perfect plan. Salem attacks Beacon to try and get the relic, rallying mankind to action in the process, but ends up empty-handed, even if she found the vault and had the maiden to open it."
"So, this thing being safe is important to mother?" Biser asked, "Can you send it to her, then? If she is still alive, she will send it back, right?"
"She would, yes," Ruby answered, "But I can't send things to people, only places. I'd need to know where she is, at least roughly, in order for her to find it and send it back."
"Do you know where she is?" Biser asked.
"I need to think," Ruby said and began thinking out loud, "So, if she was there, and then learned that her people considered her dead, she'd be sad. Then, she overhears me and Srebro talk about her and make plans, so she would prepare. To do that, she'd need Grimm, and Saphron, so the only place for her to go would be… got it."
"Where is she?" Biser asked.
"Most likely Argus," Ruby answered, "Now all she has to do is send this to the throne room." She put the small item in a bubble and tapped it on the top, sending it to Saphron and Terra's house. The duo then went to the throne room, filling King Srebro in on their little plan to prove that Sirena is still alive. They waited for quite a while, and Ruby began getting worried that Sirena was too far away from Argus, or that something else was keeping her from sending the relic back, mostly because she just sent a Grimm magnet into a major city.
~o~
In the outskirts of Argus, Sirena and Team SSSN were fighting Grimm, while Neptune tried to avoid looking at the nearby cliff overlooking the ocean. He fired a burst of lightning-dust bullets into a pack of Grimm, the chain lightning taking out several and weakening the rest. Sirena killed the rest with an icicle barrage, put her weapon away and sighed.
"We have to do something about your fear of water," Sirena said.
"Why?" Neptune asked and said, "I'm fine now."
"Because I am here," Sirena said, "But this can't keep going on."
"What's wrong with me being afraid of water?" Neptune asked.
"You're missing out," Sirena answered, "Water can be scary, yes. But it can also be gentle, calm, and serene. You have an amazing gift, and you let your fears keep you from achieving your full potential."
"But what if I hurt someone?" Neptune asked and said, "You have no idea how terrified I am whenever my team and I are near water. My semblance is dangerous."
"Only because you're too afraid to use it," Sirena said, "If you learned to use it, you could control it."
"That's easy for you to say," Neptune said, "You don't have to worry about accidentally hurting people." Hearing that, Sirena fell unusually silent for a moment.
"You have no idea," Sirena said finally, "When I first unlocked my semblance, and poisoned everything I touched, I had no idea how to make it stop. I thought that, for the rest of my life, everything I touched would get poisoned and die."
"I… sorry," Neptune said, "It's just, you know, my brother almost drowned, and I'd really hate for that to happen again."
"Then learn to control your semblance," Sirena said.
"And how?" Neptune asked.
"Fuse with me," Sirena answered, confusing the boys.
"Wait, fusion?" Neptune asked.
"Yes," Sirena answered, "Fusion will allow us to share a body, mind and soul. I can lead you through the steps necessary to unlock new aura abilities, which will, in turn, help you control your semblance."
"Aura abilities? You mean water breathing?" Neptune asked.
"Yes, but also more," Sirena answered, "I can teach you all the water-based abilities, since your aura is already predisposed to interacting with water, due to your semblance."
"Are you sure?" Neptune asked.
"Of course," Sirena answered, "Want to give it a try?"
"Sure, why not?" Neptune answered, "Let's do this fusion thing." He put his weapon away and Sirena tackled him, bringing them both over the cliff with Petal Burst and holding Neptune in a bridle carry position as they fell. Despite rapidly approaching the water, Neptune remained completely calm, and their blue auras lit up as they disappeared under the waves. Sun, Scarlet and Sage looked over the cliff, but only saw a dark blue energy illuminate the sea. It faded, and an androgynous person jumped back up, landing behind the guys and startling them.
"I am Calypso," the fusion said. They had silver eyes and long, blue hair, as well as gills on their neck. Calypso wore heavy black boots with fin-like attachments on the heels, black shorts and a dark purple vest over a black shirt. Their black fingerless gloves extended up their arms and past the elbows.
"I- this- just," Sun said, trying to find the words, "Wow."
"Hey Neptune, you in there?" Scarlet asked, "How do you feel?"
"It feels… good," Calypso answered, with both voices mixed and indistinguishable from one another, "Neptune is learning a lot of things from Sirena. But now, it is time for practical training." They held their hands down and shot bursts of water from their palms, propelling themself off the cliff again.
"So, what do we do first?" Neptune asked mentally.
"For now, just pay attention," Sirena answered, "Notice how I change our aura. Changing water friction, filtering oxygen, and sensing movement around us."
"Feels… natural," Neptune said, "Also, your eyes are amazing."
"Thank you," Sirena said, "And yes, it does feel natural. Because right now, we are one with nature. At least, with one part of her."
"Her?" Neptune asked.
"Yes, her. Mother Nature," Sirena answered, "But enough talking for now. I want to show you something." Calypso rushed through the ocean at incredible speed, taking in a plethora of information and processing it almost immediately. They saw the greatest treasures the sea had to offer, many of which were hidden from even the best researchers, due to the nature of the sea. But Calypso commanded it.
"So, what was that water?" Neptune asked.
"That was our semblance, Light Water," Sirena answered, "It is an energy projection semblance, except the energy behaves like water that embodies all the positive aspects of water, such as purity and serenity. I can make it so you can use it even when we are not fused, if you like."
"That sounds great," Neptune said, and Sirena made Calypso share their semblance with Neptune.
"There you go," Sirena said, "Now, let's take it for a test drive." Calypso dove into the nearest ocean trench, the surface's light slowly fading, and Sirena felt Neptune get a bit anxious, despite them being literally as close together as possible. She decided to ignore that for now, instead focusing on their surroundings to be aware of any potential threats. They landed on a plateau and looked around. The dust settled, but the light was still just comparable to a cloudy full moon night.
"What now?" Neptune asked, "And do we have to be here?"
"We do, yes," Sirena answered, "My people had trouble with Grimm in recent years, and they all seemed to converge on this location when we drove them away. Now stop being so worried, it's distracting us." They walked around a bit and drew their weapon, a double-bladed guandao, getting ready for combat.
"How long do we have down here?" Neptune asked.
"We're still within the aura field," Sirena answered, "We have as long as we need." Behind Calypso, the ground shifted ever so slightly, and red marks began glowing.
"Wait, what was that?" Neptune asked. The fusion turned around and was headbutted by a Leviathan breaking out of its stone cave as it woke from its slumber. Sea Feilong, Mameleu, Razorfin and Lurkjaw all began swarming the battlefield as well, and Sirena felt Neptune panic a little more. The fusion channeled water-goo through their guandao and fought off the Grimm as they came, sending waves of water through the sea in the process. With every Grimm they hit, another healing orb was created, allowing the fusion to keep fighting, should they ever run low on aura. Razorfin and Lurkjaw charged en mass, only to be cut down by the fusion's powerful weapon. The Mameleu were more hesitant, but still attacked from time to time, allowing Calypso to deal some damage. Whenever they had the chance, Calypso fired a blast of Light Water from their palms, usually taking out a bigger Grimm they had dealt some damage to before, or pulling smaller ones into the whirlpool of cleansing water.
"I have an idea," Sirena said, "But you won't like it."
"Whatever gets us out of here alive," Neptune said.
"Alright," Sirena said and waited for another Mameleu to attack. Calypso jammed their weapon into the Grimm and activated the lightning-dust, electrocuting the Mameleu, any nearby Grimm, and the fusion. Calypso's aura broke and they split up into Neptune and Sirena again, and the healing orbs immediately homed in on both of them, recharging their auras and allowing them to keep going for a bit longer. Just as Sirena resigned herself to her fate and sunk to the bottom of the ocean, she felt something pull her back up. When she looked at where she was headed, she saw Neptune using his semblance to bring her back to the plateau.
"Sirena, look," Neptune said as he pulled her into an artificial air bubble, "I'm already better at using my semblance, thanks to you."
"I see," Sirena said, "Sorry I almost got us killed. I was too focused on killing the Grimm, and didn't consider your views on dying."
"You… really didn't care about getting out alive?" Neptune asked.
"No," Sirena answered, "I was supposed to die about a week ago, but didn't. But since I had known my death date for years, I had planned everything around that information. There is nothing left for me to do in this world."
"Nonsense," Neptune said, "There's always something to do. I mean, look where we are. We're in the deep sea, because you're helping me overcome my fear of water by helping me control my semblance. And I'd say it's working just fine. You're doing a great job, even if you were supposed to be dead now."
"Still, I feel horrible for leaving you to die with me," Sirena said, "You trusted me, and I failed you. Worse, I let you think I wanted you to trust me."
"Yeah, that was a jerk move," Neptune said, "So, to make it up, I'd like us to fuse again, and kick some Grimm butt. Then get back to the surface." Sirena smiled.
"Well, if those are the consequences for my actions, I suppose I must oblige," Sirena said, and Neptune slowly let the bubble shrink, immersing them both in the icy and salty water, and both fused again. Calypso focused and reached out, trying to locate the Grimm by the vibrations in the water, but couldn't find any. Sirena also noticed that Neptune was no longer scared. They found the Grimm nearby and fired a burst of Light Water in their direction, drawing their attention and making them come back.
"Alright, this time for real," Neptune said mentally.
"This time for real," Sirena said, and Calypso gripped their weapon firmly, coating its edges in fire-goo. The Grimm, over a dozen Sea Feilong led by a Leviathan, attacked the fusion, and Calypso rushed right into the battle. They swung their weapon, slashing any Grimm near them. Sea Feilong tried to hit them with their lightning breath, but they dodged in time and avoided the attacks. The Leviathan circled the chaotic battlefield just outside the fusion's field of vision, using its fire breath from time to time. Calypso kept attacking Sea Feilong whenever they charged them, occasionally killing one after dealing enough damage, or straight up decapitating the Grimm.
"And now, you," Calypso said, looking at the Leviathan after the other Grimm were killed. The Leviathan charged the fusion, who dodged and delivered a series of quick blows to the Grimm, along the entire length of its body, creating dozens of healing orbs. Just as the Leviathan got ready to use its fire breath again, Calypso shot a burst of Light Water at it, dealing serious damage. They charged the massive Grimm while the cleansing water sill burned in its eyes, and delivered another series of powerful strikes, this time using ice-goo. The Leviathan's body was slowly covered in ice wherever the fusion struck, and the massive size difference made it impossible for the Grimm to evade the attacks, leading to it being fully encased in ice before long. When they ran out of ice-goo, Calypso fired one last blast at the Grimm, drilling right through its body and neutralizing it.
~o~
Sun, Sage and Scarlet were sitting by the cliff, waiting for Calypso to come back, and wondering why they couldn't see the fusion anywhere in the bay. Just as they wanted to get up, the fusion jumped out of the water, standing on two powerful jets shooting from their hands, and split up into Neptune and Sirena. Instead of falling, they both landed on a pillar of water, which extended a bridge to the cliff.
"Wait, what? How?" Sun asked, looking at Neptune stand on water, while Sirena already walked over the bridge.
"Check this out, I can control water now," Neptune said and make a wave splash up against the cliff.
"Your aura is pretty low, though," Sirena said, "You best come here now, before we have to fish you out of the ocean."
"Alright, fine," Neptune said and made the water toss him over to the cliff, landing just as his aura broke.
"This was pretty awesome," Sun said, "If you could do that more, with less aura drain, you'd be pretty strong."
"Thanks," Neptune said, "I saw a lot of things down there, many of which are a lot scarier than accidentally hurting your friends. But I can control a force of nature, and even get stronger when under water, thanks to Sirena." The boys looked around to find her, but she was gone. Walking into the woods, Sirena realized that her initial time assessment was completely off, as she failed to consider fusion, or her Mentor semblance, but definitely did not mind the additional free time, now that she had new things to do. Eavesdrop acted up again, but she caught herself and managed to ignore it. She decided to try her luck in the main city, and maybe slowly make her way to Menagerie from there, if Argent doesn't send Raven to get her.
~o~
Saphron sat in her living room, looking at her bracelet. She had filled it with so much aura, so often, and yet it still looked the same. It almost felt the same, too. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something had changed about the bracelet. It felt familiar, somehow. She had it for a while, but it felt like she had it her whole life. She shook her head, put the bracelet back on, and continued feeding it aura every once in a while, while thinking about the city. The clay soldiers were coming along nicely, and Argus was safer than ever. Trade with Mistral was going well too, now that the railroad was safer from Grimm. The city mostly imported ice-dust, using it for bullets for the clay army, but since recently, lightning-dust has also been an important import, to increase viability of the soldiers. Unbeknownst to her, a bubble appeared in the room, and Adrian crawled over and popped it, catching Saphron's attention.
"Adrian, what's wrong?" Saphron asked and looked over, seeing her baby inspect a small clump of tin foil, "No Adrian, don't eat that." She quickly took it away from him and tossed it in the trash, thinking Terra had left it when opening another lump of clay.
Author's note: Whatever spirit is in the crown is going to be really offended when people summon them. Almost eaten by a baby, thrown in the trash, and recycled. Not that last bit, because the relic is indestructible, but imagine the indignation at being turned into a soda can.
Anyway, yeah, Ruby just reduced a solid oak wood desk's gravity to the point where it began to float.
The original plan for Calypso was that the Grimm went to the surface, creating another attack on Argus, which the fusion would've had to stop.