Remnant of Void & Flame

Volume I – Chapter VIII (Part I)

The sun shone brightly through the glass ceiling of Sanctum Academy, its warm light adding a faint luminescence to each and every corner. Her charge took one final look outside before turning towards their tour guide, signaling their agreement for them to keep on walking. As they glide through the hallway, she felt her eyes scanning around before zooming in on the various details of her environment.

She had to admit, Sanctum Academy was quite the work of art in its own right, from the perfectly manicured floors that resonated a polished shine to each intricate treasure displayed across the open shelves and corridors. In between them, photographs capturing memories from years passed hung melodiously on paneled walls. The warm orange glow of the crescent sunlight lended an airy aura to each window frame flawlessly decorated with recessed moldings shining gold from candlelight chandeliers, not one inch seemed untouched by grace or artfulness in any way, shape, or form.

Unfortunately, all these picturesque beauty quickly faded as she noticed a group of Faunus students glaring at their group from the corner. She suppose it shouldn't come as any surprise, given the suffering that the Faunus endured while working under the Schnee. What disturbed her was how openly hostile they were looking, which certainly wasn't a good sign.

The instructor acting as their tour guide seemed to have taken notice of them too for she began walking at a much faster pace, her steps carrying an extra bit of haste as she ushered their party away from the sneering Faunus. She walked at their heels, her eyes occasionally flitting to the side in attempts of keeping an eye on the Faunus as they passed quickly into another corridor and finally away from whatever resentment directed towards her charge.

After a few more turns, their tour guide finally decided to stop in front of a door, a door that according to their tour guide will lead them to an observation room. The woman quickly took out her scroll and tapped a few buttons on it before holding her the device in front the door. Answering with an audible click, the door opened before them and they were greeted with a view of Sanctum Academy's training area.

Several students can be seen going through their exercises below them, and she couldn't help but notice how... lacking they were. A small frown formed on her lips as she watched the scenes of both physical and weaponized combat unfolding before them.

Although the drills seemed to be quite standard, there's a lack of precise handiwork which is rendered clearly visible with each uncalculated attack they made against each other. Compared to these people, the Valkyries she fought alongside with possessed a certain sharpness that cannot be seen here. No, this display was more of a brawl between untrained warriors without any strategy in mind than any real battle.

However, despite her clear misgivings about the students skill level, it was quite obvious that their instructor were proud with the progress these students had made so far. Even their guide seems to be nodding approvingly every now and then, occasionally pointing at one of the students before beaming with pride whenever said student completed an exercise successfully or land a 'perfect' punch.

A grimace slowly appears on her face as she watched them continue on their way to becoming lesser combatants. The academy seems to seems to have done poorly in training its students. While they were able to hone some skills, it did little to prepare them for what lay ahead in actual combat.

Her eyes twitched in frustration as she observed two students fighting one another like an idiot in a corner of the room. One was using what seems to be an automatic rifle against the other, each shot somehow missing their target entirely with resounding thuds on the ground. She could only shake her head as she watched them, wondering just what sorry excuse of an instructor the academy had employed.

Clearly, they are not quite capable of teaching these future warriors properly.

Suddenly, her attention was diverted as she noticed one student moving through their training regimen with grace and skill beyond her peers' caliber, completely outmatching them in combat prowess. She could clearly see that this student had been trained far better than any of the others here. In a matter of seconds she came to recognize that it was none other than Pyrrha Nikos, a young fighter who recently became quite popular over her feat in winning the Mistral Regional Tournament twice in a row.

Well, perhaps there is still some hope left for this academy...

She glanced at the Heiress, who was now looking at the redhead, a small hint of admiration emanating from her eyes as she watched the champion's impressive display of talent. She felt her lips tugging into a small smirk as she observed the Heiress, her charge seeming unaware that her expression was visible to all those around her.

"It seems you find our little champion quite interesting?" The guide stepped forward, her voice breaking the silence. "Pyrrha is truly one of a kind! Though it may not be obvious from simply looking at her now, this was not always so. I remember when we first took Pyrrha into our care here at Sanctum Academy and how far she has come under our guidance."

Bullshit...

From what she had observed, the redhead was most likely already quite capable by that time, even before any amount of 'teaching' this academy could have provided her with. They probably just held her back with all their redundant and needless lectures.

Nevertheless, the guide continue to boast about the champion as if they had been the ones who crafted such a well trained fighter out of nowhere.

"Do you wish to face her in combat, Miss Weiss?" The guide continued with a smirk, undauntedly confident in their own students' skills "I am certain she would be happy to battle with another who possess the same grace and skill!"

Weiss continue to stare at the champion who had been taking down the other students with remarkable ease. Though her eyes were filled with admiration and respect, Kiana could clearly feel her hesitation when it came to accepting the offer. Despite her desire, failing was not on option for a Schnee, and accepting the offer would most likely end with her defeat.

She knows that, the Heiress knows that, even their guide knows that...

"I fear I may not be enough of a match in comparison to your champion." She glanced over her shoulder at Kiana as she finished with a smirk. "Although... what about my bodyguard? I believe she would prove to be an adequate sparring partner for Miss Nikos."

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Brat...

She knew what the heiress is trying to do. It was clear that little princess is not happy with her presence. She simply did not expect her to be this... petty...

"Are you sure this is wise, Lady Weiss?" She asked after some consideration. "I assure you I am more than fine with such proposition, but leaving you unprotected may not be a good idea..."

"I will be fine..." The heiress assured her, her voice laced with barely contained amusement. "And to be honest, I am quite curious as to how you will fare against her."

"I see... very well then." She replied, her voice calm and meassured. "If you'll excuse me..."

With that, she bowed before quickly turning on her heels and proceeded to make her way down to the arena. If the little brat wanted a show, then who is she to deny them?

Besides, it has been a long time since she had a proper fight. Perhaps the champion will be able to provide her with some sort of challange...

One can only hope...

She could feel heart pounding in her chest as she walk through the hall of the Academy, her mind once again wondering if this is what she truly want... if this is what her parents had wanted for her...

While she won't deny that she wanted to make a difference and will without a doubt goes to great length to achieve it, she couldn't help but question this particullar decission. After all, it was one thing to kill a Schnee, but to attack an entire city?

On one hand, they will be able to deliver a clear message to the entire world when they succeed... if they succeed... maybe even inspire the other Faunus to take arms and join the fight for true equality. On the other hand, it also means that they would have a larger target painted on their back and that the Humans would take a more active role in hunting every single one of them down.

Granted, they will not be able to go along with their original plan considering that they now lack the manpower required for the operation. Still, it would be just enough to cripple the entire city, just not as much as they had originally hoped.

But will it really be worth it?

She honestly wasn't even sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question...

'Stop doubting yourself...'

Regardless, it didn't take her long to reach her destination, her feet stoping once she reach the academy's cafeteria. Her gaze drifted around the room, eyes scanning the crowd in hope of finding her target. She could feel a mocking smile slowly forming on her lips when she failed to do so...

Of course it wouldn't be that easy...

In the end, it took her a few minutes buying some food and walking around before she found a single Faunus on the second floor, sitting alone in the corner by the window. A quick glance to his left wrist revealed a pair of red and white wristband, confirming that he is, indeed, the contact she was supposed to meet.

"Crimson sky..." The teenager in front of her muttered, his tone flat and bereft of any emotion.

"Burning sea..." She answered in return, the words coming out of her mouth in a quiet whisper. "Sorry, they got a bit of a rat infestation on their backyard."

"Yeah?" He arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Not too much of a problem, I guess?"

"Nothing I can't handle..."

"Well, that's not my business..." He took out a scroll from the backpack at his side, pretending to play with the device for a moment before passing it over to her from under the table.

"Password is 9119 by the way... do not get it wrong. Getting the damn scroll is hard enough, we can't have you messing this up..." He fixed her with a steely glare for a few seconds before finally relaxing and leaning back into his seat. "It should allow you access to pretty much anywhere in the academy. Well, except the headmaster office, I guess..."

Nodding in understanding, she quickly open up the device and type in the password. A picture of a dog faunus along with what she assumes is his wife and daughter shows up on the screen.

While they certainly don't look like they come from a rich household, the smile evident on each of their faces informed her that they were at least happy as a family. Still, she couldn't help but feel a pang of envy upon looking at the picture, her mind wondering what could've become had her parents survived the mining incident back then.

"So, this belongs to the man?"

"Uhuh..."

"Should I ask the others to prepare an extraction for him?" She asked after a moment of deliberation. "And his family for that matter. Using this scroll will definitely land him in trouble."

"Eh, there's no need to worry about the man..." Her fellow Faunus stated, his voice calm and collected. "You should just focus on your mission."

"So he already got a way out?" It was a small relief, but a relief nonetheless. "That's good then. He won't be safe when the authority come investigating."

"Safe?" He questioned her, and for brief moment, she could see his lips forming a sneer. "You misunderstand, Sister. You see, that damn traitor already got what he deserved..."

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Traitor? Got what he deserved?

Those words, spoken so callously, brought her thought screeching to a halt. She had heard rumours that some of their members could be a bit extreme, that they will not hesitate to harm their own kind to get what they want, but to take a fellow Faunus's life without hesitation?

She wanted to scream, to lash out at the teenager for his cold and callous attitude towards their own kind, but the shock rendered her speechless.

"I see..." She forced the words out after a few moments of dazed silence, her eyes looking at the Faunus in search of an answer. "So, you are saying-"

"That he is dead?" The teenager finished her sentence without a hint of remorse in his voice. "Yeah, he noticed me when I tried to steal his scroll. I asked him to keep quiet about it, even shared some of our plans with him so that he'd understand why he needed to keep it a secret. But, well, you know how it goes..."

His nonchalance attitude only made her heart sink further into her stomach.

"Even so..." Her voice cracked as she tried to stop herself from lashing out at the teenager. "He was still one of us, a fellow Faunus and our brother in arms..."

"And?" She can see confussion in his face, as if he had never considered that he had done something wrong. "Bastard still refused to help us. He was... an unnecessary risk, a loose end... So yeah, I killed him."

"... Why?" She tried to keep her voice level, clenching her fist tightly in a futile attempt to stave off a wave of anger that threatened to overwhelm her. "Why kill him?"

"Why not?" He questioned in return. "There's literally no guarantee that he won't rat us out. You should know by now how much is riding on this..."

As much as she would like to deny him, she knew that the he was right. Logic dictates that she should just agree with him, but a small part of her, a part that she tried to bury, was screaming out for her to oppose him.

"Besides, if it bothers you that much, then just think of it as a necessary sacrifice." He said after a brief pause. "His life in exchange for a better future for the Faunus kind. A small price to pay, don't you think?"

Still, there had to be a better way! A way that didn't involve killing their own kind!

Despite the reasoning behind his argument, she could not accept such a horrendous method. Then again, if what he said was true, then the man might very well turn against them.

"That's... true..." She felt a grimace forming on her face, desperate to find some way out of the moral dilemma that wouldn't make her lose her faith in their cause. "But in the end, can we really justify his death?"

"Well, you don't have to look so depressed about it..." The red-haired teenager said, clearly amused by her inner struggle. "It's not like you had to be the one doing the dirty work, right?"

She could only offer him a tight nod in response, her expression a mix of conflicted emotions as she allowed her gaze to fall upon the picture on the screen of the scroll. The irony was all too apparent for her; an entire family ripped apart, not by Schnee or the Humans, but by the hands of their fellow faunus.

'What a hypocrite...'

"I'll go ahead..." His voice jarred her from her thoughts. "You should also hurry it up... There's no telling when the Schnee will return."

"Yeah, you're right..."She replied, feeling torn between duty and belief. "We'll meet again, Brother."

"Indeed we will." With those words, he left the cafeteria, leaving her alone as she forced down the last of her meal in silence.

Everything had to be worth it in the end...

It had to be...

Author's Note: I'm finally home! Here, have another short one. The entire chapter was supposed to be around 3-4k, but eh... I think I'm gonna go laze around now that I'm home... Not happy? Sue me, I dare you... Meanwhile I'll try to think of a way to get Kiana hit by that Nightmare Grimm... would've been fun to write... Do check my persona fanfic if you are interested by the way. Fate and Code Vein will be published soon, with both still sitting at around 2k words. I'll finish their prologue once I'm done with this chapter. Psst~! I hate writing about Ilia... can't seems to get a grasp on her personality...

Daybit Sem Void: Yeah I know, it's just that I watch some video on u-tube indicating that *spoiler ahead* Kevin is the one who end up with the power of HoTE(Finality). Not sure if the translation is right or not though... Which domain do HoTE control anyway?

Missingmoney: She is the APHO one, so yes, she knew. And I know that she is far stronger than a Maiden. I just don't want her to be able to defeat anyone with just a snap of her finger. Oh wait... she actually could...

enderchem-oss-jr: Thanks! Though I think my writing isn't that good. Or maybe that is just me being pessimistic.

yuzuk1 & nk-sp-pinky: I should be the one thanking you~!

Disclaimer: Honkai Impact 3rd belongs to miHoYo; RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.