A.N. (12/28/22) - Not gonna lie, this will probably be the last chapter of 2022.


Atlas (4) - Keeping Secrets

Two hours.

That was how long it took for her before Rin was finally allowed to leave and return to the city. Traveling from the facility in the icy tundras to her destination in Atlas wasn't as difficult as it was compared to the first time. The snowy weather had disappeared completely by the time several Atlesian ships landed with soldiers on board to investigate the building.

Boarding one of the airships that were sent to pick up the scientists, she was later dropped off unceremoniously at a public station where she could take a transit line back to Atlas Academy. Maneuvering through the crowd, Rin managed to get through the doors and secure a seat for herself without too much struggle.

Checking the time on an overhead display, she noticed that it was four minutes past three in the afternoon. All the earlier excitement had made Rin miss the rest of her classes for the day. Since her absence was likely excused by Ironwood, it wasn't like her teachers were going to think she was a truant or anything. But she still found the thought of skipping classes annoying, especially when she considered that she was going to have to make up for whatever lessons she missed tonight.

Although, her mind was focused on other things than homework at that moment. Something messy and complicated filled her chest as she leaned back against her seat. A dull headache passed for a moment before it quickly faded.

"Let me tell you, memory is a fickle thing. The majority are hazy or disorganized, while some are picky or disorganized. However, there are certain moments that you will remember for the rest of your life."

It was a news broadcast. Playing across from her on a large holographic screen were two anchors sitting across from one another.

The one that spoke earlier smiled and continued speaking. "Several months ago, I spent several days exploring Dormir, a village near the southern shores of Solitas. I got the chance to walk through the streets of the place and visit several parts of the village. It was my first time there, and I was sent to do a fluff piece by interviewing a local resident on a minor topic regarding fish population numbers or something like that. Had it been any other day, my trip there would have been an unremarkable event that would quickly fade from my memories. But instead, I was able to witness a key moment in history—the emergence of a new species of Grimm that shocked the world."

"You're referring to the Greem," the other anchor replied. "As I recall, you were one of the first to report about the phenomenon when it first happened. The Mantle Daily gained quite a number of viewers that day when you captured footage of the first wave of attacks."

"I'll admit that wasn't one of my brightest ideas. My cameraman took quite a bit of convincing to head into the field with me, and we both had a few close calls with a few Grimm. Thankfully, the local militia and patrolling huntsmen were able to prevent most of the Greem from entering the village. Even so, it remains a tragedy that the few who were unable to escape the chaos in time lost their lives during the attack. I read the reports that were released a few days later, and I learned that Dormir was one of the villages least affected by the emergence. But other minor villages around Solitas weren't as lucky."

"Not just in Solitas either. I hear that several places in Mistral also suffered a similar fate. The one prominent example being the city of Argus, where the revelation of our military's lack of protection during the attack draws the eyes of many people due to their incompetence."

"Honestly, I couldn't believe my ears when I first heard what happened there." The anchor shook his head. "Multiple terrorist groups all being controlled by the mad scientist behind the creation of this newest species of Grimm? It sounded like a plot from one of my nephew's sci-fi books. Even so, that incident has called into question the credibility of Atlas and its military. But have these issues been addressed? Many say no, according to a recent poll conducted amongst the citizens of both Atlas and Mantle. They feel that their government isn't doing enough to protect their citizens, and are hoping that a change in leadership will be the first step into doing so."

"I'm sure many of them are anticipating the results of the upcoming election as well. In other news, Jacques Schnee has informed the public on a new venture to have his company partner with the military to develop the next generation of airships to better combat this new Greem threat…"

Rin stopped paying attention when the speaker turned on and notified the inhabitants that it was soon time to disembark. Exiting the transit, she followed the crowd out of the station until she was finally in the open. Once she did so, her gaze was drawn to a nearby vehicle where two men stood in front of a door held ajar in her direction. One of them beaconed for her to enter, and she did so after giving a curt nod.

Inside, she found herself sitting across from General Ironwood.

He raised a hand as Rin was about to speak. "Not here. Wait until we reach a secure location first, then we can talk."

Her mouth closed and she crossed her arms. The two rode in silence for several minutes with both sides keeping their expressions neutral. When the car came to a stop at a red light, it was Ironwood who broke the silence first.

"Oz gave me a call this morning on the development of our latest project. He's concerned that with Pietro busy working on Amity, there won't be as much progress without him overseeing it."

"Does he not trust my capability?"

"He's tried his best to figure out the concept himself. Even during his prime, he was unable to make any progress in solving the issue. While we're placing our bets that you'll come up with something different, there aren't any big expectations for you to succeed."

"I see."

"If I recall, I understand that you will be taking time off soon to visit Mistral. The weather should be turning for the better soon with winter almost over. It would be quite a spectacle to walk around some of the more scenic locations while the tournament isn't busy. Your friend, Miss Nikos, might be interested if the two of you take a look around together. I can call one of my associates to give you both a tour if you're interested."

"That's fine, I'm not going to Mistral."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? That's quite a sudden change in decision. Is there any reason why you would cancel your plans like that?"

"It's related to what happened in the facility. I don't think it would be wise if 'Rin Tohsaka' was seen in Mistral anytime soon."

"Hm, if you say so…"

Silence returned as the both of them stopped talking further. Once the vehicle arrived at their destination, they were escorted inside by several guards until they reached an elevator where Ironwood had them dismissed. Pressing a button, the two entered as the doors opened to bring them up to his office.

"Fria's not doing well."

"I thought you said to wait until we're secure."

"Here's fine. Isn't there anything you can do to help?"

"There are several techniques I can think of that might be able to extend her lifespan," Rin replied. "None of them are really helpful if you want my honest opinion. Keeping her alive is easy, but there's no way you'll be able to utilize the power she possesses if her survival is all we care about."

"If that is the case, then our only option is to continue with the original plan."

The elevator doors opened, allowing the two to step inside the headmaster's office. Ironwood took the lead and moved until he sat down at his desk while Rin took a seat across from him. The older man rested his elbows down and gave out a heavy sigh.

"I'm guessing you have questions for me?"

"Did you guess that I would find out what was being kept at the facility?"

"I did."

"Then I'll get straight to the point. Why are you having people study magical artifacts? Or rather, why are you doing so while keeping it a secret from me?"

"The answer to your first question is simple." He straightened his back. "Ozpin and I have sworn to face the greatest evil of this world while preventing her from causing further damage to humanity. However, this task is infinitely more difficult without understanding the full scope of our enemy's capabilities. By trying to understand the tools they use to combat us, I believe that we can discover a solution as to how we can take out Salem."

"Does Ozpin share your opinion?"

"He doesn't know. And before you ask, the reason I kept it a secret from him is the same as why I kept it hidden from you. I knew that both of you would disagree with trying to involve normal people in supernatural affairs. To be frank, I only called you in earlier today because the possibility of us losing the artifacts to criminals wasn't something I wanted to risk."

"And you didn't feel like sharing that piece of info with me before I was volunteered?"

"I trusted you to handle things without being told the truth."

"See, that's the funny thing." Rin stared at him. "You talk about trust, but does one side withholding information from the other create a working relationship? Putting aside the fact that you're meddling with things beyond your understanding, I don't want to be your puppet when the hand controlling me has a different agenda than mine. How can I trust you when you say one thing but mean another?"

Ironwood returned her glare. "I can return that argument and claim the same about you. Ozpin might be willing to extend an olive branch to bring you into the fold, but I still have my doubts about involving you at all. Even after all this time, you have yet to divulge how you gained your current skills and knowledge. If it wasn't for Ozpin's decision to involve you with our current project, I would have made sure you wouldn't even be allowed to step foot on Atlas."

"Is that your excuse for why you've been keeping tabs on me ever since I arrived? At least the Ace-Ops were nice about it while you had Clover ordered to keep me aboard the airship. What exactly do you tell the other teachers at the school about me? That the girl named 'Zenjou' needs to be watched out for? I've been under scrutiny for the past couple of weeks, all because you tried to force me into hiding by having me be kept a secret from others."

"Those were the terms of the deal when you accepted our request. In exchange for helping the restoration efforts of Argus, you work in our capacity in understanding the flow and transference of power from one person to another." He gave her a look. "And so far, you haven't delivered on your side of the promise."

She grimaced. "I'm doing the best I can, but without getting more opportunities to study Fria, I can't begin to figure out how a Maiden's power works."

"The risk of you taking it for y–"

"I already said that I don't want the Maiden power," Rin interrupted with a glare. "If it makes you feel better, you can have Winter keep watch of me while I consult with Fria again. Heck, I'll even dress up so that she can't determine my identity. After all, you obviously want Winter to be the next Maiden once the power transfers from Fria."

"You're asking a lot from me."

"No, I'm asking for the bare minimum!" She stood up and glared at him. "There's no guarantee that Pietro's machine will even transfer her magic with her Aura. If you want me to bring you results, then let me have the opportunity to study her in person."

Both of them stared at one another.

Ironwood sighed. "Maybe we should cool our heads and discuss this another time. At the very least, I'll bring up what you said with Oz. The two of us will discuss things first, but afterward…"

"So I have to wait after all."

"I'm asking you to be patient," he replied. "Give us a few days to think it over first. In the meanwhile, there are other matters we have to discuss."

Rin calmed down. "Like what?"

"I've read the mission report. It's a good thing that Scarlatina was safely secured. With the upcoming events happening this week, having him go missing would have created a huge scandal. His importance in the upcoming Amity launch cannot be overstated."

"Is he really that important?"

"The Amity launch draws attention from all eyes around the world. Any mistake, no matter how small, will cause significant ripples throughout society. The reputation of Atlas is extremely fragile now, and recent events have lowered the people's trust in us."

"Like the Merlot incident?"

"More specifically, the scandal involving the fact that a group of terrorists he hired managed to take over the Argus military branch." He winced. "Not to mention the upcoming elections. I swear, politics and scandals go together like bread and butter. There are a few people who want to take advantage of our misfortune to better themselves."

"Would one of them happen to be Jacques Schnee?"

"Surprisingly not. The rumors that he's taking part in the elections aren't true at all. Instead, he wants to establish a joint venture with the military to help us develop more designs for our airships. While also gaining several new contracts to have us depending on him to provide the fuel resources."

"Ah…"

"His character aside, Jacques is quite a capable businessman."

"Can't say Winter will be happy with that."

Ironwood chuckled. "She has already expressed her displeasure about being forced to meet with him. The two of us will be expected to attend a ceremony to promote our partnership with her father in attendance. To be honest, I agree with her that it's bothersome. But due to his efforts, we will also be revealing to the public the next generation of Atlesian airships that will be tasked to escort Amity all the way to the city of Mistral."

"Is it fine if you tell me that?"

"Of course, it's not like I'm telling you anything that the journalists haven't dug up already. In fact, I was hoping to have you attend the ceremony as well."

"Me?"

"It was actually Winter who brought the idea to my attention. Apparently, her sister Weiss will be doing one of her performances during the gala. Even if high society social events aren't your thing, she figured that you would be interested in getting to know someone else your age for once. After all, most of the students here are quite a bit older than you are."

"A-Are you seriously trying to tell me that Winter wants to set up a playdate between her sister and me?"

"I believe so."

Rin took a moment to think about it. "Can I invite someone else to go with me?"

"Of course."

"Then sure, I wouldn't mind attending."

"Great. I'll send the invitations to you later today. The gala will be held in two days, so you still have some time to prepare."

"Alright. Is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"That will be all."

Exiting the room, she took a few steps away from the door before she pulled out her Scroll. Pulling up her contact list, she pressed a number and waited for the call to be picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Terra." Rin smiled. "Are you free in two days?"


It's been a month since I last updated, and the reason for that is simple. First, it was finals that kept me busy for the first few weeks of December. Then, it was video games like Genshin Impact and Persona 5 Royal. I've been using these past few weeks of my winter break to destress and indulge in some of my hobbies that I've put off during the school year.

But back to the story. I didn't outright say it since I'm pretty sure the dialogue between Rin and Ironwood made it clear, but the reason why Rin is in Atlas is that Argus is still a big mess after the events of the first arc. While the city is being fixed, Rin is offering her services as a magus to study whether it is possible to use the Aura Transfer Machine introduced in Volume 3 to take away the magic of a Maiden and transfer it to someone else.

Sadly, Ironwood's paranoia regarding Rin and her unknown past makes it difficult for her to actually get any results done. In his defense though, the messy process of how a Maiden transfers their power makes trusting any unknown females with unknown agendas a tad bit riskier.