We're starting the process of the Vacuo arc soon, and thankfully the new Justice League movie gave us enough crumbs to work with. That movie is MUCH better than Part 1. I love how we have all these various anime actors and then DAVID DASTMALCHIAN. Underrated actor and fantastic voice actor.

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5


Weiss thought that was it for her, that'd she die here and now. The blade would pierce her skin and muscle, stab into her heart, and she'd die before Ben could react.

But there was a part of her that refused that. This anger, building up inside her...

CLANG! The sound echoed out in the landing tunnel like a bell going off. The glaive must have hit something because it just bounced off Weiss' body, which shouldn't have been possible. Thornmane stumbled a bit from the sudden impact and lost his footing a bit, but he was able to quickly right himself. Without even looking to see what the cause was, the turncoat raised and thrust his blade down one more time. Just as before, the blade did not connect with its intended target, but not for the same reason. Before, the glaive just hit something it couldn't penetrate, but this time, something managed to catch the blade.

By now, the landing platform had risen all the way to the top of the tunnel, the hidden hangar opening up to the cold air of the Atlesian tundra. The air felt colder than usual, though, and a small bit of snow began to gently fall on the platform.

Thornmane looked down in shock and confusion, seeing Weiss's arm covered by the white, glowing projection of a Beowolf's arm. The disgraced officer was about to take a step back in shock, but Weiss wasn't about to let that happen. Completely overcoming the electric stun, the usually collected heiress just threw a punch right at Thornmane's face with her free hand. The hit sent the mastermind flying, his glaive still in the grip of his "defeated" opponent. The Beowolf projection shifted, as the white fur was replaced by the rigid symmetry of armor. The same was true for Weiss' other arm, protected by a familiar gauntlet. As the heiress got to her feet, a pair of Glyphs appeared, one above and one below her. The projection spread across her whole body from the gauntlets and, in a matter of seconds, Weiss was now wearing the very suit of armor she had once defeated in order to prove herself. The helmet slammed shut around Weiss' head, leaving only her piercing blue eyes visible through the visor. She held out her hand, almost acting unconsciously, and a smaller but just as powerful version of the broadsword the original dueled Weiss with appeared in her grip.

"What…is this?" Weiss asked, looking over her new armor.

" Some new cheap trick, Schnee?" Thornmane demanded.

"I…I don't know. This is new," Weiss said as looked over her now armored self, "But...if it means I don't have to worry about your arrows...then I'm fine with it."

Ben was starting to shake off the electric stun himself, but even as the last volts cleared, he could see Weiss now donning the armor. He blinked a few times and quickly made the connection.

This...this is like Yang's power, isn't it? Ben thought to himself.

Thornmane held out his own hand and the glaive was wrenched from away Weiss, flying back to the turncoat's hand, but that didn't phase Weiss. She felt...empowered, now. Like she could take on a Megoliath Alpha alone. She readied her newly created sword before charging at the traitorous officer. Thornmane quickly brought out the bow, trying to pepper Weiss with a barrage of arrows.

When the fire arrows barely scorched her armor, he switched to earth. When the rock spires only shattered against her defense, he tried lightning. When the lightning only arced off her bulwark, it was too late for him to switch again. The hard light bowstring vanished and he brought up his glaive to block a powerful overhead strike from Weiss. She was going to give him the smallest chance of even thinking up a counter. Again and again, the heiress blade collided with the officer's glaive. Fearing it would break, Thornmane dodged out of the way right before Weiss swung down on the latest hit.

"You threatened my home...my family, all because you think you think you would make a better leader than my father," Weiss said, her voice metallic, each word echoing from inside the armor. If Thornmane didn't know any better, he'd say there was a second voice under Weiss' own, like playing two audio clips on top of eachother.

"I already told you. Leadership is not my end-!" Thornmane protested.

"You're just lying to yourself!" the heiress roared, cutting him off. She marched towards the rejected officer before continuing her assault of heavy swings. He managed to block or dodge most of them, but he couldn't keep that defense up forever.

"You turned a group meant to protect Mantle's workers into your personal scapegoat. You used corruption in the highest institutions to set all of this up! And in the end, Thornmane, you became the monster you claim my father IS! Your 'greater good' would be the end of our entire KINGDOM!" With that last word, Weiss' sword cleaved right through Thornmane's glaive. Before he could process it had even happened, the heiress' armed hand grabbed him and slammed him into the ground, her grip tightening.

"Your time as an officer is over," she said, her voice cold and emotionless. It was a stark contrast to the passion and anger she had shown just moments before. "You will be held accountable for your crimes against Mantle and Atlas."

Thornmane gritted his teeth and struggled against Weiss' grip. "I hope you realize I won't go down without a fight," he growled, stabbing forth with a surge of electricity to shock Weiss' armor, to no avail. The armor held strong against the current.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip even more, causing Thornmane to cry out in pain. "You brought this on yourself," the heiress threatened, her voice laced with restrained fury.

Weiss was just about to put the final bit of pressure that would be enough to snap Thornmane's neck, but right as she was about to squeeze, a voice called out to her.

"WEISS!" Kylie called out.

Weiss froze at the sound of her partner's voice, her hand still poised to crush the traitor's windpipe. She turned her head to see Kylie running towards her, with some of the Ace Ops and even Roane following close behind.

"Weiss, stop!" Kylie shouted, skidding to a halt next to her girlfriend. "You can't do this. You're better than him!" Weiss looked down at Thornmane, who was panting and sweating under her grip.

"Weiss, stand down! He's beaten!" Clover called out, his weapon at the ready. He was hoping he wouldn't have to, but if she went to kill Thornmane, he would stop her.

As Weiss looked at Thornmane, she quickly came to realize that his Aura had broken when she slammed him to the ground. Marrow and Vine moved in, keeping their weapons at the ready, aiming more so at Thornmane to get the message across. After a small pause, Weiss released her grip on Thornmane and stepped back, almost in a daze. Her armor clanged and shook as she moved away from the mastermind of the past few days' events. Vine grabbed the rejected officer by the coat collar before turning him over, pulling his arms behind him and trapping Thornmane's wrists in the bindings of a gravity Dust bola.

"Bram Thornmane," Vine began, "You're under arrest for conspiracy, assault, smuggling, aiding and abetting wanted criminals, murder, and high treason."

"Just throw me in a prison transport and get this over with," Thornmane huffed.

"The general will see that you are. Along with Harper and your other co-conspirators."

"...he's coming here? Hmph. One last chance to gloat I suppose..."

Weiss stood silently, watching as Thornmane was escorted away by Marrow and Vine. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had single handedly taken down the mastermind behind the recent chaos in Atlas. It was a moment of triumph, yet it felt bittersweet. The armor faded off her body and her senses returned to her.

Part of her felt relieved that Thornmane was finally caught and justice would be served. But at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off.

As if reading her thoughts, Ben walked over. "You okay, Weiss? You took him down pretty hard."

"What...was that?" Weiss gasped, looking at her hands.

"...I think I might know."

"You do?" Weiss looked over to Ben, who simply nodded.

"Remember how Harriet went ballistic on Chiffon? Nearly beat him to a pulp? And how Yang has that 'black fire' mode?"

"And how I have my more corrosive mists..." Kylie realized.

"You think...you think this is like that?" Weiss asked.

"Best I can figure, yeah. Each time any of those have happened, it's always been intense negative emotions. Anger, frustration..." Ben listed off, "Weiss...I think you just got your Berserker Semblance."

Weiss's eyes widened in shock. "My what?"

"Your Berserker Semblance," Ben repeated. "Yang has one too. So does Harriet. Yours is...pretty insane. Looks like you manifest summons around your body, too."

Weiss shook her head, still trying to comprehend the revelation. "I...I had no idea that was even possible."

"It's theoretically possible for a lot of people," Harriet chimed in, having overheard the conversation as she walked up to the trio, "You have to develop your Semblance to a certain point. Some'd call it an 'evolution.' Well...that's what Vine told me, anyway."

Weiss nodded, taking in the information. She knew she needed to learn more about her new-found ability and find a way to control it. Her Semblance was now even more unique and powerful than she ever could have imagined.

"I'll have to ask Winter if she knows anything about this as well..."

"Even if she doesn't, Vine's got more Aura knowledge in his head than Weller has tech plans," Harriet smirked.

"I kinda doubt that one," Ben smirked.


It took a few hours for a few prison transports, both airship and armored trucks, to arrive. One of the trucks came to a stop and Ironwood stepped out of the passenger seat, closing the door behind him. He marched right up to the still restrained Thornmane and looked at the man he once considered an ally, a friend even.

"So...all this, just to get to me, hm?" Ironwood asked, "Sorry that all effort's been wasted."

"Oh spare me," Thornmane rolled his eyes.

"But I do still owe you my thanks. Because of your actions, the corruption above and below has been exposed and we can work on removing that disease from both cities. Amoncio Glass, Hanlon Fiefstone, Isaac Gates, Samuel Ortez, even Olive Harper. Your conspiracy brought them together...and it also brought them down."

"You know this isn't over, right?" Thornmane hissed, "It's only a matter of time before they realize what you really are. Tin Man was your nickname back in the day. What happens when the Tin Man gets a tin heart to match?"

Ironwood didn't respond. He simply nodded to Marrow and Vine and walked past them, moving to check up on Weiss. The two Ace-Ops took Thornmane towards the transport, but the rogue didn't go quietly.

"You hear me, James?! They will figure out the real you eventually! But by then it'll be too late! No one will be able to stop you, not even yourself!"

"Wow, do you ever shut up?" Marrow interjected as he and Vine shoved the former officer into the back of the prison truck. Two more Atlesian soldiers followed suit and shoved Harper in the same truck, before they entered in after them to serve as guards. They shut the metal double doors of the truck and then one of them knocked on the wall separating them from the driver and passenger seats.

"Alright, we're good!" one of the guards said before he sat down next to Thornmane.

Weiss watched as Ironwood approached, her heart pounding with anticipation. She knew that the General would have a lot to say about what had happened, and she was eager to hear his thoughts.

"Dad." Weiss greeted him with a small nod.

"Weiss," Ironwood replied, his eyes scanning her for any signs of injury or stress. "Are you alright? That must've been quite a fight."

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine." Weiss said.

Without a moment's hesitation, Ironwood broke his professional mask and wrapped his daughter up in a hug. Weiss was definitely a bit surprised by the suddenness of it, but she didn't deny him a hug in return.

"When I got the report that the train crashed..." Ironwood started.

"I know. Believe me, I know," Weiss said. After holding the hug for a few minutes, the general let his step daughter go before clearing his throat, putting his professional face back on, though with a much more noticeable hint of levity.

"Now then. Specialist Schnee, mission report, if you'd please?" Ironwood asked with a proud smirk.

Weiss felt a sense of pride and relief at his words. She had always strived to make her father proud, and it was moments like these that made it all worth it.

"We were able to arrest Thornemane after a lengthy battle. He did manage to injure Ceres pretty bad, though..." Weiss frowned.

"Good thing I was so worried. Had the foresight to bring some medics with us, those in the know about Ceres' unique physiology," Ironwood nodded, "What about Locus and Felix?"

"Unfortunately, they managed to escape. Somehow...they were able to counter Rex's builds both on our trip to Dormir and here," Weiss explained.

"According to Rex, Felix said that the tech was designed by Cesar Salazar. And the Salazar name was all over several documents on the computers here," Kylie added.

"They were? Hmm...I'll make sure to have my analysts go over the information as well. If we find anything of importance, Rex will be the first to know," Ironwood promised.

"As for the rogue huntress team BRIR...it was my decision not to arrest them." Ben admitted, "They were being manipulated too, just like Glass and Fiefstone. But instead of starting as criminals, they were still trying to do their jobs as the Protectors of Arrowfell."

"So they were the Protectors," Ironwood said after a pause, "My predecessor took that secret to his grave, kept even his closest advisors in the dark about their identities. Given the circumstances, and the fact that they were victims in this as well, I'm willing to give them a second chance, if they ever decide to make themselves known again."

Weiss listened closely to the conversation, feeling a sense of relief that the medics were able to help Ceres. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be in her position, with a unique physiology that required specialized care.

"Now though, we have the aftermath of this conspiracy to deal with. We'll need to work together to rebuild trust and unity within the Atlas military and the people of Mantle. Hopefully this already delicate situation doesn't break anything too...fragile."

"Once it comes to light that Thornmane was a rogue agent, that problem should be solved," Kylie admitted.

"Let's hope so. The relations are strained enough as it is. When the medics land, get yourselves patched up. We'll be returning to the city soon after that. Good work, all of you," Ironwood nodded with an approving smirk on his face. He turned and walked off towards Arrowfell itself, his hand going up to his earpiece radio and making a call.

"Dr. Scarlatina," the general began, speaking to the engineer on the other end and out of earshot of the other Outcasts, "I may have a project for you. A handful of designs are in need of some updating, modern retrofits."

"I see," Dr. Scarlatina replied. "What kind of designs are we talking about, General?"

"You'll receive the specifics once we're back in the city," Ironwood stated. "But I need these upgrades to be done as soon as possible. Can you handle it?"

"Of course, General," Scarlatina responded confidently. "I'll get started right away."

"Good. Ironwood out." With that, the call ended and Ironwood continued on his way, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. The Outcasts had proven to be quite useful, and he had no doubt they would continue to be valuable assets in the future...for...that eventual event. But for now, he had business to attend to.

Ruby and Ceres emerged from the facility's front door, the latter wrapped up in the crimson cloak to try and warm her up. The explosion of pure ice to the Archimedian's face left the girl pale and shivering.

"S-stupid...T-thornmane. S-stupid...kinetic...s-speed...Semblance," Ceres shivered out.

"Easy, easy," Ruby supported Zeta Squad's leader as they walked out.

Ben and Weiss approached the two. "Hey...how are you doing?"

"I feel like I'm in hell." Ceres frowned.

"...well, good news! Weiss got her Berserker." Ben said.

"She did?" Ruby asked.

"And she beat Thornmane...pretty much by herself."

"W-well, let's...not give me too much credit, considering the whole..." Weiss began.

"Weiss. The rage is part of the first time it's used," Kylie said, trying to stop her girlfriend from diminishing the achievement.

"I'm just a bit confused- I didn't get that angry or anything, the armor just formed on me-" Weiss said.

"Armor?" Ruby said, eyes lighting up.

"Yeah! She can like, manifest her summons on her body! It's awesome." Ben grinned.

"That...sounds...amazing," Ruby's eyes sparkled at the idea, "Does that mean you can do it with all your summons?"

"I...don't see why not," Weiss admitted. "...it would be interesting if I could summon up a pair of wings."

"Yes. Just all the yes."

"Also, Weiss, you were very angry when you were fighting," Ben corrected.

"I was? I don't...whatever I said is a blur," Weiss admitted.

"Makes sense, but lemme just give you the little speech you threw at Thornmane. 'You turned a group meant to protect Mantle's workers into your personal scapegoat. You used corruption in the highest institutions to set all of this up! And in the end, Thornmane, you became the monster you claim my father is! Your 'greater good' would be the end of our entire kingdom!'"

"Weiss said that?" Ruby asked.

"I said that?" Weiss repeated.

"D-damn, Weiss." Ceres said.

"...I sometimes can say cool things, okay?!" Weiss frowned.

"Why are you so against taking credit for something awesome?!" Ben whined.

"Because of...what I almost did. If Kylie didn't snap me out of it," Weiss said, not even wanting to finish the sentence.

The group fell silent.

"I...was about to kill him. And I'm not about that. That's not what my grandfather would've wanted." Weiss said. "I'm not going to taint the Schnee name again..."

"...Weiss," Kylie said, first putting her hand on the heiress's shoulder, before she just pulled her into a hug.

"I don't want to take a life like that- I...I could never..." Weiss said, softly.

"I know. We know," Kylie comforted.

Weiss looked at Thornmane, who was glaring daggers at her from inside the ship he was being escorted to prison in. "She's more like her father than she thinks- the only difference is she doesn't have that damned Semblance..." Thornmane muttered.

...but maybe it was a good thing.

The Outcasts were about to head off to one of the Mantas the medics had landed in, but Weiss stopped in her tracks suddenly. She hadn't seen any of Team BRIR after the battle, even though Bianca promised to remove that little two observer program from Ruby's Scroll. The heiress turned around and saw the four of them looking down on the assembled Atlesian agents from a cliff in the distance. Bianca smirked and gave a quick salute down to Weiss, followed by a quick wave goodbye from Ruda. Weiss simply gave a polite nod back in thanks, before turning to catch up with the others.

Up on the cliff, Team BRIR had vanished into the tundra.


Felix sighed, looking down at the bandages wrapped around the wound Rex had given him as a parting gift. After getting stabbed, the duo had retreated to a secretly established safe house they'd set up in the weeks prior to the conspiracy going into action. No one knew about it, not even Thornmane. Felix's helmet, in a rare instance, rested on a table next to him, surrounded by other medical supplies, painkillers and stitches mostly. The orange clad mercenary rubbed his hand over his face in annoyance and exhaustion.

"You're really not the best surgeon…are you?" Felix asked.

"Quiet," the still fully armored Locus ordered as he brought up the call. A screen appeared from a projector, no visual present other than a soundwave, reacting when their contact spoke.

"How'd our little field test go?" the Black Knight asked over the comm.

"The devices worked well enough. They neutralized his constructs, shattered them. So long as they remained attached, he couldn't reform them."

"Perfect."

"And our compensation from you?" Felix asked.

"Already in the bank," the mysterious knight smirked.

"Didn't realize witches had a retirement fund."

"Salem has nothing to do with this little exchange. This is all me, so's the money."

"...good enough for me," Felix smirked, "If you ever wanna do business again, Ren Faire."

"I know who to call."


A few hours had passed since the military had cleared out Arrowfell and the prisoners were being brought in for proper processing. Thornmane sat in the prison truck silently, not even really trying to think up an escape plan. All the resources, all the planning, gone. Even if he did break out, the Outcasts and the Ace-Ops would be on him like hunting dogs. He could try to leave the kingdom, but that'd be the coward's way out. He still had some principles. Harper wasn't quite content with this though, looking over her shackles for any weakness.

"I wouldn't bother with those," one of the soldiers said, "Only bring those out for the worst prisoners."

"And we qualify?" Harper asked, insulted.

"Considering everything you pulled? You're lucky the general didn't just have you thrown in front of a firing squad then and there."

"Typical," Harper huffed, "Destroy what you can't control. How very dictatorial..."

"...how long until we reach the facility?" the second guard asked, gently knocking on the driver seat dividing wall. He seemed oddly unphased by Harper's comments, while his comrade was practically bristling at the snide insults.

"Couple more hours," the driver, clad in a uniform similar to Marrow's, replied.

"...good," that soldier turned back to the prisoners and the other guard that was stationed here. Without hesitation, the guard drew his pistol and fired off three shots into the second guard, one in the leg, one in the hand to stop him from grabbing a weapon, and one in the head. The bullet drilled through the armor and the guard went limp before he could even react.

"W-what the hell?!" the driver asked. The first guard opened a slot and aimed his pistol through it, firing off a few rounds to destroy the radio and stopping the driver from calling for backup.

"Are...you on our side?" Harper asked, a bit more hopeful. Thornmane was shaken out of his stupor and looked up at the soldier, brow raised.

"I didn't realize we still had supporters in his ranks," the conspiracy's mastermind finally spoke.

"Oh, you don't. The last of them was rounded up by the general's loyal soldiers," the guard said, the last two words practically dripping with venom. Harper and Thornmane looked to each other in fear, both of them quickly realizing who this man was really loyal to.

"You said earlier that Ironwood would 'destroy what he can't control.' My master could control you, you could pledge loyalty to a much more...respectable power."

"You mean Salem? Unfortunately for you, the enemy of your enemy is not your friend," Thornmane cut him off.

"You didn't let me finish. I said my master could control you...but you'll serve a much better purpose." The soldier used his free hand and removed his helmet, tossing it to the floor with a loud clatter. The two turncoats could only stare in horror as they saw purple light shine in the man's eyes. They'd both read the reports. These people hadn't been seen since the Battle of Beacon. Haven was tackled only by those deemed commanders in the witch's little cabal.

"You've always been a detractor of Ironwood, haven't you? Dying on route to prison? Doesn't exactly send the best message, does it?" the Black Hand cultist smirked, "Lord Zs'skayr extends his gratitude to you for your noble sacrifice."

Thornmane tried to stay calm and think of a way out of this situation. "What do you want from us?" he asked, trying to buy some time.

"Simple." The cultist grinned, "Your silence."

The purple light behind his eyes grew brighter, accompanied by an even more intense light from his chest. The unmistakable glow of Corrodium pulsed out through the armor. Thornmane and Harper braced themselves as best as they could-

Outside, the citizens of Mantle were just going about their daily routine. No one really paid attention to the armored car that was cruising down the street. Plenty of those had been moving through lately on resource runs. Most people thought it was just related. People's attention was drawn to it when the car exploded in a blast of purple flame. Shrapnel and other debris was sent flying in all directions. Bystanders either fell to the ground from the blast, began running and screaming, or taking cover. It was pure chaos.

Just what he wanted.

Down an alleyway, Tyrian had swapped into the red colored armor of an Atlesian officer, complete with helmet. His tail was wrapped around his waist to give off the impression of a belt.

"You know, I'm not usually a fan of bloodless work," Tyrian began, speaking to someone in the shadows, "but I must applaud your efficiency! Much better than our tech-support."

Whoever his partner was wordlessly pulled the body of the officer further down the alley with shuffling sounds, accompanied by shallow breaths.

"You're right. No more time for chatting. I have a message to send!" Tyrian smirked, quickly putting on the helmet and clearing his throat, just in case he needed to speak. He walked out into the open chaos like he belonged there, and if you asked him, he did. He pushed through the screaming crowds towards the wreck of the armored car. To anyone else, this was just an Atlesian soldier trying to save people, and be an impromptu first responder.

As Tyrian got closer to the wreckage, he noticed the bodies of the soldiers who had been transporting the prisoners. He smiled to himself, realizing that his plan was working perfectly. He knelt down next to one of the bodies and pretended to check for a pulse, all the while scanning the area for any sign of the prisoners.

That's when he noticed a figure emerging from the wreckage, covered in dust and debris.

"Oh...so you survived." Tyrian said with a low growl.

Thornmane coughed as he dragged himself out of the debris. Blood was streaming down his forehead and over one of his eyes, forcing it closed. He looked up to the soldier and, believing him to be genuine, reached out to him.

"P-please...you need to...you need to tell...someone. She's...she's here," Thornmane groaned, before he started coughing up blood.

"Shhhhh, sh-sh-sh-sh," Tyrian hushed as he walked over to the wounded officer, "You can tell the general yourself. When he sees you in the morgue."

Tyrian drew the soldier's stolen pistol and placed the barrel against the disgraced conspirator's head. Seems Thornmane was the only survivor, Harper's life must've been snuffed out in the blast. Tyrian glanced at the sidewalks. As more people ran, a few people were recording the incident.

That's it. Keep your cameras on me, Tyrian thought to himself. Without even letting Thornmane make one more useless plea, the scorpion Faunus pulled the trigger and killed Thornmane on the spot. He holstered the weapon and just walked off. That video would go viral in a matter of hours at least, in a day at most.

This was the start of the darkness that would soon plague all of Atlas.

And Tyrian was going to relish himself in it.


Ironwood had just gotten the report. Everyone in that prison transport was dead, some of the bystanders injured by the explosion, and then there was the nail in the coffin. One of his own hadn't gone into the fray to save the prisoners, check for survivors, or any altruistic goal. No, they had gone in to mete out their own brand of "justice." The general's grip on the pad tightened so much that it sounded ready to break. Before he could snap it in half, he put the device down and then just slammed his metal fist into his desk.

"Just had to say something, didn't I?" Ironwood sighed. Today was supposed to be a turning point for the better in the cities' strained relationship. If he didn't find that shooter soon, the bridges would burn shortly after. The internet was already ablaze with rumors that this was a coordinated hit on Ironwood's part. Thornmane was a criminal, but now, even with all the evidence against him, people would claim that it was fabricated. More propaganda to paint himself in a positive light while undermining his detractors.

Ironwood knew he had to act fast before things got even more out of hand. He looked at the footage from the prison transport again, analyzing every angle and detail. He had a suspicion that the shooter was someone from within his own security team, but he needed proof.

Weiss entered the room. "I...I heard the news. Are you-?"

Ironwood said nothing, as he went through the footage. "Ben has a time manipulating alien, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Ask him to go down to the site of the explosion and investigate." Ironwood said, a cold tone in his voice.

"I'll send him a text and meet him at the hang-" Weiss began.

"Sir," Winter interjected, walking up behind her younger sister.

"Good, you're both here. Weiss, send that message...but you're not going with him," Ironwood said.

"...why not?" Weiss asked, taken by surprise.

"We've...we've been keeping something from you. And, given everything that's happened...I think it's time you knew, too."

"Huh?" Weiss asked, confused.

"You've shown yourself to be worthy of knowing what's going on." Winter said, closing her eyes. "...shall we?"

Ironwood's eyes regained some light. "Yes. Lets."

Weiss looked between the two in pure confusion, before they led her to an elevator that she didn't even know was there originally. She sent the text to Ben on the way there, but that didn't really do much to alleviate her building uncertainty.

"I know you have questions," Ironwood said after pressing the only button on the elevator's number pad. Their destination was Level 84, the medical wing for the entire military headquarters. It had some of the best medicine and doctors in the entire kingdom, it was here that her father would've gotten his prosthetics installed. It didn't take long for the trio to arrive, the elevator was express after all. When the doors slid open to the hospital wing, Weiss didn't recognize the place. This wasn't a hospital, this was a military checkpoint. Atlesian Knight charging pods lined the walls as extra security, but the main security force were a group of soldiers that Weiss had never seen before.

They still wore the standard white armor of Atlas' military, but they had a black suit underneath the various armor plates, including a black balaclava with high-tech goggles covering their eyes. The weapons they wielded, while appearing to be simple rifles like the rest of the armed forces', all glowed with various colors. Some glowed with a cyan blue, others with a deep crimson red.

"That's...that's Dust...who are these people?" Weiss asked.

"The White Pawns. A small sect of our elite soldiers, a remnant of one of my predecessor's tenures," Ironwood explained.

"Yaz said they were just a rumor..."

"Agent Madrani is correct in that," Winter explained, "somewhat. The idea that they're a 'rumor' was started during Father's installment as general. Keep as a secret reserve force."

"In other words, they're black-ops," Weiss said.

"Of a sort," Ironwood said, "Right now, they're on guard duty." Ironwood walked up to the checkpoint and allowed himself to be searched and scanned by the White Pawns. Winter went through the same treatment, holding her arms out to the side as the soldiers patted her down and scanned her.

"Guard duty?" Weiss repeated. "For what?"

"Since you know about the Relics and Maidens..." Ironwood said. "You also deserve to know the current Maiden's identity."

"You remember how each Relic is tied to a certain Maiden?" Winter asked.

"Of course. Fall for Choice, Spring for Knowledge..." Weiss listed off.

"And Winter for Creation. Unlike with-" Ironwood was cut off when the White Pawns searching him nodded before speaking in what sounded like binary. Ironwood seemed to understand as he stepped through the checkpoint to the other side.

"As I was saying, unlike with Spring, who we knew little of...we know everything about the Winter Maiden," Ironwood finished. The White Pawn searching Winter gave the same approval and let her go through as well. The older Schnee sister actually stopped on the other side of the checkpoint and began pouring some tea. The Pawns must have set this up mere seconds ago, because the tea was still steaming hot.

"Is she being guarded because she's that important? Because of what happened with the Spring Maiden back at Haven?" Weiss asked.

"Partially." Ironwood said. "The Winter Maiden used to be a proud warrior...but, time caught up to her."

One of the White Pawns marched up to Weiss and motioned for her to stand still and hold out to the side. She didn't really see much reason to go against this, so she did. The pat-down search was the same, but the scan was much more thorough. The Pawn tapped a button on the side of their goggles and basically took a snapshot of Weiss, half-blinding her with a bright flash. The heiress blinked the spots away from her vision and, when she could see again, the agent was staring at a holographic projection of her Huntress license. Her photograph, her license number, even the restrictions she was under. More information flashed by on the projection that Weiss couldn't even make out.

"The info-search isn't really necessary," Ironwood chimed in, "She's my daughter."

One of the other guards spoke, again in what sounded like binary, and Ironwood sighed. Seems even his hands were tied with the protocol. The info-search came to an end before the Pawn stepped aside, nodding for Weiss to step on through. Right as she did, Winter picked up a tray with two freshly poured cups of tea, the saucers beneath them, and the teapot itself.

"What are they saying?" Weiss asked.

"They speak in a specialized language only few can understand." Ironwood huffed. "It's very, very annoying to learn. White Knight was a very paranoid bastard."

"They can switch it off...but they only do so when they're off duty," Winter sighed, "I...would not hold it against you if you decided against learning it."

"That bad?" Weiss asked.

"Imagine trying to learn binary, translated into Greek, then into Russian, then back into English."

"That...sounds horrific."

"Very." Ironwood said, pressing some buttons on a wall. The wall opened up, revealing a small hospital room.

Well, "room" was being humble. To be precise, it was more like an entire operating theater dedicated entirely to one person. There were shelves and cupboards nearby for various medicines and medical instruments lining the far wall. Right next to that, there was a small gallery of paintings, landscapes for the most part. Even from up there, Weiss could tell the paintings were beautiful and expertly done. Surrounded by various medical monitors and an easel, there was a hospital bed with a single, sleeping occupant. She was a thin, elderly woman with somewhat spikey white hair, clad in a green and white hospital outfit, with a silver bracelet on her wrist. The window must have been one way, because the woman inside didn't even stir from the eyes looking down on her. Winter nodded to her father and took her lead, walking off towards the entrance of the room with the tea tray in hand.

"Woah." Weiss said.

"She's the oldest living maiden so far." Ironwood said. "She's 89 years old. She got the power when she was 20. Her name is Fria."

Weiss looked down and watched the door slide open, letting her older sister walk in. She walked over to the stool and table that were situated next to the hospital bed. The old woman began to stir as she heard the elder Schnee sibling approach and, as her eyes fluttered open, a smile came to her lips.

"Winter," Fria greeted.

"Good morning, Fria," Winter greeted back warmly, "Fresh tea?"

"Oh, that sounds delightful," the elderly Maiden said. Winter set down the tea tray and handed Fria her cup and saucer before taking her own. The two then began to chat like old friends.

"Can...I go down there as well? Talk with her?" Weiss asked.

"I'm...afraid that's not possible," Ironwood said.

"Why not?"

"...Fria's time is almost up."

Weiss shivered at that. "So...who's going to take over her power?"

Ironwood said nothing.

"Dad."

Ironwood's eyes went to Winter.

"...n-no. You're joking, right?"

Ironwood closed his eyes, and they regained that out of focus look. Weiss took a step back.

"H-how...how long-?" Weiss began.

"Ever since Ozpin died..." Ironwood said.

"What?"

"You need to understand, Winter was not my...first choice," Atlas' headmaster explained, "I was looking through countless different recruits. Harriet, Elm, Ciel-" the general stopped himself before he continued that list. He didn't want to say the next entry on that list, even with his Semblance active.

"But the more I looked...the less likely the other candidates seemed," Ironwood sighed, "So I asked her. And she...was bothered by it, at first, said she needed time to think. She accepted in the end. When I asked her what influenced her, she said that, the more she thought about it, she saw it less as a burden and more of an honor. A chance for her to do good, for Atlas. For our world."

"But Dad, that...that's not even a choice! Gain the power to save the world or do nothing? Winter would have never said no!" Weiss countered.

"...I know," Ironwood lowered his head and his gaze, looking at his gloved, synthetic hand, and the light returned to his eyes, "When I first asked her, I felt sick. It felt like the words would get caught in my throat, and I actually prayed that they would. I could just...brush it off. But I still asked her. Before the Battle of Haven, I took a risk. I stopped her from visiting Fria for a few minutes. She's meant to visit daily, more than once if time permits..."

"She has that little time left?" Weiss asked.

"Any day now, she could...pass. But I still took the risk. I asked Winter if she was certain that this is what she wanted. I had practically chosen her destiny for her, locked her on this path. She looked at me, dead in the eye, and said that she had made the decision her own. She takes pride in the choice. She's even gone into great lengths researching other stories connected to the Maidens."

Weiss watched Winter interact with the Maiden. Weiss felt a mix of emotions swirling within her. She was proud of her sister for taking on such a huge responsibility, but also worried for her well-being. The thought of Winter being in danger because of her powers made her heart ache.

But as she observed the interaction between Winter and the maiden, she saw something that gave her hope. Winter's expression was one of determination, but also of kindness and empathy. It was clear that she didn't just see the maiden as a means to an end, but as a person with her own struggles and feelings.

"How have you been, Fria?"

"Bored. Atlas needs to add more to the catalog..." Fria motioned to a nearby TV. "How's the outside world?"

"It's going fine," Winter said. "My sister led her first mission today..."

"Weiss? That's good." Fria said.

"She handled it well. Managed to bring down a conspiracy against our father," Winter said, before taking a sip of her tea.

"A conspiracy? On the first mission? Heh, first official mission for me was hunting a Manticore that terrorized Crossed," Fria chuckled as she reminisced, "It is nice to hear that, though. To hear that she's carving her own way."

"I suppose we're both carving our own ways forward," Winter looked down at her tea, her face reflected in the liquid showing a more sullen expression, "In a way."

Fria put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not an easy path, Winter, but you're strong and capable. We all have our own journeys to make, and yours is no less important…" Fria sighed. "If I'd have known mine would leave me here, I don't know if I'd do it again. Especially with what I've sacrificed for my lifetime."

Winter made a face. "You've done Atlas a great favor."

"But what of the world?"

Winter paused.

"... there's a nagging feeling that I might have turned a blind eye to the world's needs in the process. It's a complex balance, Winter." Fria said. "Please…when you take on my power, find what I couldn't. Okay?"

Winter hesitated.

"I'll…try."

Fria smiled weakly. "Thank you, Winter. It's a heavy burden, being a maiden…especially with how you need to fight to stay alive…" Fria coughed.

"Are you-?" Winter asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine…just a frog in my throat." Fria sighed. "Maybe I need some rest."

Winter looked concerned, but almost hesitant to act. "I'll…let you do that, then."

Fria nodded and managed a more genuine smile. "Please. Just remember our conversation, and the world beyond. You have a bright future ahead…don't end up like me."

With a final nod, Winter left Fria to her rest.

"She could pass any day now. Until that happens, Winter's the only person Fria's allowed to see." Ironwood explained, finally.

Weiss' face fell. "...oh."

"It's her orders. For the betterment of Atlas…and a step closer to stopping Salem." Ironwood said.

Weiss didn't like that. This was…grooming, in some sort of way. Was he always planning to use his step children like that?

There was a weird pit in Weiss' chest starting to form.

It would collapse in time.