There was a fire within her, burning hot and bright enough to keep her going through the harshest of circumstances and coldest of climates. She knew not where it came from, or when the first spark had ignited and begun to slowly spread through her very soul. The only thing she did know was that once that first arrow had been loosed at her from atop the gate mere minutes before, the pitiful embers within surged into a raging inferno. Her life behind closed doors had been full of spite and self-loathing for as long as she could remember. Within a span of hours, she decided to dedicate the remainder of it to vengeance.

The curved sword in her hand drew across her target's throat with practiced grace, bringing forth a thick and dark torrent of blood to spill outward across the blindingly pure snow. With a final effort and one hand upon his oozing neck, the dying man threw a final, desperate blow with his mace into Sparrow's side. Her aura flickered and crackled with a dull orange pulse as the impact was spread throughout her natural shielding and dissipated. With a snarl, Sparrow raised the blade in her other hand skyward, and the man began to levitate as he was ensconced within a shimmering field of energy. Her opponent continued his futile struggle and thrashing as he was unwillingly pulled into the air and flung sideways into a burning building. The sound of wooden boards collapsing atop him was the last that Sparrow heard from the guard before she turned, training her eyes upon the temple ahead once again.

She had known the man in life, however briefly. Though she couldn't quite remember his name, she did recognize his face among those that would gather and jeer at her comparatively weak semblance throughout her youth. The thought that the very same semblance had sealed his fate brought a smirk to her lips before she brought her swords together, interlocking them at the pommels to form a two-sided slashing implement. A shimmer of purple somewhere up ahead caught her attention, and she moved to chase the light from her ally's semblance through the snow.

Sparrow ran as fast as she could, kicking up snow as her braided plait of ebony hair fluttered in the frigid breeze behind her. The woman kept her grip tight upon her curved twinblade as she sprinted through the encampment, well aware that she was still in grave danger despite the support of her new allies. As she lost sight of Tyrian moving up ahead, she came to a stop between rows of wooden houses that glowed orange with flames. Sparrow pulled her black robe a bit more tightly around herself as the wind cut straight through the fabric. She could feel the blood on her hands staining the dark blue lining and armored plates upon her garment, but she didn't care in the slightest- there were far more important matters at hand. The young woman took a moment to look around, desperately trying to track the crazed faunus as he continued to teleport through the carnage.

All around were the sounds of screams being abruptly silenced and crackling flames as the homes she had seen all throughout her childhood burned around her. The stench of death was nothing new to the young woman, nor were the cries of terror. Everything seemed to blend together as she focused her senses to track her new target. Even so, she couldn't stave off the feelings of anger and betrayal that she felt toward the members of her clan. It was a hatred that had always been there, but never manifested into action. They had taken everything from her, and so, she would make sure that the last thing they ever saw was her defiant counterattack.

They were better trained. They had had more opportunity for advancement. They had family names held in a far higher regard than the Kenna lineage.

She had watched them closely, observing every weakness and flaw. She had shadowed their movements in secret, teaching herself when no others would. She was a one-woman army, and finally had the chance to prove it.

"You're enjoying this," Tyrian accused as the scorpion-tailed faunus emerged from a flickering portal beside her. The man had a manic grin plastered upon his face, his katars glittering with fresh blood in the midday sun. "So readily butchering your former comrades… and despite your expression, I can feel the satisfaction behind your scowl. For shame, little bird. They'll call you a monster."

"Comrades," Sparrow spat, both literally and otherwise. Her bangs were mattered to her forehead with sweat, and a small trickle of blood trailed from her bottom lip and down her chin. "They have proven that they are anything but… and they've been calling me a monster for years. Stop wasting time and push forward. The temple is just up ahead."

"Oh, but what fun is rushing?" the faunus replied as he clasped his hands and rubbed the palms together. "I want to savor every moment of the downfall of these arrogant fools. To think they could stand aga-"

"Tyrian."

Salem's voice cut through Tyrian's words, sending a chill through Sparrow's spine far harsher than the mountain air ever could. As though she had appeared from nowhere, Salem stood at the young girl's side and laid a hand upon her shoulder. Sparrow was unsure whether she would ever move again as her insides were overcome by an unfamiliar twisting feeling that defied description, as though something that didn't belong had begun writhing inside her intestines. Time seemed to slow to a crawl throughout the monster's icy touch, and yet, Sparrow knew that it had been only seconds since Salem had made contact.

"We will delay no further. Our statement of displeasure toward their inhospitable reception of us has been made quite clearly, and in this cold, the grimm seeds that your colleagues so diligently planted throughout the caves below will only last so long. We must capitalize on this opportunity while we still have the upper hand."

"Yes, oh goddess," Tyrian replied with a bow as he swept his arm across his chest. "Our victory here shall be gl-"

Again, the faunus was interrupted as Hazel emerged through a burning wall, his entire body smoking and his arms and chest coated stony armor. He held a man in black robes aloft before snapping his neck and discarding the corpse, which Leonardo barely managed to dodge as he ran up behind the larger man.

"Enough pointless prose," Hazel snapped as he stomped forward to walk ahead of the rest of the party. "We move now, as per Salem's orders. Follow."

The faunus did as he was told with an irritated snarl, while Salem strode along behind the pair. Leonardo was next, scurrying after his master as Sparrow hesitated, trying desperately to catch her breath. Moments later, Leonardo turned back, wide-eyed and terrified as his face was illuminated in an unnatural orange from the nearby flames. Sparrow could tell that there was something else behind his expression that he didn't dare to vocalize, but she couldn't figure out just what.

"…don't keep her waiting," the faunus warned in a low voice. "Salem… she's… I-I'm surprised she's letting you live this long…"

"No one lets me do anything," Sparrow asserted as she walked past Leonardo and back into the procession. "I choose to live, despite their best efforts."

"…and if she makes an effort to stop you from living? What will you do then?" Leonardo asked cautiously as he began to follow along.

Sparrow said nothing, keeping her eyes on the looming temple ahead as Salem, Tyrian, and Hazel spread out to stand side-by-side a good fifty feet from the stairs. A lone figure in an armored robe bearing the same markings as Sparrow's stood sentinel before the gigantic wooden door and its larger-than-life carvings. The guardian, too, seemed impossibly tall, the top of his head several inches above Hazel's and his topknot even taller. His expression was unreadable in part due to his bushy beard of dark, tangled hair, though his eyes were steely and unblinking as he sized up the approaching invaders. After a few moments of silence, the man hefted his zweihander over his shoulder before he began his descent at a measured pace.

"That's far enough, witch," the man commanded as he leveled the tip of his massive sword at Salem, managing to hold the weighty blade level with a single hand. "You will go no farther. Our order has maintained guardianship over the lamp for centuries, and it will not fall into your hands now. I, Kestrel Acero, will not let you set a single foot upon these steps."

"Acero?" Salem questioned with a rare hint of amusement in her voice. The woman folded her hands before herself, a smirk upon her lips. "Your bloodline still lives as well? Oh, this has gotten interesting…"

"In spite of you, we live on," the man answered, his teeth finally visible as he scowled across the snowy field. "Face me, demon. I lay my life on the line to protect our charge, no matter the odds."

Salem's smirk evolved into a full smile as she regarded the fuming man. With a dramatic inhale, the woman released a weary sigh, her breath forming a visible cloud of moisture in the air.

"No."

"No?" the man repeated, his stance growing ever more tense as he swung his weapon down into a two-handed stance at his side.

"You are unworthy of my attention," the woman answered as she turned her head to the side. "Sparrow. I take it you have affairs to settle with the would-be guardian. Deal with him for me."

Sparrow didn't move as she was called. All eyes turned to her as they awaited her response, including those of the clan members that had assembled in a loose ring behind Salem's men to block off any retreat. Slowly, Sparrow's attention wandered to Leonardo, who gave her a single curt nod. Without so much as a word, the young woman stepped forward to meet her opponent. Sparrow disconnected her weapon at the middle to form two curved swords and held them in a reverse grip, her stance low as the muscles in her shoulders tightened. Kestrel's expression grew more dour, his beard twitching as his lip curled in disgust.

"You would send one of our own to face m-"

"I am not one of you," Sparrow interrupted. "I have never been one of you, because you didn't think me worthy. You and your council were responsible for training and supporting the rest of us after the grandmaster had his heirs, and you decided to play favorites rather than invest in my potential. This has been a long time coming."

"You sold us out to her," Kestrel sneered as he nodded toward Salem. "Otherwise, she would never have found this place or made it through our defenses. We've been suspicious of you for years, Kenna. We were right to shun you after Qr-"

"I did no such thing!" Sparrow insisted as she sank deeper into her stance. "Leonardo sold you out- and I was captured while on patrol. At first, I felt guilty about guiding her to the mountaintop, but the more she told me and the more I see how you've reacted to my return, the more I feel like this is necessary. She can bring Arowana back to us. You and your brothers in arms are unfit to lead Those Above All!"

"Bring him back?" Kestrel questioned incredulously. "What, as a creature of grimm? An abomination in the shape of our master? You're delusional, more so than usual."

"And would he not live again, given the choice?" Sparrow asked. "Provided he retains his willpower, his physical form would be a secondary concern. You know I speak the truth."

Kestrel snarled and cracked his neck before closing his eyes.

"…then I am thankful he is no longer here to make such a decision. You stand no chance against me, bastard child. Come- let us end this embarrassment quickly, so that I might face a real enemy."

Sparrow sucked in a breath, her eyes glowing a smoldering orange as her aura began to pulsate around her body in ephemeral wisps.

"I will prove more than enough for you."

Author's Note:

Nice.

-RD