Hey, guys! I know it's been a long-ass wait, but my life's just been full of curveballs, and ideas just haven't come to me for the story. Well, with Volume 4 out now, I thought I'd upload something. I hope it'll satisfy you as I try to write through Volume 3.

Chapter 44: Dawn of a New Day

"The tournament will proceed as planned, Master."
"Good… and what of our pawn?"
"Fall is in position, and ready to strike. Her forces-"
"I am aware of Fall's situation. I am inquiring about Arcadia. What of his standpoint?"
"Conway? The events of the breach have rendered his weapons inoperable… but he has apparently been gifted a new weapon."
"Oh?"
"His teammates have constructed a pair of shoulder mounted energy blasters, both of which can be worn as a gauntlet."
"Intriguing… and what of its power source?"
"It doesn't appear to be possible, but… his Aura directly powers the weapon."
"Elaborate."
"None of his attacks utilized Dust, or even traditional ammunition. Every one of his strikes drained his Aura by a slight amount, but even with this handicap-"
"-his Aura constantly regenerated? Then it is as I feared…"
"Master?"
"He has absorbed the Arcadian Crystal."
"But… that's impossible! No human can contain that power! All those souls…"
"He is no ordinary human. He is not Remnant, and not Terran. He is something… more."
"Am I to retrieve the crystal, Master?"
"No. By now, it will have bonded to him. If it is removed, he will die. You must ensure that he does not unlock any further abilities. If my suspicions are accurate, then the cycle will begin anew, and our ancient foe will once again become our ultimate ruination."
"Our ancient foe?"
"I grow tired of talking. You have your mission. Follow it."
"Yes, Master."

The central square of Vale was still undergoing repairs, even after so long since the Breach. Scaffolding and construction signs were everywhere, as Vale continued to repair the area. Torchwick had been decried for the event, as expected, and the remainder of the White Fang that hadn't been mauled or eaten by the Grimm in the subterranean tunnels had also been arrested.

Thankfully, my rampage was covered up under the guise of some sort of super-Grimm manifesting from the fear and panic that had occurred. Not a very believable story, but the Grimm were mysterious and enigmatic creatures, so anything could be attributed to them. Besides, there was no other explanation for it.

"D? Everything okay?"

Looking back to the table, Yang was resting her hand on mine. I looked into her eyes, to see an expression of worry.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine." I answered, trying not to worry her.

"Thinking back to then?" She asked. I nodded.

"D, you need to let it go. It wasn't your fault." She consoled. I just sighed.

"It doesn't change the fact that I made it happen." I responded guiltily. As far as I was concerned, no matter how much sugar-coating people applied to my actions, what I had done to set them in motion was inexcusable.

"Look, D, we're not here to get each other down in the dumps. I asked you out just so we could get some time away. Ruby's back visiting Dad, Weiss needed to head off to talk with her family, and Blake's spending time with Sun. I'm not about to let you mope around in self-pity. So come on. Give me a smile." Yang asked. I looked up, and thought for a moment.

Ever since I had woken up from my coma, and agreed to showcase Kor's combat technology, our team had to attend to other matters. Weiss had been told that more of Atlas's military forces would be arriving to defend the Festival, and was to coordinate with her family's investment in the matter, Sun had asked Blake out to a gun show, and Ruby wanted to head back to her home, on the island of Patch, to take care of some "personal business". As Yang had nothing to do, and neither did I, she had asked me out on what we had agreed to call a "not-date". The day had been spent at the fairgrounds, spending time on rides and sideshow attractions, and we were currently sharing milkshakes in a local café, close to the central square. Scaffolding was still erected, and certain shops were closed, but life had returned to a sense of normalcy.

"Yeah. You're right, Yang." I forced a grin, causing Yang to chuckle slightly.

"That's the D I know. C'mon, I wanna pick up some more ammo for Ember Celica." She smiled, sipping the last of her milkshake, and signalling the waiter for the bill. But as she began to talk with the waiter, my grin faded.

Because I had become a monster thanks to something inside my system, I dreaded losing control. Not just because of the Fragment's power, but also because of that chemical cocktail that had made me go to the CCT tower. Even though I had racked my brain for hours, I couldn't remember my actions, although I had heard that six guards had been killed, and two more were found injured, one badly so. And because Ruby was the only one who could say that I wasn't alone at the tower, her story didn't hold much weight. I didn't know what could trigger the brainwashing, but I was worried that whoever knew how to do so would likely be allied with Torchwick.

People thought that because he had been captured, it was all over. But something niggled in the pit of my gut that that was not so.

"Hey, D! C'mon!"

I looked up to see Yang standing at the entrance, Scroll in hand. Putting a smile on my face once again, I jogged over to her. My new weapon, which I had decided to name Basilisk's Spirit, in honour of my previous weapons, and acknowledgement of the fact that it was powered directly from my Aura, could do with some paint, as it was still the dull steel that RWBY had left it when they had given it to me.

The sign above the door was simple and understated, but with a name like LUNE'S LUCKY WEAPONS, it was certainly eye-catching. I looked to Yang in bemusement.

"Sooo… a weapon shop?" I asked. Yang nodded.

"Yeah, Ruby and I get all the stuff we need for our weapons here.

The bell above the door jingled, and Yang led me into a modest little shop, which was manned by a solitary man, dressed in simple black-patterned clothing, and an orange-shaded dealer's visor placed over his bone-white hair. He smiled as he saw Yang.

"Hey, Sunfire! Here for the ammo?" He asked. Yang winked.

"Ah, you know me so well, Midni." She grinned. The man named Midni crouched down behind the counter, and pulled out a padded container, branded with a warning label of volatile contents within, placing it before Yang. She gingerly opened the case, and grinned at the contents. Sneaking a peek, I saw that it was laden with belts of shotgun cases, the perfect size for Yang's bracelets. Snapping the case shut, Midni looked to me.

"Can't say I recognize you, mate. You her boyfriend?" He asked. Immediately, I felt my cheeks grow warm, and looked away. Yang just chuckled.

"Actually, yes. Darrel, this is Midni Lune. He was a year above me when I was back at Signal. His dad owns the store." Yang explained. Midni rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I wanted to be a Huntsman, but I flunked my third year grad exam. So I just help my mom and dad with the shop." He stated. I looked confusedly at him.

"How'd you flunk-"

"Stupid mistake. Deathstalker snipped my leg off. Had to adapt my weapon into a prosthetic. In the end, it just got too much. So, I just decided to drop studies, and help my family's store." He explained.

Yang wandered away, and began to browse the shelves in the background. Midni looked to me.

"So, you're on her team?" He asked. I nodded, nervously avoiding his gaze.

"Yeah. We-we're on the same team. Led by her little sister." I stuttered. I'm not good at meeting new people, and it was a problem I'd had even back on Earth.

"Heh. I always thought Red Reaper would go far." He chuckled. I looked up confusedly.

"Red Rea-? Oh, you mean Ruby, right?" I finally realized who the nickname was for, and gave a small smile.

"Yeah, I like to give nicknames to people. I'm not good with names, but I never forget a face. So I just give 'em a name to help remember." He explained. I nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, you need anything, or you just waiting on Sunfire?"

"Actually, you wouldn't happen to have any paint in dull azure or matte gold?"

As it turned out, Midni's store had an entire wall dedicated to painting weapons. In fact, they even had a machine which would do it automatically. All I had to do was insert some coloured cards into the machine, place my weapon on the tray, and wait for the process to complete. Right now, the screen said that the colours of my backpack were done, and I was now waiting for the cannons to finish being painted. As we waited, Midni and I began to talk.

"You used to date Yang?" I asked.

"Yeah, but that was a few years ago. It was a good time, but after I dropped out, we kind of… drifted apart. So we decided to end it." He said. I looked away in nervousness.

"Hey, don't look so worried! It was a mutual breakup, and I don't resent her choice in partners. If she's happy, I'm happy." He reassured me. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that he wasn't one of those violent ex-boyfriends I had expected him to be.

"So, autocannons?" Midni asked.

"Yeah, I had a pair of wrist mounted crossbow pincer swords, but they were destroyed beyond repair during the Grimm incursion. So Yang, Ruby and my other teammates built it for me." I explained. Midni whistled in admiration.

"Niiice. So what kind of Dust do you use? Steam? Gravity? Burn?" He asked. I stopped dead for a moment. It was ludicrous to suggest that the Basilisk's Spirit was powered directly from my Aura. To any ordinary human, such a weapon would be counterproductive. Aura was a Hunter's main form of defence, after all. But what else could I say?

"Actually, it's a special power source. It's… powered from my Aura." I stated. Midni looked at me like I was crazy, then he burst out into peals of laughter.

"Powered… from your Aura?! Hahahaha! That's ridiculous! I mean…" He snickered. But as I continued to look at him with a deadpan expression, his laughter ceased.

"My God, you're serious. But… how is that possible?" He asked.

"I, uh… have a unique property. My Aura constantly regenerates, but I can't let it get too high." I stated, looking away at the painting machine nervously. Midni gasped.

"But that's… I always thought the threshold limit was a myth! You mean… it's true?" He asked in shock. I paused.

"The threshold limit? I read that before, but there's not a lot of details. What IS the threshold limit?" I asked. Midni looked around, and leaned in close to me.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know much about it, but I'll try and explain. A Hunter's Aura has a limit to how much their body can contain. It can be a little, it can be a lot. It varies from person to person." He began.

"But the threshold limit… that's the absolute maximum of Aura one body can contain. Think of your body being like a balloon. Much like when it gets pumped full of air, our bodies are pumped full of Aura. But if you keep blowing into the balloon, then it'll keep getting bigger and bigger, until it can't stretch anymore. Put any more air into it, and it'll burst like… well, a balloon." He continued. In my mind, I pictured the balloon growing larger, until it was to the point of bursting.

"So, if my body is the balloon, then if it gains too much Aura, then… I'll burst?" I asked. Midni shook his head.

"It's impossible to say. The balloon bursts because the air within needs a release, one which the balloon can no longer give, so it bursts. But if your Aura grows too high, then it'll require a release. No one really knows how it'll release. Maybe it'll be an explosion, maybe you'll transform into a god, or some kind of demon… like I said, the threshold limit is said to be a myth." He finished. A chill ran down my spine, as I thought back to the Breach, where I had become that monster. Was that because my threshold limit had been surpassed from absorbing the Fragment?

*DING!*

The sudden bell disturbed my thoughts, and I looked to the painting machine to see that it had completed its task. The tray opened by itself, and ejected my backpack weapons. They were no longer the titanium steel that had entered. Rather, the backpack had been dyed a rich blue, much like the colour of the clear ocean. The cannons themselves were patterned dull blue and yellow, in a sunburst fashion at the barrel of the cannon, and a diagonal patterned stripe towards the back.

"Wow… this is better than I could have imagined." I breathed in awe. Midni clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"Glad you like it, bud." He smiled. I turned to look at him.

"Thanks, but I don't really have a way to pay for this…" I trailed off, suddenly feeling guilty for unknowingly taking advantage of this man. I had no way of earning money, and didn't know where to go for some. But instead of growing angry, Midni chuckled.

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's a completely new weapon, so it's on the house." He grinned. I smiled back.

"Hey, sweetie, you ready to go?"

Yang bounded up, her arms laden with weapon modifications, packages of Dust crystals, and a couple of toolkits. Midni nodded.

"Yeah, Thrashold here just got his weapon painted. Don't worry about paying for that, though. My treat." He explained.

"Thrashold?" I asked. Midni glanced back to me.

"I give nicknames to everybody I meet, remember?" He explained. Yang gave a wide grin.

"Thrashold… that sounds so cool!" She grinned. I had to agree. Thrashold… it had a ring to it.

"Anyway, I'll get your payment sorted, Sunfire, then you can get back to enjoying time with Thrashold." Midni explained, escorting us both to the counter.

While Yang loaded up her bags onto the rear fender of her motorbike, I looked through the window at Midni, who was now serving another customer. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Friendly, funny, and easygoing.

"Hey, D! You coming?

Looking back to Yang, she was strapping on her helmet, and ready to rev away. Jogging back to her, I paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Yang asked. I sighed.

"Midni and I got talking…" I began, before stopping. Yang just looked at me confusedly.

"Is this about… him and me?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, it's just… he told me about the threshold limit. What it means, and what could happen. And… I'm scared of it all." I admitted. Yang just swung her leg off of Bumblebee, and wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

"D… we've taken precautions. You don't need to worry." She whispered to me.

"But you're talking to a potential bomb. What if something happens, and I can't stop it?" I whispered. Yang pulled away, and placed her hands on my shoulders, looking at me directly.

"Darrel, I'll admit, I'm scared too. But I'm not going to dwell on it. What I am going to do is ensure that my boyfriend has a good time today. So let's go and have some fun, yeah?" She consoled. I paused for a second before nodding. But as we walked back to the bike, an alert sounded on my Scroll. I looked to it, and read the flashing message.

"WARNING: AURA LEVELS EXCEEDING SAFETY PARAMETERS. DISCHARGE REQUIRED."

"Ah, sunofa… Sorry, Yang. Gotta go, levels are climbing." I explained. Yang sighed.

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you before our match, right?" She asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Sunfire. And I had a great time today. So… mission accomplished. See you at the tourney." I grinned. Yang smiled, and boarded her bike, rocketing away in a cloud of dust. As I watched her disappear around a corner, I tapped on my Scroll, hearing the jets on my backpack activate, and I rocketed skywards to a nearby roof.

"Okay, gotta find somewhere quiet…" I muttered to myself as I ran, vaulting over a dusty air conditioning unit. Leaping over an alleyway, I crouched down, and pulled up a GPS on my Scroll.

Ever since Yang had told me the Fragment couldn't be removed without leaving me at permanent risk of injury, I had to install a mod on my Scroll, allowing the device to track my Aura as it climbed, and warn me when it was about to reach a dangerous level. When that happened, it would let me know, and, I'd have to find a target to fire my weapons at.

Unfortunately, even during periods of rest, my Aura levels would still climb, albeit at a slower pace. Even so, if they weren't managed, I could become that monster again, or something even worse could happen. The jet thrusters were one way of maintaining Aura, but they only provided a few minutes of freedom before my Aura would climb again. Blasts from my cannons, however, were another story: at their weakest setting, it would be ten minutes before I had to discharge again. A full strength blast would all but drain my Aura to the red, to say nothing of the poor sap I had fired at.

But since the Breach, the Atlas military had taken control of security of the Vytal Festival, and their autonomous forces wouldn't take kindly to random blasts of energy in the middle of the city. Because of this, some of the places where I could discharge weren't viable. Patrolling security guards would have me thrown in jail faster that I could say "Whoops."

Still, I needed to discharge, and I needed to do so now. Looking at Vale's map on my Scroll, the city limits weren't far. I could find some weaker Grimm on the borders, shoot at them, and be back in time for RWBY's match.

Life wasn't perfect. But for the moment, it was good enough for me.

It's not my best work, but I feel like I owe you guys something for today. After all, I haven't updated in ages, and I know you guys want to keep on reading.

Oh, and by the way, I'm not abstaining from watching RWBY Volume 4 this time. It was torture having to go through Volume 3, and even more so watching the events within.