For one timeless instant, Lumina stared at Ghost just like they stared at her. Thoughtless. She could not comprehend their presence despite all previous suspicion.
Then that moment passed. All those present beheld her expression morph into a rictus of hatred; such pure and utter loathing coursed through her that the air began to shake. Lumina's golden aura crackled, sparks of light and silvery Essence whirling around her in an ethereal twister.
Ghost brandished a Nail made of finest atlesean steel in response. Their body coiled up, the challenge clear. They were still caught unaware when a luminescent beam punched a hole through their mask.
Plastic melted and fell as living darkness squirmed out of it. Ghost reformed and lunged, but Lumina disappeared in a ray of light. The ground tore where their Nail passed.
Their befuddled audience could only watch as beam upon beam perforated Ghost, who kept ever reforming to pursue. Their body warped and twisted, only to eventually spiral around the beams somehow.
"We've got to do something!" Ruby eventually shouted; her call roused the others around her, but nobody dared approach.
"But what?" Selina asked her. "I've never seen her like that before!"
It was true, too; while Lumina had been frequently annoyed, she was never outright angry. The power on display invoked fear in every single spectator and the fact their fight was almost completely silent only added to its surreality.
Then Penny arrived, drawn by the bright lights. Seeing what was going on, she immediately rushed forward in a panic.
"Ghost, no! Don't fight!"
Her words went unheeded; what was more, Penny was hit by an incandescent beam the moment she came close to the battle. It struck with enough power to break her aura, the half-second before it shattered was barely enough for Penny to evade the direct hit. The beam merely chewed through her shoulder instead of her reactor before fading.
The gynoid stumbled back and several people rushed to her with worried shouts. They were prepared for blood and bone, only to be surprised by silicon and steel.
Penny did not even get time to realise her secret had come to light because a blood-curdling scream drew their attention back to the fight. It echoed to the heavens, flattened the grass, and even pushed Ghost with such force they could merely stay in place. Lumina's impotent rage rattled Beacon and broke windows even from such a distance.
Their horrific dance continued then; not a single of Ghost's swipes caught Lumina, but the same was true in reverse. Excepting the first meaningless hits, Ghost dodged every single beam she threw at them.
Ruby checked her Scroll while more people approached at a rapid pace; Lumina was in the red already. Neither combatant cared for the crowd either. They did their level best to kill each other.
Just then Ghost gleamed; pitch black matter shaped almost like a head with glowing white eyes burst from their chest. The Shade Soul struck Lumina point blank, too fast for her human reflexes to spot in time. She still vanished to avoid part of it, but her aura broke the moment she reappeared. Ghost did not let up, continuously pressuing the moth as she adjusted.
Some had hoped her loss of aura would make the girl retreat, but she just kept throwing kicks and punches with a snarl. One particular kick flung Ghost upward, where they curled up and descended at breakneck speed. Lumina stepped out of the ballistic vessel's path, only to be blown away by an eruption of darkness that followed.
The crowd was stuck in place, awed and cowed by the forces on display. More than that, Lumina did not seem to give one whit about the bloody tears running all over her front; her clothes were already ruined, but she rolled off her momentum and pushed back onto her feet. Her aura crackled to life for just a moment; trails of blood began to run from Lumina's nose and ears over the exertion. Then light coalesced in her hand, forming a shard of ivory steel.
She roared again and leapt, but Ghost darted past her and jumped before delivering a heavy blow to her back. They hammered Lumina into the ground, where she landed with a pained grunt and the ugly crack of breaking bone. The Nail tore half of her left wing straight off.
Ghost landed in front of Lumina, who scrabbled for purchase as crimson rivulets ran down her body. She kept trying to push herself into a crouch even though her legs failed to move, her fury not abated in the slightest. All the while she spat words in tongues none of the others ever heard; from keening noises over mistralian all the way to a disconcerting series of clicks and clacks.
Ghost simply stared at their beaten foe, Nail held aloft.
Ruby wanted to do something, anything, but her legs were glued in place.
"Please stop," she whimpered, staring in horror at her broken friend.
Lumina refused to lie down even now; once she realised she could not rise, her arms stretched to barely reach the spike she made earlier. Ghost took a single step back the moment her fingers closed around it, leaving her reach.
"I believe that is enough," Grimm said just then. He appeared next to the two and swept up Ghost, much to Ruby's relief. The void vessel looked up at him, as did Lumina. Only she was snarling. Grimm seemed almost pitiful.
"Sister, please."
Lumina growled something incoherent, prompting a displeased sigh from Grimm. Yet before he could even begin to reason with his sister, a distant roar sounded. Screams followed in seconds as people found its origin.
Ever more eyes turned toward the heavens in these moments. A massive, winged shape approached Vale at great speed. The dragon Grimm came barreling toward them just as a tenebrous tide flowed from the Emerald Forest. More beasts followed from other directions.
The sight of it reached Selina. She kicked her own hesitation aside, took a shuddering breath, and rushed to her friend's side. "Lumina!" she barked, "snap out of it already! We need you here, right now!"
Selina's vision swam the moment that hateful glare fell on her. She stumbled and made a few steps toward Ghost as if in a haze. Her body fell into a combat stance on its own.
Then Grimm snapped his finger and the haze lifted, leaving her confused. The tall man sighed.
"Now is not the time, sister."
"Not the time?" Lumina repeated, almost dumbfounded. Her anger quickly spilled over again. "Not the time?! Let me kill this thing already!"
"So it can kill you once again? And this time for good?"
Grimm's calm tone did nothing to affect her rage. Lumina tried to scream once more, but it ended up as a bloody coughing fit. No one quite knew what to make of this.
Selina fully shook off her fugue and knelt next to Lumina. She spoke urgently, unwilling to waste time on finding the right words: "I've got no idea what's going on and I don't care. You're the best we have and there's a horde coming. We need you! Snap out of it, please!"
Somehow, miraculously, her plea gave Lumina pause. For just a moment the moth listened. Her gaze wandered from Ghost to Grimm, then to Selina, and then to the approaching monster. She heaved a breath, then sagged with a wince.
"I... can't. I can't feel my legs. My wing is torn," Lumina murmured. "The flesh is weak, it obeys no longer. Just... go. Do what you must. I will not die."
The reminder of her body's state had Selina's eyes widen. She did not want to go even though she knew she should. Yet somehow, Lumina's reassurance sounded sincere.
"You don't really got a choice," she quipped back, that being the only thing she could do right now. Lumina scoffed in turn, a smidgen of her usual confidence shining through as she met Selina's gaze.
"Go."
Hunters swarmed all around them already. Much like Beacon's instructors, Qrow and Taiyang led groups of students into Vale. The crowd dispersed fully as those unable to fight retreated to Beacon. Among them however, that same woman who sized up Lumina before watched her with great caution. Cinder Fall did not commit, though; Ozpin was near, the risk too great.
People ran home to dig out swords, clubs, axes, spears, and other simple but effective weapons across all of Vale. Some that were trained returned to the streets with guns of their own. A pair of black-haired twins nodded to each other, flanking a hulking man who carried a bazooka. Dozens of suits followed in their wake, each one with a tommy gun in hand. Much the same, Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan left their residence in a bad mood. The crime boss grumbled about business as they brandished cane and umbrella respectively.
Children were sent into prepared shelters, their instinctual fear drawing the darkness ever closer. Everyone was afraid, in truth. But Vale refused to bow to the outside threat.
Artillery upon the walls opened fire to thin out the horde once it got in reach, but they only managed a single salvo; a single pressed button ignited explosives across the walls. The bombs detonated as one, shaking the earth and tearing great holes into the defensive perimeter. Every single weapon emplacement was destroyed, much to the defenders' horror.
As Cinder carefully hid her smirk, Roman's died in favour of something ugly.
"She better never show her face again," he groused. "Should've just, gah! Let's kill some Grimm, folks!"
His cane was raised to point ahead and a group of gangsters fell in line with him.
The beasts soon reached the walls and began to pour through their many holes, only to run into a shield wall. Gunfire rained from every window, every rooftop. Griphons and Nevermores of all sizes fell before they reached city limits. Few of the defenders had aura, but numbers alone made up the difference. Their raised spears impaled the first wave as it was pushed into them by the throng of bodies.
Yet larger monsters followed and began to push the spears aside. Shields broke as Ursa and Beringels rampaged along; the bears and giant apes were too large to hold against. People were pushed back and died all across town.
Which was when the Hunters arrived.
CRDL charged into the fray where Cardin bowled over a Beringel even more massive than himself. His team delivered a swift beatdown before the beast could rise.
SPBY minus Penny and plus Ruby hit the front line like a wrecking ball at the same time; glyphs sprang up to protect, Yang hammered the largest Grimm in sight back into its friends, Blake swung past to slice throats, and ten thousand rose petals danced between the three; they cut the younger, unarmoured Grimm to ribbons and thinned out the herd.
SNNL and CFVY arrived together on their side of town, parting the sea of Grimm. Civilians closed ranks behind them and murdered any stragglers.
And a raven watched the proceedings for a time. She soon took flight toward where the circling dragon rained Grimm sludge from the sky. The residue formed into newborn beasts about as soon as it hit the ground.
Only Ozpin and Lumina remained atop the cliff. The headmaster scanned the approaching horde while Beacon's own defenses shot down airborne creatures rising above the cliffside. He propped Lumina up, though she could not sit properly.
"Your spine is broken," Ozpin diagnosed sadly. Lumina did not react, even now she still fumed. He could not help but admire her grit.
"You are surprisingly composed for the amount of pain you must be in."
The young woman scoffed at that. "It is transient. I refuse to bow to this weak body's whims."
"Admirable. But I wonder, why did you let Ghost drain your aura fully? You should have been able to disengage with your speed."
"I was, but I wanted to crush this thing."
The folly of a bad temper reared its ugly head once again, drawing a faint smile on his face. Ozpin made sure she could not see it.
"I see. Nonetheless, the power of your anger is impressive and a little frightening. All of these Grimm were drawn by you."
It was not a question, they both knew. Lumina did not acknowledge it though, so Ozpin continued to muse out loud: "The death toll will be sizable, much like the damages to Vale itself."
Not to mention that little act of sabotage; he needed to find Cinder Fall, the time of observation was over.
He had hoped for contrition, but there was no such thing in sight. Lumina squirmed, grimacing as she felt over her torn wing.
"I can't do anything about it now," she murmured. "This is too much damage for aura to heal."
Lumina transitioned into a proper scowl, but did not elaborate further. It was in equal parts tragic and worrying.
"Ordinarily, yes. You only just obtained your license, but the damage to your body will either require extensive prosthetics or retirement. I imagine you dislike both of these options?"
Again his question remained unanswered, but he could read her feelings out of her expression. Ozpin nodded gently. "I understand. If you could act, what would you do?"
The response took a moment. An oddly thoughtful mood struck her, which the headmaster found peculiar. Her answer was simple, though: "...kill them. As many as I can."
"And why?"
"Because I hate them."
She left a pause after that, long seconds filled only with the noise of battle and calls of beasts. Then she haltingly added another reason: "And... because I want to."
Unspoken words echoed in every single one she did say; this girl, this young woman, cared. And that surprised even her. That was all he needed to know.
Kneeling by her side, Ozpin offered a gentle smile. "Then let me offer you a gift. Call it congratulations for passing the examination."
His fingers began to gleam with a rainbow of colours, magic long forgotten. They gently connected with her exposed collarbone. Lumina watched curiously, felt her body slowly knit itself back together. Wounds closed, her spine reconnected and feeling returned to her numb legs. What was more, her clothes mended alongside her wing.
As Ozpin channelled more power into her to complete the restoration, her own Essence rose to meet his. When they touched, for just a moment, the aging man felt himself tranposed. He floated beneath an endless sky, eyes instinctually raised toward a sun that spread her tattered wings.
Her body was dreams made manifest, wrapped in ivory carapace riddled with holes. Where blood should leak, golden and silver motes of essence spilled out into the void. Three spikes crowned her head in reminiscence of a crown yet two were broken.
The mere sight took his breath away.
The Radiance's light shone upon him. She beckoned him into her embrace, to abandon his thoughts and anguish for the bliss of unity. For one timeless instant he felt the burden upon his shoulders lift. The man once known as Ozma felt young again.
But he pulled back, aware his duty was not yet done. Then he stood back on the cliff.
Ozpin swayed and gulped down fresh air as his body forgot to breathe out of sheer awe. The child that was not watched him with visible concern.
Neither spoke for a time, having forgotten the raging battle. The ancient wizard was too busy trying to understand what he saw; had he not known the might of true gods, the impossibility would have shattered his view of the universe. There was no other way to describe it, truly. It suddenly felt wrong to stand over a goddess and peer down at her.
Having sat up since, it was Lumina who spoke: "Are you... alright?"
A beat, disrupted by distant shrieks, roars, and screams.
"I believe so."
"...good. That's good. The last time a human saw the true me, he, er, did not take it well."
That explained a few things. Ozpin inclined his head reverently.
"I can see why you would keep such a matter secret. Most could scarcely comprehend the kind of being you are. But if I may ask, why do you pose as human?"
He was acutely aware of her narrowing gaze. With her body fully restored and aura recharging rapidly, her thoughts returned to the previous events. Pushing away his helpfully offered hand, Lumina stood of her own power.
"That thing is to blame," she spat, "and the Wyrm that created it."
Just like that she flickered away. Ozpin was left behind with melancholy and more questions than answers.
Within Beacon, Cinder dug deeper into her hiding place by a window; she was grinning brightly, yet there was no warmth in it.
Ghost wandered Vale as well; beings that could be siblings attacked, humans protected. The defenders mostly left Ghost alone for their lack of hostility. They were the first to notice, too; the familiar light shone across Vale. It illuminated the sky, bearing down on the city.
Rays of gold flickered between the moth's distant form and Vale proper. Some struck near where Ghost stood, yet not a single one was aimed at them. Not-Siblings around them dropped dead and dissipated.
People all across town looked up once the spectacle reached them. Roman and Neo paused in their work at a particularly heated chokepoint as an entire wave of monsters was slain before them. Selina disengaged an alpha Beringel just before its head received a sizable hole. The wolf's grin finally returned while her team marvelled. Penny saw it from within Beacon, having evacuated despite her desire to help. Her eyes widened in child-like awe.
Qrow and Ruby had just finished off a giant King Taijitu, cutting the serpent's heads on each end in near perfect synchronicity. They looked up when the nearby opposition died swift deaths and Ruby felt great relief at the sight of her newest friend being healthy.
Then a raven landed on her shoulder, cawing and flapping her wings. In the pause Lumina's interference granted them, she was faintly aware of Yang's cooing and the other two girls' amusement. SNNL watched as well, having met up with their sister team during the fighting.
Surprising even herself, Ruby was not embarassed today. She just shook her head at the bird. "I don't understand, talk to me!"
They stared at each other for a long moment as Raven considered her words, head almost but not quite turning to watch Yang right there. Then she hopped off her shoulder and reformed into her human self.
Everyone except Weiss grew tense in an instant. Raven ignored them all in favour of Ruby, pointing toward the dragon circling above. "Stop wasting your time with small fry. They will keep coming until that one falls."
Ruby followed her motion and squinted. The beast kept its distance from Lumina, its hide and armour too thick to destroy casually. It seemed the moth priorised thinning the herd to make the most of her aura reserves.
"...good point," Ruby agreed. "I think I can get up there."
"Good, do it."
"It's too fast for us, though," Qrow argued. He was not at all happy with the idea of sending his niece against such a beast on her own.
Raven stared at him for a long moment, then made an imperious motion skyward. Ruby obeyed without another word and a flood of rose petals ascended.
That done, Raven turned to glare at the two first-year teams in the meantime; most of them were mistralians. Nora and Blake quaked in their boots, Ren's lips were pressed into a thin line. Selina simply stared, too befuddled to act. Pyrrha was frozen as well.
"What... Mom?"
She gave no outward reaction to Yang's surprised and somewhat tender tone. Even if she did, the chorus of "What?!" from most of her daughter's classmates distracted her. Disbelieving stares were now levelled at Yang instead.
"Not now," Raven declared.
"But-" "Not now."
Having cut off her daughter, Raven threw her hand out to indicate the city of Vale. She could tell how much it aggravated Yang. The girl really needed to control herself better.
"Okay," Selina started slowly, speaking to herself. "Met Raven Branwen and she's a Milf. Never thought that's gonna happen."
She only realised she said that out loud when Qrow barked a laugh and she found herself the target of Raven's piercing glare. She wilted away under it while her fellow students stared in horror. "...sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud. Please don't kill me?"
The other woman closed her eyes for a long moment. Against all expectations, she ultimately turned around without a word to watch Ruby's ascent. A few Grimm that tried for their group were slaughtered by the force of elite students and actual hunters.
Raven spoke as the fog dispersed: "She's there. Qrow."
A chopping motion opened a crackling, crimson portal. Both twins leapt through and reappeared atop the flying beast. Qrow shouted over the rush of air while they found footholds between its scales: "Wait, since when can you portal to her?"
He received no response as Raven started hacking into their target. Seeing that this was a lost cause, he followed his sister's lead. Ruby rushed around them, appearing this way and that. Neither twin noticed how silver light glittered in her eyes, they only heard the beast's fearful screech. It reverberated through the massive body. The Grimm tried to shake them off but failed.
A flash announced Lumina's arrival, though she vanished upon spotting them. Rather, rays of light continued to hammer the Grimm still flooding into Vale.
The tide began to falter ever so slowly. Black mist blotted out Remnant's sun for a while, but her own light yet shone. Creatures of Grimm were fought back all across town; hunters low on aura retreated to recover, defenders cycled out. Children and teenagers too young to join carried supplies around. Food and drink, bandages and ammunition. Doctors and nurses worked across town, treating whomever they could.
At some point the dragon fell, whittled down by the unlikely trio. It barely missed Vale on the descent, crashing right outside of what was left of the walls.
After what felt like days but was actually merely a few hours, the final beast was slain. Adrenaline rushed through countless veins, a city abuzz with energy yet no more monsters left to kill. Slowly, almost warily, the cheers began to rise. Many wept for the loss of friends and loved ones, but the elation of having persevered drowned them out.
Lumina landed in town, well aware of the awed looks her arrival earned. She could feel the memories of herself burrowing deeper into their minds.
Then she beheld Ghost as they wandered in. Some gasps followed their arrival, but the perceived Grimm's docile behaviour kept anyone from making a mistake. Many looked to Lumina, whose tentative satisfaction morphed into anger. The damned vessel simply stood there and stared at her.
At the same time, she was tired. A week in the wilderness did not do her much good, but it was followed by two draining battles back to back. Noon had barely passed.
Ghost stared at her and she scowled back, but Lumina held off on another assault. She knew this thing was her enemy. She yearned to kill it before it killed her. She refrained nonetheless, painfully aware which of them would walk away the victor.
Their standoff continued for a minute or two, then Ghost simply turned around and walked away. The sheer irreverence baffled Lumina.
"Just like that?" she questioned the mindless creature. "You would... of course you would."
She heaved a sigh, having forgotten for a moment that Ghost could not hate her back. Their relationship was entirely one-sided.
The flashing of phones reminded Lumina of her audience. Some were still pointing, others chattering with each other. She managed a faint smile for them and waved, which a number of onlookers returned. Her duty done, Lumina flew back to Beacon; it was a long day that would only get longer.