No celebrations were held that evening. Anyone not too exhausted to walk helped out with the cleanup. The horrific damage to the walls was assessed, rubble from collapsed buildings cleared. Injuries were treated and dead collected.

Lumina did not join these efforts. Selina demanded she go back to Beacon and put herself in the infirmary the moment she was free to do so. Any reassurances as to her wellbeing were brushed off. Hence why Lumina sighed and did as she was told.

Meanwhile, Qrow and Raven faced each other awkwardly. The twins had not exchanged a single word ever since the dragon died. This was how Taiyang found them, but he did not quite know what to say either. The silent trio received some space by passersby and a curt look from Glynda as she strode by. STRQ was reunited, if forever without their leading S.

Some more time passed before Qrow heaved a sigh and broke the silence: "Okay, this is getting nowhere fast. How'd you get bonded with Ruby? You've met her once."

Raven did not answer; she scowled, though not at either of them for some reason. It still hurt a little to have his once wife so near, but Tai could bear it; the pain was less than he expected.

When it became clear Raven would not answer, he leaned at the wall next to her.

"Let's put that aside for now. Thank you. For coming."

A glance went his way, then Raven nodded. That was progress in his book. Then again, he knew she would not stay for long.

"I... guess you're going to get a move on before Yang finds you?"

"Too late," Qrow quipped. He nodded down the street where the young woman in question approached. Her team followed, though Penny had been temporarily replaced with a shily waving Ruby. Only Tai's youngest was pristine despite being the youngest period; the rest were beat up, their clothes torn in places. Yang still moved with a grim determination despite the fact.

Yang's partner, Blake, glared at Raven over his daughter's shoulder. Tai knew it was a mistake as soon as he saw it; the glare was answered in kind when Raven noticed. Her intense stare was familiar to him, but the faunus girl flinched back. Weiss and Yang were taken aback as well, though Ruby seemed more befuddled.

"Oh, so that's what that looks like."

"I am still unclear what the problem here is," Weiss added with a pointed look to Blake. "Would someone care to explain?"

The faunus woman scowled and threw out a hand toward them. "This is Raven Branwen. Her clan of bandits is infamous all over Mistral. She alone has killed hundreds."

She was not wrong, even Tai knew that. He pondered stepping in, but his daughter pre-empted any attempt. Yang's head swivelled to Blake in surprise.

"What do you mean, infamous?"

"I am similarly stumped. It seems to be a matter kept locally?"

Ruby had listened so far, but now she piped up: "...I get the feeling you never tried looking up her name."

The quip earned her a glare from Yang, though Tai could see the very real hurt in it. Ruby wilted, having noticed as well.

"Sorry."

He saw Raven cross her arms from the corner of his eyes. She scoffed, a lilt of sardonic humour to her words: "Big words for a terrorist."

Her accusation was concise and to the point. Blake stiffened while the men winced. Raven spotted her weakness immediately and capitalised: "Don't think I do not know about your ties to the White Fang. How many did you kill, either by your hand or your actions? Do you even care?"

Now the faunus bristled, prompting a smirk Tai knew was meant to rile her up further. "Or perhaps you're angry that I put your fellows to the sword?"

This was new, though. Tai's gaze slipped to Raven just as Qrow asked the question on the tip of his tongue: "Wait, what? That's the first I hear of this."

He received a sideway glance from his sister. She did not seem bothered by the matter and began to explain almost idly.

"The Fang tried to stamp us out a few years back. Ambushed some of our scouts. I never asked why and I don't care to know. Once word got back, I ordered ten of their convoys raided and killed a hundred of their members, then paid a visit to Sienna with a bag of heads. They left us alone ever since."

Ouch.

Taiyang winced, as did Qrow. Chancing a look to the kids, he found Weiss having paled back to standard atlesean complexion. Ruby was gaping and Yang just stood in place, deeply uncertain. Blake's eyes widened, though Tai could not say if she shook in indignation or fear.

Qrow sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Why's it always extremes with you?"

"How else would they learn?" Raven retorted with a snort. "To be Branwen is to stand on our own. We do not want or need help from anyone and take care of our own problems."

"Uh..."

Though quiet, Ruby's interruption drew their attention back to the other group. She pointed to her still rooted sister.

"Maybe take care of this problem, then?"

Ruby did not dare meet Raven's annoyed gaze, but Tai noticed that she in turn did not meet Yang's. Ruby sighed.

"...yeah, this will be a long night."

Which was when Tai reached her. He took his daughter by the hand, then nudged Blake's shoulder to get her moving. Qrow did similar with Weiss, though he threw a look back to his twin.

Soon only mother and daughter remained. Neither sought the other's gaze. After some time Raven firmed up and motioned for Yang to follow, but she remained in place.

"Why," the younger woman finally asked. "Why did you leave?"

Raven closed her eyes at that. She made to speak but no words left her. No noise sounded whatsoever. Yang watched several aborted attempts with growing confusion. In the end her mother shook her head.

"I can't tell you."

A flat "What?" was all Yang could get out at first. Anger pulsed through her veins, eyes narrowed. She took a single, aggressive step. Her voice rose as well. "What do you mean you can't? You left us, left me! Say something!"

She did not quite notice that Raven had become ashen-faced. She would not care either. Still the older woman shook her head.

"...I can't."

"Why?!"

"I just can't. I could give you the spiel about earning it, but that lie grew stale by now. Not to mention a bad lie, considering the power you displayed today."

Her words did nothing to soothe Yang's anger; lilac eyes turned red, now matching her mother. Seeing this, Raven began to frown at her.

"Calm down already, a temper like that will get you killed someday."

"Like you even care!" she shouted; her mother flinched as if struck, but she did not even notice. "You run away, I haven't seen you in forever, and now you don't even tell me why!" Her voice carried, but people wisely left the pair alone. "Does Dad know? Qrow?"

Raven waited a few seconds, visibly fighting with herself. Yang's feelings calmed a little, though they still simmered. Her mother answered the question then: "...no. Only Summer knew and she took my reasons to the grave."

Yang grimaced, more than a little angry that this woman dared bring Summer into this. At the same time, a realisation ran through her system with shocking clarity: she would not get answers by screaming, no matter how much she wanted to scream right now. It took a herculean effort to clamp down on her anger, but she managed somehow. She needed to know more than she needed to vent.

"Do you... know how she died? Or why?"

This time she noticed her mother's expression twist.

"I don't know how," Raven began. "But I know who is responsible."

Akin to her daughter earlier, her voice turned venomous. Whatever she was about to say however, she swallowed the words with a glance to the civilians in hearing distance.

"But that is not for right here. I have the feeling you will be involved in it soon enough. Ozpin likes his tin soldiers. What I can tell you is that it was his assignment Summer went on. She told no one what it was, not even me."

"What does Ozpin have to do with it?" Yang could not help but ask. She only talked to the headmaster once, but he never struck her as a bad man.

Her mother huffed in response.

"That man has played the most dangerous game since before you or I were born. Do not think him benevolent."

Yang's first response to that was a snort. She wanted to snipe back so bad, but at the same time she was aware this would not get her anything. Pinching the bridge of her nose in an unconcious imitation of Weiss, she took a moment to calm herself. She failed, but it was enough to not snap.

"Okay. Okay. Just, what can you tell me?"

Raven studied her daughter for a long moment. Then she motioned to follow once more; this time Yang did.

Meanwhile, Weiss and Blake were still led along to meet up with SNNL. Ruby trudged along much like her father and uncle. Afternoon already arrived as people worked to handle the damages around the walls; the only Grimm that made it into Vale proper were airborne or dropped by the dragon.

Weiss continuously noticed the way peoples' expressions brightened at the sight of them as they walked through town. Smiles, waves, and words of gratitude were offered to them. Even the faunus they came by were happy to see her. It felt oddly fulfilling, now that she had time to breathe; she helped protect all these people.

Then Selina appeared in front of them, staring at Yang's father with something akin to reverence.

"Okay, man. I've got to say, you must have the biggest balls on the planet."

Everyone was caught off-guard by that. The redhead was undeterred by the hesitant silence and just kept going: "Like, putting a child in Raven Branwen?"

Qrow began to cackle at that and Ruby giggled. Everyone else continued to stare at Selina, who crossed her arms.

"What? It's true!"

Taiyang let out a faintly amused huff at that. Weiss was just glad he did not appear to feel insulted at all.

"She used to be more mellow back when we were students," he explained kindly. "She was the R in STRQ."

His words were taken with disbelief from the quartet of mistralians, prompting a chuckle. "A little bit, at least. Our leader had a tight leash on her."

"Like, a literal leash? What kind of kinky shit were you lot up to?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Qrow indulged Selina's crude commentary with a smirk. Were Weiss not raised to higher standards, she might have considered joining Ruby with the gagging noises in the background.

"Can we not?" Taiyang requested with a motion to his daughter. "My youngest is right there."

"She's also a Huntress, Tai."

Somehow their exchange gave Selina pause. "Wait a sec," she requested before turning to Ruby. "That means you're Raven's kid, too?"

This gave Ruby pause. She interrupted her immature display, blinked, and shook her head. "Uh, no. Yang and I have different moms. My mom was the fourth member of the team."

Pyrrha swiftly used the golden opportunity to change the subject further away from whatever the last generation got up to: "Would we have heard of her as well?"

The question interested Weiss, too. She stood next to a living legend and met several other elite hunters over just the past few hours, after all. Unfortunately, Qrow and Taiyang exchanged looks before shrugging in unison.

"Don't know if you ever did," Qrow responded after a short pause. "Summer wasn't big on reputation, she just got the job done."

"Any chance we can meet her?" Selina chirped, only to realise the mistake when both men grimaced. Ruby averted her gaze, immediately earning Weiss's sympathy. Selina awkwardly ran a hand through her bright red mane.

"Oh. Sorry."

The younger girl shook her head. "You couldn't know, it's okay. I'm still luckier than some." At that her mood shifted as she put on a mostly honest grin. "I mean, I've got a cool uncle and aunt. And my dad can whoop ass, too. Sometimes."

"Hey!"

Ruby blew her father a raspberry and immediately hid behind Pyrrha, who was the broadest student nearby. Some laughter followed and somehow, miraculously, the mood lifted. Even Weiss found herself feeling a little lighter. She could not help but appreciate Ruby once again.

The day went on filled with work from there. A second shift took over shortly before sunset; Beacon's higher years and faculty patrolled the destroyed walls to ward off Grimm. First- and second years were sent back to rest and relieve their upperclassmen after breakfast.

Lumina was exempt from all this once again; she had been in the infirmary for hours and ultimately fell asleep there, too. Her slumber was an uneasy one as she meditated within her Dream. An empty expanse basked in twilight was all that surrounded her. Right above the mental construct of her current body rested a silken cocoon. The Crowned Light remained but a pupa, still weak but slowly growing once more.

She could feel it here, the many minds her light connected. It burrowed deep into the memories of Vale that day. Not deep enough to never be forgotten except for some, but it was a start. Had she truly wanted to test her reach and control, she could have offered them unity like she unconciously did with Ozpin. To become one within her light.

Lumina still pondered whether she should make the attempt when a spike of pure black pierced the horizon. Then excruciating pain woke her.

Her eyes snapped open and a gasp died in her throat. The woman standing over her bed slowly came into focus; she could make out little of her features in the moonlight shining through the window. Even if there were more, tears clouded Lumina's vision. Some sort of void matter pierced her chest, tearing at her essence. The pain was unlike anything she ever felt before, her self being slowly gobbled up by the void.

But she knew it, too. Memories flooded Lumina's addled mind unbidden; being confined within the Hollow Knight while the Wyrm snuffed out all memories of her. Raging against her living prison to no avail. The battle with that other vessel, as ineffective then as it was today.

Cinder Fall was unaware of the torrent of anger sweeping through Lumina, so visceral the moth could not even scream. She smirked down at her victim, gleefully feeling for the magic draining from her soul. Another Maiden, most likely; someone Ozpin sought to protect. Had it been brighter, she may have noticed the irate glare levelled at her. Had she been more adept in matters of spirit, she may have felt Lumina's Essence shift.

All she focussed on was the magic; it only came trickling in, but that did not matter. Resistance was futile before Salem's designs.

That was her last clear thought.

Something lurched, more felt than seen. Then blinding light surged through the Grimm matter connecting them. Cinder had no chance to react; she only let out a choked gasp as something infinitely her greater invaded her mind.

Her body fell slack while the light coursed through her veins; Cinder could no longer see the girl whose soul she was about to steal. She floated under an endless horizon, eyes never leaving the mere cocoon in the distance.

She fell, lost who she was as streamers of light engulfed her. They offered peace and unity she did not want, but she had no choice. She tried to struggle, but it was futile.

Her final concious thought was that this was not fair. She had so much yet to do!

Then Cinder Fall ceased to exist. Her sense of self was extinguished, her very soul burned away by the furious light. Nothing else remained in her body; void matter was burned away, the foreign Essence tied to Cinder's was released. It fled at once, drawn back to where it belonged. Lumina let it go, too focussed on her assailant to care.

The corpse of Cinder stared down at her now, eyes a gleaming orange. Then she blinked and returned to a normal colour. Both smirked in unison as aura healed the marks on Lumina's chest.

Lumina sorted through her Essence while maneuvering her newly acquired, second shell away. Imprints of the other woman's Essence remained even after she eradicated her. Some of them were strong enough to learn from.

She learned that this woman was an agent of a power acting in the shadows. She learned of what the children of Remnant called magic, tied to four Maidens that each held the key to a powerful artifact. Cinder stole half the Essence of one Maiden before, but failed. Her elite team was destroyed. She deemed Lumina a target of opportunity, infiltrated Beacon with the other people seeking shelter.

Then Lumina found the name of the one who sent Cinder: Salem. Every fibre of these imprints resonated with awe, fear, and envy at the name; though Lumina was intrigued, she knew to be cautious. This was a name she never heard before.

She fell back asleep over these ruminations. Yet while one body rested, the other one she now owned was puppeted away. She could not afford Cinder being seen. Her knowledge ran out like water through a sieve, so she picked up whatever she could; only muscle memory remained within the hour, useless without a weapon of her own. Cinder used to make hers from glass with a Semblance that was now gone.

Unbeknownst to her, the puppet body only made it out unseen after the lightshow because Ozpin was distracted; ringing alerts from Amber's life support told him that the comatose Maiden woke up.

As it were, Lumina slept through the night while her new slave brought distance between herself and Vale. The next morning she woke to an excited Ruby by her bedside. Her partner (?) was quietly talking to the girl Lumina injured yesterday; Penny, her memory delivered after a moment.

The redhead's shoulder was bandaged, although she did not seem to be in pain. At most Penny twitched on occasion. She also seemed mildly uncomfortable with whatever had Ruby so excited.

Lumina sat up and looked outside, not acknowledging how conversation ceased. She blinked at the window right by her bed, then sighed.

"I missed dawn."

It was the first time in her life as Lumina. At least Cinder was present to see the sun rise.

"I guess you did," Ruby said, reminding Lumina of her presence. The other girl waved. "Hey."

"Hello."

She glanced from Ruby to Penny, who wilted away somewhat and refused to meet Lumina's gaze. The moth frowned, well aware this was her fault. She did not quite want to apologise, but forced herself to do it anyway: "And my apologies for your shoulder. I was not thinking clearly."

Thankfully, this small concession was all it took to make Penny look at her.

"It is alright, I am not mad," she assured her softly. "I just, don't understand? What did Ghost do to make you so angry?"

Her halting question soured Lumina's mood immediately; both girls noticed, but she let it go with another sigh.

"Everything. Everything I face today is this thing's fault. Please do not bring it up in my presence again."

"O-Okay." Despite saying so, Penny began to fidget awkwardly. "Just, maybe, one more question?"

Lumina twitched, but nodded. "Very well, as recompense for your injury. What is it?"

"Yeah, um, that. No one I asked had any idea what Ghost is. I never figured out any pattern to his actions. He can answer questions but only some of them. He can learn all kinds of things but not others. He is weird and I do not understand."

That was an unexpected angle. Lumina sized Penny up for a long moment, but found only honest curiousity. She snorted at the irony.

"Of course you find no pattern. There is none. You also suffer from the misconception the vessel is male, that it has a gender at all. It is a thing bearing no mind to think, no will to break, and no voice to cry suffering. A being of the void, just like the creatures of Grimm. All it can do is learn, never understand."

Ruby had listened intently, but Penny's eyes grew wide. "There is no way! Ghost can't be a Grimm!" she called. And she was right, in a sense.

"It isn't," Lumina agreed. "But they are close enough. All this thing lacks is the pre-programmed aggression toward humans and faunus. But if you attack it, it will kill you without hesitation or mercy."

Penny became agitated by her derisive tone, but refrained from a rebuttal. Lumina almost dared her to defend the vessel. In the end it was Ruby who broke the somewhat tense silence.

"Mind if I chime in? I've got a question, too."

Both girls turned her way as she kept going: "There was something Grimm said that bothers me. I mean, Grimm Grimm, not the creatures." She was already understood, but Lumina nodded regardless. "He said something that you're a moth because of a radiance, but it just makes no sense. I mean, I know you're an alien, so Ghost probably is too, but... explain, please?"

While Lumina became thoughtful, Penny was simply befuddled by the subject matter. She did not get a chance to ask questions because Lumina spoke first.

"Do you value your sanity?"

"Huh?"

"The last time I was asked a question in this vein, I agreed to reveal my nature. That person," she led but hesitated. It still ached a bit to remember that day. Yet their curiousity made Lumina finish the sentence: "He went insane and died in short order. I can give you words of my nature, but not proof."

If there was one thing she knew, it was that this should not happen again. Not without her actually meaning to do it.

Ruby was taken aback, though she accepted her decision with a nod. So Lumina spoke.

"I am The Radiance, light incarnate. Where Grimm rules the Nightmare, I claim the Dream as mine. And that is all I should say on the matter at this time. I'm sorry."

She wanted to say more, but felt it would be better to remain tight-lipped on the details.

It was so confusing for Penny, who tried to make sense of the situation while Ruby assured Lumina that it was alright. Much to the gynoid's relief, it soon became socially acceptable to say goodbye; leaving the odd faunus girl to recuperate was the correct choice regardless.

It was a quiet walk unlike earlier; it was a little scary how excited Ruby had been about Penny's nature. Now the other girl was silent, deep in thought much like Penny herself.

Soon enough the pair met up with Weiss and Blake; Yang remained AWOL. As it turned out, Selina and Blake already called Menagerie to assure the Belladonnas all was well.

Once pleasantries were out of the way, Weiss addressed Ruby in particular: "I did not get the chance yesterday: congratulations on obtaining your license."

"O-Oh. Thanks."

Despite Ruby's sheepish fidgeting, Weiss remained undeterred in pursuing the conversation. "If I may ask, what kind of training did you undergo to obtain such mastery?"

Blake rolled her eyes for some reason. Penny did not follow why exasperation felt warranted here; she was curious, too.

Ruby averted her gaze, though. "Well, uh, that's a bit hard to describe, you know? Part of it was Dad and Uncle Qrow, but the rest is, how do I put it?"

She glanced around as if seeking an answer while the older girls waited. All things considered, Penny went out on a limb and made a reasonable assumption: "Is it related to the odd occurences recently?"

Her question drew a little grin from Ruby. "Yeah," she agreed. "'Odd' is one way to put it."

As it became clear the younger woman did not want to elaborate, Weiss dropped the subject. Her gaze wandered and an immaculate brow rose.

"And there is our wayward Y," she announced. Following her gaze revealed Yang, somewhat disheveled and clearly tired.

Ruby immediately took the out and started bickering with her sister instead; Penny found it interesting to listen in. Apparently Yang and Raven spoke for a time of life in Mistral. Yang was also incredibly displeased with the fact Ruby apparently met her mother several months ago and did not say, but they made up in seconds. That was fascinating.

While their Y headed off to catch up on sleep, the rest made their way outside to switch out with the hunters on guard duty.

Only days passed until an atlesean battlefleet rolled in and took over safety concerns. General Ironwood had already been on the way and made haste when he heard of the attack. Atlesean Knights swarmed across Vale with mechanical precision to relieve the weary hunters. Penny was proud to be the prototype of such well-crafted machines, even if not a single one of them had turned out like her.

More to her immediate delight however, her father joined the expedition. He came to see her after months spent apart.

With Ruby being over the moon in regard to all those technological marvels around her, Penny decided to introduce what may be a new friend to her creator. Somehow this ended up including Lumina as well. And somehow, about as soon as introductions were made, the General himself joined them in the laboratory.

"I hope I am not interrupting?"

He entered the budding conversation with a hint of jovialty. Dressed immaculate in his predominantly white uniform and taller than any of them. "When I heard of two fresh Huntresses, I had my curiousity piqued."

Ruby immediately fidgeted under his attention. On the other hand Lumina scowled up a storm. With her being a faunus, Penny thought she understood her immediate dislike and spoke up.

"I can assure you General Ironwood's reputation is more crass than he deserves. He has no ill will toward faunus."

"That is quite true," the man himself agreed with a nod toward Penny. Then he offered a polite smile to Lumina. "Even if I did, I always acknowledge talent, skill, and achievements. Your contribution to the defense of Vale caught my attention." He offered his hand then. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Huntress Lumina."

The self-professed alien stared at the proffered limb for a long, agonising moment. Then she took it, though her severe expression never lifted. Penny worried, but nothing happened.

"My misgivings are not related to human-faunus affairs. I could not care less about your thoughts on the matter, General. What irks me is what you brought to this city."

"Pardon?"

As if on cue, Ghost strolled in. Penny was torn from her ruminations when Lumina glared at... him? It? Them? And pointed to the door with a seething "Out!", which Ghost heeded after just a moment of staring. Then Lumina turned back to the befuddled general and explained, her mood clearly soured.

"You brought an army of golems to Vale. All as one, all the same, none able to form a thought of its own. None with a will or the ability to deny their orders. Not one with a voice to express desires they do not have."

The moth's nose wrinkled in distaste, but Penny could not quite draw any data from that. She felt like the ground fell away underneath her. She was one of them after all.

Lumina did not pay her any mind.

"What difference is there between them and the Grimm, beyond the target you point them at?"

Both older men were struck speechless by her almost passionate speech. Yet General Ironwood recovered swiftly and gave a faint nod.

"I can understand your concern," he attempted to placate Lumina. "Rest assured that IFF settings can not be changed easily. We saw to every possible precaution before beginning mass production. If need be, a self-destruct is built into every unit to ensure they can not bring greater harm."

Penny fell still entirely. She never heard of that. Was there one in her, too? Could she be gone at any moment? She sought her father's gaze, but his focus lay solely on the conversation; neither of the other two acknowledged the Polendinas. Ruby's comforting hand on her shoulder, she barely felt.

"Commendable. And yet all it takes to create a second scourge is a single order. Perhaps not from you, but you do not matter in the grand scheme of things."

The flippant comment cracked General Ironwood's calm and drew an irritated frown. Lumina was undeterred. "Old age or unfortunate events can remove you in an instant. Who says the next person will be as stalwart a man as you? You paved the way for an army without loyalty. For what possible reason would you need that?"

The general clearly did not like her rhetoric. Penny was too distraught to ponder if Lumina had a point. She only saw how his expression hardened.

"If I have the choice between hunters and good soldiers or a machine that costs no more than money to produce? I will send the latter every time. There is no cost too great to preserve lives."

She almost missed it. The violent flash of Lumina's aura masked it somewhat, but Penny saw: the way her expression twisted into one of pure loathing. Just like a few days ago, while she was fighting Ghost. Penny tensed up, as did the general... but no attack came.

Lumina exhaled slowly, eyes closed. She repeated this several times until her agitation faded.

"I see," was her only comment. She did not speak any further.

The two frowned at each other for long moments. In the end General Ironwood slowly inclined his head.

"It seems we will not see eye to eye on the matter," he mused. "Regardless, it was good meeting you in person. You as well, Huntress Rose." He once again acknowledged Ruby, who snapped to attention. After offering her a handshake also, the general made to leave. "But I can tell now is not a good time. I shall leave you be. Goodbye."

A smattering of responses followed him on the way out, but Penny remained quiet. She waited until the door closed before she spoke. Only a single question coursed through her mind; she needed to know even though she dreaded the answer.

"Is there, is there a self-destruct in me, too? Am I just a disposable drone?" Like Ghost, she did not ask. Her distress caught attention around the room either way.

"Of course not!" Her father shouted, both pained and worried. His spider-chair stalked over as fast as it could, then he hugged her tight to his chest. "I took it out of you the moment you started to think for yourself. James never asked to put it back in and if he had, I would have taken you away."

His embrace was comforting, as were his words. Yet Penny could not help but seek Lumina's gaze. The moth studied her curiously.

"Your Essence is true," she commented after a minute. A faint frown marred her features. "But not yours, is it?"

Father and daughter turned to the moth, who glanced between them. Her eyebrows rose slowly. "I see now," she declared. "You put part of your own essence, your soul, into her. From there it grew into its own, forming new life."

Penny's head whipped around. Her father had grown more pale, all but confirming Lumina's words. Meanwhile the faunus girl offered a genuine smile.

"Impressive. You have my respect, Doctor."

"W-Wait," Ruby interjected. "How would anyone do that?"

"Through careful manipulation. Perhaps a Semblance was involved as well. Either way, it is remarkable."

Penny was just dumbstruck. She did not know how to feel. Her joy nearly overflowed from the knowledge that Pietro Polendina gave her this gift; at the same time doubt settled with the fact it was not her own soul but his that gave her life.

She absently heard Ruby backtrack, glad it took attention off of her: "Can we, uh, go back a bit? Why did you get so mad at Ironwood? I mean, I get it, there's a lot to worry about, but this felt kinda personal?"

Lumina's expression soured immediately.

"The last person to think like he created those blasted vessels," she spat. "Nothing good comes of it."

She said no more of the matter and Penny was left to wonder once more: would she have been like Ghost? As the prototype of the Atlesean Knight, did this make her the proof of concept? Could the feat be repeated? What was she, truly?

No answers were found that day, only too many questions.