Qrow Branwen made it just in time.
He arrived at the top of Beacon Tower after scaling the structure as quickly as possible. He ran as fast as he could as soon as he saw that flash of silver light from the top of the tower, and he found Winter Schnee's little sister staring up in awe of the frozen Wyvern. Its black scales had been hardened to stone, and it was now forever perched on top of Beacon Tower.
"Where's Ruby?" he demanded.
Weiss said nothing. She was still so shaken from what she'd seen, she had no idea if she could even muster the words. Instead, she just pointed towards the top of the tower, and Qrow's face hardened. He ran into the tower and jumped from floor to floor up the elevator shaft, until he finally reached the top.
His face went slack at the sight of his niece and a familiar girl with white hair laying on the ground. A few yards away from Sera laid a pile of golden armor and the weaponry of Pyrrha Nikos, and just a few dozen feet away was the lifeless body of a girl with blue hair. Her sapphire eyes were glassy and blankly staring towards Pyrrha's armor. He ran to Ruby first and found that she was just unconscious and slumbering soundly, but Sera…
Qrow kneeled down and picked up the amnesiac into his arms. "No, Snowball…" he said worriedly, his hand going to the deep wound in her abdomen. The huntsman put his ear to her chest and two fingers to her neck. After a moment, he heard a weak heartbeat.
"Still holding on, huh kid?" He managed a smile and picked her up, minding the wound that was leaking blood into her and his own clothes. "Well, I guess you're tougher than I thought."
. . .
The huntsman finally managed to bring both Ruby and Sera down the tower after what felt like an eternity. Qrow had to leave the other girl behind, but he'd be sure to let someone know to collect her body for her proper rites. He knew he had to get Sera medical attention immediately. She was fading. Qrow carried her in his arms and had Ruby slung over his shoulder, and he could only move so fast. By the time he got to the far end of the courtyard where a sort of emergency medical center had been set up by Atlesian soldiers, the purple-eyed girl was pale and clammy, her eyes shut tight.
"Hey!" a slightly familiar voice cried out, and he looked over to see Weiss with a worried expression on her face. "Are they okay?!"
"Ruby's just sleeping, she'll be okay," his voice came out hoarse.
"And Sera…?" Weiss's eyes scanned the unconscious girl. Redness stained her tank top and jacket, as well as the front of Qrow's shirt.
He said nothing and looked down at Sera holding onto him weakly, her eyes tight with what looked like concentration. Qrow went to an empty stretcher that lay on the ground and set her down onto it and Ruby on the one next to her.
The huntress exhaled shakily, her body limp. More blood leaked out of her stab wound, and Qrow immediately pressed his hands down to apply pressure and hopefully stop the bleeding.
That's when he looked up and saw his other niece on the ground unconscious, a bandage on what was left of her arm. Blake Belladonna laid next to her, clutching her midsection and sobbing incoherent apologies.
"Yang," he murmured, his eyes turning soft at the sight of her missing arm. Then he went back to the more immediate problem and kept his hands on Sera's wound. "Jeez… you kids got torn up, huh?"
Weiss shifted in place, her fingers interlaced and clenched tightly. A single tear went down her cheek as she looked at her injured team.
"I…" she started, then choked back a sob.
"Come here, Ice Queen," Qrow gestured with his head. After a moment's hesitation, the heiress hurried over to him and knelt down on the other side of Sera, her eyes searching the amnesiac's body and widening at how severe the injury was. Qrow met her eyes and spoke in a gentle tone. "I want you to hold pressure on this, okay? I'm going to get someone or something to help. If I don't, she's going to bleed out."
"I—" Weiss said.
"There's no time to talk about this!" he urged. "If you don't do this, she'll die!"
She composed herself and tried not to smart off against the huntsman. Weiss held her hands against the wound, recoiling at the feeling of warm blood coating her fingers.
"Press harder," Qrow instructed, and so she did. He stood and looked down at the blue-eyed girl. "Keep your hands there, I'll be right back." Then he rushed off, his red cape billowing in the wind.
Weiss turned her attention back to Sera when she heard her groan quietly. "You idiot," she said, her voice cracking as more tears poured freely over her cheeks. "What did you get yourself into this time?" She brought a hand up to stroke Sera's cheek with her thumb, accidentally covering her face with a bit of blood before she went back to applying pressure to her injury.
Sera said nothing. Not like she even could. She didn't even dream, she was just… completely shut down, apart from her body reacting to the wound in her abdomen.
"Is she okay?" Blake asked weakly, her own injury from Adam Taurus sapping her strength.
Weiss looked over at her. Blake was watching them with sad eyes, her hand holding onto Yang's firmly.
The heiress shook her head gently. "She's dying…"
Blake's face went slack, her eyes visibly shaking.
Then the roar of an airship came from above them, and Weiss resisted the urge to cover her ears from its loud engines. The ship's thrusters blew wind that made their hair blow back. It landed near them, and Weiss's eyes widened at the Schnee Dust Company logo emblazoned on the side of it. The airship's doors slid open, and a group of Atlesian soldiers in Schnee Dust Company uniforms spilled out. They saw Weiss immediately and hurried over to her.
"Miss Schnee! Your father is here to take you back to Atlas—immediately." One of them barked.
The heiress looked down at Sera, then back at them and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Miss Schnee—"
"Do you even see what I'm doing right now?! My friend is dying, and you're trying to take me away from her!"
The soldiers glanced at each other. "We can take her with us. We have medical supplies aboard the ship and—"
"That will not be necessary," Qrow said out of nowhere and hurried to Sera's side with a medical bag in his hands. He rifled through it and brought out some medical wipes, a needle, string, and a roll of gauze. He looked up Weiss and smirked lightly. "You did good, kid. Keep your hands on her."
Weiss nodded and moved her hands just enough for Qrow to work. After cleaning the wound as best as he could while blood still weakly gushed out, he started to stitch her up, carefully pushing the needle through her skin while pinching it together with his fingers. The soldiers just stood and watched, waiting to carry out their orders.
Finally, the huntsman closed the wound and started to wrap the gauze around her midsection and tied it off tightly. Qrow exhaled and looked up, wiping his hands on his pants. He took out a small syringe from the bag and gently inserted its needle into the vein on her forearm. "This'll ease her pain," he said, then looked at the heiress. "You saved her life. You should be proud."
She didn't know what to say. She just swallowed the anxiety that's been building within since the battle started and nodded at the huntsman. Weiss removed her hands from Sera and held them on her lap, not even caring that she was staining her white skirt.
"Miss Schnee," one of the soldiers said urgently, and Weiss gritted her teeth and held her skirt tightly.
"You better go," Qrow said kindly.
She looked down at Sera's face, her expression now more relaxed while she slept quietly. Weiss didn't want to leave. She wanted to make sure Sera would be okay. If she wasn't…
Weiss choked back a sob and brought her eyes up to Qrow's. "But what about—"
"She'll be fine," he promised. "Trust me."
With a slight nod, she got to her feet and walked towards the SDC airship. After taking one last look at her friends, Weiss wiped her tears away and inhaled sharply. "I'll see you all again. I promise," she murmured, eyes lingering on Sera's unconscious body.
The soldiers ushered her inside, and in no time, the airship lifted into the air and flew through the night sky. Then Qrow heard the sound of footsteps quickly receding, and he looked up to see Blake Belladonna hurrying away as fast as she could with one hand holding her side.
Qrow brought his attention back to Sera and smirked slightly. "Seems she has other places to be. Well, I guess there's really only place to take you now, Snowball."
. . .
The following days were filled with worry and tension from all members of the Xiao Long family. Ruby finally woke up and was informed of the power held within her silver eyes, and Yang moped around the house like an injured dog. Then again, in a way, she was.
Qrow and Ruby cared for Sera around the clock, but nothing seemed to be able to wake her. Thankfully, her condition had stabilized significantly, but they got worried when she'd start tossing and turning in her sleep. No one knew what was going on in that head of hers, and she was the only one who really knew what happened at the top of Beacon Tower.
Sera's mind floated endlessly through an infinite, black void like it always did when she slept. Only now, flashes of her most recent fight replayed over and over, and she was forced to watch Cerulean and Pyrrha die again and again. On top of that, she was forced to relive the experience of being stabbed. Over, and over again.
Suddenly, a familiar presence filled her mind. She knew immediately that was Salem. Only this time, she said nothing. It was as if she was just watching Sera, and the huntress simply did not have anything to say to her. When Salem's presence faded, she mentally sighed in annoyance and went back to floating through the endless fog.
Days passed like that, only it felt like an eternity to her. That is, until one day, she woke up.
Her eyes slowly opened and saw a fan spinning above her. She blinked a few times in uncertainty and tried to sit up.
Searing pain coursed through her body and made her whimper, racking her abdomen with pain and turning the edges of her vision dark, so she laid back down. Sera breathed carefully, her eyes shut tight while she waited for the pain to fade. Once it did, she cautiously sat up again much slower this time. Finally, she was leaning against the pillows on the bed she laid in.
An IV bag was attached to a metal pole standing next to the bed, and its tube fed straight into her forearm. Sera narrowed her eyes and threw the blanket off of her, and you don't even want to know what she found. Embarrassment washed over her, and she yanked the syringe out of her arm. It hurt, but not quite as much as being stabbed.
Taking a moment to inspect her surroundings, she noticed that wherever she is was actually pretty nice. It looked like a cabin, with wooden walls and floors and a nice rug in front of the bed. Pictures hung on the wall of various scenery.
Sera swung her legs over the bed and carefully got to her feet, nearly falling over from how weak her body was. She held onto the wall and made her way to a pile of folded clothes sitting on a chair in the corner. After ridding herself of the particularly embarrassing garment on her lower half, she carefully pulled on a pair of red pajama pants and slid a loose-fitting white shirt over her head.
"Okay…" she muttered, then made her way to the bedroom's door while clutching her abdomen. After opening the door, she stepped into a long hallway and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. "Holy shit… I've only walked like ten feet and feel like I've run five miles."
She wasn't sure why she was talking to herself, though. Maybe she just missed the sound of her own voice, because she felt like she'd just woken up in Forever Fall over again. In an unknown location, at an unknown time, with who-knows-what right around the corner.
Once she felt like she could keep going, she slowly limped down the hall. The further she got, the more she heard voices in the distance. After what felt like an eternity, she made it to a set of stairs that descended to the first floor. She took one step at a time, wincing every time she went lower and lower.
Sera nearly made it to the bottom and felt her legs nearly give out under her. She hissed when her stab wound flared up and she had to stop.
"Hello?" someone said. A voice she didn't know, but it was full of warmth.
An older guy with blond hair and tanned skin appeared around the corner of the wall in front of her, his eyes widening at what he saw. "What're you doing out of bed? You're not well." He sounded tense, but his voice made it seem like he genuinely cared about her well-being.
"I'm freaking starving, guy," she said, clutching her abdomen. "Where's the old man?"
"Snowball?" another voice said, and Qrow appeared at the first guy's side. He smirked at the sight of her. "Huh, should've known one little stab wouldn't keep you down."
Sera tried for a smile. "Of course not. Did you think I'd lay in bed forever?"
The blond guy shrugged. "We were starting to, actually." Then he reached a hand out to her, and Sera saw a tattoo of a familiar symbol on his bicep. "Come on, I'll get you something to eat."
The amnesiac raised an eyebrow and glanced at Qrow. He just nodded at her, letting her know it was okay. She took the man's hand, and he walked her into a spacious kitchen. After helping her into a chair, the man went to a counter and started spooning something from a steaming pot into a bowl.
Qrow took the seat to the right of her and inspected her closer. "How're you feeling, kid?"
"Like I just got trampled by a Goliath, then frozen, then microwaved. Other than that, just peachy."
He chuckled lightly. "Okay, fair. But what do you remember about that night?"
"That can wait until after she's eaten, Qrow," the man said, turning around with a bowl of steaming stew in his hands. He set it down in front of Sera, and her mouth watered at the mere sight of it. It smelled awesome. She couldn't resist immediately picking up a spoon to shovel it into her mouth, only slightly easing off when she felt how hot it was.
"Jeez, you are hungry," Qrow laughed.
"Mhm," she hummed and shoved another spoonful of soup into her mouth. In between bites, she looked up at the blond man. "Who are you? Where am I? No offense. Gods, this tastes good…"
"None taken," the man laughed. "I'm Taiyang. As for where you are, you're in my home, on the island of Patch."
"Taiyang as in… Ruby and Yang's dad?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Yup, sure am," he said proudly and rested his elbows onto the table. "And you're Sera Calypso. Ruby had a lot to say about you."
Sera smirked, finally slowing down the pace of her eating. "Good things, I hope."
"Well, let's see," he started counting on his fingers. "Cocky, arrogant, full of herself, kinda sloppy in a fight…"
She huffed at his words and glared into her bowl. "Those first three just mean the same thing."
"But also loyal to a fault, cares deeply about her friends, pushes herself and others to do better, and has the biggest heart of anyone Ruby's ever met. Yang, too."
Sera looked up, her eyes softening a little. "They said that?"
"Of course," Taiyang nodded. "And plenty of other things. But that's not important right now. I know enough about who you are as a person to appreciate you for being such a good friend to my girls. So, thank you."
She didn't know what to say. Warmth spread through her chest at his words of how her friends felt. She smiled and spooned another scoop of stew into her mouth.
"Where are Ruby and Yang?" she asked. Her bowl was nearly empty, and the warm stew made her body feel full and hot. It was the best thing she'd had to eat in weeks.
"Ah," Taiyang sat back in his chair. "Ruby's out in the forest, doing some extra training. Yang is… well, how about I just take you to her?"
"Uh… Sure?" she blinked.
Qrow helped her to her feet, then the two men led her back up the stairs and to a door that wasn't far from the room she'd woken up in. Tai knocked on the door gently and leaned in close to it.
"Yang? Are you awake?"
"…Yeah," Yang's voice came through rather quietly. Taiyang gestured for Sera to go in, so she limped towards the door and opened it slowly.
"Guess who's awake?" she chuckled as she stepped inside, then her jaw dropped at what she saw. Yang Xiao Long was laying in her bed in her pajamas, with a bandage wrapped around a stump on her right arm, severed above the elbow.
The blonde's eyes widened at the sight of her teammate a small smile spread across her face. "Hi…"
"Yang?" she walked further into the room, and Taiyang closed the door behind her. She heard two pairs of footsteps receding, signifying that they were alone. "What… happened?"
Her face turned sour, and she looked at what remained of her arm. Quietly, she recounted the story of how she found Blake in a fight against a strange White Fang member with a red sword. She'd lunged at the man, but the results of the fight were obvious.
When Yang was done talking, Sera sat down on the edge of her bed with tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry, Yang. I don't even… I don't even know how I could help with this."
"It's okay," Yang said gently.
Sera glanced at her arm. "Is it?"
Her eyes fell into her lap. "…No. No, it isn't. I wasn't good enough, and this is what happened." She lifted her severed arm.
"What about Blake and Weiss? No one's said anything about where they—"
"Weiss was taken back to Atlas by her dad, right after Qrow brought you and Ruby down from the tower," she recounted, her face turning bitter. "And Blake ran. She just… left."
Sera was taken aback by that. Blake? Running away after Beacon fell? That didn't sound right. But then again, she has run away before…
"Ran away? I don't think she'd—"
"But she did," Yang looked at her with red eyes. After a moment, they faded back to lilac, and she relaxed into her bed. "There's no point in talking about it now. What's done is done. But… what happened to you? Ruby didn't know much, only that she saw you on top of the tower."
Sera flinched and began fidgeting with the hem of her white shirt. "…That's a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere," Yang glanced at her arm.
The amnesiac took a deep breath and began to recount the events she'd experienced, but she chose to leave out everything to do with Amber and the vault under Beacon, and the whole experience of being "possessed," or whatever the hell that was. And… what she'd done to Pyrrha. She had to keep that from her friends. By the time she was finished, Yang looked like she was about to cry. She couldn't really blame her, though. She'd started crying when she got to the part about Pyrrha and Cerulean. Of course, she didn't say that she had fought against either of her friends.
"Pyrrha is…?" Yang said in disbelief, like she just couldn't process that Pyrrha Nikos, the strongest student in Beacon, had fallen in battle while the rest of them had walked away. Others didn't survive either, but neither of them knew how many or who.
Sera wiped her face and exhaled shakily. "Yeah. Right… Right in front of me. Cerulean, too…"
Yang immediately leaned forward and hugged her tightly. Well, as tightly as she could with one arm, but it was still enough to make Sera squeak as her ribs were crushed and her wound flared up painfully.
"Sera… That's awful. I'm so sorry you had to experience watching her…"
"Yeah," she choked and put her arms around the blond, ignoring the pain. "There was nothing I could even do about it. She just… just…" she broke down and buried her face in Yang's shoulder, finally releasing all the tension she'd had balled inside since it happened.
Yang just held her silently and let her cry it out. She felt her shirt get wet from the tears, but she didn't care. She just held her close and stroked her hair until she was finished.
Sera cried for probably five minutes straight and held her teammate like she was afraid she'd blow away in the wind like Pyrrha. When her sobs finally slowed and her breathing calmed, she pulled away and wiped her eyes, her gaze lowered.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Don't be," she smiled reassuringly. "I'm your friend, Sera. And we need each other now more than ever. Ruby, too. Can't forget about her."
Sera laughed quietly. "Never." Then her expression softened, and she looked up to meet Yang's eyes. "I promise, something like this will never happen again. I won't let it. I'll get stronger and protect all of you."
Yang chuckled. "We can protect ourselves, Snowball. But… it is a nice thought." She smiled.
She nodded determinedly. "I promise."
"Seems there's no changing your mind," Yang said with amusement. "Hey, I'm getting a little tired. I don't mean to kick you out, but…"
Sera laughed dryly. "I get it, I know when I'm not wanted."
"That's a damn lie and you know it."
She shrugged. "Maybe, but I'll never admit it," she got to her feet carefully and made her way to the door. When she reached it, she turned to look at her teammate. "I'll visit you again soon, yeah?"
"You better, or I'm gonna find my arm and beat you with it," she said with a hint of sadness.
"You'd win, too," she smiled. "Bye, Yang. I'm glad you're safe."
Yang's smile melted and she looked to her missing arm. "…Yeah, you too, Sera."
"I didn't mean—"
"It's okay," she put on a false smile. "Now get outta here before I throw something."
Sera smirked and left her, closing the door behind her. She leaned against the wall and exhaled heavily. How Yang was going to cope after this, she wasn't sure. But she could do it. She knew she could.
Once she made it back downstairs, she was met by Qrow and Taiyang sitting at the table speaking in hushed tones. When Sera reached the bottom of the stairs, they turned to look at her.
"How is she?" Tai asked.
Sera shrugged helplessly. "It was almost like looking at a shadow of herself."
Taiyang sighed. "I know. But I think that seeing you up and moving helped. You know, she was sitting with you almost every time I went looking for her. Ruby, too. They care about you, kid."
Her heart felt full. She smiled and took a seat across from Tai and beside Qrow. "Thank you. For everything."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Taiyang said.
Qrow set the mug of coffee in his hand down and interlaced her fingers. "Now… What exactly happened in the tower? Everything. You can trust Tai; he already knows about your situation."
She chewed her lip anxiously. She'd already told this story, and now she got to do it all over again. Finally, she exhaled and started talking. Starting with when the Nevermore attacked Amity to losing consciousness on top of Beacon Tower, she recounted everything she remembered. Some of the details were a little fuzzy, but she did her best. Of course, this time she told the whole truth.
Once she was finished, they stared at her in silence. Qrow immediately took out his flask and poured most of its contents into his coffee. He took a long sip and set the mug down before meeting her eyes.
"Kid… I don't even know where to start. This is… big."
"…Yeah. I don't know what to say, either. When I 'changed,' I felt stronger than I ever have before. But when it happened, Cinder said, 'You look just like her.' And I'm guessing she meant Salem."
Taiyang was silent, gazing at the table with a neutral expression and focused eyes.
Qrow exhaled heavily. "I wish Oz was here. He'd know how to make sense of this. But—"
"You're telling me we've been housing a sleeper agent here?" Tai looked at Qrow, and the huntsman's eyes widened.
"Tai—"
"I don't know what it was," Sera interrupted. "Cinder said some phrase in some weird language, and the next thing I knew, my axe was in my friend's chest! But I took control back and fought Cinder in that 'transformed' state. Hell, I might've won! But when I saw my own face…" she brought a hand to the still aching wound on her body.
Taiyang inhaled. "How do we know it won't happen again?"
She met his eyes with a look of determination. "It won't. I won't allow it to. I didn't know about it before, but now that I do, nothing is going to control me like that again. That, is a promise."
He maintained eye contact for a few more seconds, then nodded. "Okay. Qrow?"
"I trust you, kid," he told her. "You've more than proved yourself. Ozpin may have had his doubts in the beginning, but in the end, I know he trusted you too. But to know that this Cinder woman now has the full power of the Fall Maiden… That's something to worry about."
"My thoughts exactly," Tai said. "What do we do now?"
Qrow laughed. "What can we do, Tai? Oz is gone, cross-kingdom communications are down, and Fall is in the hands of Salem. We're screwed."
Sera frowned. "No, there has to be something we can do."
"Like what, kid?" Qrow scoffed. "The only thing you should be worried about right now is healing that hole in your gut."
She tapped her fingers on the table. "Yang, Ruby, and I can finish our training. The other academies are still open, right?"
"Yeah, far as I know. But kid, are you sure that's a good idea? If Salem had people inside Beacon, she almost definitely has people in the other schools, too."
"I don't care," she shook her head. "They can try their best, but I'm not going down without a fight. And I'm taking that fight right to Salem. One way or another, I'm getting answers."
The two older men smirked at her. "Kids," Taiyang chuckled.
Sera smirked back at them. "I will take that woman down, even if an army of Grimm are in the way."
"I believe you," Tai laughed. He got to his feet and went over to a counter before pouring a fresh cup of coffee, then bringing it over to Sera. She nodded in thanks and took a sip, recoiling at its bitterness.
Once Tai took a seat again, he interlaced his fingers and looked at her. "There is one thing still bothering me, though…"
"What's that?" Qrow raised an eyebrow.
"The name Cinder said before using that strange phrase. What was it again?"
Sera racked her brain to try and remember. Truth be told, that name was the least of her worries, but the more she thought about it, she realized it was far more important than she initially thought. Another hint about her past.
"It was the name Salem told me was my 'real'name. Only now, there was a last name—Kallisto. Kassandra Kallisto."
Taiyang's face went slack as his eyes widened. "No…" he murmured.
"Tai?" Qrow asked. "You know that name?"
Of all things, Taiyang laughed and ran his hand through his hair. "This is impossible! You," He looked at Sera. "You should be dead."
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "…I should?"
Tai got to his feet and paced back and forth anxiously. "There's no way. Are you sure she said that name?"
"Uh… Yes?"
He looked at Qrow. "Do you not remember the story?"
Qrow raised his flask and shook it gently. "My memory's a little fuzzy, Tai."
He sighed and went back to pacing the room. "Kassandra Kallisto is a bit of a legend, from long before the Great War. There's not much on her, but the legend says she single handedly killed several particularly powerful Grimm that you don't really see often. Before the war, there weren't as many huntsmen or huntresses around to fight Grimm—hell, huntsmen didn't even exist then, so she made a name for herself by taking down the toughest ones to save a bunch of villages and towns. Then one day, she just disappeared. No one knows what happened," he looked at her in amazement. "If you're really her, I wrote an entire dissertation on you."
"I remember that paper," Qrow murmured. "You worked on it for two semesters straight." Then he looked at Sera to see her reaction to this new information.
Sera was speechless. What he was saying didn't make any sense. She gulped and set her coffee down. "Was one of those towns called Tseldora?"
Qrow's eyes widened. He remembered the story from when they'd visited to slay that Hydra. The hero of the town defeated the strange bull-man Grimm and founded the village. Other than that, he didn't know anything about that hero.
Tai thought for a moment. "I'm not sure, but the name is familiar. Why?"
"Sera and I saved that town, too. Hydra Grimm. She," Qrow looked at her. "Took it down by herself."
She shied away from the praise and turned her coffee mug in her hands. Was she this great hero that Taiyang said she was? It was impossible, for several obvious reasons.
"How would I still be alive, then? If all that happened that long ago, why am I here right now?"
"Who knows, kid?" Qrow said. "If it's true, then you're a living fossil. How exactly, though? …Salem has her ways of doing the impossible. Strange powers, and none of us know how they work. But hey, you might've finally uncovered just who you are."
She stared into her cup. This didn't make any sense whatsoever. She mentally repeated, "How?" Over and over.
Tai relaxed his shoulders and took a seat. "Kassandra—"
"Don't call me that," she snapped. "I don't even know if that's who I really am. And my name is Sera. Even if this theory is true, it'd be a miracle that I'm still alive. But I'm sticking with the name I chose when I got to Beacon."
Taiyang gave an apologetic look. "Sorry. It's just—Wow! Kassandra Kallisto, in my house."
"If it's true," Sera urged. Then she smirked, her usual demeanor returning. "Might keep that last name, though. Definitely sounds better than 'Calypso.'"
Qrow chuckled. "Sera Kallisto. I like it."
"Thanks, old man," she took a sip from her coffee.
Qrow frowned at that. "Still an asshole, though."
"Always," she smiled. "So, now what?"
"Now, you take it easy," Tai told her, crossing his arms and putting on his dad voice. "That injury is pretty serious, and you're still recovering. So, no strenuous activity until it's healed."
She groaned and sat back, wincing when her wound ached. "Fine. Can I see Ruby, at least?"
Taiyang smiled. "Of course, whenever she gets back. We can't have you roaming the woods like this."
"Ugh," she whined.
"You're not used to this, are you?" he laughed.
"I've got amnesia, dude. I don't even know what having parents is like."
"Well, they watch out for you, and do what's best for you. And what's best for you is taking it easy," he urged.
She sighed. "Okay. Can I at least have my stuff back?"
"It's in your room's closet," Qrow said. "I went back to the tower to get it, and some of yours, Ruby's, and Yang's stuff from the dorms. And…" he shifted in his seat. "Pyrrha's stuff is there, too. I didn't know what else to do with it."
Her eyes widened at his words, her face turning sad. "Okay," she said quietly, then got to her feet and went towards the stairs. Taiyang and Qrow watched her go, heading upstairs carefully as to not strain herself. When she reached the halfway point, she stopped and turned towards the kitchen. "What happened with Cerulean's body?" she asked quietly.
Qrow held his mug tighter. "She was picked up and transported to Mistral. I kept tabs on that so you could know, but her family has her now."
She nodded, her eyes downcast. "Thanks, Qrow."
"Don't mention it, kid," he said gently.
Sera turned and kept making her way upstairs. Finally, she made it back to her new room. She went inside and opened the closet, finding violet bags piled on top of each other and her weapons leaning against the wall. On a high shelf, she found Pyrrha's armor, headpiece, and weapons.
She carefully picked up the golden headpiece and ran her thumb across it. "I'm so sorry," she murmured quietly, then set it down.
She bent down as best as she could and looked through her gear. Of all things, she found Igneous Amethyst. The edge of it had a chip in it, a small piece of the blade missing. She picked it up with one hand and ran her finger along it until she reached the chip. At least she had it back, though. She wasn't sure what she'd do if she'd lost it.
Holding the sword up to the light, she smiled lightly. The familiar weight in her hand made her feel more comfortable. Grounded, even. She leaned Igni against the wall and looked through more of her things. She found most of her clothes, a bag of her spare Dust shards and shotgun shells, and her scroll.
Sera immediately powered on the device, her eyes searching its screen while it booted up. Once it came on, a flood of messages appeared on the screen. Of course, she couldn't respond to any of them unless they were in Patch. There were messages from Qrow, the team JNPR group chat, the team RWBY group chat, Weiss and Ruby in individually, and a ton of messages from Cerulean Myst.
Most of them were asking where she was during the battle in Vale. Cerulean had sent most of the messages, and she wished she could respond to them even if she knew they wouldn't ever get read.
Sera frowned and shoved the device into her pocket before continuing her search. She never did have that much stuff, but she was glad that Qrow had gotten it for her. He'd even managed to find her sword, which she'd always be grateful for.
She sighed and got to her feet, carrying Jupiter with her on the way to bed. Sera laid her weapon on the mattress before getting in herself, then laid the guitar across her lap and hit the button to transform it. Its blades gleamed in the light, and even though the axe had apparently been scrubbed clean, she could still see phantom crimson blood on its edge. She closed her eyes and transformed it back to its default form before laying it beside her.
Sera pulled the hem of her shirt up to her chest, looking down at the cut in her abdomen just above her belly button. It was only a few inches wide, but it felt like she'd been impaled by a metal I-Beam. She had fancy stitches to keep it closed, but when she poked it, she hissed sharply and put her shirt back down.
"Great," she sighed and picked up Jupiter. She had no guitar pick, and she didn't feel like getting up to get one since it hurt so damn much, so she just idly plucked the instrument's strings into a slow melody. Closing her eyes, she just concentrated on the music. Playing Jupiter had always calmed her down while she was at Beacon, but now it didn't feel the same. The guitar felt cursed in her hands, and she had a pretty good idea why.
When the bedroom door opened, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Ruby Rose standing in the doorway.
"Sera?" she blinked.
She smiled and set Jupiter down beside her. "Hey, Ruby."
The scythe-wielder rushed over to her in a flurry of rose petals then tackled her into a hug.
"OW! Ow, ow, ow!" Sera cried. She felt like she'd just been stabbed all over again.
"Oh, sorry!" Ruby pulled back, her eyes going wide. "I'm sorry! I was just so worried about you—"
"It's okay," she exhaled sharply, clutching her abdomen. "Crap, I think you popped my stitches."
"Sorry…" she poked her index fingers together.
"It's fine, I'll get it fixed later," she managed a smile. "How are you, though?"
"Oh. Fine. Good!" she said. "I mean, all of this sucks. I still can't process that it actually happened."
"Yeah…" she glanced at Pyrrha's armor and weapons in her closet. "You've been taking care of Yang, yeah?"
Ruby's eyes turned sad. "I've been trying, but I don't think she wants to see me… She just stays in her room and doesn't come out ever. When I try to talk to her, she shuts me out."
"Don't give up," Sera told her. "She needs you now, more than ever Rubes. She told me so."
Ruby's face lit up. "She did? Why wouldn't she tell me that?!"
"Yang's kinda weird," she chuckled. "We're all still recovering from Beacon, but we have to stick together, right?"
"Right," she nodded. "So… What happened? When I got to the top of the tower, I just saw you and Cinder… then everything went white."
She shifted in place, trying to choose her words carefully. Sera chuckled and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm getting kinda tired of telling this story…" Once again, she recounted what happened. She gave Ruby the same version she'd told Yang, leaving out the parts about the Maiden and what she'd done to Pyrrha. Once she was finished, Ruby just stared at her, then slowly lowered her eyes.
"Pyrrha…" She murmured.
"I know, Rubes. I know," Sera put her hand on Ruby's. "I tried. By the gods, I tried."
Then she saw wetness on Ruby's face and heard her sniffle. Without a second thought, she pulled the younger girl into a hug and held her tightly.
She felt a flash of déjà vu as Ruby cried into her shoulder. She'd been in Ruby's exact position just a little while ago in Yang's arms.
Once Ruby was finished, she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Thanks, Sera. I just… this is a lot."
"I know," she said gently. "Enough about me, what happened to you? I'm curious about these eyes of yours."
She took a deep breath. "I still don't even know. Uncle Qrow told me what he knew, but it wasn't much. Something about people with silver eyes being strong warriors that can turn Grimm to stone. That's what happened after everything went white—he said I'd turned that Wyvern to stone, and it was still on top of the tower."
Jeez. Her and Ruby both had some fucked-up situations going on. The amnesiac that can turn pale and into a super soldier, and the silver-eyed girl who could turn Grimm to stone by looking at them. Quite the pair, she had to admit.
"You have laser eyes?" Sera finally said, bringing her hands to her mouth. Her goal was to cheer Ruby up, and she hoped this would help. "That's so cool! I wish I could do that."
Ruby smiled lightly. "I don't feel very cool. But I'm glad I could stop Cinder and that Grimm."
"Believe me, I am too. You saved my life, Ruby. I don't think I can repay that."
She shied away, fidgeting with the edge of her cloak. "Aw, you don't have to do anything. I was just doing my job."
"I mean it," Sera gripped her shoulder. "Anything you need, and I'm there."
Ruby smiled. "Okay, Sera. I'm happy you're here, too. I just wish Blake and Weiss could be."
"Me too, Rubes," she said. "We'll find them again, I know it. You know I can't let Weiss get away without me annoying her one last time."
The shorter girl laughed, and Sera smiled at her happier mood. "So, what do you got planned? I know you have something in mind for taking Cinder down."
Ruby flinched slightly. "Uh… I don't have anything, actually. For now, I'm just kind of training."
"Okay, fair," she nodded. "As soon as I'm able to, I'll be right out there with you. And as soon as I see that chick again, I'm knocking her head off with this," she lifted Juniper and laid it onto her lap.
She laughed at the morbid thought. "Good, because when you do, I'll be with you." Ruby grinned determinedly.
"You better, I can't do it without my trusty sidekick," she ruffled her hair.
Ruby puffed her cheeks. "Hey, I'm the team leader!"
Sera smiled. "Maybe, but I'm gonna be the one to take Cinder down. Just you watch."
She sighed and got to her feet. "Just make sure you're better first, okay? We can't have you killing yourself before we all get back to school."
The amnesiac blinked. "What school is there to go back to?"
Ruby gave a small smile. "I might have an idea."
"What kind of idea?" she raised an eyebrow.