The Way of the Maiden

by The Court of Talons

The world of Remnant is notable for warriors such as Huntsmen and Huntresses. It is also notable for the Mandalorians, groups of mysterious and nomadic warriors just as ruthless as the Grimm. This is the story of one particular Mandalorian, and how a chance encounter with a child leads to the adventure of a lifetime.

52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Offense

Two days ago

The Mandalorian island of Kalevala was full of armored warriors who were training and sparring with each other. The sights and sounds resulting from this training traveled throughout the island, from blaster fire to Beskar striking against Beskar.

Two Mandalorians were currently watching their brothers and sisters from a balcony on the Kryze Castle. Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan watched the training with pride, as each warrior showed the Mand'alor and his trusted lieutenant that they were ready for anything that came their way.

The day didn't come with just training and preparing for battle, however. Today, the Mandalorians welcomed two representatives of Salem that came with news of the future.

"So, you've allied with Raven Branwen after all," said the Mand'alor. He and Bo-Katan walked back inside to see Aurora and Flora standing in the middle of the room. "If she's as powerful as you believe, she should prove useful."

"Not just her," said Aurora. "She also has the Maiden your friend conveniently forgot to mention." The Faunus stared daggers at Bo-Katan when she mentioned the Spring Maiden.

"I thought we were past that," Bo-Katan said in annoyance. While she didn't recall hearing anything about Salem's forgiveness, Bo-Katan was still alive. That had to mean something.

"Just consider yourself lucky Her Grace was able to find the Maiden where you said she was," Aurora declared. "With that in mind, Branwen's cooperation came at a price. Something it seems you must pay."

"Us?" Pre Vizsla asked in surprise. "I don't deal with common bandits. What did Salem offer them?"

"Not Salem." Aurora jabbed her finger in Flora's direction. "My friend here saw it necessary to promise your people's assistance in killing Raven Branwen's brother."

Vizsla turned towards Flora. "Is that so?"

"..."

Flora remained silent as she noticed the Mand'alor's displeasure. Besides the physical violence, the atmosphere of displeasure seemed very similar to the annoyance and disappointment Flora's mother had shown her. And now she was just as sad and angry as she was earlier.

"Doesn't your mother know that we're not simple mercenaries?" Bo-Katan asked furiously. "What gives you the right to think you can use us like some rich fool? Flaunting us around like Lien and-!"

Pre Vizsla raised his hand in Bo-Katan's direction to silence her. While he too was angry, he didn't want to risk losing anything he gained with Salem. She was already angry about Bo-Katan not mentioning anything about the Maiden, after all.

But Flora's action was still insulting.

"I'd suggest you answer the question," said Pre Vizsla. "I would hate to feel the need to renegotiate our deal with your mother."

Flora saw, and loathed, the circumstances in front of her. She was starting to see that her arrogance and ambition had gotten the better of her, and now both were coming close to costing Salem the loyalty of the Mandalorians.

Fortunately, Flora had been given enough time to prepare a good answer for Pre Vizsla. Whether or not he liked it was up to him, but Flora told herself that it would work.

"You'll be lucky if Salem doesn't feel the need to do the renegotiating," she said. "Now that we've given you the chance to destroy Mistral from the inside."

"..."

Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan couldn't help but share a glance at each other when they heard this. The whole point of their crusade in Anima was to reach the city of Mistral and conquer it. The war had been in their favor for quite some time, but reaching Mistral from the Great Lake had become a challenge. Both the Mandalorians knew it could take weeks to conquer the force that had amassed at the body of water.

Destroying the city from within, which sounded too good to be true, would be the silver bullet Vizsla had been searching for.

"...I'm listening," Vizsla said calmly, with a hint of skepticism.

Aurora reluctantly stepped aside so that Flora could speak to Pre Vizsla. "Raven wants her brother dead, that's true," she said. "But it's also true that her Semblance can send us straight into the city of Mistral. Even to Haven Academy, the heart of our shared enemy."

"..."

"I proposed that we work together in this. Raven showed us that she can create portals that connect back to her. She's already formed a connection with Aurora. If you were to gather an army of your finest warriors, have them meet us where a portal will be waiting, Raven can send us all straight into Mistral with nobody being the wiser."

"..."

Pre Vizsla and Bo-Katan looked at each other again. While they couldn't be precisely sure what their partner was thinking, the looks on their faces showed that they were interested in the plan.

All they needed was to put it into action.

"An ambitious plan, I have to admit," Vizsla began. "I can't argue against its potential, no. But I can argue about the risk it presents."

"And the fortifications of the school," Bo-Katan included. "We have no idea what kind of defenses Mistral has there."

Flora was expecting arguments like this, but her initial proposal had the potential to quell this dissent. "So you prefer to waste your time and resources at the Great Lake?" Flora asked rhetorically. "It's taken an entire month for you to get where you are right now, and you're only this close to Mistral!" Flora moved two of her fingers close together, just barely apart, to emphasize her point. "You scorched the entire continent in that month! Imagine what you can do in a single night."

"..."

Vizsla and Bo-Katan couldn't deny the truth behind Flora's statement. After they looked at each other once again, the Mandalorians finally nodded and found themselves in agreement.

"You overstepped your boundaries with us," said Vizsla. "But your plan has merit. And it seems we have no choice but to give Branwen what she wants."

"But we still don't know what kind of security the school has," said Bo-Katan. "We could be walking into a death trap no matter where Raven sends us."

Vizsla moved closer to Bo-Katan. "You're not wrong." He then looked over to Flora and Aurora. "But maybe we can find out ourselves."

"You mean with my Botflies?" Flora asked as she extended her hand. Multiple flies flew off her palm and moved around the area. "I can send a few to the lake and make a good headcount."

Vizsla nodded. "Yes... but also no."

"..."

The Mand'alor turned to his first lieutenant. "Bo-Katan, go outside and bring me some of our least experienced brothers."

"You mean the Foundlings?" Bo-Katan asked.

"No, I mean those who recently acquired their armor. Those who haven't seen any combat outside of their training. I'll be sending them to the Great Lake."

Bo-Katan nodded before she left the room. As Flora watched her go, she immediately had doubts about this plan. Not because she wasn't the one who thought of it, but because she knew what happened to the rookies at the Fall of Beacon.

"Are you sure about that?" Flora asked. "They'll probably get killed out there. Or at the very least captured."

Vizsla turned to his guests with a smile. "I'm counting on that."

---

Present

As Pre Vizsla watched his brothers and sisters surround the would-be defenders of Haven Academy, the Mand'alor took pride in the simple yet eloquent plan he had created.

The day Bo-Katan brought him some of the least experienced Mandalorians in his army, Vizsla shared an idea of a planned invasion with them before he sent them with new orders to attack the Great Lake. He knew that these Mandalorians, which he falsely claimed to have potential to bring glory to their clans, would be sent off to their deaths or their imprisonment.

Just one Mandalorian needed to be spared in order for the Huntsmen and Huntresses to spread the fear of an incoming attack.

By deliberately sharing the possibility of an attack, while keeping the details of its success a secret, Pre Vizsla was able to scare his enemies enough into taking action. He knew that they would waste no time in refortifying the school's defenses, and he knew that it would be the perfect place to herd his enemies like sheep to the slaughter.

Now that they were all here, Vizlsa was able to send twice the manpower that Haven had amassed.

As he looked at the fear on the faces of his enemies, save for Din Djarin, the Mand'alor knew nothing would please him more than squeezing the life out of all of them. But he knew that his allies had deserved their chance to revel in their victory, given that they were the masterminds behind this plan. Flora wasn't with them tonight, but Aurora happily took the chance to act on her behalf.

"I heard you've been looking for me, Djarin," the Faunus said as she walked closer and closer to the kneeling Mandalorian. When she was about three feet in front of him, Aurora moved her arms up and mocked her enemy further. "Well, here I am. Hit me with your best shot."

Djarin immediately stood up and prepared to attack, despite Aurora being at a distance. But when he was forced to the ground by three Mandalorians, Djarin growled as he tried to get back up. He knew that it wouldn't be wise to attack now, to kill one person in a room filled with people that could kill him in an instant.

But Djarin was too angry to care.

Revan also shared in Djarin's anger, but he was surprisingly calm and still at the sight of Mandalorians all around him. However, he was able to lean over to Obi-Wan and whisper to him. "You, Ozpin, and I make three Jedi," he said. "We can use our power to blast these warriors away."

"Not so fast," Obi-Wan replied. "Trust me." Revan reluctantly obeyed and remained still.

Qrow Branwen was the next person to share his anger. "Raven... tell me," the Huntsman demanded firmly. "How long have you been working with them?"

Aurora saw another chance to mock the people in front of her. "Aw, don't be upset, little bird," she said in a false motherly tone. "Your sister was a recent addition."

"..."

Raven made a glance at her brother, but she didn't say anything to him. In her mind, there was nothing that needed to be said.

But the Faunus had plenty to say.

"Djarin, on the other hand..." Aurora gestured to the Mandalorian that was being held on the ground. "Bringing all of our enemies to us was a generous gift, but that's not the only thing you gave to Salem." Aurora smirked at Djarin. "Isn't that right?"

Everyone that was being held at gunpoint turned to their friend in surprise. None of them knew what Aurora meant, but Ozpin feared the worst. He had been in situations like this before, and Aurora's words brought only one idea to mind.

Did Djarin betray him?

"What... are you... talking about?" Djarin angrily asked. He was still being pinned to the floor, and one hand had a firm grip on his neck. So even though it hurt to talk, the Mandalorian demanded an answer.

Aurora feigned a surprised gasp. "How silly of me," she said. "I forgot it was still with you." She then extended her left hand, which was hidden under a black glove, to the Mandalorian. "Come back now."

*BUZZ*

A familiar buzzing noise rang through Djarin's ears. He was able to turn his head ever so slightly in order to see that a small fly had crawled off his armor and onto Aurora's hand.

"There you are," the woman said. "Just like Flora said."

Ozpin softly gasped as he realized his mistake. Djarin hadn't betrayed him, but he had been used like a pawn. "A Botfly," the Headmaster said. "Just like the ones the triplets could make."

Aurora laughed at Ozpin before she turned back to the fly in her hand. "Looks like she learned something after all," she said.

Qrow was familiar with the Botflies, given that Ozpin had told him what happened in the Beacon Vault. Now that he understood everything, the Huntsman drew a logical, and terrible, conclusion. "If they put that on your armor... that means..."

Djarin knew exactly what this meant. And it caused him to be on the verge of tears as he whispered a single word.

"No."

---

Two days ago

Aurora and Flora silently watched and listened to Pre Vizsla addressing the Mandalorians before him. They had been told of his plan to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies, and now they were seeing it being put into action.

With every word of flattery he shared with the Mandalorians, Pre Vizsla easily secured the future of the war with Mistral. He could see that each of these Mandalorians were swayed and now willing to die to see this attack through.

But all the Mand'alor needed was for just one person to be captured. Given how young and weak his present company was, Vizlsa knew it wouldn't be hard for them to break.

Along with the Mand'alor, Aurora was pleased with this decision. Once fear and uncertainty led to the forces of Remnant to band together, it would be easy to divide and destroy them.

Salem would take all that remained and make it serve her.

"You see, Flora?" Aurora asked as she pointed at Pre Vizsla. "That is how a leader makes a plan and ensures victory."

Flora indeed saw the events unfold, and she began to feel more relieved than pleased. Victory at Mistral, just as she had envisioned it, would bring her back into Salem's favor.

This relief gave Flora the confidence to talk back to Aurora.

"I'm watching, Aurora," she said. "Sure, Vizlsa's gonna draw them all to us. But don't forget that this all happened because of me."

"I'm not forgetting," said Aurora. "I'm not forgetting how much of a mess you almost caused us." She leaned closer. "You might be a Grimm... but you're not the only one who can detect fear."

Flora furrowed her brow as she pointed at the Faunus. "Careful, Aurora. You're going too far."

"Going too far with someone who's on Salem's bad side? I don't think so." Aurora looked back to Vizsla and played off the nerve she struck with Flora. "So keep watching. You could learn a thing or two from this. And we both know you're here to learn."

"..."

Flora became angrier by the second. Ever since she left Salem's castle, the young hybrid had been constantly reminded of how her plan and deal with Raven had nearly cost them everything. And how it was up to people like Pre Vizsla to pick up the pieces and play the hand that Flora had recklessly dealt them.

Aurora was confident that she could kill Qrow Branwen herself, that they didn't need the entire Mandalorian army to do it. But thanks to Flora, she had to work hard to ensure the victory of her master. And now she wasted no time in reminding Flora of this, in the hopes that she would remember, or perhaps learn, her place.

Flora was indeed learning today.

Based on her recent conversation with Pre Vizsla, Flora had come to believe that regaining one's favor wasn't as hard as she believed. It was clear that the Mand'alor believed in her plan; otherwise he wouldn't be spending this much time putting it into action. And she was sure that this victory would help her regain Salem's favor.

Now, Flora had an idea how to regain Aurora's favor.

"Do you really think I'm that bad at making a plan?" she asked the Faunus. "You haven't even heard my plan how to kill Cinder."

Aurora rolled her eyes as she believed Flora was continuing to learn absolutely nothing from this. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" she asked. "Or are you just being stupid?"

"Neither. Trust me, you'll thank me later."

"..."

Aurora was in no mood to hear another one of Flora's plans. Not when her previous one had come incredibly close to losing more than they would be gaining. But right when she was about to tell the hybrid to stop talking, Aurora heard something that caught her attention.

"Din Djarin is at the Great Lake," Flora said. "Fauna told me that she saw him with her flies."

"..."

Aurora wasn't aware of this, and she couldn't think of a reason why Flora would lie about this. Given that Djarin was playing the role of Cinder's father, it was clear that he was one of the few people on Remnant who knew where she was.

And now, Flora knew just how to gain this knowledge for herself and Aurora.

"You heard Vizsla," she began. "He's going to launch another attack on the Great Lake so one of those rookies can get caught. We both know I'll be sending some of my flies to see how many people we should expect at Haven. When the fear of an attack sets in... Djarin will be afraid too."

"..."

If humans, especially parents, were as predictable as Aurora believed them to be, chances were that Djarin wouldn't hesitate to check in on the Fall Maiden.

But if recent events taught Aurora something, it was that Flora's arrogance had the potential to jeopardize everything.

"You think you can keep an extra set of eyes on him?" Aurora asked skeptically.

"An attack on the lake is the best distraction I can think of," Flora replied confidently. "All I need is a second to latch a fly on him. So, you can say that I'll keep an extra set of eyes on him."

"..."

Even though she believed she could have easily made a plan like this if she knew about Djarin, Aurora was impressed by Flora's idea. The Mandalorian would have a spy right under his nose; and from a certain point of view, he would be unwittingly helping her finally claim the power of the Fall Maiden.

Auroa may have been impressed with Flora, but she had seen enough of Remnant to know that the world had three kinds of people; those who made plans, those who put them in action, and those who did both. The Mandalorians could do both, and so could Salem. That was why Aurora respected them more than anyone.

So now she decided to see what kind of person Flora was. And the best way to do that, she believed, was by taking a page out of the hybrid's book.

"Not bad, Flora," the Faunus said with a smile. "Pulling that off might actually bring you back in Salem's favor. But you know what would be even better?" Aurora went in for the kill after she watched Flora shake her head. "Going out and killing Cinder yourself."

While Flora liked the idea of killing Cinder, she remembered her mother's orders. "But... Mother said for me to-"

"Let me worry about the Relic. I'll put in a good word to Salem for you. Then everything will be forgiven."

"..."

As she watched Flora smile in approval, Aurora looked to the side as a manipulative smirk formed on her face. She felt proud that she had managed to accomplish much more than she had originally hoped today.

Soon, after all this time, the power she had been promised would finally be hers. Her power would be second to Salem, but it would be everything the Faunus had ever wanted.

And with Flora as far away from the Relic as possible, securing it without any more problems would be much easier than Aurora previously believed.

It seemed that this untimely deal and turn of events was for the best after all.

---

Present day

"If you go near her... I swear to the Gods... I will-"

*CRUNCH*

Djarin couldn't help but growl in pain as the force on his neck became harder and more painful.

As she smiled at the pain her enemy was in, Aurora almost found it hard to believe how easy it was to strike a nerve with the Mandalorian. She had been around the Saxons, Death Watch, and all the other Mandalorians they had recruited to their cause to see that making them this angry was a hard thing to do.

But then again, not all of them were parents. Or fighting to defend the rest of the world.

"Big talk, Mando," Aurora said as she removed a knife from her side. "But that's all it is." She moved closer and closer until she kneeled down in front of the Mandalorian. "At least you can look on the bright side." The Faunus aimed her knife at the Mandalorian's neck before she raised it. "You'll be seeing her real soon."

"Wait!"

Aurora turned towards the sound of Pre Vizsla's voice. The Mand'alor was wielding the Darksaber as he quickly moved over to the Faunus. "You had your moment," he said firmly. "Do what you want with his girl, but he's mine."

"..."

Aurora was taken by surprise by Vizsla's immediate insistence that he would be the one to kill Djarin, but she didn't have any objections. After all, it was only his daughter that Aurora wanted; killing Djarin, in her mind, was simply a bonus.

But rather than upset her ally more than he might be after Flora's untimely plan, Aurora stepped aside and watched Vizsla remove his helmet.

"You know who I am?" the Mand'alor asked as he looked at Djarin.

The Mandalorian holding Djarin's neck slightly moved his arm so his prisoner could speak. "Yes..." Djarin weakly confirmed.

Vizsla moved the Darksaber closer to Djarin's helmet. "Then you remember what you did to me."

"..."

Djarin was surprised to see Vizsla holding the Darksaber instead of Gar Saxon, who was nowhere to be seen, but he didn't dignify the assumption with a response.

But that didn't stop Vizsla from continuing.

"I was humiliated, locked away, and nearly stripped of my rank because of you," Vizsla said through anger and grit teeth. "For five years, I was denied freedom, yet constantly challenged because through some miracle, you bested me." Vizsla had to use all of his willpower and rational thought to not let his anger overtake him and make a mistake.

Tonight was the night he corrected his mistakes.

"Brothers and sisters!" Vizsla called out to his allies. "I am not so prideful and vain to admit when I have been defeated! I may have been locked away and thought of as nothing more than a wild animal, but five years was a long time ago! Have I not shown you all that I am the warrior I have claimed to be?! Have I not shown you all that I alone am worthy of this sword?!" Vizsla held the Darksaber high and listened to the cheers of his comrades.

Even Bo-Katan was cheering as she listened to her leader.

"No challenge has been declared tonight, but I have already bested this Mandalorian and his friends!" Vizsla gestured towards Djarin and the people in the circle. "You've all seen how I changed in five years. Let us see how the once self-proclaimed Mand'alor changed as well!"

*SNAP*

After he saw and heard Pre Vizsla snap his fingers, Djarin immediately felt the pressure on his body disappear. His captors had let him go, but only so Vizsla could kick him while he was down.

*BAM*

Despite wearing armor, Djarin could feel the strength of the kick and feel his back now lying on the ground. But rather than give up and let himself be attacked again, Djarin quickly stood up and used his Semblance to teleport behind Vizsla so he could have the element of surprise.

But this element was on Vizsla's side, given that he had just used his Semblance to make Djarin's fist phase through his chest. Vizsla quickly turned around and struck Djarin again, without even breaking a sweat.

Djarin wasn't hurt from the blow to his chest, but he had stumbled back into another Mandalorian. When he did, Djarin felt two large arms grab him and begin to squeeze the air out of him. The Mandalorian was forced to use his Aura to protect himself instead of teleporting once again, and he heard a familiar voice speak to him.

"You chose the wrong side, Din Djarin," said Paz Vizsla. "Now you will learn."

Vizsla was content to see Djarin trapped and proven to be weaker than he was five years ago. So now, all that remained was for the Mand'alor to finish his speech.

"And he's just the beginning!" Vizsla roared as he readied himself to use the Darksaber again. "Once we finish Djarin and his friends, their blood will sanctify our final step of the war! Haven will fall just as Beacon fell, and the Kingdom of Mistral will be-!"

"Ahem."

Silence fell upon the auditorium when Pre Vizsla was interrupted. Aurora and all the Mandalorians turned back towards the circle of prisoners to see Obi-Wan Kenobi standing up straight and looking at Pre Vizsla. The Headmaster of Haven Academy was truly unafraid of the warlord, despite the genius move he had made in invading this school. The time for waiting had almost passed, but now Obi-Wan was ready to speak.

"That, my friend, was your first mistake," he said calmly.

Vizsla still had his mind set on killing Djarin, but he wasn't able to find any flaw in his plan. "Mistake?" Vizsla asked sarcastically. "You're completely surrounded and outnumbered, and you speak to me about mistakes?" Some of his fellow Mandalorians couldn't help but laugh at this idea, but Bo-Katan and the rest of Death Watch remained silent. "Surely, you're joking, Headmaster."

"Oh, no," Obi-Wan replied. "It's clear to me that the error in judgement is yours, Pre Vizsla."

"Really, now?" Vizsla walked over to Obi-Wan as he asked this question.

"Yes, really." Obi-Wan remained still as he looked the warlord in the eye. "You seem to believe that this school is just like Beacon Academy. While you may have slipped past our defenses, you seem to forget that this is Haven Academy. Not Beacon."

Laughter filled the area again, and Vizsla remained unchanged in his beliefs. "I'm not lost, if that's what you're thinking. I know where we are, and what lies beyond this place. Your guardians are stretched thin across this land, just like they were at Beacon. They will die unprepared and alone, just like they were at Beacon." The warlord leaned a little closer to make a final point. "You have no weapons. No defenses. No plan."

Obi-Wan hummed at the idea. "Not at the moment, no." He then lifted a single finger. "But I do have one thing you lack. Something you gave us the night you attacked Beacon."

"..."

"Knowledge."

Aurora's Faunus ears perked at the sound of that word. She knew from Salem that the Relic of Knowledge was somewhere at Haven, and she could take it with the help of the Spring Maiden. Her eyes burned as soon as she turned her sights to Obi-Wan, as she was prepared to use any means necessary to make him tell her where the Relic was.

But the Mandalorians weren't done yet.

"Let me guess," one of the Mandalorians guarding Ozpin said. "Knowledge is power, or something like that?" He and the other Mandalorians guarding Ozpin and his friends let out a chuckle.

"More powerful than you might believe," said Obi-Wan. "You see, your unprovoked attack on Beacon taught us much. It taught me that it wouldn't be long before you turned your eye to Haven. And while I couldn't predict the nature of your invasion, I predicted an invasion nonetheless."

Pre Vizsla was growing impatient with this conversation, but he became slightly concerned with the steady confidence Haven's Headmaster possessed. "...How so?" he asked cautiously.

Obi-Wan wasn't as impatient as Vizsla was, but he sensed that the time for waiting had finally passed. "You seemed to know that we would all be here," he said. "But did you know that the Fall of Beacon was the inspiration I needed to install a silent alarm throughout the school? An alarm that I activated the moment you stepped through Raven's portal?"

The sounds of a collective shock and Mandalorians looking around the area were all everyone could hear after Obi-Wan shared this information. Even Obi-Wan's allies were surprised to hear such an idea.

Vizsla, however, wasn't swayed.

"You're bluffing," he said as he moved the Darksaber to the Headmaster's neck. "You're just trying to buy yourself some time."

"I think this conversation has bought me all the time I needed," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "Because everyone should be arriving... now."

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

*CRASH*

*THOOM*

Large doors opened with a crash and windows shattered from above as all of Haven's guardians began to enter the auditorium. The silent alarm Obi-Wan had mentioned was indeed real, given the sudden arrival of multiple Huntsmen and Huntresses. Obi-Wan indeed oversaw the installation of such an alarm, one that he could easily trigger through any part of the school with the Force. Once he did, the Scrolls of every student and warrior in Haven were notified of an intrusion, as well as the location the alarm was triggered in. And when the group of new allies and friends arrived, Obi-Wan instructed Haven's professors to pair everyone's Scrolls with the alarm as well.

And now that nearly everyone in Haven had answered the call, there was only one thing left to do.

"Attack!"

Nobody knew who gave the command, or which side it came from. But as soon as the order was given, the auditorium erupted into violence and chaos. Vizsla and Obi-Wan watched as bullets and blaster fire rang out on all sides as weapons clashed against Beskar.

Just as Obi-Wan believed, the time for waiting had ended. Now was the time for action.

"Revan, now!" Obi-Wan shouted as he pushed his hands forward. The masked Jedi repeated the motion, and the power of the Force knocked back all the Mandalorians that were close to them. Vizsla didn't have time to activate his Semblance, so he too was knocked backwards. And Obi-Wan was able to summon his lightsaber back to his hand.

Paz Vizsla fell with his comrades as well, which made him loosen his grip on Djarin. Now that he was free, Djarin used his Semblance to teleport himself right above the large Mandalorian. And with his new staff, the Mandalorian electrocuted his rival before he was forced to avoid danger in the form of blaster fire.

Djarin used his Semblance to rejoin his four other allies, who were in the midst of battle. Obi-Wan and Revan had activated their lightsabers, which they used to strike hard at the Mandalorians who dared approach them. Ozpin didn't have a lightsaber, but his cane had never failed him before; and it refused to fail him as he struck the blunt end at the flesh and bones that Beskar armor couldn't protect.

Qrow was constantly changing Harbinger in between its sword and scythe form as he too kept the Mandalorians at bay. The scythe was large enough to strike at two armored warriors and keep them away. And his Semblance, though he always had trouble controlling it, found itself to be useful in either jamming the Mandalorian blasters or making their jetpacks fail when they needed them most.

But despite these setbacks, and the multiple hits they took, the Mandalorians just kept getting back up when they could. The lightsabers and electricity were able to put down some of the warriors for good, but not all of them.

And to make matters worse, Qrow and Djarin were the first people who decided to leave.

"I'm going after Raven!" Qrow shouted as he broke a Mandalorian blaster with his sword. After he swung his sword again to make the Mandalorian fall, Qrow turned into a bird and flew towards Raven.

"I'm going back to Vacuo!" Djarin declared as he watched Qrow fly away.

"Djarin, wait!" Ozpin pleaded. "You're needed-!"

*WHOOSH*

"...here."

The Mandalorian had used his Semblance once again, but now he had left the battle. Ozpin, while disheartened by the fact that Qrow and Djarin were no longer at his side, was forced to focus on the battle at hand as he joined his fellow Jedi once again.

Pre Vizsla and Aurora were the first to notice that Djarin and Qrow were gone. And so, after they killed a Huntsman and Huntress respectively, the Mandalorian and Faunus made their own plans to turn these events in their favor.

Pre Vizsla joined Bo-Katan and grabbed her shoulder after she had just slit a student's throat. "Take as many of us as you can and spread out beyond this room!" he ordered. "Don't let anyone leave or anyone else come in here!" Bo-Katan quickly obeyed as her leader let her go.

"Get up!" Aurora yelled to the large Mandalorian that Djarin had electrocuted. She used her Maiden powers, specifically her limited power of wind, to make Paz Vizsla stand up. "Don't let Djarin leave! Get to whatever ship he came in and destroy it!" Aurora would be willing to do it herself, but she knew the Relic took priority.

Which was why she had her eye set on Obi-Wan.

Raven Branwen also had her eye on Obi-Wan, since she also knew that he was the only one who could lead her to the Relic. Since she never intended to let Salem have it in the first place, despite the deal she made, Raven wanted the path to the Vault opened as soon as possible.

The Huntsmen and Huntresses she had just killed with Omen were distracting enough, but Raven knew that a bigger distraction was coming towards her in the form of a lone crow.

"Join the Mandalorians," Raven ordered the young girl who had accompanied her from the camp. "Don't bother wasting your power, these people aren't worth it." As soon as the girl left, Raven raised her sword to block the blade in Qrow's hands.

And Qrow was more than willing to use it to kill his sister.

"Running away was one thing!" Qrow angrily said as watched sparks fly from Harbinger and Omen. "But this... you've crossed the line!"

Raven could tell how much she had hurt Qrow, but she hardly cared. "Sorry, brother," she said calmly as she pushed back against Harbinger. "Sometimes family disappoints you like that."

Qrow was used to Raven speaking of "family" whenever he crossed paths with her. She always used it as an excuse to ask Qrow for information about Ozpin and Salem, but tonight Qrow realized that enough was enough.

"...We're not family anymore," he said as she pushed against Omen.

Once again, Raven was hardly affected by her brother's declaration. "Were we ever?" she asked sarcastically.

"I thought so..." Qrow pushed harder and harder as he prepared to fight on another level. "But I guess I was wrong!" Now Qrow knew that nothing was going to hold him back now.

And Raven knew the same.

---

"Come on, kids! It's this way!"

"Are you sure?!"

"Positive! Let's go!"

When news of an intrusion reached them, every Huntsman, Huntress, and Mandalorian who chose to defend Haven Academy stopped their patrol and made their way to the auditorium where they originally came from.

While most were able to find their way back without much trouble, there were some who were unfamiliar with the directions on getting back and had gotten lost.

These included Gretchen Rainart, Lilith Gelb, and their respective team of Huntsmen and Huntresses. They were on the other side of the school grounds when the alarm reached their Scrolls, so they moved as fast as they could to try and find the auditorium they were previously in.

Gretchen wasn't the leader of her team, but she was able to remember most of the way back to the auditorium. That was why she was currently leading her team and the team of students back the way they originally came. They all got turned around once or twice, but the end of the journey was in sight.

"There it is!" said Nerissa, a woman with long red hair in turquoise clothing. She was Gretchen's partner and best friend at Beacon, so it was easy for her to trust Gretchen's judgement and ability to guide her and the others.

"Should I use my Semblance?" a man named Yuri asked his friends. He was the fastest of his team and the students, which was courtesy of his Semblance. He knew that he could run straight to the auditorium and back in a matter of seconds to let his team know what was happening.

But there was one person who didn't like the idea.

"We don't know what's going on!" said Bailey, a tall and muscular man with brown hair. He was the leader of the group, Team BGNY, and he was a shrewd leader at that. "We can't risk running straight into danger without knowing what we're up against!"

Lilith and her teammates agreed with the Huntsman. Not only because what he said was true, but also because they were incredibly scared. Lilith, Andrea, and Max had already lived through one invasion and destruction of a school. When they heard the alarm on their Scrolls, each child immediately knew that they weren't ready for another one.

Especially not after they tragically lost one of their team members.

However, this fear intensified when Max looked up towards the sky. "Um... I think I know what we're up against," he said as he pointed up. "Look!"

Everyone obeyed and saw a series of lights flying in the sky. Closer inspection revealed them to be jet-fire, coming from what appeared to be jetpacks strapped to the backs of multiple people.

Multiple armored people.

"Mandalorians," Gretchen realized. "Those are Mandalorians!"

"Are those our guys?" Nerissa asked optimistically.

"They might have turned on us!" Bailey pointed out. He was always one to err on the side of caution, but he was no coward. Everyone on his team knew this to be true, and they also didn't fully trust the Mandalorians just yet.

Gretchen was the only exception, given her experience with Sun Jabbid.

However, all doubt was cast aside when Lilith was able to make out some distinguishing features about the Mandalorians overhead. Their armor wasn't white or gold like Clan Vizsla or Clan Tenau, but it was silver with blue accents.

"Those are the people who attacked Beacon!" Lilith finally pointed out. "It's them!"

The Mandalorians above were indeed members of Death Watch. Some of them were from other clans such as Clan Bralor, but the majority of the warriors comprised of Death Watch. And they were led by Bo-Katan, who easily saw the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses below her.

"Take them out!" Bo-Katan ordered a group of Mandalorians to her right. "Everyone else on me!" The warrior's obeyed the right hand of the Mand'alor and split apart. Some of the warriors moved down to face the Huntsmen and Huntresses while Bo-Katan and the rest would sweep the rest of the campus grounds.

Team BGNY saw the Mandalorians descend and begin to fire upon them. "Kids, get down!" Bailey ordered as he saw the blaster fire. "Everyone else, spread out!" His team obeyed so that they would give the Mandalorians multiple targets instead of one. The Mandalorians recognized the strategy, so they divided themselves as well.

But the Huntsmen and Huntresses were ready.

Bailey reached for his back and removed his weapon. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple pitchfork. The Mandalorians didn't question this choice of weaponry, they simply fired at the enemy in front of them.

*BANG*

*BANG*

The red blasts moved towards the Huntsman very quickly, but the man's reflexes and reaction were faster. With the simple flick of a switch, the pitchfork transformed into a shield that was big enough to block the blaster fire. When he jumped in the air, Bailey was able to slam his shield down to knock the Mandalorians off their feet.

The armored warriors quickly recovered from this attack and decided to use hand-to-hand to beat their foe. However, Bailey turned his shield into a pitchfork again and stabbed it into the ground. He then spun himself on the handle to repeatedly kick the Mandalorians, which was a common attack he used for multiple Grimm.

The Mandalorians were knocked back again, but they began to recover quickly. Bailey was forced to use the ends of his pitchfork to try and stab the exposed pieces of flesh between the armor. But when his weapon was grabbed by a wire, this became easier said than done.

Nerissa had a similar fighting strategy as her leader, given that her weapon of choice was a metal trident. She also spun herself around with the handle and tried to stab the Mandalorians she was fighting, but it was harder than killing Grimm.

Fortunately, her trident doubled as a gun that she could use. But rather than simple Dust bullets, Nerissa fired a stream of water at the Mandalorians. Given that her Semblance allowed her to manipulate water in any shape or form, the woman was able to make waves and projectiles that did some harm to the invaders.

She was even able to knock some of their armor off.

Yuri relied on his expertise in kickboxing to fight the Mandalorians. His weapon of choice were boots that fired a blast of air at anyone he kicked via Wind Dust built into the boots. However, most of his attacks were dodged and his legs were even grabbed before the Mandalorians countered with their own attacks.

Gretchen was the only member of her team with experience in fighting the Mandalorians. She had plenty of Dust crystals in her pockets, and she decided to infuse two of them into her arms. Her role in retaking Beacon Academy taught Gretchen that close ranged combat with Mandalorians wasn't very favorable. Nerissa appeared to be the only exception, given her trident and her Semblance.

But Gretchen decided on a different approach.

The Dust in her arms enhanced her strength tenfold, which allowed her punches to do more damage despite the protection Beskar provided. When she hit the metal, the Mandalorians could feel the force of enhanced strength and Dust against their bodies and Auras. Gretchen was even able to launch balls of fire at the Mandalorians as well.

A few more strikes like these were what finally made Gretchen's Mandalorians stay down rather than get up and fight again. The Huntress took this opportunity to see how well her friends were holding up. Nerissa was able to hold her own with her trident and the water she was bending, but Bailey and Yuri were the ones who needed help. Bailey was able to regain his shield and defend himself, but Yuri wasn't so lucky.

Gretchen's enhanced punches and a few more Dust projectiles were enough to save her friends. Nerissa managed to beat one Mandalorian on her own, but Gretchen got the second one before he could stab her in the back.

"Whoa," Nerissa said as she looked at the Mandalorian who almost ambushed her. "Thanks, Gretchen."

"Don't... mention it," the Huntress replied as she caught her breath. She was used to having multiple Dust crystals in her arms, but fighting this many Mandalorians was already tiring. However, it wasn't her own exhaustion that Gretchen was worried about. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're good," said Bailey, who helped Yuri off the ground. "For now."

"This is bad," Yuri said as he used his Aura to heal the bruises he received from the Mandalorians. "How did they get here? How did they break our defenses?"

"That doesn't matter now," said Nerissa. "We have to stop them before they hurt anyone."

One look overhead was enough for Gretchen to agree with her friends. "Then I guess we're only getting started," she said as she pointed upwards. "Look."

The rest of Team BGNY followed Gretchen's finger to see even more Mandalorians flying in the sky. Some of them moved down towards them while others continued to fly. Not only that, but they were all flying in one single direction: Mistral.

"They're getting ready to attack the city!" Yuri realized.

"If they can pull that off, there's no telling what happens next!" Nerissa said as she began to panic. "Here or back home!"

Bailey was growing afraid himself, but he didn't let this fear shake his resolve. "That's why we're not going to let that happen," he said firmly. "Gretchen, Nerissa, shoot them down!"

The Huntresses obeyed and turned their attention to the sky. Nerissa fired regular bullets instead of water from her gun and aimed for the jetpacks while Gretchen threw balls of fire. She was forced to infuse more Dust into her body, but it was worth it if it meant everyone in Mistral would be safe.

Gretchen even threw agitated Dust into the air so Nerissa could shoot them and cause bigger explosions.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

While some of the Mandalorians were shot out of the sky, others were protected by their Beskar armor. However, they turned their attention away from the city below the school and looked down at the Huntresses shooting at them. In their minds, a threat to their plans such as this needed to be stopped now.

"We got their attention, get ready!" Bailey ordered as he readied his pitchfork again. "Gretchen, you've dealt with guys like these before! Take point and we'll follow your lead!"

"Got it!" Gretchen said as she hit her fists together. "Here they come!"

A group of Mandalorians twice the size of the one Team BGNY had just fought landed on the ground and opened fire upon the Huntsmen and Huntresses. Just as Bailey said, he and his teammates followed Gretchen's lead in the hopes that they would learn how to best fight the invaders and keep the Kingdom safe. It wasn't easy, given that the arsenal and combat prowess of the Mandalorians rivaled that of the the team. Gretchen proved herself to be a force to be reckoned with, but her friends were easier to fight when the Mandalorians took away their weapons.

The Huntsmen and Huntresses of Team BGNY were incredibly brave, but there were three students who were becoming more and more fearful of the future.

"Look at them!" said Max Bolt, who was hiding with his friends behind a wall. "There might be more than last time!"

"It's Beacon all over again!" said Andrea Gloss. "But we're even closer to the city!"

Lilith Gelb was also afraid of the growing army she was witnessing. But beneath that fear was a wish to do more than simply take cover. "Guys, come on!" she said. "We're not doing anything good by hiding!"

Max looked back to his teammate and saw the determination on her face. A look like the one Lilith had was enough to make him see that something had to change. "You're right," he said. "We can take these guys. We have to!"

"No, no, wait!" Andrea begged as she grabbed her leader's arm. "We can't just run out there!"

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Max turned to Lilith. "Lily, we're not gonna have the advanced students on our side. Let's make sure we-"

"That's not what I meant." Andrea stood in between her friends. "We have to find backup, we're close to the auditorium."

Max and Lilith easily disagreed with this idea. "But that's where they all came from!" Lilith pointed out. "Everyone's probably fighting for their lives there!"

"Lily's right!" Max said. "It's up to us right now!"

Andrea felt a very cold chill move up her spine. She couldn't help but shiver and tense up as she looked at her friends and remembered familiar events occurring over a month ago.

"Guys... that's what Garret said that night," she said timidly.

"..."

Neither Max or Lilith could deny the truth behind this statement. Garret was their fourth teammate from Beacon, and their close friend. When the Mandalorians first attacked, nearly everyone refused to leave Professor Ozpin behind while he bought his students time to escape. Andrea and the rest of her team were among these students, and they fought as hard as they could against the invaders.

Unfortunately, Garret was killed that night. And he died right in front of the rest of his team.

Everyone took Garret's death to heart, which was why Max and Lilith felt that they had to make sure the Mandalorians couldn't hurt anyone anymore. Andrea, however, took this death the hardest. She always felt that she could have saved her friend, that she could have done more to help.

And now Andrea was afraid of the past repeating itself.

"...I know," Max finally said. "But he'd say the same thing tonight."

"Yeah," Lilith agreed. She could tell that her friend was hesitant to fight against real Mandalorians once again, and she knew that arguing or dragging Andrea out of hiding would only have negative consequences. "Stay here, we got you covered."

"Wait, what?" Andrea asked in surprise. Her two friends turned around and began to walk away. "No! Don't... Don't leave me."

Max and Lilith shared a sigh as they moved closer to the Mandalorians. They didn't want to leave Andrea behind, but they couldn't let her fears weigh them down either.

"You remember how we fought hand-to-hand during the Fall?" Max asked his teammate.

"Yeah," Lilith replied. "We fought like Professor Djarin that night." The young woman clenched her fists. "Now we gotta do it again."

Max easily agreed and pointed at two Mandalorians preparing to ambush Team BGNY. "We each take one. I got the one on the left."

Lilith remembered her training and the Fall of Beacon as she patiently prepared to attack. "On your mark."

Max did the same thing as his friend and gave the order. "...Now!"

The students quickly attacked the Mandalorians and engaged them in hand-to-hand combat. They had the experience to prove that relying on their weapons to penetrate Beskar would be pointless, so they had decided to strike hard at the exposed flesh and bones that the armor didn't protect. The Mandalorians fought back just as hard, but Max and Lilith still had their Auras to protect them.

Team BGNY welcomed the assistance from the students and began to see what they were doing. Gretchen was also aiming for the spots that the Mandalorian armor didn't protect, and everyone could see how hard the Mandalorians were trying to protect themselves. And so, the experienced warriors followed this lead and did everything they could to hurt their foes.

The Mandalorians didn't make this fight easy, however. If they didn't use their razor wires to ensnare the unique weapons or arms of their enemies, they used flamethrowers and small blades in their gauntlets to fight back. Soon enough, some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses felt their Auras breaks and their blood spill on the ground.

Max and Lilith were expecting this to happen, and they had been trained to withstand this pain. Gretchen still had her Aura, so she could block out the pain the Mandalorians inflicted upon her. Flames burned her and knives cut her side, but she refused to yield.

The rest of Team BGNY were familiar with pushing themselves past their limit when it came to fighting Grimm, but no Grimm ever put up a fight like the Mandalorians were. And yet, they continued to fight with their weapons as well as their fists. Teamwork was heavily utilized in this fight, which was something that Djarin had taught his students; Mandalorians would always fight when the odds were against them, but attacks from their blind-sides would be the most palpable.

Max and Lilith remembered these lessons well, which was how they managed to help Team BGNY knock out multiple Mandalorians when they struck hard from behind.

It was the sight of Mandalorians falling and the Huntsmen and Huntresses struggling that seemed to breathe a new life into Andrea. On one hand, she began to feel confident that the Mandalorians could be beaten when she saw some of them laying on the ground with broken arms and blood dripping on the fabric between the armor. On the other hand, seeing her friends and allies struggle to keep this up reminded Andrea of what happened to Garret.

All this time, her greatest fear was the past repeating itself. She was afraid of more mistakes happening and more defeats occurring in this war. And as she saw her friends fight while she remained on the sidelines, Andrea could see that her fears were coming true. However, it wasn't because the Mandalorians were the superior foe. But rather, it was because Andrea used this fear as an excuse to seemingly give up and not join the fight.

If she did nothing now, the past would indeed repeat itself.

And so, Andrea quickly moved out of her cover and jumped towards an unconscious Mandalorian. Another experience from the young girl's past inspired her to strip the warrior of his gauntlets and his chest plate. She had worn similar armor in Vacuo, where she helped her friends teach Team IRON a valuable lesson about Mandalorians and students like her. Andrea knew the armor would protect her, and now she was ready to see what the gauntlets could do for her.

*SHING*

A small blade emerged from one of the gauntlets, and Andrea looked at it carefully. She easily noticed the dried blood on it, and she had to remind herself that more blood would follow if she didn't do anything.

When she looked up, Andrea could see that a Mandalorian had gotten the upper hand on Lilith. Her face was bleeding heavily, and she was leaning against a wall as she tried to recover from her wounds. But the Mandalorian was ready to kill her, and she was going to do it soon.

Andrea had to muster all of her courage to stop standing still and letting the coldness within her prevent her from moving. It wasn't easy, given how terrified she was of these armored invaders. But eventually, with a loud yell, Andrea ran towards the Mandalorian and cut his neck just as he noticed her running towards him.

*SHICK*

*PLOP*

When the blade made contact with unprotected flesh, the Mandalorian realized that he could do nothing else but fall backwards and bleed excessively.

"Whoa!" Lilith yelled as she watched the Mandalorian lay on the ground. She turned to her savior in disbelief, but it quickly disappeared when pride took its place. "Holy crap, Andrea!"

Max and Team BGNY had just finished off their Mandalorians, and they too saw what the young girl had done.

"There you are!" Bailey said in relief.

"Did you take that one down?" Yuri wondered. "Nice job!"

"Andrea!" Max yelled with a smile. "You did it!"

Pride and relief came over Andrea as she helped her friend off the wall. Lilith had to breathe heavily over and over again as she dried the blood off her face. And as she looked upon her savior, Lilith's pride increased drastically. "Thanks, Andrea," she said. "I owe ya one."

Andrea wasn't one to take glory in killing people, even if they were her enemy. But the fact that she had prevented the past from repeating itself, especially with a close friend, was enough to make her smile and laugh.

"How do you like that?!" Andrea yelled at the dead Mandalorian. "We got you now! And if you don't like it, you can just-!"

"Whoa, easy there, killer!" Max said as he gently grabbed his friend. He understood the adrenaline was taking its toll on Andrea, but he knew that trying to calm her down was for the best. And when he saw the fragments of armor she was wearing, Max found the perfect opportunity to divert attention of the dead Mandalorian. "Hey, you're wearing Beskar!"

"Oh, yeah!" Lilith said as she looked at Andrea's arms and chest. "Just like in Vacuo, huh?"

Max immediately took inspiration from this. "That's right!" He quickly turned to Team BGNY. "Grab some of the armor and put it on! It'll help if you break your Aura again!"

The Huntsmen and Huntresses saw no fault in this logic, so they obeyed the children. It was a first time that something like this happened, given that they were the ones who usually helped students on their training missions. But this wasn't exactly a normal night, and they were open to any suggestion for survival.

"The chest plate and gauntlets are enough," said Bailey. "We don't want everyone to think we're Mandos by wearing these helmets." The older man immediately threw a helmet behind him as he put on the gauntlets.

"I've seen knives and flamethrowers in these things," Gretchen noted. She saw this back at Beacon as well as tonight. And as she looked across the distance, there was something else she saw. "Looks like we're gonna need a quick field test."

Everyone looked where Gretchen was looking and saw more Mandalorians moving towards them. And when they saw what they were doing, the Mandalorians found a new reason to kill the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"They're stealing our armor!"

"Thieves!"

"Stop them!"

Max sighed as he readied himself for yet another fight. This was getting old fast, and this fighting showed no signs of stopping. Part of him wished that he wouldn't be the one fighting right now, not after he nearly exhausted all of his Aura on the Mandalorians he helped kill.

Fortunately for him, his wish was about to come true.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

When four small pieces of metal shot out from behind the Huntsmen and Huntresses, they found their way into the necks and flesh of the Mandalorians who were about to attack. They all fell to the ground and slowly began to die as the blood from their necks stained the ground.

The source of the miracle revealed itself to be Din Djarin, who was quickly running towards the group of students and experienced warriors.

"Professor Djarin!" Max said as he waved. "Thanks for the save!"

"Yeah!" Lilith said. "Maybe you can help us find some-!"

*WHOOSH*

"...more?"

Djarin had just used his Semblance without a word, and he had vanished without a trace. He didn't do this to kill another Mandalorian who was about to ambush them or move someone out of the way of danger; he simply just disappeared.

"Whoa, where'd he go?" Nerissa asked as she looked around the area.

"Did he just leave us?" Lilith asked in disbelief.

"What's he doing?" Max wondered.

"What do we do now?" Andrea asked.

Before panic spread in the group, Bailey naturally took charge. "No, he's got the right idea," he said. "We can't let any of these guys leave. We'll spread out and see where else they might try to attack."

"Works for me," Andrea quickly said.

Max and Lilith saw no problem with this logic. "Split into pairs of two?" Lilith asked calmly.

"Me and Bailey will head for the landing pads," said Yuri. "Make sure nobody tries to fly outta here."

"There's an odd number of us," Nerissa pointed out. "I'll go with Gretchen and one of you."

"I'll go," said Max. "Andrea, you look after Lilith."

"Jeez," Lilith sarcastically said with a smile. "One kill and you're already one-upping me." She nudged her friend's shoulder playfully, which caused Andrea to roll her eyes.

But she returned the smile as her fighting spirit returned to her.

"Let's go."

---

Djarin knew that he had just saved someone, but he didn't stop to find out who it was. Instead, he simply kept running and running.

The Mandalorian was no coward, but he knew that he couldn't stay at Haven Academy for a second longer. Not because he was afraid of the army that had come here, but because he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't reach Vacuo in time.

Ever since he learned that Aurora had helped one of the Blair sisters put a Botfly on his armor, a tiny piece of themselves that could see and hear everything, Djarin knew that he had inadvertently exposed Cinder's location.

And there was no doubt that Aurora sent Flora to Vacuo to kill her. Djarin knew that he had to stop her, no matter the cost.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Despite the fact that he planned to leave the battle, Djarin was forced to defend himself against the Mandalorians who had spotted him. He wasn't holding his blaster, but the rifle he had personally modified was perfectly capable of inflicting damage and harm to others. If he didn't hit exposed flesh and bone between the armor, Djarin was able to blind his foes when the metal from his rifle cracked their visors.

Soon enough, all of the Mandalorian's running and teleporting had paid off. He could see the Razor Crest sitting on a landing pad just a few yards away, ready for takeoff at a moment's notice. Djarin used his Semblance once again to reach the landing pad, and he ran as fast as he could towards the door on the hull.

*BANG*

*BANG*

"Stop!"

Djarin stopped running when he saw two red blasts hit the hull of the Razor Crest and heard someone yell to him. While he stopped moving, Djarin spun around and removed his own blaster to fight back instead of his rifle.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Four Mandalorians were behind Djarin, and they quickly dodged the blaster fire and moved for cover. One Mandalorian moved behind a wall and looked at a screen on his gauntlet.

"We have him, Paz!" he said. "East landing pad!" Instead of waiting for a response, the Mandalorian returned fire with his own blaster.

Another Mandalorian joined the effort and aimed for Djarin. But when her target was nowhere to be found, she had another idea. "Aim for the ship!" she yelled to her allies. "Don't let him leave!" The present Mandalorians obeyed and fired at the Razor Crest.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Djarin was outside the ship when the Mandalorians fired upon it, so he was safe from harm. Unfortunately, he had to watch the Razor Crest become scorched with blaster fire and watch one of the engines ignite into flames.

*BOOM*

Black smoke rose from the left engine after a small explosion occurred. The Razor Crest wasn't completely demolished, not like the first one that Major Gideon and the Saxons destroyed. However, there was no possible way that the ship could take off from the ground now.

"Dammit!" Djarin yelled with a growl as he emerged from cover and fired at the nearest Mandalorian he saw.

*BANG*

The shot was a direct hit at the head, which gave Djarin the chance to run inside the open door to the Razor Crest. He knew he couldn't make it fly, but he had an idea to better defend himself.

*BANG*

*BANG*

The Mandalorian had to avoid blaster fire from behind as he ran, and some of the blasts hit his Beskar armor. But he had reached his ship without any harm, and he closed the door behind him before he carried out his plan.

While he was always preferred to carry a small blaster and he had just started getting used to his new rifle, Djarin had a wall of other weapons inside the Razor Crest. They ranged mostly from other pistols and rifles, and Djarin made sure to clean and use them on a regular basis.

Tonight, he planned on using a new weapon that he recently acquired.

While he wasn't welcome at his Mandalorian tribe anymore, Djarin was still welcome at the city of Nevarro. He paid Greef Karga a visit before he went to Mistral to see if anyone was willing to join the fight at Haven. But sadly, the only warriors Karga had were more needed at Nevarro. Djarin easily understood this, so he took his leave.

Before he left, however, Marshal Cara Dune decided to spare some of the city's weapons for the Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Mandalorians that were defending the school. She even gave Djarin her own Dust Repeater, which she hardly used anymore.

Djarin planned to use this large weapon to blast his way out of the Razor Crest and back into Haven. It normally required more than one person to handle, but Djarin was able to mount the weapon on a tripod and point it at the door. Once it was locked and loaded, the Mandalorian was ready to use it on everyone outside.

"Have to make this quick," Djarin thought to himself as he finished loading the gun. "I have to get out of here."

Djarin could hear footsteps and more blaster fire from the outside. He also heard the sounds of jetpacks overhead, and Djarin was sure the Mandalorians would soon be coming from more than just one side.

And rather than wait to see this happen, Djarin opened the door and pulled the trigger of Cara's Dust Repeater.

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Djarin had only seen Cara Dune fire this weapon, but now he could see how it earned the name "Dust Repeater." The weapon fired bullets at a faster rate than he had ever seen or felt before, at a rate that put nearly all of his weapons to shame. And the power of this gun was enough to blast the Mandalorians away. Some of the bullets were even strong enough to knock pieces of armor off their bodies.

Screams and gunfire was all Djarin could hear, and the sounds were almost deafening. The Mandalorians outside the Razor Crest attempted to return fire, but they couldn't get a good shot at their enemy. All they could do was hide behind their cover, but the Dust Repeater destroyed this cover and left them exposed.

Many Mandalorians fell to the might of the Dust Repeater, but others ran away from the landing pad. And soon enough, the weapon ran out of bullets to fire.

"..."

Djarin moved the weapon away from the door and stepped outside once again. Debris, scorch-marks, and bodies littered the entire landing pad and the immediate area, and silence had returned to the once quiet place.

After he took one look at all he had done, Djarin once again marveled at the power of the Dust Repeater. He knew it was capable of destruction, and now he could see how useful it was against Mandalorians.

The awe and wonder Djarin felt wasn't strong enough to make him forget why he was here in the first place. And it wasn't enough to make him neglect his surroundings, which was why he turned around, quickly drew his blaster, and fired it at the top of the Razor Crest.

*BANG*

*PLOP*

The shot he fired made direct contact with a Mandalorian that was on top of the Razor Crest, and Djarin spun the small pistol before he finally put it away.

"I have to get out of here," the Mandalorian told himself as he looked at the Aura he had left. There wasn't enough to teleport himself again, but Djarin knew that there were a few more ships left at Haven. If he could reach the next landing pad in time, then maybe he had a chance to leave for Vacuo.

The thermal vision in his helmet showed Djarin that he was alone. He could hear more gunshots and destruction around him, but they were far from where Djarin was. The Mandalorian was safe... for now.

Djarin needed some time to catch his breath, so he walked across the landing pad as he prepared to run again. As he walked, Djarin couldn't help but look at the carnage he had inflicted just now. He had left a pile of bodies like this many times in his life, usually when he conducted bounty hunts. He also left piles of decaying Grimm when he finished missions Ozpin assigned him, so he was never affected by the death that surrounded him.

Tonight, however, proved to be different. Because Djarin had made a fatal mistake by choosing to walk instead of run to the next landing pad he could find. As he looked upon the armored warriors he had just killed, Djarin noticed that something was wrong.

The armor of all these Mandalorians was different in color.

Djarin had seen multiple Mandalorian clans lately, mostly at the Great Lake. He had seen Death Watch, Clan Vizsla, Clan Tenau, Clan Saxon, Clan Bralor, and even Clan Carid over the past few days. Each of these clans were different, especially their armor. However, each of these clans chose to unify themselves with a specific color when they painted their armor. Clan Tenau mostly wore gold armor while Death Watch painted themselves in a dull gray.

But these Mandalorians, they were all of different colors. There was no single color they wore, it was a wide variety. One was mostly red, another was mostly blue. And some of their pauldrons didn't even match the rest of their armor.

"Oh, no," Djarin whispered as he stared at the bodies. "No, no, no, no..."

Not only was the armor different from other clans, but it was also familiar to Djarin. He had seen people like this before, wearing the exact same armor. He recognized them as former Children of the Watch, Mandalorians who had left Nevarro to join Pre Vizsla and his war against the world.

Din Djarin had just killed his own people.

The revelation and realization were enough to make Djarin's legs turn into jelly. He fell to his knees and looked upon the people he once called his brothers and sisters. He fought side-by-side with them on multiple occasions, when their home was under attack by outsiders and other clans.

They were like family to him, and Djarin had just killed them all.

The worst part, however, was that this wasn't the first time this had happened. On the day Paz Vizsla created a breakaway group of Mandalorians and attacked Nevarro, Djarin was forced to fight for his life and that of his daughter's. That day, Djarin was forced to fight and kill the people he once cared about to protect himself, and he succeeded. One of the reasons he fought against Vizsla was so Djarin would never have to do something like that again, to end this senseless violence and hopefully make the Children of the Watch one clan again.

But here he was doing the same thing he did again. In the Mandalorian's mind, there was no end in sight in this matter.

"Look what you did."

Djarin looked up to see Paz Vizsla standing a few feet in front of him. More Mandalorians from the Children of the Watch joined him, but they kept their distance between the two rivals. Paz felt safe where he was, given that Djarin didn't teleport away or reach for a weapon. So he approached closer as he continued to speak.

"Look what you did to our brothers and sisters," the large Mandalorian said as he walked among the rubble and bodies. "Can you truly call yourself a Mandalorian after doing this?"

"..."

The last conversation Djarin had with the Armorer began to replay in his mind when Paz asked this question. Given what she had said to him and what he had just done, Djarin was unsure how to answer that question.

Paz could tell this was the case, so he continued to speak and walk.

"You betrayed everything we stood for," the large Mandalorian said. "You even led a Foundling down the same path as you. And for what?" Paz spread his arms. "The Kingdoms who stole our home? The warriors they create to spite us?"

"..."

Since he was directly in front of Djarin, Paz stopped walking. And the members of the Children of the Watch who joined him began to surround the kneeling Mandalorian. "You have lost, Din Djarin. You have lost this battle, lost this Kingdom, and most of all... you have lost your way." Paz leaned closer to Djarin. "Our way."

"..."

Paz looked around at his fellow Mandalorians. "The Way has been our guide for hundreds of years. Even before the Great War divided us. It is what separates us from the world, it is what makes us who we are. We have all been challenged before Pre Vizsla found us, but we have all remained Mandalorians. This is the Way."

"This is the Way," every Mandalorian repeated.

After what felt like an eternity, Djarin looked up from the ground. "The... The Way..." he whispered.

The whisper was soft, but Paz was close enough to Djarin to hear what he said. "You remember," he said. "And do you remember what you swore to the Armorer? What you swore to us all?"

Djarin stared into Paz's visor. "...I remember."

Paz reached down to his side and pulled out a large hunting knife. The blade vibrated in his hand as he held it, and he readied to strike. "You stand on the precipice of doom, and it is still not too late," he said. "I do not believe in redemption, especially for apostates such as yourself. But should you repent now, admit your misdeeds and dishonor... I will grant you a quick and merciful death."

"..."

Djarin continued to look at Paz Vizsla, as well as the knife in the warrior's hand. He indeed felt the shame of killing the people he once fought beside, and he knew that the Mandalorians around him could justify their next action. For while redemption could be found, according to the Way of the Mandalore, banishment or death were also common for apostates.

Din Djarin couldn't deny that he had abandoned the Way of the Mandalore... but he also couldn't deny that there was a reason behind this choice.

That reason was in Vacuo, in a deep sleep that had the potential to end at a moment's notice. That reason was someone who saw the world through different eyes, someone who had helped Djarin see a new way to live.

And someone who taught Djarin to live to a new code of honor.

"I abandoned it," Djarin admitted. "I abandoned it all."

Paz looked back to his brothers and sisters. "He admits it," he said firmly. Nods and small shouts of agreements surrounded him, which filled the large Mandalorian with pride as well as resolve. It was this resolve that guided his right hand towards Din Djarin. His hand moved towards his rival's neck very quickly, and he readied himself for blood to be shed.

But Paz wasn't ready for Din Djarin catching his hand and holding it tight.

"I abandoned cruelty," the Mandalorian said as he lifted himself off the ground. "I abandoned bias, stubbornness, and prejudice against anyone who chose not to be like us."

Djarin squeezed and twisted Paz's hand, which caused the knife to fall. The Mandalorians around him pointed their rifles and pistols at their shared target, but Djarin didn't falter.

"The world was right to hate us," Djarin continued. "They were right to hate the Mandalorians who use our history and culture as reasons to spill blood. I abandoned it all not for them... but for the one who taught me to be better than that." Djarin fought against Paz trying to break out of the grip and only made it tighter. "And I'll be damned before I let you or anyone you stand with take her away from me."

Paz was angered by this defiance, as well as the iron-like grip he found his hand caught in. The speech he interpreted as disrespectful for the Mandalorians as a whole made him hate Djarin even more than he did already, and he used this hatred to finally break the grip and push Djarin back.

The Mandalorians all fired their blasters at close range when they saw Djarin stumble, but they fired at thin air as their target teleported away. As a result, the shots they fired hit each other instead of Din Djarin.

Paz screamed in fury as he turned around to see Djarin wielding an electric staff in his hands. "I'll kill you!" he screamed as he charged at the man he deemed an apostate. Djarin charged back, despite the fact that he wanted to save Cinder. But he had made a promise to do away with cruelty and prejudice in the world, and he made it to Cinder.

Getting rid of Paz Vizsla was a perfect way to keep this promise.

Djarin easily dodged the reckless swings his opponent was making with his hunting knife. When he dodged the fourth strike, Djarin pushed one of the electric ends at Vizsla's chest. Electricity took the large man in an instant, which caused him to scream in pain as his body absorbed the painful lightning. But he eventually pushed the staff away and swung his knife at Djarin's helmet, which scratched the metal and glass.

Multiple strikes, dodges, and grabs at weapons were made as Djarin and Paz fought. Each warrior had their strengths and weaknesses, and each of them knew how the other would fight. Palpable hits were made on each side, and each warrior grew frustrated as they hoped the battle would end.

The end of this fight came in a very unexpected way.

More Mandalorians had found Djarin and Paz while they were fighting. These Mandalorians recognized Djarin as an enemy, and they knew that he had to be stopped.

One Mandalorian who was ahead of the others decided to end the fight with a rocket on his jetpack.

"I'll get him!" he said as he prepared to fire the rocket.

"Hold your fire!" said another Mandalorian who tried to run and stop the rocket from firing. "You'll hit Vizsla!"

*WHOOSH*

Despite his best efforts, the Mandalorian arrived too late to stop his ally from firing a rocket right at Djarin and Paz. Each Mandalorian recognized the danger, but they were too late to move out of the way.

*BOOM*

The explosion caused both warriors to fly away from each other. Paz slid close to the Mandalorians who joined him, and they moved quickly to help him off the ground while the smoke cleared.

"Get off me!" Paz yelled in anger as he searched the area for Djarin. "Where is he?! Where's Djarin?!"

The Mandalorians raised their guns and moved closer into the smoke. The black cloud disappeared after a few seconds, and all that stood in its place were the Mandalorians who were looking for Paz's opponent. When they looked around one more time, all they could do was say one thing to answer Paz's question.

"He's... gone."

---

As Din Djarin and multiple others discovered, the Mandalorians under Salem's command spread themselves far across Haven Academy in an attempt to destroy the entire school. Once the school was gone, the rest of Mistral would be easy to conquer.

That was the basis of Flora's plan, after all.

While there was indeed fighting across the entire campus, the majority of the fighting was still in the auditorium where Raven Branwen had created her portal. Raven was still fighting her brother, Obi-Wan had engaged in a duel with Pre Vizsla, and Ozpin was helping Huntsmen and Huntresses fight the enemy Mandalorians. Revan had joined Ozpin's efforts as well, given his title of the Mandalorian Butcher.

As he fought and killed members of Death Watch, the Saxons, and every other Mandalorian he perceived as an enemy, Revan was taken back to the time he had earned his title. He recalled the start of the Great War, and how the Jedi chose to abstain from the conflict. While the Council sent a few of their Knights and Masters into battle on occasion, the Jedi did not reveal themselves to the rest of the world.

This choice didn't sit well with some of the Jedi. Revan was amongst them.

The day the Mandalorians joined the war was the straw that broke the camel's back for Revan. Given that the Jedi had previous conflicts with the Mandalorians, Revan chose to leave and fight them all. He knew they were on the side of Vale and Vacuo, but he also knew that the Mandalorians were never allies of the Jedi.

And so, Revan left the Jedi to fight in the war. He was followed by others soon after, so the former Jedi never fought alone. Even the soldiers of Mistral came to his side, where he helped win victory after victory for the Kingdoms.

In that time, Revan and all who followed him lost their way. They became bitter, merciless, and everything else that the Jedi opposed. Even Revan's brother, who he took as his apprentice prior to leaving Coruscant, grew more ambitious with every victory he and Revan secured for Mistral.

The battles he fought made Revan invincible, but not satisfied. He was indeed a strong warrior and a tactical genius, but Revan knew that there was only one enemy who had the power to stop him; the King of Vale, who was also the current incarnation of Ozma. Revan knew that with the power of Magic, the Relics, and the Force on his side, Ozma could end Revan's assault and bring victory to Vale and Vacuo.

And by extension, this would bring victory to the Mandalorians and Tarre Vizsla.

Revan spent many days trying to strategize and think of a way to beat Ozma. He knew that Ozma could summon the full might of the Jedi Order if he wished to. Revan would be defeated in an instant if this happened. However, he was reminded by his ambitious apprentice that they were not the first Jedi to leave the Order. That others turned to a darker master, a more powerful one at that. Power such as this would destroy not only the Mandalorians, but the Jedi as well.

The war had indeed changed Revan, but he was initially reluctant to follow in the footsteps of these Jedi. But when he felt a strong disturbance in the Force, a surge like he had never felt before, Revan changed his mind. He sought out the source of this disturbance in the hopes that it would grant him the power to end the destructive ways of the Mandalorians, to bring order back to Remnant.

But when he and his brother found themselves before Salem, they soon discovered that all that glittered was not gold.

Salem had much greater plans for the Jedi instead of winning the Great War. Though it was indeed the division of mankind she always wanted, Salem sensed that the war would be over soon. And so, she took it upon herself to hasten Revan's fall to the Dark Side. With her powers, her loyal Sith, and the power of the Fermata Cage, Salem preserved Revan's twisted self and used it in her secret war against the Jedi. And just as they did before, Revan and his apprentice won many victories for the Queen of the Grimm.

It wasn't until Salem placed him back in the Fermata Cage and allowed his mind to be wiped that Revan found himself to be free. Salem's intention was to break the Jedi Order from within, but multiple adventures across Remnant with new friends made Revan rediscover the Jedi Knight within himself. And when his memories eventually returned, he stayed right where he was instead of falling back into Salem's clutches.

Revan's mind returned to the present after he killed a Mandalorian by decapitating her. The similarities between tonight and years ago were as plain as the nose on his face, but there was one difference. There was a time where Revan would have found glory and satisfaction in these kills, where he would unleash all of his power and kill everyone in sight. However, Revan now understood the virtue and strength behind self-control and putting the lives of others before his own. He understood that killing these Mandalorians would save lives, and that was more important than obtaining power or glory.

A certain Jedi who saved him long ago had taught him that.

Ozpin sensed this resolve within Revan as he too fought the Mandalorians, and he was proud of the old Jedi. While he himself wasn't killing the Mandalorians with his cane, Ozpin understood that Revan's way of thinking wasn't entirely wrong. All other options had been exhausted, and Ozpin accepted this. But he still chose to simply incapacitate the Mandalorians instead of kill them. His cane wasn't much to look at, but each strike with the blunt end was a powerful one.

When he wasn't disarming Mandalorians by striking their rifles and pistols, Ozpin was able to break Auras and bones when he used the blunt end of his cane. Years of experience and the Force allowed him to send a series of quick jabs and strikes at multiple Mandalorians, which severely dented the armor his opponents were wearing. The damage was so intense that the Mandalorians found themselves either unconscious or entirely unable to stand up again.

Qrow found himself to be evenly matched with his sister, which made him only angrier. His dislike and disagreements with her were nothing compared to how betrayed he felt by Raven. He didn't know what he would do after he killed her, but he didn't care. All he did was use Harbinger multiple times in an attempt to finally break his sister's guard, but Raven was always able to defend herself.

She may have found herself having the same problem Qrow was having with this fight, but Raven was much more calm and collected. She still planned to kill her brother, and she was incredibly confident in her ability to do so. All Raven had to do was hold her own while jumping across the auditorium and wait for the perfect opening to land a fatal blow.

In a strange twist of fate, Obi-Wan Kenobi found himself repeating this strategy in his duel with Pre Vizsla.

The Jedi's blue lightsaber found itself facing off against the black blade of the Mand'alor's Darksaber. No formal challenge had been declared, Obi-Wan and Vizsla simply had their eyes on each other when the battle broke loose. Vizsla had to admit that Obi-Wan was wise to stall him, but the warlord refused to let the Jedi have the last laugh. Many Jedi had fallen to the blade he possessed, and now he was ready to see Obi-Wan join them.

Despite the fact that Obi-Wan was a Jedi Master and the Headmaster of Haven Academy, he found the Mand'alor to be a challenging opponent. Pre Vizsla had decided to rely on his jetpack, his gauntlets, his Semblance, and his natural skill in hand-to-hand combat to go up against Obi-Wan. His arsenal was much larger than Obi-Wan's, and he wasn't afraid to use it to his advantage.

However, Obi-Wan saw the reason behind these multiple attacks. His time in war, however unfortunate, had made Obi-Wan aware of the art of strategy. He could see that Vizsla was very comfortable with using his jetpack and Semblance, as well as everything else his armor offered him.

But it was clear that Pre Vizsla wasn't using the Darksaber as much. He only seemed to be using it to defend himself instead of attacking the Jedi.

Obi-Wan remembered Djarin telling him that Gar Saxon was the last one he saw with the Darksaber. It seemed possible that Vizsla had gained the sword fairly recently, and he had not yet mastered the art of fighting with such a blade. Djarin also told him that he fought Vizsla with a special staff, which made their first fight all the more difficult.

Obi-Wan didn't see any staff for Vizsla to use; it seemed his pride and ego made the warlord abandon it altogether just so he could wield the Darksaber. The Jedi knew he could use this to his advantage, and so he did.

After Obi-Wan blocked a strike from the Darksaber, the Jedi used the Force to push Vizsla against the wall. The power behind this attack was enough to break Vizsla's jetpack, so he had no means of catching himself when he fell to the ground. Some of his Mandalorians tried to help him up, but the Mand'alor angrily shook them off as he charged again.

Obi-Wan decided to put himself on the defensive once again, and search for an opening. Raven and Qrow were doing the same thing, but Obi-Wan found it easier with Pre Vizsla. Each strike with the Darksaber showed how much training Vizsla needed, especially after he almost lost his footing after he tried to decapitate the Jedi.

Obi-Wan managed to catch Vizsla's hand when he stood back up, and the Mand'alor threw a fist at the Jedi. Obi-Wan moved out of the way in time and he was able to push Vizsla back. The Mandalorian jumped in the air as he tried to strike Obi-Wan again, but the Jedi was able to block each attack with his lightsaber. He was even able to use the Force on him once again when he saw an opening.

As Vizsla gently collided into his fellow Mandalorians again, he sensed that the Jedi was toying with him. His frustrations and denial of being beaten again drew the Mand'alor into attacking Obi-Wan again. He jumped and spun in the air in an attempt to fight like he fought with his staff, but this proved to be a mistake.

For Obi-Wan not only dodged these predictable strikes, but he also disarmed Vizsla after he kicked him.

Vizsla was horrified that he had been disarmed. Being disarmed of his weapon was common in combat, and he had lost his spear and pistols before. But when he lost the Darksaber, Vizsla knew that this was unacceptable.

Fortunately, he was able to counter the kick to his face with his own hand-to-hand combat. After he landed a good punch to Obi-Wan's stomach, something the Jedi couldn't use his Aura to protect, Vizsla grabbed his opponent and punched him twice. The second strike knocked Obi-Wan back, which forced him to remove his Aura from the lightsaber and use it to heal himself.

Vizsla quickly grabbed the Darksaber again, but Obi-Wan had recovered from the attacks. He stood up again and placed his Aura back into his lightsaber, but he didn't see Vizsla turn on the Darksaber again.

Instead, Vizsla ordered his men to finish off the Jedi.

Three warriors closest to Vizsla quickly kneeled and fired rockets attached to their jetpacks. Obi-Wan dodged them and expected them to explode behind him, but he discovered that these were heat-seeking missiles.

And they were coming straight for him.

Rather than let the rockets hit him, Obi-Wan jumped to the nearest window he saw. After he used the Force to blast it open, the Jedi jumped out and the missiles hit the wall behind him.

*BOOM*

Nobody could see past the flames, but they were certain that Obi-Wan had evaded the rockets they fired.

"Should we go after him, sir?" one Mandalorian asked as he turned to his leader.

"No," Vizsla replied. "There's no time." He was well aware of how much time and energy he had already spent at Haven. The smoke and explosions would eventually be heard by the rest of the city, and Vizsla knew he couldn't waste any more time here than he had already.

If he was going to destroy Haven Academy, Vizsla needed to unleash his secret weapon.

"Aurora!" the Mand'alor yelled to his Faunus ally. She had been using her knives and the powers of the Fall Maiden to kill multiple Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Mandalorians who stood with the enemy ever since the battle broke out. Her victories and sadism were quite enjoyable for the mad Faunus, but they weren't enough to cloud her reality. So she was able to hear Vizsla and hear his next command.

"It's time!" the Mand'alor said. "Call them in now!"

The Faunus quickly cut the throat of a student who had tried to ambush her before she opened her Scroll. After she quickly pressed a few buttons, she put the device to one of her human ears and spoke.

"We're ready for you," she said calmly. The Faunus then formed a twisted smile on her face. "Do your worst."

About ten seconds had passed since Aurora made her call. In that time, Obi-Wan jumped back into Haven the same way he had left. Ozpin and Revan were continuing to fight the Mandalorians, and Qrow was still fighting his sister.

However, a loud noise made everyone stop in their tracks.

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

The doors to the auditorium had opened again, but not like they normally did. Instead of simply opening, the doors flew off their hinges and flew across the room. Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Mandalorians quickly moved out of the way of the doors, and they broke into pieces after they crashed into the ground.

A small cloud of dust covered the spot where the doors flew off, but everyone could make out the shape of a large man in this cloud of dust. The man looked at the people before him, and then screamed a single name at the crowd.

"OZPIN!"

Everyone silently turned to the Headmaster of Beacon, who stared at the cloud of dust in shock. It was easy for him to match the voice to the identity of the man, which allowed him to see that only trouble would come from this new arrival.

"Oh, no."

The dust finally disappeared when Hazel Rainart stepped into the auditorium. Two crystals of Lightning Dust were infused into his left and right arms. The large man didn't feel any pain from this Dust, it had only made him stronger.

His anger, on the other hand, was natural.

"You'll pay for what you did!" Hazel promised as he curled his fists. "You'll pay for taking her away from me! You'll die over and over again!"

With another yell, Hazel charged at Ozpin like the speed of lightning. The Headmaster was able to move out of the way in time, as was Revan. Obi-Wan and Qrow also looked at the new opponent and shared a mutual disappointment.

"Aw, no!" Qrow groaned. "Not him again!" He was about to join Ozpin and help fight Hazel once again, but he had to protect himself from Raven almost ambushing him. His sword was locked with hers once again, and he was unable to help Ozpin.

"I'll get him!" Obi-Wan promised as he ran towards the center of the room. "Ozpin, get down!"

*CLASH*

Hazel's abnormally large arm had collided into Obi-Wan's lightsaber. His Aura didn't seem to do anything to the flesh, however. But Obi-Wan was able to hold his own as he attempted to use the Force to stop Hazel.

"You don't want to hurt anyone," he said as he gently moved his hand. "You want to stand down immediately."

Hazel growled as he grabbed Obi-Wan's hand. "I want... to stand down... after I kill Ozpin!" he said before he threw the Jedi away from him.

*BAM*

Obi-Wan collided into Revan, who in turn crashed into multiple Huntsmen and Huntresses. Obi-Wan once again moved his Aura into his body and used it to heal his wounds, and then he helped Revan stand up. The Huntsmen and Huntresses had fallen unconscious from the collision.

"I sense much hatred in him," Revan said as he stood up. "And such a strong will." He looked back to Obi-Wan. "Strong enough to resist a Mind Trick."

"I used it once on him before," Obi-Wan confessed. "I was hoping I could do it again." He turned around fast to see Ozpin slowly backing away from Hazel while he prepared to fight back. Obi-Wan knew that his friend would need help, and that he would need it now. "No Mind Trick will stop Hazel now."

"Agreed." Revan took his lightsabers in his hands once again and activated them. "If these fail, the Force will allow us to-Aaugh!"

Revan dropped his swords and nearly fell to the ground as he grabbed his head. Obi-Wan repeated the motion, for he had grown incredibly weak for seemingly no reason at all.

The reason, however, was that the two Jedi had sensed a disturbance in the Force. Like Raven, they sensed the presence of a new foe at Haven Academy. But this wasn't Raven, and it certainly wasn't Hazel. For unlike the two of them... the Force was with this new arrival.

Some of the Huntsmen, Huntresses, and Mandalorians defending Haven also sensed the new intruder. But rather than sensing it though the Force, they could see a bright red light outside the auditorium. Screams soon found their way through the doorway, as people outside immediately fell under attack. The red light cut through weapons and bodies as it moved across the outside grounds, and showed no signs of stopping. The warriors who saw the light and heard the screams rushed outside to help, but they couldn't do anything to help.

If they hadn't been caught by their throats and hoisted into the air, they were electrocuted and burnt to a crisp.

Revan had fallen to his knees because of the disturbance, and it had troubled him greatly. "No," he whispered as he looked at the ground. "Not here. Not now."

Obi-Wan had recovered from his ordeal, and he quickly moved to help Revan stand. "Revan, what is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"..."

The masked Jedi lifted his head off the ground, but he didn't look at Obi-Wan. Instead, he was staring towards the entrance of the room, in the direction of the CCT towers that many Huntsmen and Huntresses were trying to defend.

The screams he heard and the flashes of red he saw were alarming to both Jedi, but they meant much more to Revan than Obi-Wan had previously thought.

"...He's here."

---

Hours ago

The final preparations were underway for Pre Vizsla's invasion. Many Mandalorians on Kalevala were inside the castle, waiting and watching for a red portal to open. Flora was preparing to leave for Vacuo with some of Vizsla's guard, given that the Botfly she placed on Djarin's armor had shown her where Cinder was.

And Aurora was making one final report to Salem.

The witch had found herself more annoyed than concerned that she had to wait and watch as this uncertain plan her daughter recklessly created began to take form. However, as she sat on her crystal throne and listened carefully, Salem found her confidence rising by the second.

"So, Vizsla wishes to fight this battle after all," Salem concluded. "You have done well, Aurora."

"Thank you, Your Grace," the Faunus said on the other end of a Seer. "We expect to leave for Mistral within the hour."

"Excellent. And you say you have finally found what remains of the Fall Maiden?"

"We have. Vizsla will send his best men to find and kill her." Aurora believed it would be wise to leave out the fact that she had sent Flora as well, given that they had not obtained the Relic just yet. Once they did, Aurora planned to explain everything.

"Good," Salem continued. "And once you have the Relic in your possession, Spring will be yours for the taking."

"Of course," Aurora said with a slight bow.

"..."

As the Faunus lifted her head once again, Salem couldn't help but notice a certain look on her disciple's face. There appeared to be a trace of uncertainty on it, as well as slight concern. The Queen of the Grimm initially believed that this was due to Flora's rash planning, but it seemed that Aurora had everything taken under control.

There was something else about this plan that Aurora seemed uncertain of.

"Aurora," Salem began. "Do you have something you wish to tell me?"

Aurora looked back at the crystal ball before she spoke. "Our preparations are nearly complete," the Faunus said. "But there seems to be one small problem."

"..."

Salem had to admit that she was expecting many flaws with Flora's plan of an attack so soon. When she saw that her expectations had been met, Salem knew that she had no choice but to let Aurora present this problem to her. And hopefully, a solution could be found swiftly.

"Yes?" Salem asked calmly.

"Do you recall how all of this started with the hopes of defeating the Jedi you call 'Revan?'" Aurora asked. "The one who's been killing the Saxons in Vale?"

"I do," Salem confirmed.

"Flora and I believe that Djarin found him. And recruited him to his cause."

"...Are you certain?"

Aurora nodded slowly. "Flora said she heard his name as clear as day."

"..."

As her black fingernails scratched the armrest of her throne, Salem immediately found herself to be frustrated with this. Aurora was correct that all of this started when Salem tried to work with Pre Vizsla and find a way to kill Revan. Now that he was apparently joining the defense of Haven, Salem knew this plan was a much greater risk than it was earlier. A partial Maiden and the Spring Maiden were powerful tools, but Salem was sure that Raven didn't teach her Maiden to be like Aurora.

Salem needed someone just as powerful as Revan, perhaps even more powerful, to ensure tonight's victory.

"I see," Salem finally replied. "I will be sending Hazel to assist you. He and another agent of mine will meet you at Haven."

"Your Grace, is it possible for you yourself to join us?" Aurora asked. "With you on our side, the battle could be won before it even begins."

"I cannot. Mankind is not yet ready for my appearance. Not while they all see the Mandalorians as a common enemy." Salem lifted herself off her throne and made one last command. "Maintain your course and conduct the attack. I will send my agents to Haven soon."

"As you wish, ma'am."

Salem quickly broke off contact with Aurora and left the room. She was all alone in her castle, so she walked its halls in silence and made her way towards a specific room.

It was this silence that allowed her to think of a proper plan to deal with Revan. She knew that Aurora wasn't powerful enough to deal with a Force-wielder, given her experience with Nihilus. Salem knew that Nihilus could hardly be controlled or contained within her castle, the man was practically a loose cannon.

However, there was someone else that Salem could control. And she was on her way to meet him now.

Salem descended down a flight of stairs in her castle, which led directly to the basement. When she reached the bottom, there appeared to be nothing at all. The room appeared to be dull and empty, and it seemed that it served no purpose at all.

But Salem knew that this wasn't true.

There was something else down in the basement. At first, there was a red transparent wall that Salem stopped in front of. Not only was the wall made of her own Magic, but it also served as one part of a prison Salem had created many years ago.

With a wave of the witch's hand, the wall opened and began to transform into something new. The physical Magic rose above the ground and created cube-like shapes on the ceiling as well as the walls.

In the center of these shapes were people. They were all wounded, mutated, and some of them seemed to lack any sign of humanity whatsoever; but they were still people.

The one thing they all had in common was the amount of hate and rage they held towards Salem.

The part of the castle that Salem was walking through was something of her own creation. She called it the Fermata Cage, a place where she imprisoned all of her Sith Lords. At first, the prison was meant for the Sith who had become too powerful and too unstable for Salem to control on her own. Now it served as a place that all Sith shared after the Battle of Coruscant. The battle had left them broken and changed, but their connection to the Force was just as strong as ever.

It was this connection that allowed them to live for so long, isolated and alone.

Each time Salem entered this place and looked at the Sith she was preserving, she felt pride and satisfaction in creating both the Sith and the Fermata Cage. Nobody in the world had seen power such as this, and it was all hers to command.

Salem usually came to see her Sith for one of two reasons. The first was that there was still one Sith Lord who was loyal to her and served as her confidant. Salem would pay him a visit whenever she faced an obstacle in her goals.

The second reason was that Salem had found an opportunity to unleash a Sith into the world and let chaos reign. They would die sooner or later, but the damage would be done quickly and efficiently.

Salem had come to the Fermata Cage for the second reason, and she was now staring at the Sith she planned to release.

"There you are," Salem said to a man who was facing his back towards her. The man was sitting on the ground and hiding his face, but Salem could see his bald, pale head. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Kill me or release me, 'Your Grace,'" the Sith ordered in a raspy and almost mechanical voice "Do not waste my time with talk."

Salem easily sensed the anger and hate within this Sith. He had been down here for so long, and death almost seemed like a blessing. However, Salem had other plans for her prisoner.

"There is much we must talk about, I'm afraid," she said. "After all, we must come into agreement about your return to my service."

The Sith laughed in the same raspy voice, which had the ability to send shivers down the spines of the strongest Huntsmen and Huntresses. "I may be your prisoner, but my power does not come from groveling at your feet," he said. "If that was what you wished to see, you'll have to try harder than that."

Salem hummed as she considered the idea. She could make the prison more painful if she wished to, she could unleash more Magic that would have the strength to kill the man. But she had taught the Sith to resist pain such as this, and to use it to fuel their hatred.

Salem couldn't have this Sith's hatred focused on her.

"There is something I want to see, you're right," Salem confessed. "I simply believed you were the right person to make my dream a reality."

The man couldn't help but slightly lift his head when he heard this. The promise of freedom was tempting, just as tempting as the power of the Dark Side. However, this Sith had seen and felt what happened to Sith that Salem had released. Being set free only to be sent to die later on wasn't something he would like to do.

"So, you wish for me to go out in the world once again," the Sith said. "To destroy whoever or whatever stands in your way." The Sith found the situation to be slightly humorous. "I almost thought you had forgotten my role in the Great War. Or is there another reason why you sent fools and weaklings out before me?"

Salem hummed again before she spoke. "We both know their instability would only get them killed. You, on the other hand, were not like them. No, you may be the first Sith who wants the same thing as I do."

"Your life and your powers?" the Sith asked causally. He knew nothing would please him more than finally killing Salem and taking control over her Magic and the Grimm, but he also knew this was impossible.

Salem was well aware of the man's grudge against her, but she knew how to make him see reason.

"No," she said casually. "I am not so arrogant to forget that you and everyone in here hates me. But I know you too well." Salem moved against the side of the cube to get a better look at the Sith. "If there's one person you hate on Remnant more than me... we both know it's Revan."

"..."

The silence and the gray eyes looking at her told Salem that she now had the Sith's full attention. Rather than wait to hear any questions or doubts about this claim, Salem got straight to the point.

"He still lives," Salem promised the Sith. "He is out there now, free and working with Ozpin. Hate me all you want, but we know I am not as deserving of death and suffering as your former Master." Salem hummed once again. "It's easy to forget that he is your brother."

The Sith finally stood up and took great offense to this claim. "We share blood," he said. "We are not brothers."

Salem smiled at the Sith. "Then I will have no doubt what you will do once I release you."

"..."

Salem placed her hand on one side of the cube as she continued to talk. "I believe it would be good to know that Revan will no longer be a thorn in my side. And I also believe you are the perfect candidate to do so."

"Release me," the Sith said as he slammed his palms against his cage. "Release me and I will kill him within the hour!"

Salem doubted that such a thing would be possible, but she was confident that the Sith could kill Revan. "He is working with Ozpin and Obi-Wan Kenobi at Haven Academy. Kill them if you must, but I want Revan destroyed tonight."

"It will be done!" The Sith hit his hands against the cube again. "All you have to do is release me!"

"Excellent."

Salem closed her eyes and concentrated on the Magic wall she was touching. It soon disappeared, and the Sith was free for the first time in years. When she opened her eyes, Salem found herself looking at a pale man with a bald head. He was wearing a red tunic with a red cape, and he was still staring at Salem with bright yellow eyes.

The reason his voice sounded so abnormal was due to a piece of metal he was wearing over his mouth.

"I have allies at Haven Academy," Salem said. "Do what you please with Revan and the Jedi, but I want my servants alive and unharmed."

"Very well," the Sith said as he basked in the feeling of being outside the Fermata Cage. "Am I free?"

Salem smiled once again. "You will be, Malak. Once you kill the one who holds both of us back."

---

Present day

"RRRRAAAAAHHHH!"

Obi-Wan lost focus on Revan when he heard a familiar yell. When he turned to the direction of the yell, Obi-Wan saw Hazel continuing to fight Ozpin. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy was doing his best to hold his own, but Hazel's brute strength and durable Aura had rendered all of Ozpin's attacks practically useless. Ozpin tried to use a series of fast strikes to break Hazel's defense, but the large man only got angrier.

Obi-Wan knew he had to act now, and he hoped that Revan would be able to help him. However, he saw nothing next to him when he turned to the spot where Revan had once been resting. Rather than question where he had gone, Obi-Wan returned his Aura to his lightsaber and lunged at Salem's newest servant.

Hazel felt a sharp cut at his torso and found Obi-Wan in a defensive stance at his side. Although he found himself on a war at two fronts, Hazel threw his fists and balls of lightning at both men in an attempt to kill them.

Ozpin and Obi-Wan fought and defended themselves as best as they could, but the only success they had was evading Hazel's fists and lightning.

Ozpin knew he and Obi-Wan couldn't keep this up forever, so he tried a new approach.

"Hazel, stop!" the Headmaster furiously demanded. "These are the same people who wish to kill people like your sister! What could you possibly achieve by working with them?!"

"I'm here because of you!" Hazel replied as he pushed against Ozpin's cane. "You brought Gretchen here of all places! Where you knew an attack like this would happen! You've been hiding behind children like her for years!" Hazel grabbed Ozpin by the neck and squeezed. "A monster like you must be stopped!"

Obi-Wan broke Hazel's grip on Ozpin by using the Force. A simple push was enough to break the grip, and Ozpin used another push to create some distance between himself and Hazel.

"He's too far gone," Ozpin noted as he looked at Hazel. "Whatever Salem's done to him has only made him worse."

"Agreed," said Obi-Wan. "He's been manipulated past the point of seeing reason."

Before Ozpin could reply, Hazel yelled as he walked over to the two Headmasters. "I can see everything now!" he claimed. "I see how you've been lying to people like Gretchen, how you've made the world revolve around you and you alone!" Hazel pointed at Ozpin when he made this claim. "Salem helped me see what you've done, and I'll be damned before that happens to Gretchen too!"

"..."

Hazel pointed to Obi-Wan next. "You... I have no quarrel with," he said. "Show us where the Vault is and your life will be spared."

"..."

Obi-Wan almost forgot that while Mistral was Vizsla's endgame, obtaining the Relic of Knowledge was Salem's ultimate goal tonight. Thankfully, Obi-Wan could see that its location was still unknown to her and her enforcers. And now Obi-Wan intended to keep it that way.

"You will never know," Obi-Wan promised as he raised his lightsaber again.

Hazel could see that he would simply have to beat the information out of Obi-Wan and Ozpin. He gladly accepted these circumstances as he reached into his pockets and took out two more Dust crystals. They were Fire Dust this time, and Hazel jabbed them into his arms before he let out a mighty roar.

"Oh, dear," Obi-Wan said as he looked at the Dust. "That's unnatural."

"It's his Semblance," Ozpin explained. "He can block out pain. That's how he's able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body, just like Gretchen can."

Obi-Wan understood this and tried to think of a solid strategy. "We may not need him to feel pain." His eyes turned to Hazel's arms and legs. Ozpin sensed his friend had a plan, and the Headmaster soon shared it. "If we aim for his arms his legs, perhaps his elbows and knees..."

"He won't be able to stand. Let alone fight." Ozpin spun his cane as he prepared to follow Obi-Wan's lead. This was a sound plan, though he wished he could have been able to help Hazel see reason. He understood the fear of losing someone close to him, but Hazel was too far gone to see that he had become the very thing Gretchen wanted to stand against.

As Revan realized with the Mandalorians, Ozpin understood that Hazel and his allies had to be stopped by any means necessary.

*ZAP*

*ZAP*

The plan was simple, but it had been prevented when both Ozpin and Obi-Wan were struck by lightning.

The electricity came without warning and it came too fast for either of the Headmasters to do anything to protect themselves. Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber and Ozpin dropped his cane as they fell to the ground and screamed in agony. Both men tried to fight back, to use the Force to move the lightning away, but their efforts were in vain.

When the lightning finally disappeared, Hazel stood over both men in triumph. He was content with what had happened to his opponents, but he was not the cause of the surprise attack. The source was Aurora, who joined Hazel and looked down at both men with burning eyes and a cold smile on her face.

"Nice plan," she sarcastically said. She was referring to their planned attack with Hazel, which couldn't happen now. "Did you expect it to work on a Maiden too?"

"..."

They were still recovering from the electric blast, but neither Ozpin or Obi-Wan were willing to dignify the question with a response. Aurora didn't care about this, but she did care about one thing.

"Now... where did you say the Vault was?"

"..."

Both Aurora and Hazel weren't planning on taking silence or "No" for an answer in this case. Hazel turned to Ozpin and clasped both of his hands together. He raised them above his head and prepared to send them downwards, which he believed would result in cooperation.

"No," Aurora said as she slapped Hazel's chest. "Not him."

"..."

The Faunus planned on killing Ozpin, but there was one other person who could tell them where the Vault was. And unlike Ozpin, he wouldn't be coming back from the dead.

"Him," Aurora said as she pointed to Obi-Wan. Hazel understood his partner's logic and silently picked the Jedi off the ground. Obi-Wan moved too late to retrieve his lightsaber, and now he found himself in Hazel's iron grip. "Where is it?"

"..."

Aurora and Hazel glanced at each other when they heard silence once again. After she gave a simple nod, Hazel squeezed his hand around Obi-Wan and began to crush him. The pain was unbearable, especially without an Aura. Obi-Wan felt bones begin to crack and he could even feel them start to break.

Obi-Wan wanted to scream in agony, but all that came out was a soft whimper. He tried using the Force again, but Hazel's grip felt like he was caught in the Force itself. There were times when he was almost crushed by the Force, but Qui-Gon and Anakin had a habit of saving him when he needed it the most.

Sadly, nobody could save Obi-Wan this time.

"The Vault," Aurora ordered through grit teeth. "Now."

"..."

In a moment of weakness and desperation, Obi-Wan couldn't help but glance his eyes in a certain direction.

Aurora easily noticed this and turned around fast. The spot that Obi-Wan quickly glanced at was the pedestal he was standing on when everyone first arrived. In the front was a statue of a woman seemingly holding the weight of the pedestal above her. Aurora didn't hear or see anything behind her that would have caught Obi-Wan's attention, so she knew that the statue held the answer she sought.

"There," she said as she pointed to the statue. Hazel understood and applied his pressure even tighter. He even stepped hard on Ozpin's chest, but Aurora stopped the large man from doing anything else. "Keep them alive. It could be a trick."

"..."

Hazel threw Obi-Wan aside and kicked Ozpin across the floor in obedience. They were alive, and they were too hurt to do anything to stop Salem's servants. Obi-Wan was able to use the Force to retrieve his lightsaber and reclaim his Aura, but all he could do was watch as Hazel broke the statue and throw it at a group of Huntsmen.

Aurora and Hazel didn't see anything unusual behind the statue, but they noticed a large hole in the ground where it once stood. Aurora created a small ball of fire and threw it downwards to see how far it would go.

And it went far.

"That's it," Hazel said as he watched the ball fall down further and further. "The Vault is there."

Aurora nodded and looked around for Raven. "Get the girl," she told the large man. "I'll find Raven." Hazel moved across the battlefield in search of the girl while Aurora scanned the area for Raven.

The bandit didn't prove herself to be hard to find, given that she was jumping across the area with Qrow directly in front of her.

The siblings had been at their battle ever since the invasion started, and they showed no signs of stopping. They were evenly matched, and one sibling would always get the upper hand before it was snatched away at the last second. They were both sweaty and breathing heavily, but neither of them were going to give up any time soon.

This would have been the case for Qrow, if he hadn't been electrocuted and blasted away by Aurora.

After she watched her brother slide across the floor and scream in pain, Raven turned around to see Aurora with burning eyes and a hand covered in electricity. The intent to kill was written all over the Faunus' face, but Raven stopped her.

"He's mine," she insisted as she prepared to strike again.

"Not right now he isn't," Aurora insisted. "We found the path to the Vault. Have your Maiden open it and you'll be free to kill your brother."

"..."

Raven looked back towards Qrow, who had started to get off the floor. He had heard what Aurora had said, and it caused him to look towards his sister. He didn't speak, and he didn't do anything to try and stop her. All Qrow did was look at his sister in disgust and disappointment.

Raven closed her eyes and shook her head to return the disgust and disappointment to Qrow. She silently followed Aurora to the path to the Vault, where she found Hazel waiting with the girl she brought from her camp.

"The statue was an elevator," Hazel said calmly. "I can't fix it now."

Aurora looked down the hole again and believed that Hazel was right. "Looks like we'll make one," she said as her eyes began to burn. She spun both of her hands around to make a disc of air, one that soon grew in size and shape. As it moved towards the hole in the ground, Aurora groaned as she felt the strain of being a partial Maiden take hold on her.

"Flora still hasn't killed her?" Aurora wondered as she tried to use the full powers of the Fall Maiden. "Damn it, Flora. If you fail or make things even worse for us, you'll be locked in that castle forever." The Faunus managed to create the disc of air, which took longer than she had hoped. Raven and the young girl by her side glanced at each other in uncertainty at the limit of Aurora's powers.

Once Aurora was done, all three women stepped on to the new platform and looked down. The platform began to descend like an elevator, which pleased the Faunus greatly.

"Keep the Headmasters alive for now," Aurora ordered Hazel. "Salem warned us that there could be more than meets the eye with the Vaults." Hazel nodded and reached for more Dust in his pockets before he turned around to face the Headmasters.

Hope was fleeting the moment the three women moved down the hole in the ground. Obi-Wan expressed his sorrow over his failure, but Ozpin blamed Hazel's apathy towards them and tried to stop them all. Obi-Wan joined him and tried to run towards the new elevator, but they were stopped by the Mand'alor and his subjects. The Force was on their side, but Vizsla's Semblance prevented the Jedi from pushing or grabbing him. They knew they had little choice but to fight the madman in order to get to the Vault, but they were outnumbered and had already lost most of their energy and Aura.

In short, the only thing that could save the Relic of Knowledge, and maybe even Haven Academy itself, was a miracle.

Ozpin had been in situations like this before, where a divine act could save the day. In those times, he was forced to make the miracle himself. He would have to summon all of his willpower and energy to bring about a wondrous outcome. After all, even a miracle needed a hand.

But other times, miracles indeed came to save Ozpin. And while the Headmaster of Beacon didn't know it, there was one miracle that was in the making for him and the people of Mistral.

---

"Are we all here?"

"Looks like it."

"And we're all ready too."

"Yep. Today's the day."

"I'll go find her."

A woman that was shining from head to toe in a bright orange light began to walk across an invisible floor beneath her feet. The surrounding white area made it appear that each step she took led to nowhere, but the woman knew that this wasn't true. She knew that with each step she took, she was growing closer and closer to finding someone very special.

Someone that was finally ready to do what she was meant to do.

*WHOOSH*

*SPLASH*

*THOOM*

The woman stopped walking when she came across a multitude of miracles. Just in front of her, floating above the ground, was a young girl who marveled at her latest creations. Her eyes were burning incredibly bright, and she watched the void become filled with fire, water, and electricity. Ever since she discovered she could do all of this, the girl refused to stop. She welcomed the feeling of her powers and created more elemental feats within the blink of an eye.

The woman who found the child was incredibly proud of what she was witnessing. So much so that she was saddened by the fact that she had to make the child stop.

"Cinder."

*WHOOSH*

*THOOM*

The woman had to speak a little louder. "Cinder!"

The fire, water, and lightning all disappeared as Cinder looked down to see Fall standing below her. With a smile, Cinder lowered herself to the ground and felt the fire around her eyes disappear.

"Hi, Fall," she said as she moved a strand of hair out of her face. "Sorry if I didn't hear you, I was just..." Cinder looked back at the smoldering remains of her fire. "I was getting back in touch with my roots."

Fall chuckled at the idea. "I saw," she said. "You almost made it look easy."

Cinder couldn't help but laugh. "I might've gotten a little carried away." Cinder sighed as she looked at her hands. "All of this, getting my powers back, it just feels... amazing."

"I'm sure it does."

"..."

Fall saw an opportunity to bring up why she had come to find Cinder in the first place. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," she said as she began to walk back the way she came. "Come this way."

Cinder complied with the request and found herself right behind her mentor. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Are you going to teach me something?"

"Well... no." Fall looked over her shoulder. "There's not really anything left we can teach you, Cinder." Fall couldn't help but reflect on how much Cinder had learned and grown ever since she had come to the void. "It's time for you to move on."

"Move on?" Cinder stopped walking. "What do you mean by-?" She suddenly gasped as she realized one possibility. "Wait... you mean... I'm finally-?"

"Yes." Fall turned around fully this time. "You're finally ready, Cinder. Ready to return home."

"Home..."

A million thoughts and feelings raced through Cinder's mind as she heard that word. She had lost track of how long she had been in the void, how long she had been working to rebuild herself from the ground up. But now, as just about every adult in her life always said, patience had finally paid off.

Fall had done everything to earn Cinder's respect and trust, so the young girl trusted Fall when she said that she was ready to go home. Not just that, but Cinder could feel that she was ready to go. Ever since she rediscovered her spark, her ability to fully tap into the Maiden power she still had, Cinder felt like she could do anything. She felt strong, brave, and ready to do something good with all she had done.

But more than anything, Cinder was ready to see her father again.

"There's just one thing we have to do first."

Cinder snapped out of her daydreams and looked back to Fall. Unfortunately, she wasn't smiling. She appeared to be very serious, that she needed to do something very hard.

Fortunately for Cinder, Fall was more than willing to explain.

"I've gathered all the other Maidens, Cinder," she explained. "We're going to work together, to guide you into finding the power that Aurora took from you. Only then, can you return home."

"..."

Cinder easily understood this necessity, but she didn't understand why Fall looked sad about this. Not just sad, but also... disturbed.

"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" Cinder asked.

"No, it's not," Fall sadly admitted. "And I'm afraid that you're not the only one who's grown with your powers."

Cinder softly gasped at the idea. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know." Fall looked down at her own hands. "It's... just a feeling."

"..."

Cinder couldn't help but wonder if the part of the Maiden powers Aurora stole was still connected to Fall. If she could feel Aurora grow stronger with them.

And Brothers forbid... hurt people with them.

"We can stop her," Fall promised. "We can all help you, Cinder. But we can't do anything if you won't let us. So... are you ready?"

"..."

Cinder looked back at her own hands as the memories of her powers came back to her. The last time she talked about them with Fall was when she doubted herself, when she was afraid that she would burn away with them. Cinder remembered those fears as if they were yesterday, and how they almost ate her up like a Grimm would eat anything in its path.

But now, all Cinder could feel was an extraordinary amount of courage and a desire to do the right thing. And there was only one way she could do that.

"Yes!"

---

Author's notes: hey, everyone. Hope you're all doing good, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. I'm sorry it took me a while to write, but I'm almost done with the current arc. I don't have too much to say at the moment, other than I'm still hard at work to give you more chapters. But I just wanted to let you know that I am aware that Revan and Malak are not actually brothers, just master and apprentice. I just thought this bond could make the story a little more interesting, as you will see in the next chapter. Be sure to let me know what you think!

To Proximiu5, thank you for your kind words. I'm so happy you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one too. The battle will continue next chapter, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

To Dasgun, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know what you think.

To GojiraFan455516, I hope this chapter met your expectations. The Battle of Haven will continue next chapter, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To Servos New Head, glad you liked everything I had for the last chapter. Sorry you had to see the Basilisk Droid come and go, but I have a lot of plans for the next chapter. I'm glad you liked Djarin's speech and the Fermata Cage, I have more concepts like that one the way. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

To CT7567Rules, glad you liked seeing Obi-Wan fight. I hope you enjoyed him fighting in this chapter too, as well as Revan exploring his past. You'll see more of this, and Din vs. Aurora, later down the line. I haven't seen the Rambo movie, but I'm sure it's good. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I think that's all I have for now. Thank you all so much for reading, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter. Before you go, don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments, and please consider favoriting/following the story if you haven't already.

The Court of Talons is adjourned. See you next time!