Epilogue: Mistral Saga
I awoke to the sound of yelling and panic, and the absolute swaying sensation that can only be brought about by this massive headache I'm experiencing OR the rapid movement of an Atleasian airship that Weiss and Maria had stolen.
[Manta 5-1, your ship is currently identified as hostile! Identify yourself!]
Every piece of my body feels heavy, and I struggle to recount the events that led me to this moment, and why I have this pulsing aching pain in my chest.
"We can stop it!"
Ruby yelled, as she desperately argued with the Atleasian soldier over the radio.
"Who is this? Identify yourself!"
But Ruby was undettered, all she had in her mind was stopping the massive grimm that I've now just laid my eyes on. A leviathan, approaching Argus. The old me would have seen this as the perfect opportunity to take off, and fly ourselves away to Atlas. The lamp is priority, and as harsh as it is to even think about, these people are just not important compared to the safety of lamp.
That's what the old me would have thought.
"I'm a huntress, my team and I are heading to the Leviathan to weaken it."
What Ruby said caught the team off guard. It's pretty obvious that they're all oblivious to what Ruby was talking about, but there's really only one way a group our size can stop a grimm that big.
"Well, I can..."
Ruby whispered, much to Maria's dismay.
"Ruby, when I said trial by fire-"
But Ruby cut her off.
"I did it back in Beacon, and at the farm!"
Weiss stepped in, echoing the concern the rest of us had for her reckless plan.
"You really think you can do it?"
She asks, but again, there's no swaying Ruby's determination... not even Yang.
"Ruby... we don't have a choice, I can see that, but I don't want you to lose sight of our goal, what you're risking. You! US! Your friends and family are worried about you."
Even with her sister's pleas, Ruby didn't even flinch.
"Yang, I don't have a choice."
But Yang too, was determined.
"You're relying on a power you barely have any control over. Think for a second, maybe there's another way."
At that moment, Ruby fell silent. Yang was right, it was too much of a risk, but Ruby's right too. This is the only way to save the people of Argus. I barely have enough strength to move my mouth, let alone stand, but the way I see it, we risk losing more by not doing anything than if we did. If we ignore the people, then what even is the point of saving the lamp. True, you can't save everyone, but by choosing to make a sacrifice, you're simply giving yourself an excuse to not try.
The people of Argus deserve better.
"S-she's... r-rright."
The pain running through my body just by talking is absolutely excrutiating. Talking in particular feels like the wound in my chest is being rattled as the air pass through my lungs.
"EZRA!"
Blake yelled as she clutched her arms tightly around me.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"
Everyone asked, momentarily ignoring the creeping Leviathan.
"I'm fine... listen, Yang. Aww. Ruby's right- we have to stop the grimm."
I wrap my hands around Blake's neck and propped myself up.
"Ruby may not be able to do it alone, but with both our eyes..."
Upon hearing what I said, Blake absolutely lost it.
"NO! You will not! Absolutely not... absolutel-"
I wrap my arms over her head, trying to my best to calm her down, as she cried histerically. I kiss her on the forehead to let her know that everything will be alright, but that only worried her more.
"I'll be alright, don't worry."
Blake pouted and burried her face in my shoulder.
"No, you won't. You almost died right in front of me. I won't let it happen again."
Face with the reality of those words, I hug Blake as tight as my frail body could, and reassured her as best I can.
"Don't worry, you won't."
Finally, Blake calmed down enough to let go, as I limp my way over to Ruby.
"Are you sure?"
She asks gently.
"Really, after all that, you really think I'm okay?"
Ruby giggled then quickly lifted me off the ground and into Weiss' Queen Lancer. We flew over a swarm of grimm as we made our way through the Leviathan, all the while I held on as much as I can while I'm on my knees.
"Now or never Ruby! Remember what Maria thought you!"
In a split second, the Queen Lancer stopped right in front of the Leviathan, who was confused for a second as to what we were doing in front of it. Ruby and I closed our eyes and focused. Our powers are fundamentally the different but similar at the same time, meaning the trigger to activating it should it be similar as well- memories strong enough to stoke the fire inside a person.
Emotions strong enough to shake one's very being. All we have to do is remember it, feel it, touch it. Unfortunately, such emotions are a double edged sword. Just as much as it can evoke feelings of strenght, it can also evoke feelings of despair. The death of a friend, the feeling of betrayal, losing the one you love.
"Uhh, Ezra..."
I can feel Ruby's resolve crumbling as her legs began shaking behind me, breaking my focus.
"RUBY! EZRA!"
Yang's voice echoed from a distance as I open up my eyes, only to see the Leviathan charging at us with its jaws wide open, mere inches away from getting swallowed alive. In a panic, Ruby yelled as loud as she could.
"JINN!"
And just like that, time had stopped. All we could hear next was the sound of chains clanging against each other as Jinn elegantly floated behind us.
"We're sorry."
I whispered, before Ruby continued.
"We don't have a question... we just needed a little more time."
Jinn tilted her head to the side and placed her hand below her chin.
"I know. And while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I will give it freely."
She leaned closer to our faces with a deadpanned expression before continuing with her lecture.
"I will not allow you to use me without a question again."
With a cheeky grin, Jinn let us off.
"...even if this was clever."
She extended her hand out, urging us to continue. With a smile, I looked at Ruby to which she simply replied with a similar expression.
"Remember Ruby, the memories that made us who we are."
Ruby: Our time in Beacon...
Ezra: Meeting all of you...
Ruby: The time we stopped the train...
Ezra: My grandparents and siblings.
Ruby: The dance and Jaune's goofy outfit...
Ezra: Pyrrha...
Ruby: Penny... Qrow, Oscar, Maria...
Ezra: Eliza...
Ruby: Dad... Yang... Mom, Summer.
Ezra: Mother... Shirayuki- Edelweiss.
All of a sudden, I can feel the rushing of a warmth sensation climbing through my heart all the way up to my eyes, begging for it come out. Gently, I open up my eyes, only to be met with the flash of bright white light that covered everything as far as I can see, and when everything cleared up, the Leviathan stood still, frozen in a shell of rock and debris.
The people of Argus is safe, and our job is complete. I fell on my back and took a breath, wincing in pain as the rush of the adrenaline began to fade away. I sought to lay completely still and relax, but the sudden sound of the Leviathan's shell cracking jolted my body back up.
"No!"
Ruby yelled as the Leviathan broke out of its shell, but before we could do anything else, a massive robot jumped in and collided with the grimm.
"I'll take it from here!"
It was Cordovin, rushing in with its drill hand extended, plunging deep into the grimm's gut, exterminating it in one smooth strike.
"AFTER ALL!"
She yelled through the robot's comms system.
"I was sworn to protect the people!"
As the Leviathan slowly faded away, Cordovin's cockpit opened revealing her small stature, proudly standing up while she stared at us. No words were needed between us, as both parties understood the duties and responsibilities each faction held, but Ruby felt the need to speak nonetheless.
"Thank you... and I'm sorry, we still have to go."
Cordovin could only smirk at what Ruby had just said.
"The Atlas military can handle the stragglers, and I don't think anyone would notice an airship missing in my... lengthy report."
And with that, Cordovin sat back down in her seat and promptly turned around to handle the remaining grimm, letting us go. As soon as me and Ruby made it back into the ship, Maria quickly turned around and bolted out of Argus as fast as she could.
Blake
Once we were safely out of Argus' airspace and were cruising towards Atlas, everyone recounted what happened when we executed the plan. Cordovin's mech, Adam's ambush, and Swan's sudden arrival and disappearance.
Me and Ezra leaned back against the airship's wall, his head gently resting on top of my shoulder as he focused on controlling his labored breathing.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that nightmare..."
Weiss knelt beside me and gave me a hug.
"But I'm glad Ezra and Yang were there for you."
I could do nothing but chuckle at what Weiss said.
"We were all there for each other."
Nora puffed out her chest and proudly smiled.
"Took the words out of my mouth."
The entire group then shifted their gaze at Ruby, after finally having time to process the fact that she petrified a grimm the size of a skyscrapper.
"Hey stop it!"
Ruby frantically waved her hand, embarrassed at the attention she's suddenly getting, but Ren wasn't so keen on letting her off the hook so easily.
"You petrified a Leviathan! After staring down the barrel of a massive cannon!"
Again, Ruby was too humble and embarrassed by the praises she's getting.
"D-Don't act like you haven't done anything crazy like that! I mean, I didn't do it alone, Ezra was there the whole time! He petrified the grimm too."
Ruby's deflection finally worked, as she successfully redirected all the attention to Ezra, who could barely keep his eyes open. But of course, classic Ezra, even when's halfway dead, was still able to maintain his sense of humor.
"All in a day's work."
He sarcastically whispered.
"You know, oddly enough, we have Swan to thank for all this don't we?"
Weiss suddenly brought up a thought provoking point.
"If Swan never showed, then would we have stopped that Leviathan?"
She brings up a good point, one that leads to more questions... questions that I've already asked, but Ezra refused to answer... at least up until now that our entire group's attention is focused on him.
"Ezra..."
Jaune beckoned.
"Who is Swan?"
Ezra took three deep breaths, bracing himself from the inevitable that finally caught up to him. Silence engulfed the room as we all waited for Ezra to speak, till finally, with a voice as calm as the flowing river, Ezra spoke.
"When I was young, our elders told the story of this grimm so strong and terrifying that it eviscerated our clan's population in half. It's scream was so frightening that it sent shivers down to your very bones, stopping you in your tracks. We called the grimm, Banshee."
Everyone's eyes widened, as we all instantly connected the dot- Banshee was the name of Swan's black blade.
"Banshee killed our most experienced fighters, and forced us to relocate close to the Branwen Tribe's territory, which the Branwen's didn't appreciate as you can imagine."
Qrow sneered and crossed his arms, seemingly recalling the time it happened, hinting that he was there when the Snows relocated.
"Till one day, this brave young woman stepped forward and challenged the grimm, successfully defeating it, and thus becoming our champion."
Everyone's head began to droop down, slowly realizing where this conversation was going.
"This champion, you remember her name?"
Nora asked, even though it was clear and obvious to everyone who it was... especially to Yang.
"Of course. How can I forget? The woman that slayed Banshee was Eliza Snow..."
Ezra smiled softly, recalling Eliza for a split second, before his expression changed back to that of sadness and sorrow.
"Eliza Snow... my sister."
Deep down I knew. I think everyone did, but watching Ezra in pain over the fact that Swan might be his family, made us wish that it wasn't true. That way, he'd be spared the pain he's feeling right now.
"Your... sister. Is that why she saved you?"
Yang asks. She stood up from her seat and made her way in front of Ezra, putting her hand across his face, trying her best to console him.
"I don't know. I haven't talked to Eliza since Mountain Glenn... I have so many questions, like what happened when she left? Why did help never came? And why is she as broken as she is now? What was it that she saw past those walls that it shook her to the core so much that she'd end up the way she is now? Because if Swan is who is she now, then is my sister even there still, or did she die the day Swan was born?"
I leaned my head against his, and stayed silent, only because I didn't know what to say... no that's a lie, I didn't say anything because I had something else in my mind.
"Don't worry."
Yang whispered.
"Family has a way of... being distant like that, but in the end, they always comeback right around."
The two of them smiled at each other, and I am utterly impressed at how Yang just knows what to say to Ezra to make him feel better. Looking at these two now is making evaluate some things about my emotions as well
What I truly feel.
At that moment, when Swan arrived not knowing what her intentions were, I thought to myself that I wanted to save Ez, yet I still went for Adam. Adam has had such a tight grip on me that I fail to realize how much of my life he's taken away from me. Maybe Yang was right, I needed Adam to an extent and I'm using Ezra a crutch to fill the hole that he left on me, but now that Adam's gone for good, so is this hole that he left behind.
And if that is gone, do I really need Ezra? Do I really love him? What am I saying, of course I do... but do I love him as much Yang loves Ezra?
I wrap my hand around his head and gave him a kiss on top of his head, as he slowly faded into a slumber. I let him drift into his dreams as we flew gently into the night to Atlas, pushing aside these questions ringing through my head.
Eliza
It was an old family photo. Multiple creases, edges torn, and the image itself was more than just a little bit faded. I meant to throw it all away along with the memories of Ma, Pa, Ezra and the triplets, but I could never find the strength to do so. All the more difficult now that I know that Ezra and the triplets are alive...
People praise me for my strength and my composure, but the reality is, as soon as I found out that my little brother was alive, this image of power that people had of me crumbled away from the inside. I didn't know what to do with myself. I knew I wanted Ezra by my side, that part I never questioned, it's the why that bothered me the most, cause that I never had the answer for that.
Why? Rudimentary for some people, I know. Why wouldn't you want your family next to you?
That day in Mountain Glenn, when I found out the city had fallen, I thought I lost everything... I remember cursing the gods, if they even existed, why I'm experiencing such a fate. First it was Othello, then my family. Everything was taken from me at a young age, and I cursed the world for it. Seeing Ezra alive, felt like the world offered me a second chance, but I blew it, completely, because I've devoted myself too far down an ideal that I've created to save myself from the pain of loss.
The Black Swan.
Maybe it is too late for me... for Eliza to be Eliza, and all that I am is Swan.
If that's the case, the least I can do is make sure my brother doesn't suffer the same fate as I did, and in order for him to avoid that, he has to learn the truth about the Snow's true power.
I held in my hand an unfortunate soul, an Atleasian soldier in the brink of death from the swarm of grimm attacking Argus. I wrap my aging hand around his neck and slowly sucked whatever life remained in him, healing my withered and old hand- though not all the way. Mist poured out of every hole from the soldier's body, as he slowly disintegrated down to his bones.
"Damn. I guess I used too much to heal Ezra."
I slowly squeezed my left hand as hard as I can, only to still feel how weak and limp it is compared to the time before I used my semblance on Ezra. No matter, at least it's strong enough to answer calls.
[Incoming call: Arthur Watts]
Watts?
[...]
[Watts: Swan, are you there?]
[What do you think?]
[Watts: I have a job for you?]
[Really, you still want me after I ended Hazel's life?]
[Watts: Oh. That. That is quiet an unfortunate event wasn't it? Who would thought that Ozpin had it in him to kill someone like Hazel.]
[So that's how your playing it? What's this job you're talking about.]
[Watts: Come to Atlas and find out. I'll arrange a transport for you. Rendezvous with me and Tyrian in Mantle. We'll discuss the details there. I already transferred the deposit to your account.]
[...]
[Call Ended]
Atlas huh? An obvious trap for me, but if Ezra is going there to secure the lamp then he was another thing coming for him. Siding with Watts for now might be my best move.
"Stay steady, Ezra, I'm coming."
/
A/N:
A bit of a shorter chapter, but we're heading to Atlas next week! Thank you all for your support!