V4r - Rose on the Shore

by InvInFuture

A complete rewrite using RWBY V1-V3 as foundation to construct V4 from ground up without what show does. No God Brothers. "Four beacons of Civilization have fallen dark. Four Kingdoms, inching towards conflict. Four Myths that laid the foundation of the world. Four women, divided across the world, as they search for meaning to their wounds. An endless Cycle, a Tale, and a Lie."

8. Darc Days Ahead

hr /h3

b em January 25th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

emCommercial District, City of Nemea, Kingdom of Mistral Territory/em

/h3

pSometimes Ruby Rose's life seemed like a joke./p

pTwelve - she kept repeating the word in her mind as if mantra. Her friend had twelve charges against him./p

p"I know this seems hopeless, but we still have a chance." - Neptune's voice echoed. - "If we can just convince…"/p

pRuby couldn't pay attention as the same word echoed in her mind./p

pThe days and nights of trudging through the forests fighting monsters, the stay at Kulhara, the monster that came there, the cavern they had found themselves in, and now they are right in their destination - City of Nemea./p

pAnd all it took was for Jaune to get arrested for murder!/p

pA cramped room bathed in dim yellow hues from the faulty lights in the ceiling, filled with locked crates, both wooden and metal - they were lucky they could find accommodation like this considering their circumstances./p

pShe sprung from her chair, gripping the corner of a run-down wooden table the group had been sitting around - cracked near the middle, it nested peacefully in the corner alongside four metal beds in the only part of the room not filled with crates./p

pOriginally the owner of this establishment had used one of the spare rooms as a makeshift warehouse, but she couldn't turn them away./p

pHer legs itched./p

pRunning, being anywhere but here - a pointless impulse./p

pRuby inched towards the window, gripping the frame that threatened to burst into sawdust from mere touch./p

pThat was as far as she could run away from everything./p

pThe outside air hit her - wind touching her face, delivering the damp feeling of the encroaching night./p

pThe commercial district of Nemea was like a town of its own, separated from the rest./p

pShe had never seen a circular city design with her own eyes - not that she could tell from here - everywhere the buildings obscured the horizon - three-to-four-story buildings covered all of Nemea, districts cordoned off by humongous walls that dated a thousand years ago according to Neptune's rants./p

pIn front of her, outside - loomed a monument from the fairytales of once upon a time, with humanity thriving between the gaps./p

pThe Commercial District had been labeled a "tourist attraction" in the travel guide she had read - she could hear music thumping ahead below even now as lights blared up at the sky and neon signs bolted upon the walls tempted the passersby with thrills and pleasure./p

pThe cobalt blue and rose pink hues, like blood and water - intermixed - covered uniform brown buildings in a web of glamor and luxury, intent to trap travelers like her till they part with all their money./p

pThe finest fabrics, the liveliest bars, the most expensive weapon parts - Nemea, the Heart of Mistral responsible for industry and manufacturing, had it all./p

pThe windows of their little abode pointed inward toward the Industrial District - the inner layer of the city surrounding the center - the Forge - which also doubled as the courtroom where, in just two days, her friend would face his fate./p

pNow, the Industrial District of Nemea and the Forge in the center - those Ruby Rose knew well as it was the birthplace of huntsmen weaponry a thousand years ago. Even from this distance, from time to time as the wind blew, Ruby Rose could smell the stench not unfamiliar to her - she had smelled something similar when she, as a child, decided to stick a metal wire inside an outlet, overloading the village's Dust Generator station, plunging all of Patch into darkness for few hours - the first time she had ever used her semblance as it triggered unconditionally to break her away from the current coursing through her./p

pSomewhere in there, likely lay the factories making the Feilongs thingies too - having traveled upon one of them now, Ruby did not see much difference from the airships used by Vale, except that they seemed to pack a lot more guns./p

pThe factors couldn't have constructed those ships to mow down the creatures of Grimm. Ruby did not want to think why Mistral had increased the production either./p

pThe Forge slumbered at the center of Nemea - easily the oldest part of it all - the heart of the heart around which all else hinged./p

pOnce upon a time, some cool guy named King Mistral had come up with this totally cool idea of transformable weapons and designed a giant Forge capable of making lots of them. He then armed his most loyal men and created the first band of Huntsmen and Huntresses in Remnant. Were there even Huntresses back then? She hoped there were./p

pRuby would dream of one day visiting this place with her sister and dad./p

pNow? The Dad wasn't there. Neither was Yang. Ruby had no time for sightseeing either./p

pAnd those dreams of heroes and past glories seemed more and more like just places to her now./p

pDid myths and fairytales even mean anything in the world that kept taking things away from her? Did she have to claw her way through any means necessary - to prevent people from dying? If so, then what did it mean for her dreams?/p

pEven if she were to do everything right, even if Ruby were to make no mistakes and save the day somehow - things would creep up like they did now./p

pJust somewhere to the right from the center, where the smoke from the factories and smithies rose to the sky, lay the Judicial District - the strong arm of the law that oversaw justice for the entirety of the Kingdom. And there, in one of the prisons, her friend Jaune Arc sat alone, grappling with the most ridiculous charges that had befallen him./p

pHere they were - at the end of their journey, and yet - the murder accusations toward Jaune seemed like the most bizarre turn this could have taken./p

pTwelve deaths in the span of the last three weeks - the start of the serial killer rampage lining up with their arrival to Mistral - while she and her friends chased monsters in the moods, the entirety of Nemea rose into high alert, airships flying all over and soldiers scouring the villages, the Huntsmen clearing Grimm in the surrounding areas with vigilance and fury unseen in decades./p

pThe first death noticed by authorities was in Nemea - an influential politician, a noble of the Levante family - someone important enough to get everyone on their feet./p

pThe Wraith in that small town murdered more than one person, and yet dying and suffering villagers all over didn't even move a needle for Huntsmen or the officials. But one noble? That was way too much for them./p

pDo people like that even deserve to call themselves Huntsmen?/p

pSoon, the officials traced back the murderer's steps backward to the village next to Nemea - everyone there dead - the village burned to the ground. And from there - to the sea shore, to the hidden smuggler port where lay decaying corpses of a butchered smuggler crew - the Old Captain included./p

pThe conclusion was simple - someone illegally entered the Kingdom via the help of smugglers, murdered everyone there, and then carved a bloody trail of corpses into one of the Hearts of Nemea to commit a political assassination, then escaping to Kulhara and likely wanting to get lost somewhere in Argus./p

pThe suspect, while efficient, was messy enough to be caught on surveillance cameras in Nemea, as well as leave multiple witnesses all around the place, including in Kulhara, where the perpetrator dragged a local into the warehouse and pinned them dead to the ground with swords./p

pThe recordings depicted a blond young man carrying a sword and shield - blue eyes and a goofy hoodie included./p

pIt didn't take long for Nemea's officials to dig up an out-of-Mistral person matching the description in the records - a Huntsman-in-training registered in Beacon Academy./p

pTowers might have gone silent, but the data shared remained - the paranoia didn't help either with the intentions of other Kingdoms shrouded in the darkness./p

pIn the eyes of the entire governmental body of Nemea, one Jaune Arc had become an enigmatic and dangerous serial killer from another Kingdom - his goals shrouded in mystery./p

pOf course, all of this was nonsense, but this wasn't the first time people close to her got framed - The Vytal Tournament hijinks were still fresh in her mind./p

pDid the perpetrator tail them from Vale? Were they on the same ship as them?/p

pWas Cinder behind this? Was Vale, Beacon not enough for her? Did she thirst for more bloodshed and deaths? Will this city be dyed crimson by fire and Grimm, too?/p

pRuby clenched her fists, gritting her teeth./p

p"Chance? Really?" - She growled as she turned away from the window and back at her friends. - "What Chance? Chance to convince one hundred and twenty people to care about a stranger from another Kingdom when they can't muster even a shred of empathy for their citizens?"/p

p"When you put it that way…" - Nora muttered, hugging her knees, legs raised onto the chair. - "This seems even more hopeless than before."/p

pRuby struggled to make sense of her behavior./p

pEven when Neptune ranted about the politics and structure of Nemea's courts in a long-winded monologue, Nora's eyes still wandered to the case they had carried to here. Why? What was so important?/p

pSomething about Nora's behavior - ever since the cavern - unsettled Ruby, but the sight of Nora's skin peeling off from Ruby's touch was still fresh in her mind - she didn't dare to say or ask anything./p

pNora alternated between cheerful and contemplative - and even the cheerfulness was way beyond her usual self./p

pRuby could see Jaune's worried glances at Nora on the way back to Kulhara - likely only Ren was oblivious that something was amiss with his friend./p

pThe Wanderer was a terrifying enemy beyond their worst nightmares, yet Nora insisted on having killed it - something wasn't right./p

pNext to Nora, Neptune groaned./p

p"No. Listen, guys. Have you heard a word I said?" - He smashed his fist at the table as he rose. - "We don't need to convince all of them. Just fifty-four!"/p

p"Like that's so much better." - Ruby rolled her eyes, leaning back against the window. - "And how do you propose we, strangers, from another Kingdom, convince fifty people to care for someone they never met before? How do we convince them he is innocent?"/p

p"Ruby, stop." - Ren said, turning his gaze up from the table and towards her. - "I think we should let him speak. Despite his looks, he has been pretty insightful."/p

pRuby shriveled up, staring at the palm of her hand - she did not want to blow up at her friends again./p

pRage, anger, bitterness - the emotions she always bottled up would erupt beyond her control. Sometimes Ruby did not know why, but other times - she had a pretty good idea./p

pThese emotions couldn't have been her - why did she have to feel this way?/p

p"Despite my looks? I put lots of effort into…" - Neptune flared up, leaning forward over the table towards Ren./p

pHe fell silent, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms./p

p"Look, guys. The situation might seem hopeless, but you are looking at it all wrong." - Neptune now sounded annoyed as he slumped back into his chair. - "This is not about empathy and care. Nor is it about who is guilty or innocent. The Trial of Everforge is about political theater. There are unspoken rules, and as unlikely as that sounds, some of them are useful to us, and if you all just stopped being dumb and gloomy for a second, I could explain how to save the idiot."/p

p"Political theater?" - Ruby asked as she wandered back to the table. - "What do you mean? Aren't there laws and stuff?"/p

p"Yes - for normal legal proceedings, The Kingdom of Mistral has plenty of laws, but the Trial of Everforge is a rare occurrence and more of a ritual for the nobles to amuse themselves with rather than something fair. Nobody is really interested in whether he is guilty. They want a show where they can flex their political muscles and reassert their power. - Neptune gestured widely with his arms. - "Anyway. We have a chance. It's not much, but it's there. There are two things we can make use of to possibly get him out of this mess."/p

p"The Nobles love their showcases of power. Very few things in this Kingdom are about actual justice. It's all political games and secrets. Me and Nora chose to move to Vale after our hometown got destroyed for a reason." - Ren said, leaning back in his chair, staring into the distance. - "To the people making the judgment, Jaune will be nothing more than a prop."/p

p"Correct. The Trial is a chance for nobles to butt heads with each other over the outcome - to flex who holds more influence. My father participated in them more than once when we lived here - the nobles would pick a random criminal awaiting judgment sometimes - and then, suddenly, the complex bureaucracy of the law would decide this person would undergo the Trial of Everforge instead. It's like playing poker with the lives of human beings."/p

pRuby did not interrupt./p

pIn the last few days, she had struggled with ghosts of the dead, fought a monster that defied logic, and saw the fears in the eyes of those she swore to protect and secrets in those she called her friends./p

pAnd, in the end, yet again, nothing ended up being about right or wrong./p

p"But if they treat it as a game, it means there are rules." - Neptune's eyes lit up. - "First of all, I will go through the process of what's about to happen in two days and how. Again, since nobody here seems to listen."/p

pNeptune stood up from the table, turning towards the trio./p

pRuby sat down as if back in a classroom./p

p"As I said, The Everforge Court is one of the Kingdom's oldest traditions - it's comprised of one hundred and twenty individuals from all walks of life all over the place. You have scholars from the Ryugu-jo, nobles from Youdu, blacksmiths of Nemea, merchants of Argus, tailors, decorated veteran soldiers - you catch my drift. They are called Emissaries of The Everforge Court, and they are said to only gather for the most heinous crimes - serial killers, war criminals, and so on, even though for decades that has no longer held any truth."/p

pNeptune leaned against the table, placing a blank paper sheet onto it, as he took out a pen./p

p"The central room of the Everforge itself has one entry point, one hundred and twenty seats forming a circle around the center, and a giant metal bridge hanging over the eternal fire burning below. In the center? Fifty-four metal poles - the Forge Keys infused with dust that trigger the mechanism below to intensify the forge. It takes exactly an hour for the system to start as the defendant and their representatives make their case for their innocence. Once the time is up and Forge is running, the criminal is considered sentenced to death and then forced to walk the metal bridge, falling to the flames below - a sacrifice to recreate the foundational myth of Nemea when King Mistral had sacrificed himself to forge the first Huntsman weaponry. Are we clear so far?"/p

pRuby nodded as she stared at the map Neptune had scribbled onto the paper sheet./p

pNora had long since stood up, anxiously walking back and forth./p

p"Now, here comes the interesting part. Those one hundred and twenty emissaries? They have a choice - they can remain seated and uphold the punishment, or, at any point during the hearing, they can get up, walk to the center of the room, and take out exactly one key each. With 54 Keys removed, the Forge simmers down to normal levels, and the Defendant is considered acquitted in terms of the death penalty and has to go through a more commonplace kind of legal system - out of the grasp of the nobles. If we can get to that point, Jaune has a chance."/p

p"Not sure about you guys, but convincing fifty-four people? As Ruby said, hopeless still covers that." - Nora finally stopped burning a hole in the floor, looking at Ruby with the kind of stare that made her feel shivers down her spine./p

p"I have an idea!" - Nora's face lit up. - "I say we blow up the detention facility thing and... Do. The Prison. Break!"/p

p"So you don't think we can convince fifty-four people but you are okay with our chances of fighting likely that many or more trained huntsmen, policemen, and soldiers all at once as the entire city rushes us?"/p

p"I like my chances, Ren."/p

p"Yes, and the few Feilongs parked in here would fly up and blow you to dust. Literally."/p

p"Ren." - Nora's eyes lit up. - "You do know you just said that I could fight a dragon this way, right?"/p

p"No, guys. We aren't blowing up a prison, We aren't breaking out a person with a continent-wide arrest warrant, and we aren't fighting government officials and getting thrown in jail either. Just listen!" - Neptune hit the table with his fist, his expression intense. - "As much as this sounds like a fair and complex system, it's anything but. It is a relic of a bygone era that is rarely called upon due to its barbaric nature. The reality is that most of those Emissaries are either members of the Founding Families or nobility or are owned by them. Despite how it's being sold, as Ren noted, the people in power just pick a random case as nothing but a chance for influential people to flaunt their power and play their little games once in a while. Central Government allows it because it helps to keep the egos of rich and powerful mostly in check, keeping the Kingdom together."/p

pNeptune clobbered towards the window, closing it - it took him a few tries./p

pEven though they all had been cleared after a few hours of interviews with the police, they had no idea who might be listening in./p

p"We don't need to convince all Emissaries because there are only fifty-four Forge Keys. But we don't need to convince fifty-four of them either. Now, you might be wondering what this pretty, well-dressed top-grade earning genius is talking about and that makes sense, you haven't memorized most of Mistral's history as trivia either, unlike me."/p

pHe turned away from the closed window, falling silent as if expecting applause or awe./p

p"So, here come the two things crucial to Jaune's survival - The first one is very basic human nature - people are likely to follow the lead of others. In a group environment, if enough people do something, others are likely to follow. Even getting a few to go over there and remove the key will likely trigger others to doubt their decisions and, likely, to follow their example. The more we convince, the more the others will likely follow. It might sound weird, but that's how it is - the day I first dyed my hair, like ten other way uglier guys followed my example hoping the girls would come rushing at them, oh it was-..."/p

p"That still sounds awfully close to a gamble." - Ren interrupted. - "I have a good idea of how Mistral runs things. Money and power can get a person far here. And no matter how good or talented one is, without backing of considerable power, they will get nowhere. If one was to get that kind of backing, they'd bend over backward to make their puppeteers proud just to retain their position - just in the hopes that they could one day have that kind of power themselves. It takes power to move power. How can we pull those strings if we have no power in the first place?"/p

p"That's where the second thing comes in - we can manipulate those odds. We just need to convince some of the most influential Emissaries and other seats, especially ones owned by them, will likely follow their vote and in turn, others will likely too."./p

pNeptune strode back to the table. He then pulled out another sheet of paper./p

p"I compiled a list of twenty influential Emissaries of the Court - the ones who hold the sway over the hearts and minds of others and are likely to flip if we can play our cards right. If they do - others will likely fall in line, and then we have a real chance because this flimsy case won't stand scrutiny in any actual modern courts, Mistral or not. We might not need all twenty, but the more we flip, the merrier."/p

p"Okay. That's at least a plan." - Ruby was unsure how to take this. - "I don't know if you noticed this, but I am not exactly good at socializing. And Nora, no offense, tends to convince people they are wrong by threatening to break their legs. How are we supposed to handle twenty rich people we never met before?"/p

p"I saw you in the Amity Arena, Ruby, after the Grimm broke through. I'd say you are selling yourself short." - Neptune said. - "You will have to try. All of us will have to. We don't have time to just visit them one by one. We barely have a day and a half right now."/p

pRen snagged the paper from the table, burying his face into it./p

p"I'll take care of these." - Ren tore half the list off./p

p"Okay now, are you sure? That's half of them." - Neptune chuckled. - "How will you..."/p

p"Let it go and let him do this, waterboy." - Nora interrupted him. - "Just trust him."/p

p"Okay I give up and will hope for the best." - Neptune shrugged, dropping the pen onto the table. - "That still leaves ten of them between three of us, so two names each."/p

p"I'll break every bone in their body if I have to!" - Nora's eyes lit up with a newfound sense of purpose./p

p"Okay. I take it back. It's five names for me and five names for Ruby and Nora."/p

pFive people - could she do this?/p

pRuby wasn't the most sociable of people./p

pShe spent most of her years at Signal just clinging to Yang and Uncle Qrow, but now she found herself alone in a foreign land./p

pEven at Beacon, an academy with hundreds of students, her social circle was eight people if she was being generous./p

pAnd in the end, she couldn't fully connect with them either - her sister included./p

p"No, Ruby. You can. Only, in fact." - Ren replied, tapping at the name in the upper list she and Nora had to share with Neptune. - "See something familiar?"/p

pRuby leaned closer to the table, her gaze wandering to the name Ren was pointing towards./p

pemNo/em./p

pHer blood froze./p

p"Cyanea Nikos from the Family Nikos."/p

p"Yes. That Nikos. Your late friend had the status of a continent-wide celebrity for a reason." - Neptune nodded. - "The esteemed branch of one of Mistral's Founding noble houses - The Ponente Family. Her family, specifically her mother, holds lots of power here."/p

p"And you are the one who saw her daughter die in front of you." - Ren added. - "As scummy as this sounds, that's your way in."/p

pRuby nearly choked up./p

pWell - they did come to Nemea to meet Pyrrha's mother after all./phr /h3

b em January 25th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

emAdministrative District, City of Nemea, Kingdom of Mistral Territory/em

/h3

pWhat separated the good and the evil in this world? Where was this defining line that judged every action taken and labeled the perpetrator a hero or a villain? Things used to be simple, and choices came easy to her, but last year, Ruby Rose realized - no matter the choices a person makes, nothing is ever as clear-cut as in those stories./p

pTheir journey started with the wish to honor their fallen friend who had lived up to the expectations of being a Huntress and surpassed them./p

pYet now they were going to beg her grieving mother for a favor - to bend a judicial system, a century-old tradition of this city to their favor, likely using her grief for their benefit./p

pHas she done a single heroic thing in the last half a year? The ghastly apparition of Roman Torchwick wasn't wrong - she had rushed onto that ship out of rage, and she has been running on rage ever since./p

pEverything since Patch, as they traveled towards Port Iosal to sail to Mistral, has been drenched in her anger - when did she stop fighting Grimm because it was the right thing to do and start merely treating those monsters as convenient punching bags?/p

pAs Ruby's thoughts circled in her head, the sight ahead made her blood run cold./p

pJust for a split second, ahead on the street - a flash of red hair, neatly tied in a ponytail - a familiar woman wearing armor./p

pThe woman turned towards her and smiled, tilting her head to the side a bit./p

pRuby rubbed her eyes – this wasn't the first time she had misrecognized someone as her late friend. And each time it stung all the same./p

pWith a thud, a gasp came from in front of Ruby as something crashed at her and fell onto the ground with a dull thud./p

pRuby winced at the sudden and unexpected interruption, gritting her teeth./p

pA small child sat on the ground, his face contorted with pain. He glanced up at her, but then he flinched./p

pWas her face this scary right now?/p

p"Oh, are you okay? I did not see you right now." - Ruby attempted to fix the situation, stretching out her hand./p

p"Did you just push my child?" - a woman screamed, rushing towards the child. - "I can't believe some of you people. Maybe watch where you are going, young lady."/p

pRuby glanced up at the woman - a comfortable winter coat, some jewelry, shopping bags - likely a local./p

p"I am so sorry." - Ruby said. - "I did not see the little runt till it was too late."/p

pThe woman glanced at Ruby, her expression softening and then darkening as she noticed her weapon at her waist./p

pThe woman stumbled, clearly shaken./p

p"A huntress?" - She looked like she was ready to fall on her knees and beg. - "N-no, it's all fine, It's okay. My kid's the one at fault, please forgive his rudeness."/p

p"No, it's all fine, nobody is hurt after all. It's all fine." - Ruby kept repeating, a chill going through her body. - "It's all fine."/p

p"We are so sorry, so so sorry, Miss Huntress. We will get out of your way, you will never see us again. We are sorry." - The woman kept backing away, dragging her child. She swatted at his shoulder. - "Say the lady Huntress you are sorry, okay?"/p

pThe child mumbled something as the woman hurriedly dragged him away, repeating the same words again and again at Ruby./p

p"What was that about?" - Ruby turned toward Nora./p

pNora did not answer, and, eventually, Ruby realized what had happened, too./p

pShe did know that Huntsmen were viewed a bit differently in Mistral./p

pThat wasn't the first time someone looked at her with genuine fear in their eyes./p

pAnd not just in the village, back then - she would be lying if she were to say she didn't notice it./p

pBack at Kulhara, people avoided them or treated them with caution - an entire platoon of soldiers to apprehend them - the arrest only happened when they had them surrounded./p

pThe late Old Captain, back in the ship, thought Huntsmen actually stepping up and helping them was notable enough to earn his trust rather than something completely normal every Huntsman would do./p

pTo lots of people here, Huntsmen seemed no less terrifying than the Grimm./p

pEven here, in the big city, where, according to Neptune, everyone revered Huntsmen, Ruby was still met with fear - just how much more terrifying would she seem to villagers far from these walls?/p

pAs they walked through the transitory gates between districts, her legs trembled./p

pHere, on another continent, humans gambled with lives, playing games of death and justice became a malleable opinion to be manipulated as a show of power./p

pEven now, traveling to visit the mother of her dead idol, Ruby couldn't help but feel disgust for herself - that somewhere inside she felt glee and relief at the idea that this might tie to Cinder - that her friend's troubles with the law might somehow be to her benefit./p

pWhy did she feel this way? Why did she let those emotions break out into the world and hurt her friends?/p

pAnd Huntsmen? She hasn't met a single one beyond Neptune on the way here. Where were those self-proclaimed defenders of humanity now? Where were those idols, those champions she dreamed of being like?/p

pShe sure did meet many people who were downright terrified of the concept itself, though./p

p

emPyrrha, were you the only real Huntress here?/em

/p

pBut was that so different in Vale? People sure praised them more, but Ruby had no way to peek inside their hearts - thinking about it now, though, to any civilian anywhere, a being wielding powers like the Semblances might seem terrifying, like a god./p

pThe sensation of crossing from one district to another only further emphasized the struggle inside - she could vividly remember the moment they left the Inn and stepped out into the night streets, the pavement drenched in sweat and vomit, sounds reverberating from night clubs and markets stalls that never slept - a circus of shifting hues and exaggerated screams./p

pPassing into the inner districts and entering the Administrative District of Nemea, where the Nobles lived in their mansions, intermixed with municipal buildings, was the closest she ever came to feeling like she had been transported to a completely different town, in an instant./p

pGone were the hues and billboards and the bright lights and town squares bustling with people - silence had replaced the screams, the laughter, and the music./p

pClean streets, neatly arranged trees lining them forward, ancient architectural wonders looming all over the district - they passed through a park lined up with bronze statues of Mistral's ancient Kings and the ancient library coated in marble./p

pThe yellow glow of the street lamps illuminated the world, coating the memorials and sculptures in gold./p

pSeeing all the myths etched into the city landscape should have excited her, yet she only had one thought circling in her head now - the people who'd have lived here experienced a different Nemea from the visitors and residents alike./p

pEvery step she had taken screamed at her that everything in the world existed divided - civilians and Huntsmen, the rich and the poor, the humans and the Faunus. And at the grander scale - the Kingdoms and their wars./p

p"Is it just me, or there are no Faunus here?" - She asked her friend, Nora, who had been surprisingly quiet./p

p"Haven't you seen the signs at the intersection gates? They are not really allowed inside the inner Districts." - Nora said without looking at her. - "In Mistral, unlike Vale, barring the Faunus from specific city Districts is still common. There are some in the Residential, likely, though."/p

pRuby clenched her fists./p

pShe had entertained a daydream, an illusion, of how she'd arrive here with her entire team, but the thought that someone like Blake would have trouble even moving around this city hadn't even come to her./p

p"That's cruel."/p

p"The world can be cruel. All the more reason to celebrate everything good." - Nora shrugged, still staring at the distance as they walked. - "Argus is one of the recent exceptions to restrictions, from what I heard. Or at least should be."/p

p"Should be?"/p

p"Things change, Ruby. You've seen how people react to us being Huntresses, right? It didn't use to be that extreme here, so things have absolutely changed. Here and everywhere. No way to tell what the images from Beacon and the towers going down had caused in the world."/p

p"So, uh, you okay?" - Ruby said, fidgeting with her hands. - "You've been kind of silent, and don't take this the wrong way, but this is surprisingly somber coming from you, Nora."/p

p"Just thinking, sorry." - Nora stared at the ground as she strode forward. - "It's been a hell of a journey."/p

p"Do you think this is right - what we are doing here?"/p

p"Honestly, Ruby? I don't really care. My friend is in jail, and if this doesn't work, I am beating up this entire city to free him if I need to, anyway."/p

p"Still feels wrong. Wish there was some other way."/p

p"Never was one for rules, friend." - Nora slapped her on the back, chuckling. - "And neither were you."/p

p"You think she will help? With us showing like this?"/p

p"I haven't thought that far ahead. Just taking it one step at a time. Literally." - Nora glanced back at the ground again, chuckling to herself. - "I'd hope compassion runs in the family."/p

pRuby stopped in her tracks - she felt as if the ground beneath her feet could swallow her at any moment now./p

p"You know, I never asked her about her parents, about where she came from." - Ruby said. - "She had offered to help me train you know? Every week, after the Breach. And yet I told her more about myself than I bothered to learn about her."/p

pShe had found out Pyrrha had training sessions with Jaune sometime after the dance. Ruby couldn't lie to herself - it made her feel a bit jealous that Jaune could train with someone like Pyrrha./p

pRuby would watch their training sessions, sometimes, from a distance./p

pPyrrha shone brightest of them all - ever since the very first day in the academy - a true Huntress./p

pSo when Pyrrha came to her after Torchwick's ridiculous plan failed and revealed she had seen her watching Ruby's heart skipped a beat./p

pAnd then Pyrrha offered her sparring sessions too - the more the merrier, she said./p

pEvery week afterward, they'd train as Ruby worked to overcome her weaknesses - highlighted by how easily Roman had handled her when Ruby got disarmed./p

pBut chatting after the training was something Ruby found herself looking forward to even more./p

pShe did not talk much - even with her team - so having the chance to open up and gain advice from her idol excited her./p

pIt excited her so much that she did not bother to ask Pyrrha anything about herself./p

p"Ruby…"/p

p"And it's not just her, Nora. I never bothered or cared to listen to Blake, Weiss, or Yang. And now I no longer can, and I keep saying rude things to you guys, and I feel so selfish and disgusting inside." - Ruby gripped her forehead, gripping her hair between her fingers. - "Some leader I was."/p

pWhy was she so obsessed with herself? Why was she so selfish? Why was she so useless? Why couldn't she have been better, faster, stronger? Why couldn't she help anyone? Why couldn't she save Penny? Why couldn't she do anything to help Pyrrha? Why couldn't she ask Blake about what she has been going through? Why couldn't she comfort Yang after Cinder's goons gaslit the world with illusions? Why couldn't she do anything to keep the only place she felt happy and safe from crumbling? Why couldn't she keep her team from crumbling? Why couldn't she do anything to be the hero that would live up to her Mom's memory? Why couldn't she make her dreams come true? Why couldn't she do anything? Why did she naively believe she could bend the real world away from cruelty and into the realms of childhood fairytales? Why couldn't she stay stalwart, true, and heroic, and not boil in this rage, hate, despair, and mediocrity of everything that comprised Ruby Rose? Why-/p

pNora stopped. She pulled Ruby's hand off her forehead./p

p"Look at me." - Nora flicked at Ruby's forehead. - "You always overthink this stuff, dumbass."/p

p"But being a leader i-"/p

p"Oh, stop. You smile, and you laugh, and you cry. And, like all of us, you make mistakes." - Nora interrupted. - "Look at where denying those things to yourself has led Pyrrha to. You aren't some infallible monument, Ruby. You might be just a little girl, but you are a pretty damn good person, and you shouldn't torture yourself over what you couldn't do.."/p

pRuby longed to cry, but the tears just wouldn't come out./p

p"The hair gel boy was right - you are selling yourself short, dumdum."/p

pNora let go of her hand, twirling around as she strode forward./p

p"You coming or not? This tension and dillydallying is killing Jaune - literally!"/p

pRuby coughed, running after her./p

pNora was right - self-reflection and fears can come later./p

pFor now, they needed to make sure yet another friend wouldn't end up in the ground./p

pThe duo navigated the streets of luxury and myth, following the map in Ruby's scroll, markings and arrows hastily painted over the city by Neptune as they managed to make their way to where Nikos household should be./p

p

emDid Nikos family live in a forest/em

em?/em

/p

pA stupid thought, but not an unreasonable one, as the visage of greenery surrounded by tall metal walls greeted them./p

pFrom what Ruby could see on this side of the wall, Nikos Household was a three-story mansion - a red tile roof on top and a tower structure on the left side of the building going a bit higher. A private park surrounded the lofty mansion - a mix of Anima trees, apple trees, and whatever other greenery that Ruby couldn't discern - all enclosed by walls tall enough that no person would dare to try climbing over them./p

pThe walls seemed old enough, the granite cracked in places and parts of it overgrown with vines - atop the wall nested security cameras, pointed towards whoever would approach the abode./p

pThe Nikos Household loomed over the city - an enclosed personal space within a restricted district - a city, within the city, within the city./p

pThe closed gate - their only entry inside blocked their way./p

pEven among the houses of the nobles, this household stood out./p

p"Wow, I always knew Pyrrha was rich, but not this rich." - Nora said. - "That…actually explains a lot."/p

pRuby stood still, taking in the view - this was to be expected, yet it still stole her breath away./p

pPyrrha Nikos - the Champion of Mistral - the revered star of multiple marketing campaigns, her face plastered all over - Pyrrha couldn't have been just a nobody. And yet, despite this, she chose to be a Huntress./p

pNo wonder Pyrrha found it so hard to connect to people - others exploiting her for her status was likely not an unfamiliar feeling in her heart./p

pAt the same time, a tinge of guilt got stuck in Ruby's throat - she had learned more about Pyrrha's past in these few moments than in months at Beacon./p

p"Well, doofus, will you ring the doorbell, or should I?"/p

pRuby froze - thousands of different things she could say ran through her head, none fitting./p

pHow does one tell a grieving mother they were there to help in freeing her dead daughter's friend from jail?/p

p"Tick-tock, Ruby." - Nora hopped closer, pushing her forward from behind./p

pRuby pressed the button./p

pShe couldn't hear any sound coming from it so she pushed it a few times more, just to be sure./p

pEven the doorbell of this place was ornate, encrusted with gold - the people living in this place felt the need to underline their importance every step of the way./p

pAfter an awkward minute of silence, the screen crackled to life./p

p"Nikos Residence. Currently taking no visitors. How can I help you?"/p

pA stern, male voice. Did Nikos family have a butler?/p

p"We came from Vale. Pyrrha's friends. We are here about-…" - Ruby gripped her neck, trying her best not to choke up. - "We have something of hers we think her family should have."/p

p"Come on, say the thing." - Nora elbowed her./p

pRuby coughed - she took out a crumpled paper with the text from her pocket./p

p"We, uh, in accordance to Nemea's customs, we are thereby on pilgrimage to honor a hero delivering the family heirloom…things…back to...-" - Ruby struggled to read, choking up./p

pNeptune was good at many things - handwriting wasn't one of them./p

p"We are sorry, but we are not-" - The voice behind the screen fell silent. - "Yes, understood. Right away. Please come in. When the gate opens the security will accompany you to the guest house."/p

pThe gate creaked and wailed, rust grinding as it sprung open./p

pNora once again tapped at her back, urging her to move forward./p

p

emEasier said than done./em

/p

pRuby had plenty of nightmares about this moment and plenty of dreams, too./p

pTheir whole journey to Mistral had been leading to this - was she ready? Did she want to know what awaits in the unknown, here, at the end of their road?/p

pHer legs refused to move as if wishing to delay the inevitable./p

pRuby forced them to move, one step at a time as Nora followed behind her./p

pAs they stepped inside, a garden greeted them - although calling it a garden seemed to undersell the actual view - Ruby could have easily mistaken this place for a city park./p

pIt struck her that she hadn't seen much greenery in Nemea beyond the Administrative district - the Industrial District seemed covered in factory smoke, and the Commercial District was a concrete forest with no trees or plants in sight./p

pAs the guards - five men in military gear - all armed with dust rifles - greeted them and led them into what the voice behind the screen had called the guest house, Ruby observed the surroundings her late friend had grown up in./p

pA forest in the middle of the city, filled with marble statues - of famous family members, no doubt./p

pA three-story mansion in the middle, with a separate smaller building to the side - the guest house - her first thought about this place had been apt one - a gilded cage./p

pWhile part of her longed for a childhood without all the bullies, Ruby couldn't imagine growing up alone like this, separated from the world./p

pWell, she assumed Pyrrha grew up that way, but it struck her that she had no idea what Pyrrha's childhood was like - and thus what kind of stance Cyanea Nikos would take towards them./p

pAs they entered inside, the guards saluted, staying still behind them./p

pAs Ruby's eyes wandered through the room, covered in marble and shades of white and gray, her eyes fell upon a woman standing in the center of the room./p

pStep by step - gracefully - the woman strode forward toward them, as she stared at Ruby as if piercing her right through with her gaze./p

pShe stopped steps away from Ruby, looking her up and down./p

p"You have…silver eyes?" - The woman said, leaning in, staring at her eyes. - "Interesting."/p

pShe stepped backward, fixing her hair - maroon red, like dahlia petals, tied in a long braid, which fell upon her pitch-black coat adorned with silver ornaments./p

p"I welcome you to the humble household of Family Nikos. You can call me Cyanea Nikos, the current head of the family./p

pCyanea walked a few steps to the side, sitting down on the couch./p

p"I hear you have something of my daughter's?"/p

pA single thought spun inside Ruby's head - Pyrrha had her mother's eyes./p

pBeyond that? The first impressions couldn't be more different - Pyrrha always seemed genuine and friendly in that awkward kind of way, while every step her mother had taken was refined to extremes, meant to hide all the possible vulnerabilities and imperfections behind pitch-perfect etiquette/p

pAs Nora poked her again, Ruby jolted up, taking off her backpack./p

pShe could hear weapons clicking behind her, but Cyanea waved her arm, likely telling the security detail to step down./p

pRuby took a deep breath as she slowly opened up her backpack, removing a bag with Pyrrha's shattered gear - weapon and shield parts./p

pShe carefully placed them on the marble table in front of the couch./p

p"We, we figured you would want to have this."/p

pSilence./p

p"I am very sorry for your loss." - Ruby added. - "Pyrrha was-…"/p

pCyanea Nikos stared at the pieces of what once was her daughter's weapons./p

pShe sighed./p

p"So she is dead. I still did not want to believe." - The woman clutched her face with both hands. - "Damn it, sweetie, why did you have to be so stubborn."/p

pCyanea leaned back on the couch./p

p"How did you guys know her?"/p

p"Yes! This girl next to me, Nora, is one of her teammates." - Ruby stuttered, grasping the side of her skirt with her hand, clenching it inside her fist. - "And I, I well knew her too."/p

p"Pyrrha was our friend." - Nora added. - "Ruby here fought side by side with her during her final hours."/p

p"You two are from Vale yes? Such a long way to go. I am thankful she had such dedicated friends."/p

p"There are actually more of us here - her entire team, miss."/p

p"They just, well." - Nora paused. - "They ran into some issues right now."/p

p

emWay to go, Nora - dumping actually talking about what happened to me and all./em

/p

pRuby gritted her teeth./p

p"Please, make yourselves comfortable." - Cyanea motioned towards the couch. - "I would really love to hear more about my child from you."/p

pAs they sat down, Nora recounted their story from the day they had first met Pyrrha at the Vytal Festival./p

pRuby could see Cyanea's face change and contort when Nora would reach specific parts of her story./p

p"Now, it's your turn." - Nora tapped Ruby's shoulder. - "Come on, Ruby. Her mom needs to hear this."/p

pRuby nodded, her heart sinking./p

pFor the first time since the Fall of Beacon, she had found herself vocalizing what she saw - Pyrrha's final tournament fight and then - Pyrrha's final moments./p

pWith every word said, Ruby could hear the sound of metal being torn apart by wires./p

pShe could see Pyrrha's face as Penny fell to the ground in pieces - the shock and disbelief reflected upon it as realization dawned upon Pyrrha of what she had done./p

pWith every memory recalled, Ruby could feel the wind as she rushed up that tower and the smell of ash when she was too late./p

pShe could hear Pyrrha's final gasp all over again and see the exact shape on Cinder's face as she snuffed her friend's life out./p

pRuby had held on to all this inside for so long that her chest hurt with every word./p

pAnd she could see the same pain in the faces of her friend and Pyrrha's mother, both/p

pBecause saying those things out loud meant accepting that Pyrrha Nikos was truly gone./p

pShe wasn't going to just come back one day, no matter how many times Ruby confused a random passerby for her or how many times she'd haunt her in Ruby's dreams./p

pPyrrha Nikos was gone - taken from this land by people who held no regard for the lives they destroyed./p

pIt had struck her that at this moment, all three of them had likely come to the exact same realization./p

p"Pyrrha. Your daughter was a real hero, miss." - Ruby said, concluding her story as she didn't dare to meet Cyeanea's eyes anymore. - "A hero to the end. You should be proud of her."/p

p"Never wanted her to walk this path." - Cyanea's hand trailed over the shattered spear in front of her. - "There's too much bloody politics in being a Huntress. But she wouldn't listen. Once that letter came, she wouldn't listen."/p

p"I can't imagine going through something like that" - Nora said./p

p"No, you can't. I lost my girl, my only child." - The woman stared at the broken spear before looking up at Nora. - "There's no power in this land that will make me forget what I feel now or that she's gone. I will carry this for the rest of my life."/p

pRuby looked at them both - Nora squinted and shriveled from Cyanea's words. It was obvious why - Nora never experienced what it meant to have a parent./p

pCould she say something to defend her?/p

pThere was likely nothing she could say that would alleviate the rising tension. But she had to try./p

p"I lost my mom when I was very young. She left for a mission one day and never came back." - Ruby said. - "I don't remember much now, but I think I spent days convinced she would just walk in through the door one day. That she wasn't truly gone. It still feels like that now."/p

pBoth Nora and Cyeanea fell silent./p

p"Please forgive me for my rudeness. Emotions got the better of me " - Cyanea took a deep breath. - "I am sorry about your mother."/p

pCyeanea leaned forward, touching the broken spear./p

p"It's just. I wish I were a better mother while I could."/p

p"Don't blame yourself - your daughter did what she thought was best."/p

p"If my stupidity hadn't gotten better of me, she could have enrolled at Haven and would have been far away from whatever hell befell Beacon. But no, I had to stop her. And then the bloody letter came, and nobody could change her mind. At first, I thought she did it to spite me - to spite her family. But In the end, I think she really wanted to be a Huntress - no matter what."/p

p"Letter?"/p

p"Yes, the personal invitation from the old fool that runs Beacon. Beaming with praise for Pyrrha's accomplishments in the Mistral regional tournaments and an offer of a full scholarship at Beacon."/p

pCyanea stood up, walking over to them./p

p"At least she made some friends and wasn't alone." - She said, hugging Ruby and Nora. - "Thank you, girls."/p

pRuby froze, caught off-guard - she struggled to keep tears from flowing./p

pCyanea soon composed herself, letting go and turning away from them./p

p"If there's anything I can do for you, just ask."/p

pRuby yelped - Nora once again elbowed her./p

p"Yes! You see, about her other teammates." - Ruby said. - "One of them is currently in danger."/p

p"Please, elaborate." - Cyanea turned around, surprised./p

p"The Everforge Trial, miss!" - Nora said. - "Oh wait, you did not want to be called a miss. Anyway - her team leader is the one currently to be sentenced!"/p

pNora, ever the wordsmith./p

pCyanea fell silent./p

pShe strode back onto the couch, and sat down, staring at both of them./p

p"I am sorry I can't help you with that."/p

p"But-"/p

p"No." - Cyanea's voice shifted. - "You girls don't know what's happening behind the scenes here in Nemea."/p

pShe leaned back./p

p"It's a crucial time for the Kingdom at large, and my voice, alongside few others - well, imagine this family as a dam of sorts - holding back a lot of nasty things. I can't afford to be seen as weak, nor infer any favors from others right now. I won't participate in this trial session at all."/p

p"Even if it means your daughter's friend dies?" - Nora stepped past Ruby./p

p"Yes. Like I said, you have no idea what's happening in this Kingdom right now." - Cyanea hit the table with her fist. - "You have no idea at all!"/p

p"Then enlighten us." - Nora took a few more steps forward. - "What's more important than someone's life?"/p

p"Mistral's government is currently locked into a standstill - two factions are vying for control over what course the Kingdom will take going forward - progressive and regressive."/p

p"So just petty politics?" - Ruby's blood boiled./p

p"No, girls. I wouldn't exactly call ethnic cleansing politics."/p

pRuby and Nora both froze./p

p"Edict Number Two Hundred Sixty-Five - also known as the Faunus Relocation Act." - Gilana continued. - "It's a proposal from the, let's just say more radical faction of the government. As the current vice-chairman of the Council of Mistral itself, I have been spending months now ensuring it doesn't get necessary votes to be put up for a debate."/p

pGilana stood up, waltzing towards the desk at the corner of the room as she connected and took out a portable terminal./p

p"You have a scroll with you, right? It's turned on?"/p

pRuby's scroll buzzed./p

p"I'll send you girls the proposal text - it's publicly available for all to see. If you read it you will see what's at stake."/p

p"I heard about things like that before." - Nora said. - "The Monarchists, yes? The faction that can't let go of The Great War grudges. They had proposed something like this a few times here."/p

p"Every time, it's the basic same premise - to strip all the Faunus in Mistral of their rights and forcibly deport them to Menagerie. Different words to coat the same idea - an ethnic cleansing of sorts."/p

pChill ran down Ruby's spine./p

pThat made a sick amount of sense - the CCTV going down meant Mistral could likely carry this out without other Kingdoms reacting in time./p

pThat wouldn't just be inhumane - it would be messy and bloody and would radicalize even more Faunus to join the White Fang./p

pAnd it would generate enough negativity for the Grimm to thrive./p

pThe Kingdom likely knew this - hence the ramped-up production of military airships and the like./p

pNot to mention that if the other Kingdoms did get a whiff of what was happening and react, this could threaten to start another Great War - this time Mistral being the instigator./p

pWhat could she say? Ruby couldn't dare to meddle in something like this - way beyond her league./p

pShe just hoped that Cyanea's efforts - if she told the truth - were successful./p

p"I am sorry, girls."/p

p"We understand. Sorry for butting in. At least we could deliver Pyrrha's belongings." - Ruby said. - "Please. Don't blame yourself for your daughter's fate. I think she would want you to be proud of her."/p

p"You girls have any ideas what I could do with this?" - Gilana looked at Ruby once again as she pointed at Pyrrha's broken weaponry. - "To honor her. Maybe I should get it melted down and turned into a statue or something?"/p

p"Pyrrha likely would hate that idea." - Ruby chuckled./p

p"That she would." - The woman in front of her laughed too. - "She did not do this for recognition so I won't sour her memory with pointless statues. Well, I guess, I'll think of something eventually. Something that would fit her wishes."/p

pRuby nodded./p

p"And, while I can't help directly, I can, however, pull some strings to ensure the person presenting the case does it in the most dramatically empathetic way possible which might sway some of the people to act in his favor, signaling the what's the right vote might be. But that's all. I wish you girls all the best."/p

pNora and Ruby nodded, getting up to leave./p

p"Also, I am curious, dear. What is your mother's name?"/p

p"Summer Rose." - Ruby said as she looked at Cyanea./p

p"Interesting." - Cyanea said. - "You said she's gone?"/p

p"Yes. Around ten years ago."/p

p"Who would have thought I'd meet her child this way as my own dies? With you being Summers's daughter and staying at that fool's Academy, I take it you know what you have up there?"/p

p"Up there?"/p

p"Let me rephrase it - Ruby Rose, do you know what's reflected in your silver eyes?"/p

p"You know about them?" - Ruby gritted her teeth. - "Nobody would tell me."/p

p"Yeah, well, it comes with the territory of bearing one's name like a mantle of influence, dear. Most of the nobles in the Kingdoms know of the one you call Professor Ozpin. I used to work with his clique too - through your mother and a certain annoying drunk. And that comes with certain knowledge."/p

p"You knew Uncle Qrow?"/p

pRuby remembered how Qrow let it slip that there was a contact here in Nemea - someone who could tell her about her eyes./p

p"So you are that drunkard's niece."/p

p"Yes. He let it slip that there was someone who knew here, but I didn't expect…"/p

pCyanea chuckled./p

p"That bloody bastard and his inner circle. If the drunk let something slip to you, it was likely intentional." - Cyanea said. - "Okay, what do you want to know?"/p

p"What are they?" - Ruby said, pointing at her eyes./p

p"I can only tell you what I know - what I could learn from your mother. Are you sure you want to know?"/p

p"Yes."/p

p"They are death, dear."/p

pChill ran down Ruby's spine./p

p"Remnant has many tales about the Silver-Eyed Warriors bearing the mark of death. Mistral calls them The Erlangshen - the warriors of death. Vacuo's texts name them The Maraites - The tribe borne from the Netherworld Emissary - one of Vacuo's more mischievous mythological figures. In Vale, they sing folk songs about the Ankou - the priests of the Death Itself. Even the Faunus speak of the Ones At The End. No matter the culture, the one unifying aspect of all those myths is that through Remnant they are portrayed as a terrifying warrior tribe - the very incarnates of death."/p

pGilana paused as if waiting for her to say something./p

pAlas, Ruby's breath had been taken away./p

p"In reality, however, according to your mother, the Eyes are a unique genetic condition that allows its user to enforce a concept of death upon anything they lay their sight on by manipulating one of the foundational forces of reality. All I can really tell you is the gene that manifests the eyes passes from parent to child, the actual conditions for the eyes to activate are unknown. Once they do, however, there's no way back as the user gains a mysterious power allowing them to effectively kill anything within their sight. Scary, right?"/p

p"How do I use them? Are there downsides?"/p

p"I am sorry, dear. That's as much as I know. Your mom knew more - she was obsessed with researching them. She had an apartment in Argus under her name where she collected all kinds of literature and information about the Silver Eyed Warriors - I don't know what had become of it, but I have the address and spare key, if you want and if the key still fits."/p

pCyanea bolted up, rushing to the side as she called the butler and told him what to bring to her./p

pRuby's mind froze as she processed what had been said to her right now - once again, the feeling struck her that she knew nothing about Mom./p

pDid Dad or Qrow know about her owning an apartment in another Kingdom?/p

pRuby couldn't put it off anymore - she needed to know more - even if it meant shattering the image of Summer she held so dear./p

pAnd for that, she had to get to Argus as soon as possible./p

p"Yes, thank you." - Cyanea said as she strode back to the couch, handing her a silver key with a skull engraved upon it./p

pShe looked Ruby in the eyes./p

p"Are you sure you want to go there, though?" - She leaned forward closer. - "You might not like what you find. Your mother was a pretty complicated person. You sure you want to shatter your image of her like this?"/p

p"I need to know." - She stretched out her hand taking the key. - "Thank you. I'll return it."/p

p"No need, it's technically yours anyway. Good luck. And thank you both again for bringing my baby's things to me."/p

pRuby and Nora stood up, nodding as they took their steps back out./p

p"And Ruby. Please be careful - Argus is, let's just say, complicated for people like you. It's bustling with all kinds of people"/p

p"What do you mean?"/p

p"Just beware - not everyone that recognizes your eyes like I did wishes you well. And not everyone remembers your mother the way I do."/p

pRuby and Nora stepped outside, Cyanea's words ringing in her ears./p

pRuby took a deep breath - closure this was not./p

p"So, Ruby." - Nora finally broke her silence. - "What was any of that about?"/p

p"It's complicated."/p

pWhat could she even tell Nora now?/p

pThe less people knew about Silver Eyes the better - Ruby didn't want to put her friends in danger./p

p"Lots of that around these days. Might as well rename ourselves Team Complicated." - Nora said. - "Don't worry, Ruby. When you are ready to talk, we'll listen."/p

pRuby struggled to maintain her thoughts./p

pShe looked up at the mansion behind them - even from here she could hear a woman crying inside./p

p"Team Complicated, huh? - Ruby said, staring at the windows of the guest house - "Pyrrha lived a complicated life too."/p

p"That she did. That she did. Her mom isn't a bad person though. I hope Pyrrha knew that deep inside."/p

pNora trailed forward, once again counting her steps./p

p"You know, it made me realize things."/p

p"Like what?" - Ruby said./p

p"No matter how strained their relationship was, at least Pyrrha had roots. I never knew my mom or my parents or whether they even cared about me at all. Nobody will cry for me like that."/p

p"I am sure your parents loved you too, Nora."/p

p"Oh they better!" - Nora laughed. - "I am damn near perfect!"/p

p"Pyrrha, you, Jaune, Ren, Weiss, Blake, Yang - I guess in a way all our roots are a bit twisted, huh?"/p

p"Well, there's no fighting like family in-fighting."/p

pBoth fell silent, quickening their steps./p

p"I know we didn't quite convince her, but we did get something out of this, right? All we have to do is convince the other four tomorrow. And how hard can that be?" - Nora beamed. - "So, what's next Ruby dear?"/p

p"It's about time for the visitation we scheduled at the Jail. I think I'll go and inform Jaune of our plan before the night sets in."/p

p"Good thinking. I think I'll go back to our little room and wait for Ren, Neptune and you to come back. I am feeling tired."/p

p"You, of all people?"/p

p"Those were quite a few days, Ruby."/p

pAs the two of them moved forward, the gate in front of them opened up by itself, letting them out./p

pBack in the street again, as they closed behind Ruby and Nora, the two were ready to move in the opposite directions./p

p"You think we could bring Ren and Jaune to visit before we eventually leave? She would like it." - Nora said./p

p"If we manage to save Jaune."/p

p"No ifs. Have hope, Ruby" - Nora said, waving as she walked away. - "We can do this."/p

pRuby couldn't find the right words - what could she say that wouldn't sound like a lie?/p

pShe strode forward through the streets towards the Judicial District./p

pThe encounter with Pyrrha's mom coursed through her mind./p

pNemea held no closure for Ruby and no answers - just more pain and doubt./p

pEven if Jaune wasn't accused of murder and they all visited Cyanea together and had a comforting somber moment together - would she have been satisfied if the meeting here went without a hitch and surprises? Likely not./p

pNo conclusion within Nemea would have satisfied her - no solution to the gaping holes in her heart./p

pAhead of Ruby lay only one path - only one way to liberate herself from the shackles./p

pWas she ready to walk it even if it were to destroy her?/phr /h3

b em January 25th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

emResidential District, City of Nemea, Kingdom of Mistral Territory/em

/h3

pNo matter how many years passed, Nemea was still Nemea - multiple towns mashed together than one cohesive whole./p

pLie Ren hasn't been here in a while - not ever since his father had moved to Arcadia./p

pThe Residential District hadn't changed - still hidden beneath the walls from the eyes of the visitors and still as deceptive as ever./p

pThat likely wasn't obvious to any newcomer to Mistral, let alone Nemea, but Ren knew that in this Kingdom, things are rarely as they seem to be./p

pNemea met its visitors the same way - labyrinth, a maze - gray and white concrete buildings, red concrete buildings, light brown concrete buildings - all uniform, all three stories high./p

pApartment complexes lined up one after the other, street after street - unless one was familiar with this place, it was so easy to get lost here, to lose sense of direction and wander in circles./p

pHiding something important here was like hiding a needle in a haystack./p

pNo wonder she had clung to this place - to living here./p

pAs he walked forward between the apartment blocks surrounding him, he swiftly dodged running children./p

pHe never got to do this as a child - his father and his mother moved before he even hit ten years old./p

pHe felt more at home in Kulhara, the place he only visited once before, than in his father's hometown./p

pRen couldn't help but wonder why Kulhara's Elder was so insistent on having him visit his grandmother despite how his father had left things off here./p

pFrom what his father had told him, Grandma had never made peace with his decision to abandon his duties as a soldier and live a quiet life with his wife./p

pHis father used to be a well-regarded soldier from the Department of Unity - continuing a family tradition of serving in the military dating way before the Great War./p

pGrandmother had regarded him as the pride of the family until the day his father brought home a woman - an ex-huntress, surprising her with the news about wanting to marry her./p

pThe family relationship had soured afterward - by the time Lie Ren was born, the grandmother had already disowned her son./p

pEventually, the family sold off their belongings and moved to Arcadia, severing ties with the grandmother./p

pIn the time they had lived there, in the time he and Nora had been in Argus and then in Vale - his grandmother had never contacted him./p

pThe man now known as Elder Of Kulhara had taken care of the two of them till they had moved to Vale./p

pAll these years his grandmother might as well have been dead. And yet now, suddenly, she had reached out? Why now?/p

pShe lived on the very side corner of the district, in a particular, almost crumbling, apartment complex - the one he had found himself in front of now./p

pAs he pushed the rusted door handle, the door creaking open, Lie Ren found himself inside a dimly lit staircase. The yellow from the light bulb blended with the sickly green hue of the stone stairs./p

pLie Ren stopped as if delaying this were to give him more courage./p

pHe wasn't doing this out of the goodness of his heart, of course - he had no interest in reopening old wounds or creating./p

pGuanyin Ren, his biological grandmother, was a stranger to him, as much as she had decided to be one to his father./p

pRen would have never even entertained the thought of answering her call./p

pBut he had no choice now - his grandmother was an influential person with many ties inside the Department of Unity./p

pShe wanted to meet her grandson, and he wanted to free his friend from prison - a favor for a favor./p

pRen grasped the torn-off list in his hand as he moved forward inside./p

pThe conditions he was going to offer were simple - Ren would listen to what she wanted to say, and in return, she was to use her ties to "convince" the nobles to be more lenient once the trial started./p

pLie Ren strode forward inside as the rusty apartment complex door closed shut behind him./phr /h3

b em January 25th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

emJudicial District, City of Nemea, Kingdom of Mistral Territory/em

/h3

pDescent - a word that perfectly described how the last few months had felt for Ruby Rose - a continuous fall deeper into the empty void that was her life./p

pAs she strode down the stone stairs leading to the containment cells, she couldn't help but feel this described her life well./p

pPrison visitations in Nemea, especially the ones regarding the people awaiting trial, felt like they had been designed to be as much of a hassle as possible - whether the long forms a person had to fill out to request a visit, the specific timeframe they had to arrive during for a visit or the complex maze of a prison complex they had to navigate - Neptune and Ren had walked her through the process the moment the Feilong had landed in Nemea as to waste as little time as possible./p

pDuring a specified time, the guards would transfer the prisoner into one of the containment cells within the basement of the prison's central administrative building./p

pThe building looked old, possibly centuries old - so it was no surprise that the basement area had given off the vibe of an ancient dungeon underneath a castle - a dimly lit stairwell, spinning round and round as it went down, only the dust crystal lights guiding the way, accompanied by the smell of mold and the sound of water./p

pAs she reached the bottom of the stairwell, oppressive walls comprised of giant stones one atop the other, tightened together by concrete greeted Ruby - a wet cellar hall dyed in dark browns and mud-like sepia strokes./p

pRuby provided the necessary papers to the guard at the door, who then allowed her to move forward./p

pInside the hall, at the very end, lay an area separated from the rest by thick iron bars - a genuine jail cell most towns hadn't used in decades./p

pThe room was lit just enough to see the person inside, but not enough to discern the features before one was to get close./p

pThe fact that the guard had remained outside - a favor that deprived Ruby of a bit of her money - only had made the so-called visitation area feel all the more oppressive./p

p"Hey there, Jaune." - Ruby uttered as she strode closer. - "How are you holding up?"/p

pIn the corner, her friend Jaune Arc arose from an iron frame of a bed that was thrown in the corner of this jail cell./p

p"It's good to see you Ruby." - Jaune walked closer, leaning onto the iron bars separating them. - "The actual holding cells are a bit nicer than this, but I can't say I am not terrified. I keep asking myself what is going on."/p

p"I have good news and not-so-good news."/p

p"Hit me"./p

p"The bad news is that they want to use you as an example of sorts - a part of an ancient tradition that lets nobility flex their powers and turns a trial into a farce. The good news is that Neptune has a plan."/p

p"I am doomed." - Jaune rolled his eyes, smiling./p

p"No. It's a good plan. I can't give you exact details, but we are working to free you. It involves a little bit of persuasion. Well, a lot, actually. If we succeed, we might at least get you a fair trial instead of this ancient ritual. No way this holds up under the scrutiny of the law."/p

p"Doesn't sound reassuring, Ruby."/p

p"Well, the alternative was Nora's suggestion, and we all know how that would go."/p

p"Did she suggest storming the prison?"/p

p"Yeah. Nora's a bit confused, but she's got the spirit."/p

p"Don't think we can punch our way of this one, Ruby." - Jaune scratched his head. - "Whatever you guys are planning, it better work. Did you know they burn people alive? I don't want to burn. I am too young to burn!"/p

p"We'll do what we can. Worst case scenario, we can always try Nora's idea."/p

pRuby could see Jaune lower his head as he exhaled./p

p"No." - Jaune gripped the iron bars. - "Worst case scenario you take Nora and Ren and get out of here, returning to Vale."/p

p"But-"/p

p"Not up to the discussion, Ruby. Whatever you guys are attempting to do to save me - I'll trust that. But if it fails, you aren't going to ruin your lives trying to storm a prison in one of the most well-armed cities and city districts on Remnant. Promise me."/p

p"Okay."/p

pRuby stood silent for a while./p

p"I visited Pyrrha's mom, you know. Just wanted to tell you that, if it's okay with you."/p

p"Do we have enough time? What are even the visitation rules here?"/p

p"A few minutes or so."/p

p"Okay. Lay it on me."/p

pRuby turned away from the iron cage./p

p"It's just. Visiting someone like that - it opened up the wounds. I can't stop thinking about her final moments. I can't get her out of my head now - she's everywhere."/p

p"It's okay."/p

p"No. It's not. I can't help but feel like she blames me for not doing enough to save her. And now I can't help but feel like her mother hates me too. I heard her cry, and it just threw me even further into whatever this is I am feeling, and I have no idea how to make it stop."/p

pShe punched the iron bars, the metal ringing./p

p"Look at you consoling me, while behind bars. I am so sorry to dump this on you." - Ruby said. - "It's just that visiting her mom made all the memories of when my mom died rush back in."/p

p"That's just grief, Ruby. It's going to be fine. I remember this from when my father died. But it's different now. Because, I guess, it's always different."/p

p"I still can't believe Cinder stole her from us." - Ruby clenched her fists./p

p"Ruby."/p

p"But it's true. She did!"/p

p"Ruby. Pyrrha would not have wanted us to wallow in anger like that." - Jaune attempted to reach through the bars, but the gaps were too small. - "We can't change what happened, we just have to live with it."/p

p"I can't." - Ruby said as she took two steps backward from the iron cage. - "There's nothing I want to do. Not until she pays."/p

p"Ruby. Don't. Pyrrha wouldn't want us to obsess over revenge. She was better than that."/p

p"She's dead!"/p

p"Yes. And it took me weeks, months to wrap my head around that." - he leaned forward. - "I couldn't stop thinking about what happened, about what I did wrong. Even now, in here, as my life could end in mere days, I can't stop thinking back to that night."/p

p"You should understand why she needs to pay, then."/p

p"No. Listen. Pyrrha was the most selfless woman I have ever known. She put up with me even though, let's be fair, I haven't been the most upstanding guy. I was nothing but trouble. But she was willing to see the best in me even when I couldn't. And in the end, she sacrificed herself to protect what mattered to her."/p

pJaune let go of the iron bars, taking a step back into the darkness of the cell./p

p"I think I agree with you when you say that Pyrrha was what a huntress should be - a selfless protector who longs to save people without expecting anything in return."/p

pJaune took a few steps back once again, sitting down on the bed frame./p

p"Back then, when I cheated my way into Beacon - I was anything but that. Being a Huntsman seemed like an easy way to gain fame and appreciation - to be treated like a hero, you see."/p

pJaune leaned forward, gripping his hands together as he spoke./p

p"My father died when I was a child. He wasn't a Huntsman or anything - just a simple tailor. But for me he might as well have been one - I saw in him dedication and strength. I saw selflessness in the way he had tirelessly worked to provide for us, even when ill. My father died in peace, but I always wanted to be worthy of him. To be respected. And that's why I had concocted this scheme to become a Huntsman, Ruby."/p

pJaune gazed at the palm of his hand./p

p"But I never really thought about what those words mean. Not until I met Pyrrha, not until I met you. And even then, when I actually realized how stupid I was, it was already too late."/p

p"All those delusions about being a knight in shining armor with thousands fawning over me. All the gruff hero nonsense straight out of the movies. I never realized how hurtful I could be to others - to Weiss, to Pyrrha, to you."/p

p"The truth is- I never really grew as a person back then. I just thought I deserved to already be that great hero from my dreams, and I kept building up that lie. I don't have seven sisters, for example. Only two - but seven sounded like it would make me interesting, so, I embellished. That was my life, Ruby. All of it. And it was Pyrrha who made me realize that being a Huntsman is more than just riding a steed clad in shiny armor - that I could just be myself, without living up to some impossible standard of a masculine hero straight out of the movies or books. She believed in me. And then I lost her, without being able to tell her how much she meant to me."/p

p"Jaune, She knew." - Ruby said./p

p"Sure, maybe. But I never got to tell her." - Jaune said, hitting the corner of the bed frame with his hand. - "The wording is important here. I never got to tell her that. It's about my choices and how stupid I have been."/p

pMetal noise rang through the empty cellar with a clang once again./p

p"For the first few weeks after Beacon fell, my dreams would bring me to a variety of scenarios where I did save her - thousands of different ways of how I could have saved her. And in some cases, I'd also defeat Cinder and save the day."/p

p"You should understand then!"/p

p"No, Ruby. Dreams are dreams - they too passed. I grew to accept that I can't change anything about what happened and nothing I'd do would bring her back."/p

pJaune bolted up as he strode back to the iron bars and Ruby./p

p"She wouldn't want this, Ruby. Any of this. Whatever you want to dedicate your life to - let it be something good and something that you want. Not this - not revenge or anger." - Jaune looked her in the eyes. - "Cinder might have taken her from us, but don't let the evil of others mold you and twist you, stealing even more. If you stop Cinder? Good. But do it because it's right. Not because you want it and certainly not because you had chased her all over the world, losing yourself in the process."/p

pRuby's head pounded as if thousands of people screamed at her all at once./p

p"If I get out of here, if everything ends well." - Jaune continued. - "I am going back to Vale and I am helping people and being the Huntsman Pyrrha would have wanted me to be, saving lives."/p

pRuby stumbled backward./p

p"You are an idiot, you know that?" - She said, gritting her teeth. - "I thought we were the same on this. I thought you would understand how it feels and that we could fix it. I thought that I wasn't alone in feeling like that."/p

pShe clenched her fists./p

p"Are you telling me to just accept all the hurt and pain that woman caused? All the people that died or got hurt because of her? Because I can't."/p

p"Even if the alternative is you destroying yourself?"/p

p"You don't get it, do you? I tried. What do you think this journey has been? I tried to get closure, but everything felt pointless. I can't stop thinking about that moment when Pyrrha turned to ash right in front of my eyes. I can't stop thinking about Penny, torn to pieces. Even Yang - helpless and defeated, in bed. Those moments stay with me every minute of my life now, Jaune!"/p

pShe turned around, as she took steps towards the exit./p

p"You won't die here. Not you too." - Ruby said, glancing behind her at her friend in the dark cell. - "I promise you that. And after that, I will do whatever it takes to make that woman pay. Even if I have to do it alone."/p

p"Ruby, please. Don't do this to yourself. Be the huntress that Pyrrha wasn't allowed to be."/p

pRuby clenched her fists so hard it hurt, pain searing through, her nails digging into her palms./p

pShe ran - to the door and outside. She nodded to the guard and then kept running, up the stairs as if trying to escape the empty void threatening to consume her./p

pShe wanted to escape - anywhere but here./p

pIn the dark days ahead, what would she do if she were to fail? Would she go through with Nora's idea of just breaking him out by force?/p

pAnd even if everything turned out as they had planned - what awaited her after this?/p

pWas it so wrong to dedicate herself to this single goal - to forsake her dreams and everything that she was just so she could get a moment of peace?/p

pDid she even want to do that? Or was some part of her fighting back?/p

pRuby did not know, drowning in the suffocating silence encroaching upon her as if she were stuck inside a coffin./phr /h3

b em January 25th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

emCommercial District, City of Nemea, Kingdom of Mistral Territory/em

/h3

pNora never thought about what came before. Before she appeared in that village - scared and alone - to her, life itself began at that moment. Every memory she built up, every friend she made, every loss she remembered./p

pNow? Now that's all that she could think about. Every thought in her head, every emotion – they all would flow back to that specific vision, back then, in that cave./p

pThe voice that told her what was in the case, the eventual fate of the Wanderer - she carried those close to her heart now./p

pWhatever catharsis came from overcoming The Wanderer faded, giving way to the routine of aimlessness that had defined their lives these past few months./p

pShe glanced at the clock on the wall, ticking ever louder - her friends were late./p

pNo matter how much Nora smiled, her weight lifted from her shoulders, her friends did not./p

pRuby had her terrifying demons. Nora missed her cheerful smile, energy, and jokes. It made her question how much of them were real back then. The moment where she saw Ruby's face drop from the words Pyrrha's mom said to her was seared into her mind./p

pEver since they left Vale, Jaune drifted apart, ever so distant. And now he sat in jail, tangled in a web of dumb nonsense Nora couldn't wrap her head around - he wasn't a murderer, and yet she couldn't do anything to make people who took him away see that, too. Jaune would have wanted the closure that meeting Pyrrha's mom could have given, but would he have been happy with the experience? He could visit and go there once they save him if he wants to./p

pThey better manage to save him - Nora was tired of losing friends. She accepted the metal case in that cavern, and what the voice told her to stop that from happening anymore, and yet the threat remained./p

pEven Ren, her closest friend, coursed along while lost in thought - he acted like visiting that place, facing The Wander, and returning to Mistral didn't affect him, but Nora knew better. Even meeting the Elder at Kulhara seems to have shaken him in the ways that puzzled Nora. Ren had relatives here in Nemea - that much was obvious. Till now, the duo had been inseparable, so Ren splitting them up like this now crushed her -was there something he didn't want her to know?/p

pThis Neptune guy was okay, but he felt like a stranger, so Nora just ignored him. She never really got a chance to talk to him much at Beacon. He wasn't a bad guy, though - accompanying them like this and fighting alongside them - pretty unusual for the stuck-up nobility Nora had glimpsed in her short time in Mistral when Nora was little. Back at Beacon, from what she could glance the dude felt silly, but now Neptune was likely the most composed out of their entire ragtag group of goofballs./p

pThey might fight together as a team, but every person in her group was traveling alone all this time./p

pShe clutched her chest - the euphoria that rushed through her veins every second of every day now, the joy and the feeling like a massive weight had been lifted - were any of those emotions real?/p

pDeep inside sat this doubt screaming at her to not trust the comforting visage of the ghastly companion traveling alongside her./p

pCould she tell her friends about this? She wanted to, but something inside her would stop her every time she tried./p

p"No, Nora. You can't tell them about this." - The woman said as she knelt in front of her, bringing her face to the level of Nora's. - "They wouldn't understand."/p

pNora squinted as if trying to see past the invisible fog between her and the apparition in front./p

pThe Woman with Chestnut Hair only smiled at her. Whenever Nora thought of her, she would always appear now yet nobody else could see her./p

pWhat did she get herself into? What was this?/p

p"You are merely doing what you always were going to eventually do." - The Woman spoke, caressing her chin./p

pNora leaned back in the chair, avoiding the phantom touch, brushing her hand across the cracks in the table to reassure herself of reality as she looked up at the ceiling./p

pBeacon was her haven. Friends, enemies – all of them made it easier to move forward./p

pNow? There was no enemy to punch in front of her. No walls that she could break between them. And any attempts at lightening the mood would be stone-walled instantly./p

pAnd that brought back her fears and insecurities - made her feel alone, once again - as if she was still walking through the field, in nothing but rags, in a land that felt alien to her./p

pBut now, after she had faced her fears?/p

pWho was Nora Valkyrie, the girl with a hammer and a bright smile?/p

pWas this a dream, a hallucination?/p

pSomething inside had told her she could trust this woman with anything, but could she trust herself that reassured her she could?/p

pAnswers - answers would be nice - she had given up on chasing after them before, but now they were dangled in front of her all the time./p

pThe Wanderer returned the moment she stepped closer to the Great Lake, the case in the cavern reacting the way it did - too many events lined up perfectly for it to be a coincidence./p

p"If you do this, you will know the truth." - The Woman's voice echoed./p

pCould this be the illness gnawing at her once again? Consequences from the Grimm exposure don't just disappear - skin peeling off her arms, the fever - damage doesn't just vanish./p

pCould, even now, she be hallucinating, on the brink of death somewhere in that cavern?/p

p"No, sweetheart. I am not a hallucination. As long as you keep what's in that box close by, the Death Itself coursing through your DNA will be helpless to erode you."/p

p"Why…" - Nora gathered the courage to speak, as her gaze shifted downward toward the woman again. - "Why do I feel like I know you?"/p

p"This image is the form summoned from the deepest recesses of your memories." - The Woman answered. - "It is not unfamiliar to you, and it's the one to make communication easier."/p

pAn almost impossible thought flashed in Nora's head./p

p"Are you my mother?"/p

p"While my appearance is that of comfort, it holds no meaning to the truth at my core. I am the lingering goal you have searched for inside. An unfulfilled task and nothing more." - The Woman smiled as she drifted around the room, fading in and out of Nora's eyesight, like a daydream. - "I am that nagging thought in the back of your head that tells you to turn around, warning you of the looming danger while reminding you to persevere in your goals. I guess you can call me a contingency system."/p

pSo it's because of the box she grabbed - she knew that much now./p

p"You were always meant to pick this up, sweetheart. One way or the other, you would have seen this form eventually - a contingency set in motion years ago. The moment it had activated you were destined to one day end up back where you started - whether it would have taken a decade or few didn't matter."/p

pBack where she started? The caverns they had navigated did feel familiar to Nora./p

p"This doesn't make sense. Why would I be connected to this?"/p

p"I only know what you know. I can't tell you what you don't know."/p

p"What about the case? And Nemea? And what about what I am doing now? There's no way I knew what to do before you told me to."/p

p"It's something recorded deep within your very being like I said. I am here to communicate that meaning through all the mental blocks your mind had placed around it to keep itself from collapsing."/p

p"So I am talking to myself? Great." - Nora bashed the back of her head at the wall behind her in frustration. - "Must look funny from outside."/p

pThe irony wasn't lost on Nora Valkyrie - plenty of people in Vale had thought her a bit cooky due to her antics and cheerfulness. And now she heard voices in her head, conversing with people that weren't even there./p

pStupid brain talking in riddles - why couldn't she just recall what she needed to recall and be done with it?/p

p"Because you shouldn't." - The Woman spoke, as if hearing her thoughts. - "There's something you had witnessed at the beginning of everything - an information buried deep in your brain by those before you that no human mind can handle."/p

pNora clutched the corner of the table./p

pNobody ever could tell her what she could or couldn't do./p

pShe struggled to focus on a fleeting thought, from back then in the cavern when she kept slipping in and out of consciousness./p

pSomething about a serpent?/p

p"No. Don't think about that, or you'll break. The only way to truly see and comprehend what's inside your brain is by doing what I told you to do, sweetheart."/p

pNora bolted up, her blood boiling./p

p"Nothing that you had told me to do sounds good. It's the kind of thing bad guys would whisper into one's year!"/p

p"And yet you will do it because you know it's the right thing to do."/p

p"Why?"/p

p"Because you are running out of time. Because the one who caused you so much hurt and pain will be back again. And if you meet that man on the cliff as you are now, it will be the end of you, sweetheart."/p

pThe Man on the cliff, watching the doomed city - another vision she could see every time she closed her eyes./p

pAnd until she learned everything, it wouldn't go away./p

pHer mind screamed at her to figure out what all of this meant./p

pNora stumbled over to the crates, the metal case from the cavern resting atop them./p

pShe placed her hand on the cold surface = Nora could feel a chill emanating from inside./p

pShe knew what the case held now, ever since she used that on The Wanderer./p

pShe also knows why the Wanderer would not respawn after that fight - The essence of the Fable is now inside the case, locked into an endless loop, coursing through what's inside./p

p"If I do this, I will know where I came from?"/p

p"Yes. All you have to do is bring the case into the forge and place it on the ground next to you. And then, the truth will reveal itself for you at the right moment. What's inside the case is closely connected to the mechanisms in that Forge as it was created there. And its primary purpose within the contingency is to remind people like you what's at stake."/p

p"People like me?"/p

pSilence./p

pNora clenched her fists, gritting her teeth./p

p"Won't the guards stop me?"/p

p"Don't worry about that. Let them see what you are carrying." - The woman trailed towards the wall, disappearing through it like a ghost./p

pOf course, she didn't physically leave - being in Nora's brain, and all./p

pThat was how all of these visions would end now - the apparition would come and go - without a greeting or goodbye as if it was always there./p

pShe was alone again - left with her fears./p

pNora's legs shook. Stumbling, she rushed over to the bed, falling upon it, gripping the covers./p

pWas she ever not alone?/p

pShe wandered through the forest - a lost child, alone./p

pShe wandered through the Huntsman Academy - a hedonist chasing joy and thrill./p

pShe trudged through a dark cavern - a delirious daydream./p

pAnd now Nora Valkyrie was alone again in a concrete jungle - her goal as unclear./p

p /phr /h3

b em January 27th, 797 E.A /em/bbr /

em A Tale about the Little Girl and Fairytales/em

/h3

pOnce upon a time, there lived a little girl and her father, a well-respected tailor./p

pThe Father and her Mother pampered her and showered her with love and affection as parents do - the Little Girl loved her parents more than the sunshine her hands would play with in the summer./p

pThe three lived in a beautiful house together, as her father and mother would make nice clothes for all the people in the town./p

pOn every birthday, her parents would gift little girl a pretty dress - each a different design and style./p

pOne day, the father said to her that the little girl would have to take over the family business and make all the pretty clothes for the good people in the town - only the little girl could do it because she was the only thing in this world they valued more than their craftsmanship./p

pOne winter night, the girl woke up, hearing something rustle and bustle behind her window outside. The girl got out of the bed, put on her slippers, and tapped away toward the window, curiosity leading her way./p

pBefore she could reach the window and open it, the door blew open with a clang as her father rushed into her room./p

pHe took the little girl in his arms rushing out of the room and into the hallway as the window screeched open behind three figures slithering inside, clad in robes and cloaks./p

pThe father carried the girl, the ground creaking beneath their feet, down, down to the panic room in the wardrobe on the first floor./p

pThe father smiled and put her inside, closing the wardrobe behind him, as the darkness and the smell of wood and sawdust surrounded her./p

pThe outside world beyond the door tapped and rapped and clapped, loud clangs of metal and thick thumps of wood following the screams and the gasps./p

pbr /

br /

/p

pThe little girl closed her eyes and prayed real hard her father would be okay./p

pSoon, the silence snuffed out all sound outside./p

pThen the wardrobe door creaked open, and her father reached in and pulled the little girl out, comforting her - her father her to not look at the shadows on the floor./p

pThe little girl closed her eyes, not daring to ask where her mom had gone./p

pAs the little girl opened her eyes, in the doorway to outside she saw a Prince, standing there, bathed in the silver glow of the moonlight./p

pThe prince - weary and wise - smiled at them and patted her head. He then turned his gallant gaze towards the little girl's father and said:/p

p"emMy gallant friend - your kindness and sacrifice will be rewarded and your family will live happily ever after as long as your promise holds true in your heart."/em/p

pThe little girl looked at her father, who smiled, clutching her close to his chest./p

pLittle did the girl know that fairytales never turn out this way, in the end, as happily ever after only lay inside the storybooks./p

pShe did not know where her mother had gone away or why the family grave in the local cemetery now had an additional grave there after that night./p

pLittle Girl did not understand yet the meaning of sacrifice the Prince spoke of or the Promise her father held deep inside his heart./p

pHer world was that of sunshine and dreams, just like her name./p

pBut just like that, as months turned into years, one summer's night, she woke to a scream./p

pLittle Girl did not know what had happened next, but soon, the father she loved so much was nowhere to be found - only years later would the little girl find out that he had been spirited away by the Promise he had made and the Sacrifice he had committed to./p

pAs the merciless time ticked away, Auntie came into their empty house, bringing with her promises of love and care, swearing she would help her niece turn into a fine lady one day./p

pLittle did the girl know that fairytales never turn out this way, in the end, as happily ever after only lay inside the storybooks./p

pShe did not know that Auntie's heart was made of stone and marble, gold and jewels rushing through her veins, making it beat./p

pThe coldness that surrounded her soon snuffed out the sunshine in Little Girl's heart and shattered her dreams - the next time the Little Girl looked inside her heart, she could only find cinders./p

pShe spent her years, locked in a cellar as Auntie and her daughters feasted - The Little girl, now a Young Woman, only ever came out to clean the house and wash the dishes./p

pThe house bore her family name no longer, as Auntie's influence twisted everything - gone was the tailor's craft as Auntie sold all of her parents' tools off - so obsessed was she with gold like blood./p

pThe Young Woman lived a life of routine, servitude, and ash - waking in the morning in the cellar, washing dishes, then going to the market to buy groceries to make Auntie and her daughters dinner./p

pAnd then The Young Woman would eat the leftovers in the cellar./p

pAt night, when the world would seem bleakest, the Young Woman would imagine herself wearing a pretty dress in a ballroom, and she would dance and spin while the others fell fast asleep./p

pIn her mind, she would be a Princess, having escaped the bleak world that had caged her - and for a second, the fairytale she'd have surrounded herself with would soothe her aching soul./p

pAnd so, the years passed one after another./p

pSometimes Nice Policemen would come, but Auntie had dismissed all questions about her father's fate, and the Nice Policemen did not seem too interested to press further./p

pThe Young Woman didn't think much of it until one day, a stately raven appeared at her doorstep, as it croaked - questioning why her father was to be here nevermore./p

pThe raven offered comfort and solace, but The Young Woman didn't need any as she sought knowledge instead. Questions arose in her heart - a thirst that nothing in the world could quench./p

pEven the ash she slept in couldn't hide the Young Woman's beauty, and the Woman knew it as well. She used it as a weapon - the only one she could grasp right now - and she dug, and she asked, and she scoured the town for the answers that would satisfy her./p

pHer beauty and charm opened many doors, and soon even the Nice Policemen talked - her Auntie had spent the last few years squashing any efforts of finding her Father, they said./p

pThe Nice Policemen lived in lavish apartments now, thanks to her Auntie - if she wanted justice, they said, the Woman would have to buy it herself./p

pThe Young Woman, now sure of her Auntie's crime and her Father's fate, wept for days amongst the ash./p

pNo Prince would save her, and no miracle brought upon by merciful gods would relieve her pain - the fairytales never turn out this way in the end, as happily ever after only lay inside the storybooks./p

pShe was alone./p

pThat only fueled the smoldering fury inside the Young Woman's heart - she circled the corners of her basement prison as she concocted a scheme - first of the many./p

pUsing some of her father's tools she had saved and hid, the Young Woman wove her first dress out of silk and dust together - a mantle to shield herself as she danced in the days to come./p

pAs the clock struck midnight, it only took the rat poison that she had mixed into Auntie's family diner seconds to squash the lives of Auntie and her family./p

pThe Young Woman danced, screaming - cursing her fate./p

pShe went from corner to corner, bidding farewell to the lofty prison that stole her youth and innocence./p

pThe house burned, the dust in her dress lighting her fiery vengeance aflame./p

pThe flames brought the woman freedom, shattering her shackles, but in the end, only cinders of her life remained - all meaning and hope for the future extinguished by the rain./p

pThe Young Woman stood there, drenched by the pouring raindrops, like needles hitting her skin as she looked at the skies above, cursing the day she was born./p

pIt was then that a fairy godmother leaned in close, whispering in her ear, stoking the flames, relighting the rage in her heart the truths she never knew revealed to her - The Young Woman learned of her Father's fate and of the nature of the Prince that had visited them that day./p

pHer revenge had been in vain as her Auntie, a terrible monster hiding in her human skin nonetheless, had nothing to do with her Father's doom./p

pThe godmother embraced her like ice and dirt would embrace a corpse - offering her comfort and fulfilling all her wishes that lay in her heart./p

pIt had taken her over a decade, but, finally, the Young Woman knew - fairytales never turn out this way in the end, as happily ever after only lay inside the storybooks./p

pWhat value would myths and fairytales have in the world that tore into her every step of the way?/p

pThe grim and ghastly Raven from before had rushed back to Woman too, but fate had made her come too late, as she could only watch The Young Woman leave, burning with new purpose - everything she did in her life came from that fire, from that singular goal scorching her heart empty./p

pAnd now she stood here, bearing the name "Cinder Fall" - an identity fitting the smoldering ashes of who she could have been, her true name forsaken alongside all the pain and futility that died with her childhood innocence./p

pShe looked at the man trapped inside a pod ahead as her fingers brushed over the release button, the pod's lid slid up, gas rushing out, decompressing the inside and the outside as it opened./p

pSteps echoed behind her as someone rushed closer to her, uttering her name./p

p"Just in time." - Cinder turned her head, looking at Emerald, who held a small box in her hand./p

p"Wasn't easy. You have no idea how fun Vale is now. Far beyond our expectations." - Emerald smiled as Cinder took the box from her hands./p

pThe chaos in Vale faded - in comparison to how close Cinder was to her wish right now./p

pShe would have sold the world and her soul for this any day, any moment of her life./p

pThe goal that she worked so hard for was at her grasp - years she had dedicated to honing various skills paying off./p

p"Is he coming to consciousness now?" - Emerald strode forward, observing the facial expression of the man in the pod - Professor Ozpin, as many called him. - "Isn't it too early?"/p

p"No, it's about time." - Cinder Fall said, stomping her foot. - "I am not going to let that thing delay this anymore."/p

pShe rushed past Emerald, the little black box in her hands, till she was face to face with the Usurper in the Tower./p

pThey only had a short time window while the old hag was distracted with other things and couldn't stop them./p

p"Welcome back, Ozpin." - As Ozpin's eyes swung open, Cinder leaned even closer to his face. - "We have much to talk about."/p

pThe Man who had stolen her father's face was right in front of her, and he was no Prince - merely a trickster behind the curtain./p

pThe only fairytales, the only ever afters in this world were the ones she could write herself, inscribing them into the walls that caged her through sheer power./p