Hey everyone~... long time no chapter, huh?

I'm sorry that this has taken so long, this chapter proved to be much more difficult to focus on than I ever hoped. Plus that I did two chapters of my other story Dark Lightning before this didn't help either. That probably won't be happening again for a while, at least I don't anticipate so.

Life is being life right now and doing its best to be difficult right now, but I'll be doing my best to keep the chapters coming. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and the bonus announcement at the end.

On with the show!

Fen stumbled down the trail, dead on his feet. A state he had been in for several days now as the compulsion that drove him forward had started to affect his sleep. Unfortunately, he wasn't really in control as the pull on his psyche just led him to continually place one foot in front of the other.

Beside him, Neo walked with a concerned frown while watching her friend. She had seen him deteriorate over the last couple weeks, and was beginning to anxiously wonder how far this would drive him to go. The thought that had most started to plague her though was that this impulse would cause him to leave her in the middle of the night with no clue of where he had gone.

Maybe if he got tired enough he'd intertain letting her tie him to a tree for safet—

"No, Neo." Neo snapped out of her musings to see Fen staring at her with tired eyes. She did her best to look innocent but he just shook his head and continued: "I see that look in your eyes, and it never means anything good for me. You were probably thinking of burying me in a hole or tying me down to something, if I had to guess. So no, that's not happening."

Neo huffed at being seen through so easily, but her pride wouldn't let such an accusation go without a rebuttal:

I have noooo idea what you're on about. I was just thinking that maybe we should have made a cart out of those materials that were in that abandoned town we passed through a week ago. Considering you look about like you're not going to make it another day without passing out.

Fen gave her a sideways glance: "Sure you were." He went silent as he thought about her words and decided to latch on to part of it to give them some conversation:

"Oniyuri. I'm not really familiar with Mistralian history, but it looked like it was going to be a very respectable town. Not to mention that the construction largely appeared to have just been left unfinished. It makes me wonder what kind of grimm attack would leave so little evidence, or were the survivors just so afraid to continue work after a particular attack?"

Neo looked over to him: Couldn't it be that Nuckelavee? You did describe them as 'legion killers'. Sounds like something that is dangerous enough for people to fear like that.

He gave a tired shrug: "Maybe. It's a fair guess. Though if that was the truth, it makes me wonder why it wouldn't have a bounty put on it. We were not really suited to take it on, but a single grimm against a team of hunters, heck even some skillful students should be able to use their numbers and come out on top. If it weren't for the facts it could induce that rage in me and Fir, and that you were injured at the time, even we could probably have come out on top."

At a mention of the rage, Neo shuddered as memories of Fen transformed with the typical red eyes of a grimm. Part of her found it laughable that the luminescent blue stare that had once terrified her was now a comfort to see, but she still far prefered it to the alternative by a large margin. She imagined Fen, being who he was, also played a substantial part in easing her fear of his other side.

Her fears were put aside when ahead of them they noticed a branch in the road with a sign, and upon approaching close enough to read from it, they both felt a great measure of relief.

Neo gave a joyful look over to Fen: Mistral! If we're seeing it on a signpost then we can't be too far off!

Fen returned the comment with a smile, but it vanished as he felt the pull call to him once more. Neo noticed the change instantly as Fen stared down the trail to Mistral, or more accurately, towards the mountains they could see rising up in that direction. His silence only lasted a moment before his legs started down the path and he muttered out:

"Maybe we're closer than I thought. With luck, I'll get the answers I've been looking for."

Neo knew what his words meant, but that didn't mean she was thrilled to hear them. As they walked for a few more hours, in her stomach Neo felt a pit of anxiety form, growing along with the gradual incline as they slowly progressed up into the mountains.

The idea of dealing with another omega frankly terrified her; it had taken over half a year to calm the nightmares from her first, and that was largely due to Fen rather than her own efforts. If it weren't for their closeness as it stood, Neo knew she'd likely have abandoned almost anyone else to avoid even coming close to another of those monsters. Yet here she was, willingly following her friend and partner towards the literal den of one of these grimm that are only known to most as myths and stories.

They wandered high into the mountains, walking for hours without rest as Fen was too focused and Neo too nervous to even take into account how long they traveled for. Though for Neo the largest part of her ignorance to the passage of time came from the conversation that she was having with herself in an attempt to distract her mind from their present situation:

What the hell am I doing? Fen would be fine without me, right? He said it himself that there was no hostility from the omega that called him; but what if that only applies to him? Going directly into the domain of something as strong as an omega is beyond foolish for someone like me that is technically uninvited. Whatever entrance we find I'll just let him know that I'll wait for him. Yeah! That's a perfectly valid choice!

...but what if something happens? The omega might change its mind and attack Fen and I'd never know. If I wasn't there and I could have helped then that would mean that I would basically be responsible if he died. I'd… be alone again. I can't let that happen! I'll be sure to go with him!

… though what if my being there means he has to protect me and I'm only a hindrance? That he might get injured because of me. How could I live with myself if he dies because of—

"Uh, Neo." Fen interrupted her, with him looking back at her she could see a heavy blush on his cheeks. Heat started to rise in hers even before he continued with: "You've… kinda been projecting your thoughts out for me to hear for the last few minutes."

Words spilled out of her as her face turned crimson: OkaythenI'llbewalkingoffthiscliffnowthanksb—!

As she tried to walk past, Fen wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her in place. Neo could feel the sentiment behind the action even before Fen started to speak:

"You don't need to worry, Neo. You are never a burden, and I'm not going to leave you behind." She rested her chin on his arms as she tried to hide her blush while he continued: "I need you with me. Should violence come or not, I don't think I could do this alone; no matter how strong this calling could become if I ignored it. I'm not answering it unless I have you there to support me."

Fen… Neo began, but stopped for a moment before driving her heel down into his foot.

"OUCH!" Fen cried as he released her, falling down in the process and clutching his injured extremity. Looking up to her in frustration, he shouted at her: "What the hell was that for!? Are you allergic to touching moments or something!?"

You're the one with the inconsiderate timing! Neo mouthed as she screamed her thoughts at him. Here we are up in the mountains, probably about to walk headfirst in the most dangerous place we possibly could, and you're trying to make me feel better!? If you're going to tell me something like that, then do it when we aren't in a situation where we could die!

Fen blinked at her a few times before he slowly responded: "So… you don't have a problem if I were to say it after we deal with our current situation?"

Neo felt like she was blushing down to her toes as she turned away, her response sounding like a murmur to Fen:

Do whatever you want…

Stalking off down the trail, Neo left Fen to push himself back to his feet and catch up. They traveled in silence from then on, occasionally passing by caves and passages but paid them little mind as Fen had no reaction to them. The pull had begun to throb in his chest, as though urging him to quicken his pace; growing stronger almost step by step as they continued on into the mountains.

Dusk was starting to fall as Fen leaned against the mountainside from the ache he felt from the ethereal chain which urged him on. Both he and Neo were growing exhausted as they continued, when Fen felt his senses abruptly pulled to the right as his hand fell through a patch of vines. Tumbling, Fen landed hard on his back as Neo rushed through the wall of vines herself to check on him.

Helping him up, the two were greeted with the sight of a long dark tunnel that quickly became a pitch black maw of stone into which they saw no end. Fen was barely standing again when he was jerked to his knees by a near physical pull on the ethereal chain that had led them there. Neo knelt next to him as he panted from exhaustion.

Leaning against her as he staggered to his feet once more, he said to her: "Let's go. No point in lingering when we've already come this far."

Neo pulled out her scroll and used it to light the way, but it did little beyond ensuring they weren't in complete darkness. The tunnel wound deep into the mountain, like a natural mineshaft; yet both of them knew it was far too perfect to be natural. Their unease grew the further they traveled, continuing on for what seemed like hours; though according to Neo's scroll, wasn't more than thirty minutes.

Their senses began to attune to the darkness, so much that they both noticed immediately when a glow appeared far down the tunnel they traveled. Worry mounted as to what they'd see, but by the green color of the glow they were certain as to what it came from. Rounding a bend, the source was found to be that of a wind dust crystal around the width of a fist; though it was merely the first.

The tunnel continued, and they found crystals of wind dust with increasing frequency and growing size; like waypoints that showed them they were nearing their destination. They both felt a soft breeze begin to blow and froze, as on the wind they both could hear a voice call to them:

"Comeee~ oh frozen one."

Neo forced a weak mental laugh as she asked her partner: Hehe... Fen? Is it too late to say I want to go back?

Against his own desires and instincts telling him to agree, Fen replied with: "It was too late a long time ago, Neo. We need to see this through." They continued on as he added one last comment: "And if it helps me to say at all, I at least didn't feel any malice in those words just now."

With a grimace on her face, she continued to support her partner as they continued deeper into the mountain:

It doesn't.

The veins of dust crystals continued to grow in quantity so much that barely any stone from the walls of the tunnel could be seen. It was beautiful in a way, but in the situation that they were in, the beauty could not ease the tension they felt as they knew they had to be close. Their vision was filled by the crystals to such an extent that they failed to notice the tunnel release them into a grand cavern until they crossed the threshold into the giant space.

They both froze at the sudden openness around them, with Fen gazing around with wide eyes as he whispered out:

"It's… just like the vision I saw."

They proceeded slowly, eyes scanning their surroundings for the slightest movement. Being so focused, they reached the center of the cavern before they knew, and just like Fen's vision it was the only place visible that was largely devoid of the dust crystals that otherwise coated the stone walls around them.

Fen expected something to occur when they came to the circle, but they stood in silence for several moments as the air around them stilled. Neo felt Fen pull away from her and start to walk towards the center of the circle. She went to go after him, but was prevented by a gust of wind that slammed against her and knocked her off her feet.

Startled, Fen turned back to see Neo silently groan as she pushed herself onto her elbows. He made to call out to her but the words never left his lips as he saw her eyes go wide, staring at something behind him. It was then that he noticed the pull of the ethereal chain that had led them there had vanished.

Turning, Fen's eyes traveled upwards to where his partner's gaze was locked to, his own freezing at the sight he was greeted with.

Upon a monolith of a dust crystal stood a grimm. It sat poised with nine large tails fanned out behind it, the tip of each ending in a wind dust crystal. Rising to all fours, it jumped down and landed in front of Fen with nothing more than whisper, presenting its true size to them. Even on all fours it stood over twice as tall as him, staring down at him through the glowing green orbs of its eyes. Around the omega, trails of wind blew and filled the cavern, appearing to originate from the crystals in its tails; like a demonstration of its strength.

To himself, Fen couldn't help but think: It's a… Kitsune! No one's seen one in centuries! And this presence...this must be what it felt like to others to see Fir.

From within he felt a throb, along with a surge of emotion from Fir. Closing his eyes, he spoke up so Neo could hear as grimm particles started to swirl around him in the telltale sign of him bringing his semblance to bear:

"I'll be disappearing for a moment."

The air turned frigid before an explosive clap as the blizzard collapsed and Fir was left in its place. Rising up, even standing to his full height, Fir fell a head short as the kitsune omega stared down at its kin. The kitsune's head leaned from side to side as it appeared to observe Fir, looking him over and judging him by some silent criteria; all the while Fir kept its eyes focused strictly on the mask of the kitsune.

To the surprise of both Neo, and Fen within Fir, a voice came from the omega before them; projected into their minds. Like many speaking at once, but ultimately coming off as feminine, the kitsune addressed her fellow omega:

"You baffle me, young one. Your form is pitiful and foolish. It looks as though you haven't altered yourself since bonding with your soulstones. Such unsightly protrusions your soulstones are, like flaunting beacons of your weakest points; it's a wonder you've survived this long. Though I suppose you are not entirely to blame, your existence was diverted from its natural course by meeting your other half."

Fen felt peeved at the tone the omega took at mentioning him, while Fir lowered his head and Fen could feel a flood of shame. The kitsune showed not the slightest care as it continued:

"Still, I find your state an affront to what we are, appearing as juvenile as this when you should have long learned to shape yourself more practically. I cannot bear to converse with you like this."

Fir raised his head just enough for Fen to witness the nose of the Kitsune between their eyes. With just the lightest tap, Fir reeled back in surprise before agony shot through their core and both Fir and Fen howled out in torment. They collapsed to the ground and Neo went to run over to them but was frozen in place by what she saw.

The black hide of the Fir's body bubbled and churned, both the dust pillars that protruded from his shoulders and the spikes of bone that came from his back and limbs receded into them. Fen couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't hear; everything was consumed with the feeling of his body burning itself from the inside out.

Then came the feeling of something growing from them.

Neo saw the tips of crystals appear along Fir's back as his flesh continued to boil, slowly the line of crystals revealed themselves to be connected to new spikes erupted from his spine. Then more spikes poked through from other key points of his body: his shoulders, knees, heels… and elbows; but there was a change there that Neo did not expect.

Fir's flesh stilled, and from the areas where fresh spikes had appeared, grew snow white fur like he had before. Ice dust crystals tipped the most prominent spikes across his body, except at his elbows which carried the distinct color of lightning dust instead.

Even with the transformation complete, Fir did not move a muscle. The reason being that within, Fen was still dealing with the aftermath of trauma he was forced to endure. Within the dark void he could feel Fir soaking him with waves of reassurance, but to him the echo of the pain was thrust upon them had caused his mind to shut down.

Then, like a whisper, he heard Neo call out to him:

Fen!? Please, get up! Get up and tell me you're alright!

Rising slowly, Fir growled as it stood in its newly refined form. Rolling its shoulders, there were several sharp cracks as though bones were being set back into place, and it looked back to Neo. Letting out a low dark voice it told her:

"HE… ALRIGHT."

Turning back to the Kitsune omega, who had observed with quiet grace, Fir bared its fangs at her but held back a growl as it heard the Kitsune speak:

"That will likely be the only favor you will ever receive from our kind."

The words held an ominous weight to them, enough that Neo feared their welcome had expired, but when she saw particles drift off Fir, her worries lessened.

Fading away, Fir's body revealed Fen unharmed as he stared up at the Kitsune. Though unlike his other half, he wasn't beyond criticizing the ancient grimm:

"That hurt like hell I'll have you know. Though I feel as though you couldn't care less. Why is that?"

The Kitsune actually lowered its head until it was just above Fen, it's voice calm and cold: "For what reason would I need to be wary of a child?"

Likewise, Fen was bold in his words: "You see us as children, yet for us you are equivalent to a myth. You aren't a grimm, at least not anymore. We call you Omegas, but I want to know what you really are."

The Kitsune tilted its head before laying down, crossing its front paws, and looking down at Fen with a posture of interest:

"Hmph, you're more interesting than I first believed, Remnant. You wish to know what we are? What we are is something that was never designed or intended, simply a strange chance of fate. Though I doubt that is enough to satisfy you."

Fen suppressed the growl in his throat: "You'd be correct. I want to know how you came to be. What are soulstones? How do you know you weren't created? And why did you refer to me as a remnant just now?"

With a twitch of one of the Kitsune's tails, Fen was hit with a gust of wind strong enough to knock him onto his back. The Kitsune's voice held a sharp tone as she replied:

"You'd best treat me with respect, little oddity. Just because I hold no quarrel with you doesn't mean I will entertain your every whim. As for your questions, I sense you already know more than you admit. You remnants call it 'dust', a fairly fitting term considering its origin, but I rather prefer soulstones as it helps me not to forget their importance… Let me ask you, have you seen the visions?"

Fen was rising up on his elbows when he froze at the ancient grimm's question, seeming to be enough of a response for it to continue.

"I suspected as much. Then I will believe you also can ascertain the answer to your own question."

Neo cautiously approached Fen and knelt down as though helping him up as she asked him: Fen, what visions? I don't like what's being implied here.

Surprisingly, the Kitsune was the one to answer Neo's question: "The visions of ancient days, little remnant. Visions that can only be seen by those that have become one with a soulstone. To see what the original creations of the Shining One and One of Utter Darkness saw back when they were the ones that filled this world."

"Those two…" Fen murmured to himself, before raising his voice to ask: "You're meaning those two beings were the ones that created humanity? The same ones that… they… they wiped us out back then, didn't they…"

With the closest thing to compassion in its voice, the Kitsune nodded:

"The world was once filled with those capable of producing abilities you now call magic. Then, for reasons even I still do not comprehend, the ones responsible for creating this world cleansed this world of your ancestors and left this plane of existence. Yet a soul cannot be destroyed once created, but it can be fractured. Like air that is found ever present, the world became saturated with these fragments of souls, and over time condensed back into a physical form. That is why I call them soulstones, as that is where their origin lies."

Fen appeared to realize something more: "That's why you said you weren't intended, because we had already been abandoned. But that still doesn't explain how a grimm like you became as you are now. I always had a feeling that dust was a factor of why a grimm became an Omega, but from what you've explained it sounds like you have a soul just because your body happened to be infused with leftovers of an ancient time."

Raising itself up, the Kitsune stared down at them: "If you believe our existence to be simple then you'd be very mistaken. I was once a creation of the One of Utter Darkness, born from one of his black pools to seek only destruction. My body grew stronger with time, eventually becoming somewhat similar to how you see me now. Then, by nothing more than chance, I found myself within this very mountain when a tunnel collapsed and in the process I was impaled by my first soulstone.

"Pain isn't something those you call grimm know, but I learned what it was that day. The force of all the fragmented souls wished to destroy me, eviscerate me and be scattered to the aether once more; but my body held. My strength overcame the force that threatened to destroy me and I found I was changed from then on. Years stretched on and I continued to understand things that were impossible for me before; I began to think, to feel.

"You remnants take such things for granted, you came to walk the earth again with no idea of how the world once was. But to have seen how things were before and now, for a being such as I to suddenly be given sentience; it is a jarring experience. To piece together a soul from specks, to make it into something new and unique. That is how I came to be, and once I understood it I discovered a craving for new sensations and willingly found more soulstones to join with; the results of which you find around yourself now."

Both Neo and Fen's eyes went wide at the revelation presented to them. They stared around them at the cave of crystals in a new light, one that felt impossible to truly comprehend. Yet Fen still felt compelled to ask:

"That... seems impossible, you aren't even connected to it."

The Kitsune appeared amused as it gave a small chuckle: "You still have much to learn, little oddity. There is more to a soul than just its physical form."

Annoyed, Fen chose another line of questioning: "Even though you now possess a soul, you're still a grimm. What happened to your destructive nature?"

Appearing to take pleasure in his frustration the Kitsune's tone turned flippant: "The urge to destroy was filled with the voices of the many parts that comprise my soul, leaving it just a tiny whisper among thousands. You've given me no reason for violence, so I seek none in return."

Still unsatisfied, Fen asked: "Why did you draw me here?"

"I wished to examine one like myself to see what it looked like from the outside in the early days of becoming reborn. Though it seems that growth was stifled until recently." Came the response from the Kitsune. Fen felt shame at the implication, but wasn't given long to dwell on it as the omega continued:

"Young one, product of light and dark, you joined your soul to the one within you before it was remade. Now you are both fractured until you rejoin the pieces into something new. Forever joined while still apart, renew both and what results will be something that has never existed in all time past. Each of us is unique, but what you are baffles even I. Nurture what you have, let it grow. What it becomes could be key in achieving what you desire."

Fen looked back up sharply: "What do you mean by—!?"

A torrent of wind silenced him and forced both Fen and Neo to cover their eyes as the gale shook the cavern. Behind their closed eyes the light of the crystals disappeared thrusting them back into pure darkness, and suddenly as it came, the gale vanished.

Opening their eyes did no good for their vision, both Fen and Neo took out their scrolls and used the lights to find that the cavern had been stripped of all its contents and all signs of the Kitsune omega to have disappeared without a trace. Even the entrance they had come through was gone, and only an opening at the far end of the empty cave could be seen to leave through.

They both stood there dazed for several moments before Neo said to him:

… Please tell me that was all just a very lucid dream.

Fen's answer was barely above a murmur but in the silence she heard it easily: "When you convince yourself that's true let me know, because it would help me believe it more than I do right now."

Was… what it said about dust true? That it's the souls of some first generation of humanity? Something about you having seen visions?

Starting to walk towards the exit, Fen explained: "When we were back in Higanbana, I was hearing sounds. Snippets of voices that were so broken that I couldn't make any sense of them. They came from my coat." With some use of his aura he made the dust glow slightly, the dim yellow light faintly lighting the space around them. "Some of the words became more understandable and I picked up on some of what the voices were saying. Then I heard the name: Salem."

Neo balked at him: You can't mean…!

He nodded: "It drew me in. I had taken my coat off, and as I put it back on I felt like something was going to happen. Then, in a distorted mass of voices, I was told there was something I should see; and everything went black. I was put in this limbo-like state and then experienced small fractions of events from the perspectives of completely different people; but in each one I saw the same woman called, Salem."

You aren't actually suggesting that the person that hired Roman and I, and this person from thousands… hundreds of thousands of years ago are the same person. Right?

"I've never seen the Salem who hired you, so I couldn't say in any absolute manner… but I think it might be." Fen looked down at his partner to see only disbelief. "If you had experienced it you would probably change your mind as well, but I think we might be involving ourselves in something much grander than we could have conceived when we set out on this path."

They walked in silence, each contemplating parts of what they just learned. Following the tunnel, Fen noticed Neo's shoulder brush against his arm as she processed. He thought it was subconscious until he started to feel her press more into him, prompting him to ask:

"Is everything alright, Neo? That is my right arm you're nuzzling into, you know?"

She looked up at him with annoyance: Of course I do, I… still feel safer being near you and… even Fir.

Pausing, Fen looked down at his arm: "Neo, stand back for a moment. I felt how we're changed, but I'm curious to what Fir and I look like now."

Neo obliged and stepped away as she felt the slight change in the air as particles circled Fen's hand for a moment. In a blink, Fen summoned his other half's arm, looking it over with help from the light from Neo's scroll and murmured to himself:

"It feels… strange to change so suddenly. I know this is our arm, but for it to 'evolve' like this, I don't know how I'm meant to feel about this."

Fen, that dust crystal on that spike. That's not normal for you either, right?

Noticing the softly glowing golden crystal, Fen's eyes widened: "Did Fir… he must have already started to assimilate the dust that was added to the coat. It makes me wonder if I can…"

Focusing on his arm, Fen felt a jolt shoot up his arm from the crystal, like a cold fire that crept through his veins. Both he and Neo saw lines of energy creep down the spike and spread through his fur, forming a lattice of energy whose glow lit the area around them better than their scrolls.

Satisfied, Fen relaxed and let the energy fade followed by his semblance and returned to normal. He turned to continue on, but Neo stopped him by catching his sleeve. Looking back to her, she refused to meet his gaze. Giving a sigh, he turned back and placed a hand on her shoulder:

"Neo, what's wrong? I'm not going to act as though everything is fine when I see you like this."

You…

"What? What about me?"

Neo raised up her fist with her scroll and hit it against his chest with a whine: You! You're always like this! Here you are walking down a tunnel that definitely wasn't here before that omega vanished, reacting to drastic changes in both yourself and Fir calm as can be, learning that dust is literally the souls of an entire planet that were wiped out by some stupid gods; and you just accept all of this and continue on like it's nothing! I'm about halfway to losing my mind and I can't be the only one feeling like this!

"Neo." Fen spoke with all the confidence that he could muster. "There is plenty about what we just learned that troubles me. In those visions I saw, I think I witnessed the instance of when humanity was wiped out the first time. I felt as though my body was torn apart and pieced back together when Fir was changed. I just confronted a being that probably could have diced us into mincemeat with wind with a thought if it so chose. Now we are wandering a tunnel hoping it places us somewhere we can find our bearings, otherwise we could be lost in these mountains until we starve. Any calm I present right now is because I'm trying not to think about those things too strongly, because if I do I'll be no use to anyone and might as well lie down to die quietly."

Neo felt herself pulled into a hug as Fen whispered to her: "... and we still have too much to do for us to stop now. So lean on me if you need to, I'll be here for you, and I'll be leaning back on you probably just as much."

She gave a nod into his chest, before pulling away and separating from him. They began to walk again, but this time she felt Fen nudge against her and she responded by just linking her arm with his. Without even a stumble, they walked on through the dark tunnel to find a way out.

With hours passing by, they were both exhausted as the clocks on their scrolls read well past midnight; but neither of them desired to sleep within the tunnel. They began to wonder if they would fall asleep while walking when they felt a small breeze blow across their skin from up ahead. Turning off the lights of their scrolls they noticed the faintest sign of illumination far down the tunnel.

A sigh of relief came from both of them as they followed along, watching the light grow in size until they found themselves at the mouth of the cave.

Looking up, the broken moon shone down unobstructed to present them at the edge of a forest. Fen was about to search for their map to place their location when he picked up a sound with his acute hearing. Sharply, he whispered to Neo:

"Disguise! Now!"

She complied in an instant and turned her eyes blue and hair silver just as she herself heard a snap of a twig. Both tensed, with Neo slowly reaching for her weapon that was attached to her pack, as a shadow slowly walked forward through the shade of the forest. Catching a glimpse of white, Neo prepared for grimm, but with a sudden hand appearing in front of her from Fen she untensed slightly.

Fen's reason for stopping her became clear after just a moment, as she heard a voice call out:

"Identify yourselves!"

Neo looked up to Fen cautiously, but she saw no worry in his expression as he answer for them:

"We're travellers heading to Mistral. Faunus travellers." Fen emphasized at the end.

Stepping forward from the shadows, they both recognized the blood red symbol that was visible on the individual's clothes. The man lowered a rifle and took off his grimm mask, scales of some kind visible on his skin. He gave them a somewhat neutral look, assessing their tired state before addressing them again:

"Well then, I suppose I should offer some aid if my kin just survived the demon's maw. The White Fang is here to assist you."

WRW

Well now, that wasn't so ba— no, I'm not even going to try and pretend this wasn't the most frustrated I've been with writing a chapter.

Yonder

You did fine~. The dialogue was *moowah!*.

WRW

I am glad to finally reveal this bit of worldbuilding.

Yonder

See~, you did good. I'm sure the reviews will reflect that.

*Whispers* Don't make a liar out of me guys, please!

WRW

I heard that.

Yonder

Heard what!? I didn't hear anything! You can't prove shit!

WRW

... Sure.

Anyways guys, beyond my own feelings towards how I did, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more. And now for the Special Announcement!

Over on my DA account under the same name: WinterRuneWolf. You be seeing a rendering of Fir in his new and awesome form! It will be out within a day of when this goes live, so make sure to keep your eyes out and look over there to see what an Omega looks like for the first time!

More art is close to being revealed too, so make sure to catch us next time to see what's new!

Stay awesome everyone, WRW and Yonder out.