"She tried to what?!" Yang exclaimed.
Sera tapped her fingers on her lap anxiously. "She kissed me."
She was sitting on her new bed after recounting the time she had at the fair with Cerulean. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang were staring at the purple-eyed girl with wide eyes and shocked expressions.
"And…?" Yang rolled her wrist, signaling her to continue with the story.
"I turned her down," Sera picked up Jupiter and idly plucked at its strings.
"WHAT?" Yang demanded and pounded her fists against her thighs. "After all that, and you reject the poor girl?"
"I told you," She shrugged. "I'm not looking for anything like that. Everything ended up okay, she wasn't upset or anything. We're still friends."
"Still!" Ruby said. "That could've blossomed into something beautiful! What if you meet the person you're meant to be with?"
Sera raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you so interested in romance?"
"She stole one of my books," Blake raised her hand. Yang shot a glare at her sister, and Ruby poked her index fingers together anxiously. They all knew what most of Blake's reading material consisted of.
"Anyways," Sera cleared her throat. She set Jupiter on her bed and got to her feet before straightening her hoodie. "I'm going to bed. Kicking CVFY's butts really took it out of me." She headed for the bathroom to shower and get ready to sleep. Her friends watched her go, a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity on their faces.
After Sera showered, brushed her teeth, and got dressed in her PJ's, she went back into the dorm and fell face-first onto her bed.
The amnesiac drifted off to sleep, enjoying the comfort of her new bed. She'd gone so long sleeping on the floor, she'd started waking up sore every day. Now, she had a nice soft mattress and comfy blankets to rest her head.
Finally, she felt the familiar blanket of darkness and fog encompass her mind. Only now, something seemed to be waiting for her.
She immediately found that she had her body, dressed in her night clothes in the infinite void.
"Well," the same feminine voice seemed to laugh. "Quite the performance you put on today against those other huntsmen. You have grown strong, Kassandra. But with time drawing so close, I wonder if it'll be enough."
Sera groaned and tilted her head back. "Enough with the ominous-ass messages. It's getting annoying!" She pointed into the darkness, where the voice had come from. "I know who you are, witch. Or should I say—bitch. And my friends and I are going to stop your sinister ass before you can even say, 'Dang, this chick is a badass!'"
Salem's laughter reverberated through the entire plane, shaking the non-existent ground at Sera's feet. "Is that so, girl? If it were, you would've found my agents in your school by now. Any day, their plan will come to fruition."
"Ha! You mean that chick with the swords? I would've kicked her ass if she didn't run away! Is that the best you got, Salem? I mean, your 'agents' have to be students, right? Or people pretending to be students. If that's the case, I can already kick the ass of ninety-five percent of the student body, and I highly doubt your people are in that five percent. So, bring it!" She flipped the bird with both hands towards the void.
Something else rumbled the chamber, and it wasn't laughter. Anger poured over her, and Sera recoiled at the overwhelmingness of it. The fog darkened until it was a deep, menacing crimson. She took a step back, every mental signal in her head telling her to run. Then just as fast as it had appeared, the rage faded until the dreamscape was back to its usual state.
"All that bravado. You truly haven't changed, Kassandra. And even after what I put you through, that vexatious attitude of yours remains intact. No matter. Once the time comes, I sincerely cannot wait to see that spirit of yours break."
She faltered. "What do you mean 'what you put me through?' The hell does that mean?" She yelled into the darkness.
"My dear, in what world makes you think I'd want to tell you? It will be so much more fun to watch you realize it yourself."
Then Salem's presence disappeared from her mind, and Sera was left in a state of panic. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide with fright. Once she regained some semblance of control over herself, she exhaled deeply and stared at her own palms.
"What the fuck?" She murmured.
. . .
The amnesiac woke with a start. A loud buzzing noise had shaken her from her sleep, and she sat up straight with wild eyes and fumbled around for her scroll. She found it under her pillow, ringing loudly and vibrating with a picture of Ozpin on the screen.
Sera answered the call immediately and brought the device to her ear. "Professor Ozpin, I need to tell you something—"
"That can wait, Miss Calypso. Meet me in my office as soon as you can." He said urgently, then hung up.
She took her scroll from her ear, blinking at the "Call Ended" letters on its screen. Then she put the device down and surged out of bed, heading straight for the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, she came out dressed in her usual white coat, purple tank top, and white pants. She quickly laced her boots and scooped up Jupiter before heading for the door. Team RWBY was missing from their beds, so she was grateful that she didn't have to explain herself before she left.
Sera ran across campus, replaying the memories of her latest dream in her head. She memorized every word that she and Salem had both said, just so there weren't any mistakes while she retold it to Ozpin.
Finally, she was in the elevator riding to the top floor of Beacon Tower. She tapped her foot impatiently and resisted the urge to punch the speakers playing annoying elevator music. When the metal doors slid open, she hurried to the headmaster's office with a sense of purpose.
Sera pushed the wide double doors open and marched inside. "Professor, I have some freakin' bad news—"
"Sera," Ozpin looked up from his desk when he heard his doors slam open. "Do come in," he chuckled quietly.
That's when she saw that they weren't alone in the office. Ironwood, Goodwitch, and Qrow were all standing around the professor's desk with urgent expressions.
"Whoa," she slowed her pace. "Who died?"
"No one," Ironwood put his arms behind his back. "Yet."
"James—" Glynda rolled her eyes.
"No!" He faced her. "We're running out of time! Any day, those damn intruders could pull another stunt that puts the people's safety at risk. We need to do this, fast."
"Uh…" Sera raised her hands to hip-level. "What are we talking about?"
"That can wait," Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. From his body language, he was on high alert. "What is it that you needed to tell me?"
She straightened herself and glanced at each of the adults that were looking at her. "Salem visited me again. This time, she had quite a bit to say."
Their eyes widened slightly at her words, but no one spoke. Taking that as a sign to continue, she recounted the conversation she'd had with the mysterious witch. Everyone listened intently, considering each word she spoke. Once she was finished, Ozpin sat his mug on his desk and interlaced his fingers.
"This just confirms that we need to proceed with this!" Ironwood paced anxiously. "The longer we wait, the more chances they have to destroy us."
Qrow just looked at her with worried eyes. She recognized the look. Yang gave it to Ruby all the time. "You okay, kid?"
"Considering everything… the jury's still out," she ran her fingers through her hair. Qrow smirked and slid his hands into his pockets.
"Glynda," Ozpin glanced over to the blond professor. "Tell Miss Nikos to report to my office. It's time we told her."
Sera's eyes widened at his word. "What, the Fall Maiden thing? She has to do that now?"
"If she chooses," Ozpin said. "We cannot force it on her, as we told you before. But something has to be done. Soon."
Goodwitch stepped to the side and pulled out her scroll, typing on its screen.
The amnesiac felt a mixture of fear and anxiety rise in her chest as she pictured her friend stepping into that casket to supposedly take on the powers of the Fall Maiden.
"Remember," she heard herself say, drawing the adults' attention. "If she refuses, I'll do it."
"We know, Miss Calypso," Ozpin said kindly, his eyes softening while he looked at her. "I truly wish we didn't have to do this, to anyone. But things are dire." Then he turned to Ironwood. "James. Have your men on stand-by. Don't mobilize anything. Just make sure they're ready in case something happens."
"Already on it," the general pulled out his scroll and stepped out of the room.
Ozpin sighed heavily and relaxed into his chair. "Pray that his army is enough."
Qrow suddenly tapped Sera on the shoulder, and she glanced over at him. "Hey, old man."
The huntsman smirked. "Enough with the 'old man,' kid. I'm not that old."
"Old enough," she shrugged.
Qrow chuckled and patted her shoulder. "You're doing good, Snowball. Acting like a huntress should."
"Ah, shut it," she shrugged his hand off. "I'm just doing my job."
"I mean it," he ruffled her hair. "You might be a badass one day."
Her lip curled. "What do you mean might be? I already am, you geezer."
"There she is," Qrow laughed and ruffled her hair again. "Don't get yourself down, kid. Everything will be okay."
Sera's shoulders sagged and she half-heartedly fixed her hair. "Thanks, Qrow."
"No problem, Sera," he patted her shoulder again.
Then a sudden noise drew her attention. One of Ozpin's screens lit up to show footage of Amity Arena, and Professors Port and Oobleck were sitting behind their announcer's table.
"And we're back with another pulse-pounding day of excitement! Today will feature the Vytal Tournament's singles round! One-on-one, no holds barred!" Port pounded the table jubilantly.
"Yes, it should be quite exciting! I wonder how our finalists will fare against the other's impressive combat skills!" Oobleck added.
"Let's see who will be facing off in the first round!" Port gestured behind him, then the screen transitioned until it showed a pair of spinning squares with numerous faces on them.
Sera stepped forward curiously. "The tournament is starting already?"
"Indeed," Ozpin straightened his glasses. "Would you like to watch?" He turned his screen around so she could get a better view.
"Sure," she shrugged. "Nothing else to do while we wait for Pyrrha." She said that last part with a bit of venom in her voice.
"Quite," the headmaster agreed, feeling similarly to her distaste of the whole situation.
Then the spinning squares stopped, and she saw two familiar faces on each one. One more familiar than the other.
"Mercury Black of Haven Academy and Yang Xiao Long of Beacon! I wonder how this will turn out! Mercury's impressive Talaria weapon vs Yang's brutal Ember Celica! Who will win this battle of martial arts?" Port announced.
"No freakin' way…" Sera stared at the screen.
"Interesting pairing," Ozpin commented.
She watched Yang and Mercury face off in the arena, their fists raised while a timer counted down from ten. As soon as the timer hit zero, the door to the office opened.
Pyrrha Nikos stepped inside with Ironwood behind her. She looked nervous, and Sera could understand why.
"Sera?" She asked when she saw the white-haired girl.
The amnesiac turned to flash a smile at her friend. "Hey, Pyrr."
"What's going on?" she glanced at everyone in the room.
"Hello, Miss Nikos," Ozpin smiled kindly and gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."
So Pyrrha did, nervously sitting down in front of the wide desk. Sera sat next to her, to give her moral support if anything. She patted her on the thigh gently and nodded encouragingly.
"Tell me," The headmaster took a sip from his mug. "Have you heard the tale of the Four Maidens?"
. . .
"What?" Pyrrha stammered. "You're telling me that this fairy tale is real?"
"Oh, it's real, kid," Qrow said. "And so is the woman that's trying to take over this city."
Pyrrha glanced at Sera with wild eyes, as if to plead her to say it's not true.
"I'm sorry, Pyrr," she shrugged helplessly. "It's all real. Especially the part about Salem. Ever since I got here, she would sometimes visit me in my dreams."
"But…" Pyrrha trailed off.
"And that's not all, I'm afraid," Ozpin said uncomfortably. "One of the four Maidens, Fall, is here in Beacon Tower. She's in dire condition, and I'm afraid she won't last much longer."
"What does that have to do with me?" Pyrrha asked firmly.
"Straight to the point, I like her," Qrow took his flask from his pocket.
Ozpin straightened. "As for how this relates to you, Miss Nikos, is we want you to become the next Fall Maiden."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "What?"
"I know," Sera said. "Hard to believe. But…" She glanced at Ozpin, and he understood immediately.
The headmaster stood and grabbed his cane before walking around his desk. "Perhaps if we showed you."
The redhead looked to Sera for answers. She just nodded and got to her feet, then Pyrrha did the same. They followed Ozpin to the elevator, with Qrow, Goodwitch, and Ironwood following closely behind.
"Try not to worry," Goodwitch said reassuringly. "The rest will be explained once we get there."
"She should be plenty worried," Qrow took a swig from his flask. Goodwitch shot him a glare and he just shrugged in response.
Pyrrha leaned closer to Sera. "What's going to happen?"
The huntress squared her shoulders, but she couldn't meet her friend's eyes. "You'll just have to see. But like Goodwitch said, don't worry too much."
The elevator ride was silent, apart from the music filtering into it. Sera regretted not ripping the speakers out of the wall. Then they stopped, and the doors slid open to reveal the enormous chamber underneath Beacon Tower. Pyrrha eyed the room cautiously, but when the others walked into it, she stepped out of the elevator to follow them.
Goodwitch cleared her throat. "A Maiden's powers are transferred to a new host whenever the previous one dies. Usually, it's to whoever the Maiden had in her thoughts last. But if that person is a male, too old, or otherwise unfit for the power, it seeks out a suitable woman instead. Someone with a good nature and pure heart, fit to wield the powers of a Maiden."
Then Pyrrha saw the pair of rectangular metal objects in the center of the room and her eyes widened. "Is that…?"
"Yeah," Sera said. "That's the Fall Maiden."
They approached the life support system solemnly, and Ozpin's eyes turned sad when he saw Amber's face.
"What happened to her?" Pyrrha murmured.
"She was attacked," Qrow answered. "Someone managed to steal a part of her power and left her in this state. Her body is trying to cope without the other half of that power, and without this machine, she'd die."
Pyrrha turned to face them. "Then why don't you tell anyone about this? Why is the story of the Maiden's known only as a fairytale?"
"They have to be," Ironwood said. "Long ago, the four Maidens were hunted down in an attempt to steal their gifts. Our predecessors elected to keep the Maidens' existence a secret, so that wouldn't happen again."
"Why keep her alive, then? Why not let the power transfer to the next person?"
The professors glanced at each other. "It's complicated," Ironwood answered. "We don't know what will happen if Amber dies. The remainder of her powers might seek out its other half."
"Amber's attacker," Sera finished. "If that happens… The Maidens are supposed to be pure of heart, like Goodwitch said."
"Precisely," Ozpin said, finally speaking up. "We can't have that power fall into the hands of that person, who I believe is working for Salem."
"The evil bitch that keeps haunting my dreams," Sera crossed her arms.
"Language," Goodwitch chided.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"And so," Ozpin stepped forward. "We need someone we can trust to become the next Maiden instead."
Putting the pieces together, Pyrrha turned to look at Amber's face. "What will happen if I do?"
"…We're not sure," Qrow admitted. "It's possible that Amber's soul will intermix with your own, and we don't know if you'll still be the same Pyrrha afterwards."
The redhead put a hand on the glass of Amber's life support, looking at the girl sadly while a tide of emotions flooded her mind.
"You would be taking her aura into your own, and no one knows what will happen if that occurs," Ironwood said.
"You don't have to accept," Sera stood beside her. "I told them that if you didn't—"
"I'll do it," she murmured. Sera's eyes widened at her. Pyrrha turned to face the adults, her face unreadable. The four professors just looked at her in surprise, like they were completely expecting her to decline. "What are you waiting for? Start it up." She said, her voice cracking slightly.
"It's… a bit more complicated than that," Ozpin said. "We would have to prepare, and that takes some time."
"Which we don't have very much of," Ironwood stiffened.
"James," Goodwitch said.
Professor Ozpin walked to Pyrrha and put his hand on her shoulder. "What you're doing is incredibly noble, Miss Nikos. I'll let you have the rest of the festival to decide if you truly want to go through with this. If you change your mind, don't worry. We have another very capable huntress willing to take your place." He gave a small smile to Sera, who was rocking on her heels and fidgeting with the hem of her coat anxiously.
Pyrrha followed his gaze, her eyes widening in realization. "You?"
Sera chuckled nervously. "Yeah. I told them that if you didn't accept, I'd do it instead."
The redhead's shoulders sagged and she brought her hands to her face, trying to process the situation she now found herself in. "This is…"
"I know," Ozpin said gently. "Believe me, I know. Please, return to your team and think about this all. I know Miss Calypso will be there if you need anything."
Sera nodded in agreement. "Come on, Pyrr," she put her arm around the taller girl's shoulders and led her out of the stuffy chamber. As soon as the elevator doors slid closed, the Invincible Girl broke down crying.
The amnesiac wasn't sure what to do. She'd never even considered the possibility of Pyrrha Nikos, the Pyrrha Nikos, crying.
"Hey," she said quietly and hugged her. Pyrrha just held her tightly and buried her face in her neck. With nothing else in mind, she tried to think of what Yang would do. "Shh, it's okay," she whispered. "You don't have to do it, Pyrrha. I can instead."
"No," Pyrrha wiped her eyes. "I'll do it. I don't want you taking on something like that just for my sake." She stepped away, shaking her arms as if it would help her shake away her emotions.
"It's not that, it's just… You're my friend. I'll protect my friends however I can, no matter what."
Pyrrha smirked and wiped away one last tear. "You're a good person, Sera. I'm glad I got to know you."
"Hey, don't talk like that," she chuckled. "You make it sound like you're about to die or something."
She glanced off to the side, remembering that if she went through with this, she may very well not be herself anymore.
"Whoa, hey," she hugged Pyrrha again. "That's not what I meant."
"I know," the redhead chuckled. "It's okay. Look, let's just go to the stadium and watch the tournament, yeah? We still have to decide who's going to fight the final round."
Sera pulled away and grinned. "You got it, boss."
. . .
Batshit freaking crazy stuff happened while they were gone. Sera didn't get to watch the rest of Yang's fight, so she didn't get to see how she managed to shatter her opponent's leg once it was over.
Soldiers had rushed the arena and held Yang at gunpoint while she tried to protest, but it was no use. She was taken in for questioning, and the tournament had been postponed for the day.
Sera and Pyrrha didn't even make it to the airship that would take them to the arena. Instead, they found a very distraught team RWBY and JNPR making their way towards Beacon.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune asked. "Where were you two?"
"Ozpin wanted us for something," Sera said before Pyrrha could say anything. She'd gotten pretty good at lying to her friends, as much as she hated to admit it.
"You didn't see…?" Ruby asked sadly.
"See what?" Sera frowned.
A few minutes later, she and Pyrrha had just gotten finished watching Yang's fight on Ruby's scroll. Once the video was finished, Sera and Pyrrha were left speechless.
"That's… surprising…" Pyrrha commented.
"I know! Why would she do that?" Weiss asked.
"Something doesn't seem right," Sera murmured.
"Why?" Jaune asked.
She looked up and held her chin with two fingers. "I mean… When have you ever seen Yang act like that during a fight with a student? Because I've never seen her do that before. Unless the guy just really pissed her off…"
"He might have," Nora shrugged. "He seemed mouthy."
"Still," Sera rubbed her chin in deep thought. "Where is she?"
"Being held by some of General Ironwood's guys," Ruby tucked her scroll into her pocket. "Why?"
She smirked and marched away from them. "I'll be back."
"Hey! Where are you going?" Weiss demanded.
Sera didn't respond. She ran towards Beacon Tower with her eyes narrowed. Pulling out her scroll, she quickly typed on it until she was calling Ironwood.
"Sera? What's wrong?" the general asked.
"Yang Xiao Long. I want to talk to her."
"…I'm not sure if that's the best decision. She's in custody for what she did to that kid from Haven."
"I don't care! I want to hear her side of the story. Consider it an interrogation tactic for all I care. You know she'll talk to me."
Ironwood was silent for a few seconds. She was getting closer to the tower.
"All right. She's in Beacon Tower, I'll meet you in the lobby."
She grinned. "Yes, sir!"
Sera crashed through the doors and immediately found General Ironwood still putting his scroll into his pocket.
"You don't waste any time," he exhaled.
"Sure don't," she straightened her coat. "Yang. Now."
He chuckled and waved for her to follow him.
In no time at all, Sera was looking at Yang through a one-way mirror. She was sitting at a table with her wrist handcuffed to the chair and a look of confusion and disbelief on her face.
"She's been like this ever since she was taken in," Ironwood said, his eyes never leaving Yang.
"Can't say I blame her," she murmured. "Permission to go in?"
Ironwood nodded. Sera opened the door, and Yang's eyes flew towards her.
"Sera!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The amnesiac sat in the chair across from her, still unable to believe that Yang had been arrested. "To talk to you. I wasn't at the arena, but I wanted to hear your side of the story. General Ironwood let me in, so… what happened?"
The blond looked down at the table and laid one hand over the other. "I don't know what happened. The fight was over, I won. Then Mercury tried to attack me, so I stopped him. The next thing I knew, people were pointing guns at me like I was the one in trouble. When I looked up at the screens, it showed me hitting him when he was down." She looked up to meet Sera's gaze, a burning intensity in her eyes. "That was not what happened. I don't know how, or why, but I've been framed."
Sera searched her eyes for any hint of deception. This was Yang. She knew she'd never do anything like that, but she was starting to have her doubts. Until she heard what her friend had to say. But one, big and jarring question was brought to her mind: Could this have something to do with Salem? If it did, that meant Mercury was one of the bad guys. The only problem there was that he was on his way to Mistral in an airship.
"I believe you," she said.
Yang's face lit up. "You do?!" She laughed almost manically in relief. "I was starting to think I was going crazy."
Sera leaned forward. "How could someone pull this off, though? I mean… everyone saw you hit him. I saw you hit him."
"I have no idea!" She ran her fingers through her golden hair and held her head with both hands. "I swear that footage isn't real. I did not just punch a guy when he was beaten."
She tapped her knuckles on the table and chewed her lip. "I'm gonna see if I can get you out of here. Can't make any promises, but I'll try. I don't think you're guilty."
Yang exhaled sharply. "Thank you, Sera. Really." She relaxed into her chair. "And could you get them to take these handcuffs off? I mean it's kinky, but I could break these if I wanted to."
Sera laughed and got to her feet. "Sure thing. And I'll tell the others what you told me. Don't worry, if Ironwood doesn't let you free, Ruby and I will bust you out instead."
She flashed a grin and gave Sera a fist bump before the amnesiac left the interrogation room.
Ironwood was waiting for her, an amused smile on his face. "You know I wouldn't let you break her out, right?"
"Eh, not like you could stop me," she said, half-confident in her statement.
"Perhaps," he held his wrists behind his back. "Do you really think she's innocent?"
Sera glanced at Yang through the mirror, seeing her tapping her nails impatiently and glaring at the mirror. Unknown to her, there was no one behind that particular spot in the window.
"I do," she nodded. "Yang just isn't capable of something like that. I should know, I've fought her plenty of times."
"Very well," the general nodded.
"Can you let her go, then?" She rocked on her heels.
"Perhaps. But I can't guarantee that she'll still be able to fight in the tournament. If it comes to it, she'll have to choose between being free to go, or being disqualified."
Her shoulders sank slightly. "Okay. Better than being locked up here."
Ironwood nodded. "As you wish." He went to enter the room Yang was in, then halted and turned to look at Sera. "Your loyalty to your friends is admirable, Miss Calypso. But don't let it get you into trouble. If Yang truly was guilty, would you still stand by her like you did?"
Sera lowered her eyes slightly, but before she could respond, the general went into the room and began to uncuff Yang.
"About time!" the blond said and flexed her wrist. She got to her feet and left the room with Ironwood behind her.
"Yang Xiao Long," he said, and Yang turned to face him. "As of right now, you might very well be disqualified from the Vytal Festival Tournament. If it weren't for your friend, you'd still be cuffed to that chair until Ozpin decided what to do with you. Keep that in mind." Then the general turned to Sera, and she had to resist the urge to snap to parade rest under his gaze. "And Sera, think about what I said."
"Yessir," she nodded. The general nodded back, then strolled away with his wrists behind his back.
"Jeez," Yang rested her arm on Sera's shoulder.
"Yeah," the amnesiac said. "Come on. Ruby's probably freaking out."