"What you're saying makes no sense," said Sienna. "What do you mean you don't know where the Superman comes from? I thought you were on the Atlesian council?"

"I don't think he actually has a seat," said Tukson. "I think he's just assisting Ironwood."

"That is correct, my friend," Watts pointed his finger at him. "There are only five people on this entire planet who knows about the true nature of the Superman. The General of the Army, the General of the Air Force, the Fleet Admiral, Willow Schnee, and Pietro Polendina. Nobody else knows where she comes from, and how she is so powerful."

"Then how do you explain these pills then?" Asked Sun, holding it out in his palm.

To which Watts approached slowly, taking it to gulp down his throat in one swift motion. Before he glanced around his ordinary office, seemingly looking for something specific. After a few seconds, he decided on one of the walls to the left where his table was. There caressing the hard concrete – the man clenched his fist and punched the wall as hard as he could to create a hole so deep his entire arm was swallowed deep into the hard stone.

"Holy shit!" Sun, Tukson, and Sienna all collectively gasped at the sight of Watts demolishing the wall like it was made out of tinfoil. The cracks on the wall were undeniable, the strength you could gain from that one pill was insanity.

It would all be interrupted in the end and replaced with a feeling of confusion the moment Watts pulled out his hand to reveal a bloodied knuckle and several broken fingers. The pain was visible on his wincing face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"As you can see, my friends," Watts gritted his teeth. "These pills are impressive in that they grant you an enormous amount of power even without Aura application. With Aura amplification, you would be able to accomplish great feats of strength. But they are but an ant in the face of the Superman's true power. Our science is still imperfect, and we could only make them last for a limited amount of time. There are also other problems as well regarding long-term damage, but I won't bore you with the details. It's why these pills aren't standard issue yet."

"This is insane," said Sun. "Are you saying the gap in power between us and that… 'thing' is that far apart? How is that even possible? Is she even human?"

"We're talking about a being so strong she could casually break the planet in an instant if she so wished," Watts said as he focused his Aura to heal his broken hand. "We have no idea what her limits are, or if she even has a limit. The only reason we can quote-unquote control her at all is because she believes in the Empire's cause."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Sienna asked.

"Nothing, for now," Watts replied. "The key to success is patience when the power balance is this skewed. Our time will come, but in the meantime, we should try to lay low – all of us, including myself. Speak to no one of our alliance, I'll provide you with some communicators for us to keep in touch. You may open them yourselves to verify there are no tracking devices inside."

"I came as quickly as I could, James," said Pietro as he ran through the hall toward the entrance to Weiss's room in this here vast Schnee Mansion.

"Thank you, where is Willow?" Ironwood asked. "I thought she was supposed to rest at home?"

"I can't stop her when she's like that, even when she's sick. She told me she's just off to her office to get something from Gardenia, though. So at least she's not exerting herself too much."

Ironwood nodded his head before proceeding to knock on the door.

"Weiss, honey," Pietro called, almost shouting. "Are you in there? Come on out, honey. Let's talk."

"She's in there alright," said Ironwood after a brief pause. "I can sense her Aura inside."

"I know, but something's wrong. She's never gone silent on me before."

"Alright, step back," said Ironwood. Before winding up for a strong kick, forcing his way through into her massive bedroom carved from the most beautiful glass and diamond money could buy.

The room inside was made out of some very high-quality shiny reflective floor tiles and walls, built in a way that looked almost as if they were sculpted out of everlasting ice. Holding up a tall ceiling with a long line of bookshelves placed along the left side of the room. What was peculiar, however, were the numerous amount of books being scattered all over the floor, tossed down in a surprisingly carefree manner for someone who was usually so insistent on being a perfectionist. All over the ground, on the armchairs and on the glass coffee table as well.

There floating by the large window frame, shining under the moonlight, Weiss looked on. In her right hand was a vial of a peculiar green substance that glistened like emerald, with a strong pungent odor that could be smelled from all the way out on the front door. Pietro's own scientific knowledge allowed him to identify immediately what that substance was, and his mind immediately kicked into panic mode.

"I've failed," Weiss said coldly. "I know… no poison on this planet can kill me. But I thought – at the very least it could've taken my powers away. Still nothing."

"Are you insane?" Pietro barged into the room, yanked the vial out of her hand before tossing it straight onto the floor, shattering the glass. He muscled all the energy his old bones possessed to drag Weiss's hands down to where he was, he wasn't strong enough, but Weiss gave in, and descended from on high, feet touching the floor to listen to him scolding her. "Don't you dare go around with these dangerous substances ever again, young lady! What on earth were you thinking?"

"But I failed, Pa," she could not bear to even look him in the eyes. "I failed the people, I failed the Empire. And I failed myself. I don't deserve this power."

"I wouldn't be so quick to say such a thing," Ironwood chimed in, clearing his throat. "It was a tragedy what happened, but you should know that there were no casualties during your confrontation with King Oz."

"With all due respect, General," said Weiss. "I know there were no casualties. But people still got hurt, so I must bear the responsibility. It was my fault those people got hurt. I could've saved them all, but I didn't."

"Oh honey, we all have limits, nobody could've saved them all," said Pietro as he held her hand closer.

"But I can," Weiss shook her head, "I have that power. I should've been able to save them, all of them! What kind of an envoy am I if I can't keep the people safe?"

"General Schnee," Ironwood stepped forth, placing his hand on her shoulder. "There is someone here I would like you to meet."

And there from the entrance to her room entered a surprisingly tall strong man in a sharp white military service uniform with a black undershirt. On his uniform was a single gold medallion pinned on the left side of his chest. And there on his head, he wore a simple military beret with the Atlas emblem on top over his short cleanly combed hair.

This man was tall, most likely even taller than even General Ironwood himself. And on his face was a single white eyepatch covering over his left eye – such a strong clean-shaven face with such a powerful jawline. And yet, that one single imperfection over his eye would go on to taint that fierce expression, turning into something much more focused, and perhaps even furious.

The man's powerful fighting Aura could be felt even back all the way at the end of the hallway when he first arrived. But now that he was physically here inside the room, Pietro would quickly find it almost suffocating to even be in the same presence as this man, one whose black boots carried his long stride, and whose black gloves tightened as he extended his hand over to shake Ironwood's.

"Everyone, this is Fleet Admiral Maru," Ironwood patted his strong shoulder.

"I came immediately after I heard your call, James," said Maru. "And this young lady is the Superman, I'm assuming."

Weiss quickly stood up, extending her hand for the man to shake.

"It's an honor," she said. "I've read all about your work and accomplishments, sir."

"The honor is all mine."

"Sir, I would like to commence with any disciplinary action the Empire may have on my performance," she said as she saluted the man.

"That will not be necessary," Maru was quick to respond. "You are a good soldier, General Schnee. But not even your immense strength is enough to overcome Ozymandias' trickery and magical abilities. I should know, after a lifetime combating him and his forces."

"But sir, I…"

"Please, let me finish," Maru raised his hand. "I have no doubt that in a contest of strength, there is no living creature on this planet capable of besting you. If given the opportunity, you can kill Ozymandias without so much as breaking a sweat. But what you need to understand is what we are up against. This war between us and that Prophet King is not such a simple endeavor, because this man, even as a refugee, still holds influence over an entire nation and its peoples. His own physical power is nothing to scoff at, as well. The power to singlehandedly combat an entire army should not be underestimated. But the kind of influence he possesses isn't something we can just brute force, especially if it has ramifications over the economy or the social structure as a whole."

"The Fleet Admiral is right," said Ironwood. "You should not blame yourself for what happened. This is simply the nature of war, and more importantly the nature of King Oz. He is not something we can so easily control. People are going to get hurt, so all we can do is minimize that."

"I understand you may blame yourself for being distracted," Maru put his hand on Weiss's shoulder. "I too was in your shoes once upon a time. It's often easy to get caught in the moment, distracted by the puzzle that is the Prophet King when there are civilians nearby. I know the feeling better than anyone. Both of these objectives are important, solving the mystery of his power and saving people. So it is often a no-win situation."

"So all we can do is try our best," said Ironwood. "To keep the spirit of Atlas alive in these dark times."

"It is quite frankly a miracle nobody died during the struggle," Maru turned to Ironwood briefly, before turning back to Weiss. "So chin up, soldier. You are the Atlesian Envoy, if your spirit is strong, then that strengthens the spirit of our entire nation as well."

"Listen to your commanders, honey," Pietro hugged her tight. "You can't do everything alone. So please, let us help you. You have friends, don't you? It is moments like these where friends and family can prove invaluable. Don't push us away, okay?"

"I…" Weiss sighed for a good long minute, before burying her head into Pietro's embrace, "okay, Pa. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"I'll never stop worrying, my little snow angel. But in the future, if you have anything troubling you, you can always come to me, you hear me? Always. I'll be here for you, and that's a promise."

"I will, Pa. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The Sacred Valley Hospital used to be more of a ritual ground where the sick would come to bask in the glory and magical power of their God King Ozymandias. The concept of modern medicine and technology was scarcely understood, as it was by intention, for the God King did not want the people of the Valley to rely on anything but the power of their King. Now that the Empire had marched south to take these lands, their machinery and inventions were able to spread far and wide, turning this shamanistic ritual ground into a proper hospital for the people of Vale.

And the speed that the doctors were able to work on the dozens of injured people was nothing short of a miracle. Hauled inside one by one, and in a single afternoon, they had been able to patch everybody up to a good condition where nothing else was required of them except for a few more bandages and a good night's rest.

Saphron too had now been on the receiving end of Atlesian science now that the doctors had patched her up, good as new. Though in retrospect, she only really suffered minor scrapes here and there, and even though she had not been able to renew her insurance contract, the bill that came out for her injuries as it turned out will not be very severe at all.

But insurance and money were the last things on her mind at this moment, because all she could think about was her brother Jaune as she stared through the window into the room where he was lying, still slipping in and out of consciousness at this point. Jaune was one of those who received a much more severe injury relative to a lot of others. And although the doctors were able to work their magic to keep him alive, Saphron was still worried about potential long-term damage. Especially if they were severe enough to prevent him from being a Huntsman.

"I'm sorry Saphron," Weiss's voice sounded off from behind, almost startling the woman. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Saphron looked into Weiss's cold yet sincere eyes without a smile for a very brief moment, before beaming back to her usual happy demeanor.

"It could've been a lot worse if you weren't there. We would've all been dead."

"But Ozymandias wouldn't have attacked if I weren't there."

"We can hypothesize about a lot of what-ifs, but the past is the past. So it's best to just try to move on."

"Yeah…"

"So – who is that woman over there exactly?" Saphron pointed to the mysterious black-haired woman with the cat ears. "I saw you carry her alongside that red-haired young man."

Weiss sighed:

"That's what we're trying to figure out. She's going to be transferred to a secure government facility for some questioning once she recovers. But whatever she is, whoever she is, she must have some relation to Adam Belladonna."

"Belladonna, that name rings a bell," Saphron tapped her chin. "Well, I hope you figure it out soon. I have to get back to my room to rest. The nurses will rag on me if I'm gone too long. Take care of yourself, 'kay?"

"Wait," Weiss turned around, pausing for a brief moment as they made eye contact. "Am I… hurting you and your brother by simply being near you?"

Saphron's facial expression suddenly turned serious, possibly for the first time in her life, or perhaps it was more accurate to say she had never reached this level of gravity before this point in time. She took one deep breath, before exhaling:

"I can't say for sure if your presence here with us is a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes I do wonder if your immense strength… well, what's the word? Oh, 'invites' challengers, that's it. Maybe it all happened for a reason, like some sort of invisible string pushing people together. Some people call that Destiny, but I believe Destiny lies in the power of the Seasons. And I can only pray to Winter that everything will turn out fine in the end. What happened was tragic, but you have done more good to this world than most people can in their entire life. I hope you never forget that."

Weiss stared at her coldly, but clearly still taking those words to heart. Saphron continued:

"My brother is hurt physically speaking, yes, but I'll tell you right now – I have never seen him as happy as he was these past couple of days. I just… I just want to see him smile. So please, if you're going to stay with us – with him, I beg you only for one thing."

"What is it?"

"To keep him safe." Saphron grinned, trying to wipe a few droplets of tears from her eyes. "I'll see you around, Ice Queen."

Weiss had never had a problem confronting giant monsters who could crush mountains, or pirates who could split the oceans. But for whatever reason, talking to those who possessed no extraordinary ability themselves gave her a feeling she would rarely get to feel. Her muscles would relax from the tension and her lungs would exhale at a more infrequent pace.

She had always been scared of this feeling, truth be told. Because she had always been afraid of her own powers when floating around these normal people. Any wrong move would mean breaking them into pieces as easily as one would break a twig.

And yet, the way Saphron talked to her. Her kind gentle nature, and her calm desperation, to have such a simple honest soul have so much faith was something Weiss had never seen before. Because this wasn't faith in an empire or faith in weaponry made of steel. Instead this was faith in a much higher place, coming from a much more noble source. Whether this source was divine mattered very little, because this was the heart of humanity, the good part of humanity.

Weiss would proceed to float inside the room, flying past several other patients before approaching where Jaune was lying. There the two nurses were almost startled by Weiss' imposing shadow.

"Miss Schnee."

"Give us a moment, please," Weiss nodded. "Thank you."

The nurses picked up their notes, thus leaving the two alone.

"Hey Jaune, how are you holding up?"

Jaune sat up from his bed, with his one broken right leg dangling up high, while his injured left arm struggled to find the button to adjust his reclining bed. His forehead had also suffered some damage as well, requiring a few layers of bandages to wrap around his dome. Yet, in the middle of this struggle for recovery, the young man still forced a smile underneath the plasters taped onto his cheeks and chin. Weiss could clearly see that it bothered him, but he still tried on regardless.

"Could be better, I suppose, ha-ha, ow."

"Yes, clearly," Weiss grinned.

"Is my sister okay?"

"She only has a few scrapes here and there," said Weiss as she sat down onto a chair nearby, leaning over closer to him. "She was much more concerned about you to be perfectly frank. But she's fine."

"That's… good," Jaune sighed, rubbing his forehead with his good arm. Which caught Weiss's attention.

"Something the matter?" She asked.

"No, no, it's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing" he repeated, glancing about. "I just… it's nothing."

"You know I can see your heartbeat right? You're a terrible liar," she grinned.

He smiled in kind, before it disappeared from his expression, frowning into something more somber.

"Can I tell you something, Weiss? Do you know what student quality grade I got when I applied to Beacon five years ago? A 'D' grade… just a measly D. It wasn't even average, middle of the bell curve. I wanted to bury my head in the sand when that happened."

"How did you get accepted then?"

"My mom and dad had to convince the school's faculty to bump up my score to get me in. It was just barely enough, and – the rest is history, I guess," he began to tear up. "Mom and dad were never extraordinary, nobody in our family was. But they put so much trust in me, I just… I just don't want to let them down. The years went on, and my grades didn't get much better, nor did my abilities, then there was that whole period with the Beacon restructuring where they gave every student a little bit of a break. Didn't really help, to be honest. I feel like I keep… stagnating. But mom and dad never lost faith, they kept on praying for me. And still… I'm still just – useless. Completely, utterly useless. I couldn't even protect myself, and my sister got hurt, too. If I can't even keep myself safe, what good will I be?"

Weiss sat there silent, listening intently. Jaune continued:

"Anyway, it's nothing you should concern yourself over. It's my problem, and I'll handle it by myself. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to just move back home. Maybe… I'm just not cut out for this line of work. Maybe I'm just not meant to be good enough."

"I don't know if I would say that."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Weiss.

"I have super-enhanced vision," she pointed towards her eyes. "It is so strong that it actually lets me see other people's Aura as well."

"Whoa."

"It takes some concentration, and some Aura are much harder to see than others. But I can see your Aura, Jaune. I'm not saying you have what it takes to be the best of the best. But there is – something there."

Jaune kept on staring at her, even more confused. She continued:

"Your Aura reserve is much larger than that of a typical student. And that is not normal. It is still not as vast if we compare it to a veteran Huntsman, and the tension in your muscles would lead me to believe that you don't have the stamina of a high-level professional either. You expend too much of your energy, not using it efficiently."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Jaune admitted.

"But these are things that can be fixed, or trained. If you're willing to learn."

"What are you saying?"

"A good friend of mine once told me that I never lacked the strength or ability, but instead what I lacked was the direction, and that I needed to focus," Weiss smiled, thinking back. "And I think it's only now starting to make sense."

"Sounds like you have a good friend."

"You have the potential, too. Lots of people do. But if they have a guiding hand alongside that, imagine what you'll be able to do with all that hidden power."

"I'm still not exactly sure what you're trying to tell me."

"What I'm saying is I can guide you to unlocking your inner strength. With my eyes and my own expertise, I can teach you the ways of Aura. It won't be easy, but if you are willing, it can be done."

"Wow…" Jaune paused, pondering for a second. "I don't know what to say. That's very generous of you. Are… are you sure about this? I don't want to be a bother or anything."

"It's what your sister wanted," Weiss shrugged. "She and I talked on our way here. She wanted me to protect you, to keep you safe."

Jaune slapped his forehead at the mention of his sister.

"Oh, Saphron you crafty little fox."

"Don't worry," Weiss stood up, towering over him as she patted his shoulder. "This is my choice. It's nice to see your sister caring so much about you. But you're not going to be a bother, this is what I want. I want to help."

"And you're absolutely, one hundred percent sure about this? I know how busy you are, going around, trying to save people, and you probably have a lot of paperwork, too. Since, you know, being so high up the military."

"Well, what kind of an envoy would I be if I couldn't even keep my boyfriend safe?"

Jaune sat there on his bed, not moving as his mind began slowly cycling through what he had just heard. He glanced up at her with his blank expression, before looking back down and around to see where he was, almost as if he was scanning to see if this was actually a dream. He stared on and on into nothingness for a good long minute, still cycling, only to then have his eyes almost pop out of his skull when he sat up, yanking his injured leg from the strap suspending it from the ceiling just as he shouted out loud:

"WHAT? OW! MY LEG!"