In a farmland far, far away…

Red pulled the rake over into the shed, tossing it inside where the other tools resided. Only to then suddenly hear the sound of the wind exploding behind her just as she was closing the door. Smiling beneath her red hair, she instantly recognized who this was.

"You're back," she turned around.

But Weiss did not respond. She only hovered there, her feet a few inches above the ground, crossing her arms as she looked down.

"Crazy week I assume," Red smiled.

"You could say that."

"You didn't even hesitate, oh great Grand Chancellor."

"Acting Chancellor," Weiss corrected. "Our country is in danger, we would've been a headless snake of a state if I didn't step up."

"Funny way to describe your Empire," Red winked. To which Weiss clenched her fist, only now realizing what she just said.

"I will do what needs to be done," Weiss affirmed, turning to the sun. "I will not let anyone stop me. Not Ozymandias – not even you."

"You're right, I won't stop you. I'm not even sure I can. My time has passed. But you'll do well to remember what my legacy is. Because you are a part of it, whether you like it or not. The Sand has changed, so those who carry the title will no longer suffer as we once did. You do what you think is right, but be warned – it has to be right."

Weiss turned back to Red once more, now a little more somber as she tried to scan Red's features looking for something familiar. Weiss would then proceed to ask:

"Is – Rubio a part of this legacy? Whatever it is?"

Red paused for a long minute, before picking back up the sickle in her shed as she answered:

"There are traces of that legacy in all things, all things good anyway. How much of it will vary case by case. What I do know is that the legacy in you is purer than most. You'd be wise to keep it that way."

Spending the last of his teaching hours cleaning up and sweeping the floor of the training gym was a tranquil feeling that Qrow thoroughly enjoyed now that he had a second chance at life. He thought back to the moments in his past, for it was a story drenched in the blood of war. All his life, honing and perfecting his combat prowess. To now have moments where he could relax in the mundane chores of ordinary life was a blessing he planned on savoring to the very last second.

The moment of peace would, unfortunately, be interrupted by an approaching figure emerging from the entrance of the gym. Just my luck, he thought to himself. But it was rather fitting given his Semblance.

"Qrow…" the blonde walked forth. "Uncle Qrow, Sir."

That simple phrase instantly caught his attention, forcing him to turn his head and drop the broom he was holding. There standing before him was none other than his niece Yang Xiao Long.

Qrow had not seen his niece in years, not since the Empire marched south to take the Valley. He remembered that day with some difficulty, but what stuck out in his mind was Yang storming out, leaving the family to journey out and find his bastard of a sister the Pirate God Raven Branwen. That decision alone had forever tarnished his feelings toward Yang, something he himself was unsure if he had recovered even to this day.

Because leaving him, her mother and father was one thing. That, he could theoretically forgive. But to leave Rubio as well, to say the hurtful things she said that day while the country fell – that was something that bothered his Dreams every night since. Qrow had once wished to have a second chance with his sister, because he pitied Raven. But for Yang, who was young and stronger, even if he had his second chance he would not be entirely sure of what to do with it. With Raven, he knew exactly what he wanted to say. The same was not necessarily true with his niece.

"We need to talk," Yang crossed her arms.

To that, Qrow simply stared on, not saying a word. Annoyed, Yang continued:

"When did you tell her? Rubio."

Qrow spun his head around, shaking it.

"I didn't need to tell him anything. He was bound to figure it out eventually. We have plenty of scientists and theologians theorizing the link between King Oz's own future visions with those old myths. Because all future visions are emanations of Summer."

"And when exactly were you planning on telling me, Sir?"

"Don't call me that."

"You knew all this time, didn't you? That Rubio's mother is the Summer Maiden, and that she is still alive!"

"And how exactly do you expect me to contact you after you left the family like that? By pigeons? You tell me!"

Yang clenched her fists at the remark. Which Qrow noticed right away, but still chose to ignore. Qrow continued:

"I had a hunch. Only a gut feeling. It wasn't anything concrete. Summer isn't exactly the most… open person. It's possible she may have told your father about it, but we can't really know for sure. May his soul rest in peace."

"Where is Rubio now?"

Qrow shook his head:

"Where else? He's gone after Summer. To Mount Nephilim, wherever that is."

"And you didn't even think to stop her," she crossed her arms.

"Stop him how? Do you have any idea how fast he is?"

Qrow pulled out his scroll from his pocket, which he showed to Yang the recent news broadcast that was streamed approximately one hour ago. The news reported strange natural disasters and occurrences all over the planet as the constant sound of sonic booms exploded in the air, igniting the sky into a bizarre reddish hue that nobody could really figure out an explanation for.

"The news people may not have recognized him," said Qrow, "but that is Ruby. No mistake about it. I've always known he was fast. But he told me his Semblance has gotten stronger. This… this is something else."

"What exactly was she doing flying across the planet? Shouldn't she have found the mountain by now if she's so fast?"

Qrow shook his head:

"The mountain is not on Remnant. He told me it may be in a parallel dimension, and that it will take months, maybe even years before he finds the foot of the mountain. No… he wasn't looking for anything when he was zipping around like that. He was racing."

"What? Against who?"

Qrow pulled up his scroll again, zooming into one of the photographs taken on the news. There up in the sky behind what looked like a red blur was another that followed shortly after – one colored white.

"Who is the only other person on Remnant who could move at that speed?" Said Qrow.

Glancing down at the white blur on the screen, Yang would quickly turn away clenching her fists. Hiding the veins rising on her face away from her uncle. But Qrow's eyes were sharp, so spotting such a tiny detail was not a big deal for him.

"You're getting pretty chummy with Atlas lately," she said. "Especially with – her."

Qrow stayed silent. Yang continued:

"I saw you, when I was tracking down Raven. You were on the field with that flying – thing, working with them. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You were chummy with your old pal Ironwood, too. Why are you even here? Serving them of all people. What did they offer you? Money? Fame? Is that all it takes for you to betray your blood, your country, your family?"

"Don't talk to me like you know anything about family, not after following in Raven's footsteps. You…" Qrow snapped, pointing his finger, before he restrained himself from doing or saying something he'll regret. Scratching the back of his head, he would sigh as he looked down in somber sadness:

"How did we get here? Where did it all go wrong? Yang… please, come back home. You can't fight a Superman. I know you're trying to uphold my sister's name by taking revenge. But Raven is not your mother. She may have given birth to you, but she just… isn't. Stop trying to win her back. I know you're angry, but you need to let her go – and come home."

Yang only responded by turning her back, walking away to the exit. But not before she left him these final words:

"Look around you, Sir. I don't have a home to come back to. We don't have a home to come back to. You're the one who needs to face the truth. Rubio – Ruby… would be better off without me. She has to live, and I don't want her to carry my baggage. I will do what needs to be done, and I will not let anyone stop me – not even you. Goodbye, Qrow."

"Good work today, Belladonna," Professor Yallo told Ilia. "Remember to lock the doors when you finish."

"Yes, ma'am. I won't be long. Just gotta finish these papers."

"Good girl. Sleep well on the weekend. We'll take your first case next week."

The blonde professor tied her long coat around her waist as she walked over to the elevator, leaving Ilia behind in the quiet empty police department's office floor.

Only a mere few years ago this department was a part of Beacon Academy itself, being a place to host labs, records, and other infrastructures for students and teachers. With the recent years of the underground rebellion still persisting within the borders of the Valley, the Empire instead decided to transform the entire place into a police department and training facility. Essentially an academy with the sole goal of training young prospects into becoming a part of the police force or private investigators to aid in domestic purposes.

After the train incident in the Forever Falls – Ilia, too, would become one of these youngsters in training. And she was damn good at her job. Which wasn't exactly surprising considering her previous experiences and training. Here in this office, she would be taught more about the system and the paperwork that came with it rather than the physical labor she was used to in her previous life.

There was a certain tranquil feeling to it that calmed her nerves. She was still very much distrusting of most of her colleagues despite their candid exchanges.

Part of the reason was that she was a Faunus, and a former member of a rebellious organization. Some would even label them as terrorists. Not directly to her face, of course. But she overheard them nonetheless.

But the other reason for her caution had to do with something else entirely. An inevitability that lived rent-free inside her head, haunting her Dreams like that of a taunting trickster. She heard the news the other day, of course, so she knew well.

It was only a matter of time before he showed up before her.

She expected to see him walk out of the elevator in the front, right the way Professor Yallo left. She kept waiting, and waiting. But the waiting finally turned into a sinking feeling of desperation the moment she heard the clicking of his heavy boots approaching behind startling her.

She should've known. The White Fang were men and women of the shadows, entering through the front door would not have been their style.

"Hello… Ilia," Adam whispered from the darkness behind.

The girl turned around ever so slowly as she prepared her expression to face the man she called brother. The only problem was she wasn't exactly sure what kind of feeling she should bring forth now that they were face to face.

What made things even more confusing was that Adam didn't even seem to be angry at all. He only stood there in silence, waiting for Ilia to respond.

After an eternity of silence of neither budging, Ilia would slowly but surely step forth to say at last:

"I saw the news. I knew we'd run into each other eventually. I…"

"How are you these days? Are you eating well?"

"What?"

"You're studying I assume," Adam looked over to her desk. "I never would've guessed. Police academy, huh?"

"Um… private eye."

"Hmm," he nodded his head.

"Listen… Adam – about what happened. I want you to know… no, I need you to know – these are the feelings I've had in me for a long time. What happened didn't just come out of the blue. I thought about it, and I planned it. You were never supposed to get hurt, you were just supposed to get a light sentence and then sent back to mom and dad. But you just… you just… all those people on that train…"

"Ilia, stop," Adam raised his hand. "Please – just stop."

Ilia clenched her fists, shaking as a mixture of different confused emotions took over her body. Adam proceeded to shake his head:

"I am not mad. This is what you need to understand."

Ilia stared on in shock. Adam continued:

"Don't waste your breath trying to explain. Your actions spoke louder than any word ever could. What happened is in the past, there is no undo button. What you did was your decision, it is what it is. There is only one thing I want to ask you."

"And that is?"

From his mouth uttered a single word:

"Why?"

Thinking back to all the things that had happened, and in Ilia's mind, it felt as if it was a lifetime ago that the train running alongside the Forever Falls that day was cut in half like a fish. The world around them was moving forward so fast, especially with speed demons roaming the sky. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't at all that long ago when Ilia stood by watching her brother get escorted away by Atlesian authorities. But she stayed awake under every moon since then, contemplating in every dark moment of the night.

And after all that time – she would definitively decide on her answer to that question:

"I want to live on the surface, Adam. Not beneath the ground – I want to live. How long would we have to go on living in fear if we had continued with your rebellion? Face the fact, Adam. We-cannot-fight-a-Superman. And let's just for one second pretend that we live in a magical pixie land where we actually can. What happens after we win? Atlas leaves the Valley then the God King goes back on his throne, crushing us under his boots and treating us like slaves. We would replace one Superman with another, nothing would change. Is that what you want, brother? To be forever at war?"

"Ilia…"

"I'm tired! Don't you get it? I stuck around for as long as I did because you are my brother. It was never for the revolution, or for your ideals. It was for you!"

"It saddens me that you do not understand the vision we fought for, the vision our White Fang brothers and sisters fought for. Sun, Sienna, Tukson…"

"Don't you put that on me as if I turned my back on them! How dare you? They were my friends as well, Adam. Not just tools for you to use in your plan. Their lives and youth meant something, now wasted!"

"I suppose it's my fault. I've never really clearly explained these things."

"What is there to explain?"

"Too much," Adam shook his head. "Do you remember Eden?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Nobody remembers Eden. It's been thousands of years."

"I remember Eden," his expression suddenly turned serious, gloomier than before.

To which Ilia could only ask out of confusion:

"You mean you saw it in a dream or something?"

"No," he insisted. "I remember Eden – from thousands of years ago."

"WHAT? That doesn't make any sense. How do you even know that's a memory?"

Adam pulled back the sleeve on his forearm to show Ilia the veins under his skin. They raged on beneath so furiously.

"My blood boils when I remember Eden," he explained. "And I'm not speaking metaphorically. These here will literally boil. This has never happened before when I sleep and Dream of a better tomorrow. What I saw wasn't Dream. What I saw was Destiny. The Valeans believe their bloodlines are sacred and magical. But who's to say that doesn't apply to other races as well? The only exception to that rule so far are the Atlesians. Maybe they lost that Old World connection long ago, giving up the Lost Virtues, I'm not entirely sure myself."

"What are you saying?"

"My point is that Valeans, Mistralians, humans, Faunus, even Atlesians, it doesn't matter. Every mortal on this planet was once an Edenite. Slowly, little by little the humans began to drift away from Old World's Lost Virtues. But not us Faunus – we stayed on our path. The path passed down by our forefathers to the sacred soil below. So I plan to take back our ancestral lands. The God King is obsessed with the future. Scientists are obsessed with the future. Theologians, philosophers, ordinary men – they ALL want to know tomorrow. But we are Edenites – we have already achieved perfection. So the real answer lies in the past, not the future. We Faunus are closer to Eden than any modern human could hope to achieve. And we have to embrace our superiority."

"The Superman isn't a Faunus," she countered. "She is human."

"We don't know what that thing is. And there is a real chance she could actually be part Edenite."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ilia furiously opened her cabinet, pulling out a file buried in the back to slam it on her table. "I'll have you know I didn't become a detective just for the fun of it. It's what I'm good at and what I want to be, sure. But the more we know about the Superman the better."

"Your point?"

"There are no files on the Superman herself, but there are some info on her parents – Willow Schnee and Pietro Polendina. You know what they had filled out in the species section?"

Adam leaned over, taking the pieces of paper out of the folder to see two half-filled pages with missing information all over the place. Only to catch the one detail Ilia told him about, right under their names, date of birth, and nationality was that single word – human.

"Where did you get this?" Adam asked.

"Office of records, locked behind a safe inside a vault at the bottom of the ocean with the keys thrown away."

"Really?"

"No, but security really was tight. It's clear they didn't want anybody to see these files. There's probably a completed version somewhere out there. But do you understand now? Your obsession with this idea of revolution and myth is going nowhere. It's just going to get you killed."

"This doesn't prove anything. Atlesian science cannot be underestimated. That kind of power is what allows them to compete with the magick of the Valley. We know who her parents are, but we still do not know what the Superman is. Tell me, what happens if tomorrow we find out Atlesian scientists have been growing a person out of a bottle, inside a lab? The power she exerts… there's nothing like it in existence. But even so, being a Faunus is more than just possessing animalistic features, and that goes doubly true for the people of Eden."

Ilia would stare, still obviously confused. To which Adam would take a decisive step forward as he reached out his hand, placing it on Ilia's shoulder. He hunched over, shaking his head in somber sadness.

"We can go back and forth all day, I doubt you'll change your mind. But I meant what I said," he told her, "I am not mad. I'm just… sad that you won't be by my side. Tell mom and dad that I'll be okay. Look after them for me, yeah? And remember to eat well, don't stay up too late burying yourself in your work."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Adam looked up at her, smiling:

"Because I doubt our paths will cross from this point on. Or rather, our interests… our convictions. If this is the path you want then I want you to live. You are and will always be my sister. It's just a shame – that you don't share my blood. Maybe you would've understood."

"Your second lesson for today, Jaune," Weiss floated from above, tossing her rapier down to the ground. And the moment it made contact – the ground beneath Jaune's feet shook in a way that had him fearing for his life.

Upon closer inspection, he could now see a black glyph spinning at the point of impact. From this sight, he deduced that Weiss was holding back the true weight of this monstrous blade with her Semblance. Which was simply mindboggling for Jaune, now having him wonder how much that thing actually weighed.

Weiss would then explain:

"This is my Myrtenaster. I want you to lift this out of the stone."

Jaune stood there on the ground, staring up at Weiss as his brain slowly picked itself up trying to understand if he had heard right the words that came out of her mouth. The woman floated there crossing her arms with an intense expression on her face, with her eyes hardening into a powerful scowl, not blinking even once.

"I… I don't understand."

"Things have changed now that we are at war," said Weiss. "Ozymandias must be stopped, and he cannot be underestimated. We will need every able-bodied man and woman available to oppose his forces, and that includes you. So I'm speeding up your training."

"But… this is a bit much, don't you think? I felt the ground cracking the moment it landed. How much does it even weigh?"

"Three hundred trillion pounds."

"WHAT?" Jaune's eyes almost popped out of his head. "That's as much as an entire mountain. How on earth did you manage to even make this sword? By Winter, it must be so dense."

"That is not relevant to the current task at hand. You asked me to train you in the ways of Aura, and this will be what is required of you."

"Yeah… but can anyone in this world even lift this sword beside you?"

"No."

"Then this is an impossible task?"

"Yes."

"Then how am I supposed to do this if it's impossible?"

"I've already told you about the spiritual side of Aura. Utilizing your body, mind, and soul to their fullest potential is part of Aura mastery. To ponder the impossible questions and attempt things that cannot be done, things that don't exist. That is what it takes to be a master."

Jaune could only stand there scratching his head as he stared down the shiny silver blade to which he saw his own reflection looking back at him. Weiss continued:

"This is war. We will do what we must to win. You are a student of Beacon Academy, and Beacon is a part of Atlas. I expect you to do the right thing and give it your all in upholding the standard that is right and good."

From the edge of the Eastern shores far beyond, Weiss would be able to pick up the sound of chatter. Voices talking about things that seemed too strange to be true. And yet, in the middle of this crowd of people would be the voice of Atlesian soldiers – and in the middle of it all was Ghost Vester and his team GOLD.

"What on earth? I have to go," said Weiss, "we'll pick this back up at a later date."

And just like that, she darted straight into the sky at the speed of light. It only took a few seconds before she arrived at the peculiar scene of a growing crowd gathering around at the entrance of this naval base at the edge of the continent. The one thing that caught her attention, however, was not the hordes of Valeans and Atlesians, but instead far in the distant water, she could spot an entire armada of ships coming in from afar. There on every single one of their vessels flew the flags of the East.

The flag of the Kingdom of Mistral.

At the heart of the naval base, soldiers and marines alike began rallying. Gathering all the arms they could muster as they prepared their war machines. Hoisting up the Atlesian flags as they configured the giant cannons all placed around the base, ready to fire at the approaching fleet the moment they detected anything that seemed off far in the distance.

They were, of course, still cautious the moment they spotted far above the sky the approaching Mistralian airships, all armed with the most powerful cannons the East could produce. This prompted several lieutenants and officers on the ground level to order the inner Atlesian bases to also prepare their own airships in kind, as Weiss heard with her super hearing flying by and descending to where the soldiers were assembling.

"Report, soldier," Weiss ordered, approaching one of the soldiers.

"Superman, I mean, Chancellor, ma'am," he saluted, "approaching Mistralian royal fleet. They sent a message in advance to our CCT tower alerting us of their arrival."

"When was this message sent?"

"Just ten minutes ago."

"What kind of lunacy is this? How did none of our naval defensive systems pick up on their arrival before that message? Could it be more magick? Who's in charge here?"

"That would be me, Chancellor."

Turning around, Weiss would come face to face with none other than Ghost Vester himself, wearing proper military attire instead of his usual student uniform. Black shirt with a white coat and red tie, and a service cap on top. The exact getup a high-ranking officer of the force would wear. The only thing missing now would be some medals to go along with it all. With those, it may have been easy to mistake him for a Fleet Admiral himself.

Maru was never the kind to carry around many medals on his coat, however. Being a direct disciple of him, Weiss expected Ghost to be the same way.

"Salutation."

"Rear Admiral Vester, reporting for duty," he said as he saluted Weiss.

"You got promoted? Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Council's orders, ma'am," Ghost replied.

"Of course, Sleet. He must have done this."

"They thought you didn't need to be briefed, since, you know, having super hearing is definitely a boon. They also didn't like you going behind their backs to pull a stunt like that at the press conference. So this is how they are retaliating. The rest of my team GOLD has also been promoted."

"Well, I can't say it's undeserved. You and your team are the best of the best, there is no denying that. I hope we can work well together," Weiss extended her hand for him to shake.

"Likewise," he quickly returned the gesture, firmly taking in her grip.

"Tell me, Ghost, why is the royal fleet approaching?"

"I have a couple of hypotheses. But an armada of this size can only really mean one thing – the Queen of Mistral is coming."

Glancing far into the distance, Weiss would use her super vision to stare through the metal of the mightiest ship Mistral had to offer. Deep inside behind locked doors and on a throne of diamond and sapphire sat a woman glowing with a holy fiery Aura. This was the law of the East – those who possessed the divinity of the Fall Maiden were said to be Destined to rule. Because those who carried with them the title of Maiden were in fact the mortal vessel for the primordial Seasons themselves.

This woman and her arrogant pose, the way she sat far above her minions below her was a trademark of none other than the infamous Cinder Falls. Her claim to the throne had been questionable, as was her status as the Fall Maiden. Even now as Weiss was scanning her Aura it was difficult to truly tell. This woman was powerful, more powerful than most. But was this power truly a result of something divine or was this woman just a charlatan?

The way Cinder's prideful eyes would look onward gave Weiss some pause, as it almost looked as if Cinder herself was staring back at her all the way from where she sat.

Impossible.