A/N: Chapter 46 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 46: Time to Fall

Inside Ozpin's office...

"Well it comes off as no surprise that you would be chosen as a participant of the finals in the tournament. I must congratulate you on making it that far." Ozpin spoke as he gazed at Pyrrha who sat before him, his chin resting on top of his hands. Qrow settled to leaning against the far way, uncapping his flask to take a swig of alcohol. "Your performance has been exemplary."

"Thank you Professor Ozpin, but I would never have made it this far without the help of my teammates." was the honest and humble reply, the red-haired huntress always crediting her team for her progress whenever she could. "I owe them a lot."

"Personally I think it's the other way around." Qrow commented dryly, drawing their attention. He huffed before adding, "Your teammates should be grateful to you."

"I'm sorry but I don't believe we've been introduced." Pyrrha stood up out of respect and politeness. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"The name's Qrow." was the swift reply, added onto the aloof attitude. The red-haired huntress knew deep down that that was the only name she'll ever get so she didn't push any further.

"Qrow, don't be so mean." Ozpin warned before looking at Pyrrha and explained, "Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine and a well-trained huntsman."

"Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?" She turned around and sat back down, looking at him with a confused expression on her face. This was actually the first time she's been in the office, so she was semi-interested in looking around for a second. "And why only me? How come no one else is allowed to come here?"

"Now that would take a while to explain." He gestured for her to take a seat with the wave of a hand. Tapping his fingers together, he asked, "Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

"I'm sorry? My favorite fairy tale?" Pyrrha tilted her head to the side with wonder. It wasn't everyday someone asked her something from her childhood, so she had take a minute to think about it. "Why do you ask me of that?"

"Fairy tales. Stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them."

"Well, there's the tale of the two brothers; The Shallow Sea; The girl in the tower-"

"What about the story of the seasons?" The headmaster leaned forward a bit, intrigued to see the girl's reaction as he continued, "Have you heard of that one?"

"Oh, of course! I know that one!" Pyrrha's eyes sparkled before she proceeded to tell the story. "A callous old man who refuses to leave his home is visited by four traveling sisters. The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. The fourth and final sister begs him to look at all that he has and be thankful."

"In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers. They graciously accept and promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant until the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The four maidens. My mother loves that story so she'll tell me every time she got. So I guess it ends up being a favorite of mine as well."

"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?" asked Ozpin.

"Professor, you're not as old as you believe yourself to be." Pyrrha remarked, flashing him a weary grin. "Like really, I don't even see a wrinkle on your skin."

"Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What if I told you that there were four maidens existing in this world that could wield such tremendous amount of power without Dust?"

"You mean like a Semblance?"

"Like magic."

"Yeah, first time hearing it's pretty crazy." Qrow spoke up when Pyrrha tried to find her voice, her mind trying to process what was being told to her. "I had the same reaction. You'll get use to it in time."

"You're not serious are you?" asked Pyrrha, trying to read the headmaster's facial expression. "I thought it was just a myth...a folklore that parents tell their children."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Ozpin replied back and the two of them stared at one another in silence.

"No. But why...why are you telling me this?" The headmaster shared a quick look with Qrow before letting out a sigh.

"We're telling you, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall maiden's powers." That statement was strong enough to take the air out of her lungs. Her eyes widened with surprise before something crossed her mind.

"We? Who else are you talking about?" The red-haired huntress looked around in wonder. "Do you mean Qrow? He's been here for awhile. Are you implying that there are others?"

WHIRRRRR~

"Terribly sorry that we're late." The elevator door opened up to reveal Glynda and Ironwood, the taller male was fixing the cuff around his right hand. "It was a little...difficult to make those suspicious of my activities to leave me alone."

"Wait, what is this?" Now Pyrrha felt like she was panicking, looking at Ozpin for guidance as the other two adults stepped out of the elevator. "Who are you?"

"You know who we are." Glynda said soothingly as Qrow went to their side, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Her voice was eerie sweet, almost raising a red flag in the red-head's mind since Glynda never sounds sweet when she teaches. "We're still the same teachers and headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."

"Except we got a little part time job."

"We're the guardians of this world."

"And we need your help." Ozpin rose from his desk, taking his cane with him. "I believe it's best to show you exactly what we're dealing with."


Secret Underground...

To say Pyrrha was really uncomfortable being surrounded by the adults wouldn't be too far off. After all, they claim to be guardians and apparently the maidens are still around. She only glanced around nervously as the elevator made it down to the last floor, the bottom floor that was strictly forbidden to students.

"Where...where are we?" She asked in a small voice, breaking the silence of awkwardness. "How far down are we going to go?"

"The vault, which is under the school." Ozpin explained to her, stepping out into the dark hallway illuminated by small neon green lights. As the adults filtered out, Pyrrha hesitated for a minute before ambling after them. "No one other than these few individuals are allowed to be down here."

"I'm sure you have questions." Glynda turned around, noticing how the huntress was trailing after them at a slower pace.

"Maybe one or two." She admitted, falling into step with the blonde haired professor. "I still don't understand, you said I was next in line to receive the maiden's power. What does that mean exactly?"

"The maidens have existed for thousands of years, but much like nature the seasons change. No two summers are alike, so to speak. When a maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host. Thus it ensures that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever." Glynda explained as simple as possible.

"So, how does the power choose its next host to embody?"

"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules." Qrow answered this time, keeping his posture slouched and seemingly dragging his feet along. "Honestly they shouldn't exist in the first place."

"Qrow!"

"Don't get mad cause I'm right." He snorted when Glynda glared at him. Looking forward, he fell silent and allowed her to continue her explanation. After all, there was a reason why he didn't like being a professor at Signal back in the day.

"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed onto young women. As time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more intimate."

"Intimate?" Pyrrha repeated like a parrot. "Like...the feelings between a boy and a girl?"

"It's...well, not like that. As we understand it now, when a maiden dies, the one who was in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag. Then the power goes to someone random and our jobs get a lot harder." Qrow pipped up.

"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the spacious hallways before keeping up with the others. "Maybe then I'll probably feel a lot more comfortable with this entire process."

"Honestly, we're running out of time as it is. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world." replied Qrow. "Tensions are high and the Grimm are growing stronger and more prevalent. It won't be much longer before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes flying out the window."

"You're not talking about a war are you?"

"Not a war between nations." Ironwood assured her, keeping his arms held behind his back. He had kept quiet the entire time so it was surprising to hear words come out of his mouth. "That's something you don't have to worry about."

"We can fill you in on the details once we know you're with us. For now all you need to know is that one of the maidens was attacked and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen." Soon the group came to a halt before some chamber and Pyrrha noticed someone in one of them, her eyes closed like she was asleep.

"Is that...her?" Pyrrha asked as she looked at the girl lying beyond the glass.

"The current Fall maiden, Amber." Ozpin said, nodding his head to reinforced Pyrrha's initial thought.

"She's...still alive. But how?"

"For now, we don't know how long she has. We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable, but there is a lot about this situation which is unprecedented." Ironwood explained before casting his eyes downward as if he was thinking about something.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we don't know what will happen if-when she passes."

"Won't her power just transfer to the next host? That's what you guys have been telling me on the way over here."

"Look! She's been listening the entire time! From beginning to end without falling asleep or zoning out!" Qrow got a glare from Ozpin before he whispered to the headmaster, "She's smart. I like that."

"Under normal circumstances, yes you are correct. But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be that of their attacker and to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before." Ironwood turned his gaze back to Amber and added, "For all we know, it'll probably go and search for its other half."

"That won't bode well for any of us if the attacker gets the full maiden power." Ozpin turned to look at Pyrrha. She looked down for a minute before lifting her head and walked up to the confinement. Looking at the young woman inside she delicately placed a hand over the glass.

"If all of this is true, why keep it secret?" She turned to face the four adults, looking at them with almost a state of concern. "If this girl is so important, if-if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"

"From what we know, it used to be common knowledge." Glynda said slowly. "Not anymore."

"Excuse me?"

"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Qrow asked Pyrrha as he pulled out his flask and unscrewed the cap . "Even the craziest ones come from somewhere."

"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the maidens." Glynda added, watching as the dark-haired huntsman took a swing from his flask. "Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength."

"And as you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power."

"And so this brotherhood chose to remove the maidens from the public eye." Ironwood nodded with what his fellow associates were saying. "Allowing their existence to fade away into legend."

"The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history, religion."

"No one would want to believe us if we were to spill our guts out into the open. Imagine the chaos that will ensue if we do."

"It'll cause panic and we all know what that would bring clawing to our kingdoms' walls." Ozpin looked away before adding, "Which is why we would like to-"

"I'll do it." Pyrrha interrupted him, her mind already made up despite the choices that were laid out before her. She knew that everything she had discovered and heard needed to be kept a secret, even from her fellow friends and teammates. "If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall maiden. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"It is but unfortunately it wouldn't be that simple." Ozpin said after looking at his colleagues. "Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint: How it works; what it's made of; how it can be used. We've made significant strides in our research. And we believe we've found a way to capture it" Ironwood told them, "

"Capture it and cram it into something else...or in your case." After a moment, Pyrrha's eyes widened as she understood the meaning behind Qrow's words and she looked at Ironwood immediately.

"That's-"

"Classified."

"-wrong!" The red-head looked extremely hurt.

"The feeling is mutual, but desperate times calls for desperate measures." Glynda said, showing Pyrrha that she understands where the girl comes from, but she also wanted her to understand that sometimes things don't go the way as planned.

"And these are indeed desperate times." Ironwood nodded his head in agreement. "We can't transfer Amber's powers to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her Aura right?" Pyrrha deduced, glancing at the adults around her. "Does that mean her life will become a part of my own?"

"Her life would become intertwined with yours, yes. The question is, what will that do to you?" The red-head fell silent at Qrow's question, unsure if she fully knew the consequences of taken on a huge chunk of responsibility.

"You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos. There's no guarantee this transfer will work like we envision and there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does work out." Ozpin said gently, watching as she turned to gaze at Amber again. "I advise you to take time to think on this matter carefully, but understand that before the Vytal Festival is over...we will need your answer."

What do I do...this is so much to take down...Pyrrha glanced back at Amber, hoping to at least get the girl's input but all she got was silence. If only you yourself could give me a sign...

"The assailant that attacked Amber has already made their first move and there's no telling when their next move will be." Ozpin gestured for her to follow him back to the top level, his cane held tightly in his hands. "For now, get ready for the finals match. Be reminded, whatever we spoke of down here stays between us."


Inside the arena...

"Now it's time you all have been waiting for! The one on one matches in the finals!"

The air was filled with excitement from the double matches earlier in the day, all of the students were anxiously waiting for the first match in the singles match to get started. We sat in the same place, getting a front row seat to the first match. Those who had made it to the finals stood in the middle of the arena all in a row, their eyes looking at the audiences as well as the monitors as the selection for two fighters began.

"Barty, why don't you explain the rules." Port gestured with a hand for his fellow colleague to take the mic. "I'm sure our audience and fighters a like would be glad to hear them."

"Uhh, it's quite simple Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place." The green-haired male said, his mouth running fast like he had drank a lot of coffee. "Quite exciting if I do say so myself."

"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare."

"Ahh, yes yes. Now let's see who our first match will be!" Oobleck pointed a finger forward towards the monitors and said, "Random choice picker, go! Which two fighters will begin off these matches?"

"20 lien says I'll go first this time around." Kairos playfully stated as she stood by Yang's side, her arms crossed over her chest as they all stared at the screens. The two of them had checked all their gear and made sure their weapons were in perfect condition ahead of time before they were summoned to walk alongside the others.

"Fat chance!" The blonde scoffed just as playfully before thinking about it. Then she grinned and said, "Then I bet 50 lien that I'll go first for this round!"

"No way...you more than doubled my bet." The faunus frowned at that with one eyebrow arched. "I'm not raising my offer."

"You scared you'll lose?"

"I'm taking my chances. After all, I'm pretty bad at gambling."

"Mercury Black versus Yang Xiao Long!" Port's voice rang through the air once the rolling had come to a halt, both fighters displayed on the monitors. "We're in for a real treat now folks! Will both combatants stay on the field? Everyone else, please return back to the waiting room and stay there until it's your turn!"

"Crap...guess I'll have to cough up after your match." Kairos sighed when she noticed who was having her match first. Turning to the brawler, she said, "Do your best out here, Yang. Get that momentum going for the rest of us to follow up." The blonde beauty smiled in response and nodded her head in understanding.

"Yup, I won't let our training go to waste! Watch me kick ass out there!" Sharing a fist bump with the faunus, Yang stood confidently as the others left the field and disappeared back to the waiting room. Her eyes fell on Mercury as he stood opposite of her with a smug look on his face. I vaguely see this guy around school grounds, but I do remember how he fought back in the mock fight. I can win this if he plans on doing just that!

Huh...what an interesting match up. I leaned forward in my seat with interest, watching as the arena changed its layout to accommodate the fighters. They both rely on getting close to their opponents to deal damage so I'm sure Yang's met her match.

"You better not go easy on me." Yang spoke to her opponent, putting one hand on her hip and smirked. "This is a one-on-one match too, so let me see what you got."

"Ha! You wish...To think I'd be fighting against you in this round, why, I will hardly break a sweat." Mercury announced in a bored tone, rolling his head to pop his neck. "Honestly, I wanna fight that princess again and pay her back for what she did, but it's a shame she isn't in the rounds; the mock battle back then in class won't be enough to quench this thirst for fighting."

"Then allow me to quench it all." Yang smiled, cocking both arms and hearing the gauntlets load up the bullets. "This battle will be satisfactory to the both of us."

"At most...you'll only be a warm-up to me." The silver-hair huntsman replied, falling back into an attacking stance and curling his fingers. "Give me your best shot and try to keep up."

"Break a leg, Sis!" Ruby jumped out of her seat and screamed as loudly as she could, cheering Yang on. When the timer reached zero, the fighting began and the two of them exchanged punches and kicks, trying to overpower one another through sheer strength.

"Wow, they're really going at it." Blake murmured as she watched the fight, her golden eyes moving back and forth as she kept up with the action. "He seems to be relying on kicks, thank goodness we had that training back then. Yang's watching her opponent closely."

"Yeah, aren't I a genius?"

"Oh Weiss, you're funny!" I laughed, getting a withering look from the heiress. "You must be tooting your own horn!"

"She's using her Semblance!" Ruby shrieked, cutting off whatever Weiss was about to say as Yang turned up the heat. "She doesn't know when to stop!"

"You know there was this fortune I once saw from a fortune cookie and it said, 'Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn'." I chuckled to myself as I remembered the memory. "Yang's literally doing that."

BZZZZZT!

"And Yang Xiao Long has won this match!" On the monitors, Mercury's Aura had gone to zero while Yang's held on at 16. She really got lucky the bar didn't go any lower. "She secures her position and is liable to move up in the ranking for another match."

"Better luck next time." Yang said after the buzzer rang and Oobleck had declared her victor of the match. Turning her back she began to walk off, waving an arm at the cheering crowd.

"There won't be a next time, Blondie." Mercury suddenly rose to his feet, the hidden meaning in his voice making her stop in her tracks. Taking action he attacked her, his right foot extended with the intent of smashing into her head. Yang, seeing the attack coming, went right for the leg and broke it without a second thought; it was a self-defense she instinctively fell back on. The male fell down, grasping at his leg with both arms. "Gah! My leg! My leg!"

There was a collective gasps among the audience before the hush of silence, horrified expressions on their faces as Mercury cradled his deadly wound and let out pained cries. Even Ruby had covered her mouth with both hands, unable to believe what she just witnessed. The competitors in the waiting room were also stunned when they watched the action on the screen.

"What the-?"

"How could she do that?"

"Yang...?" Kairos whispered, unable to believe what had happened. Deep down she had a nagging feeling like something was at foul play, but even she couldn't fight off the feeling that what she just witness was real. "What compelled you to do such a thing...?"

"That's what you get you little- huh?" Yang stopped yelling when soldiers surrounded her immediately, their guns trained on her. "What's going on? What are you guys doing?"

"Stand down Yang Xiao Long!" One of the soldiers ordered gruffly. "You best follow our orders if you know what's best for you."

What was that? A flash of green Aura right after Yang busted his leg? I furrowed my eyebrows in wonder, ignoring the chanting of the students. Noticing a lingering line I followed it till it connected to someone on the opposite of the arena. I stood up, leaning against the railing with wonder. Someone's pulling the strings...perhaps a Semblance?

"Mercury! Are you alright?!" Emerald, her voice laced with concern, vaulted over the wall and knelt by his side as he continued to cry. Looking at Yang with an expression full of disbelief and horror, she said, "How could you do this to him?"

...so that's how it is. The moment Emerald hopped down to Mercury's side the green line of Aura that begun to turn into a wisp, moved along with her and I could see it. Standing up I kept my gaze on Emerald who turned back to calm Mercury down and my fingers curled into trembling fists; there was nothing I could do since the students in the audience were booing loudly and even yelled at Yang to get the hell off the field. That stinking snake!

Heh...seems like the plan is working, those clueless simpletons are playing right into our hands. Emerald grinned excitedly to herself, helping Mercury into a stretcher and whisked him away to get treatment along side the medics. This is actually simpler than I imagined!

It was her...she's the one behind all this...no doubt. I watched as the auras disappeared and growled to myself. But...where are the others? I know she couldn't have pulled this off by herself...what's with this tournament?

"Why is everyone booing? What did I do? He attacked me! Why couldn't you all see that?!" Yang looked around bewildered before her eyes looked at the large screen. It replayed the incident and she herself couldn't believe that she just attacked Mercury, who seemingly just stood there and took the hit without raising his fists. Her breath seemed to have left her and everything felt numb. "No...it can't be...I didn't...this is a mistake..."

"Miss Xiao Long, you are hereby under arrest for misconduct and ruthlessly attacking a non-aggressive participant." The captain of the soldiers said, getting her attention. "Time to go and think about what you have done."