Author's Note: New chapter… yay?
"How is this going to help Team RWAN?" Velvet asked.
"It'll force them all to stick together and get to know each other." Coco replied. "Maybe if they can get past that initial hurdle, things will work out."
"Mandatory fun isn't exactly the best at building bonds." Fox sent. "How did you even get them to agree on such short notice?"
"I told Ruby and Jaune that I had a plan to force Weiss and Pyrrha to settle their differences." Coco shrugged. "Honestly, I think it being short notice helped."
"How?" Yatsu asked.
"No time to ask if there actually was a plan?" Fox replied.
"Yes and no." Coco said. "It meant that Weiss and Pyrrha didn't have time to ask questions."
"Which means they won't be expecting to see each other, let alone us." Velvet sighed. "This honestly seems like a horrible idea."
"Relax." Coco said, rolling her eyes, really, they were acting like she was holding them hostage! "We're just going out to see a movie and have some food. Enough for them to be around each other without feeling obligated to speak to each other."
"Familiarity breeds contempt." Yatsuhashi pessimistically added.
"Yeah, and whoever said that didn't have to go to school with no friends? Force them together and they'll get over their issue eventually. Don't forget, that's how we made friends with Pyrrha the first time. Don't see why it wont work this time."
"Like that time we forced you and Velvet into that closet last year?" Coco glared at her partner, despite knowing full well he wouldn't be able to tell. "Still surprised you didn't come out of that a couple."
She'd never gotten them back for that, not that she could truly blame them. She and Velvet had gone through their fair share of arguments early on, back before Coco had any real idea how to lead. They still had issues now, but it was at least not something that threatened their friendship. In truth, she couldn't remember what the arguments had even been about.
They didn't have to wait long for Ruby and her team to arrive, and then they were all off towards Vale. Their teams managed to get along well enough, even if some individuals weren't there entirely by choice. Pyrrha was holding a somewhat awkward conversation with Velvet and Ruby. The girl was clearly unsure of how to act, but that would fix itself in time. The first Pyrrha hadn't been able to stay shy around Velvet for long, and Coco very much doubted her chances this time as well.
Weiss and Jaune were towards the front, chatting with Yatsu and Fox and, while Coco was glad to see Weiss wasn't as cold as she had first thought, it wasn't the point of this trip. Arriving at the movie theater wasn't much better, even if she had managed to get Weiss and Pyrrha sitting next to one another. Neither had complained or fussed about it, simply taking the seats and watching the movie, but likewise they didn't even acknowledge each other's existence. Except in the rare instance where the other wasn't watching, in which case they would glare at one another when they thought it went unnoticed.
Halfway through the movie the awkward silence had started to get on her nerves. While being quiet in a movie theater was polite, usually there would be some small talking between friends. While she hadn't expected that from Weiss and Pyrrha, she had thought the other members of their team would interact some. Ruby and Jaune had tried a few times and, while Weiss hadn't entirely blown them off, Pyrrha didn't really respond. Not in an honest way. She would smile and say something back, but it was never in a way that was honest, Coco knew that.
"Where are you going?" Velvet asked as Coco stood from her seat.
"Bathroom, I won't be gone long." Coco smiled and shifted her way down the aisle and out into the lobby. The movie theater they had gone to wasn't the one located in the central mall, mostly due to crowds, and thus usually only showed a handful of movies at a time. That meant the halls were abandoned as she made her way out a side entrance to get some fresh air.
Maybe the movie was a bad idea, not enough interaction. Coco groaned. Thankfully, she had planned more than just that and they were going to head out for some food after this at which point Coco could force some more vocal interaction. No one had ever called her subtle, nor did they call her patient. If they wouldn't get over their troubles themselves, she would force them to. If only because it bothered her Pyrrha that the two hadn't gotten over their differences yet.
The door behind her opened, and Coco straightened up; composing herself to hide her frustration. "I'm good Velvet, just needed some fr-" It wasn't Velvet, instead it was two people she didn't recognize. One guy and one girl. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"Coco Adel, right?" The guy asked, smirking in a way that implied he knew that already.
"Have we met?" Coco raised an eyebrow, looking the two over once more. She didn't recognize them, and she was fairly certain she would have remembered the girl due to the shade of green that was her hair.
The two shared a look as the guy's foot slid back. That was the only warning Coco got as the girl lunged right and the guy charged her. She managed to get her arm up to block his leg despite her panic, but was caught unprepared for his follow up and was pressed back.
The girl swiped in, scoring a hit on her side. Grunting, Coco took the next kick from the man as directly as she could, using that to help create some distance between them and bring Gianduja up to deflect a few shots from the girl.
They started to circle around, placing one on each side so that she couldn't guard against both. Cursing, Coco stepped back in a desperate attempt to keep both in front of her only for her back to hit a wall. Looking around, she saw that she was blocked in by walls on all sides. Backed into a corner, the two smiled; the silver haired boy looking to his partner and nodding. Then, they vanished.
Coco wasn't a fool and kept her guard up, she'd been caught by surprise Semblances enough to know that some people had a fair few tricks up their sleeve, but she couldn't make out any sign of them. She felt something impact the back of her leg and drove her down to one knee. Then something struck her wrist, clearly with the intention of having her drop her weapon. Gritted her teeth through the pain and lunged her handbag in the direction the attack would have come from.
She felt it hit something, but couldn't make out what as something hard hit the back of her head and drove her to the ground on her stomach. Something pressed down on her back, it felt like a boot but there was a stiffness and weight to it that was beyond natural.
"Easy enough." The guy chuckled. "And here I thought she'd be tough."
"Shut up Merc." The girl growled. "Just wait until the Maiden comes looking for her, that will be the real fight."
The door she came through flew open, a metal tray slamming into something behind her and driving the foot back. She felt something pull Gianduja forward and she held on tightly lest it be pulled from her grasp.
"Coco!" Ruby was the first to arrive after the attack, but Pyrrha and the rest were close behind.
"Watch out, their semblance can hide them!" Coco pushed herself up, hefting her weapon and turning to look back at them. As she looked back however, they were gone, having run in the direction she was certain had been blocked off less than a minute ago.
"Who were they?" Fox sent.
"I don't know." Coco swallowed her nerves. "But they were trying to get to Amber."
They immediately set out after the attackers, but Coco was doubtful that they would manage to catch them. Tracking Neo and Roman had proven that pursuit wasn't her team's strong suit, and the fact that their opponents had some kind of concealment Semblance wouldn't make their job any easier. Still, they had to try, someone was after Amber and Coco was not letting her best chance of finding out slip through her fingers.
Haven had seen better days, that much Pyrrha was certain of. The school wasn't destroyed or in ruins, nor was it on the verge of collapse, but there was a noticeable tension in the air as they waited for the General to arrive. Perhaps that tension was between the small group gathered in the main lobby, Raven Branwen and Colonel Aurelian would never be called friends, and if looks could kill Winter would have murdered them all by now.
She'd left to wait at the landing pad, but the rest of them hadn't been willing to leave the only entrance to the vault unguarded. Not when they were so close. Apparently that's where Qrow was as well, having avoided his sister like a plague ever since she arrived.
While that was the most obvious reason, Pyrrha didn't think that was it alone. The students and professors that walked by were clearly curious about their presence, but most kept their heads down and moved on to their next class. It wasn't until she noticed a few men in the familiar green uniform of Mistral that she could tell why.
"The military occupied the academy?"
"It's still under investigation." Colonel Aurelian replied, though his eyes never left Raven or the woman standing beside her.
"I thought you finished the investigation into Lionheart's actions?"
"We did." Aurelian nodded. "But the loyalties of some of the staff are still in question. Leo did a lot of damage while he was here, some of which we are still trying to get the full scope of. Headmaster Tawny actually asked us to do so."
"Too weak to root them out herself?" Raven smirked.
"Too busy." Aurelian shot back. His tone was polite, but the hateful glare in his eyes was one that only Winter could match. "Besides, it's less about danger and more incompetence. Some of the people he hired as staff were not suited for the job."
"And so you fired them?"
"We exiled them." He replied. "They are forbidden from legally entering Mistral proper, though they are still permitted in any of the villages or towns away from the city."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in surprise. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"
"The council was pushing for worse." The Colonel shrugged. "While they didn't work for the enemy they embezzled funds, took bribes, pushed prospective Huntsmen away to other academies. Lionheart may have orchestrated the downfall of Haven, but they were just as crucial in carrying it out."
"So you kicked them out of their comfortable lives, all while making sure they could still act in the defense of the Kingdom at least." Raven sounded impressed. "They'll probably just move to another Kingdom, but the ones that don't will help make up for all the ones killed by that traitor. That's clever."
"It's desperation, we have very few options left."
"Mistral certainly has seen better days." It was difficult to place Raven's tone; while Pyrrha would have expected her to sound pleased by that fact, she didn't. She sounded like she had been proven right about something she didn't like. Disappointed. "Ozpin could have fixed this, if he'd really tried."
"Perhaps." Aurelian nodded. "But I prefer not to dwell in the past. There were many things that could have changed all of this, Ozpin being just one of them. I could have accepted the position myself when I was offered it, instead I chose to retire. It is just as much my fault as it is his."
"You were offered the Headmaster position?" Pyrrha asked. He'd never said, then again, it would have been decades ago now, so that wasn't surprising. He had apparently been quite the Huntsmen back in his prime, and that wouldn't have gone unnoticed by Ozpin.
"Turned it down because I didn't want the responsibility." He sighed heavily. "I was younger then, but I could feel myself getting older. I thought it would have been better for someone younger to take my place. One more mistake in a life of many."
"Everyone makes mistakes." Raven replied, her voice lacking the arrogance that it had previously been rich with. "Sometimes it's not entirely our own fault, we simply didn't know what else to do, but it is still our burden to bear. You are wise to not dwell on the past. Some mistakes… they can never be forgiven."
The main doors to the hall slammed open, General Ironwood walking through with a confident pace and a small smile on his face. Winter and Qrow walked a few paces behind him and, while Winter seemed to share her superiors good mood, Qrow did not.
Raven turned to look at them, tutting and glaring at Qrow. "Trading one master for another, little brother?"
Qrow returned her glare and opened his mouth to say something back, but Winter stopped him. Shaking his head he turned away from her, doing his best to ignore her entirely.
"Colonel Aurelian, it is good to see you again." The General held out his hand.
"Likewise, James." The Colonel took it without hesitation. "You look like crap."
True to their words, the General had certainly seen better days. While he didn't look too different from the last time she had seen him at the ceremony in Vale, but everything that had looked off then was amplified now. The lack of sleep was far more evident, and his beard and hair had grown out even more. One thing that had changed however, was the smile he wore.
Rather than be offended, Ironwood chuckled softly. "Atlas is keeping me busy."
"Then let's not keep Atlas waiting for your return." Releasing the General's hand, Colonel Aurelian turned towards the statue. "So, how do we open it?"
"With a key." Ironwood pulled out a small pocket watch from his coat. "Ozpin made this for the first Headmaster when he built the school, it's the only thing capable of opening the entrance without causing a scene. It was on Leo when he died."
"And so you took it?" The Colonel turned to back around on the General.
"I always planned on giving it back once the Headmistress was aware of the danger posed by Salem." Ironwood said. "It was too dangerous to leave in the hands of just anyone."
"Then you can hand it over now, James." Another person spoke, this time from above them. Looking up, Pyrrha saw the academy's current Headmistress looking down at them. "Ozpin has told me everything, so before you leave you can give me the watch."
Ironwood nodded quickly, before stepping forward and setting the watch down in a small space clearly designed for it to fit. After a few seconds Pyrrha felt something twist in the air, before the statue began to lower.
"It's magic…" Pyrrha whispered.
"How do you know?" Qrow turned to regard her. "Could be some kind of mechanisms, Oz has more than enoug-"
"She's right." Raven interrupted him. "He used magic for more than just the Vaults and Maidens."
"I could feel it." Pyrrha explained, turning just enough to look at Raven from the corner of her eye. "When he activated it, I could feel the magic being used."
"Let's not waste anymore time." Raven stepped forward, Vernal close behind her. "I don't want to be here any longer than is necessary."
If standing in the lobbying waiting had been an odd experience, taking the relatively small elevator down crowded with people could only be described as awkward. Qrow, Aurelian and Winter never took their eyes off Raven and Vernal, while those two did the same. Ironwood and the Headmistress kept their backs turned to them, standing on the edge of the platform as it descended down farther than Pyrrha had expected.
The area that opened up before them was saturated with magic in a way she had never known to look for, but now couldn't ignore. Her experience in the Branwen Tribe had opened her eyes to it however, and now she couldn't ignore it. The cavern they found themselves in wasn't natural, having been molded by magic in some way. Whether that was something small or not, Pyrrha didn't know, nor did she know how she could tell.
She felt light headed, dizzy and her chest felt like it was burning. Only then did she realize she had stopped breathing. Forcing herself to take a deep breath took more focus than she thought it should have, almost as if her body was rejecting the action. As she finally got herself back under control, she was able to truly look at what lay before them.
The platform they stood on came to a halt, letting them off onto a walkway that stretched out into the darkness. The walls of the cavern were obscured and she was unable to make out anything in the darkness there.
General Ironwood stepped forward, the Headmistress moving beside him as they slowly began the walk to the other side. Pyrrha was among the last ones off, Raven and Vernal only a few steps behind her.
"Let's try not to linger." Raven sounded just as uncomfortable as she was.
"Afraid of what will happen to your tribe with you away?" Qrow snidely asked. Raven didn't reply however, and he seemed irritated by that; turning his attention away from her once more.
The moment they stepped on the first circle, Pyrrha winced as light filled her eyes. The entire walkway seemed to flip from darkness to light. As the light reached the tree the leaves began to change, glowing a soft amber color as they rustled as if wind were blowing through them.
"It's so much more than the Vault in Beacon and Atlas." Ironwood said.
"Can't help but wonder, why?" Qrow asked, though nobody had a real answer. Pyrrha had barely even heard them speak, too busy being taken in by what lay before them.
It was beautiful, and it helped distract Pyrrha from the suffocating feeling of being around so much magic. One ember floated towards her, and she caught it in her hand. It didn't feel like any leaf she had ever seen before, warming her hand as it sat there and feeling lighter than anything she had ever held. Before she could think anything else it dissolved in her hand, the specks fluttering off again like it had been caught in the wind.
It was only then that she realized she had fallen so far behind the others, everyone else having reached the door and were now looking back at her. Everyone, except Raven that was.
"You can sense the magic here?" Raven asked.
"I think I can… feel it when it's in use." Pyrrha answered, unsure of how to explain it in any more detail than that. Perhaps the Headmaster would know, but until she spoke with him it would go unanswered.
"Then you know." Raven stated.
"Vernal isn't the Spring Maiden." Pyrrha looked up from her hand, seeing that the woman had placed her helmet on her head. "You are."
"Then why haven't you told them? " Raven's hand fell to her sword, though it appeared that she did it more for her own comfort than as an idle threat.
"I… I don't know. I wasn't certain until we came here." Pyrrha looked around the cavern. "You are the only other one who can feel it like I do. Whatever it is, the energy, the power, that radiates through this place. That's how I knew." And there was power there, more so than Pyrrha had ever felt. It wasn't like the Maidens, their unstable and wrong magic itching at her own, and it wasn't like Ozpin's either. She felt, if she focused and thought on it, his magic in the creation of the space they were in, but it wasn't what felt so suffocating now. There was something else, something that felt unlike anything she could recall.
"The desire to have your question answered." Raven looked back towards the tree, and Pyrrha followed her gaze. The group waiting for them had started to become anxious, Qrow and Winter both having moved to grab the hilts of their weapons. "That feeling, it's the manifestation of knowledge. The desire, the need, for an answer."
Pyrrha nodded her head, it was the best way to describe it. It reminded her of her early days as a student, desiring an answer to every question she had, but here it felt so much stronger. There were things she wished to ask, knowledge she wished to have, but more than that, she felt compelled to give what knowledge she had. To answer whatever she could.
"It's the influence of the Lamp." Raven grunted. "It can be resisted, but you will find yourself not wanting to." She sighed. "Let's get this over with."
Pyrrha followed behind her as the two finally rejoined with the group. Raven moved over to Vernal a few feet away from the rest, while Pyrrha stepped beside Qrow.
Qrow leaned over to her slightly, voice quiet but still audible. "What was that about?"
Pyrrha looked back at him curiously. Qrow had never been one for ironclad control or discipline like Winter was, but despite his eccentricities he was a professional. He rarely let his own curiosity overcome that, at least in the moment, so for him to ask that now felt odd. Perhaps it was his natural paranoia or distrust for his sister, but it felt like more. She was sure he would usually have waited until they could sit down for a drink before asking anything. So she couldn't help but wonder if it was the lamp's influence.
"Whenever she is ready." General Ironwood gestured towards the doorway. "Placing her hand on the surface will unlock it."
Raven looked towards Vernal before sighing. Reaching both hands up to her helmet, she removed it once more and rested it against her hip. "I know how the door works." She stepped forward, Vernal moving to follow before stopping as Raven held up her hand. "The time for tricks is over."
The group remained silent as she approached, despite the surprise none of those present seemed willing to speak. Qrow looked more shocked than any of them, his mouth hanging open as he struggled to process it.
Raven placed her hand on the door and it began to shift. Pyrrha felt the magic swirling around them again as the wind would a tree. She again struggled to breathe as the overwhelming feeling came rushing back in towards the door. It opened and revealed the impossible.
On the other side was a vast and mostly empty desert. A short distance inside was a small and mundane pedestal, on which sat an ornate lamp. The few stones that made the path to it shimmered and shattered much as the leaf had in her hand, the entire desert looking much the same. It reminded her of the Grimm, when they were defeated their bodies would do the same. Magical constructs falling apart as they died, only this time the magic was replaced. Like a landscape in eternal decay.
"You… you're the Spring Maiden?" Qrow was the first to speak, though as Pyrrha looked away from the doorway she realized he wasn't the only one watching Raven. In fact, Pyrrha had been the only one to look through to the Relic.
Raven's hand fell to her sword. "Yes, I am."
Qrow waited in silence for her to continue, when she didn't he gripped Harbinger tighter. "That's all you have to say!?"
"What more is there to say?" Raven stepped to the side of the doorway. "I've done as you asked, now ask the Relic your question."
"When? For how long?!" Qrow didn't seem to care about it. "Damn it Rae, answer me!"
"I don't answer to you!" Raven snapped back. "To any of you, and certainly not to Ozpin. Yes, I am the Spring Maiden. I took this power and have kept it safe from Salem. You should be thanking me."
"You took them?" Qrow's eyes widened. "You kil-"
"Enough!" General Ironwood cut through their argument before it could come to blows. "How this came to be doesn't matter. Not right now." He added the latter as Qrow glared back at him. "We need to focus on our current objective, of which Raven has helped us achieve."
"I expect our deal to be upheld." Raven looked towards Colonel Aurelian and Winter. "Do that and the Tribe won't be an issue for you anymore. Now ask your question, I wish to hear how you plan to defeat her."
Ironwood nodded. "Are you ready?" It took Pyrrha a moment to realize he was looking at her.
"You want me to do it?"
"You've come farther than anyone else here to achieve this." He smiled and nodded. "It's because of you we have this chance at all. It's only right."
"We'll all see whatever she does." Raven assured them. "So long as we are close when she asks."
Qrow looked back at his sister suspiciously, but once again Winter helped to stop him; resting a hand on his shoulder and drawing his attention away.
With a deep breath, Pyrrha stepped through the doorway. Contrary to what she expected, the desert wasn't hot, if it even was a desert at all. There wasn't any sun above her despite the bright light, and the hazy appearance in the distance made her question just how far this land went. Pushing those thoughts aside, she approached the Relic. It wasn't sitting on the pedestal as she had initially thought, rather, it was floating an inch or two above it; suspended in a perpetual hover.
Hesitantly, Pyrrha reached out and grabbed it by the handle. She felt the weight shift, whatever force that had been holding it up giving way as she removed it from its spot on the stone, but aside from that there was no noticeable shift. The light didn't dim, there weren't any suddenly sprung traps, nor did the world around her start to crumble. It remained peaceful, as did the Relic. She could feel a subtle warmth to it, but other than that it felt unimportant.
Pyrrha turned and moved back through the door, which remained open.
"Do you know how to use it?" Raven asked. "Or did Ozpin keep that secret too?"
Pyrrha nodded her head. "He told me how to summon her."
"Then whenever you're ready."
Taking one more deep breath, Pyrrha held the Relic out in front of her. "Jinn."
For a moment nothing happened, and as Pyrrha looked around she realized just how true that was. The leaves from the tree were suspended in air where they had been falling; now unmoving as the world halted. A thick blue fog emerged from the lamp like smoke from a fire, illuminated by a bright blue light. The light dimmed, and from the fog, the spectral form of a blue, naked woman emerged.
"Greetings, my name is Jinn." The woman smiled down at them, suspended in the air. "I have been given the gift of knowledge by the God of Light to aid Humanity. I am allowed to answer three questions every one hundred years. You are in luck, as two questions still remain."
"We know who you are." Raven snapped. "Answer the girl's question so that we may go!"
"You may know of the rules, Raven Branwen, but not all those present do." Jinn smiled down at her, though Pyrrha couldn't even begin to guess at the emotion there. "But if I am able, allow me to assist you." She turned back towards Pyrrha. "Ask your question, Miss Nikos."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "Y-you know who I am?"
"That is not the question you wish to answer." Jinn replied. "Though if you desire it, I can explain."
"Pyrrha…" Ironwood said softly.
"N-no, not now." Pyrrha sighed. "You know why we are here."
"I know all that has happened." Jinn assured her. "What is your question?"
Steeling herself, Pyrrha asked the question they had all come there to have answered. "How do we summon the being that brought me back from the dead?"
"Now this is interesting." Jinn's smile fell away, replaced with a look of what Pyrrha would have called sorrow on a human. "Out of all the things I have been asked by the old man… this is the first I can not answer. I wish I had one for you, I know how important it is, truly I do, but I… do not know what it is you seek."
Pyrrha's mouth felt dry. "W-what?"
"So it's impossible?" Ironwood asked, voice a terrifyingly neutral tone that betrayed no emotions.
"I… do not know."
"How can you not know!?" Qrow snapped, stepping forward and pointing accusingly at Jinn. "You're the embodiment of knowledge, you're supposed to help us, how can you not know!?"
"Because I do not." Jinn's voice sounded… pained, or stressed. There was more to it, a deeper feeling Pyrrha wasn't sure she understood. She didn't think she was lying, not that such was possible, and it sounded like she took no pleasure in her answer. "The being you seek is… beyond my knowledge. I'm sorry."
"That's not…" Pyrrha shook her head, maybe it was the wording of the question. Ozpin had warned her of such, that while Jinn would desire to help she would be bound to the specific way she asked it. Maybe she had asked the wrong question? "H-how do we speak with it?"
"I do not know."
"C-can we summon it?" Pyrrha asked desperately.
Jinn didn't answer this time, but that alone was enough of an answer. Pyrrha fell to her knees, tears swelling in her eyes.
"I am sorry." Jinn floated only a few feet away from her now, reaching down with a hand to rest on her cheek. "It is my duty to help Humanity… I wish I knew what it is you seek, Pyrrha Nikos, but I do not." She floated back a few feet. "As no answer has been given, no question has been used. Two yet remain in this era. Use them wisely."
The cloud wrapped around her, before dissipating back into the lamp. Jinn was gone, and they were farther away from a solution than ever before.
Author's Note: An extremely important chapter this time. Let me know what you think and if you like it or not. This specific outcome has been planned for a LONG time, but I want to know how it landed. Also the reason it's so much longer than a normal chapter. So please, be sure to review.
Sincerely, SE