Author's Note: New chapter, had to do a bit more editing than usual on it. Hopefully that means it's up to the usual standard.

The silence in Jinn's absence was deafening. Time had resumed with her returning to the lamp, and the leaves once suspended in air cascading down on them. Pyrrha had fallen to her knees and had made no effort to stand back up. They had fought for this, planned and counted on this single question being their solution; their salvation. Now they had learned defeating Salem wouldn't be so easy, if it were possible at all.

"That's it then?" Raven scoffed. "That was your masterful plan!?"

"General… we should leave." Winter said, though Pyrrha didn't miss the defeated tone of her voice. "Things are only going to get wor-"

"How did you get the Maiden powers?" Qrow drew his sword.

"Did you just plan to ask nicely and hope that someone else would fix the problem for you?" Raven asked. "Where's that conviction you were so sure of? Are you all truly so weak?"

Pyrrha shook, less at the insult and more due to the fact she was right. Looking back at the Spring Maiden, she couldn't help but notice Raven didn't look pleased by that. They hadn't come up with another plan, mostly because there was no point to it. Salem couldn't be killed and, now, they knew that wasn't something they could change. The being had said it didn't care for the happenings of their world, he had called it small, insignificant, but she had never truly believed it. If that were the case, why send her back? Why give her access to magic?

She had thought she understood the mind of a god and she had set her hope on the idea it would come to save them again; that this world wasn't quite so insignificant as it implied. After all, it was the only world she knew.

How wrong she had been.

"What do we do now?" Colonel Aurelian was perhaps the least affected, having only been told about Salem recently and presented with a quick plan to deal with her, he didn't understand just how disastrous this was. Or maybe he did, and he simply hadn't held out hope in the idea.

"Whatever you wish." Raven stated. "I'm going back to the tribe. I was a fool to think you peop-"

"How did you get your powers?" Qrow stepped towards her, Harbinger in a tight grip at his side. "What did you do to the Spring Maiden?"

"Is that really what you want to ask me!?" Raven snarled. "Here we stand in the vault of knowledge, where you could ask anything your soft little heat desires, and this is the stupid question you ask? Why I killed a pathetic little girl who was too scared to see the strength she possessed?"

"If you wanted out, why take the powers for yourself?!" Qrow snapped back, ignoring Winter's attempt to calm him as he stopped even closer to his sister. "Are you working for Salem, is that it? You changed sides because you were too much of a coward to figh-"

"I stopped her from getting the Spring Maiden ten years ago!" Raven shouted, her rage echoing off the walls and driving her brother to silence. "She was weak, afraid, and she wanted to live. Damn the cost to the rest of us. She planned to turn herself over to Salem and join her side, I tried to reason with her! When that failed… I did what I had to."

Qrow was silent for a moment, but his weapon didn't lower an inch. "Why didn't you come back? We could have helped you… we could have kept you safe."

"Kept me safe from the immortal Queen of the Grimm?" Raven mocked him. "I knew before any of you, I knew Ozpin was lying about defeating her. I knew she couldn't be killed! Why do you think Lionheart turned to her side, why do you think the Spring Maiden fled to our tribe? I was there when they asked!"

"You knew?" Qrow's voice dipped to barely a whisper. "You knew and didn't tell us? I spent my life working for him, trying to kill Salem. Summer died following Ozpin!"

Raven's shoulders were stiff, her face concealed once more by her helmet gave away nothing. "Don't blame her death on me. Don't you dare."

"Enough bickering." Ironwood stepped forward, drawing Qrow's attention away from his sister for a moment. "We have larger matters to concern ourselves with than your sibling rivalry." Qrow's face twisted in anger, but this time he listened to Winter's plea for him to calm down and he let Ironwood continue. "The Relic of Knowledge needs to be kept somewhere safe."

The General walked over towards Pyrrha, holding out his hand expectantly. He had always had a commanding presence before, his height and demeanor was something you couldn't miss in a crowd, but kneeling on the ground as she was now he towered over her even more. She couldn't tell why, but the way he looked back at her scared her. Looking into his eyes, she noted a distinctly cold feeling running up her back.

She handed him the Relic without a second thought.

"It can stay in the vault." Headmistress Tawny nodded back towards the still open landscape. "There it will be safe until we know what else to ask it."

"And just where Ozpin wants it." Raven replied gruffly. "I'll take it. The tribe will keep it safe."

"Like hell you will." Aurelian gripped the hilt of his sword. "I'll be dead and in the ground before I let that happen."

"If you take it, Salem will come for you." Winter pointed out. "The Maiden powers are useful, but they only truly serve her as a key. A Relic though? How long do you think she'll let you keep that when she finds out?"

Raven was silent as she thought, until she eventually nodded. "Use the other two questions then. That will make it useless until the next era."

"What would we ask it?" Winter waited for anyone to speak, but no one seemed to know. "If we aren't careful it will be a waste. We need to be certain the question is worth it."

"Where's Cinder?" Qrow offered. "Or what she's planning at least. We know she is involved with the fall of Beacon, that could be a good place to start."

"She may very well be planning to lay low until Salem orders her to act." Ironwood replied. "In which case we would gain very little useful information aside from removing one pawn. A pawn that is, at least for now, simply a Maiden candidate. Half of the population of Remnant could replace her."

"How do we defeat Salem?" The Headmistress offered. "If Ozpin asked how to kill her… maybe the wording was too literal."

"You honestly think that in his entire existence, he never thought to ask how to defeat her?" Raven scoffed. "He's manipulative, not an idiot. He's been doing this since before the current kingdoms stood. He's had plenty of time to ask."

"We could know anything we want… and we can't think of a single question to ask?" Colonel Aurelian sounded disappointed, but not overly surprised. "We shouldn't waste the questions on trivial things."

"Then it stays in the Vault." Raven nodded. "Where it will at least be out of Salem's reach."

"If we lock it back in the vault, we will need to contact you again to gain access." Ironwood nodded towards Raven. "Something I doubt you will gladly respond to." She didn't object, practically confirming the General's point. "It can be kept safe and accessible in Atlas."

"That's not happening either." Aurelian rounded on the General. "Atlas already has enough power without possessing two relics. Our military has secure locations where we can deposit it."

"I refuse to leave it in the care of Mistral." Ironwood replied. "Your government has already been shown to be easily manipulated."

"And you're any different, James?" Aurelian scoffed. "You get a few tips about spies and start purging your ranks. You hear about the White Fang establishing themselves in other Kingdoms and you start conducting military operations on foreign soil. Atlas has ordered more armaments in the last few months than it used during the entire Great War. I may be old, but I am not blind. I would sooner drop the Relic in the ocean than see it in Atlas."

Rather than be offended as Pyrrha might have expected, the General didn't rise to the insult. He didn't object either, a fact that she didn't know how to feel about.

"I am doing what I have to for the people under my care." Despite the words, the General's tone was terrifyingly cold. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do to keep them safe."

"That's what I'm worried about James." Aurelian said softly. "I won't let you take it."

"Then it stays here." Qrow growled, likely at the fact he was forced to agree with his sister. "The Headmistress can watch over the vault. The only person who can open it is Raven, and we're the only people who know she is the Spring Maiden."

"And if Salem ever has it, we'll know who to go after." Aurelian nodded. "It's not ideal, but it will have to work for now."

Ironwood set the Relic back beside Pyrrha. "If she does, she'll face the full might of the Atlesian Navy. Maiden powers or not, your tribe would be destroyed."

Raven scoffed. "I could have come and retrieved the Relic whenever I so wished, it would have been easy under Lionheart. If I didn't then, why would I do so now?"

Pyrrha sat through it all, letting those with authority decide what to do with it. If she knew what was best she would have offered support to one side or another, but as it was, she didn't know. She had been so certain of the General's plan before, to use the Relic and find a way to defeat Salem. Now, she didn't know what to think. She was angry, and shattered, and disappointed. The feelings mixed together until she simply didn't know what to feel any longer.

"Watch her, make sure she doesn't make the same idiotic choice the Spring Maiden did." Raven's voice dripped with disappointment and disgust. "If she's weak enough to be driven to her knees by this, who knows wh-"

"At least I didn't run from my death!" Pyrrha turned to snap at the woman, finally having settled on rage as to how she felt. "At least I didn't run like a coward!" She stood, picking up the Relic and stepping towards Raven. Qrow tried to step between them, but she pushed past him. "You learned about Salem and you ran! You left your friends and family, your daughter, because you were scared! Well we didn't run!" She threw her arm wide, gesturing to the group gathered around her. "I didn't run! Not when I was first told about Salem, not when I had the Maiden Powers forced on me, not even when I died fighting Cinder! I stayed to fight!" Pyrrha's chest heaved as she struggled to breath, her head feeling light. For a moment she thought she might fall, but that would only prove the other woman's point and so she pushed on. "I am not weak, I have never been weak! You're weak. You proved that when you ran, and you are proving that once again right now."

"You don't know the first thing about me." Raven stepped forward, her helmet only a few inches away from Pyrrha. "You don't know what I lost getting to where I am. I did what I had to do to survive, and I managed to do that because I am strong." Whether intentional or not, the Maiden powers burned from the edge of her eyes, subtly displaying a supernatural power that would have stricken fear into many.

"And yet you ran." Pyrrha was undeterred, and responded with her own magic. Not the Maiden Powers, for her eyes didn't glow, rather, her whole body was bathed in a green light as the energy crackled like lighting around her.

"Pyrrha…" Qrow cautiously stepped towards her. Whatever he had planned to say died when she looked at him. Looking between each of them, they were all nervous. Winter had grabbed her hilt, and even Ironwood had drawn his weapon.

Looking back towards Raven she allowed the magic to dissipate, the magic falling from her skin and dissipating into nothingness. She'd noticed the discrepancy with her name, though she would never come to the right conclusion herself. In the end, Pyrrha simply didn't care.

"Coward." With that final word, Pyrrha turned her back and walked towards the Vault; Relic in hand. "Run back to your tribe."

The Vault hadn't dimmed, nor had it started to slip away without the Relic there. Whatever sustained it seemed capable of doing so without the Lamp residing in the Vault, or maybe that was simply due to the fact they had only taken it for a short time. Maybe if they kept it out the land would start to actually decay, until nothing was left. Whatever the answer, Pyrrha would likely never know.

So far away from the others and with her back turned, she allowed the tears she had been fighting back to fall. The anger was still there, anger at Raven for being a coward, anger at the Gods for setting such an impossible task, and anger at the being who'd brought her back for abandoning her on a doomed planet.

It wasn't fair but, as she had been told and shown time and time again, life never was.

Winter walked silently beside General Ironwood as he gave orders to the few men he had brought with him from Atlas, Qrow and Pyrrha only a few feet behind her in complete silence. The argument over the Relic had been the last they spoke, Raven having taken her subordinate and left immediately after. Colonel Aurelian and Headmistress Tawny had retreated to her office to discuss matters of Mistral. To what extent they hadn't said, and the hostility they felt had been evident, but expected. They were all of them shocked, and apparently suffering from the residual effects of the Relic. The revelation had affected them all in different ways, many of those present having been a part of the war against Salem for longer than Winter had been a legal adult.

The General hadn't seemed to care, which worried her greatly. He had been remarkably silent since Jinn had confirmed their mission was a failure. He'd spoken when necessary, but otherwise remained distant, cold. The smile he had worn upon arrival gone as they made their way back towards the ship he had arrived on.

Usually, he would have stayed to help Qrow and Pyrrha settle in, knowing that they were unfamiliar with the ship and confused by what to do next. He didn't however, nor did he order anyone else to. Instead, he had left for the bridge to prepare for their departure. Winter took it upon herself to help them in his stead.

"The General was in a hurry, so he was forced to take a small cruiser. While that means our trip back to Vale will be quick, I'm afraid it doesn't have much in the way of comfort. He brought a small crew however, so we are not lacking for space." Winter gestured towards a small doorway in the hall. "Amber, this will have to suffice. If you need anything my room is onl-" Pyrrha disappeared into the room before she could finish, closing the door and leaving her standing with Qrow.

"Honestly, that went better than expected." Qrow tried to smirk, but it was clearly strained as it lacked his usual sarcasm.

"In what way was that better?" Winter turned to head further down the hall, trusting Qrow to follow after her as she rounded a corner.

"No tears or angry shouting." He replied. "Those are usually the worst."

"I assure you she is simply putting on a brave face." Winter checked around the hall, looking for anyone watching. While it was true the ship had a very limited crew, there was no reason to be sloppy. When she verified the coast was clear, she allowed her own mask to slip away as they finally approached the next available room. Conveniently, located right next to hers. "This… wasn't how things were supposed to go."

"Yeah…" Qrow's voice was low. "I don't think anyone walked away from that happy."

"This war might very well be impossible to win." Winter forced herself to remain calm, an act that took monumental effort. Even still, her hand shook slightly. "What if we can't win? What if these really are our last days and we spend them fighting off the inevitable?"

"You don't believe that." Qrow said simply, the easy confidence in that statement forcing her to look up. "Nothing is inevitable, and even if it were, that wouldn't stop you."

"You think so highly of me?" Winter asked.

Qrow smirked. "You're too stubborn for anything less." The two of them laughed. It was strained and far too short lived, but it was genuine and for that he had her thanks.

"This isn't… I don't think…" Winter struggled to find the correct words to use, her face and neck warming up even as she looked away. "I don't think this is the best time to be alone."

"Oh?" Qrow said and even though she wasn't looking at him, Winter could tell his smirk had grown to insufferable levels of smugness. "And how did you plan to keep me occupied? Card games?" Winter glared at him, blushing growing even darker as he laughed. "I'll be waiting, but you aren't wrong. Now isn't the best time to be alone… James needs someone to talk him down and Pyrrha needs someone to lift her spirits."

"And you plan to do that?" Winter forced a smile on her face. "How generous of you. Tell me, does this plan involve literal spirits?"

"No, I gave that up for you, remember?" Qrow chuckled softly, stepping away from the doorway and turning back towards Pyrrha's room; thankfully blocking his vision of her near nosebleed, inducing embarrassment. "Talk to James, I'll talk with Pyrrha."

And then he was gone a moment later, disappearing around the corner in the direction of another girls room. A cheesy romantic novel might demand she feel upset by that fact, instead she set off towards the command deck. Qrow was putting on a brave face, just as she had been, but he was as upset by this turn of events as the rest of them. Despite that, he was comforting a friend in need, one of the many things she was quickly realizing she respected about him.

He would help Pyrrha, or at the very least offer her a shoulder to cry on. It was staggeringly easy to forget just how young the girl was sometimes. The events of her life had shaped her into a mature and disciplined woman mature and disciplined beyond her years. Something Winter resonated with. At her core though, Pyrrha was still young and inexperienced. While she had known defeat in a way few had, she hadn't had time to come to terms with the simple fact that war was filled with defeats and victories, and each usually felt like it outweighed the last. It would be so easy for her to blame herself, Qrow would help her see past that..

That just left her with General Ironwood, the most powerful man in the world, and her superior officer. The bridge was nearly deserted when she arrived, the few technicians or officers still working there doing so with an unusual amount of attention to their terminals and tasks. None dared look at her as she entered, nor did any approach the General.

As for her superior, his back was turned towards the main entrance, facing the large window that afforded an excellent view of the cruiser's main deck. In times of battle it would offer a good vantage for the captain to direct fireteams and landing craft, when at peace it offered a good view that made one feel small.

He spared it little thought, mind set on whatever task he was currently taking care of. A scroll lifted to his ear as he spoke.

"-uphold our end of the deal." He saw her approach and waved for her to wait until he was finished. The call didn't last long, though she couldn't make out many of the details. She took that time to dismiss the remaining crew. The ship was currently departing and so they would have some time before they needed to be present. Privacy would be necessary. "Specialist Schnee, I trust you sent the crew away for good reason?"

"I did, sir." Winter snapped to attention. He had often insisted such was not necessary of her, that the two of them had been through enough and shared a mutual respect that made such unwarranted, despite that she had always made the effort. He didn't tell her to relax this time however. "With the Lamp a failure, what is our next course of action?"

"Consolidation." The General turned back around to look out the window once more. "We'll continue the tribunals in Atlas, remove any risks from our ranks, and consolidate those we can trust. Then move against her agents wherever they appear."

"Those who pose risks, sir?" Winter stepped beside him, looking at his reflection in the glass.

"Vulnerabilities in our defense, weak links in the chain that threaten the whole of Atlas." He explained. "Anyone who might work for our enemy and betray our trust."

"The Faunus?"

"Those with potential sympathies to the White Fang." The General nodded.

"Then are you sure you should do it as you are?" Winter locked eyes with the General's reflection. "We both know you can't think properly when you are using your Semblance."

"I will need the added focus." Ironwood didn't back down. "Given what has happened, I can't afford to get distracted."

"Processing a failed mission isn't getting distracted, sir." Winter didn't back down either, holding her ground in the face of the man she had served for years. "You once said you viewed your Semblance as a burden only to be used in the worst of times… are we already so far gone?"

"You may be right…" The General's reflection looked back at her, but she could see the light return to his eyes, and with it, doubt. "I've lost enough as it is."

"You'll do the right things sir, you always have." Winter nodded.

"The plan stays the same but…" Ironwood turned to look at her. "Take some time off. We could all use a rest after what has happened." Stepping away from the glass, he moved towards the door. "I'm sure Qrow would appreciate it."

Winter smiled despite her embarrassment. She had nothing but respect for the General, but his Semblance… it was unsettling, even to her. The differences were subtle, but one could see the lack of emotion in his eyes if they truly looked. It didn't fit him, despite how he was sometimes painted as an emotionless machine, his biggest problem had never been not caring enough.

"I want to be alone, Qrow." Pyrrha made no move to get out of her small bed. She just wanted to sleep, to forget that this day had ever happened, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Yeah, and I want a Semblance that isn't a pain in my ass." Qrow snorted, pushing through the doorway without care, ignoring the halfhearted glare Pyrrha sent his way. "We don't always get what we want." He sat down on a bed across from her. "Let's talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." Pyrrha sighed, turning over so that he was facing her back. "We got our answer… we failed."

"We didn't fail." Qrow stressed the importance of the word, causing Pyrrha to flinch. "The Gods failed, or Jinn did at least."

"We only made this plan because of me." Pyrrha whispered. "I gave everyone hope… and it was all for nothing."

"Don't ever hate yourself for giving people hope." Qrow's voice was firm as he spoke, but oddly gentle as well. "There's far too few people like that in the world as it is for you to go blaming yourself. Did you know this would happen?"

Pyrrha chuckled bitterly. "That the Relic of Knowledge wouldn't have an answer? How could I?"

"Exactly." Qrow stated. "Jinn didn't know, and she draws her powers directly from the Gods. Or at least the God of Light. Which means he probably doesn't know either."

"Gods are confusing." Pyrrha sighed. "But I know what you're trying to do."

"Yeah, I'm trying to help a friend not feel like shit." Qrow said matter-of-factly. The bluntness of it should have shocked her but it didn't, it reminded her too much of Yang to do that. "Especially when it's not her fault to begin with. You've come farther than anyone, gone through things only Ozpin can relate to, you were banking on this more than anyone else… I'm sorry it didn't work."

Pyrrha sat up, turning to look at Qrow as she brought her knees to her chest. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Qrow shook his head. "I'm just a Huntsman… But whatever they decide, I know they'll be counting on me to be there." He stood from the bed he had been sitting on and walked over to sit beside her. "And I know you'll be there right beside us. There's still bad guys to beat, and they aren't all magically powered, immortal, demi-gods."

Pyrrha chuckled, wiping at her eyes as she nodded. "You're right, you're right. I'm just…"

"Give it time." Qrow insisted. "This… we can't kill Salem. We all went through that revelation once… now we just have to do it again." Standing, he moved towards the door. "I'll be in Winter's room, third door on the right past the corner. If you need us, come get us." He opened the door, pausing just before it closed behind him, giving her just enough space to see the smug smirk on his face. "Maybe knock first though."

Pyrrha blushed softly and laughed awkwardly, before pulling up her scroll. There were a few messages from Coco and Velvet saying that they needed to talk about something but that it could wait. She thought about calling them but decided against it. She felt like a mess and she didn't want to use them just to make herself feel better. It wouldn't take them long to get back to Vale.

Hopefully by then she would have been able to come to terms with the fact they couldn't win.

Author's Note: I'm glad to see people enjoyed the last chapter and that it made sense to everyone. I predict a few questions about this one though, specifically regarding the Relic, but I'll respond to these as necessary in either PM's or next chapter.

In other news, I have started work on the commission story I mentioned a while back. I won't give any details on it but it's a fairly interesting idea and one that I am looking forward to posting. That being said, I am going to try and get some ground in it before I do, so don't expect anything anytime soon. If anyone else is interested in some work let me know over PM's, I'm always willing to at least listen to an idea, I just make no promises of accepting.

As for the chapter, be sure to let me know what you think. Like it or hate it, it helps me to improve.

Sincerely, SE