Author's Note: Skipped last week because I have become addicted to Mount and Blade for the last two weeks. Plus, I have been tempted to switch to an every other week upload, so we shall see how well this chapter does.

Enjoy.

Ozpin held the blade before him, hilt in his right hand as his left ran down the blade much as he'd been doing for the last fifteen minutes. Pyrrha had sat down after the first five had passed in which her questions went unanswered. It was difficult to tell whether the Headmaster was worried or not by what she had brought him, but he certainly seemed intrigued. The green glow emanating from his hands made it clear he was doing more than simply looking at the blade however, and, knowing just how strenuous Magic could be, she had elected to save her question until after he was done.

"It's quite intriguing." Ozpin said suddenly. "I haven't seen something like this since before the Gods left." He set the blade down almost gently, as if the ice hadn't only a few minutes ago been matching blow for blow against Dust treated steel.

"I thought that the Schnee Semblance allowed them to summon and make things?" Pyrrha asked, recalling the short explanation she had once received from Weiss and her own observations fighting beside Winter. "Is this really all that different?"

"I've encountered a few Semblances that can achieve similar feats." The Headmaster nodded, taking his seat with a heavy sigh, rather than one of stress or frustration however, Pyrrha thought it felt more like exhaustion. "This is different, it is structured the same as metal, on a molecular level, and yet it is not. It has all of the properties of metal, and yet it is made out of water, and yet it does not melt or even chip when faced with a real weapon. You summoned it almost instantly, and with no true idea of how you managed it." The Headmaster smiled. "That is what makes this so different. Any one of those could be a Semblance, or at least achieved by the use of Dust, and yet you did so without it. Recount the details to me again."

Pyrrha sighed internally, she'd already told the story to him twice now, but she did as asked. By the time she had finished, giving an extra focus to what had led up to the moment she summoned the blade, the Headmaster's face wore a rare look of excitement.

"Intent based, you desired a weapon with which Mr. Arc could protect himself, one stronger than steel and yet lighter." The Headmaster nodded, seemingly happy with the conclusion he had finally come to. "You created a Magical Construct."

Pyrrha waited for something more, anything that would actually explain what that meant, when he didn't go on she nearly fell out of her chair. "What is a Magical Construct?"

He almost seemed surprised that she didn't understand. "Exactly what it sounds like, something constructed from Magic." The Headmaster must have noticed her less than impressed expression, because he chuckled softly before continuing on. "Something built from Magic is not bound by the laws of our physical world. You created what should have been a new metal, one that may have been discovered in a lab in due time, but rather it is now made out of ice because that is simply the element your mind chose in the moment." Ozpin hummed softly. "Or perhaps you associated it with him in some way… The subconscious is a difficult thing to understand, but the results speak for themselves."

"But…" Pyrrha shook her head softly, focusing on how she had done it rather than why it had been made from ice; a fact that honestly seemed unimportant given the feat she had accomplished. "I thought you said that Magic couldn't be controlled by emotion?"

"I said that it shouldn't." Ozpin corrected, leaning down to a drawer on his desk before drawing out a mug that he set beside his own and a thermos. "That you managed to summon a sword instead of an arctic blast that both killed you and plummeted Vale into an ice age is a mix of luck, inexperience, and a side effect of your personality."

Pyrrha paled, that had really been a possibility? She knew Magic was powerful and dangerous but… to be able to destroy an entire Kingdom? Surely he was exaggerating.

"Your tendency to hyper-focus on an issue has played into our favor this time, however. You wanted nothing more than what you created." The Headmaster slid the new mug across the table for her, before refilling his own. "Emotion can achieve what it is we desire, but it does so without the bounds of our control. If a stray thought enters your mind, maybe that you wished to protect Mr. Arc forever, then you may encase him in an indestructible ice if you do not know how to combat something like that."

Pyrrha took the mug, and neither her nor the Headmaster missed how it shook as she lifted it from the table. She hadn't ever thought it so easily influenced, and the prospect of accidentally hurting those she cared about because she couldn't control it was terrifying. .

"It is for that reason we have spent our training focusing on internal uses of Magic." Ozpin held his mug up to his lips to drink before continuing. "Despite Magic's power, it is also limited in its capability to hurt the user."

"In Mistral, when I first used my Magic…" Pyrrha winced at the mere memory of the pain. "I don't think my Magic cared about hurting me then."

"Limited, not entirely prevented." The Headmaster nodded. "Think of it as the part of your brain that knows your limits, and it knows when not to push harder for fear of breaking your body. It is fully possible for someone to bite their own finger off with relative ease, and yet attempting such is quite difficult. That was your first use of Magic, and such is often more… more explosive than we would like. Sometimes literally, sometimes not. In your case, it was the former."

"So I can't hurt myself so long as I stick to using it on myself?" Pyrrha asked hesitantly.

"You are less likely too." Ozpin corrected, finishing off his mug before setting it down to refill it. Pyrrha hadn't even touched hers and she quickly set about rectifying that. The bitter taste helped to distract her from the danger of what she had done. "Do not let this stop you, I will add this to your lessons and we will make sure that the next time you are capable of overriding your subconscious thoughts with your intent. It is both easier and more difficult than you would think, but in time it will become second nature. Magic is not what people often see in the media, it is rarely easy and it is certainly never safe. It takes hard work, but the pay off is unlike anything else."

Pyrrha nodded, Magic was terrifying, she agreed, and yet also exciting. The idea that she could summon weapons on the spot was incredibly tempting, but beyond that, could she eventually do something more than that? The possibilities felt endless, and as she felt the same sense of curiosity she had felt in Atlas swell within her, another thought occurred to her.

"How is this any different than the Relic in Atlas?" Creation was capable of creating anything, so long as they could explain it, but it was only capable of doing one thing at a time. Pyrrha didn't know if she would be kept to the same limitation or not yet, but Ozpin hadn't made any mention of it, and so she was inclined to think not. If that was the case, wasn't she better than the Relic?

The Headmaster laughed warmly as she explained her thoughts, much as she felt a father did when a child asked a question that was filled with just a bit too much confidence.

"While powerful, Magic is not capable of the same accomplishments of the Relic. Creation quite literally makes something from nothing more than thought, your creation took a great deal of Magical Energy, whether you noticed it or not, and that was for a simple sword." Ozpin explained. "The Relics were also created after Magic had been removed from the world, meaning the two have rarely interacted. In truth, the Relics themselves likely aren't Magic as we know it, but something else entirely. Fractions of godly power that have been bestowed upon us."

"So it's more limited." Pyrrha slumped in her chair slightly, trying not to let her disappointment show.

The Headmaster could only smile. "More limited, yes, but not useless. Keep in mind that I was able to create the four Vaults around the same time as each other. You will one day be capable of much the same."

Pyrrha returned his smile. One day, but not today. If she could help it, she wasn't going to even try to summon something until after several lessons on the topic. While he may have exaggerated, the idea of hurting those around her was simply too great.

"In time you will be able to do for others what I did for Qrow." Ozpin sat back in his chair, smiling all the while. "Only after we are sure that it won't take the same toll on you that it did on me, of course."

"I thought you said that it took a great amount of effort to grant someone the ability to transform?"

"A great effort of an already diminished Mage." Ozpin nodded, before holding his hand up to gesture at her. "You are not so diminished. You are actually stronger than I ever was, thanks to the power of the Maiden flowing through you. That may give you more energy to work with."

The idea was nice, even if she wasn't entirely proud of the fact that he was essentially calling her special. She'd always hated being signaled out, but here, and given the circumstances, she felt it might be okay to take some pride in it, so long as she put forth the effort to capitalize on it. Her happiness was short lived however, as another far more daunting thought occurred to her.

"That will take years, won't it?" Pyrrha swallowed hard, looking down into her coffee cup.

Ozpin sighed, drawing her eyes back up to the man. He was tired, that much was obvious, but it wasn't just physical or even due to his use of Magic a few minutes ago. This exhaustion ran deeper, she could see it in his eyes; usually so critical and observing, yet now they seemed almost hazy. He nodded softly.

It was time they didn't have, at least not before Cinder struck. Her Magic would be useful, that much she knew, but they didn't have time to teach her everything they needed her to be able to do. It wouldn't be enough to prevent what was set to happen in only a matter of months.

"We have been living on borrowed time for decades now, and I am afraid that I see no easy path to victory, we are in a precarious position." Ozpin said simply, though his voice was calm, the way he quickly reached for his mug betrayed his true thoughts on the matter; that he was allowing the cracks to show at all, Pyrrha took it as a sign of trust and she listened quietly. "Peter's generation are few in number, either due to retirement or the toll of the job. They will only be with us for a few more years. Qrow and Bart's generation never recovered from the Mountain Glenn disaster, nor the difficult years that followed. Glynda's own never saw the same number of volunteers due to the disaster, few wanted to shoulder that burden and those that did have felt the strain. Recruitment has been low for sometime now. We are running out of Huntsmen, and the few we have are sorely underappreciated by the very people they protect."

Pyrrha had never considered that fact, though as he pointed it out it was difficult to miss. Her classes, the few she had taken in her early years before she had been given private lessons, had been full of aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses, but their teachers had always been limited in number. She hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but as she had grown older she had thought it was because of a poor education system set up by the Council in Mistral. She hadn't ever considered that they were simply needed elsewhere because there weren't enough. Lionheart's own involvement certainly exacerbated the issue, making it far worse in Mistral than it was in Vale, but if what the Headmaster was saying was true, it was a problem for all of Remnant. Qrow had taken her to a Huntsmen bar in Vale, he'd even pointed out how it was pretty much exclusive to those in their profession, had that been part of the same problem? People no longer trusted their defenders, or that was what the Headmaster was implying at least.

Pyrrha watched her coffee shift in her mug as her hand shook. Were there really so many faults in the system? So many things she had been completely blind to?

"There is hope however." Ozpin said firmly, drawing her eyes back up to him. "Your generation is different, and they seem willing and able to pick up the slack of those that came before. It's a resurgence I had feared may never come, but it has, now we must simply weather the storm long enough for it to pay off."

"Yes sir." Pyrrha nodded eagerly, setting her resolve. She desperately wanted to believe things would get better, and the way he spoke gave her that hope. Ozpin had seen all of Human history. Every war, dark age, and fallen kingdom he had interacted with in some capacity. He knew what to look for, and if he said there was still hope, then she would believe him.

"We shall say your Semblance is related to heat."

"Huh?" Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion, the serious tone and atmosphere almost melting away as the Headmaster stood from his chair suddenly.

"You said that Miss Schnee had asked about the nature of your Semblance, that it is capable of so many different abilities." The Headmaster reminded her of the first thing she had brought up upon her arrival to his office, that her cover was slowly falling apart. He had smirked, said they hadn't done a very good job of hiding it - much to her embarrassment - and that he would think of something to help her hide her Magic under the guise of a Semblance. She'd honestly forgotten about it after the roller coaster that had been their conversation since she arrived. "Tell her it is related to some kind of control over heat. That should explain the fire and ice, and even the flying if they ever see you using it."

"Understood." Pyrrha nodded her head, it beat any explanation she had come up with so far, there was just one small problem with it. She looked back towards the frozen sword on his desk. "How would heat make that?"

Ozpin blinked, looking down at it with a thoughtful expression. "I have no idea." He looked back up to her. "Play into that, tell them we are still trying to figure it out. You would be surprised how rarely people jump to the correct conclusion, Magic is impossible after all, so it couldn't ever be that." Ozpin smiled, the exhaustion and concerning signs of his long life disappearing entirely behind that enigmatic smile few rarely ever saw past. He was good at hiding his thoughts and pain when he wanted to, something Pyrrha could relate to and so she refrained from commenting on it. He picked the sword up and gestured for her to take it.

She stood from her chair, setting her empty mug down on his desk before taking the sword and stepping back.

"Thank you for your time, sir." Pyrrha said. "When will our next lesson be?"

"Collect Miss Polendina and meet me in the forest in three hours." He replied, paused, and then quickly added. "And go ahead and invite Team CFVY. They would simply follow after you if you didn't."

Pyrrha blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, smiling awkwardly as she couldn't offer any real defense of her friends. She trusted Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi to stay back, but Coco… well, the Headmaster had said to invite them, so it didn't matter.

"I will be there sir." Pyrrha nodded.

"There is no need for such formality." He insisted. "You have been spending far too much time with the General."

"Sorry." Pyrrha's face heated up a little bit more, but she quickly hurried over to the elevator before waving goodbye. Three hours may have seemed like a long time, but she still had to return Jaune's sword and collect her friends for the sudden training session. While she was sure Coco would complain, she would also be the one watching the closest. She always watched the closest when she trained, though whether that was out of interest in the Magic or concern Pyrrha might over stress herself, Pyrrha wasn't certain.

The elevator reached the ground floor and Pyrrha stepped out with the intention of heading off towards Team RWAN's dorm, what she didn't expect was to see Winter walking through the halls with a scowl capable of freezing a Nevermore. While the woman was far from friendly, Pyrrha knew she didn't take pride from intimidating people, rather it was simply a side effect of her drive, something Pyrrha greatly admired about the Specialist. She was also self aware enough to tone that down when in the School itself, knowing that Beacon was far different from Atlas. That usual self awareness was nowhere to be seen however, as Winter stalked past Teams of students that rushed to get out of her way. To add to the threatening presence, Winter had her sword drawn, though she did refrain from holding it out as if she was preparing to fight, rather she held the hilt in a reverse grip at her side.

"Wi-Specialist Schnee!" Pyrrha shouted, only just remembering that they weren't in private and as such she likely wouldn't appreciate the familiarity of using her first name.

Winter stopped, turned to see her and drew back her scowl, seemingly taking in her surroundings for the first time. She straightened her back and allowed her expression to shift to something more akin to a natural indifference, though for those that knew her it was practically a smile.

"Amber." Winter replied, using her borrowed name without so much as a pause. "Would you care to walk with me?" She gestured down the hall in the direction of the dorms assigned to the Atlesian contingent that had been assigned to Beacon. Most had already departed for the General's ship when he arrived, but Winter and a few others had stayed behind.

"Of course." Pyrrha nodded and followed along. She waited until they were out of the main halls, the two stepping onto the pathway that led towards the dorms, before asking any questions. "I hope your day has been well." Winter didn't glare at Pyrrha, nor did she really change her facial expression at all, but the way her eyes met Pyrrha's had the girl wincing. "Heh, sorry."

Winter's eyes shifted over Pyrrha's head, checking the immediate area around them for any outside observers before she sighed and allowed herself to relax; even if her definition of relaxing was limited to a slight dip in her shoulders and her head not being angled quite so perfectly. "I was tasked with investigating the tunnels connecting to Mountain Glenn for White Fang Presence."

"Did you find anything?" Pyrrha felt fairly confident Winter would have led with any information if she had found any, but she couldn't help but ask.

"No." Winter replied in a clipped tone that Pyrrha had come to know meant she was frustrated. "Did you know that Vale and Mountain Glenn were supposed to be connected with no less than four main lines? Each diverging into half a dozen smaller lines that spread throughout the city. Most were never finished, but each is a prime candidate for how the White Fang have been getting in and out of the city."

"What makes you think they are using these tunnels and not the main one from the Breach?" Pyrrha asked. "I thought that kind of work took the White Fang months, they wouldn't have had the time since I returned to change that, would they?"

"It is likely the location of the Breach was but the final tunnel." Winter answered quietly. "It once served as the main connection between the two cities, and as such is the largest tunnel, but Vale never managed to crack down on the rise in crime following the disaster. It is likely these tunnels remained open for smuggling things in and out of the city without the border guards ever knowing. That would explain how the White Fang managed to move men, supplies, and the Paladins in and out of the city unnoticed."

Pyrrha nodded, she supposed it made sense. "So you managed to knock one tunnel off the list?"

Winter shook her head. "We only scouted them out, no men were sent into the tunnels themselves, rather we observed what we believe to be the exit and entrance points outside the city walls."

"Why not go in?" Pyrrha asked. "Wouldn't it be better to start eliminating possible weak points now? Before the festival?"

"Ideally, yes, however we do not yet know how many are tied to the White Fang and how many are simply under the control of the city's criminal enterprises." Winter gestured for the pair to sit on a nearby bench, one that was isolated enough to allow them to see anyone who approached. "While the General wishes to aid the city, it is not our place to fix every single problem the city has. We are here to battle the White Fang and the forces that stand against us, and the Council is already upset enough with us as it is."

Pyrrha's confusion must have been clear, because Winter's lips tugged upwards the slightest amount. "It would be just like you to not notice, forgive me, I sometimes forget that you are not quite so attuned to the political climate of your surroundings. The Council here is displeased with our inability to find a culprit for the assassination of Councilmen Greenwood, among many other petty issues."

"Atlas is leading the investigation?" Pyrrha asked.

"I am." Winter corrected. "At least, whenever I have the time to spare. In truth it is Qrow and I taking turns looking through the reports from the local law enforcement at night when we have a moment to ourselves."

Pyrrha felt something twist behind her, though wherever it was wasn't close enough to actually touch her. The fact she could feel it at all made the sensation all the more complicated, but it gave her the warning she needed to start turning, just in time to see Qrow appear behind them. "That's one thing we do at night anyways." The suddenness of it caused Winter to sit up straighter, before she realized who it was and she slouched once more, glaring at the man as he circled around to stand in front of them.

"Must you use that ability for such childish antics?" Winter rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"Got to keep you girls on your toes." Qrow responded, sitting down on the path way in front of them so that he looked up at them. "Besides, it might not be too much longer before you can do the same thing."

Winter waited a few seconds, glaring down at the grown man sitting on the floor, before coming to the conclusion he wasn't going to get up and sit on the bench like an adult. "What do you mean?"

"Just got done reporting back to Ozpin, stopped to chat a bit before heading out." Qrow replied. "Turns out he's pretty sure our little mage here can replicate the whole magical transformation thing."

Winter turned towards Pyrrha, raising one eyebrow in question, asking for her to confirm what Qrow was saying. "Eventually it might be an option."

"Whatever Qrow tells you to turn me into, don't listen to him." Winter said instantly.

"Aw come one, I think you'd make an adorable dove." Qrow joked back.

"Really, that's the most creative you can get?" Winter looked down at him, seemingly unimpressed. "Just because my hair is white does not mean I-."

"I was actually thinking it's because everyone always thinks of doves as graceful, symbols of peace, and whatnot." Qrow shrugged. "Despite the thorns, you fit that description decently well."

Winter coughed into her fist, hiding her face behind it. Pyrrha was fairly certain she saw a tinge of red however, despite her best efforts. "I think that bird brain of yours is affecting your interests."

"I thought you were heading back to the room to change?" Qrow quickly pivoted away from the topic, though, judging by the familiar look in his eye, it was more because he had already gotten what he wanted rather than for Winter's benefit. He gestured down towards the woman's feet.

Pyrrha turned towards her, and where Qrow had pointed specifically. Winter's right foot was covered in mud halfway up her shin.

"Did something happen?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow smirked. "She stepped in a puddle that was about three times deeper than it should have been. Also broke her belt loop, hence why she's carrying her sword around rather than sheathing it. Her pants got caught on a branch an-"

"I was distracted." Winter replied sternly, cutting Qrow off before he could say anything more. "Thank you for pointing it out." The cold tone of her voice made it clear that she was anything but thankful. "You are sleeping on th-" Winter's words were cut off as a large shadow seemed to loom over them. Pyrrha had at first thought that it was a cloud, but as it quickly passed and as she looked up, she realized it was anything but.

Amity Colosseum had once been an inspiring sight to behold, but now it served as little more than a reminder of what was to come. That foreboding feeling wasn't anything new however, every little thing that she saw that hinted at the festival was a sign of things to come for her. Posters and advertisements, or even just the student body of Beacon talking about the exchange students that would be joining them before too much longer. It all reminded her of the task ahead, of how things had changed. Far worse was the feeling in her chest at the fleet that escorted it. Things hadn't been so different in her own time, General Ironwood bringing a rather large contingent of Soldiers to Vale in preparation of things to come. After the Breach he and even doubled his security detail, though exactly when those new ships had arrived she couldn't recall. This was different however, this was so much greater.

"That must be half the fleet." Winter said quietly, seemingly just as startled as she was. "A security detail was assigned to escort Amity here but… this many?" She looked at Pyrrha for a moment.

"What the hell is James doing?" Qrow finally stood from the pathway. "Doesn't he know how this is going to look?"

"It… I'm sure he has his reasons." Winter tried to defend the man, but it was clear she hadn't been consulted and was just as opposed to the idea as Qrow.

"They better be damn good ones." Qrow nodded over towards the main entrance of Beacon, where Ozpin had exited only a few comments ago, his path set for the General's docked ship down at the landing pads.

Winter sighed and stood. "I had better get changed, I suspect we shall be summoned shortly. Pyrrha." Winter nodded, stepping off towards the dorms at a fast walk. Qrow followed after, shoving his hands in his pockets with a forcefulness that wasn't entirely necessary.

That left Pyrrha alone to watch as the fleet took a defensive position outside the city, well within Beacon's airspace. Dozens of smaller ships seemed to buzz around the larger Atlesian Battleships, several moving towards the Generals command ship. Amity would be protected, that much was obvious, but as the Soldiers began to land and disembark, Pyrrha couldn't help but remember what Colonel Aurelian had said to the General during the award ceremony after their apparent victory over the White Fang.

"Think about how your actions look to the rest of us."

She hadn't put much thought into it, and in truth she had forgotten about it, but now it had come back and was foremost in her mind. Atlas had brought an army to Vale, then it had brought reinforcements with Amity. Pyrrha swallowed hard, if what Winter said about the Council being upset with how things had been going so far, she knew they weren't going to like this.

Author's Note: I may have gotten a little too into explaining Magical Constructs, and the differences between Magic and the Relic, and the state of Huntsmen in Vale, and a few other recap details that I am hopeful people still remember. A few more call backs to certain events throughout the story than I normally do, some of which were a bit more minor and took place a while back.

One idea I saw a long time ago in a story by an author named Kat-2V, was that Huntsmen have a job shortage. It's an idea I find really interesting, and that author did a fantastic job of world building RWBY into being more than just what we see in the show, something I have often struggled to do. Personally, I think they actually do it a bit better than Couer at times, which, if you are active on the website, is really saying something. Highly encourage you to check their work out if you haven't.

At any rate, if you don't, let me know that way I can make sure to better plot that out for future stories. I look forward to the reviews.

Sincerely, SE