A/N: Team PASM is on the road to recovery, including Akira. There's still a lot for them to overcome, but we all know they'll pull through. Selena had some sense knocked into her and Patrick is about to face a dark truth about the "voice in his head" and the "witch in his mind".

Chapter 55: Lost

"Watch out! Here comes a big one!"

Selena lets out a big splash towards Marlene.

"Oh, you're gonna get it now."

Marlene returns that splash with one of her own.

Nearly two weeks passed, and by the time Teams PASM, minus Akira, and CPER, and Marina and Mashika were discharged from Atlas, Summer Vacation had begun. They were upset cause that meant they had missed the final period as well as the final exams of Beacon Academy. However, Professor Ozpin claims that given the difficult situation they were put through with Patrick's Grimm Rage and Salem controlling him, they will receive a pass and will become second years upon return to Beacon.

And after everything that has happened, they all deserve a vacation.

Everyone is enjoying their time at a public beach.

Selena and Marlene are in the water having a splash fight. Earnest is playing volleyball with a bunch of other people. Peter is pretty much occupied with his battle against Clawdia, who is mounted on his back pulling both of his ears aggressively to prevent him from having his enjoyment of girls in swimsuits. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Claws! Enough! Ow! Ow! I swear! Ow! Ow! I'm not! Ow! Fantasizing!"

Marina is watching everyone having the time of their lives and laughs in amusement. "Oh, how nice it is to be young."

"I agree. Even though they are warriors, they are still children." Mashika says. Mashika looks up to the sky, hovering her hand over her eyes to block the sunlight. "It is a gorgeous day."

"I agree. Not a single cloud in the sky." Rayla says as she looks at the sky.

Even though Marina is discharged, her physical state is still weakened. She has been grounded in a wheelchair, unknown when or if she'll ever be fully recovered. Such a price to pay for pushing herself into a storm of unstable dark magic and enduring Salem's attacks.

The three of them turn their attention to Patrick, who is just lying in the shade, staring at the umbrella over him. "Is he doing okay?" Rayla asks.

"He's been quiet ever since that meeting he had with Ironwood." Marina says.

Mashika just looks at him. She has a very good idea of what it is that's bothering him. "I'm sure he's just thinking. He's been through a lot, he's trying to piece everything together." They don't say anything else until Mashika changes the subject. "You two wanna get a cold drink?"

"That be nice." Marina says, and Rayla agrees. Mashika starts heading towards the beach cafe, and Rayla follows as she pushes Marina.

Patrick is lost in thought as Mashika predicts. The only thing that's in his mind, replaying over and over again, is that meeting.

Flashback

"Are you kidding me?"

Patrick is in the office back in Atlas with Ironwood, Mashika, Qrow and a hologram of Ozpin are telling Patrick the world's darkest truth.

"I wish we were, love, but it's the truth." Mashika says.

"Indeed." Ozpin says. "That witch you faced, she is a real being. An ancient evil we headmasters and huntsman have been facing for centuries. Her name is Salem."

"Salem?" Patrick says.

"Indeed. And that connection you had with her, it is because she has the power to control the Grimm." Ironwood says.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Patrick says. "I never once had that...being in my head until recently."

"We've wondered about that as well." Qrow says. "But our guess is that in your whole life, you were nothing but human, even though you were still a Grimm hybrid. But when you went berserk on your little encounterment a while back, it must have fully awakened your Grimm nature, opening a door for Salem to enter."

"It must also be because of your human nature that it made it difficult for her to control you, much like how you became immune to our Semblance Charms and the Apathy's wails. Which must be why Salem must have been resorting to manipulating you with your own guilt and despair." Mashika says.

"If she had broken my spirit, I would have been left an empty vessel for her to possess. Makes sense." Patrick says.

"But there's more to it, Mr. Aki." Ozpin says. "Salem is not the only one who is ancient to the world."

Patrick is suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"You see, I am not what I appear to be." Ozpin says. "The truth is, I am actually a combination of the souls of past warriors and huntsman. I have been around ever since humanity first came to this world."

"Are you messing with me, Ozpin? You are..." Patrick suddenly pauses. He then remembers the first day in Beacon, when Ozpin gave out his speech to the newcomers. He felt there was something off about him, and he couldn't figure out what it was. "No...I get it."

"Trust me, kid, it's pretty hard to swallow. But it's all true." Qrow takes a drink before continuing to speak. "Oz's been around for so long, pretty during the period when humanity began. So you can believe both him and I when we tell you the true nature of this world."

Patrick stands and listens, as does Mashika.

Qrow tells them the story of how the world begins. The world was a lovely experiment for the two Gods: The God of Light and the God of Darkness. They were not only Gods, but they were brothers. During the day, the God of Light created life, during the night, the God of Darkness created destruction. Soon enough, Darkness grew sick of his brother's creations and made something that would share his innate desire to destroy anything and everything.

"The Creatures of Grimm." Patrick says.

"You guessed it." Qrow says.

Light had enough. They ended their feud by making one final creation together. A being that would have the power to create and destroy, given the gift of knowledge to learn about itself and the world around it, and above all else, given the power to choose. To take everything it had learned and choose which path to take: The Path of Light and the Path of Darkness.

"And that is how humanity came to be." Ozpin says.

"Nice story." Patrick says, in an uninterested tone. "But just what does all this have to do with me and Salem?"

"Well, that's the kicker." Qrow says. "You see, the four gifts to mankind: Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, and Choice, aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the Gods before they abandoned Ramnent. And each other was extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd have the power to change the world. And that's exactly what she wants."

"The Huntsman Academies serve to train generations of humanity's protectors, but they also serve as another very important purpose: Guarding the Relics." Ironwood explains. "The hope was to keep them out of mankind's reach, and especially out of Salem's claws."

Patrick doesn't say anything. He looks down, his mind overwhelmed by taking in all of this unbelievable information. Then his frustration builds as he looks up at them. "Did she know all about this? About Salem? The Relics?"

Everyone knows who he is talking about. "Your sister, Amber, pretty much had to. The relics are locked away within the four academies, but they're not under a normal lock and key." Qrow says. "Each of the relics is secured in a special vault, one that can only be opened by the specific power of the Maidens. Spring for Knowledge. Summer for Destruction. Fall for Choice. And Winter for Creation."

"Salem seeks to collect the relics, but in order to do that, she would need the power of the maidens to open the vaults." Ironwood says.

"So that's why Amber was attacked." Patrick's fist tightens. "It wasn't just some random assassin."

"Indeed. It was Salem. Or more specifically, one of her henchmen." Qrow says.

The air is dead silent. Mashika just stares at Patrick, noticing the rage that's building within him.

Flashback ends

Patrick's eyes are closed as he thinks back about that day. Suddenly, a shadow covers him up, he opens his eyes to see Mashika with two drinks at hand, offering one of them to him. "Here." Patrick only stares at the drink, displeasing. "It's not alcohol. You should at least stay hydrated on a sunny day." Without saying a word, Patrick accepts the drink and takes a little sip as Mashika sits down next to him. "I understand what you're going through. You still thinking about everything Ozpin explained?"

"This just feels like it's all some big joke." Patrick says. "What's more, my sister Amber got involved, all because she's the Fall Maiden."

"Well, from what Ozpin had explained, it's nothing something she can choose to do. It's just something that she is trusted with." Mashika says.

"Unless that previous Fall Maiden thought of some old hag or a guy, then it just randomly came to her." Patrick says. "If she never had those powers...She would still be..."

Mashika doesn't say anything, knowing no words is gonna help him in this case. Patrick just needs some time to think it over. And hopefully, he'll overcome it. Mashika gets up and leaves to rejoin Marina and Rayla. Patrick is alone once again. He looks into his drink, staring at his own reflection within the drink.

Flashback

"Tell me something, if what you say is true, and the relic is in danger of falling into Salem's hands. Why aren't we hunting down the assailant? I for one would want nothing more than to get my hands on her!" Patrick says.

"Slow your parole, kid. First of all, you aren't exactly well trained to battle against some who possess half of a Maiden's powers, let alone Salem." Qrow says.

"Qrow's right. From what I've heard from the girls, you were overpowered by them." Mashika says.

"And secondly, we have no idea who the assailant is. It could have been anyone, and after what's happened, she'd be most likely hiding out waiting for the right time to come out of the shadows and take what she is after." Qrow says.

Patrick realizes how right Qrow is. Being the Shadow Hunter, he knows too well about hiding out in the shadows waiting patiently for the right moment to pounce. "And lastly, there's something else you should know about: The real reason I enrolled you into Beacon." Hearing that interests Patrick. "Let me ask you a question: Do you know who your mother was?"

Hearing that alerts Patrick. He doesn't say anything until Mashika speaks. "Professor Ozpin, talking about his mother is a bit of a sensitive subject."

"It's fine, Instructor." Patrick says. "And to answer your question: No, I don't. I never got to know my mother. Other than this one time on her death bed."

"You have my sympathy, Mr. Aki." Ozpin says. "What if I told you that was knew your mother?" Hearing that alerts Patrick. "I personally enrolled her into Beacon Academy because she had a unique trait."

"And that is?" Patrick asks.

"Silver Eyes." Qrow says. Hearing that part confuses Patrick. "What? You're saying you didn't notice?"

"My mother was blindfolded, probably the whole time she was..." Patrick shook his head. "So no, I wouldn't have...What does her eyes have to do with all this?"

"Not much is known about the Silver Eyes, only myths and legends. But in those legends, each of them states that those born with Silver Eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior." Ironwood says. "Even a massive army of the Creatures of Grimm are defeated by them with a single glare."

"If you're saying that's the reason you 'invited' me to Beacon, you're only wasting your time. As you can see, I don't have Silver Eyes." Patrick says.

"We're well aware of that, Captain Obvious." Qrow says.

"But we do know about your Semblance. Your Vision allows you to use various types of vision. And every time they happened, your eyes change color." Ozpin says.

"So you believed that because of his bloodline, he carries the power within him? And that his Semblance allows him to bring it out?" Mashika says.

"In theory, yes." Ozpin says. "However, our theory was shortlived upon learning your true nature."

"The Grimm part of me." Patrick says. Patrick looks down at his hands, then they clinch into fists as Patrick's frustration builds. "Just what is all this!? Silver-Eyed Warriors! Maidens and the Relics! This Ancient Evil who wants to collect those relics! And now there's me being a Grimm in Human skin! Why is all of this happening? And why did Amber have to get involved? Why did I have to get involved!?"

"Patrick, please calm down." Mashika says with worry.

"Look, kid, we understand what you're going through. We've all had the exact same questions. While we don't have all the answers, we all do share a common goal: To protect Humanity." Qrow says.

"Your sister may have known what she was getting into bearing the responsibilities as a Maiden, but she did what she had to because she wanted to protect humanity...To protect you." Ozpin says. "And now, you have a chance to do the same in her stand."

Ironwood looks at Ozpin suspiciously. "What are you saying, Oz?"

"While we know the risks of this Grimm Power Mr. Aki possesses, it could still be of some help to turn the tides against Salem." Ozpin looks directly at Patrick. "Mr. Aki. During the Summer Vacation, I am going to train you personally to help you gain better control of this new power of yours. Hopefully, as your strength grows, you might even be able to have better control of your awareness within it and avoid going berserk."

"Listen here, Ozpin, I don't want anything to do with this power of mine! It's frightening! Not just cause of Salem. But also cause..." Patrick doesn't say anything. He only looks down in shame as his hand quivers with rage.

Mashika stares at him with a sad expression. She knows exactly what he's thinking about. And Ozpin picked up on it. "I understand your concerns in regard to the events of Miss Rhysenshi's condition. But this is why this would be a good opportunity for you. If you were to enter in this form, especially accidentally, you might have a hard time controlling yourself and will cause additional harm. And besides, if you wish to face Salem and her henchmen, especially the assailant, then you'll need all the ability you can get."

"Patrick, while I do agree with you about not wanting to use this power, Professor Ozpin may have a point. You saw how strong Salem is. But what I saw is the way you faced her using it. If what he says is true, then you'll need all the help you can get." Mashika says.

Patrick doesn't say anything. "Take some time to think about it." Ozpin tells him.

Flashback Ends

Patrick sets the drink down and looks at his Team and Team CPER at the beach. Earnest, Selena, and Marlene are messing around while Clawdia is still mounted on Peter pulling his ears aggressively. While Rayla and Mashika are starting the barbeque. Marina is placed next to Patrick.

Patrick and Marina talked for a while. Marina did most of the talking. She wonders how Patrick is doing with everything going on, especially after that meeting he had with Ironwood. Patrick doesn't say much, other than stating he was learning the truth about Salem. Other than that, he's dead silent. Marina watches everyone else having their fun. She can't help but laugh at their youthful energy. Even after Peter's expense. As she watches them, Patrick looks at Marina's legs. Mostly wrapped in bandages, and just laying there in the wheelchair, immovable. He knows she is like this because of him. Because she pushed herself beyond the limit of her physical endurance just to try and save him, and her endurance from Salem's attacks didn't do any better.

Once the barbeque is ready, everyone dines in. Patrick was offered a plate, but he doesn't eat. He only watches everyone else, and asks himself: "How are they so calm about all this?"

At sunset, everyone returns to the inn they're staying in. Patrick is still separating himself from everyone else. He's out on the balcony watching the sunset. He takes a deep breath before he speaks. "Are you here to give me another lecture?"

Patrick doesn't turn his head to the crow sitting on the roof's edge. The crow caws before it flies down, and turns into Qrow. "If I was, I would have done it back when we were in Atlas."

Patrick turns to Qrow. "Why are you here?"

"Always with the questions, kid." Qrow says. "Just checking in to see if you have an answer for Oz yet."

"Obviously, I don't. I'm not even sure if I want to give him an answer." Patrick says. "Starting to see what Raven meant when she warned me about being involved in Ozpin's war."

"So, you had a friendly chat with my sister, did yea?" Qrow says. "She felt the exact same thing one day."

"I'm still lost in this whole 'Silver Eyes' business. Is it really that important?" Patrick asks.

"Kid, I wish I could make it more clear for you to understand, but I'm just as lost as you, and I once worked with someone who had Silver Eyes." Qrow says.

"Did you really?" Patrick says.

"Her name was Summer Rose. She was a teammate of ours. Team STRQ, the best team to ever graduate Beacon." Patrick just shook his head while rolling his eyes, believing Qrow's being full of himself. "Summer was the best of us all—heroic and kind, a bit of a brat though. But the one thing that made her special was her eyes. Even though we've worked together for years, there were still many unanswered questions about the Silver Eyes."

"Does Ozpin really believe that my Samblence could unleash this power?" Patrick says. "It sounds pretty farfetched to me."

"It's just a theory, kid. Even the other headmasters have doubts. And their doubts were certainly confirmed when you unleashed that Grimm power." Qrow says. "Just give it some thought." Qrow then turns into a crow and flies away.

Patrick returns to the inn. He's been quiet the whole time while everyone else is having lively conversations. Night time comes and everyone heads to their rooms to sleep. Despite having a lot on his mind, Patrick is able to fall asleep easily, but he ends up waking up in the middle of the night. He gets out of bed to use the restroom. Once he is done, Patrick starts to make his way back into his room.

But comes to a halt when he hears a voice. "Is everything set?" The first voice asks.

Patrick turns in the direction where the voice came from. He then follows it, listening closely. "Affirmative. The ship departs tomorrow, that's when the target will be on board. The only problem is getting her away from her father."

"It'll be difficult, but we can still pull it off. We'll just need to take action no sooner than when the airship will arrive." The first voice says.

Patrick reaches the entrance of the room where the voices are in. Patrick hides himself out of sight, barely sticking his head out to see and actives his Night Vision. He sees two men. He doesn't recognize them, but he can tell they're trouble.

"Remember, the plan is to lay low. We'll wait until the ship takes off and meet up with Colonel Robin." The first voice says.

Hearing that name shocks Patrick. "Robin?" he tightens his hand into a fist. "The Agency!"

"All right. Let's hope this plan works, I just wanna get Lord Rufus's targets over with so we can snag some more babes. I even got my eye on that Innkeeper's Daughter. Are you sure we can make a quick run with her?"

"You know we can't do that. There are eyes everywhere, and I heard one of the defects is nearby. If they learn who we are and alert the authorities, we're in deep waters." The first voice says. "Do you really want to receive one of Lord Rufus's punishments?"

The other one shivers at the thought of it. "All right, we'll stick to the plan."

The two of them make their leave. Once the room is empty, Patrick comes out of hiding, with a serious expression on his face. "Not while I draw breath, perverted scum."