As Evan and the Ace Ops ate their breakfast, Elm raised her head up and turned toward Evan.
"So what's on the docket today, kid?" Elm asked as she stabbed at the bacon on her plate.
"Eh, more of the same, I think we need another training session or two before I can teach you the next technique." Evan replied in between bites of toast.
"Oh, is that so?" A familiar female voice said aloud.
Turning their heads, Evan and the rest of the Ace Ops looked to see Winter step forward to their table with a plate of food in her grasp.
"Winter!" Evan cheered as she approached them.
"Room for one more?" Winter inquired.
"Of course." Clover said as Winter sat down next to him.
"How long have you been back for?" Harriet questioned as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Since approximately 0300 today. It was certainly nice to get some long awaited rest in my own quarters after my arduous journey in Mistral." Winter stated as she peeled open an orange.
"Your Ki has definitely increased from what I can recall. Have you been training since we last saw you?" Vine asked as he took a bite out of an apple.
"Of course. Don't think that I've gone stagnant in my abilities. I took the lessons that I learned before my departure and used them to help hone my skills. I wouldn't be very fitting of a Specialist to fall behind their fellow cohorts." Winter replied back.
"I guess that makes sense." Marrow added.
"Well I'm just glad you're back. I can't wait to see how far you've come in person. I wonder how you'd fair in two or three times gravity…" Evan said with a smile on his face.
"Two or three times what?" Winter questioned with a confused look on her face.
/-/
"Now you just have to concentrate and separate the Ki in your chest from the Ki in your body. That's how I managed to do it." Elm instructed Winter.
"Alright…" Winter replied back as she focused and held her hand outward.
"I'm ready to go when you are." Vine announced from the other side of the room as he used his semblance to stretch his hands to create a large semicircle in front of himself.
As White Ki began to spin and rattle about in her hands, Winter let the Ki go as it quickly slammed into the semicircle, forcing Vine to be pushed back slightly from the force of the attack.
As Harriet raced around the Specialist, Marrow shot a Ki blast out in front of her, forcing Harriet to get close and deliver a roundhouse kick to his side. Using his arm to block the strike, Marrow pushed against the kick. However, as Harriet began to lose her balance, the young woman did a backflip to right herself and as she landed on her feet, she rose into the air and launched a few Ki blasts at Marrow who then leaped to the right to dodge the attack.
"Good work, Harriet. Never let your opponent get the advantage on you in a fight." Clover called out.
Turning back toward Evan, Clover delivered a Ki infused punch, only to have Evan catch the strike in his right palm.
"Again." Evan simply stated with a grin on his face.
Launching two more punches, Clover then leaned back on his right leg and quickly brought his left leg up to hit Evan's face.
However, after catching the next two punches, Evan moved back and launched a kick of his own, his kick proceeding to clash against Clover's.
As Evan lowered his foot back to the ground, the young Saiyan stepped back and sprinted toward Clover, delivering a flying sidekick as he did so. Clover, with little time to react, pivoted his body to the side in order to barely avoid the attack.
Turning back toward Clover, Evan smirked and did a small stretch with his legs.
"Nice. Although I'm curious if it was merely your Luck semblance that allowed you to dodge that last kick of mine…" Evan responded to the man
"I get that a lot, but the answer's no." Clover added.
"Well, it's nice to see that our investment in the school's training facilities are paying off." A new voice announced.
Recognizing the voice, Evan, Winter and the Ace Ops stopped what they were doing to see Ironwood standing in front of the entrance to the room.
As he stepped into the room, Winter and the Ace Ops instantly saluted the man, while Evan quickly followed behind, needing an extra second or two to do the same.
"At ease, everyone, at ease." Ironwood said as he gestured them to end their salutes.
"General Ironwood, it's good to see you again! I hope my report on Mistral was satisfactory to what you were looking for." Winter announced.
"The report was very informative. Excellent work as always, Winter!" The General replied back.
"As you've probably imagined, my reason for being here is more than just an informal visit. In fact, there's something that I wish to share with you all. If you will follow me…" Ironwood continued as he gestured them to walk behind him.
Navigating the long hallways of the complex, the group entered an elevator, which descended to a floor with white walls and numerous security cameras.
"I've never been to this part of the facility before." Evan thought to himself.
Moving past a group of robotic Atlesian knights, the group entered a large lift which lowered them all down deeper into the building.
As the lift carried them down, the group soon entered a massive space. Aside from the fluorescent blue lights that faintly glowed from both the lift itself and the metal flooring that quickly stretched out throughout the area, the room was lit by multiple large braziers with each containing blue flame at the very top. All throughout the room were massive ice crystals that clung to the braziers and the sides of the metallic pathway that was laid out in front of them. Although the most bizarre thing about the whole area was a giant golden door attached to an ice crystal that floated in the air. As the lift came to a stop, the group walked down the initially narrow path and looked around the large room in bizarre wonder, their footsteps creating large echoes that reverberated and bounced off the walls as they did so.
"What is this place?" Marrow questioned, which caused Evan to turn toward him.
"Not even you guys have been down here?" Evan asked as he leaned over the metal flooring to see a large, practically bottomless black pit.
"No, well…I've always known about there being a lower level to this academy, but I didn't know that it went this far down…this is entirely new territory for all of us." Clover stated.
"General, why did you bring us down here? Where are we even?" Winter inquired.
With a stern expression on his face, the General looked on at the golden door before letting out a long sigh.
"Listen very carefully, the information that I am going to tell you is not to be taken lightly. You are not to tell anyone else about what happened here today. Do I make myself clear?" The General said aloud as he turned toward them.
"Of course, sir." Winter replied as the others in the group nodded in agreement, causing Ironwood's expression to shift to one of relief.
"Thank you. I do apologize for raising my voice, but this is not something to be taken lightly. I have chosen you all to be here today, because I trust you. Even more than that, you all have demonstrated great feats worthy of praise…" Ironwood announced.
"Whether that be you have dutifully and faithfully served Atlas and the kingdoms for many years…" Ironwood said as he looked to the Ace Ops and Winter.
"And/Or you have tirelessly worked to help defend the people from the creatures of Grimm and those that would seek to bring harm onto others…" Ironwood continued as he turned toward Evan.
"For those and many other reasons, you are allowed access to knowledge that the rest of the world simply isn't privy to. I was informed about all of this many years ago by Headmaster Ozpin, alongside a small group of trusted individuals. The most major and shocking piece of information being…" Ironwood said as he turned to face the whole group.
"There is someone out there that commands and controls the Grimm." Ironwood concluded, causing the group to look at him in shock and bewilderment.
"What?!" Elm exclaimed.
"How is that even possible?! Is..Is it like a semblance of something?" Marrow questioned, only for Ironwood to shake his head in response.
"No, this individual, otherwise known as Salem, doesn't have a semblance, much like Evan in that sense. From what Ozpin had told me, Salem has existed on this planet for thousands upon thousands of years. Both her long lifespan and her ability to control the Grimm are tied to a unique and rare technique that is almost nonexistent on Remnant currently…The ability to use magic." Ironwood replied.
"Magic, like actual magic? With all due respect sir, that stuff is only true in myths and fairy tales." Harriet asked.
"I mean, I've seen a lot of weird stuff during my travels around the galaxy. If magic actually exists out there, I wouldn't be surprised." Evan stated.
"Maybe, but it still seems so ridiculous. Before you showed up, I was more likely to believe that aliens could actually exist over magic currently being in our world." Harriet argued.
"What do you think some of those fairy tales were inspired from?" Ironwood questioned.
"Throughout Remnant's history, there have been females with the ability to use magic. These are known as Maidens. At any given time, there are always four Maidens in the world, no more, no less. Each Maiden, upon meeting their demise, whether that be from old age or being killed by another individual, their ability to use magic is transferred to the person that is in their thoughts as they are dying. However, if that person is too old or male, then the power is given to some other young female, seemingly at random from what it can be determined." Ironwood continued.
"With their magic, they can control the elements of nature itself, without the use of aura or semblances. However, the most important aspect of Maidens that you need to know is that each Maiden is tied to a particular season: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In every major Huntsmen Academy around the world, Beacon, Haven, Shade, and Atlas, there is a door just like that one." Ironwood stated as he pointed to the floating golden door.
"Each of these doors are hidden from the eyes of the students and the public in general. Only the Headmasters of each Academy know the location of these doors. Each door requires one specific Maiden to unlock it. For example, Beacon's door needs specifically the Fall Maiden to open it, and Atlas's requires the Winter Maiden." Ironwood stated.
"And where is the Winter Maiden then if they're so important?" Clover questioned.
"The Winter Maiden is currently safe inside the walls of Atlas Academy. Due to her old age, she is kept under constant watch and is protected by numerous soldiers. Many, many years ago, the Winter Maiden was used to open this door and inside the door was a large vault containing a Relic of immense power: The Staff of Creation. The Staff has the ability to create anything the user can imagine. With the Staff, Atlas was propelled into the sky and it has stayed there to this very day. After the Staff was used, the Relic was placed back inside the vault and the door was closed. While the public believes that gravity dust is what maintains Atlas's position in the sky, it is actually the Staff which created a source of seemingly unlimited energy that powers the mechanisms that keep the city of Atlas in the air." Ironwood elaborated.
"I don't get it though. If the Staff's so powerful, why don't we use it again? Why was it put back in the vault?" Evan questioned.
"The Staff is only able to keep one object in existence at any given time. If you were to use the Staff now to create something like a coffee cup, then the power source that was previously created to keep Atlas afloat would cease to exist, causing Atlas to come crashing down into Mantle. And if you then use the Staff to create another brand new object, then the coffee cup would disappear and cease to exist as well. Essentially, using the Staff now would endanger the lives of both Atlas and Mantle. That is why the Staff has remained inside the Vault." Ironwood explained.
"So who exactly is this Salem individual? What does she want?" Winter asked.
"While her current goals are unknown, she desires nothing more than the complete destruction of humanity and the collapse of civilization as we know it as part of her overall plan. She has been working from the shadows, using the Grimm and the most rotten people on the planet to accomplish this task. She cares for nothing and no one. From what Ozpin had told me, she remained mostly passive for many decades, simply unleashing the Grimm on humanity whenever possible. It wasn't until recently that she has risen up once more and has begun crafting a new horrific scheme, and I know with absolute certainty that she was responsible for what happened at Amity Colosseum and the Fall of Beacon. Aside from sowing chaos throughout the world, it seems that one of her followers, Cinder Fall, used the event as a distraction to try and attain the Fall Maiden powers. Initially, the Fall Maiden powers were given to a girl named Amber, but Cinder and her minions ambushed her and somehow managed to steal half of Amber's magic and imbue it into Cinder. I imagine Salem wishes to obtain all of the Relics, hence why she is after the Maiden powers. Another huntsman named Qrow, who was trusted with the knowledge of Salem and the Maidens, stopped Cinder from stealing all of Amber's magic. However, Amber was left in critical condition, and even on life support, she didn't have much time left to live. In order to prevent such power from fully falling into the hands of Salem, I had constructed a machine that would transfer the rest of Amber's magic into a new host. After careful consideration, Ozpin decided to choose Pyrrha Nikos as the next Fall Maiden. From reports that recounted where Pyrrha had died, I'm certain Pyrrha and Ozpin attempted to have the Fall Maiden's magic transferred into herself while the Grimm were attacking the city. Whatever happened next, ultimately led to Pyrrha's death at the hands of Cinder. Despite Cinder Fall being the figurehead of the operation, Salem is, without a doubt, the mastermind behind that tragic event." Ironwood continued.
"So she's the reason why Penny and Pyrrha are dead. It's all because of some…some monster named Salem." Evan thought to himself as he clenched his fists and his Ki started to rise, causing the wind to spin and move around him.
"Where is she now?" Evan questioned, eyes full of hatred and anger.
"Evan, I need you to calm…" Ironwood began to say.
"She killed my friends, I will not calm down!" Evan declared as he began to float in the air.
"I'm the strongest person on this planet, there's no way Salem could be more powerful. I can do this! Just tell me where she is and I'll reduce it to a glass floor!" Evan exclaimed.
"Salem is not someone to be taken lightly. Ozpin is another individual who has access to magic, and because of said magic he has the exclusive ability to reincarnate in a new body should he die for whatever reason. Ozpin, much like Salem, has lived for countless years, and has attempted numerous assaults on Salem and her forces hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. Even with Ozpin's powerful magic, not even he could defeat Salem. From what I've been told, Salem can continuously regenerate any injury done onto her, regardless of how severe it seemingly is. Why do you think I haven't sent all of my ships to attack Salem myself, because such action would be a fool's errand. You are correct in the sense that you are incredibly powerful, but a situation like this requires both great patience and careful strategy." Ironwood stated as Evan floated back down to the floor.
"But why hasn't the world been told about Salem? Surely if that was the case, humanity would be able to band together and take her down eventually." Marrow questioned.
"Ozpin was the head of our group for many years, and he believed that telling the truth about Salem would lead to global pandemonium and chaos, which would naturally draw the attention of countless Grimm to every city and town on the planet. The death toll would be incalculable. However, with Oz's next reincarnation yet to surface, it falls to me to continue the fight." James explained.
"It is for this very reason that I wished for you to share your knowledge on Ki with the Ace Ops and Winter." Ironwood continued as he looked toward Evan.
"I need those that I can trust with that power to help turn the tides. Ki could be the deciding factor in this endless war. A single soldier with Ki has the strength of an entire army behind his fists. An energy attack has the firepower of whole battalions' worth of ammunition. You've seen it yourself with how Evan was able to defeat that horde of Grimm which so recently threatened our kingdom. Currently, I have plans in place to transform Amity Colosseum into an orbiting satellite, forever out of the Grimm's reach, capable of restoring global communications. Once it is ready to launch and is safely in Remnant's orbit, I'll reveal the truth of Salem to Atlas and Mantle. Once the panic in both cities has been quelled and incoming Grimm vanquished, we can spread the message worldwide. With Atlas's military might and the power bestowed upon you all, we could help unite the world and be able to safely defend the rest of the kingdoms from the Grimm that would approach from the inevitable panic that would arise. With the truth of Salem revealed, the world can finally work together to defeat this menace, once and for all." Ironwood declared.
"For now, I need you all to trust me and my judgment. This is the only way we can defeat Salem." Ironwood stated.
As Ironwood's words echoed off the walls of the large space, Evan stepped forward.
"While I do so badly want to crush Salem right here and now, if you believe that this is the only way to ensure victory, then I'm willing to hear you out." Evan said aloud.
"Same here! We're with you all the way, General!" Elm exclaimed as she grabbed Evan's shoulder and leaned forward.
"Yeah, with all of us working together, there's nothing we can't do!" Marrow added.
"Whatever it takes." Clover said as he and the rest of the Ace Ops nodded along.
"I'll do whatever I need to assist you, sir." Winter stated as she fell to attention.
As the General began to smile, he relaxed his shoulders and began to approach the lift, gesturing the others to follow.
"Good. I'm glad to see you're all so willing to help. For the moment, I want you all to continue training with Evan. The stronger you are, the more you'll be able to help combat the Grimm, once we reveal the truth, alongside being able to challenge Salem once our plan is complete. And there's one other thing that I wish to discuss with you privately, Winter. Meet me in my office at 1500 hours." Ironwood said aloud.
"Of course, sir!" Winter stated as she and the group entered the rising lift.
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With us rapidly approaching the end of Volume 4, as always, I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the chapter and the story so far. The next chapter should be released sometime next weekend.
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