"You..." I stared up at him, mystified not only by his presence, but also his action. "How?"

"Opportunity, and also a little bit of spite." He motioned his hand again, and I reached up, feeling a strange shock throughout my skin as he pulled me to my feet. He stared at me, just as much as I had him, however unlike I, he didn't appear as lost. His head moved, and he was gazing now at Cinder, who for some reason froze up. She floated there above us, coated in her elemental shield much like Raven had been, but her eyes were glued to the man who's sight pierced her.

"You've only shown yourself in dreams before." I added, drawing his focus back to me.

"And death, but that hardly matters. What's important now, though, is putting an end to this."

"You mean Cinder?" He nodded. "It's not that simple. She's strong."

"But you're stronger. We're stronger~" He cast a taunting eye back at Cinder, and then flung it at Steele, who too seemed fascinated by my phantasmal self. "Certainly more than these wanderers."

"I -" Something caught me in the back of the head, apparently breaking the standstill.

Cinder was back on the move, and as I raised my head from its position on the pavement, I caught sight of her being drawn back by Raven by the shattering of several icicle shards across her back. Pulling back Violently, the pair carried on with their duel. Another observation showed Steele resumed her proclivities, and despite the four hunters battling her up close, she showed next to no signs of slowing. Although, every few seconds, her vision would return itself to my person.

From the corner of my eye, I spied Robyn joining in the mix, and Ironwood backing her up from afar as he drew in, turning the four into six. But in the end, it made little difference, as their success rate remained the same.

"V!" Ruby dashed back to my side, ready to help me up, but stopped. My other self, as it seemed, had manifested by me again, kneeling on my other side opposite of Ruby.

"Stand up. You'll do us no good on your rear."

Pulling myself up to my feet, this time with Ruby at my side, I felt a tense frustration grow within my core. My emotions, inexplicably, had returned in full force, but all I could feel from his comments and badgering for victory was a deepening resentment towards his aid being limited to mere conversation.

"And what should I do, huh?" It's a wonder I kept my voice level, because here I was bitching with my second half, full of emotion once again, while everyone else struggled to survive. If he had something to add, then he best do it quickly, as I wasn't sure how much I could take before ignoring him altogether and rushing in myself.

"The answer should be plain: dispose of them."

"Oh, and dare I say it's just as easy as that?"

This drew a dark, playful grin along his lips, and with narrowed eyes, his shrewd air bubbled to the surface yet again.

"It is~" He vanished, only to fade back in and assault my ears from behind. "Would you like to know how?"

"Well, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't."

He rubbed up against me, voice deep and tickling the back of my neck. Every fiber of my being cowered, and my blood ceased its flow. A deep, twisted scratch tore through the nape of my consciousness, and my jaw locked in place, just barely open and almost twitching in terrified anticipation. His non-existent form pressed into mine from behind, and his arms wrapped around me, settling above my waist where his hands clasped together in front.

"Asking?" I couldn't breathe, but he didn't care... I didn't care. "No... We don't ask." Like a snake slithering through the grass at midnight, his voice streaked unseen throughout my mind, where it settled into place to await the arrival of its prey.

And then it pounced.

"We demand~"

His hands split apart, and while one rested on my thigh, the other rested along the blade stiff in my grip. I could almost feel Pale Bloom throb in response to his touch, nearly erupting with a life of its own, and threatening to spew forth a power I'd no prior knowledge of.

The virginity of the blade had been teased, tempted so cruelly, and now desperately sought release.

"With the four great relics bestowed upon Humanity, they were granted aid in their redemption. And yet, while three are perfect in their duties, one is a mere replica of the real deal. We know this better than anyone, even if we do not know exactly why."

An apt statement, and ironically, I did not know what exactly he implied. But my body did, and now even my skin yearned for the euphoric release promised by the implied power. He seeped into my skin, tingling my nerves as he vanished back into me, leaving me wanting, along with his final call.

"Show them all what a true relic of destruction can do~"

I couldn't hold it anymore: my body gave way, and I fell back to my knees.

"V-V..." Ruby trembled out the single letter that served as my nickname. "W-who... who was that?"

I forced myself to stand, again, cautiously gripping Pale Bloom now with both hands, and raising it above my head. Whether he'd been capable of manifesting a body all this time, or if my new ability's reaction to the Grimm had somehow granted him a physical presence, I couldn't say for sure. But one thing I did know was this: there was indomitable might hidden within this gift granted to me as a symbol of my knighthood; enough to slay Cinder for certain. I could feel it clawing fruitlessly along the surface and trying to escape. While this was surely a risk of some kind, to draw a card from an unstable and perhaps even tampered deck, I was more than ready to accept whatever consequences it brought, so long as it meant putting an end to the menace who'd slain me once before. And besides, when it came to Cinder...

I was done letting her get away.

.

.

Ruby didn't know what was going on, or what the heck she was supposed to think.

On the one hand, she got to see a man's... "package" for real, so that was neat. On the other, much less humorous side of things, the ghost started whispering nonsensical statements into her friend's ear, all the while rubbing up against him in a way that flustered her insides. She kind of lost it inside when he melted inside V.

He looked nearly identical to V too, save he was much more Human.

And yet, the idea of it - and yes, she was referring to the ghost as an 'it' - left a sour pit in the bottom of her stomach. Almost sickeningly, she wanted to cower away at the sight of it, but V had been hurt due to Cinder's attack, and when she went to check up on him, the phantom returned. She tried looking into its spectral eyes, but all she saw was a hollow void of impenetrable darkness.

Those silver rings bore no light.

"V-V..." Her heart was racing with an unexplainable fear, no different than the visions who'd haunted her mercilessly since she began questioning both her mother's and apparent uncle's journals. Sure, they were not violent, but they showed scenes befitting even her worst nightmares.

A world where even one of her friends had died was a world she wished never to experience.

"W-who... who was that?" The question had to be forced up a hill of gravel, and with nothing but a rope wrapped tightly around her neck, strangling her every step of the way. A question her core never wanted answered, but the mind was far more assertive, much to the detriment of her spiritual well being.

V never uttered a word, but he didn't have to, because Ruby felt her body nearly give way.

The sword, while looking no different than before, had changed. Like a lion awakening to the morning sun, a dangerous predator had opened up its eyes to an expanse of prey, sitting willfully ignorant of their impending doom. But Ruby knew, she knew the lion's gaze was trained on them and not her, but even though she had avoided its sight, not a single inch of her believed, not even for a second, that she was wholly safe. There was no safety to be found from the unbiased reaper at work.

And death did not discriminate.

.

.

How strange he is.

The goddess's champion resisted not his apparent Human haunt, and once the apparition dissolved into him, he began to raise his sword, which was a gift granted to him by the goddess herself. Tyrian had told her stories of the hero she'd been given the honor of retrieving, and their blessed deity had backed up his claims upon her own inquiries - not that she doubted the tales he told.

Her mentor would never utter such heresy; not in a million eons.

And yet, while she'd never be able to muster the courage to say it aloud, Steele had, at one point and for a time, internally challenged the validity and scope of the legends. All of that had changed, however, when she felt the arousal of sheer destructive force swell up within the blade. Pale Bloom, she believed was its name, and what a fitting name it was, for the darkness within grew exponentially, nearly eclipsing the shadows her goddess was willing to shed herself; a dark flower showing its colorless petals, and ready to drink in the light.

Not that the weapon would ever overshadow the goddess; supposedly, according to Tyrian, their mistress, even now, hid the extent of her true godhood.

Ever since becoming one with the Grimm now sleeping within her womb, and thus linking herself eternally to the true ruler of Remnant. Salem - blessed be her name - saw something within her, and who was she, a mere mortal, to turn down such a gift? Steele had once questioned both Tyrian and her savior about why she alone had been liberated, compared to the many others suffering under Humanity's rule.

'Mercy' had been the answer bestowed.

A kind hearted being, who knew the extent of Human evil. A people who deserved nothing more than eradication, and there was no one better to extend the hand of judgment than the goddess herself. And yet, she held back, because even though they'd never be capable of drawing even an inch closer towards becoming worthy of her aid, she still spared them...

For now.

"Come~"

Her body locked up, her mortal body, and her dark child, both born and unborn, screeched. Dark waves echoed from her core, blowing away all who surrounded her, and thus her mind began to clear.

"Come to me~"

Steele had full control of her legs, she knew she did, but that voice, it was so...

Intoxicating.

"Do not be afraid~"

Its chanting felt so warm, and yet nothing but ice laid within her blood as her legs twitched and bent, directing her towards the desired designation.

"You face not sorrow, nor suffering~"

She could see it now, the boy, standing off in the distance ahead of her, but it was not him who called her forth.

It was the echo within them all: that untethered piece who, alone, watched over everything. The darkness, who, was all encompassing. Its invisible hand never interfered, but for reasons which would be never known to her, it guided him.

"Merely..."

It ensured its chosen never faltered, and as the blade swung down, Steele felt everything fade. And, for the first time, she saw the extended hand, for while it remained unseen by the body...

"Release~"

Its blackened fingers, granting passage into the end, were illuminated only to the soul; hidden away even from Remnant's sight.

.

.

Cinder Fall had been many things in her life.

Vengeful, callous, and heartless; these were just a few of the titles granted by those to witness her touch.

But sitting temptingly just out of reach lay something else, a title who's importance outshined all who came before. She'd spend her hard fought life to find it, believing in it deeper than those who claimed to understand such cosmic and indomitable truths. So many idiots, self-righteous with nothing tangible to show for it, believed themselves justified to carry such a title, ignorant of what it truly meant. But unlike those fops, who'd cower when the sweetness left their tongues, and the bitter inevitability of the situation burned into their taste buds, Cinder Fall knew, she truly understood the merciless nature of what it meant to be...

Destined.

To know of your significance, and yet to remain ignorant of what you were created for, had been the downfall of man's sanity for eternity past. To be forced to accept, and with no say of any sort, to cave and bow to fate's demands had been a nightmare to many. To have the noose strung around your neck and be ordered to leap over the edge, with the only action of dignity on the day of your execution being the fearless face you chose to wear, as all life was strangled from your body.

Fate itself, so savagely heartless, sat upon the throne of life, as like faith itself, it stood both unattested, and yet unopposed.

Many chose not to believe in the idea, claiming it an excuse used to justify failure or success, but true or not, that would not change things. Whether pulling the strings as an invisible puppeteer, or merely a lie to defend the actions of the wrong, it mattered little to her. Cinder Fall believed in destiny, in the idea that their lives had a grand purpose to them, and while that devotion had wavered from time to time, it burned brightest now more than ever.

As for the first time in her life, she felt its grasp along her wrist, pulling her to the stage and casting its spotlight upon her. And as her body moved of its own accord, and as her arms spread wide and her sight slowly returned from the blackness of the void she'd lost herself to when witnessing fate's curated show, she was beholden to the star of destiny's play, holding his sword aloft, and striking the air before him in a clean, flawless, cut.

The pain of the Grimm eating away control from her body vanished, as did her sight, and Cinder was assaulted by memories.

Hundreds upon hundreds, and thousands of thousands; an endless stream of the same events, over and over, in order with which they'd occurred. In this instance, just as her mind reeled and her sanity began to slip, Cinder Fall pieced it together. While these showings repeated the same general events, and while the outcomes took different turns and paths, there was one lone soul who acted with noticeable knowledge of things she should not.

Ruby Rose, the young silver eyed wretch who'd thwarted her plans for apparently lifetimes beyond count, had borne access to the shadowed memories of which their recycled souls held locked deep within them. The brain was not the only one who cataloged experiences it seemed, as while their physical bodies may not have carried the recollections now granted to her, the soul had its experiences burned within itself, recalling the imprints of energy from long lost histories.

And now, as a familiar voice requested her attention, Cinder Fall had been granted permission to bow her head before the troth of restricted experience and feed.

"I thank you, child~"

And so she saw him, as she felt the last of her life escape the corpse who'd bound her to Remnant: the shadow of the pair who'd brought about each and every ending of which they'd never escaped.

"May you rest in the knowledge of your position above all others~"

While it may not have been the throne she wanted, Cinder took solace in knowing that, even while new, the fate which Remnant itself struggled to uphold had deemed her essential. And, as the darkness came, Cinder felt the soft push of the dark one's presence, and had been given a new memory.

His memory.

A deep and satisfied smile felt as though it kissed her now abandoned lips, leaving her uttering unheard appreciation.

Thank you, little rose, for granting us destiny.

With that final thought, the soul of Cinder Fall returned to its primal slumber, awaiting its inevitable rebirth after the end of time.

.

.

"What... the fuck?"

Robyn Hill's apparent brazenness remained unhindered even here it seemed. This was fine, because Ironwood himself felt urged to ask the same question, albeit in a far more respectable manner.

"Wait." His call stopped her in her tracks, putting an end to the slow, cautious trip she'd begun towards the boy. In turn, Robyn threw him a ludicrous look, but nevertheless obeyed. Surely she was perplexed, as were they all, but they couldn't afford to risk things now.

V's... 'spirit' he supposed was the best word for it, had melted into him, leaving the boy alone and raising his sword. On its own, it seemed a little strange, as he made no efforts to close in on his opponents and actually strike them, but it seemed that didn't matter.

He did not approach them, but they themselves uncharacteristically - and downright robotically - lined up right before him. Something was wrong, terribly, horribly wrong with the scene ahead of him. Everyone locked up and laid eyes on it, on the act playing out, with not even Qrow mustering the courage to dare interrupt. Perhaps it was the abstract and foreboding sense of doom that caked the air in a near impenetrable layer, or perhaps it was the inexplicable behavior their invaders showed; regardless of the reason, there was no doubting the facts.

Something vile laid before them, and like a wolf about to pounce, it hungrily observed, awaiting its chance to strike.

A light 'thwip' sliced through the wind, just barely audible, and it concluded the solitary action taken by V. Not sure what he was supposed to expect, James considered taking a step, only for the thought alone to wrap up his limbs and hold him in place. The fear did not subside, and in fact, only expanded as the tense grip V had on the hilt of his weapon appeared to ease.

He'd been granted a single, rugged breath, before everything fell apart.

Cinder lowered carefully to the ground, motionless save the wind scattering her hair, and not even Raven dared to take the opportunity presented to her. The dark maiden's aura had faded, and while trying to use that as evidence of V's swing having any effect on her didn't say much, the way her body began to evaporate in bubbles from the core outward did. She'd been split in two, but it was far from an ordinary cut. The two pieces remained frozen in air, showing no regard for the laws of gravity, as chunks of her vanished. Once her fingers left, and Fall was finally no more, then began the other monster's destruction.

Who she was didn't matter, because the only thing James would ever, ever recall from this day onward, was the loving smile she sent towards V. The edges of her lips curled upwards as her body died in a similar way to Cinder's. And yet, there was a change. Maybe it was due to her greater affiliation with the Grimm, but this creature did not vanish completely all at once. First, her stomach area melted away, visibly melted, and a droning whine filled the air as black slush flowed down along her legs, and covered the space below in a shadow of lightless blood.

And now, as if on cue, her body split from its core, leaving nothing to prove her bygone existence besides the puddle. For an instant, Ironwood thought this might be a victory of some kind, even if small, but then he saw the way the sky glowed, and knew then that this was nothing to be celebrated. No...

Atlas had been doomed.

.

.

Steele left with such a serene smile on her face; comforted, and yet saddened over the outcome.

I had no real ideas as to why she'd seemed content, but I chalked it up to something Salem must have said. To die at my hands: that had been the future the goddess had apparently seen for Cinder, presumably one of her greatest pieces. Sacrificing a queen meant few things in chess; either this was concrete victory, or I'd already lost. Other strategies existed as for why such a detriment had to be suffered, but as I ran through the list of ideas for why Cinder, the apparent maiden of my dark queen, meant so little to her, a new and somewhat foolish idea creaked open the doors of my mind.

What if Cinder had merely been a pawn?

The brunt of my emotions had vanished once again, but I did not care; I'd been too caught up with figuring things out. Cinder died almost too easily, and yet, my victory itself felt... skewed. Something... irked me about how I won; even my emotions dissolving once more I could still feel that.

I had little chance to dig deeper, however, as the glowing sky drew me from the depths of my thoughts. I'd have taken it as a sign of more tampering from Salem's followers, but then I saw the way it too split apart, so similar to both of my kills. A light blue encompassed the night, and with the sun still remained some hours away, the sight was far from natural. Once it began to fade out, as if cut by a blade... my blade, I heard the general's shattered hopes of success through his dry voice.

"Brothers no..." The familiar black of night, coddled only by the land's shattered moon, spread from the opening as if to swallow up the light around it. "The shield... it... it's been broken."

And not just that, as east of our viewing and straight ahead, beyond the shattered guard of the floating kingdom, flew a mass of gargantuan shadows. Only when I caught the flickers of white, and the many specks of crimson sprinkled throughout the air surrounding it, did I grasp what it was that my eyes had locked onto.

The barrier which protected Atlas gave way, by my hand, and invited a presence so massive that none could believe it was natural. The Grimm did not travel in herds so large, and with Steele's mission now back in the forefront of my mind, the sight of an impending army could only have been roused by one individual: a goddess with nothing to lose.

Salem, it seemed, had come for me.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Capable of rending not only the physical, but also mental and spiritual elements as well. This is true destruction; far beyond that worthless copy Humanity was given."

His snide tone teased me, but I had no strength to respond, as a dark and dire lust welled within my core. I took the first of many steps, no longer willing to wait anymore. Steele had succeeded with her mission in a sense, and I suspected my other half had known of Salem's close proximity as well. They would get what they desired, because now, I had no choice but to comply.

I knew the others were calling for me, maybe even yelling information I could use, but all I could hear as I neared the edge of our battlefield and allowed my armor to burn along my skin was the final, taunting observation of my internal companion, with his amusement stricken throughout every word.

"Father's gift suits us well~"

Author's note

…

Technically not a lot happened this time, but also, a ton of things just went down.

V's slain both Cinder and Steele, and for a moment had his emotions restored; kill stealing much? Along with that, V's Human self appeared to have awakened something within Pale Bloom, or had that power always been there and V just never found a way to use it?

Not that it matters now, because even though he'd killed their foes, it seems he'd also unintentionally shattered the shield protecting Atlas, and would you know it, Salem's coming.

That's it for now.

See you later.