RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

52. The Beacon Lights Again Part III: Legacy

RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

Chapter 52: The Beacon Lights Again Part III: Legacies

Jaune's eyes followed every gesture and action of The Remnant Knights even as he heard Ruby was promising to fill her team, as well as her father and uncle, in on what happened in the mindscape with Argentius. Currently, her father and sister had both captured her in a mighty hug, after she told them about Summer Rose. The family of three just stayed there, together, as a true family, with Taiyang and Yang both shedding tears of happiness for Ruby and knowing that Summer truly loved them all. Jaune looked back to Argentius and Soul Seer, who both stood beside their leader once more, and Sharp Strike had returned to his master's side as usual. He heard them talking softly amongst each other, and momentarily wondered what other topics they could be discussing about.

He had a feeling they were discussing Ruby's Silver Eyes, or maybe they were talking about his and Pyrrha's roles as the new guardians of the Aura Crystals. Perhaps both.

"Jaune? Are you alright?" He turned his head and saw Pyrrha looking at him, with the Aura Crystal case resting on her lap and holding his right hand in hers, "You seemed to have drifted off for a moment."

"Is it that obvious?" Jaune rubbed his head, "I was just wondering when we will be called up by the Remnant Knights."

"Well... since they are already finished whatever they need to do with Ruby, I think they will want to speak to us soon." His lover assured him as she looked at him in the eyes, "Do you think that you are ready?"

"Honestly? Even though I have prepared myself... I still feel a little uneasy." Jaune replied, "...but there's always a first time for everything."

"You aren't the only one who feels uneasy... those knights look like they are armed to fight a war." Pyrrha pointed out, "But at least we will be meeting them together right?"

Jaune gently squeezed her hand in assurance, "Of course. I am glad to have you here with me, Pyrrha." The kind smile she returned reassured him that everything would be alright. There had been times when Pyrrha woke up, looked around, and just cried in happiness, just happy that she was alive, happy to have her life, her family, and friends back. Some mornings when she was at home she'd just hug her parents as tightly as she could, others she would snuggle with Jaune and just lay there with him, savoring the joy she felt from being with him. She would sometimes hug Ren and Nora, and just thank them for being there, as she wanted her friends to understand how much she truly loved them, how much she appreciated being herself again. She considered Fotia Drakos, and mentally thanked her for making the right choice.

After exchanging a few more words with Argentius, Seraph nodded to Soul Seer and then looked to the eight teens of Teams RWBY and JNPR, "Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, please come forward with the Aura Crystal."

The two guardians looked at each other before getting up and slowly approaching the center of the chambers as Ruby, taking one last look at Argentius, moved to join the others.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Blake asked her as she came towards them.

Ruby nodded and said "I feel better now."

Once she sat down among her other teammates she felt Weiss and Blake place their arms carefully around her while Yang held one of her hands, all three of them letting Ruby know that they were there for her.

They placed the Aura Crystal's case on the floor and when both of them looked up Pyrrha noticed Soul Seer's golden eyes were focused on her and Jaune, and so did the rest of the Remnant Knights. Feeling something amiss, the red-haired Huntress asked, "Is there something wrong?"

"I sense a certain darkness within both of your Auras." Soul Seer closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, "There actually is essence of Grimm within your bodies!"

At the mention of Grimm essence from Soul Seer, every Remnant Knight in the meditation chambers sprung into immediate action so fast their speed and precision would have shamed even the most highly-trained soldiers of the Atlas army. Forge Smith quickly brought up his warhammer while Shadow Reaper pulled his ShadeSlayers gunswords out of their holsters but Tranquility, ever the peacekeeper kept her rapier sword in its scabbard as she hesitated, while Sharp Strike himself had drawn his sword, but wasn't pointing it at the two, he was looking from side to side.

Their actions didn't go unchallenged, as Qrow drew out Reaper in a guard stance, while Taiyang brought up his gauntlets. Glynda drew her riding crop while Ironwood and Councilor Henry have already drawn their individual revolvers. The rest of Team JNPR and Team RWBY also got up from their seats, drawing their respective weapons. Yang heard a pair of sharp clicks and turned her head, seeing the knight Iron Fist disengaging his own gauntlets which unlatched to show a glimpse of revolving firing chambers with dust shells of various colors even as two long sharp blades slid out above his fists, while Ruby noticed Eagle Eye was already aiming down her sights with her sniper rifle from the other side of the chambers, no doubt already chosen her targets accordingly.

The whole standoff scene had happened in the span of a few seconds, with both Jaune and Pyrrha having barely able to draw breath. The silence in the meditation chambers was so absolute that one could hear a pin drop.

"Hold! There is no need for hostilities here." Ozpin looked at Seraph even as he spoke firmly.

"Headmaster Ozpin, you have some explaining to do. Knights, stand down. They are not a threat." Seraph held up a gauntlet-clad hand and the other Remnant Knights all lowered their weapons, with Forge Smith exchanging a silent look with his leader before giving a small nod and put away his warhammer.

It was a while before Jaune found his voice again after the tense moment passed, "Since you can sense the Grimm essence within the both of us, I take it you guys don't know about what happened to us?" He noticed that Argentius and Soul Seer both had not made any threatening movements, although Seraph had a firm grip on the handle of his huge broadsword which hung at his left waist.

"I believed that Councilor Henry has already forwarded everything with what happened in Haven to the Knight Order?" Ozpin mentioned carefully.

Henry nodded, "I did, and I'm sure I mentioned Arc and Nikos'... predicament in those reports."

"It seems that we have misunderstood some details of the reports you gave us, Councilor Henry." Seraph mentioned, and looked to Soul Seer who spoke in an honest and sympathetic voice as she looked at them.

"From the reports he provided we knew of what had befallen you, and I must say that we are so sorry for what has happened earlier since we thought the Aura Crystal has already cured you of your... afflictions. No one should ever have to suffer what both of you have."

Her golden eyes looked from Jaune and Pyrrha to both Team RWBY and the rest of Team JNPR, "The rest of you aren't immune either, as I can also sense the pain and hardship you all have gone through. To withstand such anguish and emotional hurt and yet still find the strength and conviction to fight on, you might be some of the strongest Huntsmen-in-training we have seen so far."

"So Salem's reach cannot affect you like how she can control the Grimm?" Tranquility inquired.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha shook their heads, and the blonde knight answered, "No, she can't. When the Aura Crystal deemed the two of us worthy and accepted us as its guardians it restored our bodies back to normal... or as normal as possible. I guess during the restoration process it also did something to prevent Salem from extending her control over us through any psychic ways."

Seraph's winged helmet turned to Soul Seer whose golden eyes glowed vibrantly for a few moments and then she nodded back at him, and the leader of the Knights released his grip from the pommel of his sword, "I see, and that's indeed a good thing. You both have sworn to protect the crystal and in return the crystal has found a way to protect you." The T-shaped helmet still hid his true expression from both Jaune and Pyrrha, although his posture had relaxed slightly.

"We won't fail in our duty." Jaune said.

"No, we will protect the Aura Crystal like Ashe and all the rest of those guardians before us." Pyrrha added.

"See that you do, because failure to do so will result in disastrous consequences for everyone." Seraph's gaze regarded them carefully, before turning to meet Pyrrha's green eyes, "We have also come to know of these Grimm Hybrids from the reports on the battle taking place in Haven, as well as during the battle with the White Fang. They were somewhat similar to something that warriors of our Order have encountered in the past on many occasions. Do you by chance know any of their names?"

"Yes, I do." Pyrrha replied, "While they can all control all types of Grimm, they take command of certain types over others: there's a Saber commander known as Sheer Kaa, Sharp Strike fought Steppenwolffe, who commands the Beowolves, and there's Ziz, a with Nevermore wings grafted on her back, she can commands the flying Grimm."

"Oh, and don't forget that disgusting freak Anansi!" Nora joined in while waving an outstretched hand a little, "We fought him back in Cadia, and he look like some kind of creepy Spider Grimm Hybrid, and had a lot of small spiders covering his body!" Her body clearly shuddered a little at the memory.

"Still glad we missed that." Weiss muttered as Ren has nudged Nora back into silence with his elbow

"I feel that I should add to this by mentioning Novik." Ozpin spoke up, "An associate of General Ironwood's has recovered reliable information that I failed to kill him at Haven, and his soul has been transferred into the body of a Grimm hybrid known as the Chimera, he also has the ability to control the Grimm."

"Novik? As in Novik the Hunter?" Eagle Eye's voice traveled across the chambers, "That serial killer who died decades ago? He escaped justice too any times, even we tried to apprehend him, but how? You killed him yourself Ozpin."

"Or so we all thought. Salem rescued him and he has sworn himself to serve Salem and in turn she kept him alive and allowed him to become a Grimm Commander, with a new body to keep him alive, even if the monstrous form he has now wasn't quite what he was expecting." Ozpin mentioned, gesturing with his cane, "It's a mistake that I have tried to fix repeatedly, but it still comes back to haunt me every single time."

Glynda placed a gentle hand on Ozpin's shoulder, "There's always a way, Ozpin. You may not find it now, but there might be one in future."

"Your aide speaks true, William Ozpin." Soul Seer replied, looking at the Beacon headmaster in the eyes, "There's always a solution to any problem, it's just the process of finding it that is difficult. Don't give in to despair and you will find the resolution soon enough."

"I thank you for your advice, Soul Seer. Illuminating as ever." Ozpin said as he nodded his head.

"There only makes five, and while Jaune and Pyrrha have been somewhat cured by the Aura Crystal, but they have been included in the group before, so that makes seven." Argentius tapped his chin in thought.

"And we do know there's at least one more we have yet to encounter, but there could be more that haven't been mentioned to us yet." Glynda said.

"A fine point, but I have a feeling we might meet the remaining Grimm Commander or Commanders sooner or later." Qrow mentioned as he crossed his arms.

"Whatever the case, we would need to be prepared to meet them in battle," Seraph surmised, "Miss Nikos, while you were still under Salem's influence as Fotia Drakos, did any of her subordinates ever mention the Sin Commanders?"

"No, that term doesn't sound familiar, and I don't think I have heard those words in any conversation Salem had with me." Pyrrha answered after thinking for a few moments.

"Erm, what are the Sin Commanders?" Ruby raised her hand and asked.

"And why are they called that? I mean, isn't that a little too on the nose, even for a twisted group of villains?" Nora added.

"They were named Sin Commanders because they embodied the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath and Sloth." Soul Seer answered, "As Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, Salem sought to create commanders who were more intelligent for her tasks in arcane, sinister secrecy. Each of them controlled a specific Grimm creature tailored to their needs, and each Sin Commander was a formidable fighter in his or her own right despite their dangerous and unstable nature. Salem used them to carry out her dark deeds, ranging from assassinations to acts of sabotage to terrorist bombings, to leading full scale war against the Kingdoms. The Sin Commanders were apparently a precursor to the Grimm Commanders you spoke of, warriors or Hunters who fell to the darkness and were corrupted with some of the worst aspects of free will. They were utterly loyal to Salem, and were able to control the Grimm through those beasts' essence which were esoterically transferred into them, although that also made them rather unstable individuals." Seraph explained slowly, "They were all destroyed a long time ago, through the efforts of the Knight Order with assistance from the Guardians of Remnant."

"One of them tried to infiltrate Beacon Academy by shape-shifting itself and blending into the crowds..." Ozpin nodded as he informed the eight teens, "...but thankfully we were vigilant enough and managed to contain and defeat that Sin Commander before it could do any damage. Though sadly, I wasn't vigilant enough to see through Cinder."

"And now it seems that Salem wanted to expand upon that idea further." Seraph's visor turned to Jaune and Pyrrha again, "Can you still control the Grimm?"

"Yes sir." Jaune confirmed, nodding his head.

"Does your anger ever get the better of you?" Soul Seer asked, "Because if that happens you might become vulnerable to the remaining darkness which lay within yourself."

"Sometimes... when my friends of family... or when the people I love are threatened or their safety is endangered I kind of snap and my eyes glow red." Jaune admitted.

Argentius and Soul Seer both shared a look, and the male knight gestured, "Did you feel a dark voice calling to you when that happens? Something in the darkest part of your mind pulling at you into its embrace?"

"No, that hasn't happened to either of us." Pyrrha quickly stated, "While we have used our powers to control the Grimm from time to time, Jaune never lets it control him, and he is quick to snap out of it. Our eyes also become red when we control the Grimm."

Soul Seer narrowed her eyes a little at Pyrrha's answer, and the female Spartan momentarily wondered if the mage was discerning whether she was telling the truth. Then she nodded again and Seraph spoke, "I see. Beware of the dark power you wield, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, it can be helpful, but it could possibly lead you down the wrong path, so remember to be careful."

"Thank you for the advice, Grand Knight Master." Both guardians of the Aura Crystal replied together, before bowing their heads respectfully.

"Sir!" Called Blake, making everyone look to her. "They probably didn't hear any voices calling to them, but I did."

"What?! When?" Yang asked, surprised.

"When I was fighting Adam, I heard a cold voice calling to me, urging me to kill Adam. I ignored it, and it went away." The Cat Faunus elaborated.

"It's possible that Salem saw that you had a good chance of defeating Adam, and was going to cast him aside in favor of you. You made the right choice in ignoring her." Glynda said.

"Yeah, but you probably should have told us about that." Yang scolded her partner.

"Sorry, I just... didn't want anyone to think I was going insane. I wanted to brush it off as my own anger towards Adam nearly getting the better of me, but when they told Jaune and Pyrrha about that I knew I needed to talk about it." Blake said softly.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one to hear voices in your head nor are you the only one Salem has tried to get to." Pyrrha said to her reassuringly.

"And we're a team, no more hiding stuff okay? Seriously, how many times do you need to learn that?" Ruby joked to her friend, making Blake smile a bit,

"I know, and no more, I promise." Blake swore.

Seraph turned his winged helmet to face blonde knight, "Jaune Arc, did you know that your family has a history with the Remnant Knights?"

"Not of I know of." Jaune answered, surprise evident in his voice, "But my parents have told tales of you, or at least warriors like you, to me and my seven older sisters."

"Your ancestor, Luc Arc, was a honored ally of our Order, and also an honorary Knight. He was there when the previous Grimm Queen fell and when Salem, a former Winter Maiden, allowed anger and resentment to darken her soul and she took the place of the Mistress of Grimm. She had grown too attached to her power and refused to relinquish it, despite what your ancestor advised to her." Seraph revealed, watching Jaune's eyes widen and his mouth drop a little, "He fought alongside many Remnant Knights within the Order, and was honored for his heroic actions in the Knight Order's archives."

"That's right! Remember what I told you about what Cinder told me while she had us captive?" Ruby spoke up, her question aimed at Jaune, "Cinder told me about Luc Arc, which Salem had mentioned to her. The fact that she had it in for Luc Arc probably explains why she also wanted you hurt." Jaune looked at her, nodding his head. He did remember that small detail, as they both shared quite a few conversations with each other during their capture in the CraftTech factory located in Haven.

Seraph continued once Jaune turned back to face him, "Lorenzo Arc, son of Luc, became a Remnant Knight and was one of the most revered knights of the past, but his descendants chose to take up the profession of Huntsmen to better serve the people. Out of respect, the Order honored his wish and allowed him to leave. Many years ago, when you were merely an infant, we approached your family with an offer to make either you or one of your older sisters a knight, as we know that the Arc bloodline had the potential to help save many lives on Remnant, but your family politely refused." Argentius stated, with Seraph nodding his winged helmet.

"What?! Why didn't my mom and dad ever tell me about that?" Jaune brought up both of us hands as though in questioning.

"Because we erased their memories of that secret meeting." Soul Seer spoke again, "We did not want them to fear us or to tell the world that we exist, and while they were understanding and agreed to swear an oath of secrecy, we decided it was best they didn't remember the truth. The Remnant Knight who met with your parents is a prognosticator, and those knights have the skill to extract and erase memories among their considerable abilities. We meant them no harm, and we do not erase the memories of others lightly but to ensure the secrecy of our Knight Order some actions have to be taken. The tales your parents told to you and your sisters might be the legends of the Knights which had been passed down through generations within individual families."

"Oh... well, I guess that makes sense." The Arc son said, although his voice sounded a little unsure.

"So have you been able to communicate with the crystal?" Seraph asked the new guardians another question.

"Not much actually, but we have been meditating with it as much as we can. During some of our more intense meditations I have heard a voice or two from within the crystal." Jaune responded, "And together we've been improving."

"And just the other day our auras managed to enter the crystal." Pyrrha added, "Our auras merged and we could... sense each other's thoughts and feelings on a level we couldn't before. We saw figures made of pure aura inside and we heard the voice of the crystal's avatar. It told us that our merging had allowed the collective aura within the crystal to assess us and it assured the both of us that we are worthy."

"Such a daunting task must have taxed your strength greatly." Soul Seer observed quietly, "I take it you are both quite tired after cutting off the link with the crystal?"

"Yes. The avatar of the crystal also advised us to rest since the merging of auras left our bodies quite exhausted and we needed to talk to each other, because the merging allowed us to see each other's memories, thoughts, fears, and desires." Pyrrha mentioned to the knights standing in front of her and Jaune.

"And so what happened after that?" Argentius questioned the both of them.

Both Jaune and Pyrrha felt their cheeks flush red briefly, and the Spartan answered, "Well, we talked about what had happened during our meditations before deciding to go out on a date and enjoy each other's company."

The knowledgeable mage of the Knights thought for a moment and then stated, "That is often what happens after the auras of the two appointed guardians merge for the first time, according to the texts we have of the Aura Crystal at least. I trust you will both work diligently to communicate with it more in the future?"

They nodded their heads simultaneously and Jaune said, "We will, Soul Seer. We just decided to take a couple of days off after... yesterday's events."

Soul Seer looked at them closely for a moment when she noticed their blushing cheeks, and then as though knowing a personal secret, the ends of her lips curled upwards and she returned a nod of acknowledgment to both guardians of the Aura Crystal. When Argentius turned his helmeted face to look at his sister she merely gave a nod as if she already answered his unspoken question.

"Now, if you would be so kind, please show us the Aura Crystal." Seraph spoke in a respectful but commanding voice.

Both guardians looked at each other and nodded before they pressed their respective fingers on the case's security system and two soft clicks echoed through the meditation chambers. Lifting the lid of the case with both of their hands, Jaune and Pyrrha turned the open case to face the Remnant Knights.

Once the Aura Crystal was revealed to be within the case, glowing faintly with the power within it, there were a few gasps of surprise coming from the various Knights who had been stationed around the edges of the chambers. Pyrrha noticed that Seraph's head bowed a little, and so did Argentius and Sharp Strike, while Soul Seer's face broke into a serene smile of someone who had finally found what she had been looking for after quite a long period of time.

"Soul Seer, can you authenticate the crystal?" Seraph gestured and the mage knelt down in front of the case and extended an outstretched hand, an golden magical circle springing into being around her wrist, "With your permission, crystal guardians?"

They nodded and Soul Seer murmured an incarnation and more golden circles appeared around the case, before moving above the Aura Crystal and reconfigured themselves into hexagon with gold lines joining the circles together. Complicated words written in ancient script spread along those gold lines, and then the golden hexagon dropped down into the case with the Aura Crystal in the middle of it.

Then came a glow which caused the Aura Crystal to flare brightly, and Soul Seer's eyes flared vibrantly as she continued to speak more words of power. Her other gloved hand tightened on her flower-shaped staff which also caused the yellow crystal set at the top of the staff to glow brightly. Her facial expression was blank, indicating that she wasn't not in the same place as everyone else, spiritually anyway, once her aura connected with the crystal and felt the considerable rush of power from it.

Then the process was over and the Aura Crystal's radiance returned back to its faint glowing state, and the mage's eyes stopped flaring once the golden hexagon and circles lifted from the crystal and dissipated themselves. She took a calming breath to steady herself before looking up and nodding at Seraph and Argentius, "Just as we thought, it's the real Aura Crystal, no mistake or hoax at all."

"And the worthiness of the current guardians?" Seraph inquired as she stood up.

Soul Seer nodded, "Yes, the Aura Crystal has indeed deemed them both worthy. I have communicated with it and was informed of its choice. We must honor both it's choice, and the choices of its new guardians." She gave the two a smile before Seraph spoke again.

"It would appear that the Aura Crystal has deemed you worthy without any doubt, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos." Seraph said, "That is truly a wonderful thing, because the Knight Order have been wary of the Aura Crystal's safety ever since we were unable to acquire it from Ashe Kasai's possession. With you two as the crystal's new guardians, this gives us one less thing to worry about."

"Grand Knight Master Seraph, according to what Sharp Strike has told Miss Rose you knew Ashe was in possession of the Aura Crystal and after he defeated a group of knights they allowed him to keep it." Ironwood asked as he brought up a white-gloved hand, "May I ask why?"

"It would be wise to illuminate us on this particularly... interesting choice, Remnant Knights." Ozpin remarked.

"I think it would be best to hear from the Knights who undertook the mission to retrieve the Aura Crystal from Ashe Kasai." Seraph mentioned as he gestured for Sharp Strike and Shadow Reaper to come forward, "They were there, and would give you a detailed account of everything that happened."

Everyone else in the room turned to regard both said Knights, and while Shadow Reaper remained straight and tall, Sharp Strike's helmet lowered a tiny faction.

"Well... it was actually a matter of honor." Shadow Reaper explained as he spread his hands, "As the Aura Crystal's location was lost to the Knight Order, and after we received information from an operative that the relic that Ashe Kasai was carrying was indeed the Aura Crystal, Grand Knight Master Seraph assigned myself, Sharp Strike, and... Wood Cutter, a knight who is no longer with us, to take the Aura Crystal from him. We initially didn't think of Ashe as worthy or capable of protecting the crystal, but we were proven wrong when he revealed himself to be most resistant and in the end he also proved himself to be quite capable of the task of protection."

"So...what happened?" Jaune asked, eager to know a bit more about his departed friend.

"Yeah, he was our friend... I would like to know too." Ruby added softly

Shadow Reaper and Sharp Strike looked to Seraph and Argentius as though for confirmation. Both of them nodded their helmeted heads, permitting the two Remnant Knights to tell the tale.

10 Years Ago

In the south-east of Vacuo a lone man no older than twenty, walked down a long winding path in the middle of a heavily forested area. Sporting black hair and amber eyes, he wore simplistic dark green camo pants in addition to a black shirt with a grey jacket, with a heavy backpack on his back and a sword sheath upon his belt. Unlike the majority of Vacuo which has become a harsh and inhospitable climate, the southern parts of Vacuo still retained some of its greenery and therefore included quite a large number of scattered towns and settlements.

Trees that lined along the path cast long shadows, but it was still mid-day and hence the sun was still bright, its rays of sunlight shining down as if to make up for the previous night's heavy rain. The nearest town wasn't too far, and according to the map on the man's scroll all he had to do was follow the path until he heard or saw signs of the logging camp near the town of Aberdena where he could be able to rest for the night before continuing on his journey across Remnant.

He continued ahead in silence, but as the man climbed over a steep hill he saw three cloaked armored figures standing still at both sides of the path which led down the hill and past them, as if they were on guard at a checkpoint. Mentally checking that there were Vacuo Ranger guard-posts in the vicinity, the man stopped and looked down at them before carefully moving ahead. As he neared the three figures, he asked casually, "Excuse me, is the village Aberdena close by?"

The tallest of the three armored figures lifted his cloaked head and revealed a Beowolf-like helmet covering his face, his black robes parted a little to show a glimpse of the masterfully-crafted suit of armor he wore, and answered, "Yes, it is indeed, Ashe Kasai."

At the mention of his full name, Ashe stopped and his hand moved instinctively to his sword, "How do you know my name?"

"We know who you are, and we also know that you are the current Guardian of the Aura Crystal. As for our purpose, we've been sent here to relieve you of the duty." The leader of the three warriors spoke while his other two companions moved to either side of Ashe, their own robes rippling a little with their movements.

Ashe drew out his sword and got into a battle-ready stance, "Like hell you will."

The other two armored figures gripped their weapons firmly, while the leader carefully stepped forward with his armored gauntlets coming out in a cordial gesture, "Your parents are gone, your sister is missing, and you are the last of your family. You do not understand the importance of what you have in that bag. In that regard, it means that you are not prepared for the responsibility of protecting that relic, and therefore you cannot remain as its guardian."

"I don't understand why... Yes, I am not prepared... but I am not just going to hand it over. This relic was protected by my family and I will continue to do so." Ashe said as he began to survey his surroundings, mentally searching for an escape route should a fight erupt between him and the trio of armored warriors, "I have done pretty okay for the last ten years, so I don't see why you are bothering to take it now. Speaking of which, how did you find me?"

"Ashe, we have been searching for the Aura Crystal for a long time across Remnant. We only recently discovered that you were alive and that you were in possession of the Aura Crystal through some close associates of ours." The leader took a step forward, "We thank you for protecting the relic, and you have done your family proud for protecting it till now, but it is time to surrender it to us."

"Not without one hell of a fight." Ashe snarled, his drawn sword pointed at the leader, "You have no idea how many people and Faunus I have fought to keep this thing safe, thinking it was just some hunk of diamond, and I won't let you take it without giving you a few bruises and scars to remember me."

"Enough of this! You are outnumbered three to one, Guerrilla Hunter, so surrender the Aura Crystal or face the consequences!" The clearly younger knight in gunmetal grey armor with a blue trim shouted, losing his patience.

"Sharp Strike, you will stand down!" The leader barked sternly.

"Shadow Reaper, why are we tolerating his arrogance?" Sharp Strike's helmet turned in the his commanding officer and asked, "Why don't just dispatch him and leave?"

"Because Kasai has protected the Aura Crystal for a decade, perhaps more, and he deserves a chance to surrender it peacefully." Shadow Reaper answered as he held up his hand, staying Sharp Strike's aggressive movements.

"Who are you?!" Ashe demanded angrily, his ember eyes moving between the three.

"Who we are isn't important right now, but we can give the Aura Crystal the protection it needs. Our organization knew your parents Ashe, we also knew of the existence of the crystal, and we can protect it better than you can." Shadow Reaper said calmly while looking at Ashe directly, "Please give it to us."

"It's my duty to protect this crystal just as it was my family's. If you want it, come and get it." Ashe dared.

Shadow Reaper looked to Sharp Strike and the third knight who both nodded back at him and then sighed to himself, "Very well." Faster than the eye could blink, all three armored figures withdrew their own weapons from within their robes; Shadow Reaper has two gun-swords, Sharp Strike had an impressive looking red and gold sword with an ornate hilt, and the third warrior brought out a powerful looking shotgun-axe.

Ashe struck first by suddenly jumping towards them, landing right in the middle of the three warriors, and with a powerful kick he hit the warrior with the shotgun-axe in the chest hard enough to knock him back. Sharp Strike swung his sword at Ashe's back but he brought his sword behind just in time to parry it. Within moments, Ashe began trading blows and parries with Sharp Strike and Shadow Reaper, their blades swift and deadly arcs of metal which met with clangs and sparks.

Ashe drew back, still fighting to fend them off as he moved swiftly towards the forest. Sharp Strike launched himself forwards and struck Ashe's blade so hard that the Guerrilla Huntsman was sent backwards over a fallen log, but he quickly scrambled up again just in time to bring his sword up to parry the young warrior's next strike.

Shadow Reaper came up over the log, with the third warrior close behind. Glancing around, he saw the third warrior racking his own weapon to chamber a round, "Are you alright, Wood Cutter?"

"I am unharmed." The third warrior said when he saw Ashe taking out a gun, "Sharp Strike!"

Sharp Strike deflected and parried away all the shots that Ashe fired at him, but soon he realized that Ashe wasn't shooting at him anymore when the Huntsman pointed his weapon upwards. He glanced up quickly even as Ashe walked backwards briskly while opening fire into the trees overhead, his bullets cutting through heavy branches causing them to fall down from above.

"Scatter!" Shadow Reaper ordered as he opened fire at Ashe who dodged his shots which impacted into the nearby tree trunks. Sharp Strike moved swiftly and nimbly to avoid being hit by the thick branches, occasionally slicing a few down just to be sure. When the young warrior looked up again Ashe has already moved into the dense forest as quickly as he could.

"After him!" Sharp Strike shouted as he ran after their quarry.

"Reckless and always on the move." Shadow Reaper sighed as he and Wood Cutter dashed after the young warrior, "How in the world does Argentius even put up with him?"

"I guess that's the reason why Argentius has a squire apprentice instead of you." Wood Cutter replied as he sprinted alongside the commanding warrior, "He can tolerate recklessness more than you can."

"If it were up to me, Sharp Strike would be serving guard duty with the Winter Templars in Atlas!" Shadow Reaper mentioned while reloading his gun-swords.

They caught up quickly with Sharp Strike, who was standing in a small clearing with his helmeted head looking from left to right. "Wait, where did he go?" Wood Cutter asked.

"He's here somewhere, I know he didn't run ahead." Sharp Strike said assertively as he gripped his sword in a guard stance, "And I can tell he's still in this clearing."

"Patience. Wait for him to make a move, then we will have him." Shadow Reaper advised them both. There was a quick whooshing sound, and he was struck down from behind as a pair of booted legs smashed into his back with a sharp clang. Turning quickly, Sharp Strike and Wood Cutter looked up to see Ashe swinging from a thick vine.

"Thanks for waiting!" Ashe taunted them as his vine wrapped around a large tree and he came at them again. Quickly trading blows with both warriors before going upwards, he let go of the vine and landed on a heavy branch where he caught his balance. However, his high ground wasn't held for long as Wood Cutter threw his shotgun-axe, which slashed through the base of the branch and sent Ashe dropping to the ground where Sharp Strike attacked with quick and furious blows that the amber-eyed traveler desperately defended himself from. After turning aside his opponent's latest blow he kicked his attacker in the knees and gut before trying to run for it, only to be blasted in the back by Shadow Reaper's gun-swords.

Shadow Reaper ran forward and began trading blows with Ashe, and as they fought he forced the Guerrilla Huntsman up a rising on the forest ground. He managed to land a cut on Ashe's left arm and sliced open his shirt, thankfully missing the skin by mere inches. Ashe drew back as fast as he could, only for Shadow Reaper's gauntlet-clad hand to land a palm-strike on Ashe's face as he kicked him in the gut which sent Ashe down upon a large rock. Jumping over with the intent to kick him in the chest, the warrior with the Beowolf helmet missed as Ashe rolled out of the way at the last second, parrying a sweeping strike just as he scooped up a handful of dirt and threw it into Shadow Reaper's ghoulish helmet.

Ashe attacked with his sword, not allowing Shadow Reaper to wipe the dirt off his visor, but despite his sight now being impaired the commanding officer of the three warriors still managed to parry and dodge Ashe's attacks. Ashe knew he had to end the bout quickly or he would be gradually tiring himself out and yanked out his gun, opening fire at Shadow Reaper's torso, knowing that the warrior's armor would help his aura protect him from any fatal injuries. The warrior suddenly let up and before Shadow Reaper could bring his gun-swords down Ashe bashed him in the helmet with the hilt of his sword, making the leader of the group stumble back. Ashe then struck him in the legs, causing the warrior to fall before grabbing his helmet and smashing it into the ground with a loud clang.

He released Shadow Reaper and narrowly dodged a shotgun blast from Wood Cutter which impacted into the tree right beside him. Shielding himself from the flying wooden splinters with one hand, Ashe began to move once more just as Sharp Strike leaped over his superior and attacked again, "You will pay for that!"

"Oh for the love of... just give it up!" Ashe groaned as he parried Sharp Strike's attacks, while going up the increasingly steep incline of ground. The two fighters eventually came to some trees where a large group of logs was placed against them to prevent them from rolling downhill. The grey and blue armored warrior jumped upon it and swung his sword vertically at Ashe, but he blocked it and ducked under the next swing, before climbing up onto the log on his stomach and performed a sweeping kick which impacted on the warrior's torso which took him by surprise, knocking Sharp Strike down and causing him to drop his sword.

Ashe grabbed the ornate sword, and heard the furious growl as Sharp Strike pushed himself upwards from the ground. "You are not worthy of that sword, give it to me!" He demanded angrily, pointing a finger accusingly at the surviving Kasai, whose amber eyes ran over the length of the red and gold sword in his hand. It had complex, cursive script written in an ancient language along the length of the long blade on both sides. It was far lighter than the sword in his other hand, yet it doesn't seem give any vibration when the sword clashed against Ashe's own, while his was already chipped in a few places after taking quite a few blows. It looked very intricately crafted, with any sunlight that touched the sword's surface was immediately reflected as though casting an ethereal glow over the blade, and it wouldn't look out of place if wielded by the heroes in any of Remnant's many legends.

"I said, give it to me!" The young warrior shouted, his entire form trembling with barely-controlled fury.

"If you leave me alone, sure!" Ashe bargained while hearing the warrior's companions catching up. The armored warrior remained silent as he dove at him with his gauntlets outstretched with a snarl in his voice. "Well, I tried to be nice..." Ashe muttered to himself as he threw himself back into the fight. Now armed with two swords and a gun in his backpack, the Guerrilla Huntsman attacked with a volley of strikes and swings at Sharp Strike, who somehow managed to dodge and jump over every attack. Ashe thrust the two swords towards Sharp Strike, who sidestepped the blow and landed two punches into Ashe's abdomen and knocked him back a few steps.

The lone warrior brought both hands together to use the swords to drive back his attacker, only for Sharp Strike to grab his hands and the two began to wrestle for control of the swords in Ashe's hands. "This sword is mine... it's my family's..." Sharp Strike snarled as he struggled to rip the red and gold sword away from Ashe.

"And the crystal belongs to my family!" Ashe shot back before the other warrior kneed him in the groin and ripping the ornate sword away from Ashe. He then followed up with a punch into Ashe's chest and tried to slash him as the former was stunned, but the unofficial Huntsman blocked the strike and hissed, "Okay, now I am mad." His Semblance activated and powered him as he surged forward suddenly, striking over and over again with many quick and well-placed attacks, eventually driving Sharp Strike back against a tree where Ashe swung above his helmet and scored a deep gash in the trunk.

"Don't mess with me, whoever you are... I don't want to harm anyone if I can help it..." Ashe warned the young warrior nervously.

"Says the one who attacked first!" Wood Cutter shouted as he attacked speedily from behind. Ashe quickly moved to parry the slam of the shotgun-axe, only to turn about and try to fend off Sharp Strike who struck out once more. The Guerrilla Huntsman quickly pulled away and beat a hasty retreat, only to be grabbed by many long shadowy shapes and then slammed into the ground. He tried to get up, only to be kicked down by Shadow Reaper's armored boot. He apparently used his Semblance, which allowed him to use the surrounding shadows to assist him in battle, to hold Ashe down.

Ashe swung his sword as a last resort but Shadow Reaper used his twin guns-words to parry every strike until he stepped on Ashe's arm hard enough to make the former warrior drop his sword.

Sliding one of his gun-swords into its holster at the side of his waist belt, Shadow Reaper traced the large scrape down his silver-black chest-plate and eyed Ashe while speaking, "You have fought well, my friend... but you are defeated. You fight well for a Guerrilla Huntsman, but your moves are still a bit clumsy and unrefined, if not a tad predictable. You will have to do better." His torn cloak flapped a little behind him in the dry breeze.

Instead of looking defeated, Ashe smirked and said, "How's this? Haakskeekah!"

A sudden erupting burst of energy sent Shadow Reaper sprawling onto his back a short distance away, crying out in surprise. The black tentacles and appendages holding Ashe down loosened and retreated back into the shadows, freeing him and Ashe reclaimed his sword and hurriedly ran towards the top of the hill. As he reached the summit he discovered that it was a sheer drop with a fence around the peak for safety purposes. Looking around quickly, he could see that they were on currently one of the plateau levels above the logging town, with the one below him to be the first as it was where the quarry was. Beyond the quarry were the dam and accompanying reservoir, and further beyond that was the final stretch of the path to the town of Aberdena.

He looked down the fence to see that there were two rickety wooden and rope bridges that led to two towers overlooking the quarry, which was conveniently closed for the day. Hearing the sound of armored boots, Ashe whipped around to see the trio of warriors approaching him with their individual weapons drawn. "How did you learn such an attack?" Shadow Reaper's voice carried over the distance between them.

"My mother taught it to me, and I am not going to let her down by letting you take the Aura Crystal." Ashe retorted boldly.

"We cannot leave without the Aura Crystal in our possession, I am sorry for this..." Shadow Reaper mentioned before he and the other two warriors jumped to attack. Ashe moved as fast and as wildly as he could, all the while deflecting shots from Shadow Reaper's gun-swords and blocking strikes as well as slashes from Sharp Strike and Wood Cutter even as he moved towards the bridge the whole time. He cried out in pain as Wood Cutter inflicted a small slash across his back which his aura easily healed, but it distracted him enough for Sharp Strike to slash his jacket open sideways. Ashe growled even as he struck back, deflecting Sharp Strike's latest blow and waited for Wood Cutter to overextend himself. He ripped off his jacket and flung it over Wood Cutter's helmet, and then used a Semblance-fueled fist to sucker-punch him across the helmet, which resulted in a piercing clang and painfully bruised knuckles on his right fist.

"Ow! Note to self: never punch someone with heavy armor." Ashe muttered as he shrunk back automatically against Shadow Reaper and Sharp Strike's continuous attacks. The younger warrior jumped up and kicked Ashe in face, knocking the latter off his feet and crashing into the posts of the second and taller bridge. Ashe recovered and jumped onto the bridge just in time as Sharp Strike slashed off the very top of the post with his sword. As the youngest of the three warriors pursued Ashe across the long bridge, Wood Cutter managed to pull off Ashe's jacket from his helmet and moved to follow, but Shadow Reaper stopped him with a mailed gauntlet across the other warrior's chest-plate.

"We will keep him busy. Get across the other bridge, gain access to the other tower and cut him off!" He ordered.

Wood Cutter nodded and dashed across the lower bridge while Shadow Reaper ran to aid Sharp Strike who was still clashing swords with Ashe without pause. Retreating several steps towards the forest, Shadow Reaper then turned about and dashed towards the bridge, using his semblance to create an steadily elevated arch from the shadow of a tree that allowed him to make a high leap, sailing smoothly overhead and landed some meters away from Ashe on the other side of the bridge, making it shake and buckle violently.

"Are you nuts? That could have taken out the entire bridge!" Ashe cried as he parried another vertical blow from Sharp Strike, the blade mere centimeters from cutting his face. The senior warrior knew Ashe was right, as the bridge was shaking wildly due to the fight and his additional weight, so he began moving forward as briskly and carefully as he could. Ashe noticed this and waited for Shadow Reaper to get close enough, and then he kicked Sharp Strike in the torso before whipping around and sliced the wooden board he was standing on in half. Shadow Reaper nearly fell but held on a safety rope just in time, and he brought up his gun-sword and fired at Ashe's shoulder, scoring a hit which set caused Ashe to cry out while red blood began to bleed from the most recent wound, aura glowing brightly.

Sharp Strike took advantage of the distraction and punched Ashe in the chest before elbowing him in the head and sent the latter warrior over the side of the bridge, but the Kasai brother luckily fell onto the lower bridge with a cry of pain.

"Be careful! You could have killed him! Not to mention you could have damaged the Aura Crystal!" Shadow Reaper admonished the younger warrior who bowed his helmet apologetically in return, but this allowed him to see something just in time.

"Look out!" Sharp Strike shouted as they both saw Ashe took out his gun once more and opened fire on them from below, shredding the remaining ropes on the right side apart. The wooden roped bridge rapidly collapsed section by section, causing Shadow Reaper to lose his balance and fell off the bridge while Sharp Strike held onto the other side, before dropping down to join Ashe on the lower bridge. Shadow Reaper quickly used his Semblance in combination with the shadows of the nearby rocks and trees to help him land in relative safety. Gazing up at Ashe at the other side of the second bridge, he began to sprint once more while Ashe caught sight of Wood Cutter guarding the entrance to the tower, with his shotgun-axe weapon leveled at the Guerrilla Huntsman.

"Ah crap..." Ashe muttered to himself as he assessed the deteriorating situation. Then a smirk grew on his lips as an idea came to him which can probably tip the odds in his favor. "Well, I hope this works..." He then brought his sword down and severed both ropes, cutting the already collapsing bridge in half.

Sharp Strike quickly jumped to the other end and grabbed the ropes securing the planks as the entire bridge fell in a swinging motion towards the tower, while Ashe did the same thing since he wasn't able to make it to the other side in time.

Shadow Reaper moved quickly, using his Semblance which caused the shadows of the surrounding trees to create two thick shadowy tendrils which caught the two combatants on the collapsing bridge and sent them over to the top of the mine's incline, which had a set of winches. One was connected to a trio of small and empty narrow gauge railway carts, which miners at the quarry would load up with rock and send down while the other winch was connected to the other carts at the bottom, with the weight of the loaded carts pulling the empty ones up. Ashe managed to recover but Sharp Strike didn't give him any time to catch any respite and attacked once more, the two duelists trading blows about a dozen times before the young warrior grabbed Ashe's shirt and punched him hard in the face, stunning him for a brief second. The armored warrior then dodged Ashe's return punch before grabbing him by the neck and slamming Ashe's face into his armored knee and the sweeping his knees out, slamming Ashe into the rocky ground.

"Do you submit, Kasai?" Sharp Strike asked with a hint of smugness in his voice.

Ashe didn't bother to answer the warrior's question. He just kicked upwards into Sharp Strike's gut and groin, abruptly hoisting him up and over into the empty mine cart. He then hopped up and swung his sword swiftly to sever the winch's chain, only to be grabbed by Sharp Strike from behind the very instant he severed the chains. Crashing into the cart in a tangled heap, the severed rope snapped free and the freed carts began to speed dangerously downhill with the two warriors still regaining their bearings.

"Well, that's certainly resourceful." Shadow Reaper observed as Wood Cutter got down from the tower, watching as Ashe managed to wrestle free from Sharp Strike's grip and climb into the next cart even as it picked up speed.

"Can't argue with that." The other silver and brown-armored warrior admitted, "But what good will it do for him if he gets himself hurt?"

"I guess we shall see soon enough." Shadow Reaper answered as they both sprinted down the hill after the runaway carts.

The mine carts leveled out as they reached the ground, but their speed didn't slow down in the slightest. Ashe looked around just in time to duck a swing of Sharp Strike's sword, the blur of red and gold whistling past the top of his head.

"Dude, come on!" Ashe cried as he lowered himself into the speeding cart as it shot towards the end of its track, "I sure hope you appreciate what I am doing for you." He muttered to the Aura Crystal, even though he knew he would get nothing in the way of thanks.

"Accept your defeat Kasai...AH!" Sharp Strike yelled in shock as the carts became derailed by the trap points, which sent the mine carts onto the gravel and earth and hence slowing them down. The silver and blue armored warrior had fallen onto his back by the sudden jolt, while Ashe jumped out just in time to dodge another shotgun blast from Wood Cutter and blew him away with a Haakskeekah. Spinning around, he sidestepped a pair of blasts from Shadow Reaper's weapons and sliced through a support pole which held in a thick steel chain in place, releasing it and making the chain snap back suddenly, slamming into Shadow Reaper which sent him crashing into the rocky ground of the quarry in a clatter of armor plates.

Shadow Reaper recovered quickly, but as the trio of warriors picked themselves up they looked up to see Ashe already running out of the quarry, "It seems that we have underestimated him, I didn't expect a mere Guerrilla Hunter to put up this good of a fight."

"How can this be?" Sharp Strike inquired hotly as he climbed out of the cart, "How can he defeat us? We are Remnant Knights, scions of the Knight Order! We should have easily defeated him by now!"

"True, but Ashe Kasai is no ordinary warrior. He is a Guardian of the Aura Crystal after all." Shadow Reaper stated as the three knights recovered and began to chase after Ashe again.

"But he hasn't been trained like we have been! He should have fallen to us by now!" Sharp Strike argued brazenly, which was a sure sign of inexperience and immaturity, "Face it, he's inferior to us!"

"No!" Shadow Reaper turned his helmet and barked sternly at the younger knight, "You mustn't think like that. We may be powerful, but that doesn't make us invincible. Ashe is a wildcard, and hence he still has a chance to defeat us, however slim it may be. Your behavior is unbecoming of a knight, Sharp Strike, do you understand me?"

Sharp Strike looked down to the ground and then nodded, "Yes. I apologize for my disrespectful words, shadow Reaper. I... I don't always think before I speak." He replied as they ran out of the quarry after Ashe.

"Beware of hubris and guard against it appropriately. You have great potential in you, Sharp Strike, just don't let your ego get the better of you, as pride and self-confidence are often what caused the downfall of great warriors." Shadow Reaper lectured sternly.

"I understand, Shadow Reaper." Sharp Strike said as they saw Ashe come to an abrupt stop up ahead. While Shadow Reaper used his Semblance to block Ashe's path once more, the lone warrior had made it to the middle of the dam overlooking the reservoir and the river it fed. Two wooden bridges, one a civilian bridge and the other a road bridge, connected the distance between the dam and a waterfall that dropped down to a lower river in front of the logging town. Many old trees had fallen along the river banks, some dangerously close to the edge, and there were even some lined up along the dam's walls. In the reservoir there were thick piles of fallen logs, branches, and even a tall tree that had been taken down by the previous night's storm.

Ashe turned around and got ready for another fight, while taking something out of the side pouch of his backpack and placed it into his pocket. "Who the hell are you?!" He shouted.

Shadow Reaper lowered his gun-swords and glanced about to make sure no one was within a earshot. Thankfully, the only ones he could see were some children playing around the river banks and on the bridge with some adults watching over them, and some of their heads turned in Ashe's direction when they heard his shout, Ashe Kasai, we mean you no harm."

"Coulda fooled me." Ashe snapped as he pointed his sword at them, with Sharp Strike and Wood Cutter tensing a little.

"Very well..." Shadow Reaper sighed and revealed their collective identity, "We are the Remnant Knights." He then pulled back his black cloak to show Ashe the Knight Order's emblem displayed on his right pauldron.

Ashe was honestly surprised as he felt his eyes widen, but he kept his guard up, "I thought you were just a myth..."

"To most people we are, but there is always a bit of truth in legends. We have come to you seeking the Aura Crystal to give it the proper protection it needs, and you are not enough for that task. You have fought very bravely, and even taught one of us a thing or two..." Shadow Reaper said as he glanced at Sharp Strike, "But I can tell that you are tired, and your aura has been dangerously drained. Ashe, you don't have to be the crystal's guardian anymore. Give us the Aura Crystal, and we will part ways without incident. You can find a real life out there." Shadow Reaper spoke diplomatically while keeping his gun-swords lowered.

Ashe let out a heavy sigh before replying, "A part of me would like that... but I can't do it. Guarding this relic was my family's duty, and therefore it is mine as well. It is their legacy, and I won't let them down... I will not let my mother down. I don't know if I can trust you at all, so you'll have to take it from my dead body."

"It doesn't have to be like that." Wood Cutter said carefully.

"No, it doesn't. So get lost." Ashe said firmly.

"We cannot leave until we are sure the Aura Crystal is in the right hands." Sharp Strike stated, raising his sword again.

"It already is. I am its chosen guardian, and I will not let you take it without a fight." Ashe said, all the while getting ready to grab the Dust-charged grenade in his pockets.

Shadow Reaper sighed and said "So be it." The three knights drew their weapons and got ready to attack once more. Ashe reached into his pocket and took out the grenade, aiming to throw it behind them to send them flying, but Sharp Strike saw it and used his Semblance to rush forward and slam into Ashe who thumbed the grenade by reflex, knocking the now active grenade out of his hand and over the side of the dam, landing into the reservoir with a splash.

"You idiot!" Ashe cried. "It's going to..."

A mighty explosion blew a manhole-sized gap in the dam and sent a wayward log flying out of the water and impacting into Wood Cutter, which sent him flying onto his back. "Oh hell..." Shadow Reaper muttered as water began to surge wildly from the reservoir, tearing bricks and bits of shattered concrete from the small dam's interior. The large log was dragged by the current and smashed through the top of the dam, with both Ashe and Sharp Strike jumping atop of it as it fell a short distance into the river, landing with a mighty splash as the gushing water from the reservoir poured out into the river beyond, flooding it drastically.

The log was swept along the river by the now raging tides, while the water level of the whole river began to rise alarmingly. On the aforementioned log Ashe and Sharp Strike dueled each other, their swords exchanging blows several times with strikes, slashes, parries, swings and blocks, trying to keep their balance as the drifting log whirled around in the wild river.

Ashe stopped fighting when he heard the fearful sounds of people, mostly children, screaming close by. He looked ahead to see that the sudden and powerful surge of water had knocked the left side of the civilian bridge off its boards, and the swollen river now threatened to sweep it away towards the waterfall. The few who were still on the bridge, mainly comprised of children and a few adults trying to get them to safety, nearly made it before another log smashed into the other side and sent them off down the river, crying out for help.

Ashe looked to Sharp Strike and shouted, "Truce!"

"What?" The young warrior tilted his head a little.

"We need to help those people first! This is our fault!" Ashe explained quickly.

"You are right." Sharp Strike lowered his ornate sword as he remembered the true purpose of the Remnant Knights was to protect the innocent, "Do you have a plan, Kasai?"

"We get close and jump onto the bridge, and then get them up to the riverbanks!" Ashe said as he began to use his sword as a paddle to speed the log up. Sharp Strike shook his head at the thought of his cherished sword being used like that, but he didn't argue and began to help out from the other end of the traveling log, making the log go faster until they were alongside the bridge. The two warriors speedily jumped on and Ashe shouted, "Don't worry! We are going to help you get to safety!"

Nobody seemed particularly convinced at first, but many of the children who saw two fierce warriors fighting earlier stopping in their personal battle to help them and their simple but clear minds guided them to accept that fact while the older civilians just went with it seeing that they had no other choice. Better a slim chance of survival than drowning in the river.

"We are heading right into that huge bridge!" A teenage fox Faunus who was holding her little sister close cried out in fear.

"You think that will stop us?" Ashe asked, turning to face Sharp Strike's emotionless face-plate.

"Or more likely break the bridge we're on apart." Sharp Strike pointed out as they got closer to the suspension bridge, and by extension, the raging waterfall. He looked over and could faintly make out Shadow Reaper and Wood Cutter running towards the riverbanks at the far side of the river. He waved to them for help as they got closer to the bridge but it was clear the other two knights wouldn't get there in time to stop them from crashing into the bridge, "We'll have to go under it, then my companions can help us get to safety."

Ashe nodded, "Sounds good to me! Okay, everyone on this side! We are going try to direct the bridge and control it through!"

The civilians, deciding they had no other option, obeyed Ashe's commands immediately and stepped over to the side, making the floating bridge straighten up. "Stand in the middle and grab both rails, then lean from side to side so we can go straight through!" Ashe yelled as they kept surging towards the slightly larger bridge, with the civilians followed his instructions as much as they could, and they managed to go under the bridge with inches to spare and between the powerful support beams that kept it safe from being swept away. They came out of the other end, some of the younger children crying out in terror as the waterfall was now only a few hundred meters away.

"Kasai!" Wood Cutter shouted. Ashe turned to see the knight on the riverbank with the bottom of his weapon's handle pointed at the bridge, "Catch!" He pressed a button on the side of his shotgun-axe and a small grappling hook shot out and snagged itself onto the railing of the bridge. As Ashe made sure it was secured Shadow Reaper used his Semblance to use the surrounding shadows to create shadowy black tendrils that shot into the water and took hold of the bridge.

Working together, the two knights pulled the bridge to safety onto the riverbank until it was safely lodged into the muddy sand. "Everybody off!" One of the adults on the bridge hollered, making the civilians scramble for solid ground, and Ashe quickly guided the pair of fox Faunus siblings off the bridge and into the waiting hands of an adult who thanked him profusely before running to safety.

Shadow Reaper eyed Ashe and said, "That was quick thinking, you did well, Ashe Kasai."

Ashe nodded and said, "Well Hot Head here helped, speaking of which..." He drew out his sword again and asked "I guess the truce is over?"

"I suppose so." Sharp Strike replied as he took out his own sword in response.

"Let's not fight near the kids..." Ashe said quietly before he violently threw himself against the side of the bridge, sending it into the raging river yet again, with the two combatants going at each other one more time with their swords and everything else they had.

"He's going to get himself killed." Wood Cutter said, his gauntlet hand meeting his helmet face-plate.

"I don't think so, he's smarter that I thought..." Shadow Reaper stated before he began to run across the road bridge, with the other knight following him.

As they approached the waterfall Ashe and Sharp Strike continued to fight fiercely on the bridge, their blades engaged in a deadly dance once more. Ashe dodged the knight's rapid blows before he grabbed the railings and hoisted himself up to kick Sharp Strike down, and then dropping back onto the bridge. He spun about quickly and letting out another cry of "Haakskeekah!" to send the bridge flying across the river and ran itself aground on the muddy banks, just a few meters away from the sheer drop of the raging waterfall.

Ashe jumped over Sharp Strike and landed into the mud and as the knight got up the bridge slipped away from the bank and made the rest of its way to the waterfall. Just before it tipped over Sharp Strike jumped as high as he could, performing a perfect somersault and landed right in front of Ashe even as the bridge went over the falls and was smashed to pieces by the sharp rocks below. Both sword-wielding warriors sized each other up for a single second, but Ashe turned and ran, trying to make a break for the road leading to town. If these were Remnant Knights they would probably want to stay a secret and after what he had been through in the past fifteen minutes he was in a snitching mood.

Sharp Strike sprinted forward and came up alongside Ashe, body-slamming into him, forcing him down into the large roots of an old tree that was dangerously close to the raging tides, which were eating away the softening earth that kept the tree rooted. Ashe jumped up to avoid being hit by the young knight's highly-wrought sword, which severed the tree from some of its roots, forcing it to twist over and be carried away by the river currents. Ashe turned around and tried to run again, only for Sharp Strike to sever his backpack strap and rip the bag away from him.

"NO!" Ashe shouted as he lunged for it, only to meet Sharp Strike's gauntlet fist which sent him sprawling.

"Enough of this, Kasai. You have lost." Sharp Strike spoke firmly while breathing hard behind his face-plate.

"Not yet... I am not giving up, I can't. Do you have any idea what it's like to lose your family?" Ashe asked darkly.

"...Yes, I do." The young knight confessed, and the tone of his voice gave Ashe the impression that the armored warrior had gone through something similar.

"I lost mine, and so the duty of guarding the Aura Crystal falls to me. It is my responsibility and I will not fail my family!" Ashe cried as he leapt at the knight, unleashing a furious series of sword attacks which Sharp Strike could only defend against. He tried to press back but Ashe's blows were too hard and fast, catching him off guard. Sharp Strike was forced to drop the backpack containing the Aura Crystal to properly defend himself, but it was no use against Ashe's relentless volley of fierce strikes.

In a matter of moments, Ashe disarmed Sharp Strike of his own sword and then hit the armored fighter in the chest-plate hard enough to knock him on his back. The Guerrilla Huntsman then stepped on his chest and held his sword to the knight's neck.

"That's enough, Ashe Kasai. He is beaten." Shadow Reaper said as he and Wood Cutter arrived on the scene, carefully moving towards him. "There is no more need for fighting."

"Is that so?" Ashe asked, his chest rising and falling while adrenaline still flowed within his veins, sweat covered his body and hair, his eyes were wild.

"Yes. You have proven yourself quite worthy, and you may keep the Aura Crystal." Shadow Reaper said as he sheathed both of his gun-swords.

"What?!" Ashe, Sharp Strike, and Wood Cutter all asked at once.

"But... but our mission... the Grand..." Sharp Strike stammered, his voice unable to form words.

"I will speak to him. He will understand. Ashe Kasai has bested us and also given us a run for our money, and if he could fend us off then he should be an adequate match for anyone who wants to take the Aura Crystal for their own ends. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience we have caused." Shadow Reaper stated with a slight bow. "We will not pursue you any further, so please release the boy."

"No bullshit?" Ashe asked, still holding the sword to Sharp Strike's neck.

"None. On my honor and life, I swear it." Shadow Reaper answered as he reached to his belt and tapped a button on a thin remote-like device attached between the brown pouches there.

Ashe looked to Sharp Strike and carefully removed his foot to let him up. "Sorry about that, I couldn't let you take it. You're a pretty good fighter, probably one of the best I have faced."

"As are you, Ashe Kasai." Sharp Strike replied as he got up, clutching his chest as his aura healed the slight bruise he had received. Wood Cutter allowed the young knight to lean on him for support. "You have... you have given me a lot to think about. Thank you."

"Uh, you're welcome, I guess. So... what now?" Ashe looked to Shadow Reaper who inclined his helmet in respect.

"Now, Ashe Kasai, we take our leave. We wish you luck in guarding the Aura Crystal. Farewell and safe travels." Shadow Reaper mentioned before turning on his armored boots and marched away, with the other two knights following him.

In the distance, Ashe heard the distinct sound of powerful but near-silent engines on a fast approach. As he watched, the trio of Remnant Knights walked toward the plateau drop as a thin, sleek ship adorned in grey-black livery, no doubt summoned by the button press, partially de-cloaked and opened its ramp which the three knights stepped onto and before the ramp closed fully Shadow Reaper, Sharp Strike and Wood Cutter clashed their gauntlets to their chest-plates in salute to him. With a whine of its engines, the ship cloaked itself once more and vanished into the distance, leaving no trace of the Remnant Knights' presence behind.

Ashe picked up his backpack and walked back up the riverbanks until he reached a large shady tree, slumping down against it in exhaustion. Moments later he heard the screech of tires and turned his head to see a couple of Vacuo Ranger jeeps with mounted weapons arriving a short distance away from him. As other rangers alighted with assault rifles and shotguns in their hands to secure the area and inspect the damage done to the reservoir and accompanying dam, a female commanding officer of the rangers who's clearly a deer Faunus approached him, noticing his various cuts and bruises "Sir? Do you also require medical attention? And would you mind telling us what just happened?"

Ashe let out a tired smile and replied, "I'll let you know as soon as my brain catches up. Right now I need a hot shower, a decent bed, and a long drink of cold water."

"Once we returned back to Tintagel we weren't exactly seen as heroes. My decision to let Ashe keep the Aura Crystal was met with skepticism by our superiors at The Round Table. Sharp Strike in particular received several lectures on his reckless actions, accidentally causing collateral damage, and how he had to be more restrained with regards to his actions in the future." Shadow Reaper finished.

"I literally have some of those lectures practically memorized." Sharp Strike deadpanned, slowly shaking his helmet-covered head.

"As you should, my protégé." Argentius joked lightly.

"Lectures on one's reckless actions?" Qrow chuckled at that, "That reminds me of the time when Yang accidentally set the family house on fire with her Semblance."

"I thought we agreed never to speak of that again?" Taiyang shared a look with his brother-in-law before draping one hand over his face, "I can never get the soot stains off the carpet."

The rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR turned their heads towards Yang who chuckled nervously and shrugged her shoulders, "Hey, it's not my fault since I was still a kid!"

Seraph then spoke up, "However after hearing their report, I was intrigued by Ashe Kasai's fighting skills and his fierce determination to keep the Aura Crystal safe, as well as honoring his family's memory at all costs. I trusted Shadow Reaper enough to at least give him a chance, but I still had him secretly observed. The Knight Order watched as he stayed in Aberdeen and helped them recover from the bursting of the dam. Even though the village's people blamed the mysterious 'bandits' he fought, Ashe still insisted on helping them, and he also kept the secret that those who fought him were actually knights."

Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren, the ones who had known Ashe longer than the others, all smiled at that.

"Ashe Kasai taught me that no one is invincible, not even a Remnant Knight. I had become overconfident in my ability and I thought a mere Guerrilla Huntsman was no match for us, yet he held his ground and fought us no matter how tired he became. He defeated me in combat and I learned that just because I am a knight I am not above everyone. He even reminded me that one of our main causes was to protect the innocent when he insisted that we stop the fight to save the bystanders on the bridge. I only met him twice, but he had a great effect on me." Sharp Strike said earnestly. "I still have a bruise on my chest from that fight."

"So... what happened the second time you met him?" Jaune asked.

"They met at Mila's grave." Ruby answered, remembering what Sharp Strike had told her in an earlier conversation with him.

The aforementioned knight let out a sad sigh and replied, "Yes. I had requested a chance to observe Ashe once more, but by the time I arrived it was over. Saul Jade had fallen, his gang had fled and the town was saved. But a heavy price has been paid..."

5 Years Ago

Ashe sat before Mila's grave in silence, alone again because of his own failure, "I am so sorry... I failed you Mila...can you ever forgive me?" He spoke sadly as he placed his hand on the grave, with tears streaming from his ember eyes.

As expected, there was no answer. Ashe's arm fell limp as he cast his head down, but soon glanced up as he heard the thudding footsteps of armored boots coming from behind him.

"Who's there?" He turned his raven-haired head a little to the side.

"We have met before, Ashe Kasai...at the dam in Vacuo..." A calm voice reached his ears.

Ashe turned around fully to see the armored form of Sharp Strike standing behind him, the weak sunlight reflecting off the smooth silver and blue plates of his personal suit of armor. He rose to face the new arrival and replied, "I remember you...you are the knight who I fought on the log, and the one who caused the dam to burst when you knocked the live grenade out of my hand..."

"Yes, it is. My knight name is Sharp Strike. I don't think I have properly introduced myself the last time, considering the circumstances under which we met." The young knight said as he lowered his helmet a little, "I have been in the village, and I have heard about what has happened. I...I am so sorry for your loss, Ashe Kasai."

Ashe suppressed a sob and whispered, "Thank you."

The two stood in silence before Ashe finally asked, "So why are you here? If it's regarding the Aura Crystal, my answer's still no."

"That's not the actual reason I am here." Sharp Strike raised a placating gauntlet, "I am here instead to observe you, and to make sure you are keeping the Aura Crystal safe. The Knight Order has observed you from a safe distance over the years and I requested to be the one to do it this time. I wished I had gotten here sooner...and maybe all this could be averted." The knight said to him while glancing down at the new backpack that contained the Aura Crystal within a brand new case.

Ashe didn't reply, he just nodded as he looked back to the grave of his wife.

"What was she like?" Sharp Strike asked sympathetically.

"She was beautiful. Kind, smart, gentle, and so loving...I don't deserve someone as good as her." Ashe said as fresh tears began to flow down his cheeks again.

The armored knight put a comforting hand on Ashe's shoulder and said, "I am sure she loved you just as much, from what I understand she died to save you and you managed to avenge her."

"It doesn't matter, I still failed to keep her alive." Ashe shot back quietly, and Sharp Strike removed his hand.

Silence reigned once more before Sharp Strike spoke up again, "Ashe, the day we met you humbled me, and taught me a lesson that I needed to learn, and I thank you for that. I have also come with an offer for you from my superiors, one that could help you find solace as well as protect the Aura Crystal. Would you be interested in joining the Remnant Knights?"

Ashe looked at Sharp Strike's helmet for a long moment before shaking his head, "No. It's an honor...but no. I think I am better off alone for the time being. I...I can't stay here, I just need to go...somewhere else."

"Then where will you go?" Sharp Strike inquired.

"Out there in the world of Remnant, my sister's still alive. I can feel it in my heart. Maybe I can find her and reunite with her, and maybe get something resembling a happy ending." Ashe answered, and extended a hand towards the young warrior, "Thank you, Sharp Strike."

"You are welcome, Ashe. I hope you find what you are looking for." Sharp Strike returned as he shook the offered hand.

"Do you mind if I ask a question of you before I leave?" Ashe looked at the azure lenses of the knight's helmet, "Did you lose someone close too?"

"I did, but unlike you I haven't found the people responsible...yet." Sharp Strike replied in a soft whisper, "But I know I will find them one day."

"Then I hope you find them too, and gain some closure." The lone warrior said as he shared meaningful look with the Remnant Knight.

Ashe picked up his backpack and began to walk away when Sharp Strike's voice called out again, "Ashe...are you sure you won't affect my offer?" The Guerrilla Huntsman shook his head again, "What happens when you cannot find your sister?"

Ashe considered and answered, "I think I will someday. Until then...well, this world is filled with shadows. One more won't make it any darker."

The knight remained silent as he watched Ashe Kasai, Guardian of the Aura Crystal, disappeared into the distance. As the cool wind blew the brown leaves past his booted feet, Sharp Strike stood alone in near silence before vanishing into the trees.

Ruby hung her head at that, saddened by the knowledge of just how lonely Ashe had been before meeting them, and know she knew for a fact that it was self-inflicted, a punishment for failing the woman he loved. Jaune shed some tears as well, but found comfort in the warm, loving grasp of Pyrrha's hand. They gazed into each other's eyes, and Jaune briefly remembered how similar he and Ashe had been: he had lost Pyrrha and Ashe had lost Mila, but he had managed to get his partner back and make things right... Ashe didn't get that chance. He leaned into her and planted a loving kiss on her cheek. Ruby began to shed a few tears of her own before he hand was taken by Weiss, followed by Yang's arms wrapping around her waist and Blake placing a calming hand on her shoulder.

"We're here for you sis, if you need to talk, we're always here." Yang reminded her.

Ruby smiled before Seraph spoke up again.

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Pyrrha Nikos, please come forward once more." The Grand Knight Master beckoned, gesturing to them with his gauntlet-clad hand, and the Hunters-in-training in question looked at their fellow teammates before standing up and moving in front of the group of Remnant Knights. Pyrrha closed the lid of the Aura Crystal's case and the locks immediately secured the important relic within the case once more, until such a time it would be needed again.

Coming to stand beside the blonde knight and the spartan, Ruby shared a confused look with them even as they turned back and regarded the leader of the Remnant Knights with Argentius, Soul Seer and Forge Smith flanking him. Sharp Strike and Shadow Reaper had moved off to the side, standing at a respectful distance after telling the tales they needed to tell.

"There's one more thing we need to speak to the three of you about." Seraph said as he looked at the Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha by turning his wing-helmeted head slowly to regard the three of them with his T-shaped visor, "All three of you have shown remarkable skills in fighting and Rose and Arc have done commendable jobs in leading your teams in addition to exemplary courage and resourcefulness while facing impossible odds. For you three and your teams to come out of the battle which took place in Haven alive and well is an achievement that even experienced warriors would have difficulty to properly pull off."

"That's true, sir... but we wouldn't have done it without the help of our other teammates." Ruby replied as she turned her head and looked at Weiss, Blake and Yang who nodded back at her with smiles on their faces, while Jaune and Pyrrha did the same with Ren and Nora, "...and all our friends who pitched in during that battle."

"And Ashe as well." Jaune added, "He knew he would be going up against his sister Cinder, but he still put in all of his efforts to make sure that Cinder's plan in Haven for her dark master wouldn't succeed. While he's already gone now, we still remember what he did to help us."

There was a moment of silence as the Remnant Knights exchanged looks with each other, and Jaune wondered what could be going through their minds since it looked like as though they were bewildered by the revelation he had just spoken. He breathed a little and continued, "You all do know that Ashe Kasai was Cinder's brother before she became Cinder Fall?"

"We had our suspicions, but we cannot confirm them because we didn't know that Cinder Fall was Ashe's sister, as we thought Cinder Kasai was either dead or in training to be a warrior. However, that would explain why the Kasai family was so brutally murdered." Seraph replied, sharing a look with Argentius, "You have our deepest gratitude."

"We will honor Ashe Kasai in the Archives of Tintagel." Soul Seer mentioned, "As a brave guardian of the Aura Crystal and as friend who gave so much to save those he treasured despite what obstacles he had faced in life."

"Nonetheless, while you had a large group together in battle against Cinder Fall and the rest of the dark forces, it's you three who overcame those powerful agents of Salem under brainwashing, physical and mental torture, and emotional suffering, and yet did not give up, even in face of death." Seraph said, "From what I have heard and seen of your abilities out of the countless Huntsmen throughout my years of service as Grand Knight Master, the three of you have shown remarkable leadership and resilience in the face of adversity. The world of Remnant would benefit greatly from your talents, if we can hone them further and forge the three of you into formidable warriors with proper training and weapons. We want to give you a choice, a very important one."

Everyone quickly caught on to what the grand warrior was proposing.

"You can't be serious." Taiyang felt his blue eyes widen.

"Wait, you can't be possibly thinking of recruiting them into the Knight Order..." Qrow spoke up, "...are you?"

"We are offering them a choice, Qrow." Argentius mentioned as he looked in Qrow and Taiyang's direction, "A chance to serve all of Remnant by becoming knights that would fight against the forces of darkness to protect the innocents from harm. It's an honor we rarely extend to Huntsmen and Huntresses as young as these three, but exceptional talents such as theirs' are difficult to identify so easily."

"Breaking free of Salem's control, resisting her torturous ways, resisting her dark seductions, and becoming the guardians of the Aura Crystal. Fighting the a fallen Maiden and even managing to scar her face during the heat of battle." Seraph stated plainly, "These are no easy feats, and even we Remnant Knights respect that kind of sheer will and incredible fighting skills to stand against those dangerous opponents. Skilled warriors like Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos are exactly the kind of recruits the Knight Order is looking for."

"Hence the offer to join the Knight Order." Glynda murmured softly, "I can see what you mean. But what about Ruby Rose?"

"Her noteworthy skills as a Silver-Eyed Warrior more than qualifies her for a chance." Argentius spoke gently, opening his gauntleted hands, "As people with silver eyes are extremely rare in the present day, and even though I have given Ruby some pointers during our shared time in the mindscape, she possesses enormous potential that could be brought out with the proper training. If she chooses to join the Remnant Knights, she will become my apprentice and I will teach her all that I have learned during my time in the Knight Order and outside on various missions. Of that you have my word."

"That means we have to leave our friends and family behind." Jaune spoke up, before looking at both Ruby and Pyrrha separately in their eyes, "We would have to leave everything we know and love behind to become true Remnant Knights. Am I right?"

"I am afraid that will be true if you accept our offer." Argentius gave a nod of his master-crafted helmet, "The oath that you swear upon Excalibrus will bind you to uphold your duties till your passing, and you will be serving a noble cause that will call upon you to make choices and sacrifices that would be far beyond anything you would ever encounter, even as experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"There you have it, young ones." Soul Seer mentioned gently, "We have given you a choice, and we only ask for your understanding and that you think carefully before giving us your answer. Whatever your answers would be, we will honor and respect them."

Silence met the Remnant Knights and they remained still, watching Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha look at each other as they ran through what the knights had told them. It was an offer that came so suddenly and unexpectedly that none of them had any preparation for such a chance. To join the Remnant Knights was an incredible offer few would refuse, but like what Jaune mentioned they would have to leave everything behind. Their friends, their families, and their lives in Beacon Academy for a higher calling. And as ridiculous as the thought may seem, each of the trio have already done something similar in their lives...

Ruby Rose left Patch to become a Huntress just like her mother Summer Rose. She left everyone she knew at Signal Academy, her father Taiyang and her uncle Qrow to join Beacon Academy. Jaune left Cadia to become a Huntsman and fully realize and live his dream like his ancestors who came before him. He left his parents and seven older sisters and his previous life behind to become the best Huntsman he could at Beacon Academy. Pyrrha left Sanctum Academy and the lonely life of a celebrity in Mistral to start a new life in Beacon Academy. While she's already an extremely talented Huntress, she left her parents and her old life of fame and tournaments to become someone simple again, and she found it in Beacon, and with it she found the best friends she could have ever hoped for and the love of her life.

But to do it again once more? None of them would be able to bear the emotional pain that stems from leaving everything they have ever known and loved behind, and the Silver-Eyed girl as well as the two guardians of the Aura Crystal knew it.

There was a long pause as the trio of students put their deep thought into making their final choice, and the rest of their teammates in both Team RWBY and JNPR kept quiet out of respect and some uneasiness, despite the fact that Yang, Nora, and even Weiss were very tempted to shout their objections. Even the rest of the adults remained silent as their own eyes regarded Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha closely, while the assembled Remnant Knights remained as still as statues, patiently awaiting the trio's answers.

Finally, the scythe-wielding Huntress, the young knight and the highly-talented spartan exchanged one final look with each other and turned to regard the quartet of Remnant Knights in front of them and gave their answer together in unison.

"No."

If any of the Remnant Knights present registered shock on their faces, they hid their reactions to the three students rejecting their offer while standing opposite them remarkably well. Sharp Strike exchanged a glance with Shadow Reaper, while Iron Fist rubbed his gauntlets together. Tranquility looked in Ozpin's direction and received a small shrug from the headmaster of Beacon Academy that was barely more than a subtle moving of his shoulders.

"I have been with Beacon Academy since I have arrived in Vale..." Jaune explained when he noticed the azure T-shaped lenses of Seraph's helmet looking at him, "...and I have been the leader of Team JNPR ever since. Sure, we have faced many hardships while working as a team, but we eventually grew to match each other's strengths and limitations. I don't think I can leave my team now after everything we have been through, and what kind of leader would I be if I abandoned Ren and Nora?"

"While it's an honor to be given the chance to join the Remnant Knights..." Pyrrha added politely while looking at Soul Seer, "...I have to decline too. My team also needs me, and since Jaune has chosen to stay, I shall do so as well. They are my friends, practically family to me, I couldn't leave them again. We may not be the most experienced guardians the Aura Crystal has in its long line of protectors, but I can assure you we will do our best to ensure its safety. The crystal has judged us worthy enough to be its new chosen guardians, and we will not let you nor the Aura Crystal down."

"I am sorry to say this..." Ruby held her hands together and fidgeted a little, looking downwards for a moment before tilting her head up at Argentius's helmeted face, "...but my answer is also no. I can't leave my teammates behind, because they have chosen to believe in me and my actions, despite how young and inexperienced and reckless I could be, and I think I work far better with them than with other people I have never met. We have been through so much together, fighting in many battles and sometimes we have to work together to face even everyday problems. As weird of a team we were at first, we're a great team, like Pyrrha said, we're family. They are my true friends, and I won't abandon them too...I hope you understand."

After hearing their answers, Seraph shared a look with Argentius who nodded his head, and then with Soul Seer and Forge Smith who also gave nods in his direction. Then he gave a subtle nod of his winged helmet as though answering an internal question, and then lowered his hands to his sides, "Are you sure you are confident in your choice?"

"Yes." All three students answered together at the same time, as if they were answering as one.

The Grand Knight Master of the Remnant Knights lifted his winged helmet and replied, "If that is your wish, then we shall honor it." He looked at Soul Seer who said, "Thank you for coming to meet us today, Team RWBY and JNPR, it has been a pleasure to meet all eight of you."

The eight teens gathered in their respective teams once more, and bowed politely to the reassembled Remnant Knights in front of them. "Before we take our leave, I would remind you that the oath of secrecy you have all sworn will bind you until the end of time. Please exercise caution with who you speak when it comes to everything we have divulged here in this meeting." Seraph cautioned carefully, turning his head to regard all eight teens who nodded their heads in return, "Good, Headmaster Ozpin, you have our deepest gratitude for your kind assistance and time."

"You are quite welcome, Grand Knight Master. And we are all most grateful to have you bestow us with your visit." Ozpin inclined his head while shaking hands with the Grand Knight Master along with Ironwood and Henry, while Glynda exchanged a friendly hug with Soul Seer. Qrow shook hands with Argentius once more while Taiyang simply bumped his gauntlet fist with a small grin on his face, the three of them exchanging kind farewells with each other even as the other Remnant Knights gathered behind their leader once more.

"Wait, Master Argentius!" Ruby cried out in which the knight with elaborate armor looked in her direction as she rushed over to him, "Is there something else you would like to speak with me before I leave, Ruby Rose?"

"Um... you mentioned to me that I still require some more training, Master Argentius." Ruby asked politely, "...but since I won't be seeing you again, when will my training continue?"

Laying a hand on Ruby's shoulder, the Silver-Eyed master inclined his helmet a little and the grey lenses of his helmet glinted briefly, "What you needed to know, you already have it after what you have obtained in the mindscape. For now, think on what you have learned so far and remember what I have taught you. There's no need to worry, you will see me again soon enough."

"But when?" Ruby looked up at Argentius even as Soul Seer stepped to his side, "When will I see you again?"

"Don't worry about it, Ruby." The silver-eyed knight said kindly while the mage simply smiled, "You will know when the time comes once again." He patted her gently on the shoulder and then nodded at Taiyang and Qrow, "Take care of yourself, Ruby Rose. Be well, Taiyang Xiao Long and Qrow Branwen, and may we meet again in future."

"You too, Argentius and Soul Seer." Ruby and Yang's father and uncle replied, "Until we see each other again."

As they watched the Knights depart Blake quietly said "We'll have to tell the others about this, they'll need to know."

"Agreed. Call Sun or Coco, let them know we need to talk once they get back tonight." Jaune said to her, getting a nod in return.

---

Night was already falling across the darkening sky when Teams SSSN and CFVY followed by Penny returned to the hotel in Vale where they were greeted by Blake and Yang, as they had been waiting at the entrance for them.

"Hey guys, I take it all of you have a busy day?" Yang asked with a bright smile on her face.

"Well, if you would count killing sixty-five Beowolves, thirty-seven Creepers, twenty-three Scavengers, eight Ursa, four Death Stalkers, and one Nevermore busy, then I guess we were." Coco listed off with a victorious look on her face while patting her handbag.

"There's a part of you that wants to claim those Grimm are just the ones you have killed, isn't there?" Fox asked as he looked at Coco.

"Maybe." The fashionista Huntress answered with a slight smirk, "Anyway, you should see how Yatsuhashi went through a group of Beowolves and Ursa with Kyodiana Burendo. Never even stood a chance against him."

"But the real star is definitely Velvet, if you must know." Sage gestured over to the rabbit Huntress who felt her cheeks flush briefly, "That camera of hers allowed her to easily wipe out an entire horde of Grimm. You should have seen Port and Oobleck's faces!"

"That's not the best thing." Neptune gestured at Scarlet who sported quite a few bandages, "You should see what happened when Scarlet tried to take on a couple of Beowolves all by himself!"

At this, the bluenette and the Monkey Faunus both burst out laughing while Scarlet just looked miserable, "You two aren't going to live this down, aren't you?"

"Nope!" Sun chortled while Neptune wiped tears of laughter from his eyes, "I hope you learned your lesson, pirate boy!"

"Interesting, it looks like you have turned the mission into a contest of sorts." Blake looked at both Teams and Penny, "Let me guess, the team who loses buys dinner?"

"Something like that." Coco beamed at the black cat, "And let's just say a certain Team's wallet is going to hurt a lot later tonight..." She looked over and saw Team SSSN groan in exasperation, at which both Blake and Yang shared a good-natured chuckle with each other.

"So what happened at Beacon when we were gone?" Sun asked as he leaned close and kissed Blake on the cheek, earning a soft affectionate purr from the Cat Faunus, "From how your voice sounded when you called me, it must have been something major."

"Indeed, when we heard the call I detected an increase in pitch and tone with regards to your voice, friend Blake." Penny mentioned innocently before looking at Yang, "And yours too, Yang. I think that you both have encountered something significantly important to have such tonal changes in your voice patterns."

Blake and Yang shared a look with each other before Blake looked at the gathered group and replied, "Let's just say that something big had happened while you are gone, but we can't talk about it here. Can you all come with us please?"

Coco and Sun nodded to their teams before following the two Huntresses up the hotel's grand staircase to the lifts, where they took to another floor and then down another hallway which ended at one of the meeting rooms which the hotel would use for formal gatherings. Knocking on the beautifully-crafted oak doors, it was opened by Professor Goodwitch to reveal the rest of Team RWBY and all of Team JNPR, as well as the veteran Huntsman Qrow Branwen who was nursing a small glass of iced whiskey, seated around a large meeting table the color of brown autumn leaves. It appeared that they have been all waiting for them, and had also prepared some food and drinks for the returning members of Team Beacon.

"Nice to see you all again. So what's up?" Sun asked as he and the rest of Team SSSN took their seats beside Team RWBY, while Coco's team sat beside Team JNPR. Blake and Yang rejoined their team while Qrow simply sipped his iced whiskey and remained silent.

"Salutations everyone! I hope you had a good day, my friends!" Penny greeted as she came inside as well, with Ruby pulling up a seat for the android girl beside her.

"Our day was... complicated. How was yours?" Ruby asked as she took the hand of her robotic friend who tilted orange-haired head and smiled back at the red-hooded huntress.

"My combat swords made efficient work of all the types of Grimm I have faced, and I suffered no damage whatsoever in the latest combat situation. I also used the alternate firearm function of my swords to take out any remaining Grimm that both Team SSSN and CFVY missed during the battle, and I also worked with Yatsuhashi to terminate an Alpha Ursa, he threw me at it and I tore through it, leaving a me shaped hole in body before it disintegrated." Penny answered smoothly as though it was the most natural thing in the world. She nearly began listing off the long string of gory ways she killed Grimm, before Weiss cut her off.

"So, I guess it's business as usual." Weiss deadpanned, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I am glad you enjoyed yourself, Penny." Ruby smiled at her android friend who returned it warmly.

"Wait till you all know about the incident Scarlet brought onto himself during our mission." Neptune mentioned as Sun began to snigger again, "You all look like you could use a good laugh!" Scarlet simply buried his face in his hands in response with a groan while Sage rubbed his back sympathetically.

"Perhaps later you can swap stories between yourselves." Qrow mentioned as he set down his drink again, "You all might want to take the food we have prepared for you, since you will be here for quite some time. Your fellow teammates have quite a few things to share with you, considering who they have met today."

"So, what's so important that you have to tell us here instead of anywhere else? It must be very serious." Velvet asked politely while the rest of Team CFVY gave similar nods of their heads, and Coco especially looked rather captivated with the priestess-like clothing that Glynda wore, and judging from the fashionista's expression she could probably be mentally taking notes on the cloth material and accessories.

Glynda made one last check that everyone of Team Beacon was present before shutting the doors and locking them with a loud click. She then walked back to Qrow's side and looked at everyone present calmly, pushing up her glasses with the fingers of her right hand, "Since everyone is present now, I suppose we can begin?"

"All right kids, now be quiet while your friends here fill you in on what happened while you are all away." Qrow began as he nodded over to Jaune and Pyrrha and quipped "The standard classroom rules applies here, by the way."

The other members of Team Beacon nodded their heads, and Pyrrha looked at Velvet and replied, "It is serious, trust us." She had placed the case containing the Aura Crystal on the table, with Jaune sitting beside her.

The blonde knight stood up and regarded the members of Team SSSN and CFVY as well as Penny, and explained to them, "Listen guys, what we are going to tell you now is top secret. You cannot speak to anyone else about what you hear here, and whatever you know doesn't leave this group. You have to take an oath not to tell anyone as well."

"What?" Scarlet spoke in a stunned voice, clearly a bit taken aback.

"You can't be serious..." Sun shared a look with Neptune who shrugged.

"Wait, if it's so secretive shouldn't Ozpin be telling us himself?" Coco added.

"Whatever we're going to hear must be serious enough to warrant an oath of secrecy, but I believe I speak for my friends there must be a good reason as to why we must do this." Yatsuhashi mentioned.

"There is. Several good reasons, in fact." Weiss confirmed.

Qrow's face turned severe as he said "The headmaster has other matters to attend to, so Glynda and I would have to do."

"Just repeat after me, students." Glynda said as she instructed the newly-arrived members of Team Beacon to perform the same posture as the other two Teams did before meeting the Remnant Knights, and began to recite the oath.

After the blonde-haired professor had made the nine students repeat the same oath Teams RWBY and JNPR had taken hours ago, swearing them to the same secrecy, their fellow members of Team Beacon began to tell them what had transpired at the meditation chambers earlier that day. They told their friends of the momentous meeting with the Remnant Knights, and the reunion with Sharp Strike once again, as well as getting to know a few of more other knights who accompanied their leader to the aforementioned gathering.

Taking turns, each member of Team RWBY and JNPR told of their individual perspectives of what exactly happened at the meeting. Weiss and Blake told their teammates of the brief history of the Knight Order, about the different Knight Legions which protected the Four Kingdoms, and their purpose of protecting the innocent from the Grimm and other forces of Darkness. Yang told them of the meeting with Seraph, Argentius, Soul Seer, Forge Smith and the rest of the Knights, and the fact that Team STRQ had worked with the Knights years ago on a secret joint mission. Ren and Nora told of how the Knights have examined their personal weapons and have given some pointers on how to improve upon them, but kept Soul Seer's observations to themselves. Ruby told them about the reveal of Argentius's true identity as a Silver-Eyed Warrior and her experiences in the mindscape. She kept the encounter with the Dreameater brief, and also mentioned how she encountered her mother. The disclosure of another legend actually being true did cause the rest of Team Beacon to give more than a few shocked gasps, and they did also look distinctively uncomfortable when Ruby spoke about the Dreameater Grimm and how it looked eerily like a Grimm Geist. Then Jaune and Pyrrha told them about the tale shared by Sharp Strike and Shadow Reaper in which the Knights had tried to take the Aura Crystal from Ashe and how the Guerrilla Huntsman had fended them off after a intense battle. Then came the heartrending tale in which Jaune recounted Sharp Strike's second encounter with Ashe at Mila's grave, in which Velvet shed some tears and had to be comforted by Coco and Yatsuhashi.

That was when Qrow finished his latest glass of whiskey, rubbed his chin and said, "Really? No questions? I know there's no exam later, but I frankly expected more of a reaction from you all hearing about the legendary Knights of Remnant."

"We do have questions." Neptune replied while placing his hot drink on the table, "But this is just... a lot to take in."

"I mean, a secret Order of powerful warriors forged by a King and a Wizard, and they have been working behind the scenes to counter the forces of darkness?" Sun held up his hands, "Have I just jumped into an fantasy movie script for a moment here?"

"No, the Remnant Knights are quite real." Qrow elaborated, "And they are all incredibly formidable warriors who fought a shadow war for many years against the those who threaten the peace on Remnant to protect the innocent and the helpless."

"And the reason why they work from the shadows while Huntsmen and Huntresses fought openly and visibly is mainly to maintain the secrecy of their operations and their existence." Sun said quietly, "So there is indeed some truth to the legends after all."

"That's how they want to keep it, so yes." Qrow nodded his head again as he drank the last of his whiskey.

"And this Remnant Knight known as Argentius is another Silver-Eyed Warrior, just like Ruby?" Yatsuhashi passed a piece of tissue to Velvet who sniffed and wiped her teary brown eyes.

"Yeah. That's right." The old crow nodded as he produced his flask and poured some brown alcoholic fluid into his glass, while ignoring a stern glare from Glynda beside him.

"And he uses a double-bladed scythe?" Scarlet questioned, "Which can also become a broadsword and an assault rifle of sorts?"

"Right again." The veteran Huntsman slowly sipped his alcoholic drink, "Guess someone did pay attention."

"And this mage known as Soul Seer... does she has similar skills like Professor Goodwitch?" Coco asked slowly.

"Soul Seer is the Chief Prognosticator of the Remnant Knights." Glynda answered carefully, "Her skills with magic glyphs are... significant, and she's well-versed in both defensive and offensive spells. Her abilities are somewhat different from mine since she's kind of exceptional in her own way."

"She can form magical glyphs just by waving her magical staff." Ruby gestured with her hands, "I wonder if that was her Semblance or something?"

"No one really knows, squirt." Qrow looked over to his niece, "But she's one unique mage with remarkable skills."

And finally, Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha told them about the Knights' offer to join their Order, which came across as a quite a bombshell for the other members of the special team that they were stunned for several seconds before finally beginning to respond.

"Well, are you going to take them up on the offer?" Neptune asked a little hesitantly.

"We did consider it..." Ruby answered, "...but we turned them down in the end."

"R-really?" Velvet asked with surprise in her voice, "Why would you do that?"

"Are you sure about your choice?" Fox inquired, his white eyes widening a little and showing a bit of surprise himself.

"Yeah, we are." Jaune said confidently as he looked back at their surprised faces, "We turned them down, and the Remnant Knights honored our choice."

"I would just like to point out one thing." Yatsuhashi pointed out with an upraised finger, "The Knights could be of great help to the three of you, by helping you all become stronger and perhaps give you a better understanding of your... gifts." The green-armored samurai pointed out, struggling to find the right word for a second.

"That's true, but all three of us feel that it wouldn't be right to leave all of you behind after all we have been through." Pyrrha explained before turning her head to smile at Ren and Nora, "Before I came to Beacon, I never had friends like you all back at Sanctum Academy, and now I have worked alongside everyone in Team Beacon... I couldn't stand to leave."

Nora smiled before pushing her chair close to Pyrrha's and leaning over to hug her, surprising the spartan slightly, "Same to you, Pyr!"

"I mean, while it's a big opportunity..." Jaune admitted to the other members of Team Beacon, "...and I never even thought I would be given an offer to join the Remnant Knights, me of all people, but I knew I couldn't leave. Otherwise I would be abandoning all my friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin."

Ren placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder and gave him a warm smile, which the blonde knight happily returned.

"And neither would I." Ruby added as she gestured at Weiss, Blake and Yang, "I wouldn't abandon my own team or anyone else from Team Beacon, and honestly it feels wrong to me just thinking about leaving all of you guys behind. And I am sure I can find another way to control my Silver Eyes in future."

"I see. That's very kind of you to stick by your friends, Ruby." Penny quipped as she beamed at the red-hooded Huntress.

"Well, I for one am grateful you decided to stay with us." Velvet said with a smile.

"Yeah, I mean...it just wouldn't be the same without you three with us." Sun added, "Not with Team JNPR missing Jaune and Pyrrha and Team RWBY missing... well Ruby."

"You have a good point there Sun." Ruby agreed with him, "Although I thought we have split up before during missions? And you managed to fight well in your own Team."

"True, but splitting up during a mission is a totally different matter from flat out leaving." Coco replied while removing her pair of black wire-rimmed sunglasses to show her dark-brown eyes. Both her face and voice showed how serious she was even as she glanced at Ruby, Jaune, and Sun before speaking again, "I have been a team leader longer than the three of you have, and one important thing I know is that working together as a team is better than working alone. The point is when we split up during a mission to pursue different tasks we are still pretty much working together for the same goal." She noticed she had everyone's attention, and continued, "For a special team like Team Beacon, that's even more important. A team can still work when one of the teammates is sick or injured because they can depend on the others for help, but if valuable members of the team just up and left, it would result in the overall effectiveness of the team to decrease significantly. While each of us contribute our own abilities to the team, we still need to work together to be as good as possible. Losing the three of you would have seriously diminished our fighting strength, not to mention morale. So, I am personally glad all of you have decided to stay."

"That's an excellent way of putting it." Glynda agreed and looked at the various members of Team Beacon clustered around the table, "Think of each smaller Team within Team Beacon as an individual finger of a single hand. When you all work together, you form a whole hand. However, should one or more fingers be missing, the hand cannot perform any task successfully."

"My sentiments exactly." Yatsuhashi said as he nodded his head, "I personally think you three have made the right choice."

"Yeah, we would be in quite a lot of trouble without you, Ruby." Yang told her younger sister.

"You really think so, Yang?" The Silver-Eyed girl asked slowly.

"Ruby, we wouldn't have lasted one semester as a team without you leading us. And even if we did, we wouldn't have come so far, and we certainly wouldn't have changed for the better." Weiss said to her partner, "I know that I have come very far from the pampered girl I used to be, and I don't think I would be who I am now if it weren't for your kind nature and proving to us that you have put in all of your efforts into being the best leader we could have for Team RWBY... and by extension, Team Beacon."

"Aw, thanks!" Ruby said before leaning into Weiss and hugging her affectionately, the said gesture getting a slight blush out of the Schnee heiress's cheeks.

"She's right, Ruby; you are the one who held Team RWBY together." Blake voiced graciously.

"Yeah, just think of where we would be without you." Jaune spoke up as he looked at the scythe-wielding girl, "Ren, Nora and I probably wouldn't have made it to Haven."

"And I would still be Fotia Drakos, doing the bidding of Salem without any memory of my previous life." Pyrrha reminded her.

"Some of us could very well be dead." Fox stated dryly, but there was no hint of a deadpan joke like there would normally be in his voice.

"And while I don't have the memories of the original human Penny, I can honestly say I don't think I could have asked for a better friend." Penny said to Ruby with her green eyes shining with genuine joy, and she promptly received a warm hug from her human friend.

"The same goes to you, Jaune. We owe a lot to you too." Sun reminded his fellow blonde who looked puzzled for a brief moment.

"He's right. You might have started out as a massive dork, which you can still be from time to time, but you have changed a ton since we have met you back at initiation." Yang told him encouragingly before giving Pyrrha's partner a playful slap on the back, which caused him to wince a little.

"Thanks a lot, Yang."

"Yup, and without you and Pyrrha, Ren and I wouldn't have been so close to anyone else except each other. You guys are like family to us." Nora told the duo, her eyes bright with happiness.

"That's true. Jaune, you have become quite a leader to our team, and Pyrrha...after our parents were taken from us, Nora and I had never felt close to anyone else. But everything changed until we met you and Jaune." Ren agreed sincerely.

"On a positive note, you've become one of the best fighters on the team." Sage stated with a nod.

"Thank you, I appreciate all of your kind words. It's a bit... stunning to see how long it has been since the school year first started and how far we have come, as well as how much that has happened to all of us." Pyrrha said while she thought back to all of the insane events that had happened in the past year.

"You aren't the only one who had experienced massive changes. A lot of things have indeed happened to us. Some good, some bad, and yet we have managed to survive them all, even against all odds." Blake mentioned honestly, remembering her personal experiences with the White Fang after the Fall of Beacon.

"And look at us now. We are not just normal teams anymore... now we're Team Beacon. I don't think there's ever been something like this, has there?" Velvet turned her head to ask both Glynda and Qrow.

"No, Miss Scarlatina, there hasn't. While Huntsman teams have worked together in the past depending on the circumstances, to my knowledge there has never been a massive unit like this." The blonde professor informed the large group of Huntsmen and Huntresses at the table.

"So count yourself lucky, because Team Beacon is definitely one of a kind." Qrow told them before taking another sip of whisky.

"So that must make us pretty special." Scarlet stated openly, receiving a few nods from other team members across the table.

"Oh yes indeed, Mr. David. One of the main reasons Ozpin named your group Team Beacon is because together you all are the best Huntsmen and Huntresses Beacon Academy has to offer, even when Team SSSN has willingly transferred from Haven Academy to fully form the entire team. This team embodies many aspects of what Beacon Academy stands for, especially in your incredible teamwork and bravery which have made it clear that everyone present here will definitely live up to its growing legacy and become credible and respected Huntsmen and Huntresses." Glynda said to everyone in the room with a hint of pride in her usually serious voice.

The seventeen students, human, Faunus, and android alike, all smiled at the blonde professor. "Thank you, Miss Goodwitch." Nora was the first to reply, her voice swelling with happiness.

"Yeah, it means a lot to us... all of us." Jaune agreed as he held hands with Pyrrha.

"I am just glad I have been serving in this team with you all!" Penny said with a beaming smile on her face.

"Wait, what will happen with Team CFVY graduating ahead of us?" Blake pointed out, "I mean, they are our seniors by a year."

"That's a good point." Scarlet admitted, scratching his head, "I don't think any of us thought of that."

Quite a few heads turned in Coco and her teammates' direction, and the fashionista considered before speaking, "Well, even though we still have some options I personally think that it would best for me and my fellow teammates to just hang around until you guys catch up with us."

"You mean, stay in school with the rest of us?" Neptune inquired as he adjusted the yellow-tinted goggles which laid on his forehead.

"Not really, I think what Coco means is that while we will be staying on campus grounds and going on missions every now and then, we will still be staying with the rest of you." Fox corrected the bluenette boy.

"Are you sure about that?" Weiss asked with a bit of an incredulous look on her face, "I mean, we would technically be holding you back."

"Hey, I don't mind hanging around here with you all and I don't think the rest of my team will either, right?" Coco asked while looking at Fox, Velvet and Yatsuhashi.

"Not at all. I think it's best we stay with the other Teams, because it would be difficult for the others if we are separated, since we make up part of Team Beacon." Velvet reminded her leader, "...just like what you said earlier."

"My thoughts exactly. While it may be a temporary inconvenience I also wouldn't mind staying." Yatsuhashi replied in a calm voice, "Perhaps we would be assigned to other missions while the rest of you are still in school.

"As for me, I would rather stick with my teammates and those I have fought alongside with. Besides, I also think it's best not to leave you guys on your own." Fox finished, nodding his head to signify his agreement.

"Then it's decided. I will talk to Professor Ozpin about your choice, and I am sure he would be more than happy to allow Team CFVY to stay on the academy grounds until the rest of Team Beacon graduates." Glynda spoke to them.

"That's great, thanks GG." Coco said appreciatively, smirking at Glynda who looked at the leader of Team CFVY with a raised-eyebrow. Qrow gave a small chuckle at the nickname, but when the blonde professor regarded him he quickly turned his attention back to his drink.

"So it's settled then. Team Beacon is staying together, no matter what happens." Ruby declared as she looked around at her sixteen other teammates, each with varying individual skills and abilities, and a chorus of agreements sounded off across the table. She trusted each and every single one of them with her life, and they returned her trust with absolute faith in her actions.

Ruby looked to Jaune and smiled before raising her hand palm out into the open air, and Weiss placed her hand on top of her leader's. Blake got the massage right away and placed hers atop Weiss's, prompting Yang to do the same with her organic hand, followed by Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Sun, Scarlet, Sage, Neptune, Coco, Fox, Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Penny.

"So, we're all agreed; we're in this together, right?" Coco asked, getting a positive response from everyone.

"And also, no talking about what happened today to anyone else unless it's among ourselves, does everyone understand this?" Pyrrha reminded those present and everyone nodded their heads in response.

"Then it's official, we are stuck with each other 'til the end, no matter what happens." Yang voiced while smiling.

"Through thick and thin, and all the trials ahead hopefully." Velvet added and everyone chorused their agreement.

Ruby grinned and said, "Couldn't have said it better myself. Long live Team Beacon!"

Qrow and Glynda both smiled as they watched the various members of Team Beacon lift their hands together into the air in a lively and energetic cheer.

Moments later, as the various Teams exited the meeting went back to their own respective quarters, Weiss asked Penny as they walked alongside each other, "Penny, is your father still in Atlas?"

"Yes, the Special Research Robotics Branch still need him to oversee a top secret project." Penny answered, "I will be returning to the Resolute for a full system maintenance check, but... I'll ask if I can stay with you tonight. Would you mind?"

"Not at all, Penny." Blake told her.

"Yeah! We'd love to have you stay with us some more!" Ruby assured Penny by placing an arm around Penny's shoulder and making the android smile. Nonetheless, she wondered just what project her father was advising the Atlas Military on...

---

The large white blast doors to the interior of Atlas's advanced research laboratories slid open silently as an old portly man with hair and beard removed his eye and palm from the security scanner. He then walked into the highly secure facility built within the depths of Atlas's Military Headquarters with the blast doors closing behind him, making his way to his personal labs, his white formal shoes made echoing taps as he walked through hallways filled with various high-tech machinery and gadgets on both sides as seen through transparent protective glass panes.

Producing a white key-card which he inserted into the security terminal at the side of a large metal and glass door, another layer of security was removed as arrays of multi-barreled energy blasters retracted back into their hidden alcoves as the final security door unlocked itself and admitted the Doctor Joseph Polendina into his personal, brightly lit workshop. He had just came from a meeting with the Atlas Council, and they had been satisfied with his latest work with the Altesian Knight-300 model and witnessing Penny's abilities through video footage collected by Atlesian military forces during the battle with the White Fang. They told him to continue with his work, and promised to fund more of his projects in the weapons and robotics field for the foreseeable future.

Polendina thanked them politely, of course. While it rankled him to be subjected to the Council's beck and call at every turn, and put his considerable skills into creating technological weapons for the Atlas Army, he bore it all stoically as they gave him the necessary resources to build the android Penny. He was just another important asset to the Council after they have discovered his talent, and despite the fact he disliked his scientific genius being used to help in the creation of weapons such as the Atlesian Knights and Paladins he had soldiered on, hoping that the other weapons he'd help make would ultimately help to save lives instead of ending them after what had gone down during the Fall of Beacon Academy.

Sitting down in front of his table which was cluttered with various tools, blueprints and scattered parts of machinery, the robotics scientist sighed as he took off his spectacles and pinched his temple. He had put all other projects on hold so that he could finish up this particular one, and spending what felt like weeks of sleepless nights with synthetically-produced coffee he had finally managed to complete it. Blue holograms of various mechanical machines and weapons flashed above his personal workstation, but Polendina ignored them all as he placed the shoe-sized white box he had been carrying with him on the table's surface.

After two full weeks with various paperwork and the calling in of some favors, he had finally gotten the remaining parts to complete the finishing touches on his latest creation. Ciel Soleil intercepted him the way back to his research labs in person, greeting him politely before passing him the white box emblazoned with the emblem of Atlas, mentioning that it was sent with the best regards from General Ironwood.

His old green eyes looked to grey metal circle on the right hand side of his desk, before he picked it up and activated the hologram with a click on the buttons which decorated its sides. It was the picture of fifteen-year-old Penny Polendina, the original one. She was smiling like the brightest sun while holding onto her father while he held her in his arms, back when she was still alive. Before her life has been so brutally cut short by a Grimm attack. As a grieving father he did all he could to resurrect her, even as an android built with cutting-edge Atlas technology. It was difficult work, but he never gave up and was rewarded with a curiously bright android built in the image of his daughter.

"I hope you are doing well, Penny." He murmured to the hologram, "I built you out of my deepest love for you, and I hope you will continue to see the world, make new friends, discover what it truly means to be human, and maybe discover your true purpose. Or am I just a dim-witted old man asking for the impossible?"

The good doctor's green eyes misted briefly before he committed the image into his mind, then the intimate moment was gone. He deactivated the hologram and slipped the grey metal circle into the pocket of his equally white lab coat.

Pushing himself up from his padded chair, the director of Atlas Special Research Robotics picked up the white box and made his way down a nearby corridor, until he entered another room which looked like a copy of Penny's living quarters, but slightly larger in size. As usual, the walls and floor are white and grey in color, in addition to a steel table that looked like a cross between an operating table and bed sitting in the middle of the room, with thick black power cables and additional colored wires currently disconnected from a complex partitioned computer server that was as big as a refrigerator which hung from the ceiling. A curved table with a number of books and data tablets stacked neatly on its smooth surface along with a chair occupied the right side of the room, and small couch was placed beside the table at a perpendicular angle. The room was kept at cold temperatures at all times and as the doctor exhaled his breath he could feel the glasses of his spectacles misting.

He looked around the rectangular room and realized that the individual who lived within this room was finishing up his combat training, and mentally scolded himself for forgetting about it. Turning around, he made his way into the combat training chambers. The sound of training machines being tested to their limits met his ears as the doors swished open, and he found a taller and older looking masculine cybernetic android with closely-cropped black hair and cold blue eyes decimating the latest batch of training robots based off the Atlesian Knight-200's.

As the last training robot crashed to the ground with a loud clang in three separate parts, a robotic female voice announced, "All opposing targets eliminated, training simulation terminated." The cyborg retracted his twin swords back into his arms while turning his head to inspect his latest handiwork. More than two dozen training robots laid wrecked and destroyed around him, their mechanical arms, legs, and heads lying separate from their bodies the stumps sparking. When his machine blue eyes caught sight of his creator, the male android turned and made for the exit of the aforementioned chambers with a calm face.

"Good afternoon, N1CK3L." Joseph greeted the android who brought his right hand up in a proper military salute.

"Good afternoon, Doctor Polendina. Correction: Father Polendina." He dropped the salute smoothly as the doctor and robotics scientist gestured to a large steel bench beside the combat training chambers. His voice was cool and nearly emotionless, his face blank. "I did not expect your visit today."

"Nor did I, but I have something for you." Polendina sat down with N1CK3L supporting him carefully with a strong shoulder and hand. Once they were seated the creator of the android looked into the mechanical eyes of his latest creation, while the android returned his gaze with an expectant expression which resembled that of the first Penny when she was first activated.

N1CK3L cocked his head a little, "May I ask what is it then, father?"

The robotics scientist proffered the white box with the emblem of Atlas towards the male android, "This just came in today. Consider it my gift to you since your training is finally complete." To be honest, Joseph felt both pride and trepidation like any other parent when their child would be leaving the only home they ever knew while venturing into the big dangerous world out there, but he also felt a bit odd, as he didn't truly think up N1CK3L, the scientists of the Atlas military had, but they had needed his help to make this new android a reality. Nevertheless, he felt that N1CK3L had potential, and hopefully would become more human in the way Penny had.

He watched as N1CK3L opened the box slowly, lifting the lid and seeing the insignia of Task Force Omega, with the white thunderbolt-clutching Nevermore spreading its wings within an inverted triangle set behind a black featureless shield, while the motto of that division was spelled out in brilliant silver engraving at the bottom: "Exitus Acta Probat." Beside the emblem was the insignia of Petty Officer First Class of the Atlas Army, and an active data tablet with the relevant mission files already inputted inside.

"It's official now, you have been assigned to Task Force Omega of the Atlas Military forces, and serve under Commander Central." Polendina mentioned as he watched the android reached in and took out the metallic emblem, turning it over in his hands delicately like a priceless gemstone, "You will follow his orders like you did in the training programs, and while your programming is to ensure all data acquired through your assigned missions are to be preserved and stored for further analysis, I hope you can protect those people who you will eventually establish interactions with, expanding upon your parameters and create new directives in future."

"Thank you, father." N1CK3L nodded his head as he attached the metallic emblem to the upper right arm of his navy blue skintight combat suit. A faint smile appeared on his face for a moment before his expression switched back to its uncompromising and serious form once more, "I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities in Task Force Omega, and put what you have taught me into proper use."

Joseph nodded again as he laid a hand on N1CK3L's forearm and felt the strong steel alloy which had been used to craft the enhanced tactical android's body, "Just be careful. I am sure you will make me very proud of you, just like your sister Penny."

The male android's head nodded once more as he looked at his creator, "Speaking of my little sister, I haven't heard any further updates on her. Has she been damaged?"

"On the contrary, she's just fine. She's currently in Vale with her friends and has engaged in several battles since her reconstruction. She still doesn't know about you yet." Polendina answered,

N1CK3L's cranium cocked to one side as his internal processors searched for the appropriate information, and then he answered, "I have looked through the relevant after-action reports, and results indicate that Penny has been performing well within established parameters. I am gratified to hear that she is still active, and I look forward to meeting her."

"You may just get your chance, N1CK3L. It looks like you two have quite a bit of catching-up to do." Polendina mentioned as the android picked up the data tablet and thumbed the switch, displaying the mission info to his whirring mechanical green eyes, "Report to hangar Alpha-113 at the given time for your first deployment, and it seems that you would be using Hyperion One as transport for your mission."

"The construction for Hyperion One has been completed?" N1CK3L turned his head effortlessly to regard Polendina who nodded as he stroked his white-bearded chin, "The Mobile Airborne Command Ship would be a great help for aiding Team Beacon's response time in their various missions around Remnant in future."

"That's why General Ironwood commissioned the creation of the MACS." Joseph explained, "It's to allow a substantial number of combat-capable forces to be deployed quickly and capably into battle while providing significant aerial support in the surrounding airspace."

"A logical statement." The android remarked, "Active teams would require quick transport to get to the places they needed the most in order to counter the enemy effectively and efficiently. I also look forward to test my combat capabilities in the field soon."

"I am sure you will." Polendina agreed while patting the android's right shoulder gently, "Good. Anyway, it's time for your final system diagnostic checkup and firmware update before I can clear you for active duty. Can you help me up?"

"Of course, father." N1CK3L stood up and extended a hand downwards to his creator, gently helping the old portly man upwards out of the combat training chambers. As they walked slowly back to the main research laboratories, the android felt a brief sense of elation rising in his core as he noticed the new emblem on his right arm glinting in the white lights of the corridor.

He has been built for a purpose like his sister Penny, and he vowed to discover his purpose in this world on his own. Of course, that may take quite an unprecedented amount of time, but the Enhanced Tactical Android known as N1CK3L was in no hurry.

---

A little over a week later, the final repairs were finally complete and the distinguished academy was ready for its official reopening. The main venue grounds before Beacon Academy were fully packed with people of all races and genders, from Valeans along with various important delegates coming from the other three Kingdoms to witness the grand historic moment.

Airships of all kinds landed at the circular aerial docking bays at the top edge of the cliffside while sea-going surface vessels made port at the docking area located base of the cliffs, bringing a steady stream of people intent to see the fully repaired Huntsman Academy. The Atlesian flagship Resolute floated a safe and respectful distance from the educational building, protected by its accompanying sister airships and several armored Atlas Eagles and Dropships as escorts. The personal airship of General Ironwood stood like a huge silent sentinel watching over Beacon Academy, as though daring the Grimm to try and invade Vale again.

Security was tight, as dozens of Atlesian Soldiers and the AK-300 models doing patrols and performing security checks at various checkpoints located throughout the entire venue, supplementing the considerably depleted but slowly replenishing ranks of the Vale Army and Militia. They were generously provided by Ironwood to the Vale Council for a temporary measure of increasing security for the reopening, to avoid any incidents like, Oum forbid, the Fall of Beacon a little over a year ago.

The various members of Team Beacon stood in the crowd with their families, with Taiyang behind Ruby and Yang, Blake with Claudandus, Kali and Ghira, Jaune with the entire Arc family, Pyrrha with her parents, Sun with his mother and Hualan, and so on with the other team members down the front few rows. Weiss in particular was with her father who was flanked by several bodyguards with the Schnee Dust Company Security logo on their armored vests and shoulder pads, in addition to a few squads worth of Atlas troops stationed around the representatives from the SDC's board of directors.

At the forefront of the Atlas delegation, Penny stood with Doctor Joseph Polendina who was bordered by four smartly-dressed Atlesian soldiers from Task Force Omega, their matte blue-black military uniforms contrasting sharply with the white formal wear of the other people from Atlas.

Ruby had taken a look around and she saw many of her fellow students of other Teams who studied in Beacon also in attendance, even though she didn't know most of their names despite being in the same year intake. She also saw the surviving members of Team CDRL, which made both her and Jaune wince as they wished that Cardin could have been here as well.

A large stage has been built on the stairs that led to the main entrance, with a large backdrop which comprised of Beacon Academy's emblem that had been placed behind the stage. Flags with the emblems of the Four Kingdoms stood on tall metal poles which had been placed around the circumference of the main avenue, flapping cheerily to the cool wind breeze. Councilman Henry, representative of the Vale Council, was currently giving a speech about the all the hard work and dedication that had been put into rebuilding the school and restoring it to its former glory. General Ironwood, Colonel Chamberlain and Winter all stood to the left side with several Atlesian captains and lieutenants while the other side was occupied with Ozpin, Glynda, Port, Oobleck, Crane, Peach and various other members of Beacon's faculty, along with Qrow who had to be up there no matter how much he would have preferred to be in the crowd with Ruby and Yang.

"...and now, despite all that has transpired, Beacon stands tall again. It will carry on its operations as the top Huntsman Academy in Vale, and continue to bring more experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses to the world, protecting the innocent from the perilous forces of the Grimm. Yes, we have suffered many tragedies during the Fall of Beacon, and it pains me to say that while those victims are no longer with us, we have not given up on our duties to protect Remnant." He looked to the crowds assembled in front of him, as well as the hundreds of flashing cameras and hovering newscaster drones which were no doubt broadcasting Beacon's reopening live to other Kingdoms and various smaller towns and settlements throughout Remnant, "We have instead recovered from our defeat, taken back Vale, and have restored Beacon Academy back to its former magnificence. We will show our enemies that we will not back down from the fight at hand, but instead we will continue to beat them back at every turn! We will go on, and like Beacon Academy, we will survive."

There was a loud, long round of applause, the duration of which Glynda leaned over to Ozpin and whispered, "I can't help but notice you seem to be a little nervous, Headmaster."

"You aren't wrong, Professor Goodwitch. Even after everything that has happened, I still wonder if I am up for this." The silver-haired man confessed.

"Well, there's no need to worry. Remember that we are all here for you." Glynda told him with a supportive look on her face as the ringing sounds of applause died down.

"Thank you, old friend. I know that I can always count on you." Ozpin said to her, with a tired but content smile on his face.

"And now, it is my pleasure to present my honored associate and good friend, the Headmaster of this prestigious Huntsman Academy, Professor William Ozpin, to make his speech." Councilman Henry announced, while gesturing with one outstretched hand as a signal for said headmaster to stand up and approach the speech stand.

As Ozpin picked up his cane and strode forwards there was another round of applause, but not as enthusiastic as the last one. After he shook hands with Henry and took to the stand, the Headmaster looked out into the crowd and was not surprised to see that some of the people before him had glaring expressions on their faces, looking at him with doubt as well as disappointment. They weren't wrong to feel that way after what he had done, and Ozpin knew that he still needed to earn back the trust of many people.

Perhaps he should start with the inhabitants that made up the Kingdom of Vale.

He lifted his chin to the assembled microphones, took a deep breath and began to speak, "Good morning to everyone, and greetings to our honored guests from other Kingdoms. I am very thankful that so many of you chose to come here today for the grand reopening of Beacon Academy. This is a day of new beginnings, a day where we show our enemies that we are not afraid of them. While they took this historic academy from us and ruined it, we managed to take it back with our combined efforts and made it whole again. We have shown our enemies that we are strong, we are brave, and we are not so easily defeated."

More applause sounded out as he paused for a moment, and that brief display of encouragement invigorated the headmaster to continue.

"Thank you, but this victory was not without sacrifice. The Fall of Beacon, and the tragedy that occurred at the Vytal Festival weighs heavily on me. The lives of many civilians, soldiers and even some students were lost in that disaster, and it was because of my lack of foresight. Because I had been looking at the shadows so much that I couldn't see the obvious which was in front of me." The headmaster paused again even as a few cameras flashed, but this time there was no applause, "I would like to extend my deepest apologies to Miss Yang Xiao Long and her family, for not seeing the truth when she was framed by injuring Mercury Black, who we now know is a criminal and associate of Cinder Fall. I also want to extend my sympathies and apologies to the Winchester family, though they are not here today, for the loss of their eldest son Cardin Winchester, who had died in the Battle of Haven to heroically save his friends."

Ozpin sighed as his head lowered a little for a moment, and then he looked up again, "The list of people I would need to apologize to would be far too long, as I have made too many mistakes in my long life. While I still have to make amends for my actions, I would also want to ask for forgiveness from Miss Pyrrha Nikos, who I had shared certain... conversations with which made her confused and stressed up to the point where she was thought to have given her life out of surrendering herself to a higher purpose and a vague sense of destiny... all because of me."

The spartan looked to Jaune, who held her hand when she reached out towards him. Pyrrha sensed him squeeze her hand gently in return, and slowly felt herself being reassured by the gentle smile that Jaune gave her, even though not a single word has passed between them both during that moment. She then looked up to see the headmaster turning his head in her direction from the speech stand.

"She is with us today because of the efforts of the rest of her team, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, along with Teams RWBY, CFVY, CDRL, SSSN, and various other Teams from Shade and Haven Academies who have fought so hard against Cinder Fall and her associates to stop their plans which would have thrown the safety of Haven Academy and Mistral into serious jeopardy." Ozpin continued looking at Team Beacon as he spoke, "While I am glad to see that she's back with her friends and family, I cannot help but be reminded of the fact that I have unintentionally inflicted upon all of my students including them, both physical and emotional, and I sincerely apologize for my actions in that regard. When I was finally rescued from the clutches of evil, I considered stepping down... I wanted to step down, but I was fortunate enough to have my acquaintances talk some sense into me and realize I would be making a far worse mistake if I have resigned my post as headmaster."

His brown eyes traveled over to the group of Beacon Academy teachers, with Glynda and Qrow sitting closest to him. The former gave him a supportive smile, while the veteran Huntsman simply gave him a firm look as befitting his coarse nature. Ozpin would have expected no less coming from both of them, since he had worked with them long enough to know about their individual personalities. The many glares he had received earlier were lessening now, but there were still scattered people among the crowds who were still unhappy with him.

"And perhaps some of you might have thought that would have been the better option, that my mistakes were far too appalling and egregious to forgive, I can assure you that thought had indeed crossed my mind. However, by the grace of the courts and the Councils of the Four Kingdoms, I have been given a second chance and I intend to make use of it to do as much good as I can so that I would earn back the trust I have lost from my many mistakes. I understand that there will be still many people who think that I am also undeserving of a second chance, but I humbly request that you at least let me prove to you through my future actions that I am still worthy of your trust. I will not be alone in presiding over this educational institution, however, as my closest acquaintance and colleague, Professor Glynda Goodwitch has been made my equal in terms of running the Academy by the Vale Council. For that I am very grateful, as I know she is quite capable, possibly the most capable teacher I have ever known." He spoke in a slightly firm voice.

Glynda, with a slight blush on her face that very few noticed, stood up and bowed politely to the massive audience in front of the stage as they clapped earnestly for her.

"I hope that with advice coming from her and many other teachers, I would be able to make more informed decisions in future. I hope that you can put your trust in her until I can prove myself trustworthy once more. As for myself...I will continue to run this Academy to the best of my abilities, but I will no longer allow the lives of so many innocents be placed in my hands alone. I will also seek out the opinions and deliberations of others before I make any important commitments in future, as no longer will I let anyone threaten Beacon Academy and the students who come to view this place as a place of learning and valued home." Ozpin announced, his voice clearly carrying his conviction in his tone, which earned more applause from the crowds.

Elsewhere, various people of all races around Vale and the other Kingdoms watched the reopening of Beacon Academy on television through a special report by Lisa Lavender, or on livestream through their computers and scrolls. One such person, a certain Winter Maiden, watched on a large flat-screened television in a simple and utilitarian cabin high in the mountains of Atlas.

Once the applause died down again Ozpin composed himself and continued speaking, "Thank you. I... I honestly do not know what else to say. Forgive me, I am usually more adequate at speeches. All I can say now is that I am indeed grateful for this second chance, and it fills me with joy to see so many of Beacon's students back here again, and I am saddened by the deaths of all those who had perished in the Fall of Beacon, because they are no longer with us. I promise I would not let anyone down again, and I, Headmaster William Ozpin, offer sincere apologies for every single one of my failures to everyone who I have let down, and I will strive to regain your trust once more through my future actions. I can say no more other than to echo what Councilman Henry has said, despite the efforts of our enemies to lay us low, Beacon still stands tall and strong, and it is ours again. We will use this triumph as the first step in our battle to push back the darkness and secure our eventual victory."

"Let us hope so, Ozpin." Elsa said quietly to herself while her guardian Kaifin stood beside her, silently nodding his head in agreement.

Back at the stage in front of Beacon Academy, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy looked out to the thousands of people in the crowd, and the dozens of cameras and drones all looking at him. He carefully took another breath before clearing his throat and speaking once more, "I have a legacy to live up to, the legacy of this renowned Academy and all those who held stewardship of it before me, as well as those who came from it. All of those good Huntsmen and Huntresses who graduated as brave warriors from this school and all those selfless teachers who taught them. I know I have failed all of them and by extension their legacies, but now I have been given another chance, to save the legacy of this Huntsman Academy and to redeem my own actions, which is made up of very single student and teacher who had trained and taught at this school during my time here. They are my legacy, and I will personally make sure I would never let them down again."

He then steeled himself and stood tall and proud, looking at the massed crowds and cameras before the speech stand and adding, "Now, since I do not know what else to say, I shall say only this: Welcome back to Beacon Academy."

As Ozpin finished his speech, the massed crowds broke into deafening applause along with the various Kingdom delegations and everyone on both sides of the stage as well. The headmaster nodded his head in thanks and bowed politely, before turning and walking side by side with Councilman Henry to unveil the rebuilt Beacon Academy statue, all the while a combined flight of Atlesian Eagles and Valean militia Bullheads flew across the sky in formation, trailing green and white smoke to signify the reopening.

The top of Beacon's tower began to shine like a lighthouse, announcing to the world that the proud light of Beacon had once again been set alight, and it would never be put out again.

Special thanks to RelentlessCrusader for writing this with me and to azndrgn for giving me a shout out in his story, Jaune Ryu-Long, the Dragon Contractor, which you should check out. It's got a few issues, but it's a pretty solid read, give it a try!

I wan to thank you all, everyone on both sites this story is featured on, so, so, so very much for reading this story. I thank you for being so supportive and patient with us as we worked hard to finish up this chapter and the arc itself. Thank you all of those who faved and followed this fic or gave a kudos and made a bookmark, from the bottom of my heart thank you, to all of those who read and enjoy this fic that I have poured my heart and soul into. I have had my doubts regarding this fic and myself, my ability to write.

And I apologize to all those people who have unfaved and unfollowed my story, I am sorry you didn't enjoy it, but I hope you'll read again sometime. I've had a lot of ups and downs and I've had a lot of tough times dealing with my depression, but this story and all of you have helped me through it. I still doubt myself at times, as this story isn't very popular, and no matter how hard I work it seems like it's never good enough, and yet I have all of you, reading this right now, eagerly awaiting an update for the each chapter. And while there aren't as many of you as I'd like, I appreciate each and everyone of you so much, so thank you again, and please help me make this fic more popular. Thank you all again, for helping me get this far, and I hope you'll help make this story more popular. It might not be the best, hell it might suck, but I'm very happy with it and I hope you are too. Thank you all so much.

See you in a couple of months for the third arc, which will be the biggest yet.

Also, I'm sorry but I have to bring this up: I made it clear some chapters ago I think that the revelation about Qrow's Semblance bringing bad luck was stupid, so much so that I made fun of it in this story itself, and a thought just occurred to me: Qrow's Semblance brings bad luck and Raven's brings good luck, it's stupid but it'd make way more sense if they were reversed. I mean, if Raven's Semblance brought bad luck that would make a lot more sense as to why she left Taiyang and Yang, so her Semblance wouldn't affect the ones she loved and would also explain her dark outlook on life. And if Qrow's Semblance brought him good luck, that would explain why he stayed and why Ozpin gave him so many important missions, but the way it is in canon it just makes Ozpin look even more incompetent as he gave a guy whose Semblance brings bad luck very important jobs and kept him around during a delicate time where they didn't need any bad luck at all. I mean, it would have made much more sense and would have been a bit better, in my opinion.

If you enjoyed this story, then please consider faving and following this fic and leave a review if you read it on fanfiction . net. If you're on An Archive of Our Own then please leave a kudos and a comment. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't, and how I can improve. Please guys give me some feedback, as it keeps me and this story going and if you want me to keep writing please tell me what you think, please! For those of you on the RWBY Reddit please give this fic a mention, thanks. Please guys, help me out here, let me know if you enjoy this story, what's good and bad about it, tell me if you liked it or tell me if it sucked, please, I work really hard to make this story good so please give me some feedback, please let me know that my efforts aren't wasted. Thank you all, once again.