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

62. A Meeting of Maidens Part III

Chapter 61: A Meeting of Maidens Part III

Night was beginning to overtake Beacon as the sun began to set over the western horizon, with the shattered moon and the stars around it slowly becoming visible in the darkening sky. The lights of stars crept through the tall glass windows and dome-shaped roof of the roomy chambers, the soft illumination coming from the circumference of the room brightened considerably like the rest of the school at night, another function implemented during its reconstruction. As twilight went on, Ruby and Jaune both watched as Pyrrha and Elsa sat meditating together, their eyes shut and their breathing steady even as their bodies sat serenely in the grotto-like recess at the lowest part of the meditation chambers.

"So how long will this take? Is it as long as a regular trip into a mindscape?" Ruby inquired as she turned her head a little to look at Kaifin who was standing beside her and Jaune.

"I've tried to keep track, but I always lose interest as it was always longer than I expect it to be, or it feels like it anyway. There's no need to worry since they are safe in there, the Mindscape of the Maidens was personally crafted by the Wizard from the legends, so anyone with evil in their hearts cannot enter." Elsa's guardian calmly explained to them.

Ruby and Jaune both nodded understandingly, and while the blond knight shifted his position to stand against the nearest circular pillar, Ruby looked over to Ozpin and then gingerly made her way towards him and Glynda. The headmaster nodded a greeting to her and said, "Ah, Miss Rose. I hope we're not making you miss anything by requesting your presence here."

She shook her head in reply and assured him, "Not much professor, other than homework time. Luckily for me, thanks to Weiss, Blake, Penny, and Neptune, I've gotten pretty good at finishing my homework just in the nick of time."

"That's good. Miss Rose, I hope you don't mind me bringing this up, but I overheard you when you were talking about your fear of facing Salem alone." He mentioned to Ruby who looked away with an embarrassed look on her face, "It's nothing to be ashamed of. I can sympathize with your feelings."

"Y-you were afraid of her too?" Ruby asked him in a soft voice.

"Were? Ruby, I still fear her. A long time ago I became the headmaster of Beacon, I was let in on the secrets regarding her, so I had seen her in reports and had spoken to her in the past during certain encounters, but never in person. When I was brought before Salem it took every ounce of courage within my power to not flinch away from her. Upon beholding her in the flesh for the first time...deep down I was terrified, and she knew it, but the fact that I was able to conceal my fear and match her word for word infuriated her." Ozpin told his young student before confessing, "And I won't deny that if I ever have to fight her alone, I would still fight on no matter what happens, but I wouldn't be able to hide my fear as well."

"I… I don't think I would be able to hide my fear from her at all. The first time I saw her I was so confused and scared. I feel so helpless..." Ruby managed to say before Ozpin placed a gentle comforting hand on her shoulder and looked at her.

"And no one can fault you for that, because to feel fear is natural. But still, when the attack on their base of operations in Haven began, I saw how bravely you spoke out against her and Cinder Fall. Though that moment of bravery was brought on by Jaune's victory against Fotia and the arrival of your friends, I still believe that it shows that you are indeed brave enough to stand against the darkness that threatens our world." Ozpin reassured her before adding, "But you are never alone. I learned the hard way that shouldering too much responsibility can only lead to catastrophe, but from what I have seen you have made many loyal and dependable friends along the way who trust and support you immensely."

Ruby felt a smile come to her lips and thought back, her memories reminding her that not only did she have her own team, but teams and the android that made up Team Beacon who she was overjoyed and honored to go into battle with, as well as her father and uncle, the various professors she knew, other teams like ABRN, NDGO, FNKI, CRDL, BRNZ and many others that she had come to know. In addition, she also knew she would also have the support of General Ironwood and his military forces, the reformed White Fang, the Remnant Knights, and maybe certain individuals like Neo.

She eventually spoke up, "You're right, professor. As long as we have people who trust us and will fight alongside us, I'm sure we will definitely have a good chance of winning. And, professor?"

"Yes, Miss Rose?"

Ruby gave him a thankful smile before replying, "All that stuff you said earlier about hindsight and regret, and wanting to go back and change stuff… I think it's given me an idea of something I want to say to my team when I get back."

"No regrets, I hope." He remarked.

"A couple here and there, but to be honest...well, you know the night I fought Torchwick and met you and Professor Goodwitch for the first time?" She asked as she knotted her fingers a little.

"I remember it all too well." Ozpin said as he glanced at Glynda, the latter allowing a small smile to come onto her normally stern face.

Ruby then finished with, "I have no regrets about that night. Whatsoever."

Ozpin nodded and agreed, "That, Miss Rose, is also something I have absolutely no regrets about."

Ruby's face brightened considerably as she and Ozpin smiled at each other, and then she noticed the prognosticator who the headmaster had earlier identified as Spirit Dreamer making her way over to her.

The Winter Templar detachment's prognosticator nodded respectfully to Ozpin and Glynda before turning her attention to Ruby herself. She gave a short courteous bow, her hooded white cloak flowing softly around her and showing a little of the silver-white Aegis armor underneath it. Her face however, was covered by a snow-patterned mask decked in the same colours as the lacquered plates of her armour, and a pair of azure lenses regarded Ruby evenly as the she adjusted her grip on her force staff.

"Greetings, Ruby Rose." She stated.

"Uh, hey, Spirit Dreamer, right?" Ruby asked hesitantly, and the prognosticator nodded.

"That's correct. My detachment was informed that you would be present for this meeting, and so during our travels Snow Blade contacted one of our fellow knights who is an acquaintance of yours I am sure you are eager to meet again." Spirit Dreamer related to Ruby, and immediately getting her full attention.

"Sharp Strike or Argentius?" Ruby asked.

"The latter, Knight Champion Argentius was concerned as to how you are faring and if you are interested in meeting him again." The prognosticator told the young huntress.

"You bet! Is he coming to Beacon?" She inquired again.

"Not exactly," Spirit Dreamer continued, "I have been told that the last time you met, you went into the mindscape with him and had quite the experience."

The leader of team RWBY shuddered at the memory of the Dreameater, but she quickly shoved that particular memory away in favor of a more pleasant one, so she briefly recalled her reunion with Summer Rose's spirit. She smiled and answered, "Yeah, I guess you can say we did. So, does he want to meet me in the mindscape?"

"Indeed he does. He mentioned that he would be meditating today, and he would be waiting for you. If you wish to speak with him, I can help you get there." Spirit Dreamer offered genially.

"I remember the words that will take me there, so I guess you can create a bubble thing like Soul Seer did?" Ruby posed to the prognosticator who nodded in return. The silver-eyed girl considered it and replied, "Well, I could use some more training with my powers, and Kaifin raised a pretty good point earlier about Salem that I didn't think about the last time I met Argentius. Besides, I think I am due for another appointment with him… if that's all right with you?" She said, and turned her head to look over to Ozpin for permission.

"Go ahead, Miss Rose." Ozpin permitted, "And be careful while you are in the mindscape."

"She'll be safe." Spirit Dreamer promised to the headmaster, "You have my oath."

Ruby nodded and walked over to another empty part of the meditation chamber which was closer to the windows. She settled down into a comfortable posture and then saw Jaune watching her with an expression of both encouragement and concern.

"Good luck in there, Ruby." He mentioned to her.

"Thanks, Jaune. Sorry for leaving you alone out here." She apologized.

"I'm not really alone. I'll be okay, I just hope nothing freaky happens while you're in there this time." He said to her carefully.

"Me too." Ruby agreed as she glanced over to Pyrrha's meditative form, "If Pyrrha and Elsa come out of their mindscape before I do, please tell them I am sorry that I bailed on them, but I had another meeting with Argentius."

"I will." Jaune answered as Ruby nodded to Spirit Dreamer, who waved her force staff while murmuring incarnations as she conjured up several transparent circles that glowed bright, pale blue in the air around the silver-eyed girl, which then formed into the signature beehive barrier bubble once more which enclosed the young huntress within its protection.

Ruby closed her eyes and concentrated smoothly, beginning the meditation ritual as she quietly murmured the words of power that Argentius had taught her six months ago, and once the words left her lips she felt her consciousness slip away from her physical body and into another plane of existence.

She then opened her eyes, finding herself in a vast white void at first before it gradually took on the shape of the familiar green valley she had been in the last time, as Argentius and her own thoughts and memories shaped the mindscape into what they wanted it to be, with large trees and grass-covered hills coming into existence all around her.

Ruby smiled as the cobblestone path formed right in front of her, which eventually led her through the villa's white walls and into an open-air pavilion, where a familiar armored figure sat on a grey marble bench before a stone fountain that steadily produced cool water from curved spouts on its tiers. A small tray with a ceramic teapot was placed right beside him, and presently he held a small tea cup filled with warm brown tea within his hands.

Argentius opened his silver eyes and smiled kindly at Ruby as she made her way over to him. Having forgone his master-crafted helmet like the last time he nodded his platinum-blond head a little, placed his tea cup back on the tray gently and spoke, "Greetings, Ruby Rose, it's good to see that you are as eager as ever."

"You too, Master Argentius!" She greeted him courteously as she came before him, remembering to bow respectfully.

"There's no need to call me master, Ruby. We might be teacher and student, but our bond isn't official, and I had more than enough experience of being a master around Sharp Strike and other knights, so please just call me Argentius." The knight said as he rose to his feet, his silver and gold-trimmed cloak whipping gently behind him.

"Sorry, just kinda got that whole 'sensei and apprentice' thing between you and me." Ruby apologized.

"It's perfectly understandable, but there's no need to be so formal. We are friends Ruby, friends who help and care for one another. On that note, how much progress have you made since we last met?" He asked her politely.

"I've been pretty good myself, doing all right with my studies. I've been improving my skills as much as I can and thanks to you I have also gotten better at using my silver eyes' powers when fighting Grimm." She reported to the knight.

"How has that gone?" Argentius prompted, "I take it you can control your own powers better now?"

"So far so good, but sometimes when I use the power of my silver eyes I kinda feel tired, but that's down to how much aura I put into an attack, so I've been trying to control how much of it whenever I use one of those shiny eye blasts." She explained while knotting her hands.

The silver-eyed knight chuckled a little at the words Ruby used to describe the usage of her silver eyes before saying, "I see. Nothing I didn't know already, but it's good to know that you're doing your best to improve." He reached up with one gauntlet to touch his bearded chin before he continued, "Now, I understand that you have met the Winter Maiden today?"

"Oh! That's right, I met Elsa today as well. She's pretty nice, and quite... cool, if you ask me." Ruby's eyes widened a little and she quietly pleaded, "And please don't let Yang know I made a joke like that, because she'll never let me live it down!"

Argentius simply raised an eyebrow before giving a polite laugh, "My lips are sealed."

She nodded appreciatively and decided to ask the query she had just recently learned of, "Thank you. However, Elsa's guardian Kaifin brought up something that I hadn't really thought about before and I thought maybe you can help me figure it out?"

"And may I ask what is it?" He questioned.

"Well, Kaifin pointed out that it was kinda weird how Salem wanted me to be captured and brought back to her alive in Haven, when she should want me dead since my powers are such a big threat to her." Ruby explained and then asked, "So… why did she want me alive?"

Upon hearing her question, Argentius sighed and gestured for Ruby to walk with him. As they proceeded down a pathway threading through the pavilion with brightly colored flower bushes on either side, he began elucidating, "When I heard of your...encounter with Salem I pondered over that question myself. You see Ruby, despite the fact that the warriors with silver eyes and the unique powers they possess are undeniably strong against the Grimm and resistant against the Dark Queen, it doesn't mean we're immune. We're just as flawed as any other person, human or faunus, and Salem has been using the weaknesses of her enemies against them for centuries, just ask Ozpin for further proof."

Ruby nodded, remembering what she knew about Ozpin's own sordid past and the failures that haunted him, "I know that but… well, I think that when I was their captive they sort of wanted to turn me to their side. Cinder wanted to make me her pupil, and she made me… watch a recording of those guys I accidentally killed at the construction site. Why would they want me on their side when my powers can easily hurt the Grimm and Salem herself? It would be like a person allergic to dogs owning a dog."

"True, but at that time you didn't fully understand nor grasp the full extent of your powers. From what I've been told, they only surfaced after you witness multiple distressing and even traumatizing things such as seeing your friend Penny being accidentally destroyed by Pyrrha and learning that your sister's arm having been severed, and finally when you thought Pyrrha had been murdered by Cinder right before your eyes. All those events increased the distress and sadness within you, progressively building up to the incredible emanation of silver energy that killed the Wyvern and caused Cinder to withdraw. Your powers had been activated, but you couldn't control them." Argentius stroked his beard in contemplation and continued, "I remember you told me that while you were captured by Cinder in Haven, your powers only surfaced during the times when you were under heavy emotional stress, such as the time Cinder 'trained' with you."

"That I understand, but does it mean she wanted to turn me over to her side or something?" Ruby asked and looked at the Remnant Knight beside her with a slightly worried look.

"While I can't disregard that appalling possibility, Cinder might have been trying to see just how well you could control the power of your silver eyes, and possibly could have been trying to find ways to protect herself and Salem from our abilities in future, ways to counter them." Argentius gently told her, "And as for Salem… I don't think we would ever fathom how her sick mind works, but it's safe to assume that whatever she has planned for you isn't going to be in your best interests."

"Yeah, I guess so too." Ruby replied as she and the veteran Knight continued walking along the winding cobblestone path, while the bright sun shone down on them from high above.

"So, has there ever been a silver-eyed warrior working for Salem before? Or any of the Grimm Mistresses that came before her?" Ruby asked after a while.

The senior knight thought for a moment and then answered thoughtfully, "I haven't met many other people with our gift Ruby, and I've never met any who have sided with the Dark Queen for that matter. Nonetheless, it is both unusual and dangerous that Salem would want you since even with no grasp of what your gift could so she still risked being hurt by your powers. If I were to make a guess, I would assume that she wanted to break you completely and then turn you to embrace their side, before using you as a powerful tool to destroy her enemies and weaken hope."

"What do you mean?" Ruby questioned, a little curiosity slipping into her voice.

"Think about it Ruby, you're the girl who killed a full-grown Wyvern without even really trying. I can safely tell you that to defeat that kind of creature would have usually taken a battalion of Hunters fighting together to even stand a chance of defeating it, and even the veteran Knights of the Order I served with would have difficulty fighting such a beast. Defeating that creature was one of the major signs that all hope was not lost even after Beacon fell, and you definitely made yourself a giant target by upsetting some very powerful individuals, least of all Salem herself." Argentius elaborated to the teenage huntress, "If they were to turn you to their side, manipulate you into being their tool, it would be a sight that would weaken mankind's hope and resolve to survive. If someone who could kill such a powerful Grimm by simply looking at it could be turned to the side of evil, then many would lose hope… and that would directly trigger a massive outpouring of negative emotions which would work in Salem's favour."

Ruby nodded and posed her next question, "That makes sense, but what if… what if they wanted to somehow alter my eyes? Like making them into some evil version of the silver eyes so that those powers would be used for evil instead of good? If Salem's scientists can turn people into Grimm hybrids, could they do something like that to my eyes?"

Argentius's hands tightened a little at his sides for a moment before he sighed and turned to face her, "I… do not know if such a thing is possible. If it was, then Remnant would be a far darker place now with such a terrifying power in existence. Salem and the people she has recruited for her dark cause have undoubtedly twisted minds and wills, and so it's hard to understand or predict anything they do. But after fighting against her Sin Commanders on many encounters in the past, I cannot discount the fact that there's a distinct possibility that either of our theories might be correct."

He noticed the somewhat worried expression on Ruby's face and placed a gauntlet on her shoulder to reassure her, "Don't worry Ruby, whatever Salem had planned for you at that time isn't an immediate threat. When you escaped from Haven you were reunited with your team, saved your friends and came to terms with what happened there. Your spirit hasn't just been healed from the trials of adversity, it's much stronger now and it cannot be easily broken anymore because you, Ruby Rose, are a stronger Huntress now, and one who I can tell will not surrender or give in to the temptations of evil."

Ruby felt Argentius give her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, and she returned the gesture with a bright smile, one that showed that she truly appreciated his words of praise and comfort, "Thank you. I hope you're right."

"I don't wish to sound arrogant, but I know I am." He told her with a kind smile before adding, "Now, show me just how much you have improved."

Ruby nodded and summoned up a replica of Crescent Rose in her arms, and followed Argentius to the wide field a short distance away from the villa where her training began once more.

---

Jaune watched silently as Ruby sat completely still within the protective bubble, her consciousness safely inside the mindscape thanks to Spirit Dreamer, who was focusing all her efforts on making sure that the additional incantations were performed just as amicably to avoid any wayward silver energies from leaking out into the physical world like what happened last time when Ruby entered the mindscape with Argentius. The prognosticator has planted her force staff in front of her, the white crystal at the very top shimmering slightly as she maintained the integrity of the bubble shield as well as her oath to keep Ruby unharmed.

He stood against the wall while he quietly kept watch over his friend and his partner's meditating bodies, both of which were only a short distance from each other. He knew that they were safe, but the protective side of him still insisted to keep on the lookout. Glancing to his side, the blond knight knew he wasn't the only one, as he could see Kaifin standing not too far from the meditative form of Elsa, a stoic look of concentration upon his bearded face as he focused his gaze intently on his beloved.

As the minutes slowly went by, the only noise in the was a hushed discussion whispered between Ozpin and Glynda while Snow Blade remained a few steps close behind Spirit Dreamer. Knowing that other Remnant Knights were stationed around the meditation chambers made Jaune reliably sure that they would all snap into action within the blink-of-an-eye should anything go awry.

And so he occupied his time by wondering what Pyrrha was seeing within the Maidens' Mindscape, but soon he grew bored and briefly considered taking out his scroll to text the other members of Team Beacon and update them that Ruby, Pyrrha and him were still at the secret meeting. He ultimately decided against it, since he was reminded of the fact that numerous measures were put in place to keep the meeting a secret, and not to mention the knights standing around would probably not take kindly to such a security risk, even a minor one.

So he sighed and continued to work on his patience, until out of the corner of his eyes he noticed someone was now standing next to him, so he glanced over to see the figure of Kaifin apparently changing his position around the chambers.

"Oh, hey Kaifin." Jaune said, "How did you get over here without me noticing you?"

"I've learned my fair share of stealth tactics during my days at Atlas Academy, plus the fact you had your eyes on Pyrrha the whole time." The older guardian told him with a faint smirk.

Jaune nodded as he knew Kaifin had made a good point, and so he looked away briefly a tad flustered.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, kid. It's good to keep an eye on the one you love." Kaifin told him, "In a way you two remind me of Elsa and myself."

"She's like a Maiden and I am her guardian?" Jaune observed.

"That's right. Tell me Jaune, I know that you two are in a relationship, but... pardon me for asking, how serious is it? How strong is the bond between you?" Kaifin quietly asked with a serious look on his face.

Jaune carefully considered the question before finally answering it, "Honestly... our relationship is pretty serious. Pyrrha has been there for me since we met during initiation and became Team JNPR. She gave me more help, respect, and love than I really deserved, and so I wanted to do the same for her, to be there for her like she was for me. But when it mattered the most I failed her, first by misunderstanding what she was trying to tell me and then not telling her to throw her life away for a purpose which she didn't fully understand. I was blessed enough to be given a second chance to save her, and that time I didn't mess up and so I succeeded in saving her but nearly died in the process. When we escaped from Cinder and became the new guardians of the Aura Crystal we made promises to always be there for each other so I can safely say we are not just partners. We're both half-Grimm as well, but it doesn't end there; our bond goes right down to the soul."

He took a breath and continued, "After all that we've went through ever since we survived that night in Haven our bond has only gotten stronger, and we continue to love and cherish each other. I didn't realize her feelings for me until it was far too late nor understand how lonely she was, and I'm never going to repeat that mistake again. I will protect her to my last breath, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her, no matter what."

Kaifin smiled and nodded, "I see, you remind me of myself when Elsa became the Winter Maiden. I had been in love with her for some time, even before we became a couple. When I found out what was going to happen to her, I did everything in my power to stay with her… despite initially facing heavy resistance from General Ironwood and certain high-ranking members of the Atlas Council. The thought of Elsa leaving and never seeing her again was too much. I… I wanted to ask for her hand in marriage just before graduation, so when we were told the various conditions a Maiden must abide by, such as the rule that they must remain a virgin, both Elsa and I understood that we could never have the freedom that others lovers have."

The tall and muscular man let out a sad sigh before quietly continuing with, "But it didn't stop me, as long as I was by her side to provide any support and assistance she wanted or needed was more than enough for me. We didn't need to engage in intimacy to show our love for each other, and even after so many years we're still together, our bond just as strong as ever."

Jaune nodded in understanding, before Kaifin softly whispered, "I take it that you and Pyrrha have… consummated your relationship?"

The blond knight blushed brightly and did his best to hide his flushed cheeks, but he managed to nod a reply to Kaifin who gave a faint chuckle in response.

"I am happy for you both," He whispered, "The two of you have been through so much, including nearly dying to protect one another, so I can tell that you both love each other very much."

"We do. I remember when I thought Pyrrha was dead, I actually made a vow that my ancestors used to make about never taking another spouse or lover. At first it was both a way to punish myself for the pain that I have caused her and also to honor her feelings for me, but now it means something real since I've became an actual couple with her, and she has promised herself to me as well." Jaune explained slowly.

"I would say that it started off rather unhealthily, but I understand the kind of emotional pain you were going through." Kaifin observed as he crossed his arms, and Jaune nodded

"Yeah… I was in a pretty unhealthy spot. My sisters tried to cheer me up, my oldest sister told me about how she coped when her fiance died and how I shouldn't let the past drag me down, but the pain I felt in my heart wouldn't go away." The blond confessed.

"And from what you told us earlier, a part of that pain still lingers." Elsa's guardian remarked.

"In a way, yeah. The nightmares come back every now and then, and in those nightmares I dreamt that Pyrrha never came back, that there was never any chance to save her or bring her back. I've even had nightmares about seeing the rest of my friends and family ending up like how she did that fateful night, being massacred by Cinder. Have you ever… ever seen your entire family impaled by flaming arrows? Even your baby niece? Or your friends and teammates? Let me tell you this, it's a horrible thing to even think about." Jaune whispered darkly as he buried his face in his hands for a few seconds, forcing himself to calm his emotions down.

"I know how you feel." Kaifin confided as he laid a gentle but firm hand on Jaune's shoulder, "When I learned about the existence of the dark forces that would go after Elsa because of her powers, I became dreadfully worried, and my fears only got worse after news of the attack on Amber. I couldn't imagine losing my beloved like that, since I've experienced that kind of heartbreak before. You see, my own parents were killed in a severe Grimm attack during a scientific expedition beyond Atlas's borders during my second year at Atlas Academy. Elsa's practically the only one I have left, and losing her is the thing I fear the most in my life now."

Jaune nodded in agreement, just as another thought surfaced in his mind.

"I guess I should consider myself very lucky." He spoke lightly, "After everything I've been through, after every close call and near-death experience, I should be happy that I'm still alive and I have my friends, teammates, my family, and… Pyrrha with me."

The Winter Maiden's guardian agreed and said, "You should, Jaune. Don't take them for granted, and never let sort of harm come to them. You've been given a good life, with a good family, friends, a team that cares about you, and a lover who loves you just as much as you love her. You should appreciate her, and appreciate all of them. Savor every moment and live every day of your life to the fullest, life is too short not to spend with the ones you love."

Jaune's eyes looked over the still form of Pyrrha as he nodded absently. "Thank you, I'll definitely remember this talk." He replied as his mind began to carefully consider what the large man had just told him.

---

In the outskirts of Vacuo's capital, the abandoned buildings of the derelict air base such as the hangar that had been used by Ante for his rendezvous with Tyrian now stood empty once again, standing as mute witnesses to the harsh climate of the near desert, now with only rodents and various insects to inhabit it as night fell. The surrounding area was likewise empty, with only a few scattered homeless populating the neighbourhood and since there was nothing left to loot the various gangs had already given up long ago, finding better places to do their dirty business.

With no one in the vicinity to see anything, why nobody noticed a normal-looking crow fly out of the endless dunes of the desert, past the scattered dead palm trees and towards the empty hangar before fluttering up to land on the rusting railing of the empty water tower. It's head twitched and looked around carefully to make sure that all was clear, and then flew down into the main hangar through a shattered window.

Once inside, the crow perched on one of the catwalks' handrails and began to survey the interior of the derelict building. Its blood-red eyes took in every detail of the hangar, from its girded and pipe-choked ceiling, to the damaged hard grey concrete floor where small piles of sand had accumulated from the strong winds blowing in from outside.

There was no visible sign of the stolen SDC cargo airship and its cargo of powdered Dust and uncut crystals, and knowing how Salem's agents operate they would have probably set it on auto-pilot in the direction of the nearest ocean and allow it to crash and sink into the depths to erase any evidence. Qrow wouldn't be surprised if they would probably have put in explosive charges to blow the whole thing to smithereens just to go the extra mile of covering their tracks.

'Damn it, I took too long getting here. But they were here all right.' Qrow thought to himself as he sensed the faint remains of the individuals' Aura signatures even as he looked around.

After hopping along the rusted railing for some distance, he stopped to look over a catwalk flanking the wall to his left, and cocked his bird head a little. 'Okay, Callows was right over… there.' That confirmed the presence of Salem's unstable assassin, and it wasn't good news given what he knew what Tyrian was capable of when given a target.

Concentrating his other more receptive senses he could feel the unusual, slightly tainted aura signatures of the select few Red Fang members as well as the more natural ones of the other Faunus, that didn't bode either. The bird form of Qrow narrowed his eyes as he clicked his beak in revulsion, he could never fathom what kind of person would willingly allow themselves to be genetically altered to become some kind of hybrid.

Just when he thought the existence of Grimm-hybrids were bad enough...

'And someone else was here, recently too. Humans, possibly criminals allied with them.' He thought as he fluttered down to the cracked concrete floor of the cavernous hangar, hopping around from one spot to another as he eyed the empty crates lying around, 'A sign they're still working for Salem, since an anti-human group wouldn't work with humans unless they had no other choice. The Dust they have stolen from the hijacked SDC cargo airship was here too...'

He spread his wings and flew over to the entrance of the hangar, hovering via flapping and seeing the faint remnants of tire tracks in the sand which stretched off the main runway of the airbase and into the street. The same tire tracks were now mostly covered or blown away due to the abrading winds, but the tracks were still fairly recent in the sense that they could most likely be several hours old. Perhaps no one else but the most attentive Vacuo Ranger patrols may have noticed it, but to the bird eyes of Qrow the path the transport trucks took was as good as seeing an oasis in the desert itself.

'Two… no, three transport trucks. All made for heavy lifting and one to carry passengers. There were rumors that Ante and his thugs hauled ass outta Haven by going to ground, and he probably knows how to grease the palms of corrupt officials he could easily have gotten himself and his henchmen over to Vacuo.' He mused to himself before flying around the hangar, trying to find anything else that could turn out to be a crucial lead.

There. The burnt out end of an expensive-looking cigarette laid right in between two of the empty old crates. The crow flew into the shadows before shapeshifting into the somewhat slouching form of Qrow as he walked over to the object in question and knelt down, picking up the discarded cigarette carefully in one hand and examining it carefully.

Custom-made from the finest tobacco leaves. Each stick individually stamped with an expensive label and capable of producing a distinct aroma that would appeal to individuals with expensive tastes once lighted. It probably cost half of what he made in a year, probably more, and Qrow could practically count on one hand the number of smokers who could afford such expensive cigarettes, and that's even counting the crime lords themselves.

'So someone with the criminal lifestyle was here, someone rich, and if Ruby was right about that Ante creep, it's a safe bet he's involved with this.' Qrow thought to himself as he turned the burnt cigarette stick between two fingers, and then he felt his red eyes travel towards an upturned crate at the far end of the hangar as his heightened senses picked up yet another uncharacteristic aura signature, 'Lingering traces of Dark aura, with a kinda sinister feel to it. Looks like some real troublemakers met up with some punks as reinforcements.'

With a casual flick of his fingers he tossed the cigarette stick away, and paced to the open doors of the hangar which opened up to a view of the capital city of the Kingdom of Vacuo in the distance. The avian reaper stuck to the shadows not only out of habit, but just in case anything unexpected happened even though he was sure that Tyrian and Ante had already left the air base. But it never hurt to be careful, as years in the field had taught him.

Mentally calculating the carrying capacity of the stolen cargo airship, and adding it to the various clues he had collected over the past few days from the Vacuo Rangers and his own intelligence-gathering, Qrow knew without a doubt that something big was definitely going to happen to the western Kingdom. So he momentarily closed his eyes as his mind sorted out the cards in his mental hand...

Vacuo. The capital of the western Kingdom. The next most likely target by the agents of Salem due to the setbacks they have suffered in Haven city and with the White Fang, and the presence of the Summer Maiden within Shade Academy made it even more likely of a target, they might even be aiming going for the Relic that was no longer under the school's protection.

Sizable quantities of powdered Dust stolen from various warehouses and their current location unknown.

The presence of an insane assassin like Tyrian Callowed, his presence confirmed but his purpose and target as of yet still unknown.

The likely presence of Damien Ante and his Enforcers, plus the presently quiet Red Fang, more or less counted as Salem's agents.

It was more than Qrow had hoped to obtain from his intelligence-gathering mission: a goldmine of facts and speculation and potential connections that would link all those cards together, enough for Ozpin and the rest of the Guardians, as well as the Knights to piece together and hopefully come up with something to thwart anything Salem's agents would throw at them.

'However, there's still a problem.' Qrow mused to himself as he shapeshifted back into his avian form and flew out of the hangar and perched himself on top of the water tower, gazing out at the capital city of Vacuo in the distance. 'The city's going to make tracking difficult.'

It was honestly an understatement since the various senses, sights, bright lights, and countless aura signatures that covered the city would make tracking Salem's agents harder than it would normally be. 'If only Raven were here, she was better at track -' He quickly shook his avian head and then reined himself in, 'Stop it. Big sis is gone, and even if she was still alive she wouldn't do this for me.'

Raven had been much better at tracking with her senses than Qrow was, since she had taken to the animal side much easier than he had. Qrow hadn't learned as much from their father as his elder sister, because Vernal killed him before he could better educate Qrow in the ways of their Semblance. After they escaped Raven taught Qrow as much as she knew from their father's lessons, and from then on both Branwen twins had to learn the hard way until Ozpin came into the picture, offering them a place to start anew by becoming Hunters.

Despite the difficult time they had spent with each other in the wild, learning to survive on their own until they eventually made it to civilization, Raven had a much easier time with their Semblance than he ever did. The alcoholic Huntsman remembered that his mother once commented that he had a hard time transforming between human and bird forms because he was cautious, wary of becoming an entirely different species, while Raven actively embraced her animal side and took to the air like a true bird of prey too eagerly.

He was cautious and she was reckless, and the darker part of his mind thought that was probably why he was still among the living. He shook his head, mentally scolding himself for thinking of such a thing and tried to think about something else. So he briefly wondered, for about the umpteenth time, what his parents would say about him now? What would they think of Raven? Or of Yang or Ruby?

Deep down, he knew they would be proud of him, even though their father wouldn't have openly voiced that. And he knew that his mother would spoil his nieces at every opportunity.

He smiled inwardly before becoming serious once more, gazing towards the city as he took flight, easily picking up the trail of the transport trucks which led away from the abandoned air base. He decided to follow the trial as much as he could before contacting Ozpin to update him on his progress, before making his way to Shade Academy.

With any luck he would find something that would lead him to his prey, and perhaps learn what they were doing in Vacuo.

---

Within the mindscape of the Maidens, Pyrrha had finally finished telling Amethyst and Heliosia her long, sad story and all the major details that entailed, including the events after she was freed from Cinder and Salem's control before wrapping it up with an 'ending' that was her current, much happier place in life.

There was only the sound of the gently blowing breeze around the four women before Amethyst reached up to her face and wiped away a stray tear, "That's… some pretty heavy stuff." She managed to say, even though it was clear that she was unable to voice how she actually felt.

Heliosia nodded and removed her hands from her mouth, "Indeed. It's one of the most heart wrenching stories I've ever heard. I can't believe that you're still in good spirits after experiencing all of what you just told us. All of the pain, loneliness and insanity you've gone through at their hands would have driven a lesser person over the edge and reduce them to a nervous wreck."

"There were times that I came close to going over the edge. It's as I said, after I returned there were many moments when I nearly just gave up and surrendered myself to misery, but I was lucky enough to have a loving family and a very supportive team, and good friends to help me on the road to recovery." Pyrrha told them, smiling at the thought of the many wonderful people she was fortunate enough to have in her life, "I think that the 'happy ending' I have so far had made all I've suffered worth it. Like how a rough, unpleasant journey is made better by arriving at a breathtaking destination."

"You are quite lucky Pyrrha, I don't think I would want to test my chances against the odds you've went up against." Elsa voiced, thinking about the various terrifying things Pyrrha had told her. Despite having heard the story twice now, the idea of Grimm hybrids existing, suffering from severe emotional trauma, near-death experiences, and riding a dragon Grimm was still a lot to take in despite all she experienced herself.

"I'll say, but at the end of the day you still managed to survive everything thrown at you, get the guy you loved, and ride a dragon! I'm not too proud to admit that I'm definitely jealous of that last part." Amethyst commented, which made Pyrrha smile.

"The Wyvern was one thing about my time at Haven I don't look back with regret or… I don't quite know a word to describe it..." Pyrrha confessed, "Something that mixes up embarrassment, anger and sadness."

"Really? I have read about Wyverns and how they're supposed to be different from the normal species of Grimm, can you elaborate?" Elsa inquired as she fixed the Mistralian Champion with an inquisitive look.

Pyrrha nodded and explained, "The Wyvern I trained with was young, apparently hatched from the egg of the one that Ruby defeated the Beacon Academy tower, and yet it possessed an intelligence about it not unlike that of a normal animal, like a dog or a cat."

"Except that unlike a dog or a cat, it's at least ten times the size of you, can fly, and breathe fire." Amethyst remarked wryly.

Pyrrha chuckled and nodded, "I suppose so. What I mean is, it didn't come off as a mindless monster like most Grimm do, even the older and smarter Grimm lack the 'living' presence the Wyvern had. But aren't Grimm supposed to be soulless creatures since they do not possess any aura at all?"

The Winter Maiden nodded and said, "Perhaps I can explain; while studying during my travels across the Kingdoms I came across an old legend about the original Mistress of Grimm. After the first age of mankind ended with the shattering of the moon and the rise of the Grimm, the dragons returned. For some years they roamed the world and dominated the skies until the original Dark Queen began to attack them, and after she subdued them she brought those dragons to be submerged into the primordial Grimm Spawning Pits to transform them into Grimm Wyvern, which she then used to capture or destroy all the remaining dragons. For centuries the Wyverns were a feared threat until the formation of the Hunter guilds across the various factions. The many countries, villages and townships united to fight the Wyverns, cutting down their numbers substantially, and that victory was supposedly one of the things that motivated the original Mistress of Grimm into manipulating events behind the scenes and initiating the original Great War.

"The first Dark Queen knew that when properly united, people can be a serious threat. So she purposely played up the prejudices and distrust among mankind and fledgling Faunus race and set them to fight among themselves. Once mankind is divided enough and posing little to no threat, her legions of Grimm can effectively conquer Remnant without any resistance at all." Heliosia added shortly, "And while there have been many reports and hearsays of dragons throughout the history of Remnant, most of them were just blurry sightings or unverified rumours at best."

"Well, that explains why Wyverns are so rare. And I suppose that if what you say is true, then it makes the Wyvern Grimm hybrids just like myself." Pyrrha mused quietly, "Have there been many sightings?"

"In the last century? Only a few, although the ones that have been confirmed would be the one encountered during the Fall of Beacon and the slightly smaller one you trained with. The other sightings were so low in number you could count them on one hand." Elsa elaborated, while holding up her five fingers.

Pyrrha nodded as she thought aloud with a serious and somber voice, "I wonder what they're doing to it... How are the Grimm Handlers under the service of Salem treating him?"

"You really think it would care?" Amethyst remarked, "I mean, even if it's only half Grimm, it's still an animal."

"I don't know, but during that fight with the White Fang I encountered a Grimm Commander called Steppenwolffe again, and he told me that the Wyvern had been upset by my escape. I think that the dragons had large amounts of aura, which somehow make them more sapient than most animals so when they were transformed into a species of Grimm, it wasn't too dissimilar from what happened to myself and the other Grimm hybrids." Pyrrha said, and Elsa nodded understandingly.

"Some books do say that the dragons were remarkably intelligent beasts, so it's a good theory." The Winter Maiden voiced thoughtfully.

"Where are these books you speak of?" Pyrrha asked her with a tilt of her head.

"Let's just say one needs a certain level of clearance to read certain books within certain archives." Elsa commented, "Some secrets must still be kept, after all."

Pyrrha nodded just before the Summer Maiden spoke up, "Speaking of which, the thing about your story that intrigues me the most is the Aura Crystal. I've heard and read about it during my travels to look for the Wizard, but now that I know it's real I would like to know more about it. That is, if you don't mind enlightening me?"

Pyrrha thought about it for a moment before answering, "Well, physically it's a large crystal that's usually violet in color but it often changes its colors due to the sheer amount of different auras within it."

"Auras? What do you mean?" Heliosia inquired as curiosity glimmered in her maroon eyes.

"You see, within the Aura Crystal is the collective aura of billions of people who were killed when the old world came to its cataclysmic end with the shattering of the moon. We aren't sure how, but the aura somehow merged into one place and someone or something managed to create the crystal to contain the massive energy." Pyrrha explained to them.

"I see," Heliosia said with a nod, "What else can you tell us? No pressure."

"It's all right, I don't mind telling you." Pyrrha assured them, "I'm sure that Jaune would agree that you're all trustworthy. Now, the Aura Crystal naturally has an immense power about it, when you get near the crystal you can feel it, sometimes also just by looking at it, something my friends can testify to. The crystal itself doesn't just contain the aura of those lost lives, but also soul fragments of its previous Guardians, including Ember Kasai and her son."

"I still can't believe that a part of the soul of one of my predecessors resides within that crystal." Heliosia stated, before asking, "Perhaps, if we were to meet in person someday, can you help me try to contact her?"

Pyrrha thought about it and shrugged, "I'm not sure that would work. It seems that only the crystal guardians can enter the crystal's inner sanctum, kind of like how you Maidens can enter the Maiden mindscape. So that means Jaune and I are the only ones who can speak to her." she noticed the disappointed look on the tanned girl's face before adding, "However, I can tell her about you in the next meditation session. Is there anything you wish for me to convey to her?"

Heliosia smiled and replied, "Only that I hope she feels that I'm doing justice for the title of the Summer Maiden."

"Sure, I'll tell her that, and I'm sure she'll be more than happy to know how you've performed so far." The Spartan assured her.

"I know we're proud of you, and if you wanted your confidence boosted and ego stroked, all you had to do was ask." Amethyst teased cheerfully.

Heliosia chuckled and said, "I think that would be wonderful, Pyrrha. Thank you." She then looked to Amethyst and smirked before replying, "Though being lavished with compliments doesn't sound too bad either."

The four girls laughed at the idea, before Pyrrha continued with her description with her description of the Aura Crystal, "To get into the crystal, it requires a meditation session not unlike what it takes to enter this mindscape. Within the crystal itself… well, I can't really do it justice. It's a strange, vague, and surreal place that is quite a bit of a challenge to describe it since it always changes with each session. It's rarely ever the same, as the various auras that make up the place are always moving along and changing its mindscape, always altering it to look like something else, sometimes even making it appear like the world that was before. The aura collective even showed us what the moon actually looked like before it was shattered, and I can assure you that it was a beautiful sight."

"I wish I could have seen it. I love the moon as it is, but it would probably be prettier if it's in one piece." Amethyst remarked with a grin.

"I can assure you it is." Pyrrha told her before continuing, " Due to the chaotic nature of various auras merging and mixing together to create such a place, it's quite difficult to get a grasp on and we don't fully understand it, nor do the soul fragments of the previous guardians."

"They can't help you?" Elsa asked as her right eyebrow raised.

"They can, but I think that in the process of merging with all that aura, they're probably left dazed and confused, and that's why they are unable to outright tell us any clear answers." Pyrrha speculated before shrugging, "Perhaps it may improve in time, we shall see."

"Strange. How've your guardian duties been so far?" Heliosia inquired.

"So far so good." Pyrrha answered simply, " No one has made any moves on it, and there are no attempts at theft, since Ozpin's willingness to help us protect it at all times means we can safely leave our room for the school day and if anyone so much as tries entering our room while we're not there without the security codes the alarms would go off, bringing not just Jaune and I, or Team JNPR, but all of Team Beacon, Ozpin, Glynda, the rest of Beacon's staff, and the Valean security forces surrounding grounds. And we have no need to worry about it for now, as Ren and Nora are guarding it in our dorm room as we speak, or at least making sure no one goes in without them, though Nora isn't one to stay in one room for long."

The three Maidens nodded, and Heliosia said, "With all seriousness, I would love to see the Aura Crystal personally, since the legends around it fascinates me and after hearing you make it sound so fantastic..."

"Well," Pyrrha said, "If you ever happen to come to Beacon for a visit, I'm sure Jaune will be okay with it. If he's generous enough to use it to dazzle his baby niece, he'll be fine with letting you see it."

She smiled at brief memory of Jaune using the sparkling lights of the Aura Crystal to calm and dazzle baby Arabella a little before Amethyst spoke up again, "Speaking of Jaune… does he make you happy? Do you really love him?"

Pyrrha was momentarily taken aback by the suddenness and bluntness of the question, but she recovered after a few seconds and said, "I can say without a doubt that he does make me happy. While it's true that his initial obliviousness to my feelings did hurt a bit, but thankfully that's all in the past. Now he wants to make up for his past failures by making me as happy as he can, and let me tell you that he is an expert at that. And as for that second question, I can only say; yes, because he genuinely loves me and I love him with all my heart and soul."

"After everything you told us about him, I get the impression that he loves you as much as you love him." Heliosia remarked with a small smile.

"Trust me, he does." Pyrrha replied.

"I can vouch for that. I may not know Jaune very well, but from what I have seen of him and everything I've been told, I can tell that he's a good-natured boy who didn't realize just how smart, strong and brave he can truly be. Pyrrha was one of the first to help him truly believe in himself and live up to that potential." Elsa helpfully added.

"That sounds like you transformed him from a helpless dork into an actually kinda badass dork." Amethyst commented with a smirk.

Pyrrha giggled a little and said, "I admit he was awkward and clumsy at first, and still is on occasion, but he has grown so much since we met, and I couldn't be more proud of him, neither could his family or the rest of our team. He has also returned the favor for all my help by loving me as much as he possibly can."

"He better, because you deserve it after all you went through." The Spring Maiden voiced.

"Oh he does, I have seen nothing but love in his interactions with Pyrrha, to the point that even subtle gestures and the looks in his eyes give away how much he cares for her." Elsa said as she smiled at the redhead.

"That's good, because if the bond of being Guardians of the Aura Crystal means you have to be together and always care for one another, then I hope your love for each other remains strong and genuine." Heliosia remarked to the youngest woman present.

"It is, I could go on all day about how much we love one another. After being with him, I feel like I have truly learned what love is, and I understand what my parents once told me about love; that it's like a fire, but it settles into a warm, comfortable hearth that flares up whenever things get… passionate. Love is a warmth that will always be there, even during awful times, to show support and make you feel safe. That's what Jaune makes me feel whenever we're together, especially when we get in bed at night. We're not just partners, we are lovers, practically soulmates at this point." Pyrrha told the trio of Maidens, a faint blush colouring her cheeks.

"So has he popped the question yet? If you two are so madly in love he should really put a ring on your finger." Amethyst commented brazenly.

"Amethyst, really! They're not even done with their second year yet, it's a bit too early for marriage." Elsa chided her violent-haired companion.

"Not true." Heliosia raised an eyebrow, "In some traditional clans from Mistral and tribes in Vacuo, they still encourage their children to get married in their teenage years."

"See? Heliosia agrees with me." The Spring Maiden chuckled, and Elsa simply shook her head with a sigh.

"Well..." A blushing Pyrrha began, while thinking about a certain parting gift Ashe had given Jaune, "I wouldn't mind a ring at least."

The Summer Maiden smiled and remarked, "I can tell that you truly love Jaune. It's wonderful that after everything the two of you have suffered, you managed to survive and find true love in each other. Cherish him Pyrrha, and never, ever let him go. I once had someone I cared deeply for, but things happened which unfortunately separated us. I don't know where he is or if he's even still alive, but if I ever find him I will… make him feel sorry for worrying me so much, and then I'll let him know how much I missed him."

Due to her hidden Grimm side, Pyrrha could easily sense a genuine sadness in Heliosia as she mentioned this long-lost childhood friend. She didn't know what to say, but instead managed to give the brown-haired Summer Maiden a comforting look and said, "For what it's worth, I hope you find him someday."

"We all do, and hopefully you will find a way to be with him." Elsa stated with a serene voice.

"I wish I could be with you, cheer you up Amethyst style." The Spring Maiden voiced with a melancholic tone. Pyrrha looked at the smaller girl and felt a sadness in her as well, but one that was more lonely and frustrated.

"I'm all right," Heliosia assured her, "While I would like to see you girls in person, it's still too dangerous for the time being. Nonetheless, I've found ways of entertaining myself around Shade. Sure, sparring with the students there is great and all, but I've even become sort of an unknown local hero for dealing with the Black Vipers gang."

"Ah, kicking butt. My favourite spirit-lifter." Amethyst joked, a smile now spreading across her lips.

"Are you sure that won't accidentally attract the attention of the enemy?" Elsa queried cautiously.

"I've been quite careful." Heliosia returned, "And if anything happens, I can take care of myself."

Both Elsa and Amethyst nodded their heads, and Pyrrha was about to say something when a stray orange leaf blew onto her left shoulder, so she glanced over to pick it off only to notice something that was nearly covered by the trees that she hadn't noticed before.

"Excuse me," She stood up and walked over to where she had seen the object, and through the barren branches she could make out what looked like some kind of statue. It was a statue on a stone plinth, just slightly taller than Yatsuhashi, who was the tallest person Pyrrha knew, and it stood surrounded by leaves that were brighter than all the others that had fallen. The thing that was noticeable right away about the statue was the figure at the forefront of it. The figure of a girl of average height, her skin tinted a dark yellow, her hair styled in the form of a short version of hairstyle known as a hime cut, and she wore a plain blouse with a scarf, a cape and a long skirt. All around her were smaller figures of other young women dressed in various kinds of clothing, all colored in varying shades of yellow, one of whom Pyrrha recognized as Amber.

"Pyrrha?" Elsa called as she stood up, her sky-blue eyes following what the Spartan was looking at.

"Pardon me, but what's this?" She inquired as she parted the branches gently, nodding at the statue.

The three Maidens looked rather saddened by her discovery before Elsa answered, "That is the Tribute Shrine, each Maiden has one."

She pointed deep into her own snowy section, and Pyrrha could now see a whitish-blue version of the tribute shrine covered with a delicate layer of shiny clear ice. The figure standing at the head of it was clad in a long thick winter robe and sported an ornate hairstyle not unlike that of royalty, her hands clasped in front of her with a peaceful-looking face.

Pyrrha looked over to Amethyst, who gestured over to her own shrine which was surrounded by a tiny moat and was led by a statue of petite-looking green-colored girl with a bright smile on her own face, and was clothed in a long dress with flower-decorated bracelets and a crown of flowers around her wrists and head respectively.

"The ones at the front of the shrines are the original Seasonal Maidens." Heliosia explained as she pointed to the shrine of Summer, which had a brownish-red tint to it, and a strong-looking girl with long hair that cascaded down her back and freckles covering her cheeks and arms, and she wore suspenders that held up short pants against a upper white work shirt, "The smaller figures surrounding them are the Maidens that came after. Once a Maiden passes on her powers or dies, they are added to the shrine of their respective seasons, and so it has been since the passing of the original Spring Maiden."

"It is the way of our sisterhood to remember those who came before us, so we will never forget them." Elsa added as she looked sadly at her own, "It is a way of keeping our sisterly bond intact throughout the ages, even as the bearers of the powers change."

Pyrrha nodded, but she then noticed something rather odd as Elsa's eyes were looking directly at a spot on the tribute shrine of the Winter Maiden that was different from the other white figures in the sense that this particular spot was blacked out, and the name on a small slab of ice was permanently erased as well.

"What's with that black spot?" She asked, although her heart already knew the answer.

Elsa's face hardened considerably as she briefly suppressed a surge of anger, "That was Salem's place in the shrine, before it was discovered what truly became of her. The Winter Maidens before me generations ago marked it out so that we will never forget the first Maiden who gave in so completely to the temptations of evil."

The Spartan champion was quiet for a moment, before glancing back at the Fall shrine and asking, "Have there been any other Maidens who gave in to the darkness and misused their powers?"

"It depends on who you ask Pyrrha, because there were holders who misused the powers of the Maidens for selfish reasons. We may not know all of them, but the Guardians of Remnant have told us a few instances as cautionary tales not to repeat their mistakes." Elsa answered.

"I take it the Guardians of Remnant had contingencies for such unpleasant incidents?" Pyrrha posed.

"Those tales were mostly vague on what they exactly did, but the implication was clear as we know that the Guardians have ways to ensure that the powers of the Maidens were given to those who would use their gifted powers selflessly and keep the seasons in balance." Heliosia told her, "As for what those previous Maidens eventually did, it was understood that they eventually surrendered their powers for breaking… certain rules, but as far as we know none of them ever did anything evil. They are colored a bit darker in the shrines, but we still respect them by counting them as our honored predecessors."

Pyrrha looked at the Fall shrine and asked, "So...what happens when Cinder is defeated? Will she be blacked out as well? Or included at all?"

The three Maidens were silent for a moment before Amethyst replied, "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Pyrrha nodded in acknowledgement before asking once more, "Speaking of Cinder, what exactly are your plans for dealing with those who would come after your powers?"

"We have gone over such scenarios with our protectors." Heliosia answered cautiously, "Salem can send send any number of things after us; Grimm, her Grimm Commanders, assassins, and her own candidates for future Maidens, or a combination of them. We know that an attempt on our lives is very probable now."

"So if and when they come for us, we will know what they're capable of, and so we won't hold back like what Amber did, we'll show them just how powerful a Maiden can be, and how steep the punishment is for attacking our Sisterhood." Amethyst stated angrily as she clenched her fists.

"Indeed. An attempt to take our powers is inevitable at this point. Salem needs the four Maidens under her control if she is to take the Relics." Elsa added, before her eyes widened slightly as she realized her tongue had slipped. Pyrrha noticed both Amethyst and Heliosia were surprised as well when the Relics were mentioned, which made the sentence Elsa uttered all the more mysterious.

"Relics? Wha-" The Mistral champion began to ask, but Elsa quickly cut her off with a raised hand.

"Please forget I mentioned it. They are… important, but this isn't the appropriate time for you to know about them. I'm very sorry for nearly burdening you with the knowledge, I hope you understand." The platinum-blonde apologized.

"No worries." Pyrrha offered, "I understand that some things must remain a secret."

"Thank you for your understanding." Elsa told her with a thankful smile before getting back to the topic at hand, "Anyway, we have already discussed it with the Kingdom Councils, the respective Remnant Knights, and the Guardians of Remnant. All three of us are doing all we can to keep out of sight and maintain our cover...at least, some of us anyway..." She shot looks at Amethyst and Heliosia both, in which the Spring Maiden huffed while the Summer Maiden held up her hands defensively.

"Hey, you would kick that guy's butt if you saw him acting like he did." Amethyst argued.

"And Vacuo has an atrocious gang problem that needed straightening. Besides, I feel quite pent-up staying within Shade all the time. We need some kind of way to stay in shape and alert for a fight other than sparring." Heliosia defended.

Elsa nodded, "Those are valid points, but it's still important to lay low lest we give ourselves away. For now we must remain hidden to avoid detection by enemy agents. With regards to the countering of Salem's plans, it's in the hands of the Guardians and the Remnant Knights for now. Hopefully they will find leads to uncovering what Salem and Cinder have been up to and make a move against them before they strike again."

Amethyst huffed and remarked, "It sucks just waiting around for the bad guys to try and kill us."

"No argument there, but for now there's nothing we can do against Salem that won't directly endanger us." Heliosia pointed out, "We don't know how powerful she is now but I am willing to bet that she's definitely stronger than we are individually, maybe stronger than all of us combined and confronting her directly is as good as committing suicide. For now, we can do nothing but wait."

"Did I detect a touch of cynicism in there, Heliosia?" Elsa asked quietly.

"It's not cynicism." The Summer Maiden remarked, "It's pragmatism. I'd rather focus on what we can do rather than what we can't do."

"I find myself agreeing with Heliosia." Pyrrha spoke up, "If I see something that's wrong happening right in front of me, I would personally rather do something rather than nothing."

"Same here." Amethyst chimed in, "Better to take any chance rather than sitting back and doing nothing."

Elsa looked at the other two Maidens and the youngest girl before giving a nod, "Your reasons are rational, so I don't have a problem with that. I suppose that's all we can do for the time being anyway."

Pyrrha turned from the three Maidens and looked at the statue of Amber, and a small thought came to her mind, "If you don't mind me asking, I would like to know more about Amber. I didn't get any chance to speak to her since she was in a coma when I was first brought before her, but since you all knew her for some time, would you mind sharing some stories with me?"

The three Maidens glanced at each other briefly before looking at Pyrrha, and Elsa said, "Since you have shared your story with us, it's only fair we indulge you with some of our experiences with Amber. She was a kind soul, and a dearly loved sister to all of us, and it's only right for you to know of her as well."

The Winter Maiden took another breath, and began to tell Pyrrha the story of her experience with Amber.

---

If Ruby thought the weapons training she had undergone when she had first been taken under her uncle's wing and the close range combat training she undergone with Yang and their father had both been exhausting, what Argentius had been teaching her since she had entered the mindscape to meet him was something else. She could feel exhaustion slowly creeping into her arms and legs even though she wasn't in her physical body at the moment.

The landscape around them was predominately colored in various shades of green and brown, with a bright sun shining down upon them both from the sparsely-clouded sky. They both stood in the middle of an endless stretch of green grass outside the villa which must have been a couple of miles wide at its most extensive.

The air around them when breathed felt as though it was freshly washed, and soft breezes would ruffle both of their cloaks from time to time while carrying fallen leaves. They could hear the melodic twittering of flying birds in the sky and the splashing of a waterfall located at the far end of the valley which fell into the sizable lake at the edge of the training grounds. Like Argentius had said, the whole place had been faithfully reconstructed back to the original way they remembered it, hence it bore no lingering sign of the widespread damage Ruby had accidentally wreaked when she accidentally lost control of her silver eye powers last time.

Ruby had shown the elder knight the way she fought with Crescent Rose, which was mostly based off the fighting style of her uncle which mostly focused on swift actions combined sweeping slashes and cuts of her weapon's large sharp blade, though she showed off all of the moves she had come up with herself. The Knight watched carefully, his own silver eyes effortlessly following every swift movement Ruby made without missing out on any of them, despite the fact she was dashing across considerable distances with the help of her Semblance. He took in everything, only nodding his assent when he required her to demonstrate another fighting technique she had learned.

She showed him how much she had improved after understanding the insightful pointers Argentius had given her in their previous encounter, corkscrewing through the air at incredible speeds with a trail of red petals behind her. Additionally, she demonstrated another ability in which she dematerialized into a couple of separate clusters of petals which flowed around certain rocky areas before reforming, as well as creating rather more powerful whirlwinds while using her Semblance which earned her a congratulatory clap from the senior Remnant Knight much to her contentment.

"You've improved greatly, you've mastered your Semblance and your handling of your weapon has become quite proficient " Argentius commented as he held up a gauntlet-clad hand for her to stop and take a break.

"I'm a fast learner," The red reaper grinned at the silver-eyed knight, "My dad and Uncle Qrow always said that about me."

"It shows." Argentius allowed a small smirk to form on his face.

"Thank you, Master Argentius." Ruby replied before remembering what the knight had told her earlier, "Oh, sorry… still trying to drop the 'master' word."

The veteran warrior simply gave a small chuckle and waved a unconcerned hand, "It's understandable. Sharp Strike still calls me 'master' from time to time even after his ascendance from squire to knight."

Ruby chuckled a little at that, "I can believe that."

Deciding to change the subject, Argentius reached for Iconoclast and brought it out into his hands in its inactive form, "Now that you've mastered the necessary fighting techniques, would you like to see how I actually do battle with my own weapon?"

Needless to say, the red-hooded reaper almost jumped with joy at the prospect of seeing more of the senior knight's skill with his weapon, "Oh yeah! If you can handle my weapon so well, I can't wait to see how good you are with your own!"

"Calm yourself," Argentius spoke gently as he gestured with his fingers before teasing her with "I wouldn't want you to inadvertently faint of joy."

Ruby nodded and did her best to keep her excitement under control before he continued, "Please take a dozen steps back and watch my movements carefully. What I'll be showing you is my own personal fighting style, although it's somewhat vaguely similar to your Uncle's."

During the meeting with the delegation of Remnant Knights, Ruby managed to catch a glimpse of Argentius' skill with his own weapon through his brief borrowing of Crescent Rose. The way he easily handled Crescent Rose was testament that his considerable fighting skills as a scythe wielder were equivalent to those of Qrow's, especially as his own unique weapon also possessed massive recoil as well.

She did as Argentius requested as she watched the gunmetal grey and silver armored knight unfurl Iconoclast into its fully extended form for his upcoming demonstration, giving the twin scythes a few experimental swings as though about to go into battle.

She definitely wasn't expecting what she witnessed in those brief but eventful minutes.

Despite being fully clad in his intricately-crafted armor suit, Argentius cut through the air in ways that seemed impossible for someone who was wearing the heavy weight of such an outfit. He wielded Iconoclast expertly in both hands, his own movements blurred by speed and precision as the large curved blades at both ends of his weapon moved with impeccable accuracy. Switching rapidly between offensive and defensive styles in the mere blink of an eye, it seemed as though he was fighting an invisible army of, effortlessly keeping them at bay while dealing quite a lot of imaginary damage at the same time.

'And I thought Uncle Qrow was skilled with Reaper...' Ruby mused to herself as she noticed a wind barrier of sorts forming around the knight, which seemed to bow out and push back anything that tried to get in close around him, and then realized that Argentius just gave her a hint of his Semblance as well.

Then in one swift motion the silver-eyed warrior split Iconoclast into two separate smaller scythes by detaching the weapon's haft, before spinning them in his gauntleted hands as though they were a pair of revolvers despite their weight. It was nearly impossible to follow the pattern of their blurring motions as the points of the scythe blades flickered right on the edge of sight. A few seconds later Argentius swiftly attached both pieces of Iconoclast back into their original configuration while performing a final somersault in mid-air, before landing boots-first a few meters away right in front of a very awed Ruby.

After explaining the scythe techniques he had just demonstrated to the young huntress, who was nearly squealing in excitement after witnessing them, Argentius broke down the individual teachings into reasonably-sized segments for her to understand before slowly guiding Ruby through the different separate movements, all the while keeping Ruby's Semblance and abilities with Crescent Rose in mind. And so they trained, two cloaked figures moving speedily with their respective scythe weapons underneath the bright orange rays of the imitation sun in perfect synchronization.

However it wasn't long before Ruby was on her hands and knees panting in exhaustion, still holding onto Crescent Rose, her body clearly trying hard to adapt to the more complex techniques taught to her by the experienced Knight. Beads of sweat rolled down the damp skin of her pale face as she wiped them off with the back of her right hand, while her chest expanded and contracted as she took great gulps of the cool air.

"Catch your breath." Argentius spoke gently as he extended a hand down for her to grip onto, before pulling her upwards to her feet.

"Argentius… your training sessions are just as… exhausting as… Uncle Qrow's!" The young scythe user mentioned as she looked at him, "And I thought the combat sessions at Beacon could wear me out."

The knight raised an eyebrow and said "If you think these sessions are demanding then you should know that I have tailored my fighting techniques accordingly to suit yours since I wasn't training another Knight, simply a young Huntress."

"You mean that it actually gets more difficult from what you've taught me so far?" Ruby asked with a wide-eyed face.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Argentius confirmed calmly as he twisted the shaft of Iconoclast to retract back into its double-barreled assault rifle form, "Although I can see that your uncle has already established a good foundation for your fighting skills through his training, you still have much to learn in other areas."

"Like my hand-to-hand combat skills?" Ruby asked hesitantly.

"That's one way of putting it." The armored warrior pointed out to her, "You are at the top of your game so long as you have Crescent Rose with you, but if your opponents were to disarm you, you'd instantly find yourself in a more dangerous situation since you aren't as experienced as your elder sister in terms of hand-to-hand combat."

"That's why both Uncle Qrow and Yang taught me some of their fighting skills." Ruby said while making some karate-style poses with her hands, "They always tell me that I need to hold my own just in case, but I still don't think I am cut out for that kind of fighting. I mean, I'm not bad at it, but I'm not that good at it either."

Argentius gave a nod of his platinum-blonde head, "I see what you mean. Be that as it may, I would still advise you to brush up on your hand-to-hand combat skills whenever you can. I've already imparted a couple of those skills to you, so all you need now is to practice it with your fellow members of Team Beacon when you have the time."

"I will remember to do that, Argentius." Ruby replied as she adjusted her grip on Crescent Rose, "And I'll definitely try out those new skills you've taught me with Crescent Rose!"

A gentle smirk graced her mentor's lips as he took a breath and continued speaking, "From what I have seen so far of your progress, you have been steadily improving. However, it still going to take some time for your physical body to catch up with what you have learned in the mindscape, but I am sure with the right amount of practice the process would be expedited significantly."

"Thank you, Argentius." Ruby answered gratefully.

"You're welcome. I trust that you have an easier time trying to use the power of your eyes?" Argentius inquired.

"Yes. I've listened to your advice on how to control my silver eyes, and it seems slightly easier now after I have overcome my own… personal fears." She smiled and saw the knight nod in return, "But is it normal to feel tired after using my personal powers?"

Argentius rubbed his chin with one gauntleted hand for a few moments and then replied, "That would depend on how much control you have over your silver eyes. Even though quite some time ago I had the tutelage of my master Lord Emmanuel, it still took me a number of years to properly gain control of my own silver eyes, but it varies from person to person."

Ruby nodded her head in reply, "So that's how it is."

"With regards to your question, although I have rarely felt tired after using my own powers I can still feel it creeping in at times after some particularly difficult battles I've taken part in." His attitude turned slightly serious as he looked at Ruby in the eyes, "While you have been making great strides in controlling your own powers, you must never under any circumstances use them excessively. As I said before, you have the potential to become more powerful than even I am, but that kind of power can also be incredibly devastating should you lose control of it."

"I… understand." Ruby said carefully upon hearing the warning tone in her mentor's normally kind voice, "I'll make sure to keep my powers under control."

"Allow me to put it in a simpler way. Think of your silver eyes as a chalice of power." Argentius explained to her, "Too much power can be harmful to the user at hand, so for one to effectively control it you only take the amount you need and never anything more. In other words, a careful sip from the chalice but never drinking too deeply of it, lest you drown yourself in it, or use up so much that you're too weak to move."

"Thanks for the advice, Argentius, I'll keep it in mind." She told him politely.

"Good. You're progressing far better than I expected you to be." The dual scythe-wielding knight replied before looking at their surroundings briefly as though searching for something, "I've given you quite a number of things to think about today, so I don't think it would be helpful to give you more. Besides, our time here is growing short since you have to return to the physical world soon."

"Call me curious," Ruby queried with a smile on her face, "What else would you teach me?"

"You and my protégé Sharp Strike may have more in common than you think, Ruby." Argentius gave a good-humored chuckle, "Perhaps next time I can educate you on a certain skill that's related to your physical power, but I'll leave you with a little something to look forward to."

He then leaned down to the hooded huntress's ear almost conspiratorially and whispered two words, "Unleash Semblance." When Ruby gave him a somewhat puzzled look Argentius simply smiled and patted her kindly on her shoulder, "Just remember what I've taught you so far, and I'm sure you will definitely improve further on your physical skills and control of your eyes."

"Thanks again, Argentius!" Ruby retracted Crescent Rose and placed it back into its carrying spot on her waist, before bowing respectfully to him quickly.

"You're welcome, Ruby Rose." The silver-eyed knight returned her gesture as he guided her back to the pavilion where she had come from upon entering the mindscape, "Until we meet again."

With a final parting wave he watched as his student disappeared with a blinding flash of silvery light once she stepped through the archway that serves as the exit from his pocket reality within the mindscape, Argentius felt a sense of accomplishment upon seeing Ruby improve that quickly during her brief time with him. And he had a feeling that those additional fighting skills he had imparted to her may be called into practice sooner rather than later, whenever Salem and her agents would strike.

Returning back to the physical world within his chambers, Argentius made his way over to his table and was about to take a sip of his herbal tea when he was suddenly jolted by a strange but faintly aching feeling. The smooth surface of the brown tea within his ceramic teacup jumped a little as he faltered briefly, before his hand tightened on it again as the sudden jolt of pain quickly subsided. Thankfully he didn't fall, but deep within his heart he knew that something must have happened to Soul Seer. Something troublesome.

His suspicions were quickly confirmed when he heard a knock at the door. Upon opening it he saw the armored, robed form of the prognosticator Soul Searcher. She bowed quickly and spoke, "Honored Argentius, Chief Prognosticator Soul Seer requests your presence in the Prognosticator's Sanctum at the earliest convenience."

Seeing the silver-eyed warrior raise a questioning eyebrow, the young prognosticator clarified further by speaking, "Something... has happened."

"Let's not waste any time." Argentius took a measured sip of his tea before setting it on the table and striding off with Soul Searcher hurrying right behind him.

---

Elsa smiled happily as she listened to Amethyst and Heliosia tell Pyrrha a story about Amber, and how the previous Fall Maiden had involved herself in helping a family whose children had been kidnapped by a gang of less-than-savory individuals, who intended to ransom the children off for a hefty price.

"And so Amber used her personal Semblance to track the children's traces down to an abandoned mill in the forest." Heliosia continued.

"She thought about going for help, so as not to give away anything about identity, you know? But when she overheard the thugs talk about how they were gonna cut off the fingers of one little boy to force the parents' hand and make them pay up quicker, Amber decided right there and then to make her move." Amethyst added.

"Amber wasn't one for violence, but she had a big soft spot for children, so the thought of an innocent little boy being hurt like that made her lose it, so she gave them the thrashing of a lifetime. I'd like to think they still have nightmares about it." Heliosia remarked a bit darkly.

"It would serve them right." Elsa mentioned before taking over, "Anyway, Amber never really indulged in our desire to know the details of the beating she dealt to those lowlifes since she wasn't a violent person, but from what little we saw in the reports it looked like she really went all out on them."

Pyrrha nodded and queried, "So the children were returned safely?"

"Of course. Amber saw to it herself after she alerted the authorities to the whereabouts of the criminals. She got into a bit of trouble for nearly revealing herself like that, but Ozpin pardoned her since he felt that Amber helped to save innocent lives and brought the criminals to justice without exposing herself as a Maiden, it was a pretty understandable offense." Heliosia explained.

Pyrrha smiled, "She sounds wonderful, I wish I could have truly gotten to know her."

"It's a safe bet she would've really liked you." Amethyst said, "She was always trying to help people in need and do the right thing."

Elsa sighed at the memory of when she was first told of what had happened to Amber, but shook the dreadful thought out of her head and said, "Well, I think we've had enough time together for this meeting. I'm sorry to go, but Pyrrha does have a life to get back to."

The redhead Spartan nodded and answered, "Well, I do have a bit of homework to do, and I can't exactly have my friends worry about me, Jaune, and Ruby."

"And I was wondering whether you or Heliosia would win in a spar." Amethyst offered with a kind expression, "Oh well, perhaps next time? It was really nice to meet you, Pyr."

"Indeed it has, although we wish you could stay longer. It almost feels like our sisterhood is complete again after so long." Heliosia told her, and it was clear to Pyrrha there was still a sad look in her maroon eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry if my presence brought up bad memories..." Pyrrha apologized nervously.

"No. No, you didn't. I promise." The Summer Maiden assured her gently, "Having you here just felt...right."

"I second that sentiment. It's good to have a fourth person here, especially after over two years of emptiness in that spot." Elsa said while gesturing to the Fall Maiden's seat at the stone table, "And it was wonderful to have you here, Pyrrha. I'm happy I decided to commit to this."

"I am too." Pyrrha agreed before turning to the other two Maidens, "It was wonderful to meet you both. I hope we'll see each other again someday, hopefully in person."

"You have no idea how much I'd like that." Amethyst grumbled, "I get tired of having to be separated from my friends. I mean, yeah we get to talk and sometimes spar in here, but it's just not the same."

"I understand your frustrations Amethyst, but until the threat has passed we can't do anything much about it. But believe me when I say I wish we really were spending time together." Heliosia told her fellow Spring Maiden comfortingly.

Elsa nodded in agreement and added, "I would also like for us to come together again, but for now we must go our separate ways until it's safe again once more."

The Winter Maiden turned to Pyrrha, "However, before we leave… we'd like to give you a little something, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's curiosity was definitely piqued, "What is it?"

Elsa looked to Amethyst and Heliosia who both nodded their heads, and turned to face the female Spartan, "We understand that while you received the Fall Maiden powers for a mere moment, you didn't die when the power left your body, which resulted in no statue of you in the shrine."

"And so, we have agreed among ourselves to accept you as an honorary Maiden of our Sisterhood." Heliosia continued, "By creating a likeness of you to be placed on the shrine with the others."

"It was the least we could do." Amethyst said nicely, "For all you've been through and the honesty you've given us."

"For your kindness and willingness to help others in need." Heliosia mentioned.

"And the love you've given freely to your friends and the one you cherish most of all." Elsa finished.

Pyrrha was speechless for a few moments, before she found her voice again, "I don't know what to say. How exactly did you do this?"

Elsa smiled and placed a robed hand around Pyrrha's shoulder as she guided the latter girl to the tribute shrine of the Fall Maiden, "What else? We use our powers. Now, sit back and watch the magic happen."

Pyrrha did so, and watched with rising excitement within her chest as she witnessed the three Maidens approach the Fall Maiden's shrine. When all three of them were at the exact same distance from the aforementioned statue, they raised their right hand at the same time and a glow of light appeared at their outstretched palm as they concentrated; Green for Amethyst, Red for Heliosia and Blue for Elsa.

At first nothing happened, then the dead autumn leaves began to swirl upwards around the shrine in a whirlwind. One of the blank spots on the shrine began to slowly erode in certain areas, grains of sand being carried off by the swirling winds as it was slowly and carefully crafted by the incredible powers of the three Maidens bending the powers of nature to their wills. Despite herself, Pyrrha felt herself gasp at the glimpse of what the Maiden powers were capable of when not used for destruction.

Within seconds a hand appeared, followed by a head and then a spear, and soon the rest of the statue's outfit and posture. It wasn't long before Pyrrha was looking at an incredibly life-like miniature version of herself, clad in her original Huntress outfit, carved in the rock, wielding Miló and Akoúo̱ in a combat stance with her ponytail hair flying behind. Her face in particular was made into one of determination and righteousness, as though she was just about to take whatever the world of Remnant could throw at her.

And right at the bottom of the shrine, Pyrrha just now noticed, were all the names of the fallen or departed Maidens, and she watched as a new name was engraved in cursive.

'Pyrrha Nikos, Honorary Maiden'

The amazing display of power slowly died away, and all three Maidens let their hands drop and turned to face Pyrrha with smiles on their faces.

The Spartan had her hands at her mouth, and sparkling tears of leaked from her eyes as she was visibly moved by the gift that was generously given to her by the Maidens Sisterhood. She almost collapsed onto her knees if not for Heliosia to catch her, while Elsa knelt down gently and reached up with a piece of blue silken cloth to wipe Pyrrha's tears away, and Amethyst gently patted her back as she sobbed in endless gratitude.

And for a few touching minutes, the Sisterhood of the Maidens were closer than it had been since the attack on Amber.

Once the redhead had stopped weeping, she was helped to her feet by the trio of Maidens. "Regardless of what happens tomorrow, today right here in the Maiden mindscape, this is what you deserve, Pyrrha Nikos." Elsa said as she gestured to the champion's figure on the shrine.

"Thank you." Pyrrha said with genuine gratitude, "Thank you all so much."

"You are quite welcome." Elsa replied, and turned to Amethyst and Heliosia, "Thank you for meeting us, my sisters. Goodbye for now."

"Bye Elsa." Amethyst bid, "You too, Pyrrha."

"Goodbye, my sisters." Heliosia said as Pyrrha gave them a small wave, "May Oum watch over you."

"Farewell, until we meet again." The female Spartan said to them as Elsa took her hand.

"Now, wake up." The platinum-blonde told the redhead, and with that they both disappeared before the eyes of the Spring and Summer Maidens.

"So, tell me a little more about the Remnant Knights you're with, are they as stern as mine?" Heliosia asked her fellow Maiden, who smiled back.

"Wind Runner's kinda stiff, but from what you have told me about those Relentless Crusaders, I'm pretty sure I got the laid back ones." She answered.

"Fire Walker may be strict, but at least he's giving me some leeway." Heliosia mentioned, "Although I understand his reasons for all those efforts to keep my true identity a secret. And besides, he's also quite useful as well for certain situations."

"Such as?" Amethyst gave a shrug.

"When I spar with him I don't have to hold back." The Summer Maiden winked at her.

---

Pyrrha opened her eyes to see Elsa sitting directly across from her, her blue eyes already open. Pyrrha shook her head a little, feeling a little dizzy due to experiencing the whiplash effects from the instant change of locations.

"A strange sensation, isn't it?" Elsa remarked.

"You can say that." Pyrrha told her as she slowly steadied herself, only to see Jaune and Ruby come to her sides.

"You're finally out of there, I was beginning to wonder if I'd have to spend the night in here." Jaune said to her, which made Pyrrha smile at his noticeable concern for her.

"I'm all right, Jaune. A little tired but I am fine." Pyrrha assured him, and as she looked around she found that a couple more Remnant Knights were standing around the meditation chambers on guard duty, along with the presence of Councilman Henry who she suspected to have arrived when she was still in the Maiden's Mindscape.

"The strange feeling will pass in a few moments. The first trip to the Mindscape of the Maidens is always the most draining, especially for those who are technically outsiders." Elsa explained to her as she accepted Kaifin's hand to help her up, and gave him a loving look of gratitude.

"So what was it like in there?" Ruby asked her red-haired friend.

"It was… breathtaking. All four seasons were happening in different sections at once." Pyrrha described, "It looked was like something right out of a painting. I met the Spring and Summer Maidens as well, they were quite nice."

"That's good, while you were still in there I had a little lesson with Argentius." Ruby related to her friend as the latter stood up, her body shaking a little from the out-of-body experience.

"Is he here as well?" Pyrrha asked.

"No, Spirit Dreamer over there helped Ruby enter the mindscape." Jaune elaborated, gesturing to the prognosticator who inclined her head, "She was in and out a lot quicker than you."

"Didn't feel that short to me." Ruby commented before adding, "Argentius let me show off my skills and how much I've improved before showing off his own and helping me learn some new techniques that I really want to try out. He also gave me some pointers on what to improve on; like my eyes' power and he told me I could also use some more hand-to-hand combat training."

"It's a good thing your sister is one of Beacon's top hand-to-hand fighters, Miss Rose." Glynda remarked.

Ruby nodded in agreement as Pyrrha looked out of the windows to see how dark it had gotten, "I must have been there for quite a while, what time is it?"

"Just a few minutes after seven." Glynda answered her, after checking her scroll's clock.

"We better call the rest of our team and tell them we're okay." Ruby suggested, before looking to Ozpin, "So… what exactly can we tell them? How much can we tell them?"

Ozpin looked to Glynda and Snow Blade, both of who nodded in his direction, "Councilman Henry arrived while you were with Argentius in the mindscape and we discussed it, Miss Rose."

The Vale Councilman then spoke up, "And we've decided that since the other members of Team Beacon have done a commendable job of keeping certain events secret you may tell them the basics, but please don't go into too much detail about the Maidens for security's sake."

"We understand, Councilman. Our humble thanks to all of you." Pyrrha said to them while bowing her head respectfully, a gesture which Jaune and Ruby mimicked.

"Good. Now if the Winter Maiden does not mind, it's time that you prepared for departure." Snow Blade turned to face Elsa with Spirit Dreamer by his side.

"Already?" Ruby asked.

"I'm afraid so, Ruby. The Atlas Council doesn't want me out of my havens in the mountains for long, lest I make myself a target, a sentiment the Remnant Knights and the Guardians agree with. While I would like to spend more time here, it would be for the best to prepare for a journey back to Atlas. You may tell the crew to prepare for take-off, Snow Blade." Elsa informed him.

"Very well, m'lady. And if it would be to your liking, I could arrange for the captain of the ship to take a more scenic route on our return voyage." Snow Blade offered, his voice softening a little but still remaining serious.

Elsa looked to Kaifin before smiling at the leader of the Winter Templars and saying, "I would like that very much, Snow Blade. Thank you."

The Knight Vanguard nodded and bowed his helmeted head to her before gesturing for Spirit Dreamer and the other Knights to remain with her and then took his leave.

"I'm sorry you couldn't stay longer, but you know how paranoid the Atlas Council can get." Glynda told Elsa, who smirked.

"Don't I know it, but it's no trouble at all, Professor. It was wonderful to visit your illustrious school." The Maiden praised, and both Ozpin and Goodwitch bowed their heads in respect.

"It was our pleasure to have you, Maiden Elsa." Glynda said.

"It certainly was, and I for one am happy that we have mended certain fences between us." Ozpin told the platinum-blonde Maiden who smiled at him.

"You're not the only one, Headmaster. Thank you." She said to him, before turning to face the three students. "This is where we part ways, I'm afraid. It was a pleasure to meet you all."

"The honor was ours." Jaune said, as the three students bowed their heads as well.

Elsa looked at Ruby and said, "Goodbye, Ruby Rose. And remember to stay strong, because I think that people like you and your friends are just what we need to win this war."

"I will, Elsa. Thank you." Ruby said gratefully before the Winter Maiden looked to the blond knight.

"As for you Jaune, I think I can trust you to look after Pyrrha, as much as she looks after you. You've already proven yourself to be worthy of her love, Jaune Arc, so promise me that you will do your best to love her in return." She told him, and he nodded with a serious look in his eyes.

"I promise to always protect and fight alongside her. She's the best partner I could ask for, it's the least I can do." Jaune swore, giving Pyrrha a caring glance.

"Very good. Now, Pyrrha, I want you to know that while you were never officially a Maiden, I consider you an honorary part of our Sisterhood, for your bravery, kindness, and strength. You have truly earned it." Elsa said, before leaning in to hug the younger woman, who returned the kind gesture.

"Thank you, my honorary sister." Pyrrha said to the Maiden, who planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"You're quite welcome. Until we meet again, my young friends." Elsa said to her before she took Kaifin's offered arm. "Farewell."

As the Maiden and her Guardian walked to the slowly opening doors Kaifin glanced over his shoulder and called, "Jaune! Remember what I said. Good luck, boy."

The Arc son nodded as the couple left the meditation chambers flanked by their knight escorts, and then Ruby and Pyrrha looked to him.

"So what exactly did he tell you?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Uh...guy talk." Jaune answered, making both girls laugh in response as Glynda came over to them, about to escort them back to their dorm room.

Meanwhile out in the halls, Elsa raised an eyebrow as she looked at her lover and inquired, "What did you tell him?"

"Hopefully, something that will set him on the right path, and lead him and his love to a happiness like what we have." Kaifin told her as he kissed her brow.

"I think they're quite close to that. I hope for something better for them." Elsa responded as they went deeper into the hallways, their footsteps echoing on the polished floor along with the rhythmic marching boots of the accompanying Knight.

Back in the meditation chambers, as Glynda led the three members of Team Beacon away, Ozpin was engaged in a conversation with Councilman Henry when his scroll began to vibrate.

Producing it out of his pocket and looking at the I.D., Ozpin glanced at the Councilman who had a questioning look on his face, "It's Ironwood, and he's using a secure channel." He said to Henry before answering it, "Hello General, the meeting between the Winter Maiden and the students has just ended, and the Moonlight Serenity is about to begin its preparations for the return journey."

"That's good to hear, Ozpin, but I have something else to talk about. Task Force Omega just returned from a mission with some rather… unusual findings." Ironwood's voice came from the scroll's speaker.

The Headmaster of Beacon and the Vale Councilman both exchanged looks before Ozpin said, "Define unusual, James."

---

As luck would have it, the amount of homework for that evening was rather light, so the Team Beacon members didn't have that much to do.

As Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha returned back to their dorm, they found that quite a few of their friends were casually lounging around in the living room either doing their homework or watching news reports featuring Lisa Lavender on the television. Ren, Nora, Coco, Velvet, Yatsuhashi, Scarlet, Neptune and Penny were all present within the living room area, and while the trio went unnoticed at first, it wasn't long before they were noticed by Velvet whose sensitive ears picked up their entrance.

"Well look who's back." The Rabbit Faunus said as she smiled at her friends after lowering a history book titled: Notable Battles of the Second Great War Volume V.

"Hey guys, sorry we took so long." Ruby told them even as she heard the scampering of a small dog across the floor. She braced herself and knelt down as the familiar form of Zwei rounded a corner and jumped up into her arms, playfully licking at her face. The young Huntress giggled as she enjoyed the corgi's enthusiastic licks, "Hey Zwei! I'm happy to see you too!"

"Dad dropped him off a couple of hours ago, you know how this boy doesn't like to be away from us for long." Yang said as she strode out from Team RWBY's room with Weiss behind her.

"Indeed, Yang and I had to keep him occupied after his incessant licking drove Blake to seek shelter with Sun." Weiss commented dryly, which only made Ruby giggle even more.

"So how was your 'secret meeting', friend Ruby?" Penny inquired with a beaming smile, "You have been away for a significant amount of time along with friends Jaune and Pyrrha."

"Sorry, the meeting was longer than we expected it to be." Ruby apologized as Jaune and Pyrrha made their way to their own room to change out of their school uniforms and into more comfortable clothes.

"Speaking of which, can you tell us anything that went down during that meeting?" Coco asked from the chair she sat in, lowering her shades to look at Ruby.

"Sure, Ozpin and Councilman Henry gave us permission to tell you guys the basics of what happened." Ruby replied as she withstood Zwei's affections while the door to Team SSSN's room opened up to reveal the face of Blake who was cautiously leaning out to see if the dog was still around.

"Ruby, so good to see you back." The Cat Faunus greeted as she carefully approached her leader, "Mind keeping Zwei in check?"

"Hey Blake, sorry I couldn't be here to save you from this puppy." Ruby joked as she placed the corgi down to the floor, who made for Blake who quickly retreated several steps backwards before Sun appeared and knelt down to get the dog's attention, easily taking the dog-shaped bullet for his girlfriend and chuckled as it began to lick him.

"Relax Blake, You'll get used to him some day" Sun grinned as he easily held Zwei up.

"I wonder when that will be." Blake almost flinched when the corgi looked in her direction with his tongue flopping out towards her, "Mind keeping him at arm's length?"

"Whatever you say." Sun smirked as he continued petting Zwei's head, while Yang chuckled heartily.

"So in all seriousness, what was this secret meeting about? Does it have anything to do with Cinder or our enemies?" Weiss asked her partner as they returned to their dorm room so Ruby could change her own clothes.

"Not really, Weiss. It has more to do with the Maidens and other stuff." Ruby told her as they entered their team's shared room, with the Schnee heiress closing the door behind them.

Ruby took off her jacket, kicked off her shoes, and grabbed some casual clothes from her dresser before moving to the bathroom, pulling the door closed. As she changed her clothes Weiss sat on her bed, jotting down some simple answers on her homework papers with a blue pen when she heard Ruby speak to her from behind the bathroom's door.

"Hey Weiss, do you think I'm strong?" The silver-eyed girl inquired.

Her pen stopped its movement across the surface of the papers, Weiss looked up to the door and said, "What do you mean?"

Ruby's voice came again, "You know, am I strong?"

"How so? Are we talking physically or spiritually?" Weiss asked, her right eyebrow raised.

From inside the bathroom, Ruby examined herself from head to toe in the full length mirror. While she was now just a tiny bit taller than Weiss, her muscles haven't developed to the point where she was in the same league as Yang, or Pyrrha or even Coco despite the fact she carried Crescent Rose pretty easily. After pulling on her black tank top she raised her arms and flexed them, mimicking how Yang often did, to see how much her arm muscles had developed since she had become the leader of Team RWBY.

She couldn't see much changes overall, although she did notice her arms have thickened a little more probably due to all the combat training and exercises she had undergone with the rest of Team Beacon.

"Hmm… both, I guess." She answered as she stepped into her pants and pulled them up.

"I would say yes, you are most certainly strong. Not as physically powerful as Yang or Pyrrha, but you've done things that may seem simple to you yet incredible in the eyes of normal people." Weiss's voice responded from outside.

Ruby nodded in agreement as she brushed her hair, which now went down to her shoulders, away from her face.

"As for the strength in spirit… I honestly can't say if I've met anyone whose spirit is stronger than yours." Weiss confessed, "I mean, anyone with a weaker spirit would have given up after the Fall of Beacon or after being Cinder's prisoner, but you kept on going no matter what. So, I'd say you are indeed strong in both body and spirit."

Weiss privately wondered where these questions came from, but Ruby's next question was the one that caught her off guard due to it appearing right out of the blue, and it honestly surprised her.

"Weiss, do you think I'm pretty?"

At this, Weiss did a double take, her head jerked up as her light-blue eyes widened. Where did that come from?

Then the memory of her sudden, spur-of-the-moment kiss she had given Ruby when they were reunited in Haven resurfaced in her mind, causing the Schnee heiress to blush slightly. She mentally thanked whatever god was listening that Ruby was still in the bathroom at the moment.

"Well… uh… I..." She struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words. Deep down, Weiss knew that she had slowly but surely begun to develop feelings for the energetic girl she had come to cherish as a partner. Feelings that weren't limited to respect and friendship, but something far more than that.

"Weiss? You're not exactly giving me a boost of confidence." Ruby said from within the bathroom.

"No, I don't mean anything by it, it's just that...well...it's complicated." Weiss answered before quickly adding, "But yes Ruby, I would say that you are definitely an attractive girl in certain ways. One might even say cute."

She looked up as the bathroom door opened and Ruby stepped out wearing her pajama bottoms and a black tank-top. She smiled at her partner and replied, "Thanks Weiss, I was just wondering… and I'm glad to hear your answer."

"And where did this line of questioning come from?" Weiss asked with concern, "Did someone call you ugly? Because if they did..."

"No, no! Nothing like that. It's just that… well, a girl needs to know if she's good-looking right? Not everyone has the natural grace and beauty of a Schnee, right?" Ruby teased, which made the snow-haired heiress blush even further.

"Well, of course not." Weiss huffed as she crossed her arms, before glancing at Ruby and asking, "Do you really think that?"

"Of course I do! I mean, if you weren't pretty Jaune wouldn't have been bugging you so much when he first met you." Ruby reasoned, and Weiss nodded at the logic in the point she mentioned.

"That is true, though I can't deny that I sometimes feel that I'm lacking in..." Weiss glanced down briefly and muttered, "...certain areas."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I can tell you without even thinking about it that you are very pretty." Ruby assured her kindly.

Weiss smiled at her partner, still blushing, and replied, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, but this does remind me of something. Ozpin told us something during that secret meeting that really stuck with me and after we're done with homework and other things I want to talk to you guys about it." Ruby informed her.

"All of Team Beacon?" Weiss asked.

"No, just Team RWBY." The red reaper corrected before she added, "But just to save us both some embarrassment, there is something I wanted to bring up to you personally."

Weiss looked at Ruby and asked, "And what is that?"

"Well, you see… Ozpin gave us a lesson about hindsight and regret and stuff like that, and it got me thinking. And… well… now that it's been over a year since that night in Haven, do you… erm… regret kissing me?" Ruby finally spat out her question.

Weiss' eyes widened considerably at Ruby's question. While they had discussed it at Hondyama during the White Fang mission, they had carefully avoided the subject since. The Schnee heiress remembered kissing Ruby as she was just so happy to see her partner alive and physically unharmed, and then Ruby kissed her back. Weiss couldn't deny to herself that the once rather annoying, naive, somewhat cute girl she had met had grown and developed into an admittedly attractive young woman who had grown wiser and was only annoying on occasion, and Weiss had caught herself catching a glimpse at Ruby's pajama clad body from time to time in the mornings and evenings. No matter how hard she wanted to deny it, she knew that deep down she felt something for Ruby Rose, something more than just friendship.

The ashen-haired heiress was silent for a moment, mentally debating what kind of answer she should give Ruby before saying, "Well, I… I was a bit overcome by relief at the time, you see? After spending months alone in the mansion after the Fall without seeing any of my teammates, and then to see you alive and well was an overwhelming sight after so long apart. While I might regret doing in front of a crowd, I… I honestly cannot bring myself to say I regret kissing you."

Ruby smiled at that and replied, "Good, because I don't regret kissing you back." The silver-eyed Huntress leaned over and hugged Weiss gently, and the once haughty girl leaned into the embrace, taking hold of Ruby's arms as they surrounded her midsection.

Though Weiss didn't say it, she honestly didn't feel like leaving Ruby's hug as something about it felt...nice.

She felt Ruby's head lean against hers, and felt something wet on her shoulder. For a brief moment Weiss wondered if Ruby had kissed her again, but when she looked at her partner she saw tears forming in those silver eyes, "Ruby… what's wrong?"

"Nothing… nothing's wrong. I… I don't know why I am crying. I don't feel sad or happy enough to cry," Ruby answered as she wiped her leaking eyes clean.

Weiss leaned back into the hug and said, "Well, if you need to talk about anything else I am here for you. I would be quite a failure of a partner if I wasn't."

Ruby smiled and planted a brief peck on Weiss' cheek which made the heiress blush visibly, but she didn't mind and simply tried to enjoy the hug. However, much to her chagrin Ruby parted and stood up, saying "C'mon, let's rejoin the others." Weiss then followed her partner out of their room and into the main living room area, where Jaune and Pyrrha had already rejoined the others, now wearing more casual clothes.

"So how was sword practice?" Jaune questioned Yatsuhashi.

"Penny got a little over-enthusiastic, she nearly knocked Scarlet off the balcony." The yukata-clad samurai informed the blond.

"I made it a priority to apologize to him and 'tone it down' as friend Sage put it, by making several adjustments to my speed and dexterity." Penny chimed in as Ruby and Weiss sat next to her on the couch.

"I take it things got crazy?" Ruby guessed.

Weiss rolled her eyes and replied, "Of course. Velvet here wanted to improve on handling her light swords so she joined us. It was her, myself, and Penny against Blake, Yatsuhashi, Sage, and Scarlet."

"Let's just say that with Penny operating at a high level, the two sides were… roughly an even match." Blake added.

"Did it get that crazy?" Jaune asked, and the Cat Faunus nodded.

"We attracted quite the crowd watching us from the ground, and I heard even bets were placed. I think an open field would be a better training ground, just so we don't accidentally damage anything or anyone" She pointed out, and received many agreements from those present.

"That might be for the best, if you don't mind joining us from now on, Velvet?" Jaune asked the Rabbit Faunus, who shook her head.

"Not at all, I had a pretty good time and I could use more practice with different types of weapons. If we had a bigger, more open training ground I could certainly use my camera's larger mass settings." Velvet responded.

"Yeah, then you can really do some damage." Fox remarked, as he and Sage exited CFVY's room, having finished up a few games of chess.

"I admit, it was a bit chaotic at that time but Yatsuhashi and Sage helped me learn some sword-fighting techniques I can use in future fights." Velvet stated, "Thankfully no one was hurt."

"Almost, as Penny's double parry and lift sent me over the edge of the bloody barrier." Scarlet commented, "I manage to grip onto the ledge or I would have fallen the whole way."

"I said I was sorry." The android girl voiced, and looked downtrodden.

"I know. It's okay, I'm just joking." Scarlet assured her with a smirk, "Just trying to point something out."

"Smartass." Coco commented.

"Better than being a dumbass." Scarlet retorted to the fashionista who laughed.

"That's true, can't fault you for that." She admitted while shaking her head.

"Okay guys, so what was the secret meeting Ozpin called you in for?" Sun asked as he sat down in front of the table, his robotic tail grabbing an open bag of snacks and bringing it over to him.

"Right. Just so you know, we can't tell you guys everything, security and all that." Jaune began, "But Ozpin and Councilman Henry have said that we could fill you in on the basics since everyone here have done pretty good jobs at keeping secrets so far."

"Good to know." Coco remarked, nodding.

"So who was there? The Remnant Knights?" Yang guessed.

"Yeah, a few of them were present, though not the ones we're familiar with." Ruby answered, "These knights came from the legion in Atlas, and they're called the Winter Templars. They were present because of who they were guarding."

"They were protecting someone? Who?" Blake inquired.

"The Winter Maiden." Pyrrha answered simply, causing a brief silence to fall over the room.

"The Winter Maiden?" Ren repeated, "From the legend you told us about?"

"The current holder of the powers, yes. Her name is Elsa, and she's a wonderful woman." Pyrrha responded happily, "She apparently wanted to come and see us for a while now, but was hesitant due to what happened to Amber, the Fall Maiden I told you about. She recently decided to commit to it and she managed to get Ozpin, Ironwood, the Remnant Knights and such to agree to allowing her to visit us."

"The three of us told her our stories, about the things we went through, and what we experienced. Apparently she wanted to hear from us personally just how far Salem and Cinder are willing to go." Jaune told them.

Pyrrha nodded and added, "She felt bad for waiting so long, she wanted to know the extent of the trauma we suffered. I suppose she wanted to help us confront that pain."

"And did she?" Nora asked.

The three members of Team Beacon thought about it before Pyrrha answered "Well, I'd say she did. I feel… better for talking about it now."

Jaune and Ruby nodded in agreement before the female Spartan added, "And then she took me into a mindscape where I met the other two Maidens, Spring and Summer. I don't know if we're allowed to tell you that much, so I suppose I'll leave their names out."

"Understandable." Ren agreed with a nod.

"Anyway, we talked for quite a while and well, it answered some of the questions I had about the Maidens and it helped to calm me about certain issues." Pyrrha said.

"Sounds like you were right when you asked if it was gonna be a therapy session, Ruby." Coco remarked, reminding Ruby of what she had asked Glynda that morning.

The silver-eyed Huntress chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I guess I was."

"Oh, and Jaune, before I forget, the Summer Maiden asked me to pose a question to Ember's soul fragment for her, and she wanted to know that if we were to ever meet her in person, we would allow her to see the Aura Crystal personally." Pyrrha mentioned to her partner.

"Why?" The Arc son asked.

"She has a fascination of legends and has always wanted to see the Aura Crystal for herself." Pyrrha elaborated.

Jaune considered it for a few moments and shrugged, "Well I don't see any harm," He stated, "Though I don't think our chances of meeting her face-to-face are that good."

"True, but you never know." Pyrrha told him.

Then Ruby spoke up, "Mind if I take over?" The couple shook their heads, and Ruby continued, "Anyway, while Pyrrha was meeting the Maidens, I went into the mindscape thing again to meet up with Argentius. We trained and showed off to one another, and he gave me a few pointers on what to improve on that I think you can help me with, sis."

"What is it?" Yang questioned.

"Well, Argentius said I need to work on my hand-to-hand fighting, and I can't argue with that." Ruby admitted, while Yang beamed and hugged her little sister from behind the couch.

"All right! Sister-bonding time over training! Just like the old days, don't worry Rubes, just stick with me and before you know it you'll be able to knock punks out without even trying!" The blonde brawler declared.

"Heh, let's not go that far." Ruby chuckled, trying not to struggle out from her elder sister's hug.

"We shall go as far as you wish, Ruby. If you'd like, I can also help you. I can download several close range fighting tutorials and other instructional guides to assist your training as much as possible." Penny offered, which made the two sisters smile.

"I'd love for you to help us out, Penny. The more the merrier, and maybe we can teach you some new moves." Yang returned.

"That would be delightful!" Penny voiced with a big grin on her face.

Ruby smiled at her robotic friend before glancing up at her sister and saying, "Hey Yang, Blake, I was wondering if we could talk about something personal, just the four of us." She gestured to herself, Weiss and them.

The other three members of Team RWBY nodded, wondering what their leader wanted to say.

For the next few hours the entire group talked and listened to each other about what Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha felt was appropriate to tell them about the Maidens, getting to work on their assignments, making casual small talk, or just watching the television even as the inky-black night covered the Moonlight Serenity's departure. Soon it was getting late, and Team RWBY retired to their room at half past ten, with JNPR deciding to turn in as well after bidding Teams CFVY and SSSN as well as Penny goodnight.

Ruby sorted away her homework to turn in tomorrow, humming a little song to herself as Zwei slept at the foot of her bed. Weiss slowly brushed her hair in front of an upraised mirror on her desk while Blake silently read a new book which she had recently bought, while Yang was showering.

"Thanks for helping me out with that Dust combining assignment, Blake," Ruby looked up at her teammate who was resting her back against a few pillows on the upper right bed.

"No problem at all, though I'd suggest you start using a more variety of Dust cartridges for Crescent Rose like Weiss and I normally do with our own weapons." Blake proposed as she turned a page.

Ruby nodded, "When I'm in the 'zone', I sometimes forget things. I'll try to practice that next time. So what's your book about?"

Blake glanced over to Ruby and answered, "It's a story about a group of pets whose owners were killed when Grimm attacked their village, so this group of cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and such travel together through a dangerous world, one we'd see as ordinary, to find a safe place to live."

"Sounds nice." Ruby commented.

"It can be at times, but it's rather dark in places. The animals face death constantly and they don't always make it out alive. It's a still good book, with smart themes about civilization, compassion, and friendship and it's been speculated that it's a subtle commentary on Human-Faunus relations." Blake explained, "Maybe once I'm done with it, you'd like a chance to read it?"

"Sure." Ruby agreed, "I don't read that many books, but I don't see why we can't change that."

Blake smiled, "I'd be happy to introduce you to some more that might suit you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Ruby said as Yang came out of the bathroom, wearing black shorts, an orange tank-top that was cut off above her navel, and a towel wrapped around her precious hair, slowly rubbing it to speed up the drying process.

"Another day, another shower." The blonde brawler remarked as she flopped down on her bed. She lifted herself up and looked over to Ruby, "So sis, you said you wanted to talk to us about something personal?"

Ruby nodded and swung her legs over the bed, glancing down at her teammates, "I do. When Pyrrha told Elsa her story, she talked about how much she regretted going up to that tower alone, because she didn't think about how it would affect her team and her family, and how sorry she was for hurting everyone emotionally, including me. Ozpin made some big speech about hindsight, regret, mistakes, and learning from them, about being able to forgive yourself, and all that got me thinking." Ruby jumped down and looked to her team and finished by posing the question, "Looking back, would any of you have done anything differently?"

Blake and Yang looked at their leader, not expecting such to be asked such a question.

"Well, I remember you once said you wouldn't want any other team, that you're happy with us." Blake voiced, "So, do you?"

"Me? Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't. I regret not getting up that tower faster to save Pyrrha from Cinder, I wish I had run fast enough to stop the fight between Penny and Pyrrha as well. I really, really wish I had figured out Cinder was evil sooner, and a part of me feels like I didn't do enough to help you when you were depressed Yang." Ruby said, making her sister's eyes water a little.

"Ruby…" She said softly, touched.

"I regret not calling Weiss more often and I regret whatever missteps I've made as a leader, but I don't really have that many regrets. Despite all the crazy, terrible things that have happened to me so far, I can't say that I'm unhappy with my life right now. I got a great team, a great family, great friends, and I go to a great school. Honestly, if I could I would thank Torchwick for robbing the store I was in, because it led to me getting in this school and getting the best team imaginable." Ruby finished.

"Aw, Ruby!" Yang cried as she grabbed her little sister and hugged her.

"It's all right Yang. So do you have any regrets?" Ruby asked as she relaxed in her big sister's embrace.

Yang sighed and opened her lilac eyes, "Yeah, I do. I wish I had gotten more time to spend with my mom when I could." She looked up at Blake and added, "And I wish I had made more of an effort to get to know my partner and maybe help her anyway I could."

Blake looked down at her partner and secret girlfriend with shimmering amber eyes and a warm smile, letting her know it was all right.

"I regret being so depressed that I let my baby sister travel to Haven without me." Yang added before glancing down at her mechanical appendage. "And a part of me wishes that I hadn't rushed in and lost my arm because of it. But I guess that sometimes terrible things can lead to something good, since now I have a kickass robo-arm after all. Plus at least we're back together again, and stronger than we were before, right?"

"I think you're right." Blake agreed, and placed her book down. "I have things I also regret as well; such as not listening to my family when they warned me about Adam, not being strong enough to leave him until it was too late, not spending enough time with my Aunt Kali and Uncle Ghira, and the fact that I didn't trust you all with the details of my past."

"You shouldn't feel guilty for that." Weiss said to the cat Faunus, "I was somewhat bigoted at the time, so I can't blame you for hiding that from us."

"I know, but I feel like I should have at least let my partner know." Blake pointed out, meeting Yang's gaze.

"Hey it's okay, Blake." The blonde bombshell assured her partner, who in return gave her a thankful look.

"And a part of me regrets not being fully honest with you about my past with the White Fang, and not explaining the… hurtful relationship I had escaped from." Blake added, shuddering at the brief memory of the times when Adam got violent with her.

"We don't blame you. I'd have been paranoid too if I was in your place." Ruby told Blake as she climbed down to join the others, "You couldn't help the mess you were in."

"Maybe I could have," Blake murmured as she sat down, "In hindsight, I wish I had been stronger when I fought Adam the night of the attack, I wish I hadn't run off because was scared you would all hate me for what happened to Yang. I should… should have trusted you more."

Yang sat next to her partner and said, "Yeah, you should have. I was hurt and angry when you ran away, but now that I know why, I wish I hadn't been so mad."

"It can't be helped. All we can do is strive to do better in the future." Weiss commented from her bed.

"And I think we're doing a pretty good job of that, I mean look at how Yang's bounced back from her depression." Ruby noted, "And Blake talks to her family way more now."

Blake nodded as it was true, she talked to her family in Menagerie twice a week now, and Yang felt that her robotic arm wasn't too different from her old one, aside from being made of metal.

"Right Ruby, and despite what regrets I have about the White Fang, I've done my best to confront those ghosts and mend my relationship with my family. So what about you, Weiss? Do you have any regrets?" Blake inquired.

"Yeah, Ice Queen regrets getting mixed up with us crazies and getting drawn into insanity." Yang joked.

Weiss shook her head and said, "Actually, I honestly think becoming Ruby's partner was one of the best things to ever happen to me."

"Whoa, really?" Yang asked, before adding, "I mean, I guess after all that's happened that's not so surprising but when I think about how you were in the beginning it's a real shocker."

"I suppose I have changed quite a bit." Weiss mused, "And while I suppose I do have some regrets, such as my old prejudiced attitude towards Faunus and not contacting Ruby more after the Fall, I don't regret becoming a part of this team. I look back at who I used to be and the things I've gone through, and I am grateful I had friends like the three of you who helped me change into someone better along the way. So, I stand by the opinion that becoming Ruby's partner, and a part of Team RWBY was one of the best things I ever could have wished for, I just didn't know that when this weird girl blew up my Dust in the middle of the courtyard would eventually turn out to be my best friend."

"Aw, Weiss!" Ruby said before leaping forward onto Weiss' bed and hugging her. "You're one of my best friends too!"

"Watch the nightgow- wait, one of?!" Weiss asked, her voice rising slightly.

"Yeah, I got a lot of friends and it's wrong to pick and choose." Ruby defended as Yang sat onto the bed and grabbed both smaller girls.

"Let's not ruin the team bonding moment, okay? Blake, get in the group hug!" The bombshell demanded as the smiling Cat Faunus joined in. Weiss almost protested, but since she was being in such close proximity with Ruby she reasoned with herself that it wasn't a bad thing after all, and so she decided to enjoy the hug while it lasts, and hearing the joyful voices of Ruby, Blake and Yang simply warmed her heart even more.

They kept talking for a while more, helping each other with whatever regrets and insecurities they could. As Ruby finally drifted off to sleep, she felt content and relieved that she had her entire team there for her. She felt safe in the knowledge that she could always count on her friends in Team Beacon, and especially on her fellow teammates in Team RWBY, all of whom would always be by her side no matter what.

---

Jaune laid on the combined bed he shared with Pyrrha, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and a pair of grey gym shorts while examining a small object in his hand; the ring Ashe had gifted him. The small piece of gold sat between his fingers unnoticed by Ren, who had laid down on his bed with closed eyes, listening to calming music via his headphones. Nora was busy reading a small comedy book with her legs stood in the air and moving as though she was peddling a bike, so she didn't notice either.

Pyrrha was in the shower, so Jaune was left to himself for a brief while as Kaifin's advice echoed through his mind; never take her for granted, never let her go, appreciate her and savor his time with her. While it was true that advice was for more than just Pyrrha, she was where Jaune's mind was at the moment.

The blond knight knew the bond he shared with Pyrrha was strong, but should he do something that could possibly make their bond stronger? Should he ask a question he didn't know if he was ready to ask?

The opening of the bathroom door made Jaune snap to attention, and he quickly placed the ring inside of the nightstand drawer on his side as Pyrrha exited the bathroom, clad in sweat pants and a sports bra with her flame-red hair already brushed.

She sat on the bed and glanced at Jaune before asking, "Jaune, are you all right?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine." He told her, giving off a smile, "Why?"

"You just looked a little… distant for a moment." She noted softly.

He nodded and answered, "Well I was, uh, thinking about the Aura Crystal, and what Ashe wanted to talk about next time we go in."

Pyrrha nodded although something in her mind was nagging at her, saying that wasn't what Jaune was really thinking of.

She laid down next to him and said, "Jaune, I know there's something else on your mind. Please be honest with me."

Jaune sighed and finally spoke, "I should've known there's no fooling you. I'm just thinking about what Kaifin had told me; it was something important. Something I kind of already knew, but he helped me realize how much I needed to really think about certain things."

"And what were those things?" Pyrrha questioned as she placed a gentle hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Relationship stuff. I have been thinking about… stuff that's kinda embarrassing." He whispered to her, noticing that Ren had turned the other way and Nora buried her head deeper into her book.

"I talked about our relationship with the Maidens as well, they told me to cherish you, and never let you go," Pyrrha leaned over and captured Jaune in a hug, adding, "And that's exactly what I intend to do."

She planted a loving kiss on his face and he smiled, enjoying the affection.

"To be honest, Kaifin's advice was kinda similar." Jaune told her quietly before briefly glancing at the drawer where the ring was hidden before adding, "I've been thinking about asking you something, but I think it can wait until the time is right. For now, I guess I;m more than happy to enjoy being in my own version of paradise; and that's being with you."

Pyrrha smiled brightly before kissing Jaune on the lips, which he enjoyed immensely even as they laid on the bed together, facing each other as they held each other's hands with their fingers intertwined together. It was clear that their love for each other was strong, and it will continue to be that way because of how deeply they loved each other. The spartan and the male knight pressed their heads together as Jaune pulled the blankets over the both of them, and lapsed into silence as they enjoyed each other's presence.

Nora smiled at the heartwarming scene and whispered, "Just when you think those two being lovey-dovey gets old, then you remember why true love like theirs really mattered."

Ren lowered his headphones and looked at his bubbly girlfriend, surprised at the relative maturity of her statement He smiled a little, before easing himself off his bed and over to her, gently kissing his childhood friend on the cheek and replied, "You couldn't be more right."

Nora smiled and hugged her best friend, while Jaune and Pyrrha got comfortable, embracing each other for the night's rest.

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader

Sorry this took so long, I originally intended it to be a shorter chapter, but… well, I do what I always do. I also marathoned all of Star Wars Rebels to celebrate the finale, which was so, so great. That show outshined The Last Jedi in nearly every way, and yeah, I didn't care for The Last Jedi.

The reason the two mindscapes are written in different types of lettering is to show a difference between them.

If you liked this story fave, follow, and review, or leave a kudos, a comment, and hopefully bookmark it too. Some feedback on what's good and what's not would be appreciated, thanks for everything guys.