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

83. For a Maiden to Cry

In order for something mentioned in this chapter to make sense, please check out the final chapter of the DoR Fall Special.

Also, keep in mind that some of the scenes happen simultaneously.

Chapter 82: For a Maiden to Cry

The news of Elsa's death was met with a terrible silence. It was as if the air has been sucked out of Luna's office and no one, not even the Knights, moved. The Headmistress of Shade Academy saw looks of confusion, fear and shock written upon the faces of the large group of varied individuals in her place of work, but the facial language of Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha, Amethyst and Heliosia were by far the worst among them. Their expressions were masks of utter horror and despair, even disbelief as they just looked back at Luna wordlessly.

The Headmistress herself had seen similar expressions before; when one is told that a loved one had died, they will at first deny it, often vehemently, until they see the body for themselves and perhaps even after the burial would still go on living in denial, acting like the dead person was simply absent. And the death of another Maiden was very hard news to swallow, even for her, much less for the members of Team Beacon or the remaining Maidens to accept.

"N-no…" Ruby felt herself say, "Sh-She can't be…she had Kaifin, the Knights and the guards…"

"And they only delayed her death, even though they fought with everything they had," Luna revealed solemnly, "…I'm sorry, but Kaifin was also reportedly killed, as were a number of Elsa's protectors. The few survivors are in critical condition."

Upon hearing the bleak news, Fire Walker took a step back as his face blanched behind his helmet. Wind Runner sat down on a nearby couch which buckled under the weight of his Aegis armor. The two prognosticators, Flame Weaver and Storm Bringer, gripped their respective force staffs tighter as they exchanged a series of quiet whispers with each other; while Steel Punch, Spear Dancer, Stone Claw and Moon Hunter either lowered their faceplates to the office's floor or looked at each other uneasily as they all digested the news. Sharp Strike's helmet lowered a tiny fraction while he breathed deeply as though to calm himself, and the only other response coming from him was the clenching of his fists.

Tears freely ran down Pyrrha's face as Jaune took hold of her in his arms, with his own blue eyes blinking and watering up soon after. The Spartan couldn't take it any more and began to openly sob for the sisterly woman she had only met once, yet cared for so much since she listened to Pyrrha's experiences and also warmly welcomed her into the Sisterhood of Seasonal Maidens along with Amethyst and Heliosia despite only being the Fall Maiden for a brief time. Ren and Nora joined their team leader in embracing their friend, trying to calm her as Jaune joined his redheaded partner in grieving for her sister Maiden.

The remaining two Maidens weren't taking the news well at all. Heliosia clutched at her chest, visibly fighting back tears as she placed her other hand on the stiff, silent form of Amethyst who kept her face hidden under the shadows of her hair. The Spring Maiden suddenly let out a scream of grief that surprised everyone as she fell onto her knees, her own gloved fists slamming into the floor as her tears stained the carpet beneath her. Seeing her sister maiden in distress, Heliosia dropped down and wrapped her arms around Amethyst, trying to comfort her while waving away Sharp Strike, Spear Dancer and Moon Hunter who tried to come forward and help them.

Eventually, the Summer Maiden looked up at Shade's Headmistress and asked, "What happened? And how?" She paused when Luna abruptly held up a hand to forestall her questions.

"Before we go any further, there's still one important matter to resolve first," The Arabian-looking Headmistress turned and looked sternly at both Teams BRNZ and NDGO as she stood up from her seat, "All eight of you, as I understand, are already privy to…certain things you shouldn't be when you all joined in the Battle of Haven City back in Mistral. And you have also seen much more today during the battle that took place here today." She gestured to both Maidens who were present in the same room to indicate her point.

"So, now I present to you all a choice: Do you wish to take what you know so far and leave this room…" She gestured to the closed doors of her office, "…or do you wish to stay and know what I am about to tell Team Beacon? Decide and know that you have my word that no censure or punishment will befall any of you as Headmistress of Shade Academy."

Teams BRNZ and NDGO shared concerned looks, and a quick series of whispers broke out between them. Several tense seconds passed before they finally agreed among themselves and turned to face Luna again.

"Well, we've been keeping our mouths shut about the stuff that went down in Haven, so we think we're okay with taking another pledge, so you can trust us on this, Headmistress." Brawnz spoke for his team.

"Count us in too, you can trust us to keep our silence." Nebula voiced.

The rest of Teams BRNZ and NDGO gave their own voices of agreement shortly after their respective leaders.

"Very well, I see your choice is made." Luna gave a curt nod after sharing a look with both Knight Vanguards Fire Walker and Wind Runner, "The Oath of Secrecy then, students."

After Teams BRNZ and NDGO had taken the same oath that Team Beacon did, Luna sat back into her chair and sighed before she carefully related to them what she had been told by General Ironwood; how the Grimm attacks lured most of the Winter Templars away, how Cinder and Sheer Kaa were confirmed to have taken part in the attack on the Winter Maiden, the massive avalanche caused by Cinder which nearly wiped out Glacies village and North Point, and finally Salem's appearance.

"Oh shit." May muttered, before quickly excusing her language, "Oh, sorry."

"It's all right Miss Zedong, I'll allow it. Honestly, that's how I felt." Luna excused softly.

"That doesn't make sense." Blake managed to say as she looked uncertain herself, "Salem hasn't gotten personally involved in any of the action so far."

"Y-yeah." Jaune agreed as he tried to steady himself and Pyrrha, "She took off when the fighting started at Haven City, and she wasn't involved in the battles at Beacon or with the White Fang, at least not directly."

"So why would she do that now?" Velvet asked, concerned.

"Perhaps she has decided that now was an opportune moment to make her move." Fire Walker mentioned quietly as Heliosia helped up a gradually sniffing Amethyst who had calmed down somewhat.

"Wait, this Salem woman used to be a Maiden?" Dew questioned, voicing the surprise of Teams BRNZ and NDGO.

"That's one of the secrets I'm concerned about you knowing, and I want it to stay that way. Understood?" Luna informed her students in a severe tone of voice. The truth was getting out so fast after the city-wide battle that it was honestly frightening, and she had to try to keep a lid on it before it spread to those who shouldn't be privy to such knowledge.

"Yes, Headmistress." They all said at once, not wanting to invoke her wrath.

"Freakin' great!" Scarlet exclaimed as he flung himself against the wall, "Can this day get any worse?"

Shade's Headmistress was silent as she knotted her fingers together; but her cautious expression alone told them that she hadn't revealed everything yet.

"I take it that's not all that's happened." Sharp Strike remarked gravely, "What else can you tell us?"

"Atlas was…attacked on a considerable scale." Luna revealed, her fingers tightening a little on the table, "The huge Grimm attack that lured the Winter Maiden's guard away was only part of a large-scale invasion of Grimm all across the Kingdom of Atlas."

"What?" Ruby's silver eyes widened, her question echoed by many other members of Team Beacon.

Weiss immediately gasped and covered her mouth, "Oh please Gods no!"

"You mean while we have been fighting here, they were taking a shot at Atlas?!" Sun exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so, but from the reports I'm getting the Kingdom's military forces managed to repel these attacks, for the most part." The bronze-skinned headmistress assured them, "The capital wasn't even touched, but the other major cities are severely battered by the Grimm incursions, but still standing."

"You said 'most', Headmistress." Coco mentioned as she crossed her arms, "So that means the Atlesian military didn't manage to mount an effective response everywhere."

"It's unfortunate, but General Ironwood informed me that they did the best they could under the circumstances." Luna replied and then added, "The Winter Templars Knight Legion also deployed most of their assets and activated many agents stationed around the continent, and they have managed to wipe out several major Grimm movements across the Kingdom, including a particularly huge swarm that was besieging Hephaestus City."

"Hephaestus City?" Blake shared a concerned look with Weiss, "That's just right outside the capital!"

"Please Headmistress, have you heard anything about my father? My elder sister?" Weiss asked desperately.

"From what I've been told, your father is safe at the underground bunker beneath the SDC Headquarters, but I'm afraid I don't have any reliable information about your sister." Luna replied in a careful tone, leaving Weiss half-relieved but also half-worried.

"Don't worry, Weiss." Ruby said quietly as she laid a reassuring hand on her white-haired teammate's shoulder, "I'm sure she's okay, plus she can take care of herself…"

"Yeah, knowing Winter? She's probably been busy killing Grimm and handling whatever mission Ironwood gave her." Yang assured her petite teammate. Her words calmed Weiss down a bit, and while she was relieved that the Kingdom had withstood the attack, she couldn't help but fear the full extent of what her people, her home, had suffered.

"What we faced was just part of it, wasn't it?" Jaune spoke up, which made everyone look at him, "The attack, here today! They made their moves on the Maidens on this very day and launched sieges on two of the four Kingdoms on the same day!"

"It would seem so, Jaune," Sharp Strike answered, looking right at the blond, "The agents of our enemy planned to repeat their success at Beacon Academy and Vale but on a much grander scale. Two Maidens, two Kingdoms. However, they chose to directly attack the capital here but many within Atlas."

"That would explain why they went straight for Heliosia, because they expected her to be here, but not Amethyst. She was not part of their overall equation, but an unexpected additional variable." N1CK3L noted quietly, "They also did not seem to be aware of the presence of Team Beacon, so their plans were thrown into disarray because of how many variables they did not account for."

"My thoughts exactly," Fire Walker gave a nod, "Thankfully, they failed."

"It was hard, but at least we managed to beat them back this time!" Sun pointed out as he shared a knowing look with the rest of Team SSSN.

"What…what is the death toll thus far?" Ruby asked, hesitantly.

"Here? Despite our best efforts, estimates put casualties in the hundreds," Luna's fingers tightened slightly, "In Atlas…they're not even sure of the full cost. Most likely in the thousands."

Ruby couldn't take it anymore. All the devastation wrought to two Kingdoms, hundreds if not thousands of deaths, the loss of Elsa and Kaifin…

Luna's office began to go dark and blurry as she suddenly felt lightheaded and cold. Her breathing quickened as though she was short of breath, and the silver-eyed Huntress felt like she was going to throw up whatever was left in her stomach.

Blake took notice of this and stepped towards her leader, who was losing her balance, "Ruby, are you feeling all right?"

"Ruby? Ruby!" Yang cried as she saw her little sister toppled backwards, only to be caught by Penny just in time.

"What's wrong?!" Penny cried.

'She fainted!" Blake answered as she placed her hand on Ruby's sweaty forehead as Yang and Weiss crowded around their leader, "She's breathing, but her breaths are irregular and rapid." She said after placing his fingers underneath Ruby's nose briefly to check her breathing, "She needs medical attention immediately."

"Agreed." Penny mentioned as she held Ruby within her arms carefully, "From my scanning, Ruby's body temperature has risen significantly and there's also a severe build-up of lactic acid within her muscles."

"Where's the infirmary?!" Yang demanded to know as she quickly took hold of her younger sister.

"Team NDGO, please escort Miss Rose and the rest of Team RWBY to the medical wing." Luna commanded urgently.

"Right away!" Nebula replied, beckoning Team RWBY to follow her. Yang quickly carried the unconscious form of Ruby bridal-style, while Blake took notice of how exhausted Weiss was as she leaned against a nearby bookshelf. From what she had witnessed during the battle to clear the Grimm hordes from the Path of Perseverance, the Cat Faunus was pretty sure that her teammate had spent a lot of aura during the battle, summoning the Arma Gigas, sealing the tunnels, fighting the Grimm Sphinx…all of those actions taking such a heavy toll on the ashen-haired girl.

"Come on." She said as she moved to support the Schnee heiress, "You look like you're about to collapse yourself."

Weiss didn't argue, she simply leaned against the Faunus, accepting her help while whispering, "Thank you."

"It might be a bit crowded, but convey my request to the medical staff to put Ruby close to her uncle!" Luna voiced as Team NDGO quickly led Team RWBY out of her office and past the Remnant Knights which had been standing guard outside.

'Will do!" Octavia heeded as they left.

Fire Walker walked over to Wind Runner with whom he shared a few words, before turning to Luna and saying, "We need to contact Grand Knight Master Seraph. He needs to be informed of what has happened here today," He then turned his helmet-covered head to look at the remaining members of their respective detachments, "The rest of you will stay here and look after the two Maidens."

Flame Weaver, Steel Punch, Spear Dancer, Storm Bringer, Stone Claw, Moon Hunter nodded obediently as the Knight Vanguards bowed to Luna and swiftly took their leave. Sharp Strike gave a small nod, and returned to his place beside Amethyst and Heliosia.

Jaune sighed as he held a weeping Pyrrha close to him, only to be unexpectedly pushed away by his partner. "I'm sorry." She spoke through sobs, "I just…I need to be alone."

Before anyone else could respond, the female Spartan mumbled a quick apology and dashed out of Luna's office and vanished into the halls of Shade.

"Pyrrha, wait!" Jaune called after her, but she didn't stop or look back. The blond knight looked to Ren and Nora, "Come on! We need to go after her!" He then ran out of the Headmistress's office after Pyrrha, Nora hot on his heels.

Ren also went to follow them before turning to the other members of Team Beacon, Luna, and the Maidens, "I'm sorry, but she needs us."

"She does." Heliosia told him before adding, "Go."

"Make sure to keep in contact through your scrolls." Sharp Strike replied as well.

Ren bowed respectfully to Luna and then ran off after his team, his rapid footsteps vanishing into tumult of noise echoing from the corridors.

"What do we do now?" Amethyst asked in a calm, stoic voice as she looked up at Luna, her violet eyes now dull and devoid of emotion. Heliosia looked at her sister Maiden with a worried expression, as she knew better than anyone else what Amethyst was doing.

Luna was momentarily put off by the Spring Maiden's emotionless face and voice, but answered calmly, "Amethyst, Heliosia; you two will stay at a secure location within Shade under heavy guard. Teams CFVY, SSSN, BRNZ, Penny and N1CK3L, are you all still up for the task of guarding the Maidens?"

"Definitely!" Sun placed his hands on his hips.

"That's why we came here." Coco replied with a nod.

"Well…we are already here, but still; we won't let you down." Brawnz promised the headmistress, earning nods of agreement from his own team.

"And we shall join them, it is our sworn duty to protect the Maidens." Sharp Strike looked at Luna while speaking for the other Remnant Knights present in her office.

"I volunteer to stay here." Storm Bringer said softly, "Someone at least had to ensure Headmistress Luna's safety. I request a small number of you to stay with me as well. You lot are more than enough to protect both the Maidens."

"That's an acceptable and logical course of action." Sharp Strike returned a nod in the direction of the prognosticator.

"Thank you, and I appreciate it. Right now we'll need all the help we can get," Luna cleared her throat to get their attention again after checking her scroll, "I believe the library would be the most secure place at the moment, since they've already taken away the body."

"What body?" Neptune asked, curious.

"My…aide, Cedric. He was killed by Tyrian Callows in the battle, according to a salvaged video feed in the library during a fight with Qrow Branwen. He apparently knows something, but since I'm slightly overwhelmed with many problems dealing with the fallout of the attack and he's on painkillers, we won't know what actually happened until later." Luna informed them, before an urgent beeping came from the secure computer system built into her desk. Sighing again she brought up a holographic keyboard and pressed several buttons, in which a static holographic image of a Vacuoan Councilman appeared in the air above her table.

"Headmistress Luna, the Desert Guards and Rangers have secured the Grand Temple of Vacuo, and we've just met with Sister Rosea. She has urgent news that you need to hear. We'll be there shortly as well." He spoke, and his voice sounded more than a little nervous even through the choppy transmission link.

"Do you know what happened?" Luna inquired.

"It's…best if we discuss this in private, and if you can get an open line to some of the other Guardians of Remnant, that'd would make things a little smoother for everyone. They need to know about some...new developments." The Councilman replied before ending the transmission.

Luna sighed and laid back into her seat, murmuring, "It never ends…" She slowly shook her head as she rubbed her temples with one ring-covered hand for a moment, before she looked to the crowd gathered within her office who were looking at her with concern and a little anxiousness as well. Seeing Heliosia touch Amethyst's right shoulder, only for the purple-haired girl to shrug her hand away.

Frowning briefly before her calm-looking mask reasserted itself again, Luna finished with, "I believe I should thank all for your efforts in protecting Vacuo City. I'd advise you take whatever rest you can get, and be ready to respond should there be another emergency. You have my deepest gratitude, as well as that of the Vacuo Council. Thank you, you're all dismissed."

With that Sharp Strike and Flame Weaver led the group of Huntsmen and Huntresses out of Luna's office, the pair of grieving Maidens close behind them and being flanked by Penny and N1CK3L, while the twelve Hunters-in-training covered the rear which was further reinforced by more than a dozen knights from both the Relentless Crusaders and Eternal Warriors.

As the doors of her office clicked shut, Luna buried her head in her hands and muttered, "This day has been one disaster after another. How could things have gotten this bad? How did Salem's agents orchestrate an assault on such a wide scale across not one, but two Kingdoms?"

"Our enemies are cunning." Storm Bringer remarked as he stood a short distance from Luna's desk, looking at the tanned-skinned headmistress carefully, "Ruthless, insidious, manipulative and shameless. To them, there is no such thing as a precious life or a fair fight. To them, the people of Remnant are just animals to be enslaved and ruled over by Salem or else be destroyed completely. That's why we have to stay strong, patch up our wounds, and soldier on. That's also why, above all, we have to win in the end."

Luna looked at the silver-grey armored prognosticator and nodded, giving him a tired smile, "No argument there, my friend."

---

Jaune ran through the hallway, the sounds of his boots slamming against the marble floors echoing through the halls of Shade Academy as walls and windows flashed by. He could feel that Pyrrha was close, an effect of their souls being bonded so firmly as a result of becoming guardians of the Aura Crystal. However, the hours spent running and fighting throughout the city much earlier had tired him out, so he reluctantly let himself rest against a nearby column which had a carved image of an ancient Huntsman fighting a Beowolf with a spear.

Between pants, he wondered softly to himself, "How can she run so fast after all that…oh right, Mistral Champion." He glanced back, seeing a somewhat concerned-looking Nora and exhausted-looking Ren catching up with him as a few staff members went by.

"You okay?" Nora asked him.

"Just feeling tired." Jaune answered, "Thankfully, I don't think we have to run for much longer, I can tell she's not far off."

"Man, that whole 'Crystal Guardian Bond' thing sure comes in handy at times like this," Nora commented, before she noticed Jaune's hands were clenched into fists, and his face looked slightly grim.

"It's not just that. My Grimm side can sense her sorrow. She's close." He told her. It didn't help much, Jaune could sense woe, anger and fear coming from all over the city, it was probably driving Pyrrha mad.

She took one of his hands and gently asked, "And what about you? Are you sure you're okay? I mean, Elsa and Kaifin were your friends too…"

Jaune sighed sadly as he looked away, slowly shaking his head, "I…I don't know, Nora," He replied, letting his sorrow show, "It feels like no matter what we do; how many battles we fight, how many victories we earn, Salem is always a step or two ahead of us. It feels like she doesn't even take us seriously as a threat…it's like we're nothing but annoyances to her."

"I can't deny that there are times when it certainly seems that way," Ren spoke up quietly, "But we shouldn't let it discourage us."

The leader of Team JNPR sighed and said, "I can't help but feel discouraged. I mean, just how many innocent people were killed today? How many homes were destroyed? How many innocent children are orphans now?"

Ren sighed before answering him, "We can't do anything about that right now. All we can do is try and help the survivors recover as best we can, and do our best to avenge them when the time comes."

Jaune grunted and slammed his fist into the adjacent wall, his aura flaring a bit from the pain of the blow, "Avenge them? How in Oum's name are we to do that when we can barely even defend them!" He pointed out angrily before they heard a clanking sound coming from the empty corridor up ahead.

Looking up, the trio saw a battered and sparking Grimm Knight stalking out of the hallway in fits and jerks. Its visor was cracked, its chest looked to have been bashed in by a sledgehammer, one arm was missing and droplets of oil were spilling from the ruptured cables there. The robot's legs were also badly damaged and yet more sparks erupted out of bullet holes punched into its armor plates.

"What's that thing doing in here?" Nora wondered as she brought up Magnhild in its grenade launcher form.

"It probably was damaged during the fight earlier and crashed into the school." Ren guessed as he gripped his StormFlowers handguns.

The Grimm Knight's visor lit up slightly as it stumbled towards them while twitching all the way. It feebly raised up its remaining arm, guns emerging from its wrists which clicked repeatedly as there were evidently no remaining ammunition.

"Targets…Targets acquired. Eliminating acquired targets…" It spoke in a static-laced voice.

Before Ren could fire his weapons, Jaune shot forward and with a clean swing of Crocea Mors the Grimm Knight was cut in half in a terrible screech of rending metal. The force of the swing sent the torso flying into the air as the legs and pelvis quickly crashed onto the floor, sparks and droplets of oil sent flying out of both sections while wires and electronic parts spilled out like guts.

With a great metallic crash, the torso of the Grimm Knight collided into the ground as Jaune stomped over to it, looking down at the severely damaged robot with contempt. Weakly, the Grimm Knight tried to aim a wrist-gun at him, only for the blonde knight to cut it off before it could fire.

Then, with a roar of fury, Jaune drove his blade down into the torso of the robot, making it spasm disturbingly. He stabbed it over and over again, severing the remaining arm from the upper body before he slammed his booted foot down onto the head, denting the metal plating and smashing the visor, spilling red glass onto the floor. With a scream of anger and grief, Jaune kicked the robot's ruined head with all his might, separating the head from the body and sending it soaring down the hallway where it skidded to the ground with a hollow clatter, like a large empty can being kicked down a street.

Jaune fell to his knees as he let out an angry yell, his fists slamming down on the robot's torso and nearly flattening a section of it. Ren and Nora watched in shock, stunned by their leader's strength. He had certainly come a long way from the awkward dork they had first met in the Emerald forest.

Nora walked over to him and placed her gentle hands on Jaune's shoulders to calm him down, while Ren took notice of a directory on the walls. He took in all of the displayed locations in one glance, and suggested the most likely option, "The Bahai Gardens are nearby. Perhaps Pyrrha went there."

Nora nodded in agreement; she knew Pyrrha would want a place of serenity after the intense day they had all been through, "Jaune, you gonna be okay?" She asked worriedly.

Jaune forced his fists to unclench before he sighed and stood up, turning to face her. His only answer was giving her a sad look and a shrug, before he mumbled his thanks to Ren and set off for the gardens.

Ren and Nora shared a worried look for their team leader, with the hammer-wielder asking, "Renny…what are we gonna do?"

"I…I honestly don't know, Nora." He admitted with a downcast look.

A few seconds passed between them before she captured her partner and lover in a warm hug, the kind for one who's desperate for comfort, which Ren gave her without hesitation.

Up ahead, Jaune turned a corner and saw the entrance to the gardens. He walked through and looked around, seeing a lush healthy-looking area covered with some thin but strong trees, mostly palm trees, with a wide variety of flowers and shrubbery littered all over the place. He recognized some, but many of them were exotic plants local to Vacuo. Benches were stationed around the place, but most of them were clustered around the moderately-sized koi pond in the center of the garden, where a variety of colourful fish were swimming calmly beneath the sparkling watery surface which was occasionally dotted with lily pads and green algae. That was where he found his partner.

Pyrrha was kneeling in front of the circular pond on her knees, her hands holding onto the stone lining and looking down at the clear water, her tears flowing down her cheeks before dropping down and creating small waves that spread out in circles. Seeing her so miserable made Jaune feel awful, and he knew he couldn't let her suffer alone.

He silently walked over and sat down next to her, but she didn't react to his presence. Jaune glanced up at the sky, seeing gray clouds forming overhead, which signified that rain was obviously coming. He looked back at Pyrrha, seeing an awful expression of sadness on her reddened face, in addition to the fact that her eyes were somewhat puffy from all the crying she had done and now she was sniffing sporadically.

He placed his hand atop hers gently, and felt his heart clench when she responded with a low, racking sob. More tears spilled from her green eyes, and every drop was like a knife cutting into his chest.

"We only met them once." She managed to say through her tear-streaked face, "And Elsa taught me so much about the Maidens, about what it means to make sacrifices…I could tell she was powerful, stronger than me, but even with all her strength and Maiden powers, with Kaifin looking out for her with the knights and guards…they couldn't stop Salem's agents from killing her."

Jaune said nothing. He couldn't think of anything to say as tears formed in his eyes once again. He loved Pyrrha like Kaifin loved Elsa yet his friend still fell defending his Maiden and secret lover…and he couldn't stop Cinder.

He looked back, seeing Ren and Nora standing about thirty or so feet away from them at the doorway, giving the couple room to grieve. Jaune turned back to Pyrrha and slowly, gently, wrapped his arms around her. The red-haired spartan gave in and with a pained sob that could only come from an anguished soul she buried her face in his shoulder, seeking the comfort her beloved offered her.

Jaune gently wrapped his arms around her, crying tears of sorrow himself. After a few moments in which they took comfort in each other's presence, Pyrrha managed to say with a tired voice, "What do we do, Jaune? If Elsa, with all her experience and power, couldn't defeat them…what chance do we have?"

The blonde knight shook his head, "I…don't know. I don't know how we can win or what will happen next, but I promise you, my goddess, with all of my heart that I won't let you down."

Now Pyrrha shook her head fiercely as she wiped her green eyes, "Don't say that Jaune, and please…please don't call me that."

The leader of Team JNPR was surprised, ignoring the sound of distant thunder as he asked, "What? Why?"

"Because I'm not a goddess. I'm not invincible, I'm not perfect! I don't want to be put up on a pedestal like I was when I was the Champion! I don't want you to do that, not you…because you were the first person who ever saw me for who I was, you saw me as just another girl, not some fancy idol to be looked up to or to suck up to. So please, please don't treat me like I'm above everyone and everything else. I'm honestly nothing special." Pyrrha managed to say through her sobs.

Jaune, tried to blink away the tears streaming from his eyes before saying, "Okay…okay, I won't call you that anymore. But I want you to know that you are very special to me, Pyrrha. I didn't know it back then, but now I do, and not just because of your beauty, or your strength, but because of the kind, selfless, loving person you are. All of that together is what makes you special, not just to me, but to all of us."

Pyrrha looked at Jaune, his sapphire eyes were shimmering with tears and his hair, having grown nearly down to his shoulders, ringing with sweat, before she glanced over to Ren and Nora, the latter also crying with thick streams running down her face while her partner Ren was also fighting back his own tears despite his normally stoic look.

She turned back to him and said, "Thank you…I love you so much."

"I know, I feel the same way as well. I won't call you goddess anymore, but my love for you won't change." He told her as he helped her stand up.

Pyrrha broke away from her boyfriend and walked towards Nora, who quickly closed the distance and hugged the taller redhead, doing her best to comfort her team member. Once Nora released her, Ren came over too and embraced Pyrrha as well, and while his actions were not as emotionally as their other teammates, his concern for her was obvious.

Jaune walked over to the nearest pond and knelt down in front of it, carefully reaching down to pierce the water's surface with his fingers. He had so many thoughts, and none of them good, running through his mind that he was appreciative of the silence in their plant-covered surroundings which allowed him to somehow get them in order.

"W-well…what do we do now?" Nora asked as Ren wiped a bit of her tears from her tear-stained cheeks, as thunder clapped far away.

Jaune didn't look up as he answered, "We'll check up on Ruby and the rest while waiting for Hyperion One to land, and once it does we'll secure the Aura Crystal and rest up. Tonight, once everyone regroups, we'll try and figure out what we're going to do, but I…I honestly wonder if anything we can do really matters."

"W-what are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, clearly surprised by Jaune's defeated tone in his voice.

"No matter what we do, Salem is always ahead of us and we've only barely gotten away with some small victories, but she keeps coming back and she has so many Grimm and all her minions behind her…I mean, what chance do we have against all of them?" Jaune mentioned as tiny raindrops began to disturb the surface of the pond.

Nora walked briskly over to him, grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and hauled Jaune physically up to say to his face, "Shame on you."

Everyone looked at her, surprised. Especially Jaune since he noticed the normally bubbly Nora commonly exhibited was gone and replaced by a deadly serious one. To be honest, it was incredibly terrifying to see her speak in the way she was at the moment.

"What?" He asked her, stunned.

"Shame on you!" She repeated as her fingers tightened on Jaune's shoulders, "You are Jaune Arc, for Oum's sake, and you don't just give up like this! You didn't give up when Cardin blackmailed you, you didn't give up combat training no matter how hard it was, you kept asking Weiss out when she ignored you, you didn't even give up after we lost Pyrrha! You didn't give in when Ante's thugs were torturing you, and you didn't give up when they forced you to fight Pyrrha! You never stopped trying to save her even when all hope seemed lost! Even today, you didn't just let Ante take the Aura Crystal, you chased him down and got it back! The only time you were going to give up, was when you were about to die, and we saved you! Sure, all of those times seemed pretty hopeless, but we always have a chance, no matter how slim, as long as we fight back against Salem and her baddies! So what do you mean 'what chance do we have'? You can't give up now, Jaune, just because things look slightly bad now! That's not the Jaune I know!"

Jaune was honestly stunned by Nora's impassioned speech as she continued through her tears which leaked from her aqua eyes, "I mean, we're still alive! We can still set things right as long as we're still here, right? You have no right to waste that chance when you still have it!" She stopped and removed her hands from Jaune's shoulders, turning to walk away until they were a few feet apart. Nora wiped away more of her tears as she continued, "You know, I might not show it, but I'm always worried, and that's why I'm happy pretty much all the time. I try to keep an air of optimism so I don't have to worry, and also so that I don't let sadness get the better of me. Because of that, most people think I'm a goofball who never take things seriously…but you guys never looked down on me. You all made me feel like I had a purpose, like I wasn't completely alone…like I was needed and could make a difference." She turned back and gave her gathered team a tearful smile, "And you know what? I can make a difference with you guys, and everyone else in Team Beacon! So I'm not going to lose hope, I'm going to go on believing that we have a chance at winning this! And I am not going to let any of you give up!"

Jaune looked at her, visibly impressed and inspired by her stirring speech. He smiled and told his team member, "Thank you, Nora. I…I don't know what came over me. I kind of lost it there for a minute. I…I guess no matter what I'll still have you guys here to knock some sense into me."

Nora returned his smile, wiping the remainder of her tears away, "No problem, fearless leader."

The two hugged, which was shortly joined by Pyrrha and Ren in a four way embrace of friendship. Nora smiled as she enjoyed the warm hug, ignoring the sprinkling rain that fell onto everyone present. She may have lost her parents, but her new family would always be there for her.

"That was beautiful, Nora. I may have lost one sister, but I will always have a sister in you." Pyrrha remarked with clear admiration, "I suppose you're right; we have to soldier on and do our best to withstand whatever else Salem throws at us."

Jaune suddenly stepped back, looking at Pyrrha with wide, thoughtful eyes, "What did you just say?"

Pyrrha gave him a confused look and repeated, "I said that we have to soldier on and do our best in order to withstand whatever else Salem throws at us."

"Throws at us…" Jaune echoed before be remembered their collective surprise at Salem getting involved with killing Elsa, "You've just helped me realize something; Salem keeps using her minions to fight us: Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Tyrian, Ante, Adam and his White Fang, Torchwick, Thorn, the Grimm Commanders…but she never directly gets involved herself. The most she did was use her powers on me after I restored you, and I can bet that she probably just snuck up on Elsa after she was exhausted from fighting with Cinder. She has never really fought us head on by herself."

"She probably views herself above such 'dirty work'." Ren suggested.

"Maybe. I mean, she's clearly powerful enough to do some serious damage on her own, and she can probably control the Grimm to a much greater extent than any of the Grimm Commanders, so why all the subterfuge?" Jaune wondered as he began pacing, ignoring the intensifying rain.

"Well, Ozpin and the other Guardians of Remnant have gone to great efforts to keep her a secret from the world at large so the people of Remnant won't be afraid of her," Pyrrha answered, before another thought suddenly occurred to her, "So if Salem wants to inspire widespread fear, why doesn't she just reveal herself?"

"Exactly. She goes through all this trouble to create death and destruction, using humans, Faunus and Grimm to achieve her goals. To divide us, to sow seeds of paranoia and hate so the people of Remnant can't come together. Every tyrant knows that the best way to prevent anyone from fighting them effectively is by making sure the people focus on other problems and fight each other so they won't band together. Alone, individuals can make a small but meaningful impact…but a group is much stronger and can do a lot of damage on their own. But when it comes to fighting Salem, it requires cooperation between different groups of people, not a person! She's afraid of us."

"What?" Nora asked, stumped.

"Salem won't reveal herself, because that would give the whole world an enemy to unite against. If we all were to come together and fight her together, she wouldn't be so powerful." The leader of Team JNPR explained.

"Then why do Ozpin and the other Guardians go out of their way to keep her a secret?" Ren questioned.

"Do you remember the entries I read from the journal of my ancestor Luc Arc during the Fall Equinox about Salem? He managed to hurt her, but that only for the moment. However, I think Ozpin and rest of the Guardians are afraid of what could happen if the world knew there was some powerful evil controlling the Grimm, giving a name to that evil…and maybe that would just make the fear worse and everything to fall apart." Jaune remarked as he felt the rain fall harder around them.

"Um…Jaune, maybe we should go in now?" Pyrrha suggested after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, uh…good idea." He admitted awkwardly, before they all ran inside. Once they reached the shelter of the halls, he continued speaking, "So, if Salem can be killed and she's afraid of Remnant coming together, of what the world can do when its properly united against her, but at the same time she could also use the fear of herself against the Kingdoms…what does it mean?"

"It means," Pyrrha began, "That we do have a chance. A chance to destroy her and save the world."

Jaune, Nora and Ren looked at each other and smiled. Then Jaune walked forward and took hold of Pyrrha's hands, saying, "And a chance to avenge everyone she's killed, to ensure that there's still justice in this world."

Pyrrha sighed sadly before finally offering a smile and a nod in return.

"So, you gonna be okay Pyrrha?" Nora asked the taller Huntress.

Pyrrha shrugged, "I'm hurt…but I'll make it, thanks to you all."

"Don't worry, we will be here with you." Jaune replied, smiling warmly at her, "I will be here with you as well."

His partner nodded with tears of gratitude in her eyes, "Thank you so much, Jaune."

"You're welcome." He gave Pyrrha's hand a gentle squeeze, "So how about we put these thoughts away for a while and check up on Ruby and Qrow?"

"Sure, lead the way!" Nora grinned, and the whole of Team JNPR moved off to their next destination.

As they let Nora lead the way, Pyrrha leaned into Jaune, seeking warmth with his body, and planted a loving kiss on his cheek.

---

Winter looked out of the armored windows of the Retribution's observation deck, watching the seas of Mistral, dotted with floating land masses with gravity Dust crystals sticking out of them, small islands and rocks jutting out of the ocean come and go rapidly. The Atlas Expeditionary Fleet had departed Mistral and was en route to Atlas, with Raider piloting the Retribution at high speeds at the very forefront of the fleet while being protected by several Manta gunships and Bullheads.

The sight of the calm ocean did little to comfort the Specialist, not much could comfort her when she didn't know the details on what had befallen her Kingdom and her people, not to mention her family.

"Specialist Schnee?" Jammer's voice caught her attention. Winter turned to see the black-haired, brown-eyed electronic warfare specialist of Task Force Omega approaching her, "Just wanted to inform you that the prisoners are safely secured on the detention deck. Shocker is keeping an eye on Odinson just in case he does anything to hurt himself, and Seymour's wounds are being tended to, and he's keeping quiet so far."

"Good to hear," Winter acknowledged with a nod before quietly asking, "How's Central doing?"

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about the Commander, I've seen him take far worse hits than that. He'll just fine after a trip to the infirmary," Jammer assured the ashen-haired Specialist. A moment passed between them before she asked curiously, "So…what's up with you two? Judging by how you acted when Central and us greeted you, I'd say you and the Commander have a rough history."

Winter bristled internally, but she kept a calm expression and replied coolly, "You could say that, not that it's any of your business."

"I guess not, but I can tell that something has happened between you two. I mean, not just because he saved you earlier, he would gladly take a bullet for any of his team, or any innocent or ally really, but I'm observant enough to say that I can tell you two definitely have history. Javelin seems to know, since he's been with Central since General Ironwood formed this task force, but he's not talking and advised me to drop it." Jammer told Winter.

"Then he's making a smart decision," The elder Schnee sister spoke firmly, "And he's correct; you should stop prodding. It's unbecoming of your behaviour as a member of Task Force Omega."

"I warned her." Javelin's voice caused both Winter and Jammer to turn as he appeared around the corner, the brunette-haired sniper crossing his armor-plated arms, "Pardon me, Specialist Schnee, but we've just received a transmission from General Ironwood. He needs to speak with you right away."

Winter thanked him curtly and marched off for the communications room, leaving the two Omega Troopers behind.

"I told you, you wouldn't get anything juicy out of her." Javelin said as he shook his head slowly.

"Well, it was worth a try." Jammer replied, smirking before they began to follow Winter.

Shortly after, the three of them arrived in the communications room where an image of General Ironwood which was displayed on the primary screen was speaking to Invictus. The latter heavy weapons and explosives specialist had removed his helmet, revealing his Faunus features as that of a polar bear since he had a mop of snow-coloured hair and russet eyes, and he promptly nodded a greeting to Winter, who was somewhat surprised by the presence of a Faunus on the team, given Atlas' more discriminatory nature, but knew that Central was far more accepting than most.

"Specialist Schnee, good to see that you're all right," Ironwood greeted her, "Omega Six has filled me in on the situation pertaining to Odinson's extraction. He's also informed me that the Mistral Council are already doing what they can in terms of damage control with regards to Odinson's arrest. Excellent job apprehending him, by the way."

"Thank you, sir, but praise can wait. Can you tell us what has exactly happened to our Kingdom?" Winter asked concernedly.

"She speaks for all of us." Central's voice came from behind Winter as he entered the communications room, having removed the upper sections of his armor suit and was now wearing a form-fitting white shirt with the Atlesian emblem that showed off his muscular torso and broad shoulders, as well as his bandaged wound which covered almost the entirety of his right shoulder. Fieros stood behind him, an auburn-haired guy with blue eyes and a boyish look on his features, looking annoyed with his commander.

"You're supposed to be resting, Commander." Winter gently reprimanded as she gave him a quick up-and-down look while having her arms crossed in front of her.

"I tried to keep him in the infirmary, but it's easier to kill a Goliath than to keep him down." Fieros voiced with a bit of annoyance in his speaking tone.

"I can rest later, our home is more important than a minor injury. How bad is it, General?" Central inquired, his voice showing how much he was dreading the answer.

Ironwood sighed and pinched his temples with one gloved hand for a moment as though collecting his thoughts. He then removed his hand before answering, "I'll be honest with you all, we don't know the full extent of the damage, and we probably won't for the next week. We also don't have the exact numbers but we don't need them to know that the death toll is catastrophic. Numerous small towns and settlements aren't responding to any transmissions nor are military bases such as Fort Valor and Borealis Base as they've apparently been completely wiped out. Other bases such as Camp Independence, Sentinel and even Europa have all been attacked and have sustained heavy casualties. Colonel Chamberlain was seriously injured while defending the first, but those bases I have mentioned have managed to withstand the assaults. Margarite Harbor, Mantle City, North Point, Aszod City, Nashville, Borea, Hephaestus City and many others were badly hit, but our armed forces managed to mobilize in time and valiantly defended them, which is why most of them are still standing now."

"General, what of the capital?" Winter asked, taking note of the worried faces of Jammer and the others who had also gathered in the same room. One didn't have to be a body-language expert to tell they were all fearing for their homes, family and friends.

"Untouched. Either the enemy weren't confident enough to attack it or they have something else planned. I personally believe it was the latter," Ironwood replied before letting out a heavy sigh and revealing, "But I have further bad news; there was confirmation of a brazen attack on the Winter Maiden at Watchpoint Glacies, and our enemy have also succeeded in killing her and her guardian despite their protectors' best efforts."

The room instantly went deathly silent, as though everyone present had forgotten to breathe. Winter's eyes widened as much as they could go, and the only response from Central was the slight tightening of his gauntleted fists. One could feel the dread simmering in the air and clearly see it on the faces of the elder Schnee sibling and the entire elite team of Omega troopers.

"Sir, you mean…?" Central tried to speak, but couldn't bring himself to say what was in his mind.

"Yes. Our enemy has now successfully killed two of the Seasonal Maidens and has stolen their powers for themselves. While they failed to destroy the Kingdom, they've seemingly gotten what they wanted out of the continent-wide attack. With the Winter Maiden gone, the war with Salem has shifted onto a new phase, and we need to be ready for what comes next," Ironwood's face grew stern again, "I want you and the Expeditionary Fleet to return to the capital right away, and as fast as you possibly can. We're going to need all hands on deck and all the help we can get."

"We're withdrawing all of our active troops back to Atlas?" Winter felt the question leave her mouth unbidden, "That's practically our entire military!"

"Correct. The Atlas Council has already agreed to this emergency order," Ironwood continued, "There will be an emergency session tonight, in which the Council will debate on the necessity of closing the borders and possibly even martial law. I'll do what I can to smooth things over with the Council, but I'm afraid it's heavy price we have to pay."

Winter and Central looked briefly at each other, their body language clearly conveying how uneasy they were both feeling about the recent developments. It was honestly worse than either of them imagined.

"What about Ace-Ops? Were they helping out during the massive Grimm incursions?" Central asked the image of Ironwood.

"Yes. Clover and his Ace Operatives are still eliminating some loose Grimm hordes at Mantle City. He's informed me that they're almost done and will be returning to the capital soon." Ironwood informed the Commander of Task Force Omega.

"Guess his good luck charm is still holding out." Jammer commented, earning small smiles from Javelin and Fieros. Invictus simply raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Winter noticed the faint smile on Central's face, remembering that he was on friendly rivalry. Comprised of the most elite Huntsmen and Huntresses in the Atlas military forces which included Vine Zeki, Elm Ederne, Harriet Bree, Marrow Amin, and led by Clover Ebi, the Ace-Ops serve as a major special operatives group, answering directly to General Ironwood and the Council. They were the ones who got all the attention, all of the press, and were famously known as Ironwood's personal enforcers.

On the other hand Task Force Omega was formed around the same time, but it's overall operational command was eventually given over to Captain White when he requested an elite team to serve on board his warship up until the task force received the Retribution from Ironwood. While they weren't as famous as the Ace-Ops team, the team of Omega Troopers were exceptional among the Atlesian teams due to their involvement in many pivotal engagements that could easily rival those accomplishments of Ace-Ops themselves.

If Ace-Ops was the scalpel to handle things delicately, then Task Force Omega would be the cudgel to bludgeon any enemy to oblivion.

"Did the Winter Templars help?" Winter inquired.

"Yes, they've mobilized almost every knight in the Legion as well as many other assets they have within the continent of Solitas the moment the Grimm attacks started, and were especially instrumental in saving the inhabitants and resources of Hephaestus City," The Atlesian General answered, "And I suppose there's no getting the cat out of the bag, given how many people saw them."

A beeping sound went off somewhere on Ironwood's desk, which grabbed his attention, "I'm sorry to cut this short, Headmistress Luna is sending me another priority transmission, and I need updates on the situation in Vacuo."

"A moment please, General!" Winter spoke a little louder than usual, before gravely asking, "Is my father all right? My sister, is she safe?"

"Your father is fine, Specialist Schnee. I just spoke with him a short while ago," Ironwood's blue eyes focused on Winter, "I'll ask about your sister when I meet with Luna, and you'll be the first to know if I get any information about her."

"Thank you, sir." Winter replied, before asking, "How bad is it?"

Ironwood sighed again and said, "It could have been much, much worse…though it's hard to fathom how. Come home, Specialists. We're going to need soldiers like you to keep Atlas safe."

The Atlesian General's image blinked out of sight as the transmission ended, leaving the Strike Corvette to cruise silently on its journey home along with the Atlas Expeditionary Fleet following.

"This is so FUBAR." Jammer remarked as she took a seat at only table and placed a hand against her forehead, her buzz-cut raven hair partially obscuring her features.

"No argument there," Central agreed before he went over to the internal comms system, tapped for a direct channel to the Retribution's bridge and said, "Omega Two, this is Central."

"Commander? Shouldn't you be resting?" Raider's bewildered voice came over the speaker system.

"I'll rest when I feel like it. Is the Retribution going at top speed?" He asked.

"Um…I don't like to push her sir, but I will if you order me." The pilot spoke a little hesitantly.

"Consider it an order." Central remarked, "You can slow down once we're approaching the capital, but right now I want us on Solitas soil ASAP, is that understood?"

"Aye, Commander!" Raider replied instantaneously.

Everyone on board the Retribution felt the ship speed up significantly a few seconds later through its humming deck plates, its powerful engines blasting out intense jets of heat to rocket the ship swiftly through the cloudy skies of Remnant.

"It just doesn't seem real…I mean, towns and cities getting attacked by Grimm from time to time, but nothing so widespread like this." Fieros said in a soft voice.

"Same here. I've never seen anything like it," Jammer voiced softly, "It's like something out of a nightmare."

"That's because it is. That's exactly why it happened. They want us to know strike us directly," Winter told them solemnly before she looked to Central and added, "Now let's get you some rest. You'll be no use to Atlas wounded."

"You'd be surprised, Specialist." Central returned with a contrite smirk, "I once finished a particularly difficult target retrieval mission with two dislocated shoulders, a broken arm and a minor concussion ."

"It's true, I was there," Javelin sighed, "Possibly one of the most intense missions of my career."

"I can attest to that, because I was there." Javelin sighed, "Possibly one of the most intense missions of my career."

Central resisted the urge to groan inwardly when he saw Winter turn her severe gaze towards him, and made a mental note to have a word with Javelin in private. The Sniper Specialist had a bad habit of running his mouth at the worst possible time, and the taciturn commander really didn't want to face down a stern-looking Winter who would most likely be glaring at him until he finally spilled out what actually happened to him during that mission.

Thankfully, the awkward moment was interrupted by another insistent beeping sound.

"Incoming priority transmission from the Citadel of the Atlas Council," Invictus announced as he checked the security codes and found that they were all legitimate, "Wonder what they want?"

"Maybe they want us to deliver a diplomatic package." Jammer commented.

"Show some respect to those on the Council." Central reprimanded.

"Probably asking about Odinson, since he's a pretty high priority target; and practically a political prisoner." Javelin surmised.

"Perhaps it would be better if I take this alone…" Central spoke up, which surprised everyone present.

"Are you sure about that?" Javelin asked, his voice sounding a little uncertain as he looked at his commanding officer.

"I checked the identity, it's the Head Chancellor of the Atlas Council." Invictus mentioned, "She probably only wants to speak with the leader of Task Force Omega."

"Very well, I guess I need to give my report of Odinson's extraction to her personally," Central justified, noticing a questioning look on Winter's face as Fieros and Invictus saluted smartly and left, "Specialist Schnee, you can stay if you wish."

"Why do you want me to stay?" The elder Schnee sister asked, "I thought the transmission is for you only?"

"I would need someone to collaborate my statements when I present my report." Central replied easily, "Seeing that you were the one who apprehended Odinson, it would be good for you to be here with me to speak with the Council's Head."

"Very well. I see your point." Winter returned a nod of agreement.

"I guess we'll be leaving then. If she wants to congratulate us, don't be a glory hog." Jammer muttered before she joined the others in leaving the room. Javelin followed them out, but shot Central an understanding look before the automatic door slid shut behind them.

Central checked himself over one final time and pulled on a formal jacket he had been previously given by Fieros to make himself more presentable, murmuring a grateful thanks to Winter who quickly reached up and adjusted his collar for him before he pressed the accept key on the control panel. The image of a stern-looking woman in her fifties appeared on the screen, with her pale blonde hair tied up in a thick bun and icy blue eyes reminiscent of those on Central's own face, and clothed in a regal-looking white and grey uniform of someone serving on the Atlas Council.

"Councilwoman Maximilius." Central straightened immediately and saluted respectfully, a gesture Winter mimicked beside him.

"Commander Central. Specialist Schnee." Alexandra Maximilius greeted them in a strict yet cordial tone, "It's good to see you both safe and sound. I take it you two are alone?"

"Yes, we are." Winter confirmed.

The Head Chancellor's usually neutral and somewhat cold-looking expression slowly dropped and a reasonably relieved-looking smile crept onto her face and focused her eyes directly on Central himself, "I heard about what happened during the mission with Odinson's extraction from Ironwood. Are you all right?"

Central sighed, but still managed a smile, "I took a hit, but I'm fine. It's just a minor wound. It's great to see you, mom."

---

Sharp Strike stood by the huge doors of Shade Academy's library, keeping an eye out for anything at all that seemed out of the ordinary. He was aware that any other knight who wasn't currently engaged in hunting down the remaining Grimm scattered in the city around Shade Academy was also guarding the vicinity, although they were keeping out of sight to avoid being seen by any of the civilians.

Picking up the soft thudding of boots, he glanced over to see the Flame Weaver walking over to take his place. The knight errant bowed respectfully to him, which the prognosticator returned by clasping forearms with Sharp Strike.

"Well met, Flame Weaver." The young knight spoke politely.

"Well met, Sharp Strike." The prognosticator replied humbly, "You seem…troubled."

"I have a lot on my mind right now." Sharp Strike mentioned, "How goes the mop-up operations?"

"From what they're saying over the transmissions, both on the Knight Order's encrypted and open channels, the military and security forces of Vacuo have won the day. A good bulk of the criminals that took part in the capital-wide attack have either been arrested or killed, while those that escaped have gone to ground. As for the remaining Grimm hordes, they're being hunted down and exterminated with extreme prejudice." Flame Weaver reported curtly.

"I'd expect no less, prognosticator." Sharp Strike voiced softly as he looked around the grand library, a massive room towards the back of the school with a domed ceiling. The huge chamber below the dome was flanked by columns that held up the lower ceiling as well as several additional platforms located on the upper level. The various walls of the impressive library were covered with numerous bookshelves which held countless books upon them on a wide variety of subjects ranging from Vacuoan history to social-political treatises between humans and Faunus.

Teams CFVY and SSSN were on the first floor, having decided to clean up the mess caused by Qrow and Tyrian's fight. Some of them were just lounging around, taking a well-deserved rest after a day of intense fighting and trying to read or do anything to take their minds off of the gloomy aftermath of the battle for the capital. The familiar purple-clad form of Amethyst wasn't far from them, having dragged herself over to a comfortable-looking couch so she could lay down and bury her face among the cushions, trying to hide her morose expressions from the rest of the group.

Heliosia was on the second floor with Penny, N1CK3L, Brawnz and Nolan, waiting for Roy to return from the restroom. Up above them, sitting on one of the gables built into the dome, was May who was keeping a sharp eye out on the smoking and damaged cityscape that was visible through windows. The two androids were speaking quietly with each other, while the other pair of Team BRNZ members were grabbing whatever rest they could with their own weapons within reach in case of anything.

The mood permeating the library's interior was dreary and solemn, as all who gathered within knew very well that they might have won the day but their victory was hollow at best and achieved at a very steep cost. The Summer Maiden looked out of the library's windows in dismay at the now half-destroyed and severely scarred capital, with several government and apartment buildings either missing or replaced by piles of burning rubble and towers of grey smoke. Groups of both human and Faunus civilians were slowly emerging from underground shelters and basements now that combat had subsided, but patrols of passing Rangers told them to return to their hiding places until the all-clear has been given citywide. Just a couple of streets away she witnessed a few rangers who were carefully lifting a teenage Lamb Faunus who was missing both of his legs from knee down onto a ranger Bullhead after freeing him from a huge pile of rubble, while police officers held back his distraught family members.

Heliosia mouthed a prayer that the wounded Faunus would be saved in time, but considering how dangerously packed the capital's hospitals were at the moment chances of him surviving are looking quite slim. Nonetheless she watched the Bullhead lift off and head for the nearest hospital location, before turning away after it disappeared into the distance.

May, using her rifle's scope to survey the considerably ruined cityscape, spotted something and called down, "Looks like the firefighters have put out the inferno on Dao Road and rescue teams are moving in…so I think the people there will be relatively okay. But that big office complex is a total loss and it sure looks like Shard's Clothes Emporium got shot up pretty bad. Wonder where the NDGO girls are gonna get replacements for their outfits?"

"That's not funny, May." Brawnz reprimanded, glancing at Heliosia who had her muscular arms folded in front of her and taking in the dour expression on her face.

"Sorry…I didn't mean anything by that. It's just…it's gonna be so weird looking out at the rest of the city and seeing a third of the skyline just gone or seeing the thick trails of smoke and piles of debris everywhere for the next couple of weeks." May hurriedly explained, propping her body against the gable.

"It will be hard for all of us." The brunette Summer Maiden spoke up, her voice strong but on the edge of tears, "Especially those who have lost colleagues, friends and even loved ones today."

"May Oum and the Four Gods watch over their souls." Brawnz spoke solemnly, with May and Nolan echoing his words shortly.

"I'm so sorry about Elsa." Penny told the Summer Maiden as she came over to her, "I know what it's like to be a victim of our enemy's machinations, but I was lucky enough to survive. I promise you; my friends in Team Beacon and I will see to it that justice is served!"

Heliosia gave her a small smile and said, "Thank you, I have no doubt that justice will be served…one day. I look forward to it."

"It will. Given what has happened to both this city and the Kingdom of Atlas, our world leaders will most likely seek retaliation in a swift and decisive manner. It is only a matter of time before our enemies regret launching such destructive attacks on the innocent people of Remnant." N1CK3L added from beside Penny. His voice was the usual monotone, but there was a hint of anger and concern there which Penny could tell that he was troubled about the current situation of their home Kingdom.

"Everything will be all right, little brother. Our Kingdom and its people are strong, they will withstand this calamity like all the others they have experienced throughout history." She assured him.

N1CK3L was about to make a comment on Penny's insistent 'little brother' nickname, but seeing the look on her face: a look of anxiety, but firmly hopeful, told him something else about her. It told him how genuine Penny was and that he shouldn't even try to disagree with her, so he replied with, "I suppose you are correct, Penny. Thank you."

Penny hugged him right then and there, with N1CK3L being the only individual to not be bothered by her powerful hugs. Nonetheless he returned the affectionate gesture, albeit awkwardly.

Heliosia smiled at the hugging robotic siblings before returning her focus to the city, until she realized that Nolan was clearly looking in her direction. She tilted her head at him, and asked, "Yes?"

"So…you're a Maiden? The Summer Maiden?" The teenage boy with messy dark red hair and pink eyes asked with a tinge of awe in his voice.

"I am indeed her. There's no point in hiding it anymore." She replied distantly, wondering how many people knew about it now given how publicly Tyrian had revealed the truth to everyone present when Salem's agents attacked on Shade Academy.

"So when we fought against you a few days ago, were you holding back?" He inquired hesitantly, curious to see just how well Team BRNZ had managed to stack up against her.

Heliosia, despite feeling moody, managed a small smile and answered, "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. But let's just say your team lasted a little longer than most people I've sparred with." She chuckled a little when she noticed Nolan's pink eyes widening a little at her answer.

Sharp Strike watched intently as Heliosia spoke with Team BRNZ before he noticed someone approaching the library, when the communication unit within his helmet chimed with a report from Hawk Shot. Flame Weaver opened the huge oak doors slightly, and the knight errant saw Roy returning presumably from the restroom. He held the doors open and nodded a greeting to saw gauntlet-clad young man and said, "Welcome back."

Roy nodded back, clearly unsure of the Remnant Knights and their part in all that had happened, "So…you guys are real huh? That's cool. So…uh…what's it like in that armor?" He inquired.

"We knights hone our bodies through rigorous training regiments within our Aegis armor for years and by the time we are officially knighted it feels like a second skin." Sharp Strike told him honestly.

"Oh, I see. That's...neat, I guess. Excuse me." Roy said as he walked past Sharp Strike and Flame Weaver, calling out, "Brawnz?"

"Up here, man!" Brawnz called from the second level.

Roy walked briskly past the resting members of Team Beacon, doing his best to ignore Cedric's blood stain which had left quite a messy impression on the floor where his corpse had seemingly been removed by medical staff earlier.

"I'm telling you; you should have seen it up close, the whole thing was massive…it's way bigger than a Wyvern!" Coco told Sun.

"I could tell by how the ground was shaking!" Sun replied, nodding his head at the fashionista, "You guys are lucky Tom just happened to have that…what was the explosive stuff called?"

"Hau Bakuhatsu." Sage interjected helpfully from a short distance away.

"…yeah that crap, to blow it up with. We can't expect to have that kind of good luck again." The Monkey Faunus then shared a nod with Scarlet and Neptune who both agreed with him.

"Tell me about it." Fox agreed quietly, "If we ever had to fight one of those things again we're pretty much screwed unless we have a fully-armed Atlesian battleship."

Velvet, who was presently sitting on Yatsuhashi's lap, visibly shuddered at the thought of facing a gargantuan Elder Grimm like that once more, "Let's just hope we never have to deal with something that big ever again!"

"Indeed." The green-armored samurai agreed as he held onto the petite Rabbit Faunus in his arms, "Let's just hope it's the only Elder Deathworm we ever encounter, but still, we all survived the ordeal and we still have each other, so we should consider ourselves very lucky."

Velvet smiled as she leaned up and gave her partner a soft peck on the cheek, which didn't escape the attention of Heliosia as she leaned on the second floor's railing and looked down at them.

"I presume you two are a couple?" She asked.

Velvet blushed but smiled and nodded back at the Summer Maiden, while Yatsuhashi said, "We are. We began to realize our feelings for each other last summer during the Solstice celebrations, but we aren't as overt as Jaune and Pyrrha or Ren and Nora, so we don't always make a show out of it."

"Obviously," They looked over to Sharp Strike when they heard his voice, "It's news to me as well. Either that or I'm not as observant as I thought I was."

"Don't feel bad, Sharp Strike, I also forget about their relationship myself sometimes." Penny confessed while winking at the pair of Team CFVY members.

"These two are smitten with each other, all right. They're just too reserved and subtle about it, they need to have a bit more passion! Though I'm pretty sure Velvet here probably has a few shirtless pics of her tall, quiet and handsome friend." Coco teased playfully.

The Rabbit Faunus went as red as a tomato at that remark as she looked at her cupped hands while Yatsuhashi tried desperately to hide own growing blush. Beside Coco, Fox crossed his arms and remained quiet, but the smirk shown on his face spoke volumes about his personal opinion towards the other two members of his team.

Heliosia briefly smiled at the couple, but it dropped away quickly when she noticed Amethyst glancing back at Team CFVY from her position lying on the couch not far away. Her face was unreadable; her emotions nullified by her Semblance, yet the Summer Maiden had known her sister Maiden for so long that she could tell that the emotional turmoil and hurt that the Spring Maiden was trying to keep at bay would eventually get to her, and the longing kind of way she looked at Velvet piqued Heliosia's own curiosity, not that she doesn't experience that kind of emotions herself.

"Anyway, enough about love lives. It honestly sounds like we got off pretty easy with just Anansi and his Spider Grimm." Neptune remarked.

"Really? Because besides fighting him, we had to look at him! I wouldn't call that easy!" Scarlet exclaimed while waving his hands exaggeratedly, "I mean, have you ever seen anything so bloomin' ugly before? I was just glad I didn't puke at the sight of him!"

"I'm quite tempted to make a joke about you on that, but I can't even try to be that mean, man!" Sun admitted, getting a laugh out of his red-haired teammate.

"What was he like? I got the creeps just looking at him from afar." Velvet voiced softly.

"Words can't do Anansi justice." Sage mentioned, "I only got a glimpse of him last year in Cadia, but today I saw more than I ever wanted to. Still, we showed him what happens when he messes with all us, and sent him running away like the pest he is, right Amethyst?" Sage called over to her, "You gave him a real asskicking!" When no answer came from the purple-haired girl, everyone in the library looked over to the Spring Maiden who had buried her face into the couch's cushions again, not wanting to face the rest of the group.

"Amethyst, you okay?" Velvet asked as she turned her head to look at the Maiden.

The younger Maiden didn't even move her head over to glance at them, and her body remained deathly still as she answered with a quiet, emotionless voice that would have made the voice of an Atlesian Knight sound lively, "Yeah. Whatever you say."

Teams CFVY, SSSN, BRNZ, Penny and Sharp Strike all looked at the violet-eyed girl with concern, while Heliosia's worry was the most obvious among them as she turned away from the bleak view of Vacuo City the adjacent window offered to stare down at her only remaining sister Maiden.

Both sights made the Summer Maiden's heart ache. To her, Amethyst was normally the most optimistic and outgoing one among the Maiden sisterhood, and seeing the violet-eyed Maiden so emotionally deadened was deeply worrying.

"Looks to me she's takin' the loss of Elsa pretty hard." Scarlet whispered

"No duh, genius," Sun replied, "Anyone would. We should talk to her."

"I don't think that'll be easy, Sun. From what we can tell, her Semblance suppresses her emotions and it looks like she's using it right now." Neptune whispered as he looked at the leader of Team SSSN.

"That can't be good. Guys, we need to help her." Velvet muttered before she got off her boyfriend's lap and walked over to the sullen-faced Maiden, careful to keep her distance in case Amethyst unknowingly lashed out in reflex, "Um…hello? Amethyst?"

The Spring Maiden didn't respond, her purple-haired head buried itself deeper into the cushions.

"I know we don't know each other particularly well, but I want you to know that we're here for you if you need to talk. We all are." Velvet offered gently.

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Amethyst responded emotionlessly, still not looking at Velvet.

"Amethyst, I know you're obviously not fine." The Rabbit Faunus pointed out, "You're hurting, and if your Semblance does suppress your emotions and you're using it to keep away the pain, then it's not healthy."

"What do you know?" Amethyst replied dryly, "It's not your Semblance."

"I might not know much about you personally, but I know that using a Semblance for an extended period of time drains aura rapidly, especially after the battle we've just lived through." Velvet told the violet-eyed girl cautiously.

"My health doesn't really matter right now." Amethyst muttered, and her fingers clenched tighter onto the cushions.

"You couldn't be more wrong. It matters because you matter to us, Amethyst." Velvet said to her firmly but kindly, placing her hand on Amethyst's, "You aren't alone…"

"Maybe I want to be." The Spring Maiden shot back as she lifted her head to face the rabbit Faunus, her violet eyes cold and empty of any emotion, which was something Velvet found quite unsettling, "And maybe you should just leave me alone."

Without another word, Amethyst pushed herself up from the couch and shoved past Velvet, walking off deeper into the library to be alone with her grief and pain.

"That can't be good." Sharp Strike voiced quietly, with Flame Weaver nodding beside him.

"This is not good," Penny said, "Amethyst's currently displaying a number of alarming symptoms of an emotional breakdown."

"Well, that didn't go over very well." Sun spoke as he came over to Velvet and placed a hand on her shoulder, "At least you tried."

The smallest member of Team CFVY turned her head to look at the Monkey Faunus, "We can't just give up on her. She needs our help!"

"No we can't. I'm going after her." Heliosia's agreement came from above, before she jumped over the railings in a perfect somersault that would have impressed a professional gymnast and landed unscathed onto the first floor, walking briskly after her Sister Maiden.

"You know, you could've just used the stairs!" May called from up above as she watched Coco, Sun, Neptune and Velvet follow after the Maidens. She looked down at Fox, Yatsuhashi, Sage and Scarlet, asking, "So…what are we gonna do now?"

No one said anything for a few moments, leaving the only sounds in the immense library to be of the others calling for Amethyst and their echoing footsteps. After exchanging a few more choice words with Flame Weaver who quickly informed the Remnant Knights on patrol to seal every last entrance into the library, Sharp Strike also joined them.

Brawnz took another look out at the devastated capital city, with several trails of smoke rising upwards from scattered fires and rain gradually coming down, combined with sirens and an occasional crash as something gave way out in the ruined landscape. He eventually threw up his arms and sighed, "Well, I'm out of ideas! I say we wait for Luna and the Council to make up a plan, 'cause we're pretty screwed already by the looks of it."

"Eh, trust me mate, every now and then we have to take matters into our own hands." Scarlet replied as he rested his chin on one hand, "Sometimes the situations facing us just feels so helpless and we don't know what to do or even if we can do anything about it, and I agree that sucks royally, but we've been there before after the Fall of Beacon."

"He's not wrong," Penny spoke up again, "We have been in many similar situations that seemed dire and hopeless before. The Battle of Haven City, the clashes with Taurus's White Fangr…and this city-wide battle is just the most recent example."

"So, what do you suggest we do now?" Brawnz asked, putting the question to everyone present.

"I don't think there's any right answer to that question, man. Hell, I honestly don't even know if there is one. I just try to go with the flow and do my best to support my team and not worry about the big picture." Fox remarked.

"So I guess we should just sit around and wait for the right moment to follow our hearts?" May asked snarkily.

"We don't really know, but Luna told us to grab whatever rest we can find." Yatsuhashi mentioned, "I suggest we do that for now, for who knows what we may face later?"

"I agree." Penny answered as she shared a look with N1CK3L, "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

Meanwhile, Heliosia led the four Hunters-in-training through the corridors after Amethyst. As they passed between the bookshelves they could see signs of Qrow and Tyrian's fight; bullet holes punched into books and the material of the wooden shelves, piles of scattered paper scrolls and writing equipment, ruined computer monitors and flickering holographic imagery, and droplets of red blood as well as some kind of foul-smelling purple fluid which they avoided like the plague.

"Any idea where she's heading? Because this place looks like a maze!" Sun asked as he followed her past rows of towering bookshelves. Velvet walked alongside the Summer Maiden, her own ears easily picking up Amethyst's faint footsteps.

"She's never been here before, but I know this library well enough to know all the places she could hide." Heliosia answered as she glanced over one shoulder at the leader of Team SSSN.

"Wait a minute…" Velvet interrupted them abruptly, "I hear a door opening…over there!" She pointed at the narrow corridor which snaked away sharply to the right from them.

"The Archives." Heliosia stated knowingly as she began to jog to their destination.

She turned a corner and looked down the aisle which was flanked by more shelves, just in time to see Amethyst closing the large sturdy doors behind her. Heliosia began sprinting, but when she arrived she could hear the distinctive 'clicking' sound of the doors being locked, sealing her sister Maiden within the extensive historical records archive chamber.

Heliosia sighed, as she knew it was going to be difficult to get Amethyst to come out. Seeing her other companions gathering at the corridor outside the archives, she gestured for them to stay back as she said, "Hang back while I handle this matter, because I think this is something…personal between us Maidens."

"We understand. We'll be here if you need us." Coco told her, while Sun, Velvet and Neptune gave nods of understanding.

"Thank you, all of you," Heliosia replied before she walked away from them and approached the door, "Amethyst? Amethyst, please come out. You're making me terribly worried."

"Go away," A dry, tired voice came from behind the thick doors, somewhat muffled by their thickness, "I'm in no mood to talk."

"Amethyst, I know what you're trying to do. You can't shut me out like this. Not now." Heliosia said as she tried to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry…" Amethyst's voice was hard to hear from behind the archive's protective door, but they could still make it out, "I…just can't deal with it right now. I don't want it to hurt…"

"You think I want to?" Heliosia responded, her voice breaking a little, "I'm hurting just like you are. Your aura, even as a Maiden, is limited and will drain out eventually, and when it does all of your pain and grief will all come rushing out like water through a broken dam. So do you really want me to go away? Are you really going to leave me alone, and not let me be there for you?"

A minute passed in silence. Then two, but no reply came.

Heliosia sighed as she turned around and pressed her back into the wall flanking the doorway, allowing her tired body to sink to the floor. She knew that among her sister Maidens, Amethyst was the youngest and hence wasn't always fully in control of her emotions, and being an empath of sorts meant she experienced a much deeper sort of connection with others around her. While that particular ability allowed the younger Spring Maiden to know what other people were feeling at times, but it also hit her hard whenever there was sadness and anguish like the current situation they both found themselves in.

Knowing that she might need to give her sister Maiden some time to be with her mournful thoughts, Heliosia pushed her own legs up to her chest and closed her eyes, letting some tears stream down her face as she vowed, "I won't leave you, Lil' Sis. I'll be right out here if you need me."

There was no reply, nor she expected one. But she was grateful the others kept their distance, adhering to her simple and polite request.

She waited there for some time, before a shadow fell over her. She felt the familiar presence and looked up to see the armored form of Sharp Strike, who extended an open gauntlet towards her and said, "Here."

Wiping away her own tears with the back of one gloved hand, Heliosia was surprised to see a ornate-looking key within the knight errant's hand, offering it to her. She pushed herself up, looking up at him.

"The head librarian and her assistant are helping the doctors and nurses in the medical wing, and the keys are labelled on the key hanger in the main office. I thought you could be use this, after overhearing your talk with her." He whispered to her

Heliosia wiped away her remaining tears from her maroon-red eyes and gave the knight representative a grateful look as she accepted the key from him. "Thank you, Sharp Strike." She quietly told him and turned to open the archive's door, but paused and looked back at him, finally adding, "If you can do me a favor, please keep the other Knights away as well. This is something we Maidens must share alone. Do not disturb us…for all of our sakes."

Sharp Strike bowed, "I will do what I can, my lady."

"Your actions are deeply appreciated." The Summer Maiden replied before she turned and inserted the key into the hole, turning it smoothly and unlocked the great thick door. She opened it up just enough to admit her, then went inside and shutting the doors behind her. The clicking sound echoed eerily loud throughout the extensive inner chambers of the Archives.

The archives of Shade Academy were where the most important documents and files regarding the Kingdom of Vacuo and its capital were kept; maps, journals, battle reports from the Great Wars of Remnant, important news articles through the ages, reports on Grimm attacks, autopsy records, documents of various Grimm species and many other secretive things that were hidden from public eyes were kept securely within its deepest chambers. Making her way through countless priceless artefacts and items in storage, and following where her anxious heart was telling her to go, Heliosia eventually found her sister Maiden.

After turning a final corner, she looked towards the large reinforced transparent windows at the far end of a huge room which was almost completely covered with evenly-spaced displays of antique weapons and armor suits presumably worn by the ancient desert tribes of Vacuo, and saw Amethyst curled up into a ball beneath the sill of the large semicircle-shaped window.

The woeful sight made Heliosia's heartache worsen. Barely suppressing a sob, she walked towards the purple-haired girl, who glanced up at the older Maiden with empty eyes.

"Do you ever give up?" Amethyst asked with a monotone voice as she buried her head within her arms.

"My answer is the same one you would give; never." Heliosia answered as she knelt down in front of the violet-eyed girl, "You may be stubborn and strong-willed, but so am I. You can't keep me away, lil' sis, and you know that."

"Save me your sales pitch, H. I don't really feel like talking." Amethyst stated dully.

"We don't have to talk." Heliosia said as she sat down next to the younger maiden, glancing out of the window at the sullen-looking sky outside, "Though I think it would help if we did."

"I don't want help." Came the cold reply beside her.

"But you need it, Amethyst. Do you truly think you're alone? I loved her too, I mourn the loss of Elsa and Kaifin the same as you…" The Summer Maiden told her younger sister Maiden carefully, making sure not to deepen the hurt anymore than she already had felt coming from Amethyst.

"You're not like me, Heliosia." Amethyst retorted suddenly, her voice having a hollow-sounding anger to it as she looked up, showing the many tears welling up in her eyes as well as her tear-stained cheeks, "Look at you. You're more beautiful, and so much bigger and stronger than me, not to mention smarter, and even if you choose to leave the Maiden sisterhood you at least have a loving family to go home to. I have no one, and no one would spare me a thought of sympathy if I died."

The smaller Maiden's voice was trembling, and to Heliosia that was a sure sign her Semblance was giving out. She couldn't keep it up for much longer.

"That's not true." The maroon-eyed Maiden replied, turning her head briefly and making her twin braids swish a little around her head, "And I have made so many sacrifices since becoming the Summer Maiden that I don't know if I can go back to my old life even if I wanted to."

"Then who do I have? The Remnant Knights? They don't give a damn about me, not really. If I didn't have these Maiden powers, I'd never even know the Order existed. The Guardians of Remnant? If I wasn't the Spring Maiden they'd let me run off after graduation, fight Grimm across Remnant and die like every other Huntress. If I wasn't a Maiden, I'd have never met any of you or Amber or Elsa…and you honestly wouldn't be missing out on anything." Amethyst told her with an unemotional voice that Heliosia couldn't help but find deeply disturbing, even though she had personally experienced terrifying encounters during her own travels across the varied lands of Remnant.

"You're wrong." Heliosia told the younger Maiden firmly as she took hold of Amethyst with both of her fingerless-glove clad hands, forcing the latter girl to look her in the eyes, "It's not your Maiden powers that define you, Amethyst. The only reason you got those powers is because of the kind of person you are. Rachel died thinking of you because you brought her happiness, even if it's for less than a single day. Your simple acts of kindness and friendship earned you these powers, and quite frankly, we Maidens would have been deprived to have never known someone with such a wonderful soul like you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Amethyst commented.

"Wrong again, Spring Violet. I couldn't be more sincere," Heliosia told her fellow sister Maiden, her own pained voice giving away how hard she was fighting back the sobs which were threatening to break out of her chest. She reached upwards to gently take hold of Amethyst's chin, tilting her face a little and quietly told her, "You're not alone. We can never be alone as long as we have each other, my sister."

Amethyst's lips began to quiver as her violet-coloured eyes shimmered. She looked intensely exhausted, and was on the verge of breaking down.

"You're just saying that to…to make me let down my guard." She muttered, lying to herself.

"No. You know I'm right. I would never lie to you, and all of what I've said was sincere from my heart and soul. We're family, and even if one day we were to give up our Maiden powers and become mortals again, I will still consider you my sister. You are family to me, and I love you," Heliosia told the smaller Maiden honestly, "And our sisterly love is what neither Cinder nor Salem could ever have nor understand."

Amethyst's violet eyes blinked as tears began falling once again and her aura began to shimmer slightly.

"I-I don't want it to hurt." She whispered, so soft that even Heliosia had to strain in order to hear her words.

"No one does, but mourning the dead is a natural part of life. No one can avoid it. You can deny it for a short while, but you can't hide from it. We all inevitably lose someone at some point in our lives. All we can do is remember them; Elsa, Kaifin, Amber, Rachel, Aestas, Gerta…remember the joys they have brought us and cherish the memory of every single one of them, and keep them alive in our hearts and minds. It will hurt for a time, and it won't go, but eventually it will turn into something else…something that we can live with, until our time eventually comes to be reunited with them in the afterlife," Heliosia managed to say as more tears began to fall from her eyes, "I'm…I'm also hurting right now too, so maybe we can share this pain…together as kindred sisters."

Amethyst couldn't do it anymore. She stopped her Semblance, and simply let the tears flow freely. She fell into Heliosia's arms as she sobbed and bawled, letting all of her grief and sorrow pour out as she embraced the larger Maiden, hugging her tightly as though Heliosia was the only thing she had left.

Heliosia held Amethyst in a gentle, but firm hug, patting her back soothingly. "That's it, lil' sis…let it out, just let it all out…" Her own voice, which was normally strong and confident, broke as well as she couldn't keep her own emotions back as well. Barely a few seconds passed before she also broke down crying with her sister Maiden.

Their bodies racked with sobs, their faces and clothes turned wet with tears, and their eyes began to shine with the colours of their respective seasons as the rain began to fall faster and harder outside, looking as though the weather was mourning along with them while the sounds of their combined grief echoed throughout the empty storage chambers of the archive chambers.

It was said, according to legends scattered across the Kingdoms, to be a terribly sad thing for a Maiden to cry. It was also said that their powers would cause the skies to darken and the clouds to pour water onto the world so that the tears of the Maidens would be lost in the rain, so that their beauty wouldn't be tarnished by sorrow. Or perhaps Remnant mourned with them. No one knew for sure.

They were soon lost in their grief, trying to comfort each other as they mourned for Elsa, who had been so cruelly taken from their lives like Amber. Neither Amethyst nor Heliosia had any idea how long they had cried by the time they finally began to calm down and their eyes began to dry.

By then, Heliosia had pulled the smaller girl into her lap and was still holding her while running her hands through Amethyst's purple hair as her sobs began to calm.

"Y-you know what ma-makes it worse?" Amethyst asked through her sobs.

"What?" Heliosia managed to ask as she held her younger sister Maiden tighter against her sizable bosom.

"Velvet is a-already taken...and she's really cu-u-ute!" Amethyst sobbed, tears splashing onto the Summer Maiden's outfit.

Heliosia managed a sad smile and answered, "You and your crushes...but you were wrong about yet another thing."

"W-What?" Amethyst asked as she glanced up at Heliosia's sorrowful face.

"You are beautiful in your own unique way. If anyone says otherwise, they'll have to deal with me." Heliosia replied before planting a loving kiss on her sister Maiden's forehead, "And one day, I'm sure you will find someone who will love you as much as you love him or her."

Amethyst managed a smile and a quiet, "Thank you," as she buried herself deeper into Heliosia's chest, letting her only remaining sister give her the comfort she so desperately needed.

---

Yang gripped Blake's hand in her remaining one of flesh and bone, watching intently as a nurse looked over Ruby. Weiss was sitting on a chair nearby in the same room, leaning her head against the wall as she kept her eyes on her unconscious partner. They were sequestered in one of the fifty rooms that made up the main medical wing of Shade Academy, normally reserved for cases of the students accidentally injuring themselves in training or injuries from a Grimm attack.

The wing was now overflowing with injured students and civilians, which had been one of the reasons why the wing was so large in overall size. Each individual room could hold two patients, and by sheer coincidence, Ruby's roommate just so happened to be Tom Allcroft, who had been brought in by the Rangers and was currently in a medically-induced coma due to a cocktail of assorted painkillers and anaesthetics in order to allow his body to heal faster. Team NDGO had left to help the rangers and desert guards patrol the school grounds for any remaining Grimm or any other kind of malicious intruders who had escaped the security net, while also helping the wounded citizens find shelter within the Huntsman Academy.

"Well…she seems to have fainted due to a mixture of exhaustion and emotional stress, not the usual stuff like work-related syncope or a heart condition. Her breathing is slow but steady and her heart-rate is still a little slower than normal but it's recovering fairly quickly, so I'd say her overall status is fine. Most likely it's all the intense fighting she had present been in took a lot out of her." The Caracal Faunus reported as she turned to look at the rest of Team RWBY.

"So how long will she be out?" Yang asked, her voice tinged with concern for her sister.

"Normally a person who faints would wake up pretty quickly, but given how worn out Miss Rose is at the moment, I would say she'll probably be asleep for a couple of hours at least," The nurse answered before looking to Weiss and added, "And I'd suggest you also get some rest before you pass out too, Miss Schnee."

"I'll be okay," Weiss replied wearily, "I can rest in a chair just fine and besides, the other bed is taken too."

She gestured over to where Tom was lying before Blake asked, "Our friends told us about him, how he helped them destroy that Elder Deathworm. Will he be okay?"

"The Rangers' medics treated him to the best of their ability with antitoxins and painkillers, and brought him here as soon as they could. Doctor Galen and I gave him a once-over before you all came in; he'll be out of it for a while, but he should make it." The nurse answered.

"That's good, we don't need to lose any more friends today," Yang remarked sadly before asking, "So, do you know where they're keeping my Uncle Qrow?"

"Qrow Branwen is your uncle?" The Caracal asked, surprised. Yang confirmed it with a nod and the nurse couldn't help but laugh, "Oh yes, we've put him up by himself in the last room on the right at the end of this hall. Don't take this the wrong way, but he can be quite …difficult. The doctors treated him with antitoxins for the sting he received from that assassin, as well as a good enough dosage of painkillers to make him forget the pain…or his manners."

Yang sighed a little dramatically, "What did he do?"

"He told my friend that she has a 'world-class ass'. She would have slapped him had I not stopped her just in time." The nurse replied, laughing a little and not hearing the noises of a struggle from out in the main hall over the sounds of various injured patients who were crying or screaming from the pain, or the mourning cries of those who had lost loved ones that day.

The blonde brawler smirked, "Yep, that sounds just like my uncle when he's on meds."

"Just when he's intoxicated? I thought that's just how he normally acts." Weiss remarked.

"Hey, I heard that!" spoke a familiar voice. The four women all turned to see Qrow, his bare torso covered with white gauze that was wrapped tight around his wounds and with his jacket wrapped around his shoulders, "And for the record her ass is only the second best I've seen in the last twenty-four hours!"

He took notice of Ruby his face grew serious as he walked in, ignoring a Vauco Ranger corporal who was coming up behind him, growling angrily, "I said, get back in bed Mr. Branwen!"

"I'll rest after I've checked on my niece, asshole!" Qrow shouted furiously, his voice a tad slurred.

"Let him go!" Another ranger appeared, this one of sergeant rank, coming up from behind, "We've got more important things to worry about than wrestling this drunkard. Come on, they need us to help carry in more wounded from the main gates, and there are some serious cases!"

The ranger glared at Qrow and barked, "I expect you to be back in bed when we return, Branwen!" He glared at the veteran huntsman for a moment more before stomping off with the corporal hurrying behind him.

"Sure thing, jackass." Qrow muttered, not really caring what the rangers were saying as he kept his eyes on Ruby, "Are you girls all right?"

"I'm okay, Uncle Qrow. We're all okay, just really tired,." Yang told him as she went over and gave the dusty old crow a big hug, "What about you?"

"I'll have you know this is only the fourth worse hole I've had in my torso." Qrow answered with a smirk as he hugged his older niece, "Are you sure you're okay? What about Ruby, what happened to her?"

"She's just exhausted, Uncle Qrow. Total aura drain and she recently used her silver eyes to take out that Sphinx." The blonde brawler explained.

"With some help, I might add." Weiss interjected as she scooted her chair closer to Ruby.

"Right, we all helped, but Ruby and Weiss were the ones to actually kill it. And she fainted because we got some…really bad news." Yang told him as he walked over to Ruby, reaching out to gently brush some hair out of her face.

"Bad news?" Qrow repeated, looking out of the nearest window at the badly damaged city, several trails of black and grey smoke mixing into the dark clouds above, ready to pour rain down on the capital, "Well, considering what we just went through today, I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. So spill, what else happened?"

"Atlas was attacked too, a massive Grimm invasion. Several cities, towns and army bases were hit…we don't know everything yet, but it doesn't look good." Blake spoke up, noticing the nurse's eyes widening a little as she fought to remain silent.

Qrow's face blanched a little at Blake's words, and muttered, "Shit." He sat down heavily in one of the empty chairs in the room before looking over to Ruby, "She looks like she's in a coma. Are you sure she'll be okay?"

"I've examined her to the best of my abilities. Miss Rose should wake up in a few hours after she regains her strength. She needs rest to do that, and so do you Mr Branwen, so I think you should also go back to your room." The nurse told him quietly.

"Couldn't I just stay here? I mean, you got two beds." The alcoholic huntsman argued.

"The other bed is already taken, I'm afraid." The nurse said as she gestured over to the sleeping Tom Allcroft.

"Wait, what's Tom doing here?" Qrow wondered.

"Long story, I'll tell you about it on the way back." Yang said as she moved over to help her uncle stand up. She looked over to her sleeping little sister, and noticed that Weiss had now moved her chair right next to Ruby's bed and was laying her folded arms down onto the bed and resting her head atop them, "Blake, stay here and look after them. I'll be back soon."

Blake nodded and gave her a thumbs up as Yang helped Qrow out of the room and back down the hallway towards his assigned quarters. As they walked together, Yang filled in some of the details for him, telling him of Jaune and Pyrrha recovering the Aura Crystal from Ante's Enforcers, a bit of what she knew of the attacks Atlas suffered and elaborating on how the Sphinx was killed just as they walked through the crowds and eventually entered Qrow's given room.

"Damn, we've all had a busy day." The older Huntsman commented as his niece eased him onto the bed.

Yang nodded and sighed, sitting at the foot of her uncle's bed. She looked out of the window not far away, noticing that the rain was now pouring from a grey-colored sky, perfectly fitting the mood everyone was feeling within the capital.

"Uncle Qrow?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, firecracker?" Came the grunted reply.

"Do you think we'll be okay?" Yang asked, uncertainty obvious in her voice.

Qrow slowly sat up in his bed, looking at his niece with a somber face. "I don't know," He admitted eventually, "I know things may look bad now, and I know how utterly screwed it all feels…but we can't give up just because we had taken a few bad punches."

"I won't give up. Never again." Yang promised, dismissing her fear of becoming a depressed wreck like she had after losing her arm after the fall of Beacon Academy, "I won't let any of us quit, including myself."

Qrow smiled as he rested a hand on his bandaged torso and feeling the wounds ache, seeing so much of his elder sister Raven and Taiyang within his older niece. It was what he liked about Yang, she was a perfect blend of both of their best personality traits and strengths.

"You worried about Ruby?" He inquired.

"Not really," She answered, "I mean, kind of, but I know my sister. She's strong, even stronger than me. She'll wake up after a good rest and…and maybe then we can figure out what to do."

Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder, making the blonde look at him, "You know, I remember the day you were born. I was nervous, and I had been thinking for months about being an uncle, gods that made me feel old. I didn't know want to think…other than sympathy for Tai when Raven broke every bone in his hand when she was giving birth to you."

They both laughed for a moment before he continued, "But the first time I held you in my arms, this tiny little thing with reddish-white skin and a puffy face…I knew then that I loved you, and that I would do anything to keep you safe."

Yang smiled back at her uncle, "You lived up to that, you stayed even when mom left."

"I had to. And when Ruby was born to your father and Summer…oh man, you're probably too little to remember, but when she was giving birth to your sister, Summer accidentally broke Taiyang's arm!" Qrow managed to tell Yang through wild laughter, until he groaned a little and held his bandaged side.

Yang didn't remember it vividly, but she did have vague memories of Taiyang wearing a cast when Ruby was new. Qrow managed to calm down a bit before adding, "The first time I held Ruby was after they let you look at her. I remember how you just kept looking at her when you first saw your little sister. You kissed her little head…and she cooed back so cutely that even Summer was surprised. Oh man, when I had to take you home for the night you cried so hard because you didn't want to leave your daddy, Summer and your baby sister."

"I remember when they brought her home a few days later, you were so excited. After a while I took you upstairs to play but instead you were looking for something, and soon you found Summer's clothes hamper that was shaped like a house. You tried to open the little door painted on the side and then I opened the 'roof' to let you look inside, and the moment you saw your old pink blanket on top of the clean clothes you instantly cried 'Baby!' and ran to the stairs. I had to chase after you because we were all paranoid about you falling and getting hurt, but thankfully you had learned to wait for me, standing at the edge of the steps and looking up to me with your hands held out so I could help you down. Once we were on the first floor, you rocketed away into the living room where Summer was lying next to Ruby, who was sleeping while wrapped within a blanket on the floor. You sat down in front of Ruby and put another smaller blanket over her, telling us 'Baby sissy asleep. Shhh!"

Yang smiled, blushing over the cute story from when she was a toddler. She had always done her best to look after Ruby, and after what had happened at Haven she wouldn't let Ruby go alone ever again.

"But, yeah…yeah I know things look bad now. I know a lot of innocent people are dead, and so many of them shouldn't be," Qrow sighed, his face growing grim and serious, "But we owe it to them to keep going and not give in to fear and rage. I know it sounds like a platitude, but it's true, because if we back down we're letting our fear control us, while more innocent people will suffer and we can't let that happen. When Raven and I went down the path of hunting Grimm, we meant it. I wanted to be better than my parents…better than my tribe…"

He didn't notice the careful look Yang gave him as he mentioned the tribe, his red eyes fixed on the slowly spinning fan above him.

"I wanted my life to mean something, to really matter. Whenever I look at you and Ruby, I know it has. So whatever comes next, we have to stand together and keep on moving forward in order to survive. We've got to win this, because I don't even want to consider the alternative." Qrow finished, looking at his niece with a smile that did nothing to hide just how tired he looked.

"And we will." Yang swore as she offered him her flesh and blood hand.

Qrow managed a smile and accepted, only to be pulled forward by Yang and hugged once more.

"Love you, Uncle Qrow." She said, "Thanks for the prep talk."

"Anytime," He returned with a tired smile, "Love you too, blondie."

Yang pulled away and stood up off the bed, telling him, "I'm heading back to see Ruby, just get some rest and let the antidotes and aura go to work. I'll be back to check on you later."

Qrow nodded as he lay back down, his head meeting the cool pillow as he pulled the blankets over his body as he watched his older niece leave the room. His mind was filled with worries and hopes, but staying awake was a losing battle thanks to the tremendous amounts of painkillers and drugs running through his system, so after checking that Reaper was lying within his reach, the dusty Huntsman let himself fall asleep.

Yang walked down the hall of the medical wing's first floor, the sounds of pained cries from the wounded and urgent voices coming from various medical staff sprouting out a variety of medical terms echoed around her. She had to step aside as a couple of nurses frantically wheeled a groaning Huntsman who had a particularly nasty chest wound that was oozing blood into an adjacent corridor presumably leading to the operation theatres. It was distressing, but after witnessing all that had happened with the Fall of Beacon, the battles of Haven City and the White Fang headquarters, she was sadly becoming used to such situations.

She couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness while looking at the many injured and maimed people around her, and while there was no denying that things looked bad, Yang sincerely hoped that the dark clouds hanging over the city had a silver lining to them.

The brawler walked back to Ruby's room, only to find more guests already there; Anna and Clara Allcroft. The latter was weeping as she sat on her knees by the top of the bed, concernedly caressing her little brother's sleeping face, while Anna sat in a chair near the bed, wiping tears from her eyes.

Yang looked over to Blake, who leaned against the wall near Ruby's bed with her arms crossed while Weiss was fast asleep, her white-haired head lying on the bed quite close to Ruby herself. "They came in a few minutes ago, they heard about Tom from the rangers on patrol and convinced them in." The Cat Faunus elaborated quietly. Yang nodded and sympathized with the girls, as she remembered how she had acted when Ruby had been unconscious for so long after the Vytal disaster.

"Oh Oum…" Clara sobbed as she pulled up the gown covering Tom's body, seeing his midsection tightly wrapped in gauze, covering up the entry wound he had received from the Lancer. His bare, lightly-muscled upper body was covered in sweat as the anti-toxins worked with his aura and immune system to fight off the poisonous venom injected by the Wasp Grimm. Anna stood up and gently pulled Clara's hand away from the gown, letting it cover the wound once more.

"Why do you have to be so brave?" She groaned, her voice rich in sadness and frustration.

"I guess this is just something all older siblings have to do." Yang replied, announcing her arrival.

The Allcroft twins looked to the busty blonde, Anna giving her a simple nod of acknowledgement while Clara said, "Fancy running into you lot again."

"Probably the least surprising thing about today, considering what we had just went through." Blake remarked.

"I hear that." Anna whispered before she looked past the room's window at the smoke and rain mixing together, seeing pile of rubble where beautiful statue-covered buildings used to be, the heavy taps of rain adding to the near-constant wailing of sirens all around the capital, "When I woke up today, I didn't expect any of…this."

"None of us did." Yang agreed as she sat down in a chair next to Clara, "And it got so out of control so fast. On the bright side, at least we kept it from getting any worse."

"Could it be any worse?" Anna asked in a worried tone.

"It can always be worse." Blake stated calmly while gesturing with her fingers, "My Aunt Kali taught me to be grateful for what I have and always look on the positive side. I suppose I didn't actually learn that lesson until it was too late. So considering how many Grimm were destroyed today and that we're still alive, I would say we should be grateful and appreciate what we managed to accomplish."

"I guess that's true. We might be missing out on the payment of money from the Hau Bakuhatsu job, but at least we didn't lose him." Clara said, gazing to her younger brother.

The Allcroft sister sighed and continued, "I guess that's too bad; it would have been a big score for us. At least that shipment apparently went to good use."

Anna looked at Clara and said, "Actually, I'm more worried about whether we have to pay compensation to that mining company for losing their shipment! Not to mention to the insurance company about our damaged family train!"

"One thing at a time, Anna." Clara rubbed her temples, "We can deal with it together after Tom is discharged from here."

"Once your bro's awake and Team CFVY, Ren and Nora are freed up, they'll tell you all about it," Yang mentioned, "But I wonder if that mining job is a lead to anything? I mean, maybe our enemies secretly arranged for the Hau Bakuhatsu to be here to do more damage?"

"I doubt it, the major mining company Tom got in contact with has gotten special permission from the Vacuo Council to use it. They had all the relevant documents and everything too. From what I do know, they were going to have us deliver it so as not to draw any unwanted attention, and so they could save on government funds." Clara clarified cautiously.

"Guess some things never change." Blake mused as Anna slowly stood up, watching her brother's steadily rising and falling chest.

"We nearly lost him." She said sadly, "We promised mom that we would always look out for each other, and we nearly failed that promise, sis…"

Clara stood up and hugged her twin tenderly, "Tom did this to protect us, and everyone else. Our brother's a hero. He's stubborn and cheeky, but he's a hero."

Sniffing, Anna nodded as Clara helped her sit down. Yang smiled at them, happy that the Allcroft siblings had made it through the day and was grateful to Tom for his quick thinking, but then the blonde noticed that the sleeping Wiess had placed her hand atop Ruby's, her fingers grasping it gently and affectionately.

Before she had more time to think about it; Clara who had also looked at the sleeping Ruby and Weiss posed a question, "So, what happened to them?"

"Long story." Blake replied, sharing a look with Yang.

"I think we'll have time for it." The Allcroft twin remarked, "It's not like we're going anywhere."

Yang shook her questions about Weiss away, and with help from Blake, began to explain as much of the present situation to the Allcroft twins as she could. They both watched as Anna and Clara's faces changed into a variety of emotions ranging from surprise, shock and even some revulsion when they mentioned that a Grimm hybrid actually orchestrated the main attack on the Vacuoan capital city. Both Allcroft sisters struggled to take all what they were told in, but all things considered they didn't actually freak out over the more action-packed moments of Blake and Yang's account of what Team Beacon went through during the Sphinx fight.

A few moments after they finished, footsteps outside Ruby and Tom's room announced the arrival of Team JNPR. "Knock knock!" Nora announced as she stepped inside, "Ruby's still out?"

"Yeah, she needs her rest, but she's gonna be okay." Yang confirmed as she looked to Pyrrha, noticing the latter's reddened eyes, "Speaking of which, are you okay there, Pyr?"

"I'll be all right, I just had to get it out of me." Pyrrha responded before she turned to look at Weiss, "Will she be all right?"

"Ice Princess here? She's just exhausted, and suffered a near total aura drain," Blake stated before smiling at the younger members of Team RWBY, "They both made us proud today."

"Oh, that's Tom!" Nora piped up as she took notice of his sleeping form opposite Ruby, "How's he doing?"

A few short moments then passed as Blake and Yang told them about Tom's current condition.

"That's good news. He took a nasty sting, and he's very lucky it didn't go through his body or pierced any vital organs." Ren commented, making Anna cringe at the mental image.

"Ren!" Nora hissed, nudging him and nodding to the sisters.

"My apologies." The green ninja quickly excused.

"We were all incredibly lucky he came along when he did. Who knows how much damage that Deathworm could have done before the Vacuo Rangers and Desert Guards would finally wear it down." Jaune said as Pyrrha took notice of both twins.

"I take it you're his sisters?" She asked softly.

"That's us, and if I may say Miss Nikos, it's nice to meet you." Anna said from her seat, "And you are certainly prettier in person than I expected you to be."

"Yeah, we always liked watching you on the broadcasts, especially during the fighting rounds at the Mistral Regional Tournaments, kind of expected it to be all makeup, but you're pretty good looking," Clara added, "So, how was it defying the reaper?"

Despite herself Pyrrha flinched, which was something Jaune immediately took notice of, but answered as calmly as she could, "Not pleasant."

Anna shot her sister a withering glare before saying, "Manners!"

"Sorry." Clara offered meekly.

"It's fine, I'm used to it." Pyrrha told them politely, "We were just stopping by to check in on you guys, especially Ruby."

"She, Weiss and Uncle Qrow will be okay." Yang jabbed a robotic finger in the direction of what she thought was Qrow's room at the far end of the crowded hallway, "Quite frankly they're lucky as hell compared to a lot of other people who've been sent here." She remarked, still looking out at the rain-stained window.

"No arguing with that." Jaune agreed, glancing at the sleeping Weiss, "We just received a message from Ross, Hyperion One has landed back at Shade Academy and Ciel is assisting lieutenant Khalil and his ranger squad in off-loading what medical supplies we can spare. We're going to the landing pads to go secure everything. Do you want us to help take Weiss to the ship so she doesn't have to sleep like that?"

Yang looked down at her sister and her partner before smiling and replied, "Nah, I think they'll be okay. Besides, Ruby could use the company."

"That's right." Blake agreed with a small smile.

"Look on the bright side; at least the worst is behind us." Nora quipped as she looked around.

As if to play a cruel joke on Nora, the public address system within the medical ward suddenly announced, "This is an emergency. All security forces inside and within the vicinity of Shade Academy, please report immediately to your squad leaders and proceed to the main courtyard. Be prepared to enact civil unrest and rioting protocols."

The stamping of many pairs of booted feet were heard as a few fully armed squads of Vacuo Rangers ran past the main corridor outside the medical ward, shortly followed by several more security guards carrying riot shields and tear-gas grenade launchers. Even the less wounded rangers and desert guard officers within the medical ward quickly pulled on their uniforms and grabbed their weapons, making for the exit despite the protests of the medical staff still attending to them.

"R-Rioting protocols?" Pyrrha asked anxiously.

"Nora, do you really have to jinx it?" Jaune groaned.

The hammer-wielding girl winced as she rubbed her head a little embarrassed, "Sorry!"

"All able-bodied Huntsmen and Huntresses, please proceed to the main courtyard as well. This is an emergency." The loudspeakers blared again, "Be prepared for possible Grimm incursions."

Blake, Yang and Team JNPR looked at each other, before Yang looked to Anna and Clara and said, "Can you take care of Ruby and Weiss for us? We will be back as quickly as we can."

"No problem," Anna gave her a thumbs-up while her twin nodded her head, "Just do whatever you need and come back in one piece."

"Good, let's go." Jaune said as he turned to leave, the rest hurrying behind him.

"Hey, where are you kids think you're all going?" A gruff voice reached their ears and they all turned to see Qrow staggering towards them with Reaper clutched in one fist, "At least not without me!"

"Uncle Qrow, I don't think you should come with us." Yang said as she allowed her uncle to lean on her shoulder, "You're injured, and you need rest."

"You kiddin' me? How can I sleep with all this noise?" The avian Huntsman complained as they made their way out of the medical wing, "Besides, I want to know what the hell's going on now!"

A ringing sound interrupted them, and Jaune brought up his scroll to check the caller's identity. He looked to everyone gathered and said, "It's Sharp Strike," He answered the phone, "Jaune here. What's the situation?" They watched Jaune's blue eyes widen as he heard more and more of what Sharp Strike was telling him, "Are you serious? That's what happening? I see…but what about the Maidens? Does Luna know about this?"

Qrow glared at him and questioned, "Well, spit it out blondie, what's happening?"

"Excuse me for a moment." Jaune removed his scroll from his ear, swallowed and said, "The…The people of Vacuo City are demanding to see the Summer Maiden. There's already a few hundred people at the main gates of Shade Academy, and still more are coming."

What remaining blood drained visibly from Qrow's face as his red eyes quickly widened and new fear crept onto his face, "Oh no."

They all immediately ran towards the main courtyard.

---

Surrounded by walls and only accessible by a secret elevator within Luna's office, the cavernous circular chamber was a particularly secluded place that was known to a small handful of trusted individuals and fewer even had the chance to enter save for those who were of the secret order. Located within the oldest and deepest chambers of Shade Academy, it served as the perfect place for Luna to speak to the other Guardians of Remnant and yet be able to keep any remaining secrets from slipping out to unknowing ears.

The chamber was crowded with holographic figures belonging to various important individuals within the highest levels of the Kingdoms' governments and Huntsman Academies; Alexandra Maximilius of the Atlas Council, Headmistress Jacqueline Mapel of Atlas Academy, Headmaster Argo of Haven Academy, the Headmaster of Mistral Academy and the lead Councilwoman of the Mistral Council. In addition, several members belonging to the Guardians of Remnant Order was also present as well; Ozpin, Glynda, General Ironwood, Councilman Henry from the Vale Council, Grand Knight Master Seraph and his four Knight Castellans of Air, Earth, Fire and Water. Also present were the other three members of the Vacuo Council, whose holographic images were projected through heavily secure links from the council palace.

The Knight Vanguards Fire Walker and Wind Runner as well as the prognosticator Storm Bringer stood behind Luna and Rosea silently, their helmets facing forward with their gauntleted hands by their sides, and not a single word escaped from their severe-looking faceplates.

"By the Four Gods…you're certain?" Ironwood's holographic image asked Sister Rosea.

The old holy woman nodded gravely, "I'm afraid so, General. Despite Brothers Braun and Sublam's best efforts, the individual known as Watts still managed to escape via some sort of dark portal."

"He has taken both of the ancient scrolls; the one hidden in the Grand Temple of Vacuo, and the other within the Solaria Crescent Orphanage." Luna added sadly, "Chief Librarian Vidya and his staff tried to stop Watts, but they were all gunned down mercilessly by Grimm Knights that somehow managed to penetrate the temple's outer and inner defences."

"So it's reasonable to assume that the locations of two of the Relics are known to the enemy," Seraph's holographic image mentioned darkly, "This is...unpleasant news."

"Unpleasant? It's downright apocalyptic!" Maximilius exclaimed, her stoic mask breaking slightly, "As if things were already bad enough in both, now our enemy possessed the tools to find the sacred Relics that would give them a chance to do enough damage to make today's tragedies look like a schoolyard brawl."

"That is indeed a deeply disturbing thought." Councilman Henry mentioned cautiously, "And according to what Sister Rosea has told us, the compromised Relics are the ones hidden in the desert and the sea."

"Councilwoman Maximilius's words ring true, but all is not yet lost." Ozpin pointed out, "Even if Salem should obtain these relics, they would only have half of them. She wants the power of all four Maidens, and all four Relics as well."

"So that leaves the one relic near Mistral, deep within its mountain jungles." Luna began, a hand on her chin.

"And the final one within the possession of the Order," Seraph continued solemnly, "As long as a single Remnant Knight draws breath, she won't have it. Tintagel could possibly be the last line of defense should they somehow discover its location yet."

"It might need not come to that, Grand Knight Master." Rosea spoke up before anyone else can interrupt her, "We still have another way to prevent the enemy from reaching the two compromised Relics."

"I beg your pardon, Sister Rosea?" The hologram of Maximilius gestured with her fingers as she glared at the elderly Caribou Faunus, "Considering that you and Vidya practically handed the enemy the means to find the Relics, how are we going to get ahead of them when we don't even have the maps?"

The elderly priestess raised an eyebrow as she held up her walking staff for all the gathered individuals to see, "One must always have a little faith in others, Chancellor. You see, I always knew there was a chance the enemy would make a move on the Relics and think me an easy target, so I prepared for such a scenario…"

She slowly twisted her walking staff with both hands, producing a soft click that echoed around the meeting chambers. The top part of the wooden staff came away as she unscrewed it, revealing a hidden compartment where Rosea reached in with two fingers and pulled out two tightly-wound paper scrolls.

"You made a backup copy of the maps?" Luna asked, astonished.

"I thought the original maps were sort of copy-protected?" Headmaster Argo raised his question.

"Indeed they were." Ozpin gave a nod as the holograms of many others turned to look at him, "We don't know how the maps were protected, but after consulting with our associates within the Knight Order we believe the maps must have some form of special enchantments to protect them from being copied."

Ironwood grunted in agreement and added, "We have tried scanning the maps with advanced Atlesian-made cameras and video systems in the past, but the images are always blurred and the playbacks' all turned out to be severely corrupted. The maps themselves appears to be memory-resistant as well, since those who saw it can only remember small bits and pieces of the details, but they always slip away over time."

"In other words, you can't make practical copies of it." One of the Vacuo Council members responded, plainly frowning.

"Yes, but Sister Rosea clearly found another way," Glynda's hologram looked to the holy woman, "Can you enlighten us on what you did to make those?"

Rosea took a small breath to calm her nerves before speaking, "A number of years ago, I secretly reached out to a trusted associate of mine who was a mapmaker. He had a unique Semblance that allows him to memorize copious amounts of details without leaving out anything, and after I swore him to secrecy he painstakingly created a copy of both Relic maps with his own pair of hands over a course of five days within the Grand Temple of Vacuo."

"I would consider this a serious breach of the rules laid down by the Guardians of Remnant, but quite frankly I'm more relieved than anything." Councilman Henry said with a heavy voice, his hologram shimmering.

"And you trust this mapmaker?" Ironwood's hologram put to Rosea who nodded, "Where is he now? How do we know he didn't secretly create another copy for himself?"

The senior priestess shook her head sadly for a moment and answered, "The mapmaker I consulted passed away due to old age a little over four years ago. From what I do know; before he died, he informed me that he never made any other copies other than those two pieces he made for me," She paused for a moment and looked at the gathered Guardians of Remnant, Remnant Knights and various council members, "I took every possible precaution to ensure that these maps I'm holding now-" She gave a little wave to illustrate her point, "-are the only copies on Remnant. I kept true to the oath I swore to when you recruited met."

"Headmistress Luna, can you verify the contents of the copies?" Ozpin looked at the Shade Headmistress who held up her hands to receive the maps from Sister Rosea. The elderly Faunus passed it to her who ran a careful eye over the contents of both scrolls for several seconds before giving it to Fire Walker, Wind Runner and Storm Bringer who scrutinized the aforementioned pair of items carefully before they turned to look back at their own Knight Castellans and confirmed that the maps were genuine copies.

"Fellow Guardians; the map copies commissioned by Sister Rosea have all the relevant information on the two compromised Relics and their individual locations," Luna began speaking again, "This means we still have a chance to find and retrieve them before Salem."

"Atlas and Vacuo are already bleeding badly from her sudden strikes," Ironwood sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment, "We need to fix the damage and reinforce both Kingdoms as much as possible before we can even think of sending out Teams of people we trust to find and secure the two Relics from their respective temples."

"And then there's the problem of the broken oaths." The head Councilwoman of the Mistral Council mentioned softly, "And how we handle this problem with the guardian who broke them."

"I take my oaths very seriously." Rosea's fingers gripped her walking staff tighter, "But I'll not have the blood of innocent orphans and fellow caretakers on my hands. Watts was preparing to murder them with his robots, and it was due to my careful handling of the dangerous situation that saved all of their lives."

"Be that as it may, you are still sworn to protect such secret information from the agents of Salem." Maximilius pointed out, "You have endangered millions of other innocents by giving them the maps to those Relics."

"And do you wish me to live with the blood of innocents staining my hands?" The old antler-crowned woman retorted, "What else could I do? It was the best I could do under the strenuous circumstances, and the Grimm Knights were about to execute every orphan and caretaker in the room! If I didn't agree to Watts' terms, they would have all died and he would probably have other ways to threaten me further until I eventually gave him what he wanted."

Uneasy murmurs and whispers met her words for a few seconds before Luna decided to take control of the conversation again.

"Sister Rosea is right," The Headmistress of Shade Academy looked at the many holograms as she spoke, "She did what she could. But she managed to buy enough time for several Temple Guardians to be alerted to Watts' intrusion and they responded as quickly as they could."

"If it's any consolation, he didn't get away unharmed either." Rosea added a second later, "Brother Sublam gave him a brutal beating before he somehow managed to escape with some form of dark magic, possibly given by Salem to him."

"My point still stands," Maximilus' hologram gestured with a finger, "Watts escaped with the stolen information, and even if Sister Rosea handed it over under threat and coercion, she still broke…"

"Assigning blame is not the primary problem here." Luna felt her fingers clench when she noticed Rosea lowering her head in what looked like shame, "We can point fingers later, but now we need to sort out the huge mess that's facing us at the moment. Vacuo City is barely standing as it is, and we already know what happened to Atlas from General Ironwood and Chancellor Maximilius…"

An urgent beeping sound interrupted Luna's next words, and she reached up with one hand to activate her private communication channel with the Vacuo Rangers, "Pardon me a moment. Yes, lieutenant Khalil? I'm currently in an urgent meeting..."

She gasped in sudden shock, surprising everyone present. The silence was deafening as every hologram and individual focused their attention on Luna.

"What?" Even Rosea looked up in alarm when she saw Luna's eyes widen severely and her mouth drop open, "What do they want? No, it can't be…this will only make things worse! Notify every available Vacuo Ranger and Desert Guard officer right now! I want the situation contained before it gets any worse!"

"What's wrong?" Ironwood's normally cautious face cracked a little.

"I just received an emergency report. The people of Vacuo City are demanding to see the Summer Maiden. A large number of panicked civilians had already gathered outside the Academy, and I fear the numbers will increase drastically in mere hours." The tan-skinned headmistress mentioned.

"And where are the remaining Maidens?" Glynda looked at Luna as she queried.

"Safe. They're with Team Beacon and several Knights in Shade Academy's library," Luna revealed, "And I've taken the liberty of stationing additional security forces on standby should they need evacuation."

"If it comes to that, Breath of the Wild Storms and Endless Inferno can evacuate the Spring and Summer Maidens easily and swiftly," Seraph's voice came from his hologram and the other Knight Castellans nodded.

"We need to ensure the safety of both Spring and Summer Maidens first," Maximilius proposed as she looked around, "Perhaps if they can be both brought to Atlas City…"

"Out of the question," Ironwood denied, shaking his head, "Forgive me Chancellor, but that will only make Atlas susceptible to an even bigger invasion if Salem or any of her agents managed to discover even a whisper of their presence here!"

"Then what would you have us do, General?" Maximilius pushed back with a careful glare and her voice raised slightly, "Our enemy has the powers of two Seasonal Maidens now, and it's just a matter of time before they hunt down both Spring and Summer. Are we going to wait around for them to strike another deathblow at us again?! Look outside the capital James! People are dying!"

"Alexandra, you need to get a grip." Glynda spoke quietly.

"Agreed," Ozpin nodded as he rested both hands on his clockwork cane, "Neither anger or fear can benefit us now."

"Flaring tempers aside, how are you going to appease these frightened masses?" The Headmaster of Mistral Academy turned his gaze to meet Luna's, "They want to see the Summer Maiden, and if things go bad the capital might very well not survive the night."

"If you let them go out, they'll be open targets!" Argo pointed out.

"Stop treating them like lifeless objects! The Maidens have names of their own!" Rosea responded hotly, jabbing her walking staff directly at the assembled Council members, "Amethyst Rilo and Heliosia Ainea! They are not your pawns-"

"Mind your manners, Sister Rosea." Luna spoke firmly but not unkindly, pushing down the holy woman's staff with one hand, "We may need to declare martial law, and seal Vacuo City up tight until the current crisis blows over. The Remnant Knights will then evacuate along with the two Maidens on board the Knight Order's airships, and Team Beacon will follow them on the Hyperion One. It's not much of a plan, but this is the best I can come up with on such a short notice."

Her private communication channel beeped again, and Luna swore under her breath before accepting the latest report, "Luna here, what is it? What? Where's the Summer Maiden?"

"Please don't tell me that the Summer Maiden has gone missing." Headmaster Argo covered his face in one hand.

"It's worse than that," Luna could barely speak the next few words, "She's going to reveal herself to the city."

This chapter was co-written by Relentless Crusader

Please check out the DoR Fall Special!

Fun fact: The title of this chapter was among the first chapter titles I conceived back in February of 2016, meant to be the title of chapter 20. I decided to change it, but it finally got its chance to shine here.

Qrow's story about baby Yang and Ruby was inspired by my niece reacting to her baby cousin and sister and the way she acts around them.

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