Chapter 9, The Beginning of the Trials

Lybaria's fifth realm

There was a sudden white flash of light over a remote dirt road in a forest of leafless trees. A portal took form, and the sound of a motorized bike engine came from its glistening white vortex. A moment later, Qrow and Pyrrha emerged from the portal as they drove down the dirt road. Qrow drove several feet from the portal before sliding his bike to a sudden stop. They paused there momentarily. Qrow lifted his gaze, glancing back at Pyrrha.

"Red?" He said.

To his relief, Pyrrha looked up at him in turn. She turned and looked around to see where they were.

"Did we...?" She asked curiously.

Qrow nodded his head.

"Yeah... we did." Qrow insisted.

Pyrrha sighed in relief that they had escaped from the Empress's apprentice, only to hear the portal flicking from off to her left. She turned to the portal and saw it disbursed with a bright flash, vanishing from sight. Pyrrha frowned, looking on in contempt, attempting to reach out her hand. What had been the way they had come from the Kingdom of Lothadare vanished before their eyes, along with any chance of ever seeing Auron or the others again.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She turned back to face forward over the bike, frowning, heartbroken that she had left behind her Teammates, especially when they were at the mercy of Cinder and her followers. She knew it was for the best. She and Qrow could not stay in Lothadare after the council discovered they were not true citizens of Lothadare. However, they were still close to her, and being forced to leave them behind felt intolerable.

Just as it was hard for her to be forced to leave behind her family in Arthamore.

Pyrrha felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing up, she saw Qrow looking back at her sympathetically. He knew she must be thinking about her fellow Teammates.

"I'm sorry, Red... I'm sure they are alright," He said.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, shifting her glance to the side. She appreciated that Qrow tried to make her feel better, and she knew Auron, Hanako, and Keith were formidably trained. They were more than capable of handling themselves. Yet even still, the Empress's apprentice seemed like a formidable foe in herself—more so than even she or Qrow. She could only hope that they as well managed to escape as they did.

"I hope..." she said.

Qrow sighed. He then shifted his glance down the dirt road through the woods.

"I guess this is how far the Pendant can take us. We got a long drive ahead of us," He said.

Pyrrha shifted her glance ahead down the road.

"How far are we from Haven?" She asked.

"If I have to guess, we are in Lybaria's fifth realm. Haven is in the Odeia Mountains to the East," Qrow insisted to her.

"Rueben said there's a village a mile from where the portal will open. It will be about 125 miles from there. We need to reach it before Nightfall."

Pyrrha nodded her head.

"Right," she said.

Qrow revved the leaver of his bike before turning around and driving ahead down the road.

The Leviathan

The doors to the ship's date banks slid open as Cinder, accompanied by Admiral Syrus, walked inside. They approached one of the Intelligence officers, who turned in attention to the Empress's apprentice.

"Lady Cinder, may we be of service?" He questioned.

"Yes, I need access to the data files we retrieved from Ataria," Cinder said.

The officer nodded their head.

"Of course, my lady," He said with a nod.

The officer turned and walked over to one of the monitors as Cinder and Admiral Syrus walked after the Intelligence officer. Syrus gave an inquisitive glance at Cinder.

"Revisiting the past, are we? Exactly what are you looking for?" He asked.

"My time in Lothadare has revealed a very entrancing discovery. The Prodigy was not the only one we encountered," Cinder proclaimed.

"I don't understand," Syrus insisted.

The two approached the monitor, and the Intelligence officers searched the ship's databanks for data on Ataria. Not long after, the data appeared on the monitor.

"These are all the current files we have on Ataria, my Lady," The officer insisted.

Cinder came forward as she faced the Monitor.

"Do we have the files on all the Knights of Ataria?" Cinder asked, glancing at them.

The Intelligence officer turned back to their fellow officer, gesturing their head to them. They then entered the code into the red holographic Keyboard. An entire list of over a hundred files appeared on the monitor. Cinder smirked

"Perfect, begin deciphering the files," Cinder said.

The Drive to the village was one in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the Bikes' motors and the autumn breeze. Qrow was hunched over the bike, maneuvering it through the woods along the narrow road, with Pyrrha holding onto each side as he drove. Though her gaze was not to be ahead on the journey, she continued to look back at the way they came. She squinted her eyes, frowning in contempt.

They were getting further away from Lothadare itself, away from Auron, Hanako, Keith, and everyone they had ever met, though they already were. The moment they used the Pendant, great distance came to take its place between them. Forever separating them. That being, all except for one...

Blake.

Glancing down to her side, Blake's weapon, Shrouded Gambol, was over her right hip. It was the only thing she had left of her friend from the Night the White Fang attacked. What symbolized the promise she had made to her before leaving Lothadare was that she would help bring prosperity to her people. She reached down her hand and placed it firmly over the handle of Shrouded Gambol. She knew she would at least be taking a part of her on this long journey ahead.

As she continued to reminisce, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"I am sorry, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha lifted her glance with a look of realization.

"Akara?" she said.

"I know how hard it must be to leave them behind. Especially those you have grown to," Akara said.

"But they were not destined to follow you on this journey."

Pyrrha sighed.

"I know that," She said.

"You mustn't dwell on what is now behind you, Pyrrha. You must only continue to look forward on," Akara proclaimed to her.

"The challenges that lie ahead are soon to come. You must only concern yourself with them—not just for their sake but for the sake of all the realms."

Pyrrha turned forward over the bike in contempt. She narrowed her eyes, frowning. The idea of leaving behind the friends she had made felt so difficult, even knowing that she would be forced to do so. Yet even still, Akara did indeed speak the truth. There was no use in dwelling on the past. She needed to keep moving forward and become Akara's successor as the Knight of Martanus, not just for their sake but for all realms.

Pyrrha's glance shifted, and they glanced above the tree at the horizon overhead. There, she noticed a large black cloud of smoke that rose above the sky. Pyrrha squinted her eyes.

"Smoke?" She said.

"Oh, no..." Akara said.

The concern in her mentor's voice caused Pyrrha to become so herself. She shifted her to Qrow.

"Qrow..." she said.

"What is it, red?" he said, glancing back at her.

It was there she noticed her gaze looking ahead toward the horizon. Qrow cock his head toward the horizon ahead, causing him to bring his bike to a sudden stop. He then peered ahead in awe at the sight of the smoke overhead. As if knowing just where it was coming from.

"Is that...?" Pyrrha asked, shifting her glance down at Qrow.

Qrow did not answer and revved the engine as he continued down the narrow road.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the village, emerging from the forest along the dirt road. Qrow suddenly pulled on the bike's brakes, and the bike slid to a stop. There, the two gazed in shock and contempt at the village.

Or what was left of it.

Most of the houses were burned to the ground, and only a few of their burned frames and walls are still standing. Smoke rose into the clouded sky above from their ruins, which only meant that whatever happened here was recent. The streets were completely deserted and littered with debris. The village's appearance alone signified that it was the victim of some battle.

Qrow stood up from his bike as he stepped toward the ruins. Pyrrha turned back to him.

"Qrow?" she asked.

He would not say anything back to her and continued walking toward the village. Only to the pause as he continued to stare out over the village. His gaze was both horror and contempt at what he saw. Yet, simultaneously, some of him feared and knew this would happen. Rueban had advised him that the Grimm had been advancing upon Lybaria. He never thought it would be this soon that they would be here in Lybaria's realms.

Pyrrha stood up from off the bike as she walked over to Qrow.

"What happened here?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow turned back to face her, shaking his head.

"It's not good, Red. They're here... in Lybaria!" Qrow said.

"Much sooner than we had thought."

Pyrrha's eyes widened at the realization of his words. She knew well what he meant and just who he was referring to.

"So, what now?" She asked.

Qrow turned back to her.

"It's getting dark. We should try and find someplace to stay for the Night," Qrow insisted.

"Hopefully, one of those houses is still stable enough for us to spend the night, or at least will give us enough shelter."

Qrow then turned and walked over to the Bike, leaving Pyrrha to look out over the village's ruins.

Pyrrha felt uneased as she and Qrow walked through the village's debris-filled streets. She could not help but imagine what had happened to this place and the innocent people who had once lived there. Looking at what must have been a place of peace ravaged by this great war that never ended, Pyrrha couldn't help but feel heartbroken. She could only hope they had managed to escape the Grimm's assault.

At least, most of them anyway.

"The whole Village seems deserted. Do you think they managed to get away?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow shook his head.

"We can only hope, Red. Let's keep moving," Qrow said.

Pyrrha paused, peering into an opening through one of the houses. There was a massive pile of debris; she noticed something peering beneath the rubble. She turned to face the opening in the wall, squinting her eyes down at the debris. Much to her horror, she found the bodies of what she could only assume to have once been a family of three crushed beneath it all.

Pyrrha gasped, sauntering back from the house's remains. She cupped her hands over her mouth, staring tearfully at what she had seen. She then felt a hand placed on her shoulder.

"Don't look, Red... Don't look!" He said to her.

Qrow pulled Pyrrha along as they continued down the street. However, he knew he was too late to stop her from bearing the horror she had seen. He glanced back at Pyrrha, narrowing her head in contempt and wrapping her arms around herself. Her eyes stung from her tears as they continued to seep from her eyes, questioning just how this could be allowed to happen to innocent people.

Qrow sighed. He knew just how hard she had to be taking this. The horrors of this war were never something to take lightly. It was something he all but wished she never would have to endure. She and his other students had fallen victim to this conflict. Though he knew it was already far too late for that.

The two looked ahead as they emerged from the streetway and saw what appeared to be the town square. They came out into the square, where a wooden stage stood at the center, four distinct trees stood at each side, and one massive one stood at the very center—unlike the trees in the forest, they all were burned like the houses of the villages. They also saw the bodies, not of soldiers, but of what could only be more of the people of this village who had fallen victim to this merciless attack by the Grimm.

"Oh, god..." Qrow said.

Pyrrha only stared out over the square with horror and tear-filled eyes. She cupped both hands over her mouth, unable to control her emotions. She remembered well what Rueben had taught her and the others of the Grimm. How ruthless they were, especially towards those who did not even resist them. It was inconceivable to imagine they had done the same to these people.

"The Grimm don't hold back, Red. They have no mercy even for the innocent," Qrow insisted to her.

"I know. I just never imagined that it was this bad," Pyrrha insisted.

Qrow shook his head. He shifted his glance ahead.

"Come on, it's going to be dark soon," Qrow said, continuing forward.

Pyrrha took but a last glance at the destroyed village Square before turning and following after. Defiant to the feelings she felt that followed.

Before Nightfall, they found a house stable enough to take shelter in. One that was stable enough and provided the most shelter from the cold. Best of all, it came with a chimney. So, at the very least, they could keep warm until morning. Qrow was already quick to start a fire inside of it.

Pyrrha walked over to him, only to pause when he nearly stepped on what looked like an old picture of the Town Square. She kneeled, picking the picture off the floor before taking a long, observant look. The Square looked a far cry from the one they had just seen. Rather than a place of war and conflict, it looked like a place of Peace and prosperity. The trees looked alive and covered with leaves while the children climbed and played.

"Was this what it was like?" Pyrrha thought to herself.

Lost in her thought, it was the light of fire from the fireplace that returned her to reality. She looked up and saw that Qrow had made.

"Well, that should keep us warm for the Night. Luckily, with all the smoke around the village," Qrow insisted.

"We won't attract attention from the Grimm, at least."

Pyrrha came up to the fireplace and sat before it. She placed the photo of the square on her lap as she continued to look at what had been lost, barely taking any notice of what Qrow had said. Qrow turned to her.

"They looked so happy," Pyrrha said, referring to the picture.

Qrow sighed. He glanced back, seeing what appeared to be some blankets lying behind. He got up and walked over to them, picking them off the ground. He came up and placed one of the blankets around her. She looked up at him as he came to sit next to her.

"War is never something to take you, Red. Certainly not for someone your age," Qrow said.

"I've seen my fair share throughout this one and the last. It can change you in ways you could never imagine. Whether for the better... or worse."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes back down at the painting in her lap.

"That's the curse the Dark Lord placed on us and all of Opara. Even long after he's gone, his curse lives on," Qrow said.

"So where does it end?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow shook his head.

"It doesn't, Red. Not until they have won," He insisted to her.

Pyrrha turned back to look down at the painting. The mere thought that the war had carried on for this long was frightening, especially with what she could only assume would be the cost of further conflict with the Grimm. More places like these villages, like Arthamore, would be lost to this war.

"This whole war has always been in their favor. The day we lost Akara, we all knew it was over," Qrow said.

"We were only fortunate that she had chosen you to be the Next Knight. Maybe then we might have a chance to turn things around in the Alliance's favor."

"Maybe even prevent something like this from ever happening again," Pyrrha insisted.

Qrow glanced at Pyrrha for a moment. He then narrowed his eyes, frowning. He reached out his hand and placed it firmly over her shoulder.

"Yeah... that's the spirit, Red," Qrow insisted.

Qrow then stood up, taking hold of his sword, leaning against the wall beside him.

"You stay here by the fire. I'm gonna scout out the area," Qrow said.

"I'll be back soon."

With that, Qrow walked toward the doorway, leaving Pyrrha with her thoughts by the fire. She sat before the warm blaze for a moment, feeling warmed by its touch and the blanket wrapped around her, when a sudden blue glow from her side earned the Prodigy's curious glance. Pushing aside the blanket, I saw the lamp was glowing. This could only mean that Akara wished to speak to her.

"Pyrrha, have you made it to the village?" Akara's voice said.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes.

"Yes... we did. But..." Pyrrha said.

"But what?" Akara asked.

"It was... it's been destroyed," Pyrrha insisted.

"What?" Akara questioned.

"The Grimm are here, in Lyberia. They destroyed the village and killed everyone here," Pyrrha said.

There was a long pause from Akara, who then sighed.

"I feared this would happen. Salem spreads Xarconus's curse too swiftly," Akara insisted.

"As well as the pain and sorrow that comes with it."

Pyrrha narrowed his eyes, glancing down at the picture in her hands.

"I don't understand. What does all this amount to?" Pyrrha asked curiously.

"What does she hope to gain from this war?"

"She hopes to make the realms fear her and bow to her will. And to cleanse Opara to all who oppose her," Akara proclaimed.

"Those who do not share in her twisted vision for Opara are a threat to her regime. Just as Xarcronus sought to do the same all those years ago."

Pyrrha could not fathom what Akara had said for even a moment. The very idea of achieving loyalty through fear was wrong in itself. No Kingdom should ever prosper from the misery of its subjects. So, too, was it to plunder those helpless to defend themselves. The people of this village were innocent and posed no threat to her or her Empire. What good comes from the suffering of the innocent?

"She will destroy anything or anyone interfering with her vision for Opara. Innocent or not," Akara continued to say.

"Lybaria is one of those realms that stood against her. And now, you've already seen the outcome of what befalls the Realms that do no yield."

Pyrrha turned back to look through the shattered window to her right, peering over the village's ruins.

Qrow came perched over the Rooftop of one of the houses. With an inquisitive gaze fixed upon the horizon, he stared out over the village, which appeared quiet and deserted for the most part. Too quiet for his liking. There was no sign of any survivors or any Grimm. Though at the same time, he knew they could not be too far from here.

However, his suspicions were proved to be much sooner than expected.

A tempestuous sound came from over the calm horizon ahead. As he turned to look, he saw several bright flashes of light. Was there a storm coming?

No...

That was no storm; the lightning was much too frequent to be so. That was a battle, and it was too close for comfort.

"Oh, no," Qrow said.

At that moment, several Grimm Fighters flew in from overhead, passing over him without notice.

Pyrrha raised her gaze from the fire at the sounds of explosions from off in the distance. As well as that of aircraft flying overhead. She then stood up.

"They're here!" Akara then said.

The light from the Lamp over her hip suddenly dimmed before going out. Pyrrha turned back to the stairway off to her right. She remembered seeing a massive gaping hole through the wall on the second floor. She might get a better look at what was going on from there.

She rushed toward the stairway and climbed up to the second floor. She entered the room with the massive hole that overlooked the village outside. From off in the distance, she saw what appeared to be massive explosions over the horizon. What could only be a massive battle with the Grimm and the Armies of Lybaria.

Pyrrha stared in shock and awe at the sight of the conflict.

"Red!"

From below, Qrow came running through the doorway. He glanced back to the fireplace, only to see she wasn't there.

"Red?!" He called out.

"I'm here, Qrow!"

Pyrrha raced down the stairway, rushing down the stairs before approaching him.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"It's not good, Red. Looks like they were much closer than we thought," Qrow said.

"So much for a peaceful Night. Get your things; we got to move!"

As dark as Nightfall was, so was the road ahead of them. Only the light from Qrow's bike lit the way, guiding them through it. Qrow hunched forward as he maneuvered the bike through the night. Pyrrha clung to him, wrapping her arms around her thighs as she held tight. His head rested firmly over his bike, and she closed her eyes tightly.

Only the sounds of erupting explosions and the bright flashes from off to her right caused them to open. Pyrrha lifted her head from Qrow's back, peering ahead at the sight of conflict. From overhead in the open fields in the distance, several large explosions erupted on both sides, along with the exchange of orange and purple plasma bolts from the Lybaria troops and Grimm blasters.

Pyrrha watched as a battalion of Lybarian troopers changed into battle, with armor to escort them, meeting the Grimm in the battle ahead in hopes of stopping their advance. So many lives would no doubt be lost in this senseless conflict, and for what? The Losses the Grimm would take would no doubt be replaced. Lybaria's will not be easy, especially now that the Grimm Forces have entered their realms.

She closed her eyes as her head bowed in contempt. Left helpless as before to do anything to do anything to stop it.

The Leviathan

The files of all the Atraian Knights appeared over the scene for only a moment before being followed by another. Cinder stood there for the longest time, staring inquisitively at the monitor. Most of the Atarian Knights they had on file appeared to have the status of Killed in action. She recognized most of them, having slain them in battle, though they were not the ones she was searching for.

The doorway behind her opened, revealing Admiral Syrus accompanied by Mercury and Emerald. There, they found Cinder standing in the same spot as before. Mercury and Emerald shared a concerned glance.

"My Lady, you have been at this a long time. You should rest," Emerald insisted to her.

"Do not impart to me your concerns. I will rest once I have found what I am looking for," Cinder said.

"If I may, my lady, all the Knights in Ataria were either killed or now serve Valencia," Syrus insisted.

"There is hardly any left. Perhaps you were..."

Right then, another file came over the monitor, which caused Cinder to raise her hand.

"Stop!" She said.

The intelligence office hit but a single button over the keyboard, stopping the following file from appearing. Leaving the one Cinder wanted to see over the monitor. The file over the screen bore the photo of the Knight she saw in Lothadare and read:

Qrow Branwen, status: Missing in Action.

Cinder grinned.

"There you are," she said.

Cinder cocked her head back at Syrus.

"Syrus, you will put out a wanted notice to all Grimm-controlled territories for Qrow Branwan and the Niko Knight with them," she ordered.

"I want them found and brought to me at once!"

Syrus nodded his head.

"Yes, my lady," Syrus said, nodding his head.