The infirmary was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos Cassandra had unleashed in the Emerald Forest just hours earlier. The fluorescent lights hummed softly, casting a sterile glow across the white walls and medical equipment. Cassandra lay motionless in her bed, her breathing steady but her expression tense, even in sleep. Glynda Goodwitch stood nearby, arms crossed and a worried look hidden behind her usual stern demeanor. She watched over Cassandra like a hawk, her thoughts torn between frustration, fearful concern, and a hint of pity.
Ozpin entered the room with his usual calm and collected stride, a coffee mug in hand. His presence immediately drew Glynda's attention, and she shifted slightly, her posture still guarded but relieved to see him.
"She hasn't stirred," Glynda reported, her voice clipped with a mix of concern and disapproval. "I don't know how much of that powder Alexia used, but it's kept her under for a while."
Ozpin nodded, taking a quiet sip from his mug. "Perhaps it's for the best. She needs the rest, even if it's forced upon her."
Glynda sighed, her gaze shifting to the unconscious girl. "This isn't sustainable, Ozpin. We've both seen it before in other students. She's spiraling, and if she keeps this up, she's going to get herself—or someone else—killed. We can't ignore this any longer."
Ozpin's eyes softened as he looked at Cassandra, her face framed by her disheveled white hair, the scars telling a story of relentless survival and simmering rage. "I agree. But we can't force her to change, Glynda. We need to guide her, not just as a student, but as someone who has been hurt deeply. She may be a time bomb right now, but if we manage to direct that energy…"
Glynda cut him off, her voice sharp. "Direct it where, exactly? Toward the Grimm, yes, but what happens when she turns that anger on someone else? You saw what she did today. She's not thinking straight; she's just lashing out."
Ozpin's response was measured, as always. "We're not asking her to change who she is overnight. What she did today shows that she's lost in her anger, yes, but it also shows how much potential she has when she taps into that fury. It's raw, untamed, but it's also formidable. We have to help her see that she can wield it, not be consumed by it."
Glynda's frustration was palpable, her fingers tightening on her riding crop. "And how do you propose we do that? She doesn't listen. She doesn't care about discipline or teamwork; she's made that very clear."
Ozpin turned to face her fully, his tone shifting to a quiet but firm conviction. "By speaking her language. We won't teach her to let go of her anger, Glynda. We'll teach her to focus it. We'll show her that her rage can be a precise weapon, not just a blunt force of destruction. She doesn't need to be coddled or pacified—she needs a target, a purpose."
Glynda hesitated, her mind racing with the implications. "You think you can reach her that way? That's a dangerous path, Ozpin. What if we end up making things worse?"
"There's always that risk," Ozpin acknowledged. "But doing nothing is a greater risk. Cassandra doesn't need to be tamed; she needs to be sharpened, refined. We must show her that her anger can be controlled, used strategically, rather than letting it control her. If we manage that, she won't just be a huntress—she'll be an invaluable force against the Grimm."
Glynda's brows furrowed, sensing something deeper in Ozpin's words. She studied him, noticing the way his gaze lingered on Cassandra. "You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you? There's something else, isn't there?"
Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving Cassandra. "I see something in her, Glynda. A potential that goes beyond what most can achieve. She's relentless, driven by pain and loss, but that also makes her dangerous. She's exactly the kind of person who, if she doesn't find a way to harness that, could be lost to her own darkness."
Glynda's expression tightened. "You're not seriously considering her for..."
Ozpin's silence spoke volumes. Glynda stepped back, aghast at the implication. "Ozpin, you can't be serious. Cassandra? As a Maiden? She's reckless, unstable—"
"She's more than that," Ozpin interrupted, his voice gentle but firm. "Cassandra's ruthless, her drive to destroy the Grimm, maybe that ruthlessness is a quality we need right now. The Fall Maiden's powers are still fractured, and the forces that seek them out won't hesitate to exploit any weakness. We need someone who can face that threat without hesitation. Someone who isn't afraid to do what must be done. If we can teach her how to focus her anger, make it precise, then her aggression will do the rest."
Glynda's eyes widened. "Ozpin. She's barely holding herself together as it is. Giving her that kind of power could break her."
Ozpin nodded, conceding her point but not backing down. "I'm not saying she's ready now. But with the right guidance, with our help, she could be. We need to refine her, Glynda, not change her. She's already strong, but she needs to be tempered."
Glynda looked back at Cassandra, her expression conflicted. "And if we can't? If she doesn't change, if she keeps pushing everyone away?"
Ozpin's gaze hardened. "Then we keep trying. We owe it to her—and to everyone else—to see if she can become more than her anger. But we also prepare for the possibility that she may never accept it. We'll give her every opportunity to learn control, but in the end, it's her choice. All we can do is guide her."
Cassandra awoke with a start, her muscles tensing as she instinctively reached for her weapon. Realizing it wasn't within arm's reach, she scowled and sat up, immediately on edge. The familiar anger was already bubbling beneath her skin, fueled by the unwanted intervention that had left her unconscious.
Glynda stood, her face stern but composed. "Good evening, Cassandra."
As memories of what happened returned to her, Cassandra swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I don't need your lectures."
Ozpin stepped forward, his demeanor calm and disarming. "And we're not here to lecture you, Cassandra. We're here to talk."
Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "Talk? I don't need to talk. I need to get back out there and finish what I started."
Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "I understand that's how you feel. But what you're doing—going out there alone, throwing yourself into battle without any sense of strategy or caution—isn't going to help you. It's only going to get you killed."
Cassandra scoffed, crossing her arms. "I've stared down the throats of those things more than anyone else here. I'm not afraid of them."
"I don't think you are," Ozpin replied evenly. "But that's not the point. What you did today wasn't just about fighting the Grimm—it was about letting your anger dictate your actions. You were reckless, and that nearly cost you your life."
Cassandra shot him a defiant look. "So what? The Grimm deserve it. No amount of pain or torture is too good for them."
Ozpin didn't flinch. "And you deserve to live. You deserve to fight them another day. You have every right to hate them, Cassandra, but you need to control that hate. Use it as a weapon, not as a weakness."
Cassandra's expression flickered, caught between anger and something deeper. "You think you can just waltz in here and tell me what to do? You don't know anything about what I've been through."
"You're right," Ozpin said, his voice steady. "I don't know your pain. But I know what it's like to let anger consume you. I've seen countless huntsmen and huntresses fall into that trap. They start with good intentions, but they lose themselves along the way."
Cassandra clenched her fists, her eyes burning with defiance. "I'm not like them."
"No, you're not," Ozpin agreed. "You're strong, stronger than most. But strength alone isn't enough. It has to be guided, focused. I'm not asking you to let go of your anger—I'm asking you to refine it."
Cassandra hesitated. Part of her wanted to reject everything Ozpin was saying, to yell at him and tell him off, but she bit her lip to hold back her impulse. He was the headmaster, he could kick her out at any point and as much as the classes and everything else at Beacon irritated her, she knew she could learn how to better hunt and kill the Grimm here.
Glynda stepped forward, her tone softer but firm. "We're not here to change you, Cassandra. We're here to help you become the huntress you want to be. One who can face the Grimm and win, every time. But that means learning to fight smarter, not just harder."
Cassandra looked away, biting back her frustration. "What's the catch? What do you want me to do?"
Ozpin smiled faintly, sensing her resolve weakening just enough to let him in. "No catch. Just training. We're not going to teach you to let go of your anger—we're going to teach you to focus it. You can keep your rage, your hatred. But you'll use it with precision. We'll show you how to turn your anger into something that the Grimm should truly fear."
Cassandra studied him, searching for any hint of manipulation, but all she found was a calm determination. "And if I say no?"
Ozpin shrugged. "Then you keep doing what you've been doing. But I think you already know where that path leads."
Cassandra's jaw tightened, the weight of his words sinking in. She didn't trust easily, and she certainly didn't want anyone's pity. But Ozpin wasn't offering pity—he was offering power. A chance to take her anger and make it into something unstoppable. And she couldn't deny that the thought intrigued her.
"Fine," Cassandra said at last, her voice hard. "I'll do it. But don't think for a second that I need your help. I'm doing this because I want those things to suffer as much as possible and I want to be the one that inflicts it on them."
Ozpin nodded, unphased by her defiance. "Of course. We'll begin immediately."
As Cassandra stood and followed them out, Glynda cast a wary glance at Ozpin. She knew him well enough to see the wheels turning in his mind, to understand that this was more than just about helping Cassandra control her anger. He was testing her, weighing her potential for something far greater—and far more dangerous.
Ozpin met Glynda's eyes, a silent understanding passing between them. He knew what he was doing, but he also knew that this was only the beginning. Whether Cassandra would rise to the challenge or fall to her own demons was still uncertain, but one thing was clear: this was her chance to prove herself, to them and to herself.
And as they left the infirmary, the gears of Beacon Tower continued to turn, ticking ever closer to a future where Cassandra Lynch's choices could shape not just her own fate, but the fate of all of Remnant.
Cassandra followed Ozpin and Glynda out of the infirmary, her steps heavy with lingering exhaustion and barely restrained anger. The weight of her recent battle still clung to her, a reminder of the countless times she had been inches away from her own demise. Despite her reluctant agreement to this so-called "training," her defiant nature simmered just beneath the surface, ready to lash out at the first sign of condescension or pity.
The trio made their way down the long corridor toward a secluded training room on the outskirts of Beacon. It was one of Ozpin's private facilities, rarely used and almost forgotten by the majority of the academy's staff and students. As they approached the room, the heavy metal door slid open, revealing a wide, dimly lit space lined with various combat dummies, obstacles, and targets. The faint hum of old training mechanisms echoed throughout, giving the room an eerie, almost foreboding atmosphere.
Cassandra glanced around, her eyes narrowing. "This is where you think you can fix me?"
Ozpin's expression remained calm as he gestured to the center of the room. "This isn't about fixing you, Cassandra. This is about refining what's already there, who you are."
Glynda remained close, her eyes never leaving Cassandra. Despite her reservations, she trusted Ozpin's judgment. But that didn't mean she was blind to the dangers of this approach. "We need to assess where you're at, Cassandra. Not just physically, but mentally. We need to understand how far you're willing to go."
Cassandra scoffed, her grip tightening on her spear. "I'll go as far as it takes to completely wipe the Grimm out, everywhere, complete, absolute genocide. I don't need any tests to prove that."
Ozpin nodded, moving to a nearby console. With a few clicks, the room shifted, mechanical walls rearranging themselves to create a combat scenario tailored specifically for Cassandra's skills. Targets emerged, some stationary and others mobile, simulating a battlefield littered with Grimm.
"We're going to start with something simple," Ozpin explained. "These targets represent the Grimm you face every day. You've fought them countless times, but today, you're not going to let your rage dictate your actions. You're going to control it. I want you to treat every strike, every movement, as a calculated choice."
Cassandra's eyes flickered with defiance. "So what? Hit the dummies and pretend they're Grimm?"
"No," Glynda interjected, stepping forward. "I want you to see each target as something personal. Imagine they're the Grimm that took everything from you. But you don't get to let loose. You have to make every attack mean something. No wasted energy, no reckless swings."
Cassandra sneered, her anger bubbling to the surface. "And if I don't? What happens then?"
Ozpin's voice was firm but devoid of judgment. "Then you'll be fighting the real thing again soon enough, with nothing to show for it except more scars and the same unresolved rage. This isn't about restraining you, Cassandra. It's about giving you the tools to be even more dangerous."
The challenge in his words sparked something in Cassandra. She didn't like being told what to do, but Ozpin was speaking directly to the part of her that wanted nothing more than to become the ultimate weapon against the Grimm. To take her fury and turn it into something sharper, deadlier. She positioned herself in the center of the room, her spear at the ready.
"Fine," she said, her voice low but tinged with determination. "Let's get this over with."
Ozpin nodded and activated the training sequence. The targets sprang to life, moving unpredictably as they mimicked the erratic behavior of Grimm. Cassandra darted forward, her movements fast and aggressive, but there was a subtle difference. For the first time, she hesitated just slightly, calculating her strikes rather than blindly swinging. She stabbed through the first target, her spear piercing with precise accuracy. The second dummy received a well-placed blow to a vital area, not just a random attack.
Ozpin watched intently, noting the slight adjustments in her form. "Good. Focus on every movement. Don't just think of it as an attack—think of it as dismantling your enemy."
"I know how to fight," Cassandra yelled at him, her rage already coming to the surface. Even though these were not real Grimm, her rage from earlier was boiling, ready to erupt once again.
Glynda monitored from the side, her own semblance at the ready to intervene if Cassandra's temper boiled over. She saw the conflict within Cassandra's eyes—the struggle between her desire to unleash her fury and the need to control it. Each strike became more deliberate, her breathing steadying as she began to see the targets not as mere objects but as representations of her own inner battle.
As Cassandra moved, her attacks grew sharper, more efficient. She wasn't holding back; she was wielding her anger like a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer. But the tension in her body was still evident, a taut wire that could snap at any moment.
Ozpin decided to push her further. He adjusted the console, increasing the difficulty. The dummies moved faster, some activating defensive mechanisms that made them harder to hit. Cassandra's eyes flashed, and for a moment, the frustration flared.
"Keep going," Ozpin urged. "You're in control. Not your anger."
Cassandra gritted her teeth, "Shut up!" she yelled, feeling the familiar heat rising in her chest. She could hear the mocking snarls of Grimm in her mind, the sound of her family's screams echoing in her ears and finally she snapped, a battle cry full of hate and rage as she stabbed through a target and pulled her spear upward, slicing it in half. The sound of her little brother's screams being silenced while he was surrounded and torn apart, being eaten alive. The sight of her little sister being snatched up by a giant nevermore and carried off into the sky. Cassandra began lashing out with each memory, her swings becoming wilder and feral, filled with a primal rage that engulfed the entire room in heat. The training dummies began to swarm around her and she lashed out more, the precision long gone, replaced by violent and unfiltered aggression.
Ozpin called out to her, "Cassandra, remember, you must focus your anger. Don't let it control you."
Cassandra drove her spear into one of the training dummies, pinning it to the floor, "I don't need advice on how to kill them!" she yelled at him.
"Cassandra!" Ozpin said more firmly, "These are not real Grimm, remember this is just training, you're being too reckless."
One of the training dummies began spinning, striking Cassandra in the back, knocking her forward and in her rage she turned and struck it down leaving herself open to another attack.
Glynda tightened her hand on the railing, the earlier improvements were already lost, "Ms. Lynch, you were doing well, but you need to focus. Think, what happens when you're out there, facing real Grimm, and not just these simulations?"
Cassandra swung her spear, obliterating the final target with a vicious uppercut. She turned to Glynda, her breathing heavy and rabid, "I kill them. That's what happens."
Ozpin stepped closer, his tone thoughtful. "And if they overwhelm you? If your anger clouds your judgment? We're not trying to hold you back, Cassandra. We want to make sure that when you face the Grimm, you're not just surviving—you're winning."
Cassandra's expression hardened. "I don't need to survive" she shouts at him, her voice feral, "I need them to die."
Glynda froze at Cassandra's words, "She doesn't need to survive…" memories of past students flood her mind, others that were like Cassandra, and how each of them died because their anger got the better of them.
Ozpin smiled faintly, recognizing the stubborn fire that had brought Cassandra this far. "And they will. But not if you let yourself be ruled by emotions. The Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, to fear, anger, hatred, it calls to them, summons them—if you master those emotions, and yourself, you can use it as bait to draw them in and show them that they should fear you, not the other way around."
"I already told you I'm not afraid of them" Cassandra growled, making her almost sound like a Grimm that could speak.
Glynda watched the exchange, still uneasy but unable to deny the earlier slight shift in Cassandra's demeanor. She could see the gears were turning at first in Cassandra's mind, the realization that this training wasn't about suppressing her rage, but refining it into something lethal and unbreakable.
Cassandra, still panting from exertion, looked at the shattered dummies around her. She wasn't satisfied, but there was something there, something that made her want more.
"You're not going to change me," Cassandra said, her voice defiant yet lacking the usual venom. "But if you think you can make me better at killing those monsters, then fine. I'll play along. But don't think this makes us friends."
Ozpin's expression was kind but knowing. "I don't need to be your friend, Cassandra. I just want to make sure you live long enough to do what you came here to do."
Cassandra nodded once, sharp and determined, before turning away. She was done with this conversation, at least for now. As she walked toward the exit, Glynda glanced at Ozpin, her apprehension still evident.
"You're putting a lot of faith in her," Glynda murmured. "I hope you're right."
Ozpin finished his coffee, setting the empty mug aside. "Faith isn't about certainty, Glynda. It's about believing in potential, even when the odds seem impossible. Cassandra's path won't be easy, but it's one worth fighting for."
Glynda sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. She still had her doubts, but if there was one thing she trusted, it was Ozpin's ability to see what others could not. As Cassandra left the room, Glynda couldn't help but feel that this was only the beginning of a much larger journey.
The training room fell silent, the only sound the distant hum of machinery resetting itself for the next session. Ozpin and Glynda stood together, united in their hope and concern for Cassandra's future, knowing that whatever came next would test them all in ways they could hardly predict.
As Cassandra stormed out, the fire within her still burning fiercely, one thought resonated in her mind: she would not be tamed. She would not be softened. But if she could turn her anger into something sharper, something deadlier, then maybe, just maybe, she could finally feel like she was winning the war she'd been fighting her whole life and see the Grimm extinct.
The training continued, under the stipulation that Cassandra attended all of her classes and after school hours ended she would rejoin Ozpin and Glynda in the same chamber where they would set up new training scenarios for her and while she went through the training by the fifth day she began slowing down. She was prepared to destroy a target before she halted her swing and lowered her weapon, her rage gone.
Glynda looked at her from the sidelines, "Is something wrong?"
Cassandra was still angry, but her rage wasn't showing itself, almost if her own hate had clocked out, "This isn't going to cut it" she said, tightly gripping her weapon, "These are just pieces of wood strapped together."
"What do you mean?" Glynda asked her, concern already filling her mind.
"I need the real thing" Cassandra replied, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her spear, "Real Grimm, not these toys!"
Ozpin sipped from his mug, "I know you must be feeling pent up right now Ms. Lynch, but please realize that this is an important step in focusing yourself, until you manage to do that we cannot permit you to engage with real Grimm."
"Permit me?" Cassandra repeated, feeling her anger start to flare up again.
"Yes" Ozpin replied calmly, "Until I feel you are able to control yourself and focus your aggression you are not allowed to leave the academy grounds without supervision."
Cassandra turned to him, her spear raised and an arrow drawn against the hidden bowstring. In a moment of seething fury and impulse she loosed her arrow, aimed directly at Ozpin's chest. Reflexively, Glynda turned to catch the arrow with her semblance, but Ozpin in a flash of unseen movement deflected it with the handle of his cane, calmly sipping from his mug the next second.
Glynda turned her semblance on Cassandra and restrained her, "Ms. Lynch! That behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstance. Another outburst like that will see you expelled from this school!"
They could see it, Cassandra's rage was returning in full force, it was evident in her eyes as she struggled against Glynda's semblance, "Fine!" Cassandra yelled, "Do it then! I'll be just fine on my own!"
Ozpin placed a hand on Glynda's shoulder and reluctantly Glynda released Cassandra and both of them watching as she stormed out of the chamber and back toward Beacon's main grounds.
Later that night, Cassandra was showering in the gymnasium's shower so she didn't have to deal with her teammates. As she cleaned the dirt from her face Glynda entered the room, her vibrant green eyes moving over the scars that covered Cassandra's body.
"Ms. Lynch" Glynda began, "Please realize we are trying to help you. I know you don't want it, and maybe you believe you don't need it, but Ozpin and I have dealt with this before. You are not the only student we've had that's been like this. We've…we've had so many students over the years, they weren't exactly like you, but they hated the Grimm just as much, and every single one of them were killed because they let their anger control them. Only one of them made it to their third year, the rest never made it past the first year. Please, we don't want that to happen to you as well. Let us help you."
"I don't need help killing them" Cassandra said, venom simmering in her words.
"I know you don't," Glynda replied, "Out of all the first-year students here, you are easily the most skilled at killing them. But when I came to get you from the forest that day, you were about to be overrun. Whether you realize it or not, there was a high chance you would have died. Please, just trust in our experience. We are not trying to change you or get you to stop hating them. The entire purpose of this school is to train you to be a huntress, let us do our jobs as teachers, I promise you, we can help you become even stronger."
Cassandra stood there, the hot water raining down on her. She raised her right arm, a soapy rag hanging from her hand, Glynda's eyes moved to the jagged nubs that used to be her ring and little fingers, "Can you get my left shoulder? I can't reach it well with my fingers gone."
Glynda reached for the rag, rolling her sleeves up, "This doesn't seem like an appropriate interaction for a student and teacher" she says as she takes the rag.
Cassandra rolled her eyes, "Who cares, there's no one else here" as Glynda began scrubbing the back of her shoulder Cassandra continued, "I'm going to change, I'm never going to be anything other than what you've seen. You can call it refining and focusing all you want, but this is what I am. Just make me stronger and point me at them."
The words were heavy on Glynda's shoulders and her mind. She didn't want Cassandra to have the same end as the past students like her, but the way she spoke just now gave her a hint of hope. At least for now Cassandra was willing to keep trying.
