Atlas was going to fall.
When Nora Valkyrie looked back on those final hours, she knew that much seemed certain, and she knew that it was why her teammates got desperate. In hindsight, she felt like she should have expected them to do something rash the moment they returned from their infiltration of Salem's floating fortress and learned about what had happened to her.
Between Jaune's ever-lingering guilt about what happened to Pyrrha and Ren being Ren—always struggling to decide whether he wanted to push people away or shield them,whether it was hopeless or if he should sacrifice… it was going to be too much for both of them, seeing Nora covered in scars and barely able to move.
She had recovered a bit, enough to put a majority of her clothes and armor back on over her bandages with some help from Weiss and Ruby. She sat up for a bit, even held a scroll. Still, her whole body flared up in agony at the slightest movement, and she found herself fading in and out of consciousness.
Nora could remember Jaune's wide blue eyes staring down at her as Ren pulled her up and into his arms, his pink eyes filled with tears. She could move her arms a little, so she put on a smile and shakily reached up with one finger, gently tapping her partner's nose.
"Boop," she whispered, and Ren just looked at her before he pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes.
Nora had never heard him sob before, but she did then.
/\
It was all a blur after that, but the next Nora knew, she was in Ren's arms as he and Jaune ran through what looked like the halls of Atlas Academy. How did they get in there?
"Huh?" She blinked, a little out of it, but she realized that she had all of her clothes and armor on over all of the bandages and that Magnhild's collapsed form was in her lap. "What's-..?"
"It's okay, Nora." Jaune looked back, smiling down at her as his eyes shone. It seemed forced, and the shine was not like the usual. Was he crying? "You're okay." He looked up at Ren. "The consul should be this way. Hopefully, Miss Calavera will be able to-"
Nora drifted out again before she could hear the rest.
"Damn it. DAMN IT! How are we going to get her out of here?!"
"Ren-"
"Jaune, if she stays here, she's just going to get caught-up in the battle! With Ironwood after us, he won't hesitate to target her to get to the rest of the group."
"I know! Gods, I know…"
"We need to get her out of here. There has to be another way."
...
"What… is this?"
"It's-... It's a way out."
"What? Wait, are you-..? No. No way. We can't!"
"What other choice do we have?"
"We can choose not to throw our teammate into-..! We don't even know what will happen, where she'll-!"
"I'm willing to take that risk."
"I'm not!"
"Then, are you willing to watch her die?! Stop seeing this as a risk and start seeing it as a chance… Please. I need to know you're with me on this."
"Ren… We'll check it out, but I can't agree. Not yet."
"Fine."
"Let's just hurry. The sooner we take care of her, the sooner we can get back to the others. I don't like that we've left them alone this long. They're strong, but-..."
"So is Nora. And look what happened to her, the moment we left her side."
"Just like Pyrrha."
"No… Not yet."
When Nora was next able to open her eyes, the ground was shaking and the hallway lights had turned red.
"Penny must have made it to the vault," Jaune was saying, his eyes wide. "We're running out of time." Rapid footsteps made him look back. "Oh, crap!"
"Soldiers," Ren realized, his eyes widening as he glanced back over his shoulder, then he noticed Jaune stopping and slid to a stop as well. "Jaune-"
"Don't stop!" Jaune ordered, drawing his sword and shield. "Get Nora out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!"
"What?!" Ren was absolutely horrified as Jaune detached his hardlight shield and threw it, and Nora heard the familiar sound of it activating followed by the increasingly more-familiar sound of aggravated voices and gunfire. They were so close… "I'm not leaving you!"
"You don't have a choice!" Jaune insisted, his eyes narrowing. "If you stay, when these soldiers break through, I'm either protecting both of you or you're putting Nora on the ground! You can't do that, so YOU ARE RUNNING!"
"Jaune…" Ren shook his head. "No… They'll capture or kill you, Jaune! We can't lose you! We need you!"
"And I need you guys." Jaune's face fell. "But right now, I really need you to do what's best for her." The blond looked down at Nora, then he put on a brave smile before looking up at Ren again. "It's okay… Go."
Ren's breaths were starting to shake, and Nora weakly reached out for her leader. "Jaune-"
"GO!" Jaune snapped, and Ren bit his lower lip before he turned and ran.
Nora's eyes widened, and she tried to turn her head to look around Ren and at their teammate. "Jaune?! JAUNE!"
The blond knight was standing there, his sword and shield raised as he faced a hardlight barrier.
The barrier flickered with Nora's vision, and then everything went dark.
/\
Nora's eyes snapped open when the world rocked violently.
She was laying on her side on a cold tile floor, and there was a strange light that briefly blinded her before her eyes adjusted.
She was in some sort of laboratory with monitors, survey equipment, and hazmat suits everywhere, and there was some sort of square-shaped pit at the center of the room which was surrounded on three sides by a railing. There was a ladder going down into the pit, as well as what looked like an armored harness attached to a thick cable on a coil at the side of the ladder.
Nora's brow furrowed, then she cringed as she pushed herself up as bit from the floor and looked around.
"R-Ren?" She asked worriedly.
There was no response.
Nora took a deep breath, then she staggered to her feet and braced herself against a wall, slowly making her way around the room. Her body felt like it was on fire and her legs screamed in protest, but she kept moving because she could see Magnhild leaning on the wall beside a door on the opposite side of the lab, and Ren might have been on the other side of that door.
'Gotta find Ren, then we've gotta find Jaune,' she thought, nodding shakily to herself to reaffirm the goals before wincing at the rush of pain that surged into her skull.
Her body felt like it was full of needles—alternating between white-hot and freezing, dancing under her skin and to the bone—and her heart roared in her ears, but she knew she was lucky. Years ago, Ren made her learn the possible side-effects of electric shock in case anything ever went wrong with her semblance.
Pain, numbness, and a weird heartbeat were things that Nora could deal with.
At least she had not had a seizure, yet.
At least she could see between the black-spots flitting across her vision, meaning that it was unlikely she had gotten cataracts.
At least her breathing, while shallow and rapid, seemed to be enough under her control at the moment to keep her from passing out again.
It was good to focus on the 'at least' bits instead of thinking about the pain and her new scars, Nora decided. Optimism had gotten her far in life, even when it had to be forced.
As she braced herself on their control consuls to walk around the side of the room, Nora was able to catch a bit of what one of the larger monitors said. There was a set of files on the screen, five different choices to be made.
Nora briefly paused before the monitor, frowning as she looked at the file names—just a series of numbers and letters which probably meant something to the owners of the lab but seemed like complete gibberish to the Huntress—before she decided to select the second file.
Out of the members of Team JNPR and Team RNJR (or JNRR), she had been—after all—the second. It made good sense, to Nora.
The file opened, and the orange-haired girl blinked as she found some sort of description before her.
…
Designation: EL-HiMa-0617-63
Discovered: 08/02/XXX6
Scientist: X. XXXXX
Atmosphere: Breathable
Investigating Operative: None Sent
Hostility: Unknown
Potential:
Unknown energy readings of significant power.
Environmental hazards unknown.
Human testing still too dangerous.
Team is hopeful of these finds.
Help?
Escape?
…
Nora blinked again, then her eyes narrowed.
"What?" She murmured, confused. She noticed an option which said 'open' and she clicked it before gasping as the ground shook and a pink light filled the room.
Nora looked back, her eyes wide, to see that the light was coming from the pit.
A swirling vortex of pink had appeared, and Nora turned to face it as she braced herself against the consul, absolutely stunned.
Just what had these Atlesian scientists been working on, in this lab?
Nora glanced back at the monitor, reading over the contents again, then her eyes widened as she raised a hand to her mouth. Nora was no scientist, but…
Discovered
Atmosphere
Hostility
Environmental hazards
Help?
Escape?
The Huntress looked back at the swirling light, taking a shaking breath as she was suddenly reminded of Raven's portal.
Whatever that vortex thing was, it was meant to take someone from one place to another—and by the looks of it, the place it would take someone was not anywhere on Remnant.
"Oh, my gods," Nora whispered, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
This was not the time to worry about this new discovery, she told herself.
She had to find her partner.
She had to find her leader.
She had to find her friends.
She had to help Mantle.
She had to help Atlas.
She had to help Remnant.
Nora opened her eyes and began staggering towards the door again, her vision getting fuzzy as her mind raced, but she eventually made it to the door and grabbed Magnhild.
Unfortunately, as soon as the Huntress tried to lift her weapon, a high-pitched whine filled her ears and knees buckled.
The last thing Nora saw was the ground getting closer before the black dots in her vision expanded and swallowed her.
When Nora opened her eyes again, the world was spinning and shaking, but someone was holding her.
Her vision was blurred, but she could feel the other person's chest rise and fall, and then she felt something warm on her forehead.
"Ren?" She asked, and she felt the other person shake before she blinked a few times, forcing her vision to clear as much as possible and she could see those familiar pink eyes. Ren was there, and he was crying. "What's wrong?"
"... Nothing," Ren replied quietly. For someone so good at masking emotions, he was always an awful liar. "It's just getting pretty tense out there, that's all. It's okay."
"Tense?" Nora's brow furrowed in confusion, then she gasped as she heard a snarl and looked up just as something big slammed against the lab doors. She looked at Ren, horrified. "Is that a Grimm?!"
"It's several," Ren admitted, standing up with Nora in his arms and turning away from the door, and she blinked as she saw that the pink vortex was still open and Magnhild was resting on the floor before the swirling light. "It appears that Salem had a backup plan, just in case she was destroyed. Another new variant… The plan with Ironwood went bad and Emerald was captured, but neither us nor him ended up with the upper-hand. Penny was-... Well…"
"Hacked?"
"Yeah. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang went with Oscar to the vault to try and stop her, but Cinder's-... Well... I think you can guess."
"And Jaune?"
"... I don't know," Ren told her, and Nora's eyes widened. "As soon as you were safe, I went back for him, and I just found these Grimm everywhere. They chased me back here—and now, we can't get out."
"Can't get out?" Nora questioned her partner, then she shook her head. "There's gotta be a way. We have to help the others, we have to-"
"Nora." Ren sighed softly. "You're hurt. You can barely move, and… Jaune told me to do what's best for you. I'm not going to let either of you down." Nora blinked. "I saw you already had a look at what this place was for."
"... Ren, why did you bring me here?" The orange-haired girl asked warily.
Ren gave a small smile. "I think you've got a pretty good idea. You're hurt and we're trapped, so… if there's any chance to get you out of here alive, Nora, it's this." His face fell. "It's definitely a risk. They never tested it with people, and the project's been shut down for years. I have no idea where you'll go…" He glanced back as a massive dent was put in the doors and a gap large enough for a crimson eye to peer through was made, causing his breath to shake. "But staying here, you're definitely going to die. If I do this, you have a chance—and that's the best I can do for you, Nora."
"Y… You're talking crazy!" Nora protested as Ren carried her towards the vortex. "Ren, this is another planet you're talking about! Who knows what it'll be like?! And we can't just leave! What about Remnant, Mantle, Atlas, our friends?!"
"We're not going anywhere," Ren told her gently, and she blinked. "I can't protect you and fight these things off at the same time. I'll make a mistake, and we'll both die… Once you're safe, we both have a chance."
Nora blinked again, then her eyes widened in disbelief. "You're sending me to a different planet, and you're not coming."
"I can't."
"Ren!" Nora began struggling in his hold, her eyes narrowed. "No! I'm not going, and you can't make me! You can't-!"
Ren tightened his hold on Nora just a bit, but it was enough for her pain to flare and her vision to grow fuzzy as her head went warm, and she slumped in his arms with a soft whine at the betrayal from her body.
"It's alright, Nora." Ren smiled down at Nora fondly as she looked up at him again, her world still softly blurred. "It's going to be alright."
She noticed that he never promised to come after her, once it was safe. She wondered just what kind of Grimm were on the other side of that door.
"Ren…"
"I have to stay," Ren said, using his foot to nudge Magnhild over the ledge and watching it drop into the vortex. The vortex flashed gold, lingering that color for about thirty seconds, then it turned pink again and Ren nodded. "Right. The file said that the vortex can only take one person at a time, and it takes a few moments." He glanced back at the door. "I have to send you through and buy enough time for you to escape, then... shut it down before anything else can get through."
"Ren, please," Nora pleaded weakly as Ren arrived at the vortex, gripping his shirt as her aqua eyes teared-up. "Don't do this. I-... I want to stay with you! Please, Ren!"
"You're hurt," he repeated gently. "If you stay here, you'll die. This is the only way to get you away from the danger."
"I don't care about the danger," the redhead insisted, her knuckles turning white as tears began to stream down her face. "I just want to be with you, Ren! That's all I've ever wanted!"
"... And it's all I've ever wanted," Ren told her, leaning over and kissing her forehead, then he pulled away. "But we can't always have what we want, Nora… Still." He produced a soft smile as a tear raced down his face. "I can keep my first promise… I can keep you safe."
"Ren, no," Nora begged him as he held her out over the vortex, starting to panic as her trembling fingers lost their grip on his shirt. "We're supposed to keep each other safe. We're supposed to keep each other safe!"
"As long as you're safe, so am I," Ren said. "At least, the part of me that matters most." His face fell. "Don't waste this second chance, Nora. Please..." The door burst apart behind him, and Ren took a shuddering breath. "... You have to be brave."
With that, he dropped her.
"REN!" Nora reached up as she fell, her eyes locked with Ren's as he smiled down at her, then he heard something and drew his weapons before looking back.
Nora's eyes widened as she heard a scream, then everything went gold…
/\/\/\/\
A vortex opened in the middle of a rain-slicked cobblestone street, throwing a young woman onto the pavement.
The contact with the ground made Nora's injuries flare up in agony, and the grunt she let out when she hit the ground was followed by a scream.
After a few moments of panting for breath, trying to get her thoughts together amidst the blinding pain and the invisible cold-fire pins which seemed to be pushing through every cell in her body, Nora's eyes fluttered open and she looked up woozily, feeling the cool rain on her scarred body, then her eyes widened as she saw where she was.
A town?
Nora blinked, then she used her trembling arms to push herself up a bit and she looked around, absolutely stunned.
There were lights all around, illuminating tiny street-shops and residences. Half of the writing Nora could see was readable, but then there were strange characters that seemed to make up some secondary writing system which the Huntress could not understand.
"H-Huh?" Nora managed, then her eyes widened further as she recalled her final sight before entering the swirling vortex.
A feeling of oblivion consumed her as her mind wandered and she wondered what enemy her partner had been left alone to face.
Alone.
Nora was alone.
"No," she whispered tears falling from her eyes anew. She shakily reached out and grabbed the weapon laying before her, dragging Magnhild close and just staring at it, watching the raindrops collect on the metal, her clothes, and her marred skin. "Ren..."
Nora slowly laid down again and rested the side of her face against the cobblestone, staring at the golden light reflecting off of the metal of her weapon and the droplets coating it, then she closed her eyes and began sobbing, her tears mixing with rainwater.
Then, behind her eyelids, she saw the light change and she opened her eyes again, seeing that the portal had turned pink.
Nora sniffled, then she fixed her watery eyes onto the swirling vortex—hoping that Ren would stumble through at any moment and join her, despite what he had said.
He had to…
The portal flashed, and an enormous winged Beringel leapt through and lunged at the fallen Huntress.
Its bloodied claws were outstretched with stained bits of green, black, red, gold, pink, and white cloth stuck to them.
On instinct, Nora forced herself to sit up, heft Magnhild, and fire, launching a Dust-grenade which exploded pink and easily turned the monster into a massive plume of foul-smelling black smoke.
Nora slowly lowered the weapon, her eyes wide and half-crazed as she stared at the smoke.
The vortex closed, meaning that nothing else would be coming through it. It was over.
It was over.
/\
Makarov Dreyar, the master of the Fairy Tail guild, had long associated storms with power.
It likely began with his father, Yuri Dreyar, who became a powerful lightning-mage despite the fact that his training in magic did not begin until he was a teenager. Makarov could remember nights when he and his father would sit outside and watch the lightning, and how he had tried to carry on that tradition with his son—Ivan—and eventually gave up when the little brat showed no interest in the tradition.
Then, Makarov's grandson—Laxus—came along, and the boy was terrified of storms when he was small. Makarov had learned at some point that Ivan was giving the poor boy Hell for it, and he elected to have Laxus come and stay the night with him more often—coincidentally when he knew that it would storm.
Makarov had taken those occasions to wrap the boy in a big, thick cloak and bring him up onto the roof of the guild-hall, and he would sit with his grandson in the wind and the rain, holding him close amidst the lightning and thunder and telling tales to make the child calm, excited, or even laugh—it all depended, really. In time, Laxus stopped fearing the storms and began looking forward to them.
Then, Laxus became a Lightning Dragon-Slayer through a means which still made Makarov's blood boil, but the boy wielded the power he had been 'given' without fear and developed a talent for it. Makarov's love of lightning seemed to grow as his grandson did…
Eventually, watching storms only seemed to make Makarov sad, but he still sat by the window and did so anyway. It was the only way to be close to people Makarov felt were lost to him: his dearly departed father and his increasingly wayward grandson.
That was why, at nine o'clock at night, Makarov merely sat by the window of a near-empty guild-hall and watched the skies. The guild-hall was not usually like this, so quiet and lifeless, but jobs had been scarce recently and then suddenly came in like an avalanche, prompting all of the mages normally filling the guild-hall—aside from Makarov and the Strauss siblings—to take off in order to make rent.
… And Nab was still lingering about Magnolia, but that was no surprise.
Makarov recalled Natsu mentioning something about going to Hargeon to look for his dragon, and the S-Class wizards—Laxus included—were always going their own way whether they had a job or not.
Laxus's little team of 'bodyguards', the Thunder Legion, had been away for months for some reason; Makarov had suspicions, having heard of dark guilds being taken down all around Fiore by an elite unit.
Regardless of where everyone else had gone, it was just Elfman and Mirajane in the guild-hall with Makarov that stormy night, as Nab had already retired to the dorms.
Makarov looked up as Mirajane set a mug of ale beside him on the table, nodding in thanks, then he turned his gaze outside again.
… Only to notice something peculiar.
"Hm?" Makarov blinked, raising an eyebrow, as he saw a strange vortex glowing pink in the street before the Fairy Tail guild-hall.
"What's that?" Mirajane asked, having noticed it as well and become concerned.
"I'm not sure," Makarov admitted, standing up and walking over to the window. He watched the vortex, his eyes narrowed. "I'll keep an eye on it… Alert Elfman."
Mirajane nodded, then she turned and walked off into the guild-hall, leaving Makarov alone.
About a half-hour after the vortex appeared, it turned gold and something fell out of it.
Makarov could not tell exactly what the object was, but it appeared to be made of silver metal and something pink shone within it.
The vortex stayed gold for about thirty seconds, and then it turned pink again.
"Hm." Makarov tilted his head, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What in the world is going on out there?"
About three minutes later, the vortex turned gold again, and Makarov watched something else get thrown out of it and onto the street. His eyes widened as he saw a tiny, battered form covered in pink wounds and bandages, then he looked back in alarm to see Mirajane and Elfman watching him with confusion.
"It's a child!" He exclaimed, for that was what he thought of anyone that young and small even if they were what society would consider to be grown, then Makarov ran to the door and grabbed an umbrella. "She's hurt!"
"What?!" Mirajane asked, her blue eyes widening as Makarov threw the doors open and opened the umbrella.
Makarov looked back, his eyes narrowed. "Just prepare what medical supplies we have. Elfman, stand watch."
With that, Makarov hurried out into the rain and started making his way towards the girl on the street, seeing that she was curled up on the ground and sobbing in the golden light of the vortex as she clutched the silver object close to her little body.
She was small, Makarov thought, even smaller than Lisanna had been what he could tell—though this girl was older—and the skin of her arms, where not covered in white bandages, was covered in fresh pink scarring like spider-webs.
Electrical scars?
Thunder roared above, and Makarov felt a pang in his chest for the child on the ground, injured and sobbing.
Then, the vortex turned pink again, and the girl sniffled before quieting, seeming to watch it even in her pitiful state.
Makarov found himself pausing in his tracks, gazing upon the vortex warily. Just what was that thing, and what was the weeping girl on the ground waiting for?
The vortex flashed gold, and an enormous creature leapt through with a snarl. It was some sort of ape, black and covered in bone armor with eyes that glowed like hellfire, and a pair of wings webbed with bloody red sinew were spread behind it as it lunged right at the girl with claws covered in blood and fabric bits.
Makarov's eyes widened as he froze, but the girl sat up with the silver object and fired some sort of explosive round from it, causing an explosion of pink which reduced the horrified beast into a cloud of black smoke and a smell like sulfur and rotten flesh so strong it made the old mage raise a free hand to his mouth and gag.
The girl trembled as she lowered her weapon, her eyes wide as she stared at the smoke, then she let out a soft gasp as the vortex vanished. Whatever this ordeal had been, it was over and nothing else would be coming.
"... Little one?" Makarov asked softly, taking a step forward as he lowered his hand. The girl did not seem to hear him. "Little one?"
The girl's gaze had fallen to something on the ground below the last traces of the beast's smoke, and Makarov turned his gaze there as well. He saw rain washing away the fresh blood covering tattered pieces of green, black, red, gold, pink, and white cloth as well as an ornate, curved green knife.
"R… Ren?" The girl whispered, turning her eyes back to where the portal had been.
Makarov felt his heart sink.
Ren. That had to be a name.
There was blood on the cloth.
/\
There was blood on the cloth.
Ren's blood.
The knife was there.
Ren would have never let go of that knife.
A monster had come through the vortex.
Ren would have never let a monster come after Nora with the condition she was in.
There was a scream.
Ren had screamed.
Nora turned her face to the heavens and let out a loud scream of her own, a pitiful cry of grief that echoed across whatever town she was in. She did not care who heard her, she did not care if they came, she did not care if they were friend or foe.
Ren, her best friend and partner—the love of her life—was gone.
That was the only possible explanation.
Ren was gone.
Nora could never get him back.
She could never recover anything that she had lost: her team, her friends, her family, Ren.
Remnant itself was lost to her.
Nora's breath became ragged as she bowed her head, wheezing as she tried to control herself, her shoulders shaking.
…
"Be safe."
…
They were supposed to keep each other safe.
Just what had his final moments been like?
Something made him scream.
One monster had gotten past with the knife buried in its body and his bloodied clothes on its claws.
He had been able to shut down the portal.
She would never know the rest.
She would never know the rest of Ren's fate, the rest of Remnant's fate, the rest of anything.
It was over.
"YOU PROMISED!" Nora howled again, looking up at the night sky with hate in her eyes and rage in her voice. "WE WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE! YOU PROMISED, AND YOU LIED!"
No one who knew the Bubbly Bomber would have believed her capable of such negative emotion.
This was Ren's fault! Now, she would have to go through her life without him!
This was Jaune's fault! He sacrificed himself after they had begged him not to back in Argus and he let Ren go through with this plan!
This was Yang, Weiss, and Blake's fault! They were always so caught up in their own drama that they let things slip where it mattered!
This was Ruby and Oscar's fault! They probably led everyone else to their deaths in the Vault, innocent and hopeful as ever—and WRONG!
This was Qrow and Ironwood's fault! They and Goodwitch hid everything back when they still could have really warned everyone! And Lionheart, he was a TRAITOR!
This was Pyrrha's fault! She made a pointless 'hero's sacrifice' and everything had just spiraled down after that!
This was Ozpin's fault! He lied to and manipulated everyone because of something he helped to start eons ago!
This was the Grimm's fault!
This was Atlas's fault!
This was Jacque Schnee's fault!
This was Robyn Hill and the Happy Huntresses' fault!
This was Hazel's, Tyrian, and Watts's fault!
This was Emerald and Mercury's fault! The White Fang, too!
This was Cinder's fault!
This was Salem's fault!
This was the gods' fault!
This was EVERYONE's fault!
This was Nora's fault!
She got hurt, and now everyone was gone! Her team—her best friends, her family—died to save someone who was not even a real person! She was nothing without them, so what was she supposed to do?!
Nora's eyes widened, her whole body stiffening.
…
"Be strong and hit stuff."
…
Nora was good for one thing, and she failed.
She was not strong enough.
Nora was not strong enough, she was not fast enough, she was not powerful enough.
She failed her friends, her world.
It was all over, and it was all her fault.
Nora reached out and took Ren's knife in two trembling hands, remembering that day in Kuroyuri as she closed one hand around the blade's hilt.
…
"We can do this."
…
The Huntress's eyes closed.
'Maybe we could have… but I can't,' she thought to herself. 'I'm not strong enough.'
Nora opened her eyes and looked down at the blade, taking a deep and shaking breath as her heart pounded in her ears.
It could really be over. It wasn't like she was good for anything, anyway…
Nora took the knife in two hands, her next breath shaking as she willed her aura's shield to lower.
One final break, that's all…
…
"You have to be brave."
…
Nora's hands fell with the knife lingering in one, the blade clicking on the pavement as it rested against her left thigh.
The girl bowed her head, still shaking with tears and rain dripping down her face, then she felt the rain stop touching her.
Nora looked up slightly, thinking it had stopped altogether, only to see rain still falling in front of her. She wearily raised an eyebrow, then she looked directly up to see a yellow umbrella hanging over her head.
Nora turned her head to see a short old man in strange clothing holding the umbrella over her, his eyes narrowed slightly as he examined her. Nora did not move or speak, she just stared, fear gripping her heart.
"... Wise choice," the man finally spoke. "Life is precious, young one. Don't waste it." Nora's teary eyes widened, then she bowed her head. "I saw the whole thing. The vortex, your weapon, that creature you slew… You're not from around here, are you?"
"That's…" Nora felt her whole being go numb. "One way of putting it."
"I suppose so." The old man gave a small chuckle, though it seemed a bit forced. "... My name is Makarov Dreyar, and it seems you've fallen right onto my doorstep." He raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you come inside? It's rather cold, out here."
"I-I can't…" Nora looked down at her legs, having almost-forgotten the pain.
The old man blinked, then he hummed and nodded. "I understand." He glanced back, then looked at Nora again. "I will go and get help." He offered Nora the umbrella, and she took it in a shaking hand. "Wait here, and try not to move."
Nora nodded obediently, and the man turned and ran towards one of the nearby buildings.
Nora just kneeled there, clinging to the umbrella and the knife and silently crying as she stared after him.
/\
Makarov rushed back into the guild-hall, his eyes wide as he found Elfman standing there with wide eyes and Mirajane looking at her younger brother in confusion as she tightened her hold on her medical kit.
"What do you mean, a demon Vulcan?" The former She-Devil asked.
Elfman waved his hands. "That girl out there shot this demon Vulcan and turned it into smoke! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Elfman!" Makarov shouted, and both Strauss siblings looked at him. "Her injuries make it impossible for her to walk, and I don't want to do anything to startle her. Can you help me bring her out of the rain?"
"Huh?" Elfman blinked, then he frowned and nodded. "Of course!"
Makarov nodded shakily, turning away, but Mirajane spoke up: "Master, is something wrong? You seem a bit startled yourself."
"... She needs help," Makarov said quietly, staring out into the rain with wide eyes. "This child has suffered and lost, that much is plain to see—but she is hurt in ways we cannot see." He looked back, his expression grave. "I want to help this girl, whoever she is… I'm just not certain if I will be able to."
The Strauss siblings blinked, surprised.
They must have seen that their master's hands were shaking.
/\
When the old man returned to Nora, he was accompanied by a large, muscled, white-haired man with a scar near his eye.
The old man pointed to Nora. "Please, Elfman, be gentle with her."
The man nodded, then he stooped down and looked at Nora with a frown. "Easy, now. I'm just gonna help you inside." He glanced at the knife still clutched in Nora's hand, then he looked back at her awkwardly. "Don't stab me, alright? Or turn me into smoke."
"Huh?" Nora blinked. "I-I can't-... I can't turn things into smoke."
"I just saw you," the man—Elfman—disagreed, seeming confused. "That demon Vulcan thing, you turned it to smoke."
"All Grimm turn to smoke when they-..." Nora's eyes widened in disbelief. "... You don't know what Grimm are, do you?"
In hindsight, it was a silly question. It was a different world, but… Nora had never known a world without monsters.
"Hm?" Elfman raised an eyebrow.
The old man stepped forward. "We can discuss this later. Let's just get her inside."
"Right." Elfman nodded, still a bit hesitant, and Nora placed Magnhild on her back with a trembling arm, securing her weapon, before tucking the knife into the armor on her right arm and holding her trembling hands up, showing Elfman that she was unarmed. The scarred man blinked, then he frowned. "Hang on."
Elfman scooped Nora up, the girl gritting her teeth but not crying out even as her whole body screamed in protest.
The umbrella fell from her hand, and the old man picked it up, following behind Elfman as he carried Nora inside.
Nora hissed softly in pain as a woman who had been introduced to her as Mirajane tended to her wounds much as Klein had, biting down on a wooden spoon she had been given.
When the last knot of gauze was tied tightly, Nora let out a soft yelp and actually snapped the spoon into three pieces, dropping the fragment in her mouth while gasping in pain as she hunched over on the cot she sat on.
She had been brought through the guild-hall and into a small room where there was a cot set up, and Mirajane sat on a stool to work while Elfman and Makarov stood and watched.
"There, there." Mirajane gave a kind smile. "You were very brave. Now, your wounds should heal up in no time!"
"T-Thanks." Nora looked up at Mirajane through the buzzing spots in her vision, still frowning but grateful. "I-It's funny. I always told the bullies back h-home that I'd break their legs if they didn't quit it, a-and I ended up with the useless legs..."
She did not laugh, no one laughed.
That was okay.
"You never told us your name, young one," the old man, who had introduced himself as Makarov Dreyar, spoke up.
Nora looked at him, wincing slightly at the movement.
"Nora Valkyrie," she responded weakly, and the old man nodded.
He gestured to her wounds, frowning.
"That creature you were fighting, did it do this to you?" He asked, and Nora found herself freezing up again.
Was this really a world with no Grimm?
"No, uh—I had to take down an electrified door to free my friends, and-..." Nora took a deep breath. "D-Do you guys really not know what the Grimm are?"
"I'm afraid not," Makarov told her, confirming her suspicions. "Could you explain-?"
"Master, she's very weak and she seems to have been through a lot," Mirajane protested, frowning slightly. "Maybe we should let her rest up a bit before we question her further."
"Hm… Very well." Makarov nodded, then he gestured to the weapons they had taken from Nora and set on a table. "Ensure that she cannot get to those."
Nora's eyes widened, then she began trying to reach the weapons.
"No!" She cried out, and Mirajane had to place her hands on Nora's shoulders to make her stay down, the girl still fighting despite the pain. "You can't take them away! You can't!"
Mirajane's frown deepened a little. "You will get them back-"
"Take Magnhild if you want, but leave the knife with me!"
"Hm?" Makarov glanced at the knife, then he shook his head. "I cannot allow you to have it, not after what I almost witnessed tonight."
Nora's eyes filled with tears, but she stopped struggling and let Mirajane make her lay down, the girl weakly turning over on her side so that her back was to the three as she curled up and began shaking, sobbing softly.
Makarov tried to pick up Magnhild, only to fail miserably due to its weight, so Elfman took it into his hands while the old man took the knife.
Elfman, visibly surprised by Magnhild's weight, shook out of it and looked at Nora forlornly alongside Mirajane and Makarov, then Mirajane laid a blanket over the girl and the three left the room, turning out the lights.
/\
Makarov had Mirajane and Elfman go with him to his office, where Elfman set the weapon—Magnhild, Nora had called it—down on the floor.
Makarov went to his desk and sat down, placing his knife at the center of the wooden surface and gazing down at it with a grim frown.
"Master." Mirajane turned to Makarov, closing the door. "That knife… I don't think that it belongs to her."
Makarov sighed, shaking his head. "Nor do I… She mentioned something, I think it was a name. Ren." The old man looked down at the knife again. "He must have created the vortex that brought her and that monster—that Grimm—here… There was blood and cloth on its claws."
"He sacrificed himself." Mirajane raised a hand to her mouth, horrified. "Whoever this Ren was, he was trying to save her life."
Elfman crossed his arms, bowing his head. "A real man's end."
"... I'll gather the cloth in the morning, when the blood has been washed away." Makarov looked up at the two young mages. "Miss Valkyrie saw it, and… she may want it."
"Yes, master." The Strauss siblings nodded, then Mirajane looked at the weapon her brother had placed on the floor, her expression filled with pity.
"Poor thing…"
/\
Nora hugged herself, sobbing and cursing herself for all of those dark thoughts of blame and hate towards the people she cared about.
Pyrrha, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Oscar, Jaune, Ren, so many others…
If they were all still alive and they were there, her friends would tell her that they would want her to be the same old Nora Valkyrie: laughing, full of energy and life, always trying to make herself and others smile. They would want her to stay the same…
But that night, until the adrenaline crashed and dragged her back into the shadows...
all that Nora could do was cry.
/\/\/\/\
Nora woke up in the morning and just stared up at the ceiling.
If it had not been for her strange surroundings, barely visible in the dark, she might have been able to convince herself that the previous day's events had been a dream.
But had it only been a day? She had been in and out so often...
Nora took a sharp breath, closing her eyes.
She needed to get out of that room, out of the dark, away from her thoughts...
But no one came in. She must have woken up too early.
And unlike before, when they were stealing time Nora could have spent with her friends, her injuries were not being merciful enough to knock her out again.
So, Nora opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling again. Her expression was blank, her eyes brimming with grief.
…
"You're sure you want to come along?"
"The journey will be perilous, and whether we will find answers at the end is entirely uncertain."
"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it."
…
Nora sighed quietly, shaking her head.
Up for it…
How innocent she had been back then, even in the wake of the Battle of Beacon, the Fall of Vale, and Pyrrha's death.
It felt like decades had passed since that day on Patch, even though it had just been a little more than two years.
How could it all have come apart so quickly, so easily?
"Nora?" A voice asked, and Nora turned her head to see Mirajane entering the room and smiling sadly as she brought a wheelchair over. "Master Makarov wants to speak with you, and I thought that you might want to go out and get some breakfast."
"... Magnhild and the knife?" Nora responded quietly, her voice hoarse.
"They're fine," Mirajane assured her, turning the wheelchair and getting it ready for the orange-haired girl. "Master Makarov made sure that they were kept somewhere safe, for the night."
Satisfied, Nora nodded weakly and let Mirajane help her into the wheelchair, hissing softly in pain as she sat down. Her brain went fussy, and she slumped against the back of the seat and took deep breaths to try and regain her bearings.
"... You're very strong, Nora," Mirajane said gently. "Grown men would scream at injuries like those."
"Believe me, I did," Nora told her, the joke falling flat, then she sighed. "And, well… A high pain-tolerance comes with the job."
Mirajane blinked. "Job?"
"I'm a Huntress… or I was." Nora bowed her head as Mirajane pushed her out of the room and down a hallway, the orange-haired girl folding her hands in her lap. "It was our job to fight monsters, the Creatures of Grimm, and defend the world. "
Nora clenched her fists, her self-hatred rising as it had the night before. 'And I failed. I wasn't strong enough.'
"What happened, then?" Mirajane pressed cautiously.
Nora took a deep breath. "... We-"
Mirajane rolled Nora into the main-room of the large building, and Nora blinked, seeing that Elfman and Makarov were waiting there amongst tables and chairs and a board with pieces of paper pinned to it.
Mirajane waved to them, then she looked down at Nora. "There are usually a lot more people in here, but they're all on jobs right now. It's just me, Master, Elfman-"
"Miss Valkyrie." Makarov walked over, crossing his arms. "I hope that you slept well." Nora remained silent. "Err... Right." The old man cleared his throat, then composed himself. "The three of us would like an explanation regarding yesterday's events. Come, we can talk over breakfast."
"Not like I have much of a choice," Nora commented dryly as she was wheeled up to the table, but there was no bite in her voice.
Mirajane folded her hands over her stomach. "What would you like for breakfast?"
"I-" Images from the previous day flashed in Nora's mind, and the girl hunched over and raised a shaking hand to her mouth to keep from getting sick. "I-I'm not hungry..."
"You need to regain your strength, Miss Valkyrie," Makarov protested, then he looked at Mirajane. "Make whatever you'd like—just make sure that it's warm, and that there's a lot of it." Mirajane nodded and walked over to a counter within earshot, going behind it and beginning to prepare something. "So, Miss Valkyrie, can you start from the beginning?"
Nora blinked, lowering her shaking hand from her mouth. "B-Beginning?"
"This conflict you were in," Makarov posed the question. "The one with these monsters, the one that caused you to become so injured and-... What was it about?"
"Conflict?" Nora asked him quietly, her hand falling and her fists clenching around the white fabric of her outermost layer. "It was a war… and we lost."
That was the truth, wasn't it?
They lost the moment Ironwood chose to abandon Mantle.
Which would not have happened if he hadn't spiraled, which wouldn't happened without all of the stress and pressure and conflict, which the group hadn't helped when Ruby lied to him when they first reached Atlas, but she only did that because Lionheart had turned traitor, and Lionheart turning traitor had nearly caused Haven to fall and it did really cause Beacon to fall because he let Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury slip into Beacon disguised as his students...
Had they ever stood a chance?
"A war?" Makarov blinked, surprised, and Nora jolted as she was brought back into the present. "I haven't heard of any wars taking place anywhere on Earthland."
"... I'm not from around here, sir." Nora looked up at Makarov, raising her shoulders a bit. "Like... REALLY not from... around here."
It took a moment, but Makarov's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"
"I'm from… a planet called Remnant," Nora finally admitted, deciding to just rip of the band-aid.
Not literally, though.
After all of the work she put in, Mirajane would not have been happy.
"What?!" Elfman asked, recoiling and pointing at the girl. "Alien!"
"Take me to your leader?" Nora joked bitterly, then she looked down at her hands. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how any of this is possible. I was so out of it while Jaune and Ren were making their plan, b-but I did see a file before I blacked-out and-..." She looked at Makarov, shrugging. "I guess that there were these scientists working years back on trying to find a way to travel between planets, and they decided to give portals a try. I mean, if semblances can make portals-..." She looked down, sighing. "The file said that human testing was still too dangerous, so… I guess that I'm the very first person from Remnant to ever 'pop in for a visit'." She tilted her head to the side, humming quietly. "That's kinda cool, I guess?"
"Remnant," Makarov repeated the name, and Nora looked up and saw his wide eyes. "A whole different world..?"
"... On Remnant, there were four kingdoms. Atlas in the North, Vale and Vacuo to the west, and Mistral to the east. Menagerie was a large, populated land-mass in the south," Nora began awkwardly, deciding it was better than sitting in the shocked silence. "The people of the four kingdoms and Menagerie were in a war against these soulless monsters, the Creatures of Grimm, that wanted nothing more to -well- eat every person on Remnant.
The side of light and lifewas mostly fought by the Huntsmen and Huntresses." Nora looked down, fidgeting a bit with her hands. "I was one of them. My friends and I trained at the Hunter academies, using our aura, semblances, and weapons to grow strong so that we could defend the world.
But Salem, the enemy who was kinda directing the Grimm, sent her forces to divide the academies and kingdoms, a-and-..." Nora closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then she looked up. "And right now, she's probably killed all of my friends and allies... and gotten one step closer to eradicating mankind."
All went silent as everyone stared at Nora, absolutely stunned.
Mirajane was the first to speak. "I-If this is true, then... how did you get away?"
"You mentioned a portal created by scientists on your world," Makarov pressed. "For what purpose was it made? How did you end up going through it?"
"I-..." Nora swallowed thickly. "The file I read mentioned things like 'atmosphere', 'hostility', and 'environmental conditions'... And there were notes that said 'Help?' and 'Escape?'." She took a deep breath. "I think that the scientists were working on a backup plan, in case something went wrong and we needed to find people willing to help us or a place to escape to.
They had no idea where it would take them because they were too scared to send a person through before the project got shut down, but… my teammates went after the device." Nora's eyes teared up. "See, I-I got hurt—and we'd already lost one member of our team, and they didn't want to lose me too.
J-Jaune bought R-Ren and I some time, a-and Ren threw me in. The last thing I saw was-..." Nora's eyes widened as the image flashed in her mind, then she clamped her eyes shut, clenching her teeth to force a scream back. "A-And here I am. I-I know you must think that I'm totally c-crazy, but-"
"Miss Valkyrie." Makarov took a deep breath, then he looked up at the girl. "Given the circumstances of our meeting and your behavior, I can assure you that I do not believe that you are crazy." Nora's eyes opened and widened. "... Due to the nature of your origins, you must realize that I cannot simply unleash you on Earthland upon your recovery.
For one, you could become a target of scrutiny or even attack should anyone learn of your past. Two, you have no idea as to how life on Earthland works, so to speak. We seem to share language, but we could have completely different laws of physics compared to Remnant's. Three…" His expression became grim. "I cannot forget what I almost witnessed, yesterday. I could not in good conscience send you out into this world by yourself."
Nora grew wary. "What does that mean?"
"... Miss Valkyrie, tell me about your skills in combat and your weapon." Makarov changed the subject, his expression lightening. "Magnhild, wasn't it?"
"Y-Yeah…" Nora nodded slowly. "And, I-... I was sort of the powerhouse of my team." She gave a slight smile as she reminisced. "I was the strongest, physically; that was what I was best at, being strong and hitting stuff. Magnhild is my own design: a Dust-powered grenade-launcher that can turn into a war-hammer." As Nora grew somewhat giddy while describing her precious weapon, the eyes of the three people in the room with her widened in disbelief. "The grenades are powered byenergy-Dust and lightning-Dust with a bit of fire-Dust for that extra kick! And I can use Magnhild to send me flying through the air so I can bash a giant monster's head in like a watermelon!"
"You seem a bit more..." Mirajane smiled awkwardly as walked over with a plate in her hand. "Cheerful?" Nora blinked, then she looked down with a frown. "Hey, it's alright! Your face seems like you were made to smile!"
"How could I smile, after what happened?" Nora asked, closing her eyes and putting her face in her hands. "Good gods…"
"It is no crime to smile, Miss Valkyrie." Makarov stated kindly, the girl looking up at him. "Suffering and loss are a part of life. Does the darkness really make the light any less bright and beautiful?" Nora blinked, then looked down again, a tear racing down her face. "... You said that your weapon ran on dust?"
"Yeah..." Nora's eyes suddenly widened, and she looked up at Makarov. "D-Do you not have that here, either? You know, the crystals that have to do with the elements?" Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Everything in Remnant ran on Dust, with a capital D. Without it, my weapons are kinda useless…"
"There are spells for multiplying such things." Mirajane waved it off.
Nora raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Wait, what? Spells?" She asked, and the three tensed up. "You-..?" Nora tensed a bit. "You don't mean like magic spells, right?"
"... Do you not have magic on Remnant?" Makarov asked, and Nora hesitated.
She looked down, her expression tense and her body stiff.
"... Complicated," she admitted, and the three exchanged glances. "We do, but-... There are the Four Maidens, who have control over nature, but there can only be four of them at a time—Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall—since the magic is transferred from host to host, the girl in the Maiden's final thoughts inheriting her power. Then, there were Ozpin and Salem, a-and the Silver-Eyed Warriors. There was some besides that, but not much—'cause Ozpin gave magic away sometimes, but he started to run low on it and stopped."
"So, only very few and specific people could use magic?" Makarov asked, and Nora nodded. "... And one of them was your enemy?"
"Hm." Nora glanced down, then she looked up at the old man. "Not just one... but there were a few who were also my friends."
"I see." Makarov nodded. "... Here, anyone can learn to use magic. It takes time and training, but it is possible." Nora's eyes widened in disbelief. "And those who learn magic, called wizards or mages, form guilds in order to accept jobs and protect each other in this dangerous world… Miss Valkyrie, you are sitting in the guild-house of Fairy Tail."
Nora blinked. "Fairytale?"
"No, Fairy Tail," Makarov corrected her, and Nora raised an eyebrow as the old man chuckled softly. "Do fairies have tails? Do they even exist? It's a never-ending mystery, and therefore a never-ending adventure."
Nora gazed at him for a moment, then… "How many people are normally here?"
"Over a hundred." Mirajane set a plate down in front of Nora, who was both relieved and saddened to see that they were waffles: not pancakes. There was plenty of syrup and butter, and even some bacon. "We treat each other like family. An individual's happiness is everyone's happiness, an individual's sorrow is everyone's sorrow, and an individual's war is everyone's war. We look out for each other."
"Hm." Nora looked down at her plate. "Sounds nice… But I wasn't one of the ones who got to use magic." She ran a shaking hand over some of the sensitive scars on the opposite palm. "All I have is my aura and semblance."
"Aura? Semblance?" Elfman asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nora looked up at the three mages. "On Remnant, since pretty much no one can use magic, people discovered a way to unlock their souls and use them to generate aura." At that, the three blinked in surprise. "There are lots of uses for aura, but its most-basic use is -well- basically a force-field that helps you protect yourself and heal your body faster—and the more you practice with it, the more likely you are to discover your semblance: a personality-based power." She figured that was an explanation that was simple enough for them to understand as basics. "My semblance allows me to absorb electricity and charge my muscles with it." She glanced at her scars. "And… my limit seems to be trying to absorb entire military complexes for several seconds."
"My word..." Makarov stared at the Huntress, stunned, then he raised a hand to his chin. "For the weapon, we can easily multiply the ammunition—and if you always had some lightning lacrimae on hand-… Hm." He looked up, his eyes glinting. "You could be quite powerful, Miss Valkyrie."
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"You could, of course, attempt to learn magic from other members of the guild as you continued on," Makarov went on, seeming to pay no mind to Nora's confusion. "And we could place you on a team of mages who can be trusted to keep you safe until you grow more-comfortable with our world. Perhaps Levy, Jet, and Droy wouldn't mind... Ah, it can wait until you've recovered some."
Nora blinked. "Wait, wh-?"
"Nora Valkyrie." Makarov stood up on the bench, placing his hands on his hips. "How would you like to join Fairy Tail?"
Nora stared at the man, then she looked up at Elfman and Mirajane.
Mirajane smiled brightly at the Huntress, and Elfman crossed his arms and gave a small grin.
Nora looked at Makarov, her eyes wide. "You've just met me… Are you sure-?"
"We accepted our last member within ten minutes of him walking through the door." Makarov waved it off. "I don't even remember his last name. But I'll learn it, soon enough—he is a member of Fairy Tail, part of our family. You could be one of us, too."
Nora gazed at him, then she looked down. "I don't know... I have a bad habit of letting people down, and losing people I care about."
"... Do you want to know the best thing about friends, Nora?" Mirajane asked, and Nora looked up at her. For the first time, Nora noticed a sadness in her eyes that did not seem to belong with her face. "No matter how many you lose, you can always make more."
A moment of silence passed, with Nora bowing her head and gazing at her hands.
Nora finally looked up, shaking her head and sighing quietly as her eyes became glassy with tears. "I can't replace them."
"We don't expect you to," Makarov clarified, then he held a hand out and gestured to the whole room. "We just want to encourage you to keep moving forward." He pulled something from his pocket and held it out. "But never forget the joy and lessons from the past, or the people who shaped you into who you are... Let them not impair your judgement or pull you to darkness, but let them stay in your heart forever."
The object in Makarov's hand was a flower-shaped hair-clip made of light-green, dark-green, white, pink, and black fabric with gold trim and a red center.
Nora's eyes widened, then she reached out and took it in shaking hands, staring down at it in astonishment. A tear fell, then Nora gave a weak laugh as she lightly tapped the red center.
"Boop..." Nora whispered, then she pinned the clip into her hair on the left side of her head. Nora lowered her hand, then looked up at the three mages with a light grin. "Okay... Where do I sign up?"
"Hm..." Someone hummed, and everyone looked back to see a man standing in front of the job-boards.
Mirajane waved, smiling. "Good morning, Nab!"
"'Morning, Mira," the man replied idly, not looking back.
"... I thought everyone else in your guild was on jobs." Nora frowned, looking back at the other three mages.
Makarov gave a light chuckle. "Not Nab. I don't believe he's been on a job in months. Real indecisive, that one..."
"Huh."
/\
Nora took a bath with some help from Mirajane, then the other young woman helped Nora get out of the tub, re-apply the bandages, and get dressed again.
Nora felt humiliated the entire time, but between the weakness and the shaking, she could not do it on her own.
Mirajane made small talk as she worked, seeming to pick up on Nora's discomfort and attempting to distract her. She told stories about other members of the guild, promising to point out everyone she mentioned when they returned.
"... How long do you believe it will take for your wounds to heal?" Mirajane finally asked as Nora placed the clip back into her dried and brushed hair. "I'm asking because it might be different for someone from Remnant, especially with that aura power that you mentioned earlier."
Nora looked back at her. "A week or two, more or less. It'll go faster if I can focus on it and exercise when I can, and I'll do my best to." She looked down at the lightning-shaped marks, sighing. "I think that I'll scar, though… I guess I should be glad they look cool."
"Hm… Master said that it was alright for me to give you these." Mirajane handed Nora the knife, then she lifted Magnhild up and set it in the Huntress's lap. Then, she handed Nora a small, pink cross-body bag. "I used to use this on long-term missions, but I haven't needed it in some time. It's enchanted, so the opening can get larger as needed and you can carry your weapons and ammunition in it with no added weight." She tilted her head, smiling. "After your talk, Master Makarov took some of the ammunition from your weapon to a local mage who specializes in multiplication magic, and you can do it any time you need more as long as you always have one round left over after a job."
"Oh." Nora blinked. "Guess that I should keep one somewhere safe, then?"
"Hm." Mirajane nodded, smiling. "I suggest that you separate one in one of the extra pockets in your bag."
Nora nodded back, then she looked down, frowning slightly. "... Why are you guys trying so hard to help me? I mean, I'm just a stranger and I really could be crazy-"
"Master believes you, and so do Elfman and I," Mirajane insisted. "And what reason have you given us not to help? Are people so cold where you are from?"
Nora blinked, surprised, then sighed and closed her eyes. "No, they're really not... It's just that kindness like that sorta died out, back in Atlas. People did what they had to in order to survive, even if it meant leaving others to die." Nora's fists clenched, then she opened her eyes and looked up at Mirajane. "It's so strange, being in a world where everything's fine. I mean, I bet you guys have your own problems, but-..." The girl's breath shook. "No Grimm. No Salem. No falling kingdoms or burning schools… There's peace, and the bad guys haven't won. It's almost too amazing to be real."
"Nora…" Mirajane's blue eyes teared up, then she kneeled next to the wheelchair and hugged the Huntress. Nora tensed up, surprised as the white-haired girl began crying. "Why did a child have to fight in a war?!"
"I-I'm nineteen," Nora protested, her eyes wide as she looked down at the other girl. "I mean, I've been at this for a while, b-but I-... I'm probably your age." She cringed. "Oh, that's worse. I made it worse." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then she opened her eyes and frowned. "... We couldn't just sit back and wait until we were ready, not with the world and all of mankind at stake. And…" She shook her head. "I haven't really considered myself a kid for a long time."
"You're just a teenager, Nora!" Mirajane looked up, frustrated and glaring through tears. "Here, children can take jobs and fight—but we do not send them off to war! You are too young to have had the world placed on your shoulders!" Her eyes narrowed. "How old were you, when you first faced these Grimm?!"
"... I saw a whole village wiped-out by the Grimm when I was seven." Nora looked down, sighing softly. "I'd seen them earlier than that, even-... But that night, when I met-... Ever since then, I've been getting stronger and fighting them. I never wanted to be scared or helpless ever again. I wanted to be brave, to laugh in the face of the monsters who ruined my life and the lives of my friends… I guess I really screwed up, huh?" Mirajane did not reply, and Nora slowly hugged back, resting her head on the woman's shoulder. "It wasn't all bad. A lot of it was fun. Adventuring with my f-friends… They were the best years of my life."
"I-... I know how you feel," Mirajane whispered, and Nora opened her eyes. "My little sister, Lisanna... She died facing an enemy she could never beat, and I didn't do anything to stop it or help her. I had to watch her fade away, right before my eyes... I haven't been able to use magic, since that day. I-I feel so useless, so helpless… If the guild were attacked today, I could only stand by and watch..."
"... How do you go on?" Nora murmured, closing her eyes again. "How do you keep living when it all feels wrong? I-... I had Ren for so many years, and now-... Now, I don't." The Huntress's shoulders slumped. "I'd only just realized that I don't know who I am without him… and now, he's gone." Nora's next breath shook. "I'm joining this guild, but… that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing or what to do."
Mirajane hugged a bit tighter. "Oh, Nora…"
"All I know… is that whenever I was scared or sad or hurt, I never let it stop me from fighting… and smiling," the Huntress whispered. "See, 'cause… someone had to." She took another deep, shaking breath. "If I stop doing that just because Ren is gone and I can't go home, then all of that meant nothing… I've just gotta have faith in my friends, and I can't give up now that I've got this second chance." She shook her head. "I can't do that to Ren."
"Nora." Mirajane pulled away and frowned up at Nora, wiping her tears away. "You're allowed to feel pain. Elfman and I, we're still grieving over our little sister. You lost your entire planet, everyone you knew."
"... A good friend of mine, she had this uncle," the Huntress said. "His name was Qrow, and… he could be kind of an idiot at times… but some words of his have never left me, and they never will. He said, Never stop moving forward." Nora sighed, shaking her head. "And with what you said about friends, and Master Makarov said about the friends and lessons of the past and grief and darkness... Don't get me wrong, Mira. I'm going to be hurting for a while. I have to; they were my everything, my family…
And Ren, we'd always been together." She gave a bitter smile, opening her eyes and gazing at the floor. "Ever since we were small, we stayed together and protected each other. And I-... I-..." Nora shakily raised her hand to the fabric flower in her hair, her eyes tearing up. "I know that I'll never stop missing him, or any of them... But the moment I can stand again, I'm walking. I'm moving forward… for them."
"Nora?" Mirajane asked, smiling softly as tears raced down her face. "I'd like to be your friend, if that's alright."
A small frown briefly flashed on Nora's face, a bit of doubt creeping into her mind.
Everyone she'd ever loved, she had lost; her friends, her world, Ren…
If she befriended Mirajane—or anyone—would she have to watch them suffer the same fate as everyone else she ever cared about?
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"You have to be brave."
...
Nora jolted slightly, then she looked away for a moment, giving a small smile.
Those five words.
She should hate them, and she should be angry at the one who said them for giving her absolutely no excuses… but she couldn't bring herself to do either of those things, not ever…
"Mira..." Nora looked up at Mirajane, beaming. "I'd like that."
I am fully aware that I am going to the Bad Place for this, but let me explain:
Nora Valkyrie has got to be my favorite character out of the main RWBY cast, and this newest volume got the brain going a bit.
This concept was laying around in my drafts for a while and I went back to it time and time again until I had most of a story written, but I just did not know when to start. I had to isolate Nora somehow, but I could not decide how to make it happen in a way that sat well with me.
Then, we got "Strings"—and suddenly, I had ideas.
Then, the rest of the volume happened and I kinda went nuts.
I went into my drafts, completely reworked everything, and suddenly had a majority of a story already written or at least outlined where I dropped Nora into another world and let her develop on her own. I'm a sucker for having characters work through losses and come out stronger.
Don't get me wrong: I am a HUGE ReNora shipper (even though that's kinda been going in a weird direction recently, WTF), but this girl deserves more development on her own, so I'm giving her some space!
A lot of space! A whole different planet!
Why set it in Fairy Tail?
Totally not because I watched Thunder (by Imagine Dragons) AMVs for two different fandoms two years ago, hyperfixated, and started this story in my drafts and just gradually let it escalate until it was past the point of no return. Why would you even ask that?
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Disclaimers, in case y'all want to turn back:
I have not read 100 Years Quest, but I have read the original manga and seen the anime.
This author drinks 'respect'-juice for the following: Freed Justine, Juvia Lockser, Lucy Heartfilia, Lisanna Strauss, women, men, and just people in general. Be nice, y'all.
We're getting some of these under-utilized side-characters off of the back-burner.
Character development. Past readers, you know who I am.
Up-sides and down-sides of using Dust, aura, and brute strength against magic!
Cultural differences!
Nora Valkyrie is energetic, but she has opinions and emotions outside of 'in love with Ren' and is a valid, intelligent, strong, and snarky legend with genuine depth—and I can guarantee that this will be showcased.
I'm suddenly realizing that, when in the guild-hall, Nora will more-often-than-not seem to be the one constantly holding the brain-cell because she comes from a much-more serious show, and that is hilarious.
It could also be used for evil.
It will totally be used for evil.
Nora Valkyrie having absolutely nothing left to lose and a filter the size of a dime to work with a hole the size of a manhole cover.
Earthlanders left constantly confused by this Chaotic Entity coming up with increasingly bizarre ways to avoid saying whether or not she knows any magic.
Consider yourselves warned.
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This is "Thunder".
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I own nothing. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!