Attack on Titan: A New Path Chapter 44, an Attack on Titan/進撃の巨人 + RWBY Crossover fanfic

"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Chapter 44: Courting the Lion's Den

Throughout his life, Eren Yeager had been called many things. Dangerous, rebellious, he had even once been called a pervert by Hange Zoë. However, one of the more prominent things Eren had been called was a "sucidal blockhead." He was mostly called this by his friends from Paradis, notably Jean.

If they were with him now, Eren was quite sure that they would use the same name to describe him now.

Moments ago, Eren had reunited with the White Fang Justice Division. Unlike the ones he met before, this branch of the White Fang was an elite group known for assassinating high-value targets.

That, and they were mostly comprised of Eldian soldiers turned Yeagerists from Paradis.

Last night, Floch Forster led a mission to bring Eren before his team and request his help in fighting humanity. Most Faunus would call the man crazy for bringing a human into the fold, but they didn't know Eren like Floch did. Not only was Eren a ruthless leader who became a devil for Paradis' sake, but he was also a Titan.

Floch wanted that power now more than ever. He wanted Eren to fight by his side again.

Eren had been given a day to consider the offer, one that sounded more akin to a demand. He was well aware that Floch wouldn't be taking "no" for an answer, so Eren decided to use this reminder as influence for his decision.

And that decision was a demand of his own: to be taken to the High Leader of the White Fang.

"Our leader?" Floch asked as he stared at Eren's surrendering hands. "But Eren, I'm-"

"I know, you're the leader here," Eren recalled. "But you mentioned someone else. Someone you called your 'High Leader.' They're the one in charge, aren't they?"

"She is." Floch didn't see much harm in confirming Eren's idea, that he and his team had another leader. Unlike him, the High Leader was the one with absolute power over the White Fang. "Are you saying that-?"

"I want to meet her." Eren extended his hands forward. "I want you to bring me to her."

"..."

Just like last night, Floch found himself having a hard time believing what he heard. The Faunus thought he had made it clear to Eren that he needed a straight answer. Floch needed to know if he could count on Eren's support or if Eren needed more... convincing.

Floch was willing to partake in the convincing. If Eren wasn't in touch with what made him a devil, Floch was confident he could help Eren rediscover it.

On the other hand, Floch could see the opportunity before him. It was hard enough convincing his lieutenant, Angel, that Eren's help was vital to the White Fang. But convincing the High Leader could deatroy any doubt that any other Faunus could have. If Eren was surrendering himself to her, the White Fang's victory was all but assured.

The more he thought about it, the more Floch wanted to see this idea through. After all, Eren willingly giving himself up like this sounded like a "Yes" to him.

But first, he needed to handle a challenger.

"Forget it."

Angel swooped in with her wings and pointed her spear directly at Eren's face. She recalled what happened the last time she tried to attack Eren, and she remembered what Floch said about Eren supposedly being responsible for an attack in Atlas. She was willing to discover the truth for herself, but not when it meant bringing a human of all people before the High Leader of the White Fang.

"Angel, wait!" Floch begged as he moved the spear away from Eren. "You don't want to do this!"

"I'm sorry, Floch," Angel said sincerely. She wished to be patient and trusting of her leader once more, but this was going to cross a line. "But bringing a human to the High Leader is an offense punishable by death. Prisoner or not, Sienna will have our heads if we bring him to her. Regardless of whatever you say he can do."

"..."

Floch was well aware of this rule. No member of the White Fang had been known for bringing a human to the High Leader, and the reason was quite obvious. Not that it was impossible, since the main base for the White Fang was actually in Anima. But Angel was right about the rule, that nobody would hesitate to kill a Faunus who brought a human to their base.

Not even Floch would have a problem punishing such a traitor. But in his mind, this was much different.

Just like last night, Eren sensed the danger he was in. Angel had been short-tempered and impatient with him before, given her faith in the White Fang's cause. It was easy for Eren to understand why Floch had chosen her to join him; she was just as zealous as Floch was on Paradis.

Eren understood he had to deal with Angel if he wished to see his plans with this "High Leader" through. He had hoped Floch would be able to temper her anger and distrust, but Angel's non-Eldian heritage clealry made this difficult. So it was up to Eren now to temper her flame.

Eren's first idea was similar to one he had back on Paradis. The inheritor of the Cart Titan, a woman named Pieck, had almost managed to capture Eren at gunpoint and threaten to shoot him before he could transform into his Titan. That time, it was easy for Eren to call out this bluff and make Pieck refuse to pull the trigger.

Eren was free to try this again with Angel, but he was quite sure Angel would take the chance to kill him this time. And speaking of chances, Eren was sure that Floch wasn't going to take the chance to kill Angel to protect him. He had every chance to do so last night, and Eren knew Floch wouldn't waste time in killing anyone he deemed a threat or a traitor. But with Angel, Floch had shown rare and extreme hesitation in killing her to protect Eren.

If he didn't know any better, Eren would say that there was more to their relationship than met the eye.

So instead of waiting for Floch to help him, Eren helped himself in a very risky manner. He was sure that Floch had told her everything about Paradis, but Angel was reluctant to believe it. She was still loyal to him, but it was easy for her to dismiss his stories. It was easy to understand why, since Eren recalled an old phrase he heard on Remnant.

Seeing is believing.

So if he wanted to see his plans through to the end, if he wanted to keep his word to Dina, Eren would have to make this Faunus see for herself. And so, as he took a step backwards, Eren raised his hand to his mouth and prepared to make Angel see.

"I'd stand back if I were you," Eren said as he moved his hand closer to his mouth.

"What?" Angel asked as she jabbed her spear closer to Eren.

Floch and the other Yeagerists immediately understood what was happening. While they had been anticipating this moment ever since Floch put the pieces together, each and every one of them ran for cover as they braced themselves for a miracle.

"Angel, get back!" Floch ordered as he pulled on his lieutenant's arm. He also pushed her head back in Eren's direction, so she could see what Floch had been saying all along.

And see it... she did.

*BOOM*

When the sound and cloud of dust disappeared, everyone looked to see what had just happened. And sure enough, as Floch believed, their faith in Eren had been well rewarded. What they saw was different from what they recalled, mainly the Grimm-like features, but nobody could mistake the fact that the Titans were real once more.

Or that the leader they followed on Paradis had returned.

Like his comrades, Floch was initially overcome by surprise and disbelief. He knew what he heard about a Titan in Atlas was real, but he hadn't expected Eren to reveal it so soon. And so, Floch's surprise was replaced by joy and ambition, which awoke the zealous follower within him once more.

"Don't be afraid!" Floch said as he turned around towards his allies. "This is what we all knew was real! What we all fought with so long ago!"

"..."

Despite their silence, Floch knew he had everyone's attention. Like Erwin Smith, Floch had a natural talent for public speaking and guiding others. And now, Floch intended to do this for all of his friends and allies.

"I won't lie to any of you," Floch continued. "I know we all came here after we died. Before and after we were invaded, we all died. I died."

"..."

"Whether or not this means we failed, I have no idea. But I do know this! The world around us now isn't ready for Titans. Grimm or not, the power of the Titans has been gifted to us by Eren! We will use it to win this war!"

The Faunus around Floch cheered and applauded as they realized the same thing he did. Some of the Yeagerists even looked up to Eren and cheered as well. They took his presence and the presence of a Titan as a gift, and a sign of Eren's willingness to help them.

Floch agreed, and knew what to do next.

"Break up the camp!" Floch ordered. "We're going back to headquarters! To Sienna Khan!"

Everyone was surprised to hear that they would be going straight to their homebase in Mistral. But like Floch, they took Eren's presence as a victory and a sign that he was willing to help them. But first, they needed to convince the High Leader of Eren's worth. And so, after everything was packed and everyone was accounted for, the Justice Division of the White Fang was ready to leave.

Except one.

Angel had fallen to the ground when Eren transformed. But this didn't prevent her from seeing what everyone else had seen, or hearing what they heard too. And now, after all of Floch's efforts, Angel was willing to see and believe the truth. She now knew that she was wrong about Eren; so unbelievably wrong.

And it scared her to her core.

"Angel."

The Faunus turned to see Floch and Samuel standing above her. They had noticed her sitting on thr ground and refusing to move, and they understood it perfectly. They had seen too many soldiers freeze up in fear as they came into contact with Titans, and this usually resulted in them being devoured. Fortunately, Angel wasn't in any danger here.

"Are you okay?" Floch said as he looked upon his lieutenant.

"I..." Angel stuttered. "I... I..."

Floch kneeled closer to Angel. "I understand. But listen; you don't have to be afraid. I know all of this is crazy, just like you said dozens of times. And we can talk about this anytime we need to."

"..."

"But I just want you to know that this doesn't change anything. How I see you or anyone else in the White Fang. I just need to know one thing." Floch extended his hand to Angel and asked a simple question. "Are you still with me?"

"..."

Angel didn't know where to begin. She didn't know how she could have been so wrong about anything in her entire life, whether it was Floch's story or Eren's true nature. Even right now, Eren was exiting the Titan and showing that he was the one who created it. Angel knew that this changed so much about everything she thought was possible.

While it did change how she saw the rest of her team, Angel knew that it wouldn't change how she saw Floch. She even tried to see him differently, but it just wasn't possible for her. She didn't see anyone else but the leader she followed for so long or the man that made her who she was today.

Angel once believed that would never change. And now, after all this, she knew she was right.

"Always," Angel said as she took Floch's hand. She and Floch then smiled as Angel was lifted off the ground, thankful about the choices that they had made. They took comfort in knowing that they could still rely on each other, now and anytime that called for it.

The feeling of comfort, however, disappeared when their present ally began to look in another direction.

*SNIFF*

Samuel, one of Eren's friends from the Cadet Corps, couldn't help but stop helping and sniff the air. His more noticeable Faunus trait was a pair of dog ears, but the young man also possessed a keen sense of smell. That trait was helping him now, since Samuel could smell something different.

Floch and Angel easily noticed this, and learned to never question whatever scent their ally could detect. "What is it?" Floch asked.

"Something's out there," Samuel insisted. "Or someone."

Floch looked in the direction Samuel was looking, but he couldn't see anything. "It can't be someone. Eren came here alone."

"How do we know for sure?" Angel asked. "He could have just said he was alone." Angel was still processing everything she saw, but all she could trust for certain was that Eren, Floch, and everyone around her was from another world.

Being alone in the woods, however, was a different story.

*RUSTLE*

*SNAP*

The sound of a stick breaking and bushes moving caused the trio to raise their arms together. Angel still had her spear, but Floch and Samuel had sidearms they had relied on for a long time. Floch signaled for Angel to rise and for Samuel to move forward, which they did without question. It was a common strategy the team had, an attack by land and an attack by air.

And now, it paid off when a small pack of Beowolves emerged from the forest.

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

"Take them!" Floch ordered as he fired his gun.

*BANG*

Angel watched as each of the Grimm were gunned down. Seeing no other Grimm or any other use for being in the air, she flew back down to the ground and watched her allies holster their weapons. "Just the Grimm," Floch said as he watched the Grimm disappear. "Let's go before more show up."

Angel followed Floch's lead, but Samuel stayed right where he was.

He knew that the rustling and stick breaking was the work of Grimm, but something didn't feel right. Samuel had smelled Grimm before, and the scent was strong now. However, what he smelled earlier wasn't exactly Grimm. But rather, it was the presence of something else.

Something that had evaded him.

"Sam!"

Samuel turned around to see Floch gesturing towards himself. "Come on," he said as he started walking again. "Let's go."

"..."

The Faunus turned towards the woods again, but was unable to see or hear anything. Seeing that he was wasting time, Samuel followed his leader and soon found himself leaving the camp they made.

Silence surrounded the former camp, which gave solitude to the nocturnal animals of the woods. But when a large shape began to appear out of thin air, the animals, unlike the White Fang, discovered that they weren't alone.

The shape that appeared was that of the Predator Titan, the Titan Eren had gifted Ren months ago. After standing still for a few moments, it moved closer to the camp to see it abandoned. Multiple figures on its back also looked at the abandoned camp, which left them alone with their individual and collective thoughts.

"Phew," Mercury sighed as he wiped his forehead. "That was close."

"Yeah," said Nora. "Good thing those Grimm showed up when they did."

"I think we got a little too close when Eren showed his Titan," said Emerald, who looked at the face of the Predator Titan. "Better keep your distance, Ren. Or they might hear and smell us again."

The Predator Titan didn't respond with its voice, but Ren nodded underneath the shell of the Titan in understanding. He would keep his distance from the White Fang, while he was invisible and following close behind them.

"I don't like this," said Winter, who was also with Eren's friends. "I mean, I want to stop the White Fang from hurting anyone else, but this is too risky."

"Better get used to it, Winter," said Ymir, who was also with Eren's friends. "Eren pulls this crazy stuff all the time."

"I know it's crazy," said Cinder, who stood up on Ren's shoulder and looked at the direction the White Fang was moving in. "But my mom was right; Eren has a great opportunity with the White Fang. If he thinks he can pull this off... then I think we can help him."

Earlier

"That's perfect! Let us know how it goes. Thanks again."

After Cinder removed her Scroll from her ear, she walked into the living room of her house where all of her friends, minus Midori, were waiting for her. "I just talked to Winter," she said. "She and Ymir are willing to help."

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "The Hunt Inquisitorius is back together!"

"Hell, yeah!" Mercury agreed. "Looks like we're all in now!"

"Hold on, Mercury," Ren insisted. "We need a plan, first. Whatever we're doing, we have to be careful."

"Ren's right," said Cinder. "The Hunt Inquisitorius hasn't officially been called for something like this."

"But Winter can take care of that," said Emerald, who remembered that Winter had chosen to stay in Mistral. "Right?"

"Winter's gonna talk to the Council for us," Cinder explained. "All they'll know is that we have a lead on White Fang activity. Until they get here, we have time for a plan." Everyone turned to Eren for a plan, since he was the one who gathered them together and wanted to share his idea. "Okay, Eren. What's the plan?"

"I'm going back to the White Fang camp," said Eren, who took out the map Samuel had given him. "It's right here, in the middle of the woods. Since you want to back me up, this is where we have to go."

Like the rest of her friends, Cinder didn't think helping Eren was up for debate. After all, it was her fault that the White Fang had come to Kuroyuri in the first place. So she looked at the map with everyone else. "Looks like it's past a few other villages," she said. "The Mistral Police Force may have started expanding past the capital, but they wouldn't go that far from any village."

"Yeah, it's pretty far on foot," said Mercury. "We could use the Dark Wing to get there faster."

"They might hear a car," said Ren. "Some of the Faunus have exceptional hearing. You all know the Smythe family." Ren was referring to a family of Faunus that had lived in Kuroyuri for years, who were known for enhanced hearing as well as their small textile trade.

"Didn't you say one of them could fly, Eren?" Emerald asked. "They might see us too."

"Aw, so no Dark Wing?" Nora asked as she sunk into her chair. "Rats."

"We can't use the Dark Wing," Eren confirmed. "We need something that can keep you all out of sight. Something that can travel faster than a normal person, without giving you all away." Eren turned to Ren as he continued to speak. "Something like-"

"My Titan!" said Ren. He had the same idea when Eren looked to him and described what method was necessary to stay out of sight. "I can turn myself invisible and get us to the camp!"

"Exactly," said Eren. "You'll have to carry everyone on your back, but they'll be lightweight."

"Yeah," said Cinder. "I carried Winter, Emerald, and Raven up Salem's castle no problem. I mean, before those falling Titans nearly crushed us."

Nora moved herself off her seat and looked towards Ren. "Can you stay invisible for that long, Ren?" she asked concerningly.

Nora was right to ask, since Ren had never timed himself using his Titan abilities. "I haven't exactly seen how long I can hold it for," he said. "But I never had much of a problem using my powers continuously before. Still, I'll try to keep my distance."

"It should be easy to hide in the woods if you have to," Emerald suggested. "Our Titans blend in with the dark pretty well."

"So that's it," Mercury concluded. "We follow you to the camp and ambush them. Sounds like a plan."

Eren knew it sounded straightforward, but it actually wasn't. What he had in mind was the part of his plan that would be the hardest, since it required having his friends help him. Even though they still wanted to, Eren wasn't entirely sure if they would like what he was going to say.

But he still said it.

"Actually, Mercury... I don't want to ambush them," he said. "I don't even want to fight them. Not yet, at least."

Mercury, like the rest of his friends, were surprised to hear this. "Wait, really?" he asked. "Why not?"

"I was talking about all of this with Ms. Fritz. She helped me see that I have an opportunity with Floch. Maybe even with the entire White Fang."

"Opportunity?" Nora asked. She suddenly became apprehensive about what she was hearing. "Eren, you're not talking about taking Floch's offer, are you?"

"What?" Eren asked as he turned to Nora. "No, no! I don't want to join the White Fang."

Nora's fear disappeared with a sigh of relief. "Oh, good." She then threw a playful punch at Eren's shoulder. "Don't scare me like that." Eren responded with a small laugh, one that made Nora feel even more better.

"Hold on," said Cinder, who became curious with what she was hearing. "What did Mom say?"

"She said that Floch looking for me was a reminder that the White Fang needs allies," said Eren. "That they wouldn't have taken a human like me with them unless they thought they could accomplish whatever they were trying."

"So... she said they need you more than you need them."

"Exactly. The cards are in my hands right now, and I want to use them before I think about fighting."

"Use them to what end?" Ren asked.

Eren sighed before he explained himself. "Floch and the others were right about something last night. That I... That I owe them for fighting with me."

"What?" Emerald asked. "Eren, that's stupid! They came here and attacked us last night."

"Yeah!" said Nora. "You don't owe them anything!"

"Yes, I do," Eren insisted. "They all died following me, helping me move forward with the Rumbling. I wouldn't have done what I did without them." Eren sighed once again. "Maybe 'owe' isn't the right word, but I can't just ignore everything they did for me."

"..."

It was true that nobody in the room liked what Eren was thinking. None of them believed that Eren owed the White Fang anything after what they did last night. But they understood that they didn't know the Yeagerists like Eren did; they understood that Eren had friends among the group that died for his cause.

"Okay..." Cinder said reluctantly. She didn't agree on everything Eren was saying, but she respected his decision. "So what do you want to do?"

"Floch and the others taught me that they didn't have the same chance I did when I came here," Eren explained. "That they had to use what they learned on Paradis just to survive. I need to show them what I learned here, what you all helped me see: Remnant isn't like Paradis."

"..."

"At least..." Eren looked over to Cinder. "It doesn't have to be."

"..."

From the sound of it, it was almost as if Eren was saying that Cinder had inspired him to do this. Which was true; Eren had always admired Cinder's ambition and desire to see that the world could be better than it was. Cinder's main enemy was corruption, mainly with the Huntsmen. And now, Eren chose to partake in a similar goal with the White Fang.

Or at the very least, the Yeagerists.

"That's... very ambitious, Eren," said Ren, who was also surprised by this idea. "Do you think you can change their minds?"

"Honestly... I don't know," said Eren. "I know Floch, how strongly he believes in a cause. But all I'm saying is that I have to try. So that's why... I'm asking him to take me to the leader of the White Fang."

Present

Though he couldn't see his friends, Eren knew that his plan was working. He was being taken straight to the leader of the White Fang, a woman named Sienna Khan. Eren didn't know much about her, but he knew she was the one who had set Floch on his current path.

And if he wanted the Yeagerists off this path, Eren would have to meet Sienna herself.

Eren was being taken to Sienna by horseback, just like how he usually travelled on Paradis. Now that he had won the Yeagerists over once more, he was granted a horse to share with Floch. Though he believed he had won over Eren, Floch wished to keep a close eye on Eren. Angel helped by riding close to Floch, but she knew there wasn't much she could do to stop a Titan. Still, she rode right by his side.

"I knew you would change your mind," said Floch, who broke the silence in the woods. He then pointed towards Eren side, where he could see Soaring Freedom. "It was my message, wasn't it?"

Eren looked to where Floch was pointing and saw the Eldian writing Floch had engraved into his gear. "I recognized it," Eren confirmed. "I haven't seen that kind of writing in years. I almost forgot what it looked like."

"So did I." Floch looked back towards the direction he was traveling in. "My family thought I had something called 'dyslexia' when they first saw it. But the more I wrote, the more memories came back to me." Floch looked towards the gear again. "Is that how you remembered everything? By building that?"

"I never forgot. All my memories stayed with me when I... found myself here."

"..."

Unlike the time he kept the truth from his mother, Eren believed that Floch and the others would accept the truth about their presence. That Darkness had chosen to resusrect them deliberately, to build a new army of zealous followers in order to help him conquer Remnant. After all, that was what they did on Paradis.

And so, Eren kept Darkness a secret once more. Instead, he let Floch believe in whatever he believed about Remnant.

"I still have no idea how it happened," said Floch. "How I came here after I died. But when I remembered more and found everyone else, I knew that I wasn't crazy."

"...Yeah," Eren said. "Me neither."

When he heard this, Floch turned back towards Eren to ask a question. "About that; can I ask how you came here with us? How you died?"

Before Eren could answer, some of the other Yeagerists moved closer to Eren when they heard Floch's question. "Yeah, what happened?" asked Wim.

"All we know is that you left the island," said Oliver. "With the Titans right behind you."

"If you're here, does that mean we won?" Samuel asked. "Or... did we lose?"

"..."

This was a very difficult question, since the answer was also difficult. Eren knew that the Rumbling hadn't been completed, that eighty percent of humanity had been killed rather than the entire world. But he also knew that his death gave Armin and the others a chance to make peace with the world, to show them that the Eldians weren't "devils."

The world understood that... but would Floch?

"I... I died during the Rumbling," Eren confessed. "After I killed eighty percent of humanity."

Everyone around Eren was shocked to hear this, especially Angel. Floch had told her about the Rumbling, but she didn't believe it until now. And now, hearing that Eren killed eighty percent of humanity, she could see why Floch was so adamant about asking for his help.

The shock shared by the former Yeagerists, however, was for a different reason. They knew the plan was for Eren to kill all their enemies, so to hear that some survived was disappointing. But Floch had an idea how it happened.

"It was Mikasa," he confidently assumed. "She and her friends killed you after me, didn't she?"

Eren didn't see any point in denying this, since Floch had already deduced that he was a Titan. Floch was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for. "...Yes," Eren admitted. "But just because I died, thay doesn't mean-"

"Bastards," Floch cursed as he turned around. "Did they have no loyalty?"

"No sense of the bigger picture?" Wim included. "Didn't they know the whole world wanted us dead?!"

"It was Connie who killed me," Samuel sadly recalled. "I thought we were friends. And he still betrayed us."

Just as Eren feared, nobody understood the sacrifice he made and the opportunity he gave to Paradis. Sensing their rage and misplaced agression, Eren decided to change the topic. "Listen, this isn't something I really like to talk about," he said, hoping the others would understand. "And I actually have some questions of my own." Eren quickly turned to Floch. "Like, how did you get involved with the White Fang?"

"We all have our reasons and stories," Floch replied as he began to calm down. "As for me, I followed the humans who killed my family to Haven. My plan was to enroll as a student there to get closer to the Huntsmen who did it. But when that failed, I escaped." Floch turned to Angel. "Then, I met my best friend."

For the first time, Eren saw Angel form a small smile as she recalled the day she met Floch. "I grabbed him and flew us out before Haven could catch us," she explained, becoming more willing to open up to Eren. "One thing led to another, and we joined the White Fang."

"They taught me I could get the justice I needed with them," said Floch, who was clearly mistaking vengeance for justice. "My training on Paradis helped me, and the High Leader put me in charge of the Justice Division. And the rest... is history."

Eren recalled Floch saying that he lost his family to an illegal activity performed by Huntsmen, which he believed through and through. He also took this opprtunity to understand the White Fang even better, since he would be meeting their leader soon.

This also gave Eren a chance to confirm something he heard a while ago.

"So... the White Fang has always been like this?" Eren asked. "Right from the start?"

The question was enough to give Floch pause, as well as the other Faunus around him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's just that I've heard a few things about it. I want to get the record straight."

"Oh, I get it," said Angel. "You only heard what the news says about us. While they completely ignore what's actually going on with humans. That's nothing new."

Eren indeed heard about the White Fang's exploits on the news, but he was referring to something else. "I heard about it on the news, that's true," he said. "But I was talking about something else."

"Oh?" Floch asked.

"I met someone who said that the White Fang used to be different. That they wanted the Faunus to be equals among the humans."

As soon as Eren said that, the caravan erupted in laughter that completely mocked the idea. "Equals?" Wim asked. "Don't be stupid, Eren."

"That's sound like something those idiots on Menagerie would say," Oliver included.

When Eren heard this, he was starting to lose faith in the plan he originally made. "Wait, so that's not true?" he asked. "The White Fang wasn't like that?"

"Oh, it was the original idea, alright," said Floch. "But it was tossed out the window years ago. If humans don't want us to be equal, that's fine. But they won't deny us our right to exist."

"I'm surprised someone out there is still talking about it," said Samuel. "You would think what happened on Paradis would make the idea of equality ridiculous."

"Yeah," said Angel, even though she hadn't lived on Paradis before. "Who told you about that?"

"A Faunus I met," Eren explained. "Someone named Blake."

*NEIGH*

*SCREECH*

Suddenly, the entire caravan stopped in their tracks. Every horse stopped when Floch made his horse abruptly stop, which almost made Eren fall off. Once again, all eyes fell onto Eren.

"What did you just say?" Floch asked as he fully turned around.

"Huh?" Eren asked. "Uh... I said I met a Faunus named Blake."

"Blake?" Samuel asked. "She talked about equality?"

"Um... yeah?"

Before Eren could ask why everyone was surprised, Angel took her turn to ask a question. "What did she look like?" she asked. "A girl with black hair, right? Orange eyes and cat ears on her head?"

"Yeah, that's right," Eren confirmed. "She actually looked a lot like-" Eren paused when he realized what this meant. "Wait, you all know her?"

Surprise and disbelief spread around the caravan once again. As Eren believed, the Faunus seemed to know who Blake was. And it was Floch who gave away her true identity.

"Eren, you met Blake Belladonna?" he asked in disbelief.

"Um... I guess?" Eren replied. He didn't recall Blake's last name, but it seemed important somehow. "Who is that?"

"The Blake Belladonna?"

"Who is that?"

"Eren, she's the daughter of Menagerie's Chieftan! She's-" Floch gasped as he put the pieces together in his mind. "Oh, now this all makes sense."

Eren was still confused by all this, but Samuel moved closer to explain. "Blake's father was the one who created the White Fang," he said. "His name's Ghira Belladonna. Back when he started it, the White Fang was a political organizarion that wanted to change the world."

"Ghira believed that peaceful protest and activism could improve our spot in the world," Angel continued. "But he never took it far enough."

"He didn't understand that protest wasn't the same as taking action," said Floch. "Even after they nearly killed him, Ghira thought we could work with the humans. That was, until Sienna Khan took over."

"That's when we became an army," said Samuel. "Sienna gave us the chance to fight back rather than let anyone walk over us again. But Ghira didn't like that."

"So he quit," said Angel. "He let Sienna take over while he became Chieftan of Menagerie."

"Coward," Floch said without hesitation. "I still can't believe he got off easily."

Eren now understood that Blake was right about the White Fang; that it was indeed different than it was right now, for better or worse. Eren agreed that peaceful protest didn't exactly amount to anything, that action was the only way to create real change.

Whether or not the change the White Fang was making was actually good, that wasn't exactly for Eren to decide. All he knew now was that everyone had their reasons for fighting against their enemies.

But now... Eren hoped that he could change who they believed to be their enemies.

"Last time we heard, Blake was a part of the Vale branch of the White Fang," said Samuel. "How did you meet her, Eren?"

"Oh, um... she quit too," Eren replied. This was true, given what she had suffered under the Faunus called Adam.

"Like father, like daughter," Floch said as he made his horse move again. "You know, Ghira still keeps up with the news of the White Fang. Do you think Blake might recognize you if she's keeping up with it too?"

"I wouldn't worry about that."

Weeks ago

"Thank you. For saving my life."

"Thank you for saving Midori's. Do what she says; be careful."

"I will."

That was the final word between Blake Belladonna and Eren Yeager. A mere hour ago, Blake had escaped the Forever Fall and the White Fang with her life. She had nearly been killed by Adam Taurus, the leader of Vale's branch of the White Fang. Blake had earned Adam's ire when she learned that he was keeping an innocent girl hostage while working with terrorists that killed people in Mistral.

She had almost been killed, until Eren arrived to help.

Blake had previously helped Eren find Midori, who had been taken by Tyrian and Hazel before Hazel met with Adam in Vale. Eren chose to repay this favor by preventing Adam from taking Blake's life, after he learned that humans had rescued Midori.

The only problem was that Blake had seen Eren use his Titan while fighting Adam.

Blake had deduced that Eren's ability wasn't a Semblance, since she saw Eren use it during his fight with Adam. She understood that not only was the Titan a last resort for Eren, but also that it was unnatural. Though Eren was forced to confirm that what Blake saw was real, he was able to lie about its origins. He used his escape from Atlas as inspiration to say that his Titan was an Atlesian experiment, one that went horribly wrong.

Blake seemed to believe this story, but Eren didn't like the spot he was in.

Despite the fact that they left on good terms, Eren couldn't wrestle with the fact that his identity as a Titan had been revealed to someone he hardly knew. And Blake also knew that Mercury possessed a Titan, because Midori had unintentionally revealed it in a moment of confusion. Eren knew he would have to talk to Midori, but he would probably never talk to Blake again.

Rather than risk this secret being exposed, Eren decided to take a bold but necessary action.

The Dark Wing had begun to drive again, courtesy of Mercury. Because of this, Eren was moving closer to Blake once again. He hadn't reentered the vehicle just yet, he was riding on the outside. And so, Eren had the chance to reach out and gently touch Blake's shoulder.

Once he did, the power of the Founding Titan did something it hadn't done in ages.

Back in the Forever Fall, Eren had used his powers with memory to show Blake who Tyrian Callows really was. Despite the Titan being different to the one on Paradis, Eren had found its power over memory to be unchanged. He had used it plenty of times to show his memories to the people he trusted, mainly with his friends and family. And now, Eren had decided to use its power to do something with Blake.

Not only could the Founding Titan share memories, but it could also erase them too.

Eren hadn't done this since he temproarily blocked Armin's memory of saying goodbye before he died, but he knew he had to use it now. Letting someone outside his circle of trust know about the Titans was a risk he didn't want to take. So as soon as he touched Blake, Eren took away some of her memories.

Blake would remember what she learned about Adam and the White Fang, but every memory of Eren had been removed. She would remember what happened to her and being helped, but Blake would never be able to remember the identity of the one who helped her.

Blake didn't know what happened when Eren touched her, she didn't even think twice about it. Satisfied with this, Eren retreated into the Dark Wing before Blake could see him again.

Despite erasing Blake's memories being the logical thing to do, Eren had to admit that he hated using this power. Not just because he had to make Armin and his friends forget the true nature of the Rumbling, but also because the people of Paradis had their memories constantly erased by the royal family for years.

Rather than defend their people, members of the royal family like Freida Reiss were content with making Paradis suffer in ignorance for sins they didn't even commit. It was even worse when Zeke Yeager tried to use Ymir to prevent the Eldians from having children, but erasing memories had left a bad taste in Eren's mouth.

And yet, guilt and reluctance had never stopped Eren from doing what he had to do before. So, without hesistation, Eren chose to remove any memory Blake had of him from her mind.

Now, with his secret safe, Eren could keep moving forward. Adam and Hazel had been stopped, and now Salem would be next.

Present

After their brief stop, Floch led the caravan back on track. It took a considerable amount of time, but the Justice Division found themselves close to their main base in Mistral.

Before they advanced, however, Angel made a valid argument. While she had no reason to protest against Eren's presence anymore, Angel had to remind her friends that Eren was still human. And if Sienna learned that a human had been brought to their base, it was an action punishable by death.

Just like before, everyone knew that Angel was right. Sienna wouldn't be too kind when she learned that a human was at the White Fang's most important base. They would need a way to explain this.

Or perhaps prolong the inevitable.

Floch decided that if a human were to enter the base, they would need to be in a situation where they were clueless and harmless. And so, to his displeasure, he suggested that Eren would be blindfolded with tied hands before they arrived. And when he got the chance to speak, Eren would be freed.

Eren never liked being confined, whther it was in handcuffs or behind massive walls that kept him apart from the world. In this case, however, Eren understood that he would need to be portrayed as a prisoner to ease Sienna's mind. It was either that or immediately making Sienna an enemy.

And so, Eren agreed to be temporarily blindfolded and have his hands bound in rope. Floch and the other Yeagerists apologized for the treatment, but they knew it was the only way for him to get close to Sienna without having anyone executed. Eren understood this, but continued the rest of the journey in silence as he planned his next move.

After that, the caravan found itself at the main base of the White Fang. On the outside, it was an ruined fortress from a forgotten past. Vines and roots covered the stone structure, which gave off the impression that the stronghold had been abandoned ages ago.

On the inside, however, the stronghold was a palace.

The inside was decorated with carpets and White Fang banners, the head of an animal with scratches on it. The area was well lit, and it was populated by multiple members of the White Fang. Some were sparring, some were organizing supplies, and others were practicing with weapons they seized during raids.

Some of the gunshots made Eren jump, since he couldn't see what was going on.

The White Fang easily noticed Floch's return, and immeidately took it as a good omen. Unlike other branches of the White Fang, the Justice Division had the highest success rate. Wherever they were dispatched, the White Fang knew either a human or a traitor was punished for crimes against the Faunus. They were surprised to see an apparent prisoner with them, but they still believed the Justice Division had acheived whatever mission the High Leader gave them.

Floch and his team stopped in front of a large door, guarded by two more members of the White Fang. Unlike the others, they were armed with two-pronged spears. They silently observed the returning Justice Division, as well as the prisoner they had brought. Unlike the other times they returned, a prisoner raised several red flags. This led the guards to block the entrance to the room.

"I'm here to see the High Leader alone," Floch insisted. "To prepare her and her guards for something I've brought to her."

"..."

The guards continued their streak of silence while they observed Eren once more. Deciding that Floch going alone first wouldn't prevent them from keeping an eye on Eren, and seeing that the High Leader would be informed of this, the duo moved aside to let Floch pass.

"Let me warm her up," Floch whispered to Eren. "I'll call Angel to bring you in when we're ready."

Eren still couldn't see, but he took Floch's word and nodded. With that, Floch opened the doors in front of him and moved into the room behind them.

Floch stepped into a room with vast space and more White Fang banners hanging far above the ground. The shadows partly gave the room a darker color, but the room was almost competely red. But the defining feature of the room was a throne resting on top of a few steps, where five people were looking upon Floch.

Four of the people were more guards, with two on each side of the throne. The fifth was a woman with dark hair and tiger ears on top of her head, similar to Floch's fox ears. On her arms were dark stripes, which were partly covered by a cape that connected to her shoulders and partly draped on her chest. The outfit she was wearing was clearly different from the outfits of the White Fang and the Justice Division, but they resembled more royalty than combat outfits did.

Such features were sutaible for Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang.

Sienna's amber eyes stared upon Floch kneeling before her, which led her to speaking with authority to one of her most useful and lethal warriors. "Welcome back, Floch," Sienna said calmly. "I've been waiting for you."

"Thank you, High Leader," Floch replied as he lifted his head. "I admit, the mission took... longer than we initially expected. And it did change during its duration."

"Change?" Sienna partly leaned off her throne to look closer at Floch. "Is that why I have not seen any news or reports of Fritz's death?"

"It is."

Floch had no reason to lie to Sienna, especially in a time like this. He knew he would have to admit that assassinating Cinder didn't go as planned, but he hoped that Eren's presence would change how Sienna felt.

"It's not like your team to return empty handed," said Sienna. Rather than mocking or berating Floch, Sienna took this news with concern. After all, she too knew that the Justice Division rarely failed. "Did your mission go awry? Is this 'Hunt Inqusitorius' as proficient and compotent as the media portrays them to be?"

"They are," said Floch. "My team and I engaged several members in Kuroyuri. All of them were well-trained and utilized advanced equipment that bested my team and the footsoldiers that accompanied us."

Sienna had heard how the Hunt Inquisitorius had been growing stronger due to the Council's support. Between the news she heard and Floch's report, Sienna could tell that the White Fang's position in Mistral had crossed thin ice. She was lucky that their attention was on other matters before now, but this current event changed things.

Floch couldn't agree more, but his outlook was more positive.

"If I may, High Leader," Floch began as he stood up. "I can see that my return concerns you. I, on the other hand, can see benefits with my mission. They can help all of the White Fang, if you're willing to lend me your ear."

Sienna was surprised to hear that Floch had apparently found good news from all this. Though she didn't share his point of view, Sienna believed good news was necessary at a time like this. And so, she gave Floch permission to keep talking.

"You have my attention," she replied.

"For as long as I can remember, the White Fang has always been fighting," Floch began. "Every day, we stood up for the oppressed Faunus and took our fight to those who continue the oppression. The Justice Divsion has delivered your judgement time and again, with the results we desire."

"Indeed." Sienna easily recalled the people Floch had been sent to punish. "I have always stood by our work. But do you have a point?"

"I do. With all intended respect, Sienna... this fight has been going on for far too long. Every day, my team and I are sent to eliminate a new person that's done the same thing. I too stand by our work, but I don't stand by a fight that goes on forever."

Sienna became disappointed when she heard this. "Have you lost your resolve, Floch?" she asked. "Like the former comrades you've been sent after? Or is this a challenge against my leadership?" Just as she asked her final question, the four guards next to Sienna tightened their grip on their spears.

"Neither, High Leader," Floch replied to ease the tension. "My faith to the cause, the cause you've emboldened, is strong. My only wish is to end this fight once and for all. And it is my belief that what the White Fang needs is to turn the tide in our favor."

"..."

Sienna began to calm down as she realized her control over the White Fang wasn't under any kind of threat. Not that she was afraid of a challenge, but it was never something she looked forward to. Regarding Floch, Sienna could see that her follower had a point. The White Fang had been fighting for a very long time, and while results existed, the end of the fight wasn't very evident.

If Floch believed he had found a way to end it, Sienna couldn't deny that she was interested in hearing more.

"Go on," she insisted as she relaxed in her throne once again.

"I met someone on my mission to Kuroyuri," Floch continued. "Though he might be disliked among us for... obvious reasons, I know him well. His skills and his willpower make me confident that our victory is all but assured." Before Sienna could ask more, Floch turned towards the doors he previously entered and gave a command of his own. "Angel! Come in."

The doors opened once more to reveal Angel leading several members of the Justice Division into the throne room. She and the others led a bound and blindfolded Eren into the room. Just as Floch predicted, Sienna and the guards in the room took an immediate dislike to seeing what appeared to be a human in their main base.

"What is this?!" Sienna asked as she rose off her throne. The four guards by her side immediately pointed their spears towards Eren, ready to act at a moment's notice. "You've brought a human to this location?"

"Not to fight," Floch promised. "And as you can see, he has no idea where he is."

"This is grounds for execution!" Sienna insisted, not caring what kind of condition the apparent prisoner was in.

"Ma'am, please," Angel implored. "I was skeptical too. And I reminded Floch that bringing him here was consequential. But I've seen the things this human can do. And like Floch, I believe turning him away now would be... unwise."

Sienna was understandably angry about a human being in her presence, in the White Fang headquarters of all places. But hearing another member of Floch's team insist upon the human's presence was surprising; Sienna had known Angel for as long as Floch did, and she knew the winged Faunus would never allow a human to step foot here.

But apparently, someone as devoted as Angel had a reason for doing the opposite.

"And why is that?" Sienna asked impatiently.

"Let me show you," said Floch, who moved to Eren's side and removed his blindfold. Now, Eren could see where he was and who he was with. Sienna could also see who she was with, and it was someone she was familiar with.

"That's... Eren Yeager," Sienna said to herself. She had seen Eren with Cinder in their interview, where Cinder had indirectly brought the White Fang's wrath down upon herself. Sienna never thought that Eren of all people would be what Floch would call a gamechanger, and seeing his face didn't do much to change her mind.

And yet, that didn't stop Eren from talking.

"I only ask to say what I've come here to say," Eren said calmly. "After that... whatever happens next is up to you."

"..."

Despite being surrounded by Faunus nearly every hour of every day, Sienna Khan was no stranger to humans. And despite the White Fang believing them all to be the same, Sienna had seen different kinds of humans. Most of the humans she met were prejudiced, feeling nothing but spite and superiority over the Faunus. Others were cowardly, either begging for their lives at her feet or simply letting other humans speak and act for them.

This human, however, was different. Sienna had seen humans surrender when they were bested by her in combat, but Eren Yeager was different. Someone who was willingly surrendering himself before her, someone who had thrown himself into the lions den, and all for the sake of simply talking.

And through it all, Eren Yeager showed no fear.

Every instinct within Sienna told her that something was amiss. That no human would be doing something as stupid as coming to this place alone just to talk. Sienna sensed a trap, some form of deceit. However, Eren was doing too good of a job concealing it.

If there was such a trap.

Sienna didn't have the proof necessary to expose Eren; not yet, at least. And the insistence from someone as devoted as Floch had caught the woman's attention. For the sake of knowledge, and future reference, Sienna knew she had to entertain the human before her if she wished to know what was going on.

And so, Sienna waved her hand slowly towards her guards. They each lowered their spears and stood at attention once more, waiting for orders or anything out of the ordinary.

Sienna then gave her order, but to Eren rather than her guards.

"Speak," she demanded as she returned to her seat.

Eren didn't waste any time in having his say. "I understand you're the one who ordered the attack on my home," he said. "You wouldn't be the first to attack Kuroyuri... and under normal circumstances, I would have done exactly what you think I came here to do. The same thing I did to the ones who attacked us before."

"..."

Sienna hadn't heard of any other attacks on Kuroyuri, given that she didn't even know it existed until she saw Cinder on the news. However, her instincts told her that Eren would undoubtedly have come here for revenge, to strike back at the right time.

Sienna still believed this, even though Eren was saying the opposite. Eren had even admitted that he had done what she expected before. So what was stopping him from doing it again?

"But I'm here to set the record straight," Eren continued. "You got the wrong person, High Leader."

Sienna decided to stop Eren right there. "The wrong person?" she repeated in disbelief. "Surely, you're joking. You sat right beside Fritz as she dismissed the Faunus and everything we've been fighting for."

Eren was well aware of what Cinder said and how it was taken by Faunus like Sienna. But he was also aware that insulting the Faunus wasn't Cinder's intention, and it was up to him to set the record straight.

"Cinder has been doing nothing but fighting," Eren countered. "Her work is bringing together the entire Kingdom of Mistral. Not just the captial, but people in the outskirts. Like you and everyone else that are all the way out here."

The more she heard, the more Sienna understood that Eren's presence here made sense. "I see your loyalty to Fritz is unmatched, Yeager. I respect a man who's willing to step into the lion's den to save a friend. But my mind is made up. It wasn't easy for me to send Floch and his team after Fritz, but it was necesary. A lesson needs to be taught where my people are concerned."

"Cinder would say the same about the people of the outskirts. But she hasn't gone around and killed anyone who stops her." Eren decided to use an example from Paradis to back up his claim. "Is ignorance such a crime, High Leader?" Eren looked around at the other Yeagerists, hoping they would remember the ignorance they lived in for years. "Is it fair for anyone to be sentenced to die just because they're unaware of what's really going on?"

"..."

Floch recalled learning about his place in the world he left behind, but his mind wasn't swayed. However, the question had given some of the Yeagerists pause, since they could see where Eren was coming from.

Sienna understood Eren's argument, but completely refuted it.

"Do you know how many other politicans have ignored us?" Sienna asked. "How many times we cried out to be heard, only to be pushed aside? This isn't the White Fang's first conflict with politicans. Or, in Fritz's case, aspring politicans. I will not lie in wait until people like them gain power and use it against us."

Before Eren could respond, Floch stepped in and made an announcement. "That's why I brought Eren here, Sienna," he said. "He has power. But instead of using it against us, we can use it for us."

Sienna turned to Floch in surprise. "Surely, you don't expect us to work with humans, Floch," she demanded. "You of all people know that we don't need to work with them." Sienna tapped her hand on her armrest when she said this. "What we need is for humanity to fear the Faunus, to know that we demand respect! We do not need interlopers who owe us no loyalty and can offer us nothing in return!"

Floch was ready to finally share the secret of the Titans with Sienna, but now it was Eren who spoke first. "You may not need it... but I can offer you something that can make all your problems go away," he said. "I can help you, Floch, and everyone else in this room never fight again. At least... not in Mistral."

Sienna felt that she had made her point, and that she had heard enough from Eren tonight. And yet, he was defying expectations once again. First it was coming here defenseless, then it was his loyalty to Cinder, and now he was actually making an offer.

"And what can you offer us that we can't take ourselves?" she asked.

"..."

Despite her blunt demand, Sienna had doubts about an honest answer. Or any answer, for that matter. Eren could choose to be silent, lie, or even attempt to escape. Contrary to what he said earlier, Sienna believed that what happened next was up to Eren now. All she could do at this point was be prepared, to expect the unexpected.

But when Eren gave his response, he showed that Sienna had failed.

"Peace."

Earlier

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Bad idea, Eren. Bad. Idea."

"..."

That was one of the reactions Eren expected when he finished explaining his idea. He knew that everyone would have reservations against such an idea, that he would meet the White Fang's leader and offer peace instead of retribution. And yet, it would be hard for someone to change his mind.

Regardless, he allowed Mercury to voice his disagreement.

"Hold on, Mercury," Emerald requested. "Let's just-"

"No, no, no," Mercury said as he stood up. "Guys, come on! This isn't the first time some random people pretending to be badasses came at our door and fucked up the place! Every time they did, we always marched out and taught them a lesson! I mean, I missed out with the Branwen Tribe, but you guys never backed down! Why should we do it now?"

Once again, Eren didn't blame Mercury for feeling this way. As he said, the White Fang weren't the first people who tried to gain power while hurting them. And just like those times, they would retaliate with everything they had and prevent another attack.

Eren knew he could do this, but he wasn't ready to go down that path just yet. Fortunately, Ren and Cinder could see why.

"I think I see Eren's point," said Ren. "We could use our Titans to make sure the White Fang doesn't launch another assault. But before we do, we could give them a chance to change their minds. To give them a reason to cease their hostilities."

"I like that," said Nora. "We show them we mean business by giving them a warning. Before resorting to violence." Nora had once said that she didn't want to be someone who simply swung a hammer; she didn't want to be someone who always thought with her fists.

Giving a firm warning and a chance for peace sounded like a good idea to her.

"Resorting straight to violence might be a bad idea," said Cinder. "The White Fang has people and teams all over the world. If we show up and kill the High Leader, what if someone else just takes their place?"

"Floch was always a capable leader," Eren mentioned. "If anyone could take over, it'd be him."

"Well... yeah," said Mercury. "I guess someone could just take over. But doesn't this just make us look bad?"

"I don't think so." Cinder stood up with Mercury and took out her Scroll. "Remember that time I got really mad when Eren almost had to pay back Haven for breaking in and confronting Lionheart?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Eren taught me that we have to play by some rules every now and then. Like he did with the military." She then showed the offical badge and seal of the Mistral Council. "We have this now. Whatever we're doing tonight, we'll be acting for the Council. So we have to set an example. We need to show the world that we're not like the White Fang or the Huntsmen. We have to be better."

"..."

Everyone was proud and amazed by what Cinder had said. Her display of maturity and humility was unlike anything they had seen from someone their age. And it got only better when Eren stood up with Cinder.

"And I'm doing this for Floch and the others too," he said. "To give them the same chance I had here at Kuroyuri. That chance was taken from them because people kept hating them. And I think I know a way to give that chance back to them. I just need the opportunity."

"..."

"Ugh," Mercury groaned as he sat down. "I hate it when you're right."

Everyone shared a laugh before Eren made a declaration. "Actually, we're all right," he said. "Whatever happens, I'm sure that not everyone I meet will like the chance for peace." Eren looked around the room. "That's where you all come in. If they don't take the chance, then we make them take it."

Mercury liked the sound of that. Not because he was the kind of person who thrived and reveled in violence, but because he knew they wouldn't be taking the attack laying down.

Whatever happened next, the White Fang would be taking the offer whether they liked it or not.

"Now we're talking," Mercury said as he offered Eren his fist. Once Eren bumped it with his own, Mercury became more attentive to the plan. "Okay, so how are you gonna play it?"

"The same way Cinder just played you," Eren replied as he pointed to Cinder's Scroll. "Floch wants his leader to see we're more than meets the eye. So I'll show them."

Present

Like Eren's friends, nobody in the White Fang throne room expected Eren to offer a chance at peace. Floch even believed that Eren was joking. In his mind, he and Eren were still going to show the power of the Titans to Sienna Khan.

But as Eren continued to talk, Floch's humored smile began to disappear.

"I once heard that the White Fang was meant to bring humans and Faunus together," said Eren. "And it's possible; the humans and Faunus of Kuroyuri live together and work together. But like you, I don't know if this idea can be applied to the whole world. I may be human, but I know about hate. About discrimination. And about extermination."

"..."

"I can't give you equality with humanity. But I can give you peace with them. With this entire Kingdom."

"..."

"The Hunt Inquisitorius answers to the Council and the Council alone. Whatever we need from them, we get it. Not just supplies and resources, but we have their ears too. And I came here to tell you that those ears can be yours too."

"..."

Eren turned away from Sienna and towards the Yeagerists. "I'm sorry, Floch. I can't give you what you want. But I can give you what you need." Eren gestured towards the door. "Come with me. Let the Council hear your demands, from you and Sienna. Let them know you're not going anywhere until they're met."

"..."

Floch didn't know what to say. For the first time, in a long time... he was absolutely speechless. On the inside, however, a storm was brewing within Floch. Disappointment was the first emotion that emerged; Eren asking for peace wasn't like him at all.

Floch was also feeling betrayed, given how Eren had no intention of using the Titan to help him. If anything, all of his plans and ambitions had been thrown out the window. Now, Floch understood that Eren's time on Remnant had changed him.

Made him... human.

"I see at least one human can forge words like silver."

Eren turned back to Sienna, who had also been listening to Eren's plan for peace. "And perhaps I miscalcuated how much you know of our fight."

"..."

Eren was already seeing this as a victory. Sienna admitting that she was wrong about him could mean that she was wrong about Cinder too. Because of this, Eren knew it could lead to Cinder being safe from another White Fang assassination attempt. So it was easy for Eren to be proud of himself, and to feel confident about his plan.

"But I recall an old phrase," said Sienna, nearly breaking Eren's optimism. "There is more honor among thieves... than diplomats."

Despite the obvious setback, Eren didn't give up just yet. "I've had the questionable honor of being both," he said, reflecting on the time he stole the power of the War Hammer Titan from Marley. "But I want this just as much as you do."

"You forget what it is that I want. I said I want-"

"You want humanity to know that you demand respect. You won't get a better chance than this."

"..."

"As for humanity fearing you, how do you know that it hasn't already happened? How do you know that everything they've done to you, every attack or crime committed against you, wasn't an act of fear? What if they fear you... more than they hate you?"

"..."

Once again, Eren was able to use an example from home. He was well aware of the hate Marley and the world had for the Eldians, mainly the ones on Paradis. But what Eren learned later on, by spending a lot of time among the Marleyans, was that they feared the Eldians too. Namely, they feared the Rumbling.

Willy Tybur said that he wished for world peace, but he knew that nobody wanted the Rumbling to happen. Even Ymir said the Rumbling was Marley's bane, its greatest fear.

And now, Eren was confident that some humans on Remnant possessed that same fear towards the Faunus. But not everyone agreed with him.

"I've had enough of this conversation," Sienna annoucned. Though she didn't say why she was finished, the tone in Sienna's voice gave off the idea that Eren had struck a nerve. "Floch, your team and I will have words about this. Guards, take Eren Yeager away."

The guards by Sienna's side all moved towards Eren, which caught everyone by surprise. Eren knew that his idea was risky, but his optimism from the latter half of his conversation made him believe that he had actually made progress. However, this progress had all been undone with a simple order.

"Wait!" Eren said. "What does this mean?"

"It means I'm done talking," Sienna said as the guards moved closer. "But we'll see how strong the Council's resolve is, depending on who, if anyone, is sent to find you."

Eren now understood that Sienna had found a use for him, though it wasn't the one that he had intended. Rather than try and make peace, Sienna was going to offer up Eren as bait. Floch had the same sentiment, though he knew by now that his plans were never meant to be.

Now that he had his answer, Eren knew he had to act. Rather than dwell on the outcome of his plan, Eren decided to focus on escape and fighting back. Ideas ranged from attacking the four guards coming towards him and turning into his Titan, but a new voice told Eren that escape was already assured.

"Hey, assholes!"

Everyone in the room looked upwards, towards the red banner behind the throne. Normally, the only thing on it would be the symbol of the White Fang. But now, hanging on the sides, were Eren's friends.

"You don't wanna make peace, huh?" Mercury asked from above. "Your loss!"

Eren's friends had lost sight of Eren when he entered the abandoned fortress. They expected this, and remmebred that their plan was to wait outside for five minutes until something evident happened. When the five minutes passed, they needed to find a way inside themselves.

When they discovered that the base was underground, they also discovered a way down through a hole that was large enough for the Predator Titan to climb down. As luck would have it, the hole was once part of an overhead ceiling that rested directly over the White Fang throne room. Cinder and everyone with her could see and hear everything as they carefully climbed down the walls and banner behind the throne.

Now that diplomacy had been ignored, Mercury's plan of showing strength was now in full effect.

Everyone leapt down and chose a target for themselves. Cinder moved as close to Eren as she could, knocking down two of the guards before locking blades with the other two. Everyone else occupied themselves with the Yeagerists, save for Floch and Angel.

Knowing that he had to help Cinder, Eren used his Semblance to break free of the ropes that bound his wrists. Floch and Angel noticed this and quickly grabbed Eren before he could do any more harm. Angel even began to fly off the ground to distance Eren from his friends.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought you here!" Angel growled as she flapped her wings. "You bastard!"

"..."

Floch said nothing, but Eren could see how betrayed he felt from this. Eren understood, since he lied and lured his friends here in the first place. Nevertheless, he said one thing to express his remorse and hopefully make amends.

"Whatever happens next... you saw it yourselves," he said as he used his Semblance to resist Angel's pull. "I gave her a chance."

*BAM*

Eren broke his arm free from Floch's grasp and used it to punch Angel. Because of his Semblance, Angel went flying across the room until she hit the wall. Floch grabbed Eren once again and reached for his pistol, but Eren stopped Floch by throwing him in Angel's direction. He refused to use his Semblance to save his Aura, but his natural strength allowed Eren to put Floch at a distance.

With that, Eren rushed to the two guards fighting Cinder and used his skills in hand-to-hand combat to disarm and neutralize them.

*BAM*

While this was happening, Nora was assisting Mercury and Emerald with the Yeagerists. Eren had warned them that they were trained soldiers, so they knew they had to be careful. Thankfully, their new armor and equipment gave them an edge over the zealous Faunus.

In the meantime, Winter and Ymir dealt with reinforcements that heard the commotion. More guards and people with guns burst into the room and attacked with everything they had.

*BANG*

Winter was able to use her Glyphs to dodge the bullets, but Ymir was forced to duck and roll. Despite being trained by Winter, Ymir had yet to unlock her Semblance. So she instead relied on her Aura to block the bullets, which was very risky. Ymir knew this, so she threw a fist at the first Faunus she saw and grabbed his gun.

*BAM*

*BANG*

The Faunus ran for cover when they saw Ymir recklessly fire the rifle while standing out in the open. She was impressed with the rapid fire ability that guns on Paradis didn't have, so she reveled in the gunfire and took pride in the Faunus she shot.

"Yeah, that's right!" Ymir said with a laugh. "You should be scared! Ha, ha, ha!"

Ymir was so caught up in the moment that she failed to notice one Faunus about to stab her in the back with a sword. Fortunately, Winter was able to launch herself towards the Faunus and strike first.

*BAM*

Ymir noticed the fallen enemy and Winter's stern glare. "I didn't train you to leave yourself wide open," she said. "Or enjoy bloodshed."

"Oh, bite me," Ymir replied.

While Winter was annoyed by Ymir's behavior, something she needed to work on, this didn't compare to the unbridled anger Sienna Khan felt. She witnessed the battle at every angle, seeing nothing but humans best her entire army. And when she saw her personal guard fall, Sienna knew she had to handle the situation herself.

Sienna began by removing herself from her throne and discarding her cape. As it fell to the ground, Sienna reached behind her back and took out a large chain. After swinging the chain twice, Sienna whipped it towards Eren and Cinder before she pulled it back. The chain had hit the ground, but it left a small blade embedded into the ground that exploded from active Fire Dust.

*BOOM*

Eren and Cinder weren't too hurt from the explosion, but they were driven apart from the blast. Sienna took this chance and threw her whip again. But rather than making another explosion, Sienna caught Cinder and pulled the girl towards her until she was in her grasp.

"Cinder Fritz," Sienna said, her voice laced with venom. "I knew you would cause us trouble. But I never expected this."

Cinder tried to break the grip Sienna had on her, but it was surprisingly strong. "Yeah, well... I guess I'm full of surprises!" she said as she swung her sword towards Sienna's face. But the Faunus was able to kick it away without much effort.

"Indeed." Sienna retraced her whip until it formed a dagger in her hand. "But not anymore."

*BANG*

Sienna was forced to let go of her weapon and Cinder after Eren shot her. He had retrieved Soaring Freedom after it was dropped during the commotion, so he grabbed one of his pistols and fired at Sienna before he began to put it on. Cinder then kicked the High Leader away before she ran to her boyfriend.

"Thanks, Eren," Cinder said as she reunited with him again.

"Don't thank me yet," Eren said as he activated his swords. "We're not out of this yet."

"Right." Cinder turned around with Eren to see that the White Fang was beginning to encircle them. "Hey... this looks familiar."

Eren noted the formation of his enemies and agreed with Cinder. And given that none of them appeared to be Yeagerists, Eren knew exactly how to deal with these Faunus.

"Iron Whirlwind time?" he asked.

"Iron Whirlwind time," Cinder repeated before she launched herself in the air. Eren then caught the wire Cinder fired into the ground, which led him to swinging Cinder around.

And just like in the Forever Fall, Eren and Cinder were able to break the circle around them and inflict massive damage on the White Fang.

When Sienna saw the impressive move, she became even more furious at the events unfolding around her. Knowing she had to go in for the kill, Sienna removed a blade from her waist and equipped them onto Cerberus; her name for her whip. Unlike her other blades, which had Dust, this blade was laced with poison. And now, with their backs turned, Sienna could poison either Eren and Cinder.

And so, she spun her whip once again as she took aim at the duo. Her plan was to strike their backs simultaneously to kill them both, which she was about to do when Eren asked Cinder a question.

"Hey, where's Ren?"

Suddenly, Sienna felt an invisible force on Cerberus. Not only that, but the chain was seemingly frozen in midair. Sienna tried to pull it free, but soon felt it pull back and pull her into the air.

Sienna's yell of surprise caught the attention of the entire room. Everyone not only saw her dangling in the air, but they also saw a large black figure appear out of thin air and grasp the High Leader tightly.

"Oh, there he is," Eren thought to himself as he recognized the Predator Titan.

Unlike his friends, Ren chose to stay within his Titan and observe the fight. He wasn't planning on hiding or cowering away, but his planned target for an ambush was Sienna Khan instead of the footsoldiers. In order to do that, he needed Sienna alone and unsuspecting of another attack from above. The rest of his friends had provided enough of a distraction, so Ren made his move before Sienna could hurt anyone with her surprising combat prowess.

Now without a weapon and dangerously close to a Titan's mouth, Sienna knew that she had been beaten. And so did her shell-shocked followers, who did nothing but stare at the beast in fear and amazement.

Even Floch, who had already seen a Titan, was surprised by what he was seeing. He knew Eren was a Titan, but he had no idea that there were other Shifters too.

Eren took the opportunity before him when he heard the silence in the area. "Put your weapons down," he ordered. "Now."

"..."

Between their loyalty to Sienna and wanting to escape with their own lives, everyone in the room lowered their weapons and backed away from them. Floch was the last to do so, since there was still plenty of fight left within him. After all, being betrayed always left a cry for vengeance.

However, when he looked upon all of his friends, especially Angel, Floch lowered his pistol and backed away from it.

"Okay..." Eren said calmly. "What do we do now?"

"..."

Obviously, Eren's question was rhetorical. Like everyone else, he knew he could kill every member of the White Fang in the base if he deemed it necessary. And based on recent actions and Sienna's decision, Eren would be lying if he said he wasn't considering the option.

But Eren knew what his purpose for being here was. And fortuantely, so did his friends. They knew they had made an example tonight, and now they were going to captialize on it.

"I'll take it from here, Eren," said Cinder, who walked towards him and stroked his shoulder. "I think they know how serious we are."

Eren definitely felt that the ambush had made an example, and that Sienna Khan wasn't taking him very seriously before. While he recalled that Cinder was a target of the White Fang, Eren didn't sense much danger for her life anymore. So he let Cinder take the lead now, which she did by following Eren's previous example.

"I think Eren made it clear earlier," Cinder began. She wasn't raising her voice, but like Eren's and Sienna's, it was echoing throughout the room clearly. "We have a chance for peace. You have a chance for peace, to let the world know you're here to stay. And whether you like it or not, you're going to take it."

None of the Faunus in the room liked taking orders from a human of all people. After all, some of them had to suffer in the grips of cruel taskmasters. However, they were surprised that this was the order; that rather than surrender or death, they would go out and make peace with the Kingdom.

It didn't make sense.

"What are you talking about?" one Faunus, a Yeagerist, asked. "You have a chance too! Are we supposed to believe you're not going to take it too?"

Cinder understood what the Faunus was saying. "You think we want to kill you?" she asked. "Esepcially after Eren came here and gave your leader a chance? When his life was on the line?"

"..."

The question was enough to make Cinder's point clear, even though things were even more unclear for the White Fang. Cinder could see their confusion remained, which left her somewhat annoyed.

"You're even dumber than I thought," she said as she continued to assert herself. "If even half of you listened to everything Eren said, you'd know that we're not out to get you." Cinder looked at the Yeagerists as she spoke. "Eren wants to help you. And so do I."

"Help us?" Sienna asked. Despite her current position of danger and powerlessness, Sienna couldn't help but voice her disagreement and what she believed to be hypocrisy. "What makes you think you can help us? What makes you think we want your help? After what you said about us, you think you-?"

"You're not the only ones who have been victimized!" Eren yelled to make Sienna be quiet. "If you paid attention to everything we've been trying to do instead of one thing Cinder said, you would know how hard we've wanted change too!"

"..."

Sienna had indeed fallen quiet, but her mind wasn't at ease. She was aware of Cinder's popularity and distrust towards Huntsmen and Huntresses, but her interview and tonight's actions left Sienna's grudge unchanged.

Cinder understood this well, and picked up where Eren left off.

"I know why you sent Floch after me," Cinder confessed to Sienna. "I know that you chose to judge me because I didn't know how hard the Faunus of this Kingdom have fought for change. And I know you can't change first impressions, but that doesn't mean it's too late to change someone's mind." Cinder spread her arms out to emphasize her next point. "All of you showed me how far you're willing to go to get what you want. And now... you know how far we're willing to go too." Cinder walked towards Sienna and gestured for Ren to lower her down. Once Ren did, Cinder made one more point to Sienna. "We need you, Sienna. So don't make us go any further."

"..."

Sienna had been focusing on what Cinder said about the Faunus rather than all of her previous actions, so she had to admit that she didn't truly know her. She also had to admit that the Hunt Inquisitorius held all the cards. Whether she liked it or not, Cinder's demands for Sienna stood.

Floch didn't like them either, but his feelings were set aside when Eren used Soaring Freedom to rejoin him and speak.

"We need to talk."

As he sat in a room lit by a single candle, as he did many years ago, Floch stared at Eren and processed all of his feelings. It had only been moments after he had been ambushed and made fools in front of Sienna, while she herself had been left with no choice but to give Eren what he wanted.

After enough time to process it all, Floch could amount all of his feelings into rage.

Floch felt complete and utter rage towards Eren and his friends, the ones who had tricked him and took down the leadership of the White Fang in one fell swoop. Floch felt rage especially towards Eren, since they had once fought side by side and shared a common goal. The sting of betrayal was felt everywhere within Floch, spirit and body alike.

The young Faunus wanted to act on this rage so badly, to lash out at the man he placed his trust and faith in. But rather than violence, Floch used his words to express how much rage he felt towards Eren. Because more than letting it out, Floch needed one thing from Eren. Even after everything that happened, Floch needed to know one thing that would clear his mind.

"Why?"

"..."

Eren's silence made Floch even angrier, but he pressed on. "Why did you do this to me?" Floch said. "Why did you chose them over me?"

"..."

"WHY?!" Floch yelled as he stood up. "I gave you everything! I did everything you asked on Paradis, I followed the example you set for us, and you did this!" Tears began to form in Floch's eyes as he recalled Paradis and his final days there. "Was it all just for nothing?! Did I follow you just to be killed?! So we could come here and let you stab me in the back?!"

"..."

"I did this because of you!" Floch showed Eren the mask of the White Fang he had with him. "The Eren Yeager I knew wouldn't hesitate to join us! The Eren Yeager I knew would keep moving forward until all his enemies were destroyed! I kept moving forward and you want me to stop?!"

"..."

"Is it because you're human?! Because you got to live all high and mighty while your friends had to survive scraping at the bottom of your feet?!" The tears in Floch's eyes finally broke loose and flowed down his face. "Do you even know how hard it was?! Do you even remember?!"

"..."

"Do you even remember how we had to win?! By fighting! I fought here all my life, just like on Paradis! I found a cause to follow, just like on Paradis! Don't try to tell me you forgot about all of that! I'm doing everything here the same way you did! The same way you taught all of us! This is because of you!"

Rather than another moment of silence, Eren stood up to address Floch. Eren didn't care if Floch had anything more to say, because he had to tell Floch something he had to hear.

"And look how that turned out for us."

"..."

Eren stood by what he said, through and through. He knew that his actions in Paradis, however they turned out down the line, had resulted in his death as well as Floch's. He was surprised, however, that eight small words had made Floch speechless. He thought it would take more than that, but Floch found himself unable to counter Eren's point.

Nor was he able to counter the other points Eren made.

"And that was just Mikasa and the Survey Corps," Eren continued. "You want to go against thousands of people who can shoot lightning out of their hands, lasers from their eyes, or whatever kind of Semblances they have? When over half of the White Fang doesn't even have an Aura?" Eren looked Floch directly in the eye before he made his final point. "How do you think that's going to turn out?"

"..."

Floch was absolutely speechless when he saw his plans for a war turned down a second time. He was thinking more with his zealous spirit rather than his head at the time, but Eren's logical questions and counterpoints had put things into perspective.

Perspective that Floch tried to put into his own words.

"You... think we're going to die again?" he asked. "That's why you don't want to fight?"

Eren wouldn't say that was entirely accurate. He was still a fighter, there probably wasn't going to be anything to change that. But Eren knew that Floch needed to understand what he was fighting for.

And why that wasn't going to be the White Fang.

"It's not that I'm never going to fight again," Eren began as he sat back down. "I think you've forgot the reason why I became a soldier. Why I wanted to join the Survey Corps."

"Everyone knows your mom was eaten by a Titan," Floch insisted as he returned to his seat. "All of us remember the story."

"But you don't know that she came back with me. She's on Remnant too."

"..."

Floch hadn't known this, or even expected it. He always thought it was the Yeagerists that came back. It made sense, given that everyone he reunited with was once a Yeagerist. But now, Floch knew that he didn't know anything about the revivals he and his friends experienced.

Eren knew about it all too well, but he focused more on his mother. "About eight years ago, I found out my mom was here with me. I set out to find her, and met Cinder on the way. One thing led to another, but we found her in Argus. Like you, she remembered me and took me home. Ever since then, I've been defending our town with my friends, while she raised me all over again."

"..."

"I've defended them against bandits. Grimm." Eren looked Floch in the eye once more. "White Fang."

"..."

Eren could see that Floch believed him, as well as that he had made a mistake invading Kuroyuri. If Eren was telling the truth about defending Kuroyuri, then Floch knew Eren would have defended it just like he defended Paradis.

It seemed that the Devil of Paradis had become the Devil of Kuroyuri. And if anything else, Floch got off lightly.

However, Floch appeared to be unsure how this story connected to him or his troubles. Because Eren defended Kuroyuri from enemies that Floch found similarities with to Marley and the rest of the world. Eren understood this, and spoke again to show that he was still on Floch's side.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Floch," Eren began. "I'm sorry I led you on about me joining the White Fang. But you saw what happened back there. Cinder and the rest of my friends aren't out to get anyone. Especially the people I fought with once upon a time." Eren stood up again. "They tried to convince me otherwise, but I do owe you something. It's the reason why I want the White Fang to make peace with the Council. Because I want to give you what was taken from you and the Faunus. What Remnant gave me when I found my mother and made a new home."

"...What's that?" Floch asked, curious as to what he believed Eren owed him.

"A chance."

"..."

"Back then, I gave you and the island a chance to survive. To be free of the constant threat right on our doorstep and have a better life. And right now, I believe letting humanity know you're here to stay is the best chance for freedom I can give you." Eren extended his hand to Floch, which caused the Faunus to flinch and back away. "Help me give this chance to Sienna and the others."

"..."

Floch found himself at a crossroads; one like he had never found himself at before. He was still angry at being deceived, but he understood that Eren's lie wasn't out of malice or hate. But instead, it was out of loyalty to a people he aligned with; just like on Paradis.

Eren had chosen his words very carefully, especially where freedom was concerned. After all, Eren never stopped fighting for his freedom against anyone who tried to take it away from him on Paradis and Remnant. Not only that, but the mention of it made Floch recall something he said to Jean once.

"We're free! You no longer have to fight! You can live the way you want."

Floch remembered feeling free that day, and how he owed that freedom to Eren. He had hoped he could achieve it once again by fighting, since that was the example Eren had set for him. But to do the opposite, by making peace with the Council of all people, was something that Floch was reluctant to do.

Eren had pointed out the flaws in the White Fang fighting against forces superior to Marley, but Floch remembered the example Ghira Bellandonna tried to set. To this day, Floch believed it to be a hypocritical fantasy. It didn't work before, so why would it work now?

This was too much for Floch to think about, and too much for him to make a decision. So, he let someone else make it for him.

"I'll follow whatever the High Leader decides," Floch said. "That's it."

This wasn't the answer Eren was looking for, but he knew that Cinder had gotten through to Sienna earlier. He still wished to get through to Floch, but based on him standing up and opening the door, Floch was done talking.

"I'm sorry, Eren," Floch said as he held the door open. "It's time for you to leave."

"..."

Eren sighed as he respected Floch's wish. Despite the fact that he was leaving with his life, Eren was disappointed that he apparently didn't convince Floch the way he had hoped. But Eren knew that he did the best he could, and that Cinder and his friends were also leaving with their lives.

Unlike Eren, Cinder and the others felt confident and relaxed as they reunited with Eren. While he believed that he had failed, Cinder and the others saw the ambush as a victory. They had taken a tremendous risk, but the reward came in the form of a piece of paper that Cinder was holding.

One that hopefully would end yet another conflict.

The paper that Cinder had left the White Fang with was a letter for the Mistral Council. The actions of the Hunt Inquisitorius and Cinder's conversation with Sienna had prompted the High Leader to give in to Eren's demand. She still had her reservations against this idea, but those didn't matter now. Along with attacking the base, Eren and his friends committed a grave crime against the High Leader. One that shook her straight to her core.

They spared her life.

Unlike the humans who thrived in either hurting the Faunus or keeping Faunus at bay, Sienna Khan understood honor. She was ruthless, but she also knew how to keep her word. In fact, it would be hard for her to break a promise once it had been made. So by the Hunt Inquisitorius sparing her life, Sienna knew that she was indebted to them. She hated it, but nobody could deny the truth. And even if she broke her word, there was no telling what would happen next with the humans and Titans alike.

That was why Sienna gave in to Eren's demand and wrote a letter detailing a peace proposal with the Mistral Council. But she made sure to do it in her own way.

Sienna's plan for peace, as Eren expected and offered, included a series of demands for the Faunus to be treated with respect and to end all discrimination. Demands ranged from abolishing laws that allowed business owners to not serve Faunus to making more measures that prevented attacks on Faunus to begin with. Sienna didn't say what would exactly happen when these demands were met, but she mentioned that this would bring peace from the White Fang. Eren was satisfied with these demands, since the Eldians on Paradis would have benefitted from making their demands known as well.

There was reluctance, however, since Sienna didn't fully trust the Council. And unfortunately for her, the feeling was mutual for them.

When they gave the Hunt Inquisitorius approval for a mission, the Council believed that they would be stopping White Fang activity in the Kingdom. None of them believed they would be having an audience with the High Leader at her own headquarters. They were very impressed that Eren and his friends returned with the approximate location of the base, but receiving a list of demands left them... concerned.

Though several Faunus had made cases for doing so, Councilman Noire was reluctant to change the Kingdom's laws. Some were very outdated and unfair, but Noire reminded his fellow politicans that Atlas almost made them pay for reviving an old tradition of Mistral. In fact, they did have to pay for the damages from the Hunt Inquisitorius' first mission.

Councilwoman Blanca agreed with Noire, but for a different reason. Like the other three Kingdoms, Mistral had declared the White Fang a terrorist organization when they became more radical. And Blanca was sure there would be repercussions with negotiating with a terrorist organization.

The only one who supported the idea and the Hunt Inquisitorius, unsurprisingly, was Councilwoman Redwood. Like the young adults at her disposal, Redwood understood the wisdom of peace. The conflict with the White Fang was perhaps the most violent conflict since the Great War, so stopping it would most certainly have merit.

Along with that, she understood the struggles Faunus had for change. When he was still a member, Lionheart brought proposed ideas and bills to the Council that had the potnetial for change. Some were marginal, others were large, but they were usually denied by a collective vote. Redwood had to admit that she sometimes voted against some bills, but only when they were too extreme or had negative consequences for the government.

But now, Redwood wanted this plan to move forward. No Kingdom, let alone Mistral, had an opportunity like this before them. So she wanted to take the bull by the horns and take the chance.

Cinder was confident that Redwood would support the Hunt Inquisitorius, but more so that Blanca and Noire would be reluctant. Everyone anticipated this, so Mercury advised his friends to bluff the Council with their collective resignation if they didn't move forward. It was a bluff his father would use on clients until they paid him more for his services. Like Eren and Cinder, Mercury had followed the results of their shared campaign closely. While their ideas about Huntsmen and Huntresses had a mixed response, Mercury took note of a postive reaction towards the results of the Hunt Inquisitorius; the arrest of Team SMMK helped with this.

It was a calcutated risk, since everyone knew that the loss of the Hunt Inquisitorius would be very problematic for the Council in the future. It would perhaps affect their next election cylce. Eren and Cinder agreed, and so did the rest of their friends. Ymir was mostly apathetic to the situation, but she followed along at Winter's insistence.

And sure enough, it worked.

Rather than lose their greatest assests, the Council decided to publicly acknowledge Sienna's demands. But rather than immediatelty accept them, the Council insisted upon negotation; Sienna would obviously have a lot to gain from her demands, but the Council obviously wanted something in return.

The Council made this decision public not only to address the people, but also adress Sienna Khan. Cinder had told them the White Fang had watched her interview, so the Council was confident that Sienna would be watching their announcement and call for negotiation.

And they were right.

Sienna was confident that the Council wouldn't give her what she demanded immediately, and she still had doubts that she would get what she wanted at all. However, she knew ignoring a call for negotation would not only bring the White Fang back to square one, but also make her appear as a coward.

So, Sienna sent a messenger to Mistral and accepted negotiations to occur on neutral ground. Emerald and Mercury initially suggested Kuroyuri, but Ren pointed out that everyone in Mistral knew they lived there. It wouldn't exactly sound like "neutral ground" to the White Fang.

The neutral ground was eventually decided to be in the outskirts, in a place called "Oniyuri." Oniyuri was an infamous village known to both the captial and the outskirts of Anima. Many years ago, several of Mistral's wealthiest citizens were unhappy with how the Kingdom was being run and decided to create a new home for themselves. Pooling their resources together, they built what they hoped to be the future; some even hoped it would one day be its own Kingdom.

People in the outskirts shared Oniyuri's hope, including Ren's parents. This hope was shattered, however, when the village was destroyed before it could be completed. Survivors found sanctuary in different villages, where Oniyuri's fate was shared. For years, it hung open in Anima like a rotting wound.

And now, over a decade later, the village found life once again.

The public of Anima, along with the world, were made aware of the Council's plans to meet with the White Fang to discuss peace. Because of this, several reporters and news outlets gathered in Oniyuri to witness the event firsthand.

And since the Council went too, Eren and his friends went with them.

"It's almost time," said Cinder, who was looking at her Scroll. The meeting was scheduled for twelve o'clock in the afternoon, which was ten minutes away.

Eren acknowledged the time and put his own Scroll to his ear. "Ren, how are things looking on your end?" he asked.

"All set here," Ren replied. "Nora and I are as close to the Council as we can be."

"We'll be there in a few." Eren lowered his Scroll and turned to Cinder. "The Council's secure."

Cinder nodded before she put her Scroll to her ear. "Emerald, any sign of them?" she asked.

"Not yet," said Emerald, who was with Mercury near the entrance of the village. "We can't see anything."

"And these dicks out here aren't helping," said Mercury.

While everyone mostly ignored Mercury's use of profanity, Cinder had to agree with her friend right now. She, like Eren and everyone else, knew exactly who Mercury was talking about.

"Hey, Fritz!"

Cinder turned around to see a group of adults armed to the teeth with guns and blades staring back at her. "The civilians aren't allowed at the wall," a man with a mace said as he pointed towards the village. "Move your ass."

"And leave this to professionals," said a woman with a machine gun. "Let's show you how we actually do our job."

Cinder mentally sighed before she spoke. "You know I'm with the Council, right?" she asked as she showed the license on her Scroll. "I have a job to do too."

"But it's not our job," said another man with a broadsword. "You'd be smart to know the difference before-"

"Hey, cut the shit," said Eren, who came to Cinder's aid. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"No," said another woman with two revolvers. "We're supposed to be here. One team to each wall, that's the rule. Or have you forgotten all about following rules?"

Eren pointed towards the eastern side of Oniyuri. "Then why don't I see anyone else on that side?"

"..."

The adults looked towards the side and didn't see anyone there. Some of the adults had previously been there, but had left to confront Cinder when they saw her. But when they saw their chance was gone, the adults huffed and walked away.

"Dicks," Eren said as he moved closer to Cinder. He could tell they left just to come insult them.

But in their minds, the adults believed Cinder started it.

The adults in question were actually Huntsmen and Huntresses, people who had been handpicked to come to Oniyuri for protection. The Council had faith in the Hunt Inquisitorius' abilities, but the presence of Grimm and the White Fang left them and other citizens with a need for additional security. So, Huntsmen and Huntresses were picked to join everyone in Oniyuri.

None of them had chosen to take this task, however. One of Cinder's proposed reforms to the Council was having missions be assigned rather than chosen. To ease the Council's mind, and avoid further controversy after Lionheart's arrest, the staff of Haven assigned someone to start handing out missions along with some being chosen. So the ones who were sent to Oniyuri were unhappy, but they planned to take the chance to prove that they weren't what Cinder was making Huntsmen and Huntresses out to be.

So far, a poor impression had been made.

"Is everything okay?"

Eren and Cinder turned to see Midori approaching them with her hands outstretched. "I saw those Huntsmen and Huntresses walking away," she said. "Either of you need a boost?"

"We're fine, Midori," Eren insisted. "They were just talking shit."

"Yeah, it's nothing," said Cinder. "Save Healing Wish for yourself."

"Guys, I'm fine," said Midori. "Really. Besides, the doctors want me to get exercise."

Midori had joined some of the citizens to see the meeting between the Council and the White Fang herself. However, she was still feeling unwell from unexplained body aches that refused to go away. The staff at Kuroyuri's hospital couldn't find anything wrong with her, so they advised being out and about, to counteract with the stiff and sore muscles.

The pain was still present, and Midori couldn't help but wince for a moment.

"Okay, let's get you back," Cinder said gently as she took Midori's hand.

"Aw, come on, Cinder!" Midori protested. "I'm fine!"

"We know," said Eren. "But those Huntsmen and Huntresses were right about one thing; civilians shouldn't be out here."

"Yeah, we don't want you getting in trouble," said Cinder.

"I know," Midori insisted. "But it's starting to get boring there. I've heard five different news reporters talk about the same thing. Just waiting for the Fang to arrive and talk about the protests at the capital."

"I heard about those," said Eren. "Some people there don't want this to happen either."

"It's putting a lot of pressure on the Council," said Cinder. "I'm just glad those protests haven't turned violent."

"Yeah, it's all just noise. If they really didn't want this to happen, they'd have the nerve to show their faces here."

"Eren's got a point," said Midori. "They don't know what it's like out here. It probably made them scared."

"I know," said Cinder. "They might be scared to come out here themselves, but they'll still-"

*BUZZ*

Cinder looked to her Scroll when she heard it buzzing. As soon as she looked at it, Cinder couldn't help but gasp at a text she had gotten. Eren and Midori were quick to see what it was, and just as quick to share Cinder's reaction.

"She's here."

The text had come from Winter, who was closer to the outskirts of Oniyuri with Ymir. Together, they saw a small caravan of masked Faunus approaching the entrance and being greeted by dozens of camera flashes and armed humans. The Huntsmen and Huntresses, along with the Hunt Inquisitorius, were instructed to not attack or show any hostility towards the White Fang who had arrived.

The order was mostly obeyed, but the Huntsmen and Huntresses made their presence known to the Faunus. Between their weapons and marginal use of their Semblances, the Huntsmen and Huntresses wanted to show their strength.

The Faunus took note of this, but only looked upon the humans with ire. Already, they believed this meeting wouldn't amount to much.

The caravan included Sienna Khan, who had arrived with several armed bodyguards. The Council had been told by Eren to expect this, since he met the guards in their base. The caravan also included members of the Justice Division, notably Floch. Despite bringing Eren to the base, Sienna placed Floch's fate on hold until the meeting was over.

Eren was hoping to see Floch at Oniyuri, and hoping to talk more after taking time to think. Floch indeed had a lot to think about, which he did. However, he wasn't yet ready to talk to Eren again. And their duties laid elsewhere; Floch with the White Fang and Eren with his friends.

With both parties present, the call for negotiating some kind of peace was ready to begin. Pleasantries and cordial greetings were made, but it was easy to sense the dread in the air. The Council knew the kind of spot they were in with a terrorist organization, while Sienna knew the spot she was in surrounded by so many humans. She could see some Faunus civilians in the area, but they didn't ease her concerns.

And neither did a third party that sensed the dread in the air.

*GROWL*

*ROAR*

The shared negativity by both parties had managed to attract Grimm. Beowolves began to make their way to the village gate, hungry for the flesh and blood inside the walls. Everyone standing guard could see this, since that was why they were at the walls.

Eren was prepared to send the beasts away, but the Huntsmen and Huntresses seized their chance to prove themselves. One by one, they leapt from the walls and picked their targets carefully. They mostly relied on their weapons for the kill, though one Huntsman used his Semblance to push the Grimm miles away.

The sound of fighting had caught the attention of a few reporters, who captured the men and women working on camera. They documented the individual and collective efforts of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as their ability to kill Grimm.

Cinder never questioned their ability to kill Grimm, but she knew their recorded actions would hurt her in the future. Anytime she tried to call out inappropriate behavior and a need for reform, she knew people would use this day as an example to counter her arguments.

And so did the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"And that's all she wrote," one Huntsman said as he removed a spear from a dying Beowolf.

"Let's see Fritz try to ruin us now," said a Huntress, who bumped a Huntsman's fist with her own.

"I don't get her," said another Huntress. "Where did she even come from with all this crap against us?"

"Who knows?" another Huntsman said. "And who cares? When the Council sees this, they'll see Fritz is full of it."

"Not only that," said another Huntress. "When this meeting falls through, the whole freaking Kingdom will see she's full of it."

The adults all nodded and hummed in agreement before they noticed their work wasn't finished yet. Another pack of Grimm, close to the surrounding woods, were approaching Oniyuri for the same reason the previous Grimm were.

"Dibs," a Huntsman and Huntress said at the same time. Together, they raced towards the Grimm and left their comrades behind. Seeing no need to keep up, given the size of the pack, the other Huntsmen and Huntresses moved back to Oniyuri.

The Huntsman and Huntress that moved ahead made short work of the Grimm. Their training and experience refused to fail them, even though they had to move deeper into the woods. But their work was done, and they decided to take a break rather than witness what they believed was a waste of time.

"Alone at last," the Huntsman said as he removed a cigarette and lighter from his pocket.

"Hey, now," the Huntress said sarcastically. "You know what those environmentalists say; only you can prevent forest fires."

The Huntsman smiled at the joke as he smoked. "Trust me, this is good for the environment. It'll wear off the smell of the outskirts and furries out here."

The Huntress laughed as she relaxed against a tree. "Damn right." Rather than smoke herself, the Huntress passed the time by becoming aware of her surroundings. As she did, her smile vanished when she saw something ahead. "Speaking of furries..."

The Huntsman looked where his partner was looking and also saw something unordinary. There was a Faunus, a member of the White Fang, in the middle of the forest. Unlike the two humans, the Faunus didn't seem to be resting; he was pacing back and forth.

"What the hell is this?" the Huntsman asked. "I thought they were all supposed to be in the walls."

"Yeah," said the Huntress. "And is it just me or does he look... nervous?"

The Huntsman took note of the pacing and agreed with his friend. "Let's find out."

The duo quickly made their way towards the Faunus, a much younger man than the Huntsman was. And just as they suspected, he was rather nervous despite being armed.

"You lost, little doggy?" the Huntress asked, mocking the dog tail the young man had. "What are you doing out here?"

The Faunus was surprised by the presence of the humans, but he didn't welcome them. "Nothing," he said without much care. "What are you doing out here?"

"Our job," the Huntsman said as he moved closer to the Faunus. "Making sure you're where you're supposed to be."

The Faunus took great offense to the claim, since this wasn't the first time he heard something like it. "You can't tell me what to do," he said.

"Ugh, now he sounds like Fritz," the Huntress said as she pointed her gun at the Faunus. "Get to the village before you give us probable cause."

"But first, answer the question," the Huntsman said as he pushed against the Faunus. "What are you doing out here pacing and all?"

Despite his sharp tongue, the Faunus was nervous in the presence of the humans. However, when he saw soemthing behind the two humans closing in on him, the Faunus became more relaxed as he answered the question.

"Waiting for them."

*SLASH*

*SHICK*

Before they knew what hit them, the Huntsman and Huntress were fatally stabbed in their backs. Unable to activate their Auras in time, the duo fell to the ground as their lives left them.

The Faunus looked to see others of his kind where the humans previously stood. Like him, they were White Fang members and they were ready for war. The Faunus who killed the humans, however, was distinguished by black clothes, red hair, and a pair of horns on his head.

And he was someone the Faunus was happy to see.

"Adam, thank the Gods you're here!" he said as he got to his feet. "I got your message, and waited here before these two showed up!"

Adam Taurus looked upon the two humans momentarily, reveling in the sight of his work. "Never mind them," he said. "Where's Sienna?"

The Faunus pointed behind him. "In the village beyond these trees. She's there trying to make a deal with the Council of all people. It's just like I said; she's trying to make peace with them."

Adam was aware of what his ally was referring to. Unlike the others in Oniyuri, this Faunus was a spy of Adam's that evaded Floch's purge. He had told Adam everything that happened as soon as he arrived in Mistral, from the White Fang being infiltrated to Sienna making peace with the humans.

While he could do nothing about the former incident, Adam was resolved to put the latter to an end.

"It's time I got what I deserved."

"We won't just leave! The Kingdoms already tried to make the Faunus leave their borders, and look how that turned out!"

"We're not asking the entire Faunus population to leave. But we cannot proceed with any agreements until the White Fang agrees to remove itself from Anima."

"And leave the people we're fighting for defenseless? I have yet to see any proof that you'll honor your word about change, that you actually considered our demands."

"That's why we're here, is it not?"

As they watched and recorded the event and discussion, the citizens and reporters could see that this meeting wasn't going so well. Problems had been brought up, mainly with crimes based on hate and some institutions of Mistral considering a Faunus "three-fifths" of a person, which gave a "reason" for denying equal rights. However, no resolution to these problems had been made.

The Council was insistent on the White Fang leaving the Kingdom when this meeting would be done. However, Sienna wanted assurances that no further harm or unfair actions would come to the Faunus in her absence. The Council was stubborn to have this agreement before talking about further actions to be taken, but no progress was being made.

While most of the audience took this as a sign that humans and Faunus couldn't agree on anything, Midori took this with sadness and disbelief. Like her friends, Midori never saw any Faunus being mistreated in Kuroyuri. And there was never any kind of problem with humans and Faunus cooperating in the city, so why was there one now?

Why?

"Hey, Mimi."

Midori turned to see that Ren and Nora had found her. Like her, they were annoyed by the lack of progress being made. "Hey, guys," Midori said as she moved closer to her friends. "Can you believe this?"

Nora groaned as Ren shook his head. "This is a disaster," said Nora. "And I thought the base was bad."

Despite sharing Nora's feelings, Ren took a page out of Nora's book and stayed positive. "Well, the meeting started not too long ago," he said. "There's still time for things to change."

"Yeah, that's true. Still... there's gotta be something we can do to help all this."

"I think we've done all we can, Nora. Things like this are out of our hands."

"Well, this sounds like something up Cinder's alley." Nora laughed for the first time since coming to Oniyuri. "Could you imagine Cinder sitting there as a Councilwoman?"

"I'd vote for her," said Midori.

"Me too," Ren agreed.

Oddly enough, Eren had suggested the same thing to Cinder as they too watched the meeting unfold.

"Come on," Cinder replied with a laugh. "Be serious."

"No, really!" Eren insisted. "I'd vote for you if you were Councilwoman. You really haven't thought about it?"

Cinder shrugged. "Okay, maybe once or twice. But I think people call me more of an activist than a politician."

"Still. It's not off the table."

Cinder laughed again. "No, it's not. But I can't imagine what kind of a spot that puts me in. Even you too."

"Me?" Eren pointed to himself as he asked his question. "What about me?"

"Well, you know, I'd be the boss of the Hunt Inquisitorius. And you." Cinder laughed again. "And what would you call yourself if we got married? 'First Man,' or something like that?"

Eren took a step back when he was hit by surprise. "...Married?" he asked.

When Cinder realzied what she had said, her face became as red as Eren's. "Oh! Uh... I-I was just kidding! Sorry, sorry!" Cinder buried her face in her hair to avoid showing her embarrassment.

Eren wasn't exactly embarrassed, however. He didn't feel offended by the joke, it had just caught him off guard. Eren hadn't exactly thought that far into the future with Cinder, despite how he felt about her. Still, the idea was a lot to consider.

It made Eren think about one of his last moments with Mikasa. How he showed her a reality where he gave up the fight against Marley and built a log cabin for her and himself. It was a beautiful place in the woods, far from any kind of civilization or trouble. But Eren knew it could never be a reality, since he could never give up a fight as important as his last.

Still, it seemed like a perfect place to call home. And now that she mentioned it, Eren couldn't help but think how great it would be to live with Cinder there.

*BUZZ*

Eren stopped daydreaming when he felt his Scroll vibrate. When he took it out, he saw that he was getting a call from Emerald. "Hey, Emerald," he said as he accepted the call. "What's up?"

"Eren, we might have a problem," Emerald said through the other end. "A Huntsman and Huntress are missing. Apparently, they went through the woods to kill Grimm."

Eren looked towards the trees bordering Oniyuri. "Okay... how long ago was that?"

"About fifteen minutes ago. They told Winter and Ymir, then they told us before they started searching."

"No sign of them?"

"None so far."

Cinder noticed Eren talking on his Scroll and soon rejoined him. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Uh, two people from the team are missing," Eren answered before he turned back to his Scroll. "Emerald, where are you?"

"At the wall by the trees," Emerald replied. "I'm still with Mercury, he's looking too."

"Don't worry, we'll find them," Mercury said into the Scroll. "Probably just-Oof!"

*BAM*

A grunt and a loud noise made Eren jump momentarily before he spoke into his Scroll again. "Merc?" he asked. "Merc! Emerald!"

*BEEP*

Eren looked to his Scroll and saw that his call had been aburptly ended. He immediately knew this wasn't like Emerald or Mercury, which only added to the red flags Eren saw.

"What happened?" Cinder asked.

"I don't know," Eren replied as he showed Cinder his Scroll. "But this isn't right."

"Is it the Grimm?"

"Maybe. Keep an eye on everyone here, I'll check it out."

"Okay."

Eren and Cinder used their vertical maneuvering equipment to move in respective places. Cinder used hers to join Ren and Nora while Eren used his to traverse the buildings. It was almost like being in Paradis again, moving throughout the town to kill Titans and soldiers. But this time, Eren reminded himself to be careful after one of his hooks went through an unfinished building.

After making sure not to repeat the same mistake, Eren found himself on top of another building. Not wanting to make his presence known to whoever or whatever was outside Oniyuri, Eren stood on top of the roof of the building and looked over the wall. He couldn't see anything at first, so Eren moved to a second building.

Once he did, Eren could see how much trouble he was in.

Eren almost mistook them for Grimm, but he could see that there were people dressed in black and white just outside the wall. He recognized them as the uniforms of the White Fang, and that there were over a dozen people outside the wall. Along with that, there were two other things that troubled him.

The first was Emerald and Mercury laying on the ground. They had each been stabbed, but the steam rising from their bodies showed that they were being healed.

The second was a bomb that had just been placed on the wall. And judging by how fast the Faunus were running away, the bomb had been armed.

Eren knew that he had to act quickly, and he had the choice of either trying to do something about the bomb or warn everyone in Oniyuri. Not knowing how much time there was on the bomb, and given that Oniyuri was oblivious about the incoming explosion, Eren chose the latter. And he did this by using Soaring Freedom and getting as close to the meeting table as he could.

"EVERYBODY DOWN!" Eren yelled loudly.

*BOOM*

Eren was able to push two members of the Council down before the wall exploded. The explosion incinerated several unsuspecting people, but most of them were simply blown back by the blast. Midori was among these people, and she was in severe pain from hitting the ground.

Ren and Nora had also been blown back, but their injuries were quickly healed by their Auras. Cinder helped them to their feet and asked if they were okay, but neither of them could hear at the moment.

They could, however, see the armed Faunus invading the village.

The White Fang all rushed into the area and attacked anyone they saw. Taking advantage of the confusion, they shot and stabbed several humans who were trying to get up and run. All of their attacks were fatal, but they were eventually stopped by a few Huntsmen and Huntresses. They managed to stop the swords from striking anyone else, and soon moved on the offensive to defeat their enemy.

This strategy, however, was premature. From the dust and debris, large bursts of red energy moved towards the humans and made direct contact. The enegry was strong enough to break weapons, Aura, and the flesh of the humans. Those who survived the attack were soon caught by Grimm, and became survivors no more.

And after killing an incoming Grimm, Adam placed his sword back in his sheath to reserve more of his Semblance for later.

Eren and Cinder didn't see Adam, but they too were defending the civilians from the White Fang. Their experience with the terrorist Faunus aided them greatly, and it aided the rest of their friends. Ren and Nora followed Eren and Cinder's lead, while a healed Emerald and Mercury joined the fight and ambushed the incoming White Fang.

Winter and Ymir also joined the battle, and found themselves adapting very quickly. Winter was able to use her sword and Glyphs once again to stop a group of Faunus heading her way, and Ymir was able to knock out a Faunus and take their gun.

"All right!" Ymir said as she readied the gun. "Here we go again!"

While the Hunt Inquisitorius was holding their own, Sienna Khan and the Council observed what was happening. Sienna was the first to stand up, which allowed her to watch the carnage with shock and awe.

"What?" she asked as she looked around at the White Fang attacking civilians and defenders alike. Unlike the other times she led such attacks, Sienna gave no order for this to happen. She expected an ambush from humans, but nothing like this.

Even her guards had been killed, with what looked like bullet-holes in their heads.

"How could you?!"

Sienna turned around and felt herself be grabbed by an angry Councilwoman Redwood. "We gave you a chance for peace!" she yelled. "And you do this?!"

"What?!" Sienna asked. She knew how bad this looked for her, but Sienna knew she had to try and sort this out. "No, this wasn't me! I didn't do this!"

"Then why are your people attacking us?!" Councilwoman Blanca asked.

*WHOOSH*

Before Sienna could reply, Eren and Cinder had used their gear to rejoin the Council. They had managed to earn a reprieve from Ren and Nora, and they used this to see if the Kingdom's leaders were safe.

"Is everyone okay?" Cinder asked.

"We're alive," said Councilwoman Redwood, who then pointed to Sienna. "No thanks to her."

"Yeager, arrest her!" Councilman Noire ordered. "Immediately!"

Like the Council, Eren was angry at Sienna's apparent betrayal. He grabbed her just like Redwood did, but had another idea before arresting her.

"Tell your people to stand down!" he yelled.

Sienna looked back to Eren, hoping once again to prove her innocence. "But I-!"

"Now!"

"..."

Sienna knew she wasn't being given a choice in this matter. So, in order to stop the madness and clear her name, Sienna yelled at every White Fang member she saw.

"Stand down!" she yelled. "All members of the White Fang, stand down right-!"

*BANG*

"Aaah!" Sienna yelled as she fell backwards. One of her tiger ears had been shot, just missing her head. The action was enough to give everyone around Sienna pause, given that the bloodshed was caused by someone unexpected.

"Did you see that?" Cinder asked Eren. "A Faunus just shot her!"

"..."

Eren now understood that something was amiss. A member of the White Fang wouldn't shoot their leader without reason; and it certaintly wasn't friendly fire, since Sienna was nowhere close to Council.

Councilwoman Redwood was scared, but her fear didn't diminish her sense of reason. She now knew that Sienna was telling the truth, that she was just as much of a target as everyone else.

But if she wasn't commanding the White Fang... who was?

"Ren! Winter and Ymir said they cleared a path out of here! Down that way!"

"Then let's get everyone out of here!"

Like their friends, Ren and Nora were holding their own against the White Fang. They gave Eren and Cinder a chance to find the Council, and now they found a chance to get the citizens to safety.

And from what they saw next, they had help too.

"Ren, Nora!" Emerald addressed her friends.

"You two okay?" Mercury asked.

"We're fine," Ren replied as he pointed in the same direction Nora was pointed earlier. "Nora says we can get these people out that way."

"Well, let's get started!"

Mercury was quick to either help people on their feet or kick away debris they were trapped under. He didn't use the Flashstep Titan, but Mercury's natural speed still helped him. His friends followed his lead and helped as many people as they could.

They even helped Midori, who had been caught under a large wooden beam.

"Thanks," Midori groaned, trying her best to ignore her injured leg. "Take me to whoever needs Healing Wish." Midori was sure that there were people who needed medical attention.

"But, Midori, you're hurt!" Nora protested.

"I'm fine! Let me-Ugh!"

Midori fell to the ground when she found herself unable to walk. Mercury was about to help her up, but then he saw that a Huntress had landed not far from where he was.

"Hey!" Mercury yelled when he saw the Huntress was still alive. "Help us! We got people here to evacuate!"

"..."

Despite hearing the plea for assistance, the Huntress didn't respond. Fear had overtaken her; fear of the White Fang and the fear of uncertainty in this place. She, like the other Huntsmen and Huntresses, had worked so closely in the captial that she could fall back to a more protected area with resources when Grimm and bandits were too close. But now, with a broken weapon and a broken Aura, she had nothing to turn to. Now, all she was surrounded by was countless enemies and no way to fight them.

For the first time, in a long time... the Huntress feared for her life. And she no longer felt confident in doing a job so far from the captial.

Despite the deaths of several Huntsmen and Huntresses like her, the Huntress wasn't alone. Some of her partners had survived, and they had joined the mass influx of people that the Hunt Inquisitorius had helped. It was hard to decipher if the Huntsmen and Huntresses were guarding the people or running with them, but she refused to be alone.

"Wait for me!" she yelled to her friends. "Wait for me!"

"Hey, wait!" Mercury yelled at the fleeing Huntress. "Come back!"

Emerald too was shocked at the abandonment, but she focused on Midori. "Mercury, forget it!" she said. "Help me with Midori!"

Mercury followed Emerald's order and picked Midori up. "Come on, let's get her outta here!" he said as he began to carry her away.

As soon as they began to run, Nora saw one member of the White Fang move towards them with a gun in hand. "Look out!" she said to her friends. Then, with a yell, Nora swung Magnhild and made direct contact with the Faunus. The Faunus flew to the ground in pain, and found himself at the mercy of Nora once again.

"No, no, wait!"

Nora stopped the hammer right before she began to swing it. Because of this, an unmasked Faunus with fox ears accompanied by a woman with wings moved in Nora's way and made a plea.

"Don't hurt him!" the Faunus begged. "He's with us, we've been set up!"

Ren took note that all three Faunus were wearing the same black uniforms as the ones who attacked Kuroyuri. And based on the emotions he could see with his Semblance, the two Faunus were just as taken aback by the attack as he was.

"You," Ren said as he pointed to the Faunus. "You're Floch Forster, aren't you? You know Eren, right?" When he saw the Faunus nod, Ren asked another question. "These Faunus; are they trying to kill you too?"

"Me, my team, they're killing everybody!" Floch yelled. "They even shot Sienna!"

"Oh, bullshit!" said Mercury. "Even if she was shot, how do you know that wasn't one of us?"

"Because we saw it too!" said a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to see that Eren and Cinder had found them. After Sienna was shot, the duo began to evacuate the Council while taking Sienna with them. Their plan was to come back and find out what was going on, but this plan was paused when they found their friends.

"Eren, Cinder!" Nora exclaimed with relief.

Eren was happy to see his friends too, but he remained focused on the issue at hand. "Floch's telling the truth, guys," he said. "I know it sounds crazy, but these Faunus are after everyone here. Even their own people." Along with vouching for him, Eren offered Floch a hand to get him back on his feet.

"But that doesn't make sense!" Emerald protested as Floch took Eren's hand. "Who would want to kill the High Leader and us?"

"Guys?" Ren said to get everyone's attention. "I think we're about to find out."

Everyone looked where Ren was looking to see that a large group of White Fang disloyal to Sienna were beginning to surround them. Their guns were all pointed at the group, which caused Eren and his friends to point their weapons back at the Faunus. Floch and Angel also stood with Eren, since they understood that they had a common enemy.

And now, the White Fang all stood aside to reveal that enemy.

"Like sheep to the pen..." a red-haired man said as he walked forward. Once he stopped, he raised his head and smiled at the group before him. "You're all ready for slaughter."

Eren's eyes widened when he recognized the bull Faunus before him. "Him again?!" he said to himself as he recalled his visit to the Forever Fall.

Floch also recognized the man, which caused him to raise his pistol and take aim. "Adam?!" he said in surprise.

"Hello, Floch," Adam replied to the Faunus before him. "Hello, Angel. I'd suggest you stand down."

Multiple red dots, coming from laser sightings on numerous rifles, were all trained on Floch and Angel. Knowing that they were outnumbered, the duo lowered their weapons in anger.

Taking this victory, Adam turned to Eren next. He too remembered the battle they had in Vale, as well as how it almost ended in his death. Understandably, Adam still harbored a grudge against Eren for this; as well as the loss of Blake. This rage wasn't satisfied as Eren and his friends were forced to drop their weapons, and it wouldn't be satisfied until Adam had his say.

"You," Adam said with a raised sword. Targeting lasers soon found themselves on Eren and his friends. "I'll deal with you later."

"..."

Adam turned back to Floch with a sinister smile. "But first, I'll show you what true justice looks like, Floch."

Suddenly, two more of Adam's Faunus moved towards him while dragging Sienna behind them. Eren and Cinder had managed to get her out with the Council, and left Winter and Ymir to watch them with the civilians. Unfortuantely, while tryingn to defend everyone, Winter and Ymir were unable to prevent two quick and clever Faunus from using their animal traits to grab Sienna and escape.

Winter and Ymir needed to defend the rest of the people from Grimm and the White Fang at the same time, so they were forced to let the Faunus go. Because of this, Sienna could also see the treachery within her organization.

"Adam?" Sienna asked as she saw who she was kneeling before. "What are you doing?!"

"What's right for the Faunus," Adam declared. "From this day forward, I will be the one to lead the White Fang."

Everyone now understood this attack was a coup, that Adam came here to disrupt the peace while taking the throne for himself. Eren and his friends were surprised as they put the pieces together, while anger still existed for Floch. "I knew it!" he yelled. "I knew you turned against us! You traitor!"

"Traitor?" Adam turned to Floch while taking his sheath in hand. "You came here, willingly, to make peace with the humans we sought to escape from... and you talk to me of treason?!"

*BANG*

Adam lifted his sheath and pulled a hidden trigger that revealed its alternative form of a shotgun. The blast hit Floch directly in the chest, which caused him to fall backwards and bleed in several places.

"No!" Angel yelled as she rushed towards her friend.

"Floch!" Eren yelled in return. But rather than rush towards him, Eren looked to Midori and made a request. "Can you help him?"

Midori had been using Healing Wish to heal her leg, but her musclular pain refused to disappear. Still, she had just enough Aura for one more use of Healing Wish. "If she promises not to kill me... yeah, I can help," she said as she slowly made her way towards Floch and Angel.

Suddenly, another Faunus appeared before Adam while being followed by several humans. "Sir, we found a group of reporters with a camera," he said. "They're livestreaming, just like you asked."

"Good," Adam replied before he pointed to the side. "Set them up over there. Make sure they get everything."

"You heard him!" one Faunus said while waving a gun at the humans. "Move it!"

In their fear, the reporters all gathered in one spot and moved their camera towards Adam. As his followers said, the camera was livestreaming and had captured everything. Now, it was about to capture what Adam believed to be a pivotal moment in history.

"Brothers, sisters... Faunus everywhere," Adam began as he looked into the camera. "For years, you have cried out in agony for a better future. For a place where the tyrannical rule of humanity would be put to an end. And for years after that... the White Fang has been your answer. We are here."

"..."

"Or rather... I am here."

"..."

Adam pointed towards Sienna, which caused a Faunus to make sure the camera was zoomed in on her. "This is Sienna Khan, the second person to lead the White Fang. Like her, the first leader was a traitor. He refused to accept the necessary measures we needed to survive, to truly create a world better for the Faunus. When Sienna took over, we were given the chance to truly fight for you. When I followed her, I believed we as a species had finally found our chance to make our dreams come true."

*BAM*

Adam struck Sienna hard and watched her fall. "But now, I understand that we were given a false idol. Someone who believes we're supposed to make peace with our enemies to survive." Adam looked at an irate Sienna as she listened to every word. "Even now, she looks at me as if I am the enemy. I, who have done nothing but make humanity pay for what they've done, I who wish to see a world where the Faunus do not stand with humanity... but above humanity."

"..."

Eren and his friends also heard what Adam was saying, and came to the conclusion that he had lost his mind. Angel also believed this to be true, and made her voice known. "By killing your own people?!" she asked. "We fought with you, towards a better future! Floch fought with you too!"

Adam turned around as he shook his head. "Don't you act all high and mighty, Angel," he said. "I'm missing quite a few of my brothers who I sent to keep an eye on things here. If you and Floch believe they're 'your own people,' where are they?"

"..."

Adam laughed when he saw the look on Angel's face. "That's what I thought," he said before he turned back to the camera. "Make no mistake, my friends. Sienna, Angel, Floch... Faunus like these are our enemies. Spreading ideas of peace and hypocrisy just to get where they are. I swear, as the new High Leader, none of you will ever again be deceived. It is time... to rise up!"

The White Fang standing with Adam all cheered and cried out their support for him. In their minds, the White Fang was about to become a true force of revolution. Now, their campaign against humanity and those that opposed them was about to begin.

And it would begin with bloodshed.

Sienna knew the odds weren't in her favor. She knew that she was betrayed, and that she had been robbed of her weapon before she could use it to fight back. But despite clearly being outnumbered, Sienna wasn't ready to go down without a fight. And she certainly wasn't going let Adam's accusations get the better of her. "If you think I'll just step aside and follow beneath you, you're wrong," she said.

Adam turned back to Sienna and took his sword in hand again. "I know," he said. He then marched towards Sienna with his red blade in the air, finally ready to do what he set out to do in the first place. "Thank you, Sienna. You were there when our people needed you, but they need me now." When he stopped in front of her, Adam raised his blade even higher while the camera zoomed in on him. "I'm sorry you couldn't see this through to the end."

*THWIP*

*SHICK*

"AAAHH!"

Instead of impaling Sienna as he wished, Adam dropped his blade when a hook struck his arm. The hook was courtesy of Eren, who took the chance to fire it when all the Faunus were distracted by Adam's speech. Now that he had his attention, and also wanting to settle his score, Eren recalled the hook back to Soaring Freedom and tackled Adam to the ground.

*BAM*

Adam was struck in the face twice, but his Aura protected him from being hurt. And before Eren could throw another punch, Adam gave an order to his people. "Kill them all!" he said as he looked at Eren's friends.

"Look out!" Cinder yelled as she grabbed Emerald and Mercury before using Dancing Midnight.

*BANG*

Bullets barely missed Cinder and the duo she flew with. Ren was able to grab Nora and run to the side while Angel grabbed Floch and took flight. Midori grabbed Angel as well, though the Faunus wasn't planning on rescuing her as well. But Angel didn't have much of a choice, since she had to avoid the bullets in her path.

Adam eventually kicked Eren off him and grabbed his sword. "That's the second time you robbed me of justice," he growled as he raised his sword towards Eren. "I swear there won't be a third."

"We'll see about that," Eren said as he activated his own swords. With that, he engaged in armed combat with Adam once again.

Sienna also took to fighting when the chaos distracted her captors. While she didn't have Cerberus, her skills in martial arts allowed her to disarm the two Faunus holding her down. Now free, Sienna understood that she had a choice between fight or flight. Given that her conflict with Adam's White Fang wasn't over and that she was outnumbered, one could not fault Sienna for attempting to escape with her life.

However, her sense of honor trumped over any potnetial cowardice. Just like at her base, Sienna's life had been spared yet again. More than that, Eren had actually saved her life this time. If he had done nothing, her last moments on Remnant would be dying on her knees like several Faunus did before.

Before, it was the heartfelt words and mercy after their invasion that made Sienna believe she had to owe them something in return. But now, Sienna knew that she had to repay the debt she owed to Eren. She found her chance to do so when Adam activated his Semblance again; when he used a great surge of energy to strike at Soaring Freedom and break one side.

Adam's confidence grew when he saw that Eren couldn't rely on one of his hooks anymore. He was about to use his Semblance again to finish the job, but he was stopped when Sienna pounced and kicked his face.

Sienna landed in front of Eren again, who was surprised at what had happened. But rather than explain herself, or thank Eren for saving her own life, Sienna offered her hand and gave a reason for partnership. "Adam's too formidable for one person to beat alone," she said, remembering how strong her former disciple was. "Stand with me and we have a chance."

Eren took the hand without question and got off the ground. He then moved towards his broken gear to retrieve his first pistol, which he handed to Sienna. "They're fully loaded," he said as he handed over his second weapon. "I'll try to create an opening for you."

"If you keep him in view on his right side, that may help."

The temporary allies turned towards Adam, which made Eren see something that he wasn't expecting. The attack Sienna had inflicted made Adam lose his mask, which was covering his eyes. Eren and Sienna could see that Adam's right eye was blue, almost like Eren's eyes.

His other eye, however, was completely destroyed and replaced with three branded letters.

"SDC"

"Holy crap," Eren said as he stared at the brand. The camera the reporters were using also captured the image, but Eren didn't pay attention to that. "What happened to him?"

"What always happens," Sienna nonchalantly replied. "What I was hoping to change by coming here."

Eren reminded himself to talk about that later. For now, he joined Sienna in battle and tried his hardest to create the opening she needed.

Cinder and her friends found their respective fights to be easier than Eren's fight. Just as she recalled from the Forever Fall, most of the White Fang didn't possess an Aura. So it was easy for them to be wounded from regular and explosive arrows. Emerald was able to use her chains to attack from a distance while Mercury preferred to be up close and personal.

Ren and Nora also worked together against the White Fang. They had developed a move similar to the Iron Whirlwind, with Ren shooting his new hooks onto the base of Magnhild. Nora then swung the hammer multiple times, which allowed Ren to kick and shoot the Faunus several times while Nora hit some with her hammer. She then launched herself into the air before slamming her hammer at the largest group of White Fang she saw.

And the reporters simply watched while they recorded everything.

Floch and Angel also found themselves fighting. While Adam's speech certainly struck a nerve with them, mainly at how they were called hypocrites for elimianting traitors, the duo knew they were fighting for their lives. Floch had done this numerous times on Paradis, and Angel had done so on Remnant. They vowed to resolve whatever feelings about the conflict they had later; for now, the friends shared their strength and fought hard to survive.

"Angel, look!" Floch said as he pointed towards the field. "Eren's helping Sienna!"

Angel looked to see Eren and Sienna fighting against Adam. Just as they planned, Eren stayed within view of Adam's right side while Sienna fired the guns in her hand. But Adam was quick to deflect the bullets, and used this energy to power his Semblance even more.

They needed help.

"We can get the drop on them from above!" Angel proposed as she prepared to take flight. "Hey, you! Come help us!"

Angel was talking to Midori, who was leaning against a wall while wiping her forehead. "I... I can't," she said through her pain. "I... I hurt all over."

Angel was annoyed by what she believed to be an excuse. But Floch stepped in and stopped Angel from pressing the young girl. "Leave her," he said. "I don't think she's much of a fighter."

"..."

Between her physcial condition and lack of a weapon, Angel agreed with Floch. "Okay, stay here and stay low," she said as she grabbed Floch. "Avoid the trouble."

Midori watched as Angel took flight with Floch and move above Adam. Angel then dropped Floch, who fired at the crazed Faunus and distracted him. Eren and Sienna then took their chance to deliver palpable hits at Adam, both of which hurt him and drained some of his Aura.

This victory, however, was small. Adam's rage grew even stronger, and he unleashed his vengeance with a fury by using his Semblance to cut down everyone in his path.

"No!" Midori yelled as she watched the three Faunus and Eren fall to the ground. None of them had been killed, but they had been grievously injured. Eren could use his powers, but his temporary allies weren't as fortunate as him.

And neither was Midori.

Despite doing everything she could, Midori felt incredibly guilty for sitting and doing nothing. She understood Angel's annoyance at her refusing the call for more help, since she was actually capable of fighting. But without an Aura or Scalpel, Midori knew she couldn't do much more.

And this made her angry.

It reminded Midori of all the times she had been locked in her room by her mother. Unable to see the outside world, unable to do anything without the risk of falling ill nearly drove the poor girl insane. Only when she finally snapped and perfected Healing Wish did Midori find her freedom. That day, Midori felt a spark within herself unlike any other. One that was unqiue and quite the gift she ever received. Midori closed her eyes and tried desperately to find that spark again, something that would bring out the warrior and defender within herself. Something that would save the day just as she saved herself.

And to her surprise, Midori found it.

*WHOOSH*

Suddenly, Midori began to feel extremely better. Her physical pain and fever, the very things that afflicted her for days, had suddenly vanished and were replaced by sheer energy and power. Midori opened her eyes when she felt this surge, and felt a new kind of heat on her face. But rather than a fever, the warmth felt like a fire around her eyes that provided her with security and power. The more she felt it, the more Midori welcomed it with open arms.

Rather than look for an explanation, Midori turned to see that Adam was ready to stab Sienna once again. She planned to run towards Adam and do whatever was necessary to stop him, so she took the first step with an extended arm. But rather than speed, Midori felt a burst of energy escape her grasp and move like a bullet towards an unsuspecting Adam.

*WHOOSH*

The energy in question turned out to be a ball of fire; one that engulfed Adam the second it made contact with him.

*BAM*

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" "AAAAAHHHH!"

Adam screamed in agony as he felt himself being burned alive. He didn't know what happened, but the pain the fire gave him was too much to ignore. It caused him to drop his weapons once again while he burned, unable to do anything to stop the flame from spreading.

Eren also didn't know what happened, and neither did any of his allies. But unlike them, Eren didn't let his surprise ruin the opportunity before him. Focusing on his Semblance, Eren delivered a strong and powerful kick to Adam's gut. The anger Eren felt behind this move was powerful enough to make Adam fly across the field and crash through one of Oniyuri's outer walls.

*BAM*

"..."

The area and screams soon fell into silence, which made Eren relax and take a deep breath. After he got back to his feet, Eren helped his allies stand up and make a decision.

"We have to make sure he's dead," he said. "If he survives, he'll come after us again." Eren made this mistake back in the Forever Fall, assuming that Adam was dead. Rather than make it again, Eren had to see Adam's body and know that his threat was truly over.

"I agree," said Sienna. "Floch, take Angel and find Adam."

"Yes, ma'am," Floch said as he began to move to the wall. He noticed that Eren had moved from his spot as well, hoping to find his friends now that the chaos was over.

"Eren!" Floch called out.

"..."

Eren stopped when he heard his name and saw Floch standing still. This changed, however, when Floch moved his right arm to his heart. He didn't care how this made him look, Floch wanted Eren to know that despite the night at the base, he still respected his former leader for what he did today. And in his mind, Floch knew there was no other way but to offer a salute.

So it warmed Floch's heart when Eren saluted him in a similar manner.

With pleasantries aside, Eren focused on finding his friends. He took comfort in seeing the rogue White Fang beginning to retreat, and also in cheers that obviously came from Nora. However, Eren stopped focusing on both things when he saw something extraordinary.

Midori was standing not far from where he was, and she was apparently standing on nothing but thin air. Her body was partly covered by a green flame, which existed on her hands as well as her eyes. What was even stranger was that Midori didn't seem to be burning or experiencing the same kind of pain as Adam did.

If anything... she looked relieved.

"That's... better," Midori said before she passed out.

While the battle was mostly inside Oniyuri, there was still a battle outside to be won as well. Winter and Ymir had taken up the responsiblity of protecting the people who had managed to escape the ruined village. Between Grimm and the White Fang, the two women did everything in their power to defend those who needed them.

Winter was quite proficient with her swords, but her Aura was almost ready to shatter. Ymir found herself to be quite the shot with a rifle, but she was almost out of ammo. At this rate, it would take a miracle to stop this battle.

As luck would have it, a miracle came in the form of the White Fang finally pulling back.

"We finally got these bastards on the run!" Ymir said to Winter before she fired her final rounds.

Winter looked towards the village, where she had heard a large explosion earlier. Though she didn't know what had happened, the White Fang's retreat made her cautiously optimistic. "They may have turned the tide in there!" Winter said. "I'll go look, watch everyone else!"

"Wait!" said Councilwoman Redwood, who was among the survivors and pointing towards the village entrance. "Look!"

Winter turned to look at the entrance of the village and saw numerous prople walking out instead of running. Among them were her friends, who were either helping citizens or holding prisoners of the White Fang at gunpoint. The battle was clearly a victory for Mistral, one that everybody was proud to see.

Eren and his friends were welcomed by cheers from the survivors, and they were also welcomed by Winter. "Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"We're alright," said Cinder. "But we might need a doctor."

Winter agreed, since several of the survivors were injured. She had an idea where to start looking, but her solution wasn't within her sight. "Where's Midori?"

"Right here," said Nora, who was carrying an unconcious Midori in her arms. "She passed out in there. She needs a real doctor."

Winter wasn't used to seeing Midori in such a state, but she understood that she needed help. "Come this way," she said. "We'll radio for a medical transport."

Most of the Hunt Inquisitorius followed Winter, ready to help out as much as they could. Eren and Cinder were about to follow as well, but they were stopped by Sienna Khan. She was mostly uninjured, save for her ear, but she had something she needed to say.

"I... I don't know where to start," Sienna admitted. "All of this, I-"

"You don't have to say anything," said Cinder. "We saw Adam try to kill you."

"None of us should have been here," said Eren. "This may be hard for you to believe, Sienna, but I wanted peace because I had friends in your organization. Like Floch. I didn't want to fight him like we fought Adam today, that's why..." Eren sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Maybe this was all a mistake."

If Eren had said that any other day, Sienna would have agreed without question. But now, after all the violence and bloodshed, after seeing Faunus turn against Faunus, Sienna knew that she couldn't let these actions repeat themselves.

She knew she had to do better.

"No," Sienna said. "This... armistice, however you want to call it, made me see how far this has all gone. Too far." Sienna swallowed her pride before she spoke again, but she knew it had to be said. "I want to continue my... discussions with the Council. I have to stop this from happening again."

"..."

Eren and Cinder weren't expecting to hear this, but they welcomed it nonetheless. Between this claim and Adam's actions, they were confident that they could try and convince the Council to continue working with Sienna.

And there was no better time than the present.

"Let's go, then," Cinder insisted. "While this is all fresh in their minds."

Before Eren went with Cinder, he spotted a familair camera crew and reporter. Knowing that the entire Kingdom needed to hear this as well, Eren decided to talk to them.

"I have an idea," he said to Cinder. "I'll be right back." Eren soon found himself close to the crew, where the reporter was speaking directly into the camera.

"-what can only be described as a turn of the tide," the reporter said into the camera. "An attempted coup was thwarted by the heroic Hunt Inquisitorius and what this reporter can only determine to be good fortune. We didn't see the cause of the fire ourselves, but the Faunus now identified as Adam Taurus was severely burnt and dealt a final blow by Eren Yeager. We believe the fire was an explosion or Semblance, perhaps an incendiary arrow we saw Cinder Fritz use." The reporter stopped talking when his crew pointed towards Eren, who captialized on the opportunity before him. "Oh, and Eren Yeager is here now after a hard day won!" The reporter moved his microphone towards Eren, hoping to get a comment. "Mr. Yeager, how would you describe the day's events? What will the Council do about Sienna Khan and the White Fang?"

Rather than answer the questions, Eren gestured towards the rest of the crowd and spoke. "We actually have something we need to say," he said. "That camera's live, right?"

"Yes, we're live." The reporter turned to his crew as he began to follow Eren. "Come on, let's go!"

Eren reunited with Cinder and the rest of the survivors. Once she saw the familiar camera crew for herself, Cinder understood Eren's idea and followed it quickly. While the camera crew set themselves up, Cinder helped the whole group of people focus on her.

"Excuse me!" Cinder said loudly, but politely. "Excuse me! May I have everyone's attention, please?"

The crowd turned towards Cinder and wondered what it was that she needed to say. Her friends were also paying attention, but not without keeping an eye on the prisoners in their custody. Regardless, everyone was looking at Cinder.

"I know you're all scared and hurt," Cinder continued. "But don't worry; the Grimm and the White Fang have been dealt with, and we have several transports on their way to help us. Before we do that, you all need to know what happened."

"What do you mean?" a citizen asked. "We saw what happened! The White Fang attacked us, it was all just a trick!" Many citizens voiced their agreement, which Cinder allowed for a moment before she spoke again.

"Yes, we all saw it," she said. "I even fought several White Fang myself. But this wasn't just an attack; it was a coup."

"It's true," said Eren, who joined Cinder by her side and pointed towards the camera he brought. "A Faunus named Adam Taurus, another member of the White Fang, heard about this meeting and wanted to stop it. We have live footage that showed him trying to kill Sienna Khan and take her place. If he had succeeded, we'd all be dead."

Everyone turned towards the camera, where its crew and the reporter all nodded as they recalled the speech they were forced to record. When they saw this confirmation, murmurs and whispers among the crowd began to form as they discussed it amongst themselves.

"So... what's gonna happen now?" another civilian asked.

Before Cinder or Eren could explain, Councilman Noire stepped forward and offered his own opinion. "There's no need to be concerned, ladies and gentlemen," he said. "The danger's passed now, and we're all going home. We'll handle everything else here, the Council and the Hunt Inquisitorius alike."

"What about their leader?" another civilian asked.

"We're looking for Adam Taurus right now," Eren said for reassurance. "My friends and I won't leave until-"

"Not him!" The civilian pointed towards Sienna. "Her!"

Everyone turned to a surprised Sienna, who became the target of misplaced anger. Insults and theories of her involvement began to spread quickly, leaving Sienna powerless to stop them. It was eventually Councilwoman Blanca who stepped in to calm everyone down.

"Everyone, please!" she said loudly. "No need for panic. I can assure you, the White Fang won't be going anywhere."

"But Councilwoman," Sienna said cautiously. "I don't believe we're finished."

Councilwoman Blanca and Councilman Noire turned around when they heard Sienna's voice. "Pardon?" Blanca asked.

"Adam interrupted our negotations," Sienna continued. "I can assure you, that wasn't my plan. And I can also assure you that I would like to continue them. Regardless of how everyone may think."

Murmurs overtook the crowd once again. They were confused as to why Sienna would say this and skeptical about the truth behind her words. Councilwoman Redwood had questions of her own, which made her step forward and ask them. "You mean... you want to make peace?" she said. "After how our meeting first started? And after all of this?"

"I do," Sienna replied. "If not for my sake, then for the sake of making sure no attacks such as this happen again."

"Bullshit!"

Everyone turned to the crowd again, who were forming their own opinions after this. "You expect us to trust you?" one person asked.

"Forget it!"

"No way!"

"Get her out of here!"

"Get all those Faunus out of here!"

"Liars, murderers! All of them!"

"Down with the Fang!"

The crowd couldn't help but scream and shout, making their voices known to the Council and the world alike. The cameras were recording everything, and they were showing the world how much the group of humans held deep distrust and hate towards the Faunus.

Hate that was drawing the Grimm close.

Eren quickly noticed the Grimm, just like he quickly made them go away. His special immunity and control over them served him well, and he even fired a bullet towards them once he reloaded his pistols.

*BANG*

The gunshot didn't kill any Grimm, but it was Eren's goal to silence the crowd once again. Once he had their attention, and once they knew the Grimm were gone, Eren stepped forward and began talking again.

"I believe her," he said, clearly and loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but I believe Sienna Khan. Just like I believe we have to take this chance. Before it's too late for any of us."

The crowd and the Council were surprised to hear this, since it definitely was not what they wanted to hear. The Council hadn't exactly made up their minds about continuing these negotiations, but they were still reluctant to trust Sienna again. And from the sound of it, so was the crowd.

"No way!" said another citizen. "What's she got that we actually need? Why should we do this if they're gonna stab us in the back again?!"

"Because if we don't, we're just asking for something like this to happen again!" Eren yelled. "All of us!"

"..."

Once again, nobody expected to hear such a thing. The claim sounded outrageous, but it was enough to leave them flabbergasted in silence. But Eren stood by what he said, and kept moving forward until his point had been made.

"I know where you're all coming from," he continued. "And I know, hate them or not, we've all had our doubts and concerns about people who are different. Hell, the first time I saw a Faunus, I got scared." Eren recalled seeing a Faunus with horns like Darkness' horns, which concerned him greatly. But when his mother explained who the Faunus were, Eren relaxed and accepted them.

Just like he needed everyone to accept them now.

"It's not just the Faunus," Eren continued. "I know I'm human, but I've been where some Faunus have been. There was a time when people looked down on where I came from, where they justified their ignorance and negativity towards us."

It was easy for everyone to assume that Eren was talking about the outskirts of Anima, since Cinder had made a campaign for them to be respected like the city of Mistral was. But Eren's friends, especially Cinder and Ymir, knew that Eren was using Paradis to justify his claim.

And he used his last day back home to justify it as well.

"I know it's easy to hate someone, to push all of your pain and fear onto them," Eren continued. "In your minds, you can make devils out of them. But when it becomes too much... that devil becomes real. And it... And it returns all of the hate you gave it. Just like it did today."

"..."

Nobody could resist the urge to think back on what Adam had done. Though Eren wasn't pointing any fingers, the people all knew they had at least once said or did something that expressed distrust among the Faunus. Because of this, they understood that Eren was trying to use Adam's example of hate being returned to them.

And they knew he was right.

Cinder could see how hurt and sad Eren was becoming as he thought about his home. So she quickly took his place and spoke for him.

"It's true," she said. "I don't want to point any fingers, but everyone needs to know that the hate you give always comes back. Adam gave it to us, and even he got it back."

"..."

"And I know there's still a lot of people who don't like me. People who think I'm in the wrong about Huntsmen and Huntresses, about everything I want to see changed. And you don't have to like me, I understand. But all I want is to make sure the mistakes of the past aren't repeated. That people like you and me aren't hurt again, that places put here don't meet the same fate as Oniyuri. And most of all... I don't want to see people like Eren and Sienna be hated for who or what they are. If not for my sake, then for all of your sakes."

"..."

Cinder gestured to Sienna and made her final point. "Sienna Khan wants to give us a chance to avoid the same mistake we've made. And I want to take it. For you... and all of us." Cinder turned towards the Council and closed her speech with a question. "Will you take it with me?"

"..."

The Council fell into the spotlight the second Cinder asked her question. Their spot was a very delicate one, since many people were watching them. And though their choice seemed simple, it was far from an easy one to make. These were very heavy dice they had to roll, for their people and their entire Kingdom. Betrayal was easy to expect, and only a fool would make the same mistake twice.

Councilwoman Redwood understood this better than anyone, since she was the first to believe that making peace with the White Fang was a good option. She wanted to believe in the goodness of human and Faunus nature alike, even though true nature had been revealed today. And yet, Redwood moved close to Cinder and made her choice.

Along with a simple demand.

"I will," Redwood said calmly. "As long as you and your friends are standing with me."

Cinder smiled and nodded when she heard this. "I'll be there," she said.

Eren quickly moved by Cinder's side. "And I'll be there with you." The rest of their friends began to voice their support, but they were interrupted by two more voices.

"Then I will take this chance as well," said Councilwoman Blanca, feeling comfortable with the security of the Hunt Inquisitorius.

"As will I," said Noire.

And at that moment, it wasn't voices that were heard as Sienna joined the Council. There wasn't any more distrust or insult to be heard, not from a single person. Instead, there was just one single sound.

Applause.

*CLAP*

And just like that, it was over.

Between the example Adam made and the wisdom shared by Eren and Cinder, all differences were set aside at the table. Sienna and the Council finally made a peace that was worthy of both sides, where compromise and favors were carried out.

The decision was that the Council would see that several of Sienna's demands would be met immeidately. The demands included removing the idea of "separate but equal" in Kingdom law and a harder crackdown on the poaching Floch described.

The Hunt Inqusitorius vowed to assist in this effort, which pleased the Faunus greatly.

In return, and for more demands being met later, Sienna would take every member and resource of the White Fang and leave the Kingdom. No further acts of aggression would ever take place on Mistralian land, and any Faunus caught acting on behalf of the White Fang would be left at the mercy of Mistralian authorties.

The reporters who saw this firsthand eagerly wrote their stories and presented them on television.

"The High Leader made it known to all Faunus that White Fang activity within Mistral was to cease and desist immeidately," one reporter noted. "Any and all members still acting on behalf of the organization will not receive any aid from the White Fang, and would be considered criminals in everyone's eyes."

"Several of the Faunus that attacked Oniyuri were captured by the Hunt Inquisitorius and White Fang alike," another reporter declared, noting the work of Floch's team. "A manhunt for the Faunus known as Adam Taurus is still underway. Citizens are urged to report any sightings, and to take note that Adam Taurus is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

As time went on, more and more reports of the day's events made their way across the world.

"Several protests against the peace are still being made in Mistral, but not as many prior to the negotiations. Many citizens chose to withdrawl activities after the peace agreement was made."

"Historians are comparing this agreement to the one made in Vytal decades ago. And the Council has made assurances that no changed law can be reversed, promising a better chance at equality between humanity and the Faunus."

"Despite the success, authorties in Atlas and Vale have not announced plans to hold their own meetings with the White Fang. Atlas has gone on record saying that they will not negotiate with terrorists."

Many citizens across the world were surprised by what they were seeing. Feelings ranged from joy, anxiety, hope, and anger, but nothing could change what had been done. Mistral was a different place now, for better or worse.

Along with the victory for the Faunus, there was another victory that several people took note of.

"Popularity towards the Hunt Inquisitorius program skyrocketed once again after the day's events. Poltical thinking aside, many people made their respect for the eight members known after they saved the lives of citizens and the Council alike. Judging by the captured footage and recovered bodies, there was very little involvement from Mistralian Huntsmen and Huntresses. Later today, Cinder Fritz made it known that she and her friends were not like the Huntsmen and Huntresses. That after today, she would see to it that the Huntsman system would see the same change the Faunus did, to prevent anymore negligence or tragedy."

*CLICK*

There was more to the report, but it was abruptly terminated when the television screen was turned off by a single person.

While the changes in Mistral were viewed by the entire world, there was arguably one person who followed them with a careful and vigilant eye. Under normal circumstances, he would take pride and comfort that such a large division between the people of Remnant was close to being repaired.

However, he couldn't help but feel disappointed towards the report involving Cinder.

Ever since he first heard the name "Cinder Fritz," the unique individual noted her distaste for the Huntsmen and Huntresses. He watched her rant about either incompotence or claims about misplaced power. He agreed with neither, and once hoped that the continued work of Huntsmen and Huntresses would ease these claims.

But time, it seemed, had only resulted in these ideas being emboldened.

Knowing that Cinder and her views on Huntsmen and Huntresses were getting stronger, the man decided to stop them while he could. He had no intention of fighting Cinder, since he held no ill will against her. But rather, he had composed a plan to ease her mind and her views. Obviously, though he had no idea how, Cinder had lost faith in the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

All he could do was help her find it. In order to do that, he would have to make Cinder an offer she couldn't refuse.

*BEEP*

*CLICK*

A door behind the man opened to reveal a blonde woman with glasses, who entered the room freely. "Good evening, Headmaster," she said calmly as she looked at the head of hair behind a chair facing the oppsite way. Having been long used to seeing the man this way, she looked at the tablet in her hand. "I have all the necesary documents ready. And per your instruction, I waived the entrance exam."

"..."

"It took a little more time than I expected, since we're close to a new year starting. But I'm confident we can find her a space here, and everything she would need."

"..."

"That is, if our plan works."

"..."

After hearing what his trusted confidant had to say, the chair turned to reveal a man with silver hair, green eyes, and an entirely black suit. The most defining feature was his neutral and calm appearance, one that refused to break when he was reminded of the chances of his plan failing.

"It will, Glynda," Professor Ozpin confidently promised. "It will."

Author's notes: hey everyone, hope you're doing good. Sorry this chapter took a long time, we had a lot to cover (as you noticed). Our next chapter will be the last in this arc, where we will answer questions you may have about this chapter and take the story to a place that is very familiar to RWBY fans everywhere. AT and I are expecting that chapter to be around the same length as this one, maybe a little longer. But you won't be disappointed by what happens next.

That's all I have for now, here's a note from AT.

"What's up everyone, The Avenging Titan here! It's been a while since i had written something here, and i hope you all have been doing great! There are some things i just wanted to touch up on that i wanted to last chapter, but i figured better late than never, so I'll do it here.

The first is in regards to our new OC of the story, Angel Vuelo, which is Spanish for Flight. An image of her can be found on Deviantart.

When introducing Floch and the Yeagerists in the story, we also wanted there to be a new set of eyes so to speak. A native from Remnant amongst a group from Earth/Paradis, and one who would be distrusting of Eren despite Floch's insistence/reassurance. And from that, Angel was born.

When coming up with Angel, the primary inspiration that Court and I drew from was the character Lute, an Angel/Exorcist from the series Hazbin Hotel. This is seen both with her appearance, her Faunus attribute (wings), and in the weapon she was wielding which was a spear. The other inspiration for her design came from the Niijima sisters, Makoto and Sae, from Atlus's Persona 5. This is also seen in regards to her physical appearance, as well as her battle attire which is based on Makoto's Phantom Thief attire.

Court and I have some interesting idea's for how to incorporate Angel in the story, so we hope you all will enjoy what we come up with.

The next thing I wanted to touch up on is unfortunately more tragic... James Earl Jones, beloved actor on screen and on stage, has passed away at age 93.

When I heard the news, I didn't believe... or maybe I didn't want to believe it. It was like a punch to the gut. I actually had to put everything down and lay down for a moment to digest the news.

Jones has been in many roles over his long career. He captivated audiences with powerful performances in iconic plays like You Can't Take It with You, Driving Miss Daisy, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. But Jones would rise to international fame and recognition for his portrayal of one of the greatest villains in fiction, Darth Vader in Star Wars, as well as lending his baritone tones for Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King animated and live action films. Beyond his acting talents, Jones was also a major inspiration for many, and even considered his roles that tackled things such as racial issues as his contribution and support of the Civil Rights Movement.

"If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones," - Samuel L. Jackson.

James Earl Jones is a once in a lifetime individual, one who leaves behind a powerful legacy that will be immortalized in all our hearts and minds.

James Earl Jones

January 17, 1931 - September 9, 2024

"Remember..." - Mufasa.

"When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master." - Darth Vader

Thank you James Earl Jones."

I too was saddened by the loss of James Earl Jones, he was truly too good for this world. He was an inspriation for a lot of people, and I hope he is in a better place right now. I also hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a review before you go!