Team RWBY sat around the small, dimly-lit motel room, each one weighed down by fatigue and the lingering tension of their latest battle. Ruby, who had been sitting on the edge of one of the beds with her head down, finally broke the silence. She looked up at her team, her silver eyes still heavy with worry.

"We should just go home."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Go home? Why now, Ruby?" She glanced at her sister's solemn expression, sensing a deeper reason behind the suggestion. "We've come so far. You're the one who kept pushing us forward."

Ruby nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the floor. "I know, Yang. But this… this hooded figure isn't going to stop. If we just keep pushing forward, they'll keep coming after us, learning from every fight. We barely made it out last time."

Weiss folded her arms and nodded thoughtfully. "They said they were someone from our past. It's like they want us to know who they are without showing us. But if we have no idea who that is… then maybe going back home to figure things out is the best choice."

Blake, still recovering from nearly drowning in the last encounter, wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. "I agree. We could finish this trip later, when we're not being hunted." She coughed, her voice softer than usual. "Right now, we're running out of options."

Yang's shoulders dropped as she let out a long sigh, considering her teammates' points. She didn't like the idea of cutting their trip short, especially after they'd all been looking forward to it. But after seeing the danger they'd barely escaped, she knew they might not survive another ambush like that. "Fine. Let's go home."

The next morning, the team packed up their gear, and Yang took the driver's seat, her injured hand carefully bandaged. The van hummed to life, and they set out, the sun casting long shadows over the winding roads that would lead them back to Vale.

As they drove, Ruby broke the silence. "When we get back, we should figure out who we can talk to about the hooded figure. Maybe someone in Vale knows more than we do."

Yang glanced in the rearview mirror, giving Ruby a smirk. "The first thing we're doing when we get back is sleeping in our own beds." She chuckled. "I don't care how nice some of these motels were. They're nothing compared to home."

Blake leaned back in her seat, a faint smile on her face. "Yang's right. We'll need plenty of rest before we even think about investigating the figure."

Ruby sighed, conceding. "Alright, we'll sleep first, then figure things out." She reached for her Scroll. "I'll try calling Dad. Maybe he's home."

"Good idea," Blake said, adjusting her seat. "He'd probably want to know what's been going on. Just in case we're still being tracked."

"If he's out on a mission, who takes care of Zwei?" Weiss asked, looking over at Ruby.

Yang chuckled. "Zwei's smarter than he looks. He knows how to take care of himself; he'll be fine."

Ruby gave a small, reluctant smile. "Alright. We'll get home, sleep, and then talk to Dad." She opened her Scroll and was about to dial when she happened to glance out the window. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Yang, look out!"

Yang looked up, just in time to see a missile hurtling toward them. She yanked the wheel, swerving hard, and the missile exploded just behind them, sending a shockwave that rattled the van.

"Everyone, get out!" Yang yelled, as the team quickly unbuckled and grabbed their weapons, spilling out of the van and taking defensive stances.

"Back-to-back," Yang ordered, and the four of them stood in a tight circle, weapons drawn, eyes scanning the dense forest around them. They heard the ominous rustling of leaves, but couldn't pinpoint where their attacker might be.

"Where are we?" Weiss asked, her gaze darting from tree to tree.

"Only a couple miles from Vale," Yang replied, keeping her voice steady. "We could make a break for it, try to get back to town."

Before anyone could respond, something burst out of the shadows. Weiss barely had time to react as a figure tackled her, throwing her against the van with enough force to shatter one of the windows. She groaned, struggling to stand, but the figure struck again, knocking her down.

"Hold on, Weiss!" Ruby cried, running toward her teammate, only to be intercepted by the hooded figure. Before Ruby could swing her scythe, the figure dodged and delivered a swift blow, sending her to the ground, her vision blurring.

Yang and Blake lunged forward, weapons ready, but the figure tossed a small device between them. With a blinding flash, the device activated, sending an electric shock through their bodies, paralyzing them until they collapsed, unconscious.

Weiss, breathing heavily and barely able to stay upright, saw her teammates lying around her, unconscious. Memories from the war flooded her mind, images of friends fallen in battle, never to rise again. She looked at her team—her friends—and something inside her snapped. An unrelenting rage surged through her.

With a scream, Weiss summoned a massive Glyph, glowing with her Semblance's power. From it emerged a spectral arm that reached out and seized the hooded figure, lifting them off the ground as they struggled to break free.

Weiss, her eyes blazing with fury, advanced on the figure, dragging the tip of Myrtenaster along the road. The figure's mask muffled their attempts to speak, but Weiss ignored them. She raised her fist and punched the figure, cracking the mask and sending it tumbling to the ground.

Weiss knelt beside the broken mask, recognizing it immediately. She'd helped design this type of mask for people who couldn't speak—it was a voice aid, a tool she was all too familiar with. She looked up, her anger simmering, and pulled back the figure's hood, revealing a familiar face beneath.

"Neo," Weiss said, her voice dripping with cold anger.

Neo's eyes flashed with anger and desperation, but Weiss pressed the blade of Myrtenaster against her neck, her grip steady. Neo's breathing grew ragged, and her eyes filled with tears. For a moment, Weiss felt a flicker of sympathy, but the memory of her fallen friends kept her resolve strong.

She lowered Myrtenaster, then raised the hilt, striking Neo hard, knocking her to the ground. The spectral hand released Neo, letting her slump against the earth. Weiss retrieved some zip ties from the van, securing Neo's hands and feet to keep her from escaping.

Exhausted from the exertion of her Semblance, Weiss fell to her knees, her vision blurring. Just before she lost consciousness, she saw Ruby stirring, pushing herself up with a groan.

Ruby winced, rubbing her head as she looked around. Her gaze landed on Weiss, and she scrambled over to her friend, her heart pounding. But as her eyes moved past Weiss, she froze, recognizing the figure tied to the tree nearby.

Neo.

Memories from the war crashed over Ruby, memories of Neo's exile and the suffering she had caused. She hadn't expected Neo to resurface, let alone to come after them now, and for revenge.

Ruby knelt beside Weiss, holding her friend close, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of everything.