A.N: Good to be back, everyone. This has been a chapter I've been looking forward to writing for awhile. Even so, it was difficult for me to write. Not because it was hard but because, well, it was just depressing to write. I mean, for anyone who's been here from the start, and you're looking at the title of the chapter, you know what's coming. Enjoy.

Chapter 34: The Tragedy of the Flames

Hansel Kobalt let out a small hum as he reviewed the notes he had compiled from the first phase of his investigation in the teacher's lounge. As usual, the teachers were giving him a wide berth, leaving him alone to review his notes in solitude. He took a moment to review what he knew so far. Whoever is doing this can steal faces, that was how they were able to impersonate Bud Brunswick, enter the vault, and steal that wristband.

And the fact they were able to enter the vault means that the mole is one of six individuals who have access.

Right now, I think I can rule out Pietro Polendina. The man is crippled, and I can tell he's not faking it. Not only that, but his body type completely betrays the idea of him impersonating an Atlas soldier. Not only that, but I can't believe a Grey Jackal agent would actually try to create weapons upgrades for Huntresses as a favor. Unless of course he was lying to me, but somehow I doubt that.

And while I should still interview Ironwood, I think I can rule him out as well. The general may be a lot of unpleasant things, but a traitor isn't one of them. And besides, his Semblance is that weird hyper-concentration thing that improves his marksmanship. I think he and Professor Ozpin called it 'Mettle'. He wouldn't be able to steal anyone's face.

Glen White doesn't seem to be the most likely suspect either. He's cooperating far too much and too well, and I didn't catch any subtle attempts to throw me on a wild goose chase. However, as arguably the leader of these scientists, he has the most access to each project. Him being the culprit would make sense, so I can't rule him out entirely.

Trypan Moon and Misty Le Fay are certainly concerning. Moon is cooperative, but he tried to put me on Agravain Mahogany's trail. Plenty of criminals trying to keep their activities hidden by trying to gaslight and lead investigators on the wrong trail. It's projecting at its finest. And Le Fay was abrasive and uncooperative, at least not until the specialist used reverse psychology to get her to talk. However, it would make no sense for a Gray Jackal agent to make themself suspicious like that.

And that leaves Agravain Mahogany. I have to admit, something about that oily weirdo does freak me out a little. Everything about him screams: 'the ends justify the means' just like I sometimes see with Ironwood. The only difference is, Ironwood is forced to work within the rules of engagement in battle, while Mahogany could easily go 'mad scientist' if he wanted to. The others call him a true patriot, but the road to hell is always paved with good intentions.

Hansel heaved a sigh. Still, this is all nothing but speculation. I'm not going to get anywhere if I can't find any solid proof. I need Polendina to unscramble the footage that was ruined by that virus the night of the theft. Maybe that can give me some visual clues, something that might give the culprit away. Hill did mention during our chat last night that when the culprit was impersonating Blanche Amaranthe, they failed to properly replicate a few of her mannerisms. That means that this agent is good, but they're not that good. They're careless. And if they made a mistake with Blanche, they must've made some kind of mistake with Bud Brunswick.

It looks like I'll be counting on Polendina to come through with that footage.

Hansel then took out his scroll. And if all else fails, I can certainly try to stage a stakeout, maybe try to lure this mole out by encouraging them to stage another theft while I'm here. I know I called that a stretch before, but I might reach a point where I have no choice. Shit, I really do hate being desperate.

Well, I guess while I'm thinking about that, I might as well review these other project files. Maybe this can give me an idea of what would be the next most attractive prize for our mole.

Hansel was suddenly cut from his thoughts by a knock on the door. "Come in," he said instinctively, making himself facepalm. Why would he say something so dumb like that? This was a public room for crying out loud.

"Greetings, Professor." Charlie Magnolia entered the room, carrying a tray of tea and cookies.

"Oh, it's...Magnolia, right?" Hansel was surprised to see the 3rd son of the Magnolia Family and Weiss' childhood friend. "What's up?"

"Oh? Nothing to report. Not at all." Charlie assured him before holding up the tray. "Dr. White and I just thought you might like a drink and some snacks."

Hansel was taken aback by the kind gesture. "Umm...thanks," he said with a nod. "I guess I could go for some. You could leave it on the table."

Charlie placed the tray on the table in front of Hansel. "Umm, I saw Weiss' fight with Nezha." He said, trying to strike up conversation. "Thank you very much for helping her win her battle. Nezha's a tough opponent, so I was really worried about her going into the fight."

"No need for thanks," Hansel brushed the matter off, "honestly, all I did was give her some last minute pointers the night before the fight. She pulled it off on her own."

"Still, I think you deserve a bit of gratitude." Charlie smiled before adding sheepishly. "And...well, I feel bad for buying into those ridiculous rumors about you."

Hansel could not help but smirk at Charlie's sincerity. "Don't think I'm the type to make virgin sacrifices anymore, huh?"

"Oh, no!" Charlie waved his hands frantically. "I'm absolutely certain you can't be a bad person, Professor."

Charlie then regained his composure. "And honestly, it was nice to see Weiss loosen up in a fight for a change."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hansel asked.

"Well...it's a little creepy to admit this, but I've been following her career very closely." Charlie explained. "And well, I've kinda picked up on a few things, like how she's very tense and rigid in her fighting style."

"You can tell that...and yet you're not training to be a Huntsman yourself?" Hansel raised an eyebrow at the oddity that was Charlie Magnolia.

Charlie laughed. "Kinda weird, right? Well, I guess the reason I can do it when it's Weiss is because we go way back. I know her very well."

Hansel hummed at this. "You two are really good friends, huh?"

Charlie nodded. "Weiss was...well, I tended to isolate myself a lot growing up. My brothers and sister wanted to play sword fighting and be warriors. I wanted to be indoors and build the swords for the warriors. Then one day I got dragged with my dad into a business meeting with Mr. Schnee at the estate. And well, then I met Weiss."

"We didn't say much at first. Weiss was...kind of a shy kid too." Charlie then chuckled. "Do you know what she finally said to me though? It was the very first thing she said to me, after a long, long silence?"

"What did she say?" Hansel sighed inwardly. He probably should get back to work, but maybe talking with Charlie would clear his head.

Charlie laughed at the memory. "She asked me why I wasn't saying anything to her. She told me how I should be falling over myself at the thought of talking to Weiss Schnee. She was five when she said that."

"...What five year old has an ego like that?" Hansel was surprised.

"Weiss Schnee does. I was so shocked by it though, I couldn't say anything. She went on and on how I should be talking to her, praising her great room, praising her toys, praising how cute she looked in her new dress. And then she, again, demanded to know why I wasn't talking to her."

"What did you do?"

"I asked why she hadn't been talking until then."

"It does sound kind of hypocritical." Hansel nodded in agreement.

"That actually got her thinking. She got all embarrassed. She then apologized, realizing she was out of line. So she asked for my name. After that, she asked me what I liked to do. I think that was when I realized we'd be great friends."

"Most people would be put off by that kind of attitude." Hansel pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but she apologized." Charlie retorted before blushing. "And...she asked me what I liked to do...that was the first time anyone has ever shown an interest...it meant the world to me back then. And she turned out to be super nice after that first meeting."

Hansel fell silent at this. "Ah, I guess I said more than I meant to." Charlie noted. "Sorry, Professor, I know you're busy. Err, could we keep that conversation between the two of us? Weiss would kill me if she knew I was telling that story."

Hansel nodded. "Anyway, I won't take up any more of your time, Professor." Charlie promised, turning away from Hansel.

"Hey, Magnolia," Hansel spoke up, "you work closely with Dr. White, right?"

"Oh? Yeah, he's my teacher in research and development." Charlie explained.

"...How long have you been working with Dr. White?" Hansel asked, now getting an idea.

"...I'd say about the time the 2nd semester at Atlas Academy started." Charlie remembered.

"How'd that happen?" Hansel inquired.

"Well, you see, I've been creating designs for new weapons and gear on my own time. A month before the 2nd semester started, I actually had created a prototype that I convinced my father to allow me to present to the academy."

Hansel stiffened at this. That is right, Charlie designed weapons and Huntsmen gear, just like his family used to. This was quickly turning into an uncomfortable subject for him.

Charlie blushed. "I...botched the presentation. I'm not a very good public speaker, so I couldn't even get what the weapon did. I was blowing it. I was going to go home crying at the rate I was going."

"Then Dr. White got up, he walked over to me, took the blueprints out of my hands and walked over to General Ironwood and allowed him to read over the blueprints himself."

"General Ironwood then told me very bluntly: 'your designs have potential, but they could be better, Charlie.'" Charlie continued. "And then, Dr. White suggested: 'how about I take him under my wing as my apprentice? If he has potential, we should nurture it.'"

Charlie smiled at the memory. "From that day forward, I was Dr. White's apprentice."

"He must mean a lot to you, huh?" Hansel asked.

Charlie nodded. "Dr. White's very kind. I feel like I'm growing so much under his tutelage. By the time this semester is truly over, I have no doubt I'll be a new man."

Hansel stiffened once more. He really did not want to ask Charlie some questions that might upset him, but he had no choice. He did not become a Huntsman to be Mr. Popular after all. He took the job to take scumbags like this mole down. Even if it meant taking down seemingly kind men like Glenn White.

"Charlie...at any point has Dr. White behaved strangely?" Hansel inquired.

"How so?" Charlie inquired, now stiff.

"Any sort of suspicious behavior? Working long nights? Perhaps spending too much time with soldiers?" Hansel tried to trigger any memories he could. "Honestly, anything you'd deem strange from anyone."

Charlie was now frowning. "Professor, is this about the theft of Dr. Moon's wristband?"

"...I take it Dr. White's been keeping you updated?"

Charlie nodded. "Listen, Professor, I know you have good reason to suspect the people with access to the vault. But it's not Dr. White."

"How do you know?" Hansel asked.

"I just do. Dr. White's far too good a man to do something so horrible." Charlie said insistently. "The only thing he's guilty of is caring for others."

"Oh? How do you figure?"

"You know about how prostitutes have been found dead all around Atlas lately?" Charlie inquired.

"Yeah, that's actually a part of my investigation." Hansel admitted.

"Well, Dr. White and I have actually been walking home together." Charlie revealed. "He insisted we do that because he's worried I might actually run into the killer as well. I'm glad he did too. The first victim was found after we started, ya know!"

Hansel actually flinched at how angry Charlie was beginning to sound. "So don't you dare think Dr. White's the bad guy here. If it's anyone, it's Dr. Mahogany!"

Charlie took several deep breaths, as if trying to recompose himself. Hansel raised his hand. "I'm sorry, I knew that would be a sore subject for you, but I provoked you anyway. I'm sorry. I don't want to suspect Dr. White either, he seems very kind. But, I need to find proof that clears him like I've found proof for Dr. Polendina and Ironwood."

"But I promise you," Hansel said with a serious expression on his face, "as soon as I find proof that clears his name, I intend to offer an apology to him, and everyone else I wrongfully suspected."

Charlie nodded. "I'm going to hold you to that." He said before blushing in embarrassment. "And...err...sorry for raising my voice like that."

Hansel shook his head. "I'm the same way when Professor Ozpin is involved." He admitted. "Don't worry about it. It's clear the doc means a lot to you."

"Then...well, I should definitely leave you to do your work. The sooner you can find proof that clears Dr. White's name, the better."

Hansel nodded. "I'll talk to you another time, Professor." Charlie said. "And...thanks for what you did for Weiss, really. She fights much more confidently now, I think that's thanks to her teammates...and you."

Charlie left before Hansel could dispute that.

Hansel let out a small hum. "Odd kid," he mused, "ah, who am I kidding? If Glynda were here, she would call me the odd one between the two of us."

Thinking about what Charlie said, Hansel suddenly got an idea. "Projects…" he muttered before nodding. "That could be a lead. I wanted to review the project data anyway to see what the next target would be. But, Gray Jackal is already using twisted science experiments to give them an edge. Like I told Ironwood, if I can pick out something similar, the one heading the project and its design could become my prime suspect."

Hansel's expression soured. "Well, guess I'd better be prepared to be more disappointed in the human race. These projects are secret, and if that brief glimpse I saw involving chemical warfare and Aura-piercing bullets was anything to go by, then this is gonna suck balls."

And with that, Hansel began looking through the project files he had grabbed from Atlas's computers. His expression soured even more as he began reading through each project and its summary and statement of work. As far as he was concerned, Ironwood and his scientists really were walking a tightrope between breaking rules set after the Great War and creating better weapons to help fight the Grimm so others did not have to.

Because that kind of attitude always works out great. Hansel sarcastically rolled his eyes.

Then his expression shifted. It was so instantaneous, if Hansel's life was a movie, the shift would have been referred to as a jumpscare in a story that was already a horror movie. For it was not a happy shift. No, no, no. Hansel's expression turned downright enraged as he gazed at the project title, then its summary, then its statement of work.

"Project: Witchcraft." Hansel read.

The summary. "In order to improve the combat specs of our huntsmen and soldiers, Project: Witchcraft will be implemented to infuse Dust within chosen test subjects to recreate the legends of magic from the days of old."

The statement of work. "Our first priority is to create one successful test subject who can wield Dust like magic. We will begin by properly testing the appropriate amount of Dust required to avoid killing the subject, by using the results from previous experiments. Then we will attempt to gather volunteers for this secret project. It is required that these volunteers be individuals who have unlocked their Aura. By the end of this project, we hope to have a required amount of Dust to replicate the experiment, and a successful subject. Each subject will be required to sign a waiver, making them expendable if need be. Our goal is to complete this project within 3-6 months."

Hansel was now practically seeing red. He knew these experiments. He knew these experiments better than anyone.

Project Witchcraft. The name may be different but the idea was the same. It was the same experiment his family conducted 20 years ago. An attempt to create a more powerful Huntsman, gone horribly wrong.

"Those bastards...those filthy, rotten bastards!" Hansel screamed in rage. "They brought it back?! Why would they bring it back?!"

Hansel shot out of his seat. "Project Witchcraft...what? Do they think that changing the name would make me miss it? Or did they just plan to go behind my back and revive my family's science and pray I wouldn't find out!"

Hansel stormed out of the teacher's lounge. "Either way, this bullshit ends today! Like hell they're bringing those experiments back!"

The Tragedy of the Flames...I will not let it happen again!

And Hansel knew exactly who he had to confront in order to stop it. The man who put himself in charge of this project: Agravain Mahogany.

As Hansel stormed through Atlas Academy, Blake Belladonna was taking her own walk at a much more casual pace, thinking about her argument with her teacher. It was however class time, so Blake had to unfortunately dodge several people patrolling the hallways. She was soon cut from her thoughts when she saw Hansel walking at a brisk, furious pace. "Professor-" she tried to call out to him in order to patch things up after how badly their conversation ended, only to freeze when she saw the look in his eyes.

Thinking quickly, Blake reached into her scroll and dialed the first familiar number she found. "Blake?" Came the voice of Ruby Rose.

"Ruby, you have to get down here, the professor just walked by." Blake frantically told her.

"Walked by? Did you two have a chance to make up?"

"Ruby, that's not important, he looked furious. I don't know what happened, but we need to catch up to him before something terrible happens."

"...We'll be right there."

Blake barely heard the click before taking off after Hansel. It was certainly true that she did not know exactly what had happened. However, she did know that mending the fragile relationship between Atlas and Vale was extremely important. She also knew that this mission was extremely important to both Hansel and Professor Ozpin. She could not let the professor torpedo his own duties.

The day was actually quite for the scientists who worked on Atlas' top secret projects. Currently, they were holding a meeting with James Ironwood, who was flanked by Winter Schnee. Everyone was present, even Pietro Polendina, who looked visibly tired from his late night at his clinic in Mantle. Three out of five of these scientists, however, were glaring at Ironwood.

"I am not happy about this, General." Agravain Mahogany said to him while Misty Le Fay and Trypan Moon nodded in agreement. "You went behind our backs and brought that brat here to investigate us, treat us like we're traitors to our own country."

"Nobody is assuming anything, Agravain." Ironwood shook his head. "And if it's any consolation, Hansel suspects me as well. I have access to the vault as well, after all."

"It's a waste of time, that's what all of this is." Le Fay rolled her eyes. "Here we are, answering that kid's questions when we could be focusing on our work, and you can focus on improving security so it doesn't happen again."

"Honestly, we don't need him here." Moon added, though Ironwood noted plenty of uncertainty in his eyes. "We're more than capable of outing a traitor on our own, right?"

"Trypan, while I don't want to suspect any one of us, you're missing a very important point here." Pietro spoke up in defense of Hansel. "Having a group of people, where there's a traitor in its midst, trying to conduct oversight on themselves is like a dirty cop investigating himself. If we investigated ourselves, the results could easily end up tainted."

"I don't like this situation anymore than you do, but we need an outsider to conduct a proper investigation. Someone who doesn't have an agenda."

"With all due respect, Pietro, the boy has an agenda just from being a part of his family." Mahogany rolled his eyes. "It would not surprise me that he's trying to win back his family's honor through conducting actions such as these."

"Are you telling me you'd trust someone who I'm willing to wager would actually rush investigation results just to get results?"

"That's not fair, Agravain, you don't know the boy." Pietro narrowed his eyes.

"And you do?" Mahogany snorted. "You let your past connection with the Kobalts blind you to the truth, Pietro."

By the gods, these three. Winter thought to herself in disgust, referring to Mahogany, Moon and Le Fay.

"Hansel is not Irving, I can tell that much just from my talk with the boy last night." Pietro countered

Glen White then cleared his throat. "Let's all just calm down here, alright?" He said with an uneasy smile. "Arguing like this is going to get us nowhere. Especially when he's already here."

"Glen is right in that regard." Ironwood nodded.

"Now, I for one believe we should simply cooperate with the professor," White offered, "if we cooperate, this whole thing goes off without a hitch. And then we can get back to work...well, minus one of us, that is. If one of us really is a traitor."

"You can't seriously believe that, can you Glen?" Moon asked in shock.

Glen began to say something in response, but he froze up. Pietro, Ironwood and Winter all did the same. They looked at the door to the conference room. Winter's eyes widened. That rage...that hate...what in the world is-

"Hey, you can't-" She heard one of the guards say before the door swung open, startling Le Fay, Moon and Mahogany.

Hansel Kobalt stormed in, flanked by two guards who were too afraid to even approach him. He saw Mahogany and his glare seemed to intensify, if that was even possible at this point. Mahogany noted that his glare was being trained on him and frowned. "Something you'd like to say to me, boy?" Mahogany inquired in a condescending tone.

"Oh I can think of plenty of things to say to you, you son of a bitch!" Hansel yelled as he began walking towards Mahogany.

"Hansel-" Ironwood began as he and Winter instinctively stood between Hansel and the scientists.

"Project Witchcraft!" Hansel yelled, shocking Ironwood into silence. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Mahogany sighed. "I see, so Ironwood let you have access to the project files, eh?" He mused, sounding innocent.

That only pissed off Hansel even more. "Don't you give me that crap!" He yelled. "Why would you even think reviving my family's research was a good idea? How did you even get your hands on that research?"

Hansel was then suddenly frozen in place. Winter Schnee was pointing her blade right at him, having quickly created a time glyph to keep him from moving until he calmed down. Hansel saw the look on Winter's face. She was trying to tell him not to do anything he would regret. However, she could not verbally say it, because it was taking all her energy just to hold back a very, very, very pissed off man.

"Well, the latter was quite simple, after your family's assets were frozen...and before you gained access to said assets, we obtained ownership of the project, on account of the fact we had funded that same project 20 years ago." Mahogany pointed out.

"As for why we revived it, I would think you of all people would understand," Mahogany claimed, "we are on the verge of war. Not with kingdoms, but with whoever these Vytal Festival perpetrators actually are. Grimm are becoming stronger, and they apparently have human allies who can master them."

"And Huntsmen continue to die in the field. The reality is, Professor, that what we are doing is not enough. So we decided to revive your family's research under a different name. And this time, we will get it right."

As the argument raged on, Ruby, Blake and Yang suddenly arrived to see what was happening, unnoticed by everyone else. "This time we will get it right?" Hansel said incredulously. "People died last time we tried to 'get it right'! It's not worth it!"

"That's not for you to decide." Mahogany claimed. "This really is none of your business, Professor."

"The hell it isn't! That's my family's research!" Hansel yelled. "The minute you try to bring back the project that ruined my family name, it becomes my business."

"Hansel, please, you must calm yourself." Ironwood tried to play peacemaker.

"Oh sure, let's make this a two-for-one deal!" Hansel snarled. "How could you allow this, Ironwood? How could you go behind Professor Ozpin's back, my back, and do all of this?"

"Hansel, I voted against Project Witchcraft." Ironwood revealed before adding grimly. "But I was outvoted by the other councillors."

Hansel seemed to relax slightly. Winter exhaled, now able to exert herself less to keep Hansel in place and keep him from murdering Mahogany. Though honestly, a part of her wanted to let him. She never agreed with Project Witchcraft either.

"You know," Hansel even sounded a bit calmer now, "I'm not angry that you brought back the project."

"I'm mad, because you people are such hypocrites, you make me fucking sick." Hansel snarled. "My family may have done plenty in ruining their reputation and good name, but the smear campaign your kingdom ran against us sure as shit didn't make things easier."

Ruby, Blake and Yang all winced at the tone of his voice. Ironwood looked down in shame. He remembered all of that. After the Tragedy of the Flames, Atlas did indeed run something of a smear campaign against the Kobalts. It was to distance themselves from having been a part of the experiments in the first place. The people of Remnant bought it.

"I can forgive all of that, considering I agree with it." Hansel revealed. "But what I can't forgive is that you people don't have the balls to stick by your own actions. You ruin my family because of those experiments, and then 20 years later, when things have cooled off, you go behind everyone's back and restart the project in secret."

"Well this ends here, you may claim to own the project, but as a member of the Kobalt Family, I have a right to my family's own...creations." Ruby frowned, hearing the reluctance in Hansel's voice to address whatever this was as his 'creation'. "I'm claiming ownership of the project and all its data. I'm shutting this down."

"That won't be happening, Professor." Mahogany shook his head.

"Why the hell not?" Hansel demanded.

"You don't seem to be listening." Mahogany noted. "When your family's assets were frozen after the Kobalt Family Massacre, you forfeited the rights to any projects and experiments that were backed by a kingdom. It's in the contracts."

"And those same assets were unfrozen after I turned 18 and gained legal ownership of the Kobalt Family's estate...whatever's left of it, anyway. What's your damn point?"

"The point is, it's too late. Project Witchcraft is in Atlas' hands, my hands. And I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it."

Hansel's eyes widened. Winter glared instinctively at Mahogany for this. However, this distraction allowed her glyph to falter, allowing Hansel to leave it. Ironwood gasped, noting that Winter had faltered. He quickly drew Due Process and pointed it at Hansel, fearful that the boy may do something rash. Something that will get him arrested. However, his expression softened when he saw just how broken and frustrated Hansel looked at Mahogany's actions. In fact, he was not even certain that Hansel noticed him pointing Due Process at him.

Winter looked at Hansel and Ironwood. Then she finally noticed Ruby, Blake and Yang. She cleared her throat. "All of you, compose yourselves!" She yelled. "There are children present!"

Hansel and Ironwood both gasped. They looked to see the horrified expressions of ¾ of Team RWBY. Hansel visibly relaxed further upon seeing his students. Unable to see anything else, he turned and walked away from Ironwood, Winter and the scientists. Instinctively, Ruby, Yang and Blake followed Hansel after he passed them, all three noting the hurt expression on his face.

When Hansel and the girls were out of earshot, Mahogany spoke up. "Are you not going to have him arrested, General?" Mahogany frowned. "He clearly meant to assault me."

"We don't know that for certain because Specialist Schnee stopped him, Agravain." Pietro spoke up in defense of Hansel.

"Oh don't give me that shit, Pietro, we all saw it. If Schnee hadn't been here, he would've throttled Agravain. No doubt about it." Le Fay frowned.

"Well what did you all think was going to happen? Even if he didn't find out while he was here, he was going to find out eventually." Pietro told them. "This is exactly why you should've at least explained to him before you started working on Project Witchcraft!"

"Besides, the important thing is that we managed to talk him down. Or rather, the general and the specialist did." Pietro continued.

"I still say it was attempted assault." Mahogany insisted.

"You can say whatever you damn well please, Agravain, but we will not be punishing Hansel for this." Ironwood finally spoke up. "There's not a scratch on any of you. And I don't even see a scratch on the guards."

"As far as I'm concerned, the only thing Hansel did was scream at us. The only thing he's guilty of is a very short temper and no volume button. And to be honest, for once I agree with him."

It was the truth. Ironwood had indeed voted against funding for Project Witchcraft. He still hated it to this day. In fact, he saw it as hypocrisy on Atlas' part just much as Hansel did. Atlas had no business trying to recreate those experiments in the form of Project Witchcraft after ruining the Kobalts after those same experiments failed tragically.

"This matter is closed," Ironwood said in a tone that left no room for argument, "anyone who attempts to pursue the matter further will be dealt with by me. Are we clear?"

One by one, each scientist nodded. "Winter," Ironwood addressed his assistant, "could you please check on the professor and the girls? Make sure they've all calmed down?"

Winter nodded and ran off. Among the scientists, the traitor growled inwardly. They had hoped the discovery of Project Witchcraft would send Hansel over the edge and get himself arrested. But it seemed that even Ironwood was on his side now. It would seem they would need a new approach now.

Meanwhile, Hansel seemed to wander aimlessly, followed by Ruby, Yang and Blake, who simply looked worried. Ruby could still see the look of hurt and defeat in her teacher's eyes, and she simply could not stand it any longer. "Professor?" She spoke up, trying to get his attention.

"How much did you hear?" Hansel asked softly.

"Enough," Yang responded.

"Something about reviving old projects." Blake added. "Professor, are they…"

"Do you want to know the truth?"

This made all three girls fall silent. "If you know the truth...well, I won't blame you if you try to distance yourself or anything like that."

Ruby thought it over. She had been curious for so long about Hansel and his background. Glynda had warned her against this, but her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. Especially because Hansel was offering to tell them himself. She wanted to understand him better, for both of their sakes.

"...We'd like to know the truth, Professor." Ruby said after a moment of silence, smiling at Hansel reassuringly.

"...Let's head back to the infirmary."

After returning to the infirmary, where Weiss Schnee was still resting, Hansel pulled up a chair and sat down in front of his students. He took a deep breath. It was time to revisit some very unpleasant memories. "You four must have a lot of questions." He began.

Yang nodded. "Yeah, particularly about why you freaked out and had to be restrained by the general and Weiss' sister. This has to do with your family, right?"

Hansel nodded "...You can say that." He sighed. "It seems Atlas has seen fit to revive the experiments that ruined my family's reputation."

Blake and Weiss paled upon hearing this. This was not something Blake had wanted confirmed. She had hoped she had misheard all of that. "Seriously? Why would they do that?" She demanded

Hansel shrugged. "I really can't say. I can't pretend to understand what an idiotic thought process is." He looked at all four of them. "You four...you know about the Tragedy of the Flames, yeah? And how my family is connected to it?"

The girls looked at each other. Weiss spoke up first. "Well, I had heard your family was connected, but I don't know all the specifics." Blake nodded at this, confirming she was in the same boat.

"I've never even heard of it." Ruby admitted while Yang nodded as well.

Hansel sighed. He shuddered, just thinking about all the memories. Everything that happened because of the Tragedy of the Flames. The horrible words thrown his way, from strangers, from his own family. "Just over twenty years ago, my family was still a respected family of powerful Huntsmen and brilliant scientists. We built weapons and we were weapons." Hansel explained. "But, it was never enough for the Kobalts. People still died. And so, in their desperation to create even stronger heroes in the fight against the Grimm, things went bad."

"A few family members proposed the idea of surgically implanting Dust into willing participants to increase their power and replicate the days where we could use magic. The idea was accepted...but what they underestimated was just how awful a failed experiment would be."

"The original subjects were all killed from the experiments failing." Team RWBY gasped at this. "And they didn't die pleasantly, as the public found out. A whistleblower leaked video of the whole event. My family's reputation took a hit...and rightfully so.

Ruby, being someone who was very family oriented, was shocked to hear that last part. "You don't really think that." She claimed.

Hansel nodded. "I do, the whole thing was reckless and people died because of it. And then things got worse."

"Several members of my family were upset and frustrated that they had lost the public's trust. So, in their minds, they thought if they could prove the experiments could work, they could restore our name and the public's love for us. So, naturally, their response was restarting the experiments in secret in settlements across Remnant."

"That was reckless…" Weiss spoke up.

Hansel snorted. "Ain't that the truth, but no one was thinking rationally. No one was ever able to prove it, but there was even speculation they had kidnapped some of the participants."

"So...what happened?" Blake asked, fearing for what came next.

Hansel shuddered. "An even worse result. Without the backing of the kingdoms, and in their desperation to get it right, they cut corners, lacked proper safety...and the test subjects exploded, taking all the settlements with them."

Team RWBY gasped, horrified by this. "That is what became known as the Tragedy of the Flames." Hansel grimly revealed. "The moment where settlements all over Remnant were lost in great balls of fire."

"The public was outraged. Justice was demanded, but not a single lawsuit or criminal charge was filed because they were unable to prove that my father, the head of the family, had orchestrated the whole thing. They were forced to conclude the members of my family who caused the tragedy had acted on their own."

Hansel sighed. "But, that wasn't enough for the people. Outraged at justice being denied and for what happened, it became customary to despise the Kobalts and everything they stand for."

Ruby spoke up. This confirmed why people hated the Kobalts, but not why everyone hated Hansel. "Professor, what does this have to do with you?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"Everything." Hansel replied. "I'm the last one, that means I'm all that's left to bear Remnant's hate for my family. The harsh stares, the harsh words, even laws specifically designed to hurt me in some way."

Blake's mouth dropped open at this. "Ever heard of the 'Questionable Background' Law and its variants that were passed in Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo?" Hansel asked before gesturing to himself. Blake immediately realized what he was getting at. And she thought those laws were to hurt the Faunus. "Those were passed when they found out I had survived my family's massacre."

"I don't...understand." Weiss admitted uncomfortably.

"Those laws were passed to legally allow employers to deny employment to people with questionable backgrounds, including family names with a bad history behind them." Hansel explained before slumping a bit into his chair. "The only reason we don't have that kind of law in Vale is because Professor Ozpin fought like hell to make sure that kind of law was never passed."

Blake's eyes widened. "Oh my God...Professor, if that kind of law had passed in Vale...you wouldn't be able to get a job anywhere. You wouldn't be able to provide for yourself."

Hansel nodded. "Yeah…" he confirmed softly.

Yang could no longer keep quiet. Having been sitting on an infirmary bed, she shot up from her seat, eyes glowing red with anger. "WHAT?!" She yelled

Everyone looked at Yang in surprise. She was on a roll though. "You're telling me that's it?" Yang could not believe what she was hearing. "That's why everyone treats you like the freaking plague? How the hell is that fair?!"

Hansel sighed. "Life isn't fair, Xiao Long."

Yang's mouth dropped open. "You can't seriously tell me you're okay with this!" She yelled in disbelief. Nobody should be okay with that kind of treatment. Especially for reasons as ridiculous as the ones Hansel stated.

Ruby spoke up. "Yang's right. Professor, you weren't even born yet! How could you, or anyone for that matter, think this kind of treatment is okay!" She demanded.

Hansel chuckled bitterly. "Well, for starters, it's because they're right to hate my family's name."

Weiss's expression turned sad at this. She knew how that felt. "Professor…"

"My family was filled with greedy, prideful monsters, who couldn't stand the idea of a single person disliking them for what they did." Hansel said bitterly. "If they had just let it go, they might have been able to salvage their reputation."

"Even so, they did those experiments to create strong Huntsmen to protect the people, right?" Blake offered, trying to make Hansel feel better about this situation.

Hansel scoffed. "Lots of good that did. Nearly a dozen settlements wiped off the map. No survivors. And people are still dying from the Grimm every single day. All of that came from prideful, greedy idiots trying to play hero."

Ruby's eyes widened, now truly beginning to realize why Hansel had very little patience for heroics. This was personal for him. As far as Hansel was concerned, heroes were nothing more than prideful fools who hurt others along the way.

This revelation was confirmed when Hansel bitterly added: "Fighting and dying to save the world always sounds so damn virtuous on paper, but the ones who get left behind have to clean up the mess."

"Professor…" Blake tried to speak up as well, instinctively wanting to comfort the man.

Hansel gazed at Blake. "You complain about my demands to remove your bow so that you can show the world what you really are, but you don't understand how lucky you really are. Someone like you, who's got the luxury of hiding who you are, can never understand what it's really like to be unable to run from a label."

Blake lowered her head at this, as she began to realize how right the professor was. I can't believe how selfish and cowardly I am. I get to hide who I am with this bow...and the Professor has had to live with a name he can't run from for his entire life.

Hansel sighed. "Either way, nothing else matters. This is my burden to bear. If people just bottle up all that hate, it's going to hurt them like it hurt the world during the Great War. It's...better this way."

"THE HELL IT ISN'T!" Yang yelled, making Hansel look at her in surprise.

"It absolutely isn't better this way!" Yang insisted. "How you can actually think living like this okay is beyond me! You didn't do anything wrong!"

Ruby nodded. "Yang's right!" She agreed. "It doesn't matter what your family did! That was their mistake! You're your own person, you've gotta know that!"

Hansel shook his head. "Even if that is true, reality never matches the ideal."

"Even so…"

"'Even so' nothing. You can't change the past, and you can't change who you are. This is the fate I've been saddled with and it's my fate to live with." Ruby then watched as Hansel rose from his seat and walked to the door. She saw the look of pain and sorrow on his face and wanted to stop him. But she could not bring herself to do it.

"Please...just drop it." He said softly as he left the infirmary.

While everyone remained in place, unable to move or speak, Ruby found herself thinking back to her conversations with Glynda. Professor Goodwitch told me...that the professor's past was so bad she didn't even want him to confront it. She remembered. I used to think it was some very traumatic stuff...but this is worse than I could've ever imagined.

A.N: And there you have it, folks, the truth about why the Kobalt Family is a reviled name, and why Hansel has to bear all that fear and hatred. There really is a lot to unpack here.

First, Ironwood's pet the dog moments. I certainly do prefer him as the "Reasonable authority figure" who screws up at times then...well, what we're currently getting.

Some Charlie Magnolia being a nice guy while unpacking his own background.

But of course, the big highlight of this chapter is of course Hansel, as we get arguably the best insight into the character that is Hansel Kobalt, and it is definitely not pretty. In one chapter, this man went from "Ace" to "Broken Ace" and it wasn't pretty. It's never healthy to believe you deserve to be hated by the world, and yet here we are with Hansel. And honestly, it's a horrifying situation. This is a guy who was emotionally abused by his own family until they were all murdered, then he goes out into the world, only to uncover even more hatred from the people of Remnant. And he accepts it. He freaking accepts it.

Here's a guy who has enough power to probably wipe out a town, and he just passively accepts the entire world's hate for him for something he didn't even do. And that, honestly, is just sad even for me and I designed the character. He's so messed up in the head, he's pretty much pre-conditioned himself to accept hatred and live with it until he dies.

However, while he has accepted it, you can also tell it's starting to take its toll on him, in how he talks about being left behind by others who "played hero". Which leads me to the saddest part about Hansel's character. He's preconditioned to accept the hate directed at him, but he's also an extremely lonely kid who just wants to be loved. Beneath all that baddassery is a broken, empty shell, desperate for love and affection but convinced he won't receive it, at least not unconditionally. He's still that same sad and scared little boy Ozpin found in the woods. Shit, I'm making myself sad just thinking about it. It's no wonder he's so sour whenever he hear's a certain red reaper talking about playing hero.

There were some positive insights into Hansel's character into this chapter though. He can't stand moral myopia. We got hints of it during his fight with Reaper, but this cemented it. Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate that this man experiences so much hate but still tries to fight for Remnant? How's that for mental fortitude? Now granted, his way of handling things is by no means healthy. Hansel is not mentally sound. But still.

But you know what the sad thing is? There's still more to come. If being Taiyang is suffering, then being Hansel Kobalt is a living hell.

Even so, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I think we're probably about halfway through Atlas at this point. See you all next time.