Regardless of the situation she found herself in, Weiss couldn't help but reflect her partner's enthusiasm and smile more and more, except that she did so in a questionable way by putting aside that predatory nature and slowly entering a territory known as sadism.

Inevitable, she would say.

With this feeling of endless power coursing through her veins, anyone in her place would do the same.

At least, that's what Weiss wanted to believe and use as justification for what she was about to do.

Surely, this would be one of the most reckless decisions of her life, ranking right up there with her battle against that possessed armor, the Arma Gigas.

However, it wasn't long before even that paled in comparison to her current situation.

After all, against that thing, she wasn't just risking her life, she was fighting for her future. That and Weiss had never made the foolish mistake of responding to a lethal attack like this, by casually raising a single hand and receiving the full weight and force of something big enough to crush a person like a mere insect.

It wasn't without reason that her sudden action managed to elicit the sound of choking and frightened voices from her friends, even more so than when she had stopped Yang from intervening earlier.

While Weiss knew she was wrong to disregard Blake and Yang's concern by acting in this irrational, not to say suicidal way, even scaring them to reveal how much her team cared about her, none of it seemed to matter.

Perhaps it was the old Weiss talking or the power going to her head...a combination of that and the current circumstances wasn't exactly unlikely either. Regardless, as selfish as it was to think and act like that, right now, Weiss just wanted to test the limits of her new power!

Just like Ruby had tried to do just now!

It didn't take long for Weiss to get what she wanted.

Her Aura, which had reached new heights, certainly surpassing even the absurd amount of someone like Jaune and going beyond into unknown territory, lit up over her body as it defended her against this colossal Grimm. As a result, the impact caused the ground beneath her feet to shatter into pieces, raise a cloud of dust, and force Weiss onto one of her knees before she clenched her teeth and began to bring out more of her Ki.

Slowly, as the feeling of power coursing through her veins increased, the crushing weight that threatened to break her bones, rupture her muscles and tear her flesh apart diminished accordingly. Then her Aura changed, becoming even stronger and more visible, almost as if it were a white flame embroidered in icy blue; a color that her own hair also took on. In contrast, the local temperature plummeted, especially after a small Glyph formed over her head like a halo that released crystal-like fragments of ice around her body and froze everything it touched almost instantly.

With this power, which felt more like fire than ice coursing through her veins, Weiss easily stood up and recovered the ground lost in this contest of strength by pushing the Ursa back without even trying, her smile ever-present.

Truly, this was a stupid decision, but one that fortunately paid off!

"No freaking way..." Yang could hardly believe her eyes, being forced to stop next to Blake mere meters away from this bizarre scene by more than just the icy wind taking over the area, her fear and anger quickly being replaced by pure disbelief. "Just...how?"

Getting faster, being able to cut the Grimm to pieces with ease, and even gaining such absurd physical strength was one thing, but where did this power that could turn a summer's day into a winter's one in the blink of an eye come from?!

It seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale!

Worse still, was the fact that what Blake and she had been talking about earlier had revealed itself again with the transformation of this reckless little princess!

Weiss really did seem to be a goddess who had descended on Remnant!

Heck, even the scenery itself had changed in a way that reinforced this by becoming something that could only be described as fantastical with all those trees and frozen vegetation, almost as if everything was made of crystals in different shades ranging from transparent to white and blue.

Except that, no matter how crazy things got, none of that changed what this little bitch had done and Yang didn't intend to let it go unpunished!

Weiss wanted to act crazy? So after this was over, Yang was going to show this girl what being crazy was really like!

"I think we underestimated her." Blake wasn't much better than Yang, finding it hard to understand and accept what was happening in front of her eyes as she found herself admiring the ethereal beauty that Weiss had acquired at this moment. "That and what Ki can do."

A stupid mistake on their part, especially after what Vegeta had done and caused.

However, their reaction was not completely unjustified.

Regardless of the fact that Ruby and Weiss had the same kind of power as Vegeta, obviously manifested in a different way and in an infinitely smaller amount, these two had not yet received any training, so by all means their control and achievements should be mediocre at best.

Being able to exceed these pessimistic expectations only proved how incredible this power really was and that the talent of these two girls was equally impressive for being able to control it.

However, Weiss wasn't finished surprising them or testing herself.

With her power having entered a completely different realm, Weiss tightened her grip on a single claw of this Grimm who seemed to have woken up from its frenzy by demonstrating a sense of self-preservation as ice covered its form.

As an immediate reaction, the Ursa tried to pull away but when it saw that Weiss didn't intend to let it get away, its struggle quickly turned into something akin to despair, almost as if...

This thing is scared? Suddenly, Weiss was no longer smiling as she was overcome with confusion. A Grimm is afraid of me?

A human?!

How was that possible to begin with?

While gaining some intelligence over time was a known fact, seeing one of these things demonstrate something akin to emotions was new to her.

Somehow, coming to this conclusion only made her angry because of the implications it raised.

"I didn't know a Grimm could be such a hypocrite." The chill radiating from her intensified to keep this thing stuck in place. "Especially when you feed off the fear and despair of innocent people!"

A roar was this thing's response as it used everything it had to break through the ice that threatened to consume it completely and use its free claw to attack again!

An effort that quickly proved futile, not to say useless, as it was barraged by a new Glyph that seemed to have become as solid as a diamond.

As a result, this claw was also covered in layers of ice, except much more quickly and intensely, to the point of making it roar in pain.

Not only that, gradually more and more of this area of the forest was being covered in ice and snow to become a familiar sight, much like the ones normally seen in Atlas.

"Too late to regret it." Weiss released the grip of this thing that couldn't even move anymore and pointed her Myrtenaster before creating another Glyph; this one being even bigger than the Grimm in front of her. "But I suppose it's too early for you to know that."

This thing could have some kind of consciousness, but not enough to have reason and logic. Even if it had, that no longer mattered and soon her Glyph lit up to release a wave of cold on a completely different level from before.

Almost instantly, the thing's roars and incessant fighting ended and everything within hundreds of meters in a straight line was turned to ice.

Ironically, this was only fitting as the Ursa had now become a cold, emotionless statue, just like a Grimm should be...

For no more than a moment.

In the next second, there was a similar sound of breaking glass as Weiss pierced the ice with Myrtenaster, this statue shattering until there was nothing left but a pile of pieces amid a cloud of white dust like icy fog.

In silence, Weiss observed what she had done; the scale of the damage caused by her new power and being sure that not even an entire container of Dust would be enough to replicate this feat.

Her eyes then fell on her hands and the smile on her face rekindled with happiness, especially as she felt that she hadn't used much of her new power and the almost indescribable feeling it gave her.

In a way, it felt like she was invincible!

Forget surpassing Pyrrha, with this kind of power, even Winter was no longer an obstacle!

Without realizing it, Weiss had already achieved part of her goals and dreams!

Suddenly, it seemed that nothing else could stand in her way, and for the first time in her life, Weiss was in control!

The mere thought of it was what brought her euphoria to life and she wasn't the only one!

"Weiss!" Ruby emerged amidst a flurry of rose petals, her power still burning in her body to ignore the cold and hug her best friend. "That was amazing!"

So much so that she found herself envying more than just her partner's divine appearance, especially that magical ability!

Truly, this girl looked like a goddess!

"Ruby!" Weiss was so pleased that she couldn't help but reflect on all this enthusiasm instead of rejecting it as usual. "You were amazing too!"

To the point where she had trouble keeping up with this girl's absurd speed.

"Really?!" Ruby perked up at that, but only until she remembered the scenery around her and the absurd difference between them. "But... I didn't even get a cool superpower like yours..."

She wanted to have fire or something incredible like that in contrast to her best friend's ice.

Instead, she'd only gotten faster and stronger... That and constantly releasing those petals from her Semblance which, despite being extremely cool, were useless.

Although it was no small thing, Ruby couldn't help but feel less in comparison and she hated it.

"I wouldn't say that." Weiss held in her fingers one of the many rose petals in the air that added life to this winter scenery she had created, almost as if both seasons were coexisting. In a way, it was like a representation of their unlikely friendship. "These petals are different from the ones you released before." To prove her point, Weiss tried to crush it and it took some effort to do so. "See, they're as hard and tough as metal, plus they're probably pretty sharp, given how thin they are."

If Ruby was able to control these petals, probably using the telekinetic power that Ki could provide - according to Vegeta - it would become a terrifying ability.

Whether that would be a good thing in Ruby's hands, or anyone's really, there was no telling.

However, before she could make that dangerous suggestion, Ruby was pulled away from her and then there were red eyes, flames, and all-too-familiar hatred.

"Yang, wait!" Ruby tried but it was too late to stop her sister's fist, clearly fueled by her Semblance, from crashing into Weiss's face! "Why did you do that?!"

She didn't understand and was about to do the unthinkable at any other time and start a fight with her sister!

This girl had been acting like crazy for some time now, ever since she met Vegeta!

While Ruby understood where this was coming from, there had to be a limit!

Before she could do anything, however, a hand rested on her shoulder to stop her in her tracks.

"Better stay out of this, Ruby," Blake warned with an even more intense tone of seriousness than usual laced through her words. "While I don't necessarily approve of this, what you two did just now was just as bad."

No matter how strong the two of them had become, acting like that was simply reckless, especially after being bedridden for days without being able to move.

While Blake didn't want them to restrict themselves completely, some sense of self-preservation was the least these two should have.

Unfortunately, given Weiss' reaction, she didn't seem to understand that.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Although this punch had done nothing against her, Weiss didn't like being hit like that; her eyes narrowed dangerously when Yang chose to grab the necklace of her blouse instead of answering. "I hope you have a good explanation for this or..."

She didn't finish but the threat hanging in the air was as intense as the ice forming on the arms used to hold her in place.

"Or what?!" Yang didn't back down, even ignoring the cold that was consuming her weakened Aura non-stop and trying to freeze her flesh. "Are you going to act crazy and try to get yourself killed again?!"

The fire burning in her hair reflected her anger and warmed her body, helping her keep her ground.

Determination and words that were more than capable of shaking Weiss as she understood where this was coming from; realizing her mistake.

"Th-that..." This time she was the one who felt cold and even though she was sure she could walk away, she couldn't find the strength to do so. "I was just..."

Weiss hesitated, not knowing how exactly she could justify her actions; that she was only trying to test herself.

"Was what?!" Yang was having none of it! "Stopping me from helping, standing in the way of attacks you could easily avoid and worst of all, using that dangerous power without even needing to!"

No matter how big that Ursa Major was, if they worked together like the damn team they were supposed to be, defeating that thing and all the Grimm that showed up would be an easy task!

"Are you trying to kill yourself? Fine!" Yang pushed this girl away from her and broke the ice covering her arms, literally using the force of hatred. "Get as drunk on power as you want, just don't drag my sister down with you!"

Weiss let herself be pulled away without saying a word, even stopping the flow of her power to return to normal and have her eyes focused on her hands again.

This time, however, she wasn't seeing the same thing as before.

Now that she had truly returned to her senses, Weiss was trembling; regret replacing excitement.

Because Yang, of all people, was right.

Weiss had let power go to her head, just like her father, and that couldn't happen.

Worse still, she wasn't the only one to have made that mistake and again Yang was right to worry.

In the heat of the moment, Ruby had drifted too far away from everyone as she fought, almost as if all that absurd amount of cookies she'd eaten over the last few days was finally taking its toll.

Sugar could do that to you... just like alcohol and power, apparently.

Coming to that conclusion made Weiss feel like an idiot.

The last thing she wanted right now was to remotely resemble her mother or father by becoming addicted and obsessed with something, no matter what it was.

A difficult task, she would admit.

Try as she might, it was almost impossible to ignore the power that now dwelled in her body and the divine sensation of using it.

Inevitably, this made Weiss think of Vegeta.

No matter how strong she had become, it was still nothing compared to what that man was capable of.

What's more, there was the fact that he continued to train non-stop with dedication motivated by nothing but hatred for someone who had betrayed him.

I wonder if he's ever been through this... One more thing to ask that man when she meets him again. Something is certain, though.

After this day, Weiss would never be the same and she didn't know what to do about it, nor was she the only one who felt that way.

"Y-Yang," Ruby tried, especially after seeing her partner's gloomy expression, but winced at the look she received from her sister. Here it comes...

This wasn't going to be pretty.

"Shut up!" Yang hated using this kind of tone with her little sister, but unfortunately, it was a necessary evil. "Or do you think I haven't seen what you've done just now?!" She took a step closer and Ruby flinched accordingly. "Must be nice, huh? To be so powerful as to disregard your own safety!" her voice wavered a little, her fear showing in the trembling of her clenched hands into fists. "Have you ever stopped to think about how Dad and I would feel if something happened to you?"

Imagining a second tombstone on top of that hill was what brought her greatest fear to life.

Ruby didn't have an answer for that and was unable to even look her sister in the eye. In the end, she shared this fear and just imagining such a scenario squeezed her heart to no end.

"Yang, I think that's enough." Blake decided to intervene, especially after seeing the expression Ruby was making, almost tearful. "Fighting between us isn't going to help at all."

That and they were in the middle of an important mission, which could result in the saving of countless lives.

They couldn't stop now, no matter what.

"Hmph," Yang snorted, doing her best to pull herself together. "Tell that to these two idiots."

Again, she didn't want to talk to her little sister like that, but it was necessary so that she wouldn't repeat this madness again.

"I know, I'm extremely disappointed in them too," Blake would also be honest about this and ignore the effect her words had on these two reckless girls. "Especially after all the promises made."

That this power wouldn't be misused and that they would fight as a team.

Of course, eliminating Grimm wasn't a bad thing. Disregarding everything else in doing so and getting lost in the heat of the moment was a different story.

In fact, even this part of the forest, containing dozens of trees, was destroyed unnecessarily.

Imagining something like that happening in an inhabited area was more than enough reason to reprimand these two.

Fortunately, it seemed to be working, given the regret etched on their facial expressions.

"Yang, Blake, I'm..." Weiss started to apologize but stopped when she felt something big approaching quickly, and she wasn't the only one. "Look out!"

Immediately, she brought out her power without even thinking and moved to grab Blake while Ruby did the same with Yang.

They didn't even have time to explain or think properly before something fell from the sky like a meteor right where they were a second ago, the impact practically blowing up the whole area!

Weiss had been quick to create a shield for them with ice, this being the second time and again proving to be only enough to keep them safe before breaking just like all those frozen trees.

Whatever had caused this damage was strong and hostile, signaling that the fight to reach Vale was just beginning. Unfortunately, this also meant that they would have to break their promises and continue using their new powers.

At least this time, Ruby and Weiss would do it for a good reason; to protect the people important to them!


Here is the chapter of this month. If you want to support me and read ahead, you can check out my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti

Until the next one.