Chapter 8

Umbra has been revealed as Rosa to the Jedi. Pyrrha and the Jedi defeated Mercury at the Oasis of Healing. Mercury revealed who Umbra was before being killed by Umbra. White Fang forces are gathering in Menagerie. Oscar has started his journey.

Pyrrha Nikos was not fully healed. When she left the healing of the Oasis to save Jaune, the healing powers had vanished as well. She… She was back in the chair. But she didn't feel the despair she should have been feeling. She knew she sacrificed her healing so that Jaune could live. Whatever healing was left went to him.

The despair came from seeing Rosa's face. Or should she say, Umbra's face. She would have known it was Rosa even if she hadn't seen her back in Vettom. Her skin was paler than normal. But for some reason, some of her tan was still there unlike at Vettom. But there was so much pain in her face. So much anger. Pyrrha barely recognized Rosa's face.

The Jedi were back in the Belladonna home. They were just trying to process what they learned. Weiss hadn't said anything since they found out about Rosa. Yang was walking back and forth in the courtyard punching a tree with her bare fists. She let out a scream and started punching it harder.

Blake had the hard job of telling her parents what they found out. Pyrrha felt Kali's devastation as she heard the news. Blake started to break down too. Ghira grabbed both of them and held them.

Ren slid down on the wall in their room. He grabbed hold of his head. Nora sat next to him.

"Why?" Ren asked.

"I don't know." Nora said.

Jaune stood in the room. Pyrrha turned around when he closed the door.

"We all know what we saw. We all saw the terrible truth. Rosa joined the Sith. What we don't know is why. We have an idea, but we don't know. If we see her again we can try to help her, but we will probably also have to fight her. We have to be ready." Jaune said.

"You think we'll see her again?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well with how often she has been coming around, yes. Do you remember what she said to us the night she first fought us? She said that Rosa, or her, still loved us and hated us. I've been thinking about that. It seems that there is something with Rosa that has caused these two contradictory states to be in existence at the same time. I think that love drives her to come here and spy on us constantly. The hate is what stops her from coming back to us." Jaune said.

Pyrrha looked at Jaune.

"Is there still hope for her?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think so. If you remember, she didn't go after us with lethal intent on that first time. Yeah, she hurt us, but she could have killed you or Yang, or Blake. Something is holding her back. We need to learn more about the Sith to learn how we can get her back." Jaune said.

Ruby sat on top of the house. Her knees were brought up to her chin as she looked out at the waters. Yang was still punching the tree. Ruby knew she was crying. Yang didn't want anyone to see her tears. She closed her eyes and felt that Shaak Ti had found Weiss. She didn't know what Shaak Ti was saying. Weiss was still shocked by the revelation.

Ruby remembered the anger on Rosa's face. It was never there before. Not like that. Hatred covered her face. The darkness surrounded her. Ruby felt the darkness on Rosa. She didn't know how to help her.

"Why Rosa? Why did you join the Sith?" Ruby asked. Her head hit her knees and she sighed. She looked up at the sky and felt tears fall down her face.

"I'm sorry Rosa. I'm so sorry that you have gone down that road. I swear I will help you."

Weiss listened to Shaak Ti.

"Rosa fell. She is no longer the teammate you once knew." Shaak Ti said.

"Rosa is still there. I felt it!" Weiss shouted. Her first words since learning about Rosa. Shaak Ti looked in Weiss' eyes.

"I hope you are right. This fate for Rosa was avoidable. Perhaps we saw the title of Jedi and assumed that Rosa could hold out against the darkness. I fear the Sith twisted Rosa… but I don't know." Shaak Ti said.

"What do you mean twisted?" Weiss asked.

"Maku's power would have broken when he died. I fear that the Sith killed Maku and twisted the memories to convince her to join." Shaak Ti sat down on a chair. "We made a mistake Weiss. We never should have let Maku be her master. We should have seen the darkness Maku kept hidden. And it appears to be a costly mistake."

Blake was in the library on a couch. She was thinking about Adam. It was the first time seeing him since the fall of Beacon. He had grown stronger. More powerful, more evil, more cruel. But she also saw that there was something between him and Rosa. The thought angered her.

"How dare he? How dare he use Rosa?" Blake said. Blake remembered his accusation. They drove Rosa to the dark side. Never!

But then again, they all knew about Vettom. They knew what Rosa became for those few days. They all knew and yet they did nothing to help They kept the secret from Rosa. Because Maku told them to. They trusted Maku, but now that trust had turned Rosa into a Sith and them into fucking terrible friends. They let Rosa suffer in silence.

Why did Maku have to be so terrible?

Umbra entered her apartment, and Kaiser came in behind her. She didn't know how to feel. Anger filled her. She could recognize that emotion, but… dread. She was feeling so much dread in her right now.

Kaiser stood in front of her. He folded his arms. He waited for her to start speaking. Umbra just stood there. She let out another scream.

"Why did Mercury have to say that? Why?" Umbra said.

"He knew he was going to die. He wanted to give one massive fuck you to us. To you." Kaiser said. Umbra looked at the ceiling, then brought her head down into Kaiser's chest. Kaiser didn't know what to do. He brought his hands up.

"Umbra…" Kaiser started. Kaiser saw her ragged breathing. She was crying. Kaiser didn't really know how to comfort anyone. Even less so such a powerful Sith. He started to bring his hand up but stopped.

"Did you see their faces? They hate me now." Umbra said. Kaiser remembered their faces, but hate wasn't on any of them. Concern, and fear yes, but not hate. He put a hand on Umbra's back.

"You aren't remembering that right." Kaiser said. Umbra looked up at him. Her face was puffy and her eyes red. Her skin gained more color. Tears stained her face. She looked so helpless. Kaiser looked away.

"What do you mean?" Umbra asked.

"I mean that none of them hated you. Me, yes, but not you." Kaiser said. Umbra brought her head back down into Kaiser's chest. He had never seen her like this before. He didn't know she could act like this. Normally she was confident and full of piss and vinegar. But here she was so open. It was surprisingly wholesome for a Sith. He didn't think that anyone here would ever act like that.

He also realized that she trusted him. Yes, they trusted each other on missions. But that was life and death. They had to trust each other. But they didn't have to like each other. This was trust. Actual trust. This was intimate and could be very damaging to her. But she trusted him. He didn't know how to feel about that. Kaiser put a hand on her back. Umbra didn't move.

"What are you going to do now that they know who you really are?" Kaiser asked. Umbra shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm probably going to get punished by Salem for not stopping Mercury." Umbra said.

"You did try." Kaiser said.

"She won't care." Umbra said. She lifted up her head and hugged Kaiser.

"What?" Kaiser said.

"I need one and you are all I got." Umbra said. So that was it. But he was sure that if it was anyone else she would have had a different reaction. Kaiser wondered if Salem had a hand in this. Probably. Salem did love playing on their emotions. Kaiser put a hand on her head.

Umbra let go of Kaiser and stepped back. A massive blush covered her face.

"Sorry about that." Umbra said. Not being able to look at Kaiser.

"Oh, ah yeah… Look Umbra, I think that there was a lot that you went through. Um… It was a lot that changed for you just now and…" Kaiser stumbled over his words. He had a blush too and couldn't look at Umbra.

"Do you think it was Salem?" Umbra asked. She wiped her face, wiping away the tears. Kaiser pretended he didn't see anything.

"Yeah… It has to be." Kaiser said.

"Can we pretend that didn't happen?" Umbra asked.

"Please." Kaiser said. He and Umbra started laughing.

"Gods that was awkward." Umbra said.

"I think maybe it's time to go back to Valum and Salem." Kaiser said.

"Yeah… yeah I have to report on a successful mission." Umbra said. Kaiser started to turn back but Umbra grabbed his hand.

"Thank you." Umbra said. Kaiser shook his head. She leaned up and kissed him on his cheek.

"What?" Kaiser said.

"Keep what you saw here secret." Umbra said. Kaiser put a hand to where she kissed him and nodded. He opened a portal and stepped through. Umbra didn't know why she kissed him on the cheek. She shook her head. She turned around and saw Vanus standing there.

"How long were you standing there?" Umbra asked.

"Why did you kiss him? I thought you hated him." Vanus said.

"I don't know…" Umbra said. "But since you are here, I have a report. Mercury is dead. I killed him."

"I sensed that. But there is something you aren't telling me. Go on." Vanus said.

"Mercury… exposed my identity." Umbra said.

"I see." Vanus said.

"I know Salem wanted me to keep it secret. I tried to kill him before he let it go. But I didn't have enough time." Umbra said. Vanus slapped her.

"We do not make excuses Umbra. That is what got Mercury killed. You accept your failure and move on. That is what a Sith does." Vanus said. Umbra held onto her face where she was slapped.

"Yes, Master. I'll do better." Umbra said.

"You better for your sake." Vanus said. Vanus opened a portal and ordered Umbra through.

Umbra and Vanus were in Salem's throne room. Salem sat on her throne smiling. Umbra knelt down.

"Mercury is dead." Umbra said. Vanus took her seat.

"I know. Wonderful isn't it to take care of one of the weak Sith." Salem said.

"Yes, my Lady." Umbra said.

"And now they know who you are." Salem said. Umbra said nothing and Salem laughed.

"Is there going to be a punishment?" Vanus asked.

"She completed her mission to kill Mercury. That must be noted. Well, there's nothing for it. The secret was always going to come out." Salem said with a smile on her face.

"Master?" Vanus said.

"In due time my dear, she will face off against her former friends. She will be given no quarter. She will have to kill them or be killed. But there is something now that she can do. She promised me the vessels. Now, she needs to provide the needed material." Salem said.

"I see." Vanus said.

Umbra knew what this meant. She would be taken to a Medcenter and all the stimulation and medicines would show if they were effective that Salem was having her take. She knew that it was at the stage where retrieval was next.

"Yes, your part of the bargain will be fulfilled soon." Salem said.

"I understand." Umbra said.

Yang was still punching the tree when Shaak Ti found her.

"Yang. You need to stop." Shaak Ti said. Yang didn't and continued to punch.

"You are hurting yourself now." Shaak Ti said. Yang's knuckles were covered in her own blood. Her robotic hand had scratching on its paint. That wasn't the first tree she punched. Yang was breathing harder. She let out a scream and one final punch. She stopped and looked at the ground. Her hair covered her face. Shaak Ti listened as her gasps slowly became tears.

She dropped to the ground. Yang brought up her bloody knuckles.

"Why did this have to happen?" Yang asked. Shaak Ti stood there waiting for Yang. "We could have stopped this! We should have stopped this." Yang said.

"We can't fix everything. Especially the past. Rosa has made choices in her life that have led her to follow the wrong path." Shaak Ti said.

"We should have stopped her! I should have. I should have seen the darkness around her and realized what was going on! Why didn't we see it?" Yang asked. Shaak Ti dropped down to Yang's level.

"Do you think you should be able to see other's darkness?" Shaak Ti asked.

"I should! My mother…" Yang said.

"I think I see where your pain is coming from. This isn't the first person you lost to the darkness. There is darkness everywhere. We all have both light and darkness inside of us. Some of us are able to hide how much darkness is in them. Like Maku. Like Rosa." Shaak Ti said.

"I wish Rosa was born here. Then she never would have had to suffer under him." Yang said. Shaak Ti sighed.

"We can't see the darkness in those who hide it. I wish we could see more clearly. But right now, if there is any hope for Rosa returning to the light, it is in you all. Her friends. You are the only ones who have a chance to bring her back. I saw how much hatred she held for me. She blames me for keeping her with Maku. I guess she's partially right." Shaak Ti said.

"What are we going to do now master?" Yang asked.

"First, you need to heal your hand. Then… you have to get back up." Shaak Ti said.

A week passed.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss were in the center of town at night. They walked in different directions. They had some idea that Nora and Ren were nearby, but they didn't see them. Weiss took a deep breath.

"I think it's time to split up." Weiss said. Blake and Yang shook their heads. They were in traditional Jedi robes tonight. Weiss walked to the west, Blake to the East, and Yang to the South.

Weiss walked along a row of homes.

"Look, it's the Schnee bitch." Weiss heard.

"Her whole life was planned for her. Talk about a silver spoon."

"She's rich. She can't understand what it's like to suffer."

"I bet she'd run away with the first guy to give her attention."

Weiss continued to walk. She kept hearing the voices around her. She looked side to side but saw no one.

"You were sloppy. Again." She heard her instructor's voice. A cold-hearted man who was a fierce task master. He would expect perfection and beat it into you if he needed to. He should have been dead. But here he was, at least his voice.

"I can't believe the girl never learned to keep her mouth shut." Her father mumbled under his breath. Weiss had disagreed with one of the guests on Beacon.

"Why did Winter have to join the army? Now I have her incompetent sister as my heir." Jacques once more.

"Soon she'll be married. Then I can get someone who actually listens to run this company."

"She's just as bad as her mother. I bet she's going to end up a drunk just like her."

"Why did Whitley have to be born last? He's the ideal heir. He's loyal, he listens, he understands high society. But Weiss was born first. Hopefully she sleeps around so I can disown her."

Weiss hadn't heard that one. Her father… Weiss balled her fist.

"Weiss is such a stuck-up bitch." Yang's voice came out. "I wish Ruby never ran into her."

"She's pathetic. She's going to drag us down. We should just get rid of her." Ruby's voice said.

"I don't know who's worse. Weiss or Cardin. Maybe if we put them together they'll start fucking." Blake's voice said.

"I wish I never met Weiss. I wish she would grow up and get over her own issues!" Rosa's voice rang out in her mind.

"Stop that." Weiss said. She was stopped in front of a door. She opened it and was on a stage. The lights were on her and the people booed her.

"I know that everyone here hates Weiss Schnee." Adam walked on stage and presented Weiss. Weiss looked down and saw her hands were locked up.

"Kill her!" One of them shouted.

"Make her feel the pain of the Faunus!" Another shouted.

"Death to the Humans!"

Rosa, or Umbra, walked on stage.

"Weiss Schnee. You have been charged with high treason against the Faunus people and the Sith. You are also charged with abandoning your friend and cowardice. How does the jury find her?" Rosa shouted.

"Rosa? What are you doing?" Weiss asked.

"Guilty!" The crowd roared out.

"What is her punishment?" Rosa shouted again.

"Death."

"No. There is no death, there is the force. You know that Rosa." Weiss said. Her lightsaber was in her hand now, and she cut the chains. Weiss stood us and faced Kaiser and Umbra.

"There is no Rosa anymore. You made sure of that." Umbra said. She took out her lightsaber and rushed Weiss. Weiss was on the back foot and blocked the first strike. The crowd started to cheer. She began to hear her songs being played as she fought.

Weiss jumped back and blocked Umbra's strike. Kaiser sat back and watched. Weiss spun around and took off her cloak. Umbra rushed in. Weiss saw the door reopen. She closed her eyes for a second, and the knight was summoned.

"Yes." Weiss said. Kaiser brought out his lightsaber as the knight defending against the two Sith. Weiss went to the door and opened it. She turned back to see the knight be defeated. Umbra landed close by.

"I'll save you Rosa. I promise you." Weiss went through the door. She was in a hallway. She walked down the hallway, seeing a light. She followed it and saw a single mirror there. Weiss looked in it. She didn't see herself there. She saw her grandfather, Nicholas Schnee.

"Grandfather." Weiss said.

"Weiss." Nicholas said.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry. I failed you." Weiss said. "I failed my team. I failed Atlas, I failed the Jedi. I failed my family. I failed everyone."

"Yes, you did." The voice was her own. Weiss stood up and saw herself, but in different clothing. There was a dark presence to her. Nicholas was standing still.

"Who are you?" Weiss asked.

"I think you already know." The mirror Weiss said.

"You are not me. I know that." Weiss said.

"Are you sure?" Mirror Weiss said.

"You are what could have been. I can sense the darkness coming off you. You are what I would have been if Father got what he wanted. You are his slave. The slave to a dead man and a monster." Weiss said.

"Oh, you have a fighting spirit I see." Mirror Weiss said.

"You would have squandered everything. You would be dead now. Like Father." Weiss said.

"Weiss." Nicholas said. His eyes were changing. They were gaining more life to them.

"Part of you still exists in me. You are the trauma he caused. You are not me, but also me at the same time. Both exist. But you are a small part of me. Rosa helped me realize what Father was. Now she's gone. And I have to help her. She saved me and became my sister. I have to save her from herself! And I will." Weiss said.

"You are too weak to do it!" Mirror Weiss said.

"Alone, yes. But unlike you, I am never alone. I have friends on my side. I have people who love and care about me. I left the darkness of father's house and have found the light. I will never fall back into that darkness again. But that darkness still exists. You are proof of that. To ignore you is to let you fester. I refuse to let that happen. I refuse to ignore you. I don't fear you. But I acknowledge you exist. You always existed. Maybe someday that part of me too will be gone. Maybe I will be able to redeem even that part of me. But I will never allow you to hold me back." Weiss said. Mirror Weiss looked up and Weiss and faded.

"Weiss." Nicholas said.

"Grandfather, I'm here." Weiss said.

"Continue on your path, Weiss. Never forget who you are. Allow failure to pass over you. Don't be afraid to apologize. Become a light that everyone can rely on." Nicholas faded away.

Weiss stood up, and everything started to fade away. She closed her eyes. She remembered she was doing her Trial of Spirit with the others. She opened her eyes and saw Shaak Ti standing there. Weiss looked to her, and Shaak Ti shook her head, with a smile on her lips.

"Congratulations." Shaak Ti said.

Blake was on her down the streets of Menagerie. She didn't know what she was looking for. She just knew everyone was here. She walked by her home.

"I never want to see you again! Adam knows where the Faunus need to go! He understands the fight! He's a better man than you!" Blake heard her words. It was the last thing she said before she left her parents to join the White Fang.

"What do you say Bleu, do you wanna…" Blake started. Bleu was an older Faunus White Fang member who was showing Blake the ropes. Blake had a disgusting crush on him. Not for anything he did, but because he was something new and dangerous.

"Blake, Bleu will no longer be your mentor. I will." Adam said. Blake thought that meant something more than it did. She thought Adam had noticed her. That Adam wanted to become more than he implied. She thought that he loved her and was stepping in to get her alone. To take her all for himself. Blake shook her head. She could barely believe she was once like that.

"The White Fang need to evolve. There are no innocent humans. They could have stepped up and said "No, we will not behave like animals anymore!" They not only allow, but cheer for the atrocities against the Faunus!" Adam said. Blake listened to his words as he told everyone about the mission.

Blake had felt the darkness even back then. But she was a part of the darkness. She was guilty. She should have known better, but she was in it.

She believed every word Adam spoke, until she saw him take a life. It was an accident at first. But one became two. He tried to justify himself. To her or himself she never figured out.

"They tried to kill us. It was a battle. This is a war for survival. Any human who stand against us is trying to kill us." Was what he said at first.

"Humanity is a cancer that must either fall or step aside." Was what he was saying by the end.

Blake thought about him and realized he was already mostly Sith. There was nothing she could do. He chose the dark path every time. He chose to murder. He chose to become a Sith. There was nothing she could do.

But she still let a tear drop fall. She cried for what he could have been. He could have been one of the greatest advocates for the Faunus people to exist. But he chose the quick and easy path. He chose to become a monster. She almost became a monster with him.

Blake walked forward. She saw a door and opened it. She saw Beacon.

"Blake, what are you hiding?" Rosa appeared behind Blake.

"What? Rosa?" Blake said.

"Nothing." Another Blake said.

"Are you sure? It's not a crush on a boy or anything like that right?" Rosa joked with her.

"Please. Who's here? Jaune? Ren? Cardin?" Blake said with a joking smile.

"Your book?" Rosa said elbowing her.

"I have no idea what you mean." Blake said.

"Oh, sure you don't. Just like I have no idea about page 136" Rosa said. Blake spun around with a blush on her face.

"You read it?" Blake asked.

The real Blake laughed at that. Another Blake appeared with her whole team. They had just come back from the sushi bar.

"I have no idea why my father told me Sushi was terrible. That was delicious." Weiss said.

"Free sushi always is." Ruby said with a massive smile.

"Free for you. But some of us actually have to pay for our things." Weiss said.

"Blake thanks you Weiss for your donation." Rosa said.

They faded away.

"I didn't mean for her to run away. I just thought it was a regular sparring session." Memory Blake said.

Blake saw Rosa now. There was a darkness around her now. She realized… the darkness surrounded her, but it wasn't fully in her. No this was different. It was almost like the light couldn't touch her because of the darkness that surrounded her. She felt her jewelry hold massive darkness in them.

"No… It can't be." Blake realized that she had grown weaker as she was getting more and more of this Jewelry from Cyan. She couldn't access the light because of that jewelry.

Rosa appeared before Blake.

"Did you trust me Blake?" Rosa asked.

"Of course I did Rosa. I trusted you with my life!" Blake said.

"They were targeting me. We knew that. But you didn't tell me how weak to the darkness I was. You lied to me. I fell and I was saved. But you didn't tell me about Maku's special ability. You didn't trust me." Rosa said.

"Rosa…"

Rosa faded away. Kaiser stood there in front of Blake, with Umbra, revealed to be Rosa.

"You failed her. You failed me. Now I will protect her like you never could." Kaiser held Umbra in his arms. He planted a kiss on her lips.

"She's worthy to be my lover, unlike you." Kaiser said.

"Let go of her." Blake said.

"She'll bear my children Blake. It will be the ending you could never fulfill. Your books are all you have."

"Shut up!" Blake said.

"You betrayed me Blake." Umbra said.

"I will save you Rosa." Blake said.

"You'll have to go through me first. But we both know you can't." Kaiser said. They faded. Beacon faded, and she was in their dorm room. She was in the bathroom looking at the mirror.

She saw herself.

"How will you save her?" Blake's reflection asked her.

"Um… Well, now that I know why she was weak, maybe that will help her move back." Blake said.

"What could you have done to save her?" Her reflection asked.

"I should have been there for her. I should have demanded that she sit with us. I should have stayed to help get her. I should have done so many different things! Is that what you want to hear?" Blake asked. "Because that's what I've been telling myself ever since. I should have been better. I should have tried harder. I should have done this, I should have done that, but I'm done with that. What else could I have done? I tried everything I could. I did what I thought was right, and it wasn't enough! And she's gone now."

Blake stood in front of the mirror and started breathing heavily. She finally let it out.

"I can't change the past. But I can change the future! I can bring her back with the help of my friends. I'm not alone anymore. I won't run away from this! And when we save her, I'll know the future has changed!" Blake shouted at the mirror.

"Are you willing to sacrifice to bring the world you want?" The image asked.

"I will sacrifice myself if need be. I will give everything I can." Blake said.

"How will you keep the darkness away?" The image asked.

"Keep it away? That's difficult. It's so seductive. It makes things look so easy and makes you feel powerful. But that power isn't ever worth it. It's a poison that corrupts. It tries to tell you that you aren't powerful. It tries to tell you that you have to use it. It tells you lies about yourself. It tells you that the light chains you down. It tries to make freedom slavery and slavery freedom. You have to see it and know it. You have to stand against it. I faced my shadow, my darkness before. And I know I will have to face it later. I hope that I am strong enough to stand against my own darkness. I know that the darkness is the wrong path. Sometimes when I'm angry the darkness tries to sneak its way into me. It is like a thief. And like a thief, you have to watch for it. Replace the darkness with light." Blake said.

"Good." The image said. It faded away, along with the image of the room. Blake saw Quinlan Vos standing at the top of the viewing area. He was talking with the other masters.

Yang walked to the pier.

"Did you see that match? The guy attacked Yang Xiao-Long when she had her guard down." Someone said.

"Yeah, I heard there was a lot of blood in the arena, and the Jedi jumped in immediately. I wonder what's going on with the world if someone like that is able to be a hunter in training."

"That Yang girl just froze after she won. I wonder what happened there." Another person said.

Yang listened and wondered why they were talking about that.

"You know, she can become a star. She's got the looks for it." A man said. Yang shivered as she caught some of the emotions of the man.

"If we got her, our profits would skyrocket!" Another man said. Yang listened as she heard some men talk about her body and their 'business'. She hated hearing people talk about her like that.

"I bet Yang would be pretty easy." Mercury's voice sounded. Yang spun around looking for Mercury.

"Take away her looks and what does she have?" Cyan said.

"She's so dumb. She can't even see when she's being manipulated." Emerald said.

"Why do they all think I'm like that?" Yang asked.

"Oh great, here's a ball of sunshine, just what I needed." She heard Blake's voice ring out. "Gods can she be any more slutty?"

"Blake?" Yang asked.

"I wish she would just leave me alone! She's always hovering over me! I can't do anything with her around!" Ruby's voice rang out.

"Ruby!"

"She's such a slob. She leaves her clothes everywhere. And look at this! This isn't a bra, it's a catapult! You know I wouldn't be surprised if I find a condom wrapper in her pocket." Weiss said.

"Weiss!"

"She doesn't deserve the power she has! None of them do! They just started to train as Jedi! I've been training my whole life and she's still beating me! This is bullshit!" Rosa said.

"Rosa… Is this how you all really think of me?" Yang asked, pain in her voice. She looked around but saw no one.

"No… That's not how you actually feel about me. That's just… what I fear you would say." Yang said.

"Are you sure?" Yang turned around and saw Raven.

"What are you doing here?" Yang asked.

"What, I can't see my daughter?" Raven said.

"No. You can't." Yang said. Yang got in a fighting stance.

"I see. Don't you know that I am your future? I am what you will become. I know you Yang. You have that bubbling anger, that rage that powers you. Just look at your semblance. When you get angry you get more powerful. Doesn't that sound like you are flirting with the darkness?" Raven said.

"I don't allow the darkness into me." Yang said.

"You are so close. You are almost ready to join me. No Jedi, No Sith. You can become whatever you want to be. You can take whatever you want to take. That is what you are promised. A world with no rules, no responsibilities. A world where you can find all the thrills you want all the time. That is what our way of life is. It's what you always wanted." Raven said.

Yang heard her own words thrown back at her during the mission to Mount Glenn.

"I'm a thrill seeker!"

"No. I refuse to become like you. I refuse to allow everyone to suffer because of my own selfishness! I refuse to let the darkness in and let it make me a thoughtless monster like you!" Yang said.

"Thoughtless? How awful." Raven said.

"The darkness wants you Yang. I want you to join me." Yang turned around and saw Rosa there in her Sith robes. Yang turned back between Raven and Rosa. They started circling her.

"Rosa, we're going to rescue you. Trust me on that. I promise you that we will save you. From yourself if need be." Yang said.

"What a great job you did the first time. The Jedi lied to me. They made you lie to me. Yet you still stand there justifying them. Don't you have any shame? Where's the woman who would stand up to any moral outrage? Where's the person who promised me that they would protect me? You were supposed to keep me from the Sith. All of you were, but you all failed. Now I live the life of a Sith. There is nothing denied me. I just need to snap my finger and anything I want, I get. You still stand by the weak Jedi. That disgusts me Yang." Rosa said.

"The light is far more powerful Rosa. You once knew that. You once believed that." Yang said.

"That was before I was beaten to an inch of my life multiple times." Rosa said. Yang realized that Raven was gone. It was just Rosa and her.

"I'm sorry Rosa. We failed you. But we will make it better." Yang said.

"How?"

"We still love you Rosa. That love will save you."

"It wasn't enough before." Rosa rebutted.

"No, we weren't enough. That love will always be enough. That hope can never die. I know we failed you before, but that will not happen again. We will save you and bring you back to the light. That I promise you on everything I am." Yang said.

"You better Yang." Rosa said. She started to fade away.

"Mother… Maybe we can save you too. I don't know if it is possible, but I will do what I can. I think you can still be saved." Yang said. Everything continued to fade. Yang closed her eyes and opened them back in the hall of trials. She smiled as Weiss and Blake exited their trials at the same time. Ren and Nora had finished first. They already gone through the knighting ceremony. Yang smiled as she saw Plo Koon. She waved at him, and he nodded his head.

The masters knighted the remaining Padawans. They had improved at rates unheard of in the Galaxy at large. They were ready for the next stage of their Jedi experiences.

Quinlan Vos stood away from the other masters. He heard the news about Rosa. The thought of What if Rosa was his apprentice haunted him now. He sighed. He needed to think about his job. He was setting the clones up here and getting ready for the defenses of Menagerie. There were rumors that the White Fang were getting ready to attack the island and conquer it.

General Fordo and his elites also arrived. Thousands of clones were getting ready to fight off the white fang. Many Jedi started arriving in Menagerie. The defenses were being built, and the scout parties were being prepared. The White Fang had rumored bases in the desert.

Umbra left the Medcenter breathing a sigh of relief. Velum was with her as the procedure to take the cells was somewhat invasive and she had to be sedated. Velum opened the portal to her apartment and was ordered to keep watch of her as she recovered. It wouldn't take long.

"You know, most people rather do this the natural way." Velum said as she put Umbra down on her couch. Umbra was asleep.

"But you aren't most people. Umbra, thank you for killing Mercury. I could sense at the end that he had grown too attached to me. I couldn't have that. He needed to die. He became a liability." Velum said. Umbra didn't say anything.

"You know Umbra, Lady Salem still holds you in high regard. You may not become her vessel, but your child will. It's an honor to be her vessel, or even related to them." Velum ran her fingers in Umbra's hair.

"The Sith are strong Umbra. But not all of them. Just like Mercury. He had such promise, but after Maku cut off his arm, nothing. His trauma had completely beaten him. That's why I think you should still figure a way to overcome your intimacy issues. I mean, not a lot of people know how to use that in a fight, but some do. Salem does." Velum said. She shook her head.

"Of course, we would never fight Salem. She's our lady." Velum added. "They put you on some strong stuff."

Umbra started to snore. Velum shook her head.

"It's almost like you haven't slept in days." Velum said.

"She probably hasn't." Vanus appeared in the apartment.

"Master, you're here." Velum stood up.

"This is a simple one. Get our forces set up in Mistral." Vanus said.

"Like, find a place for them to stay, or get the forces we already have ready?" Velum asked.

"The first one. You know what to look for. We're going to have multiple Sith staying there long term. We're close to the first relic." Vanus said. Velum bowed. Vanus created a portal and Velum took a step back.

"Now?" She asked.

"Yes. That's why I opened the portal." Vanus said. Velum went in. She stood over Umbra's sleeping body.

"You better hope this plan of yours works." Vanus said. Vanus opened another portal and Kaiser walked in.

"Salem asked for me. What is this?" Kaiser asked.

"She did ask for you. She wanted you to be here. She needs you to fill this up." Vanus tossed Kaiser a medical cup. He looked confused at Vanus.

"What?" Kaiser asked.

"Salem has ordered that someone be here to make sure you are the one who fills up the cup. She would do it, but she is busy, so it comes back to me."

"Fill it with…?" Kaiser started.

"Do I really need to explain? She did her part for your plan. You have to do your part. And Salem wants it done in Umbra's presence with a witness." Vanus said.

"Does she like doing things like this?" Kaiser asked.

"Just do it." Vanus said.

Umbra let out a yawn and opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched. She realized she was on a couch and turned around to see Kaiser holding a filled cup and Vanus outstretching her hand to grab it.

"What's going on?" Umbra asked, then she yawned again. "You know, it can wait. Wake me up in a few minutes."

Kaiser's face was burning red and he handed the cup to Vanus. Vanus tried to hold back from laughing. Umbra shot back up.

"Master!" She fell out of the couch and got up quickly.

"Calm down Umbra. You two should be happy to know that this should be all that you need to do. We have everything we'll need now. Now we just have to wait a few months." Vanus said. Umbra looked at the cup and realized what it was.

"Oh… why did you that here?" Umbra asked Kaiser. Kaiser said nothing. Vanus couldn't hold her laughter back anymore.

Kaiser and Umbra entered into the White Fang HQ the next day. Kaiser didn't look at Umbra. He opened the portal for the first of the Sith that were going to join the White Fang. They were almost ready to start the battle for Menagerie. Umbra stood next to Kaiser.

"Did Salem really…" Umbra started.

"Yes, stop bringing it up." Kaiser said.

"Nope." Umbra said. Kaiser felt his anger grow. Umbra smirked at him.

"When did you two get to chummy?" Yuma said as the Sith started entering the HQ.

"We're not friends." Kaiser said. Yuma shrugged his shoulders.

"Sorry Boss, misread that. We got an updated report. The Jedi masters who were at the first battle of Vale are here with the clones. The alliance forces haven't sent any forces yet. But our guys in Vale and Atlas are telling us that they are getting more pressure to come here. They have been hearing about the White Fang presence and believe Ghira failed to fulfill his side of the bargain. Ilia has her assassination team ready. Trifa has buried the explosives around the island." Yuma reported.

"Do you have teams ready on the tanks and turrets ready?" Kaiser asked.

"Yes sir. We're ready for the attack. You just need to give the order." Yuma said.

"Good." Kaiser said. "Gather our forces. I will address them before the battle starts." Kaiser said. Yuma saluted him and left.

"What are you going to tell them?" Umbra asked.

"Exactly what they need to hear." Kaiser said.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Act all mysterious. You have no idea." Umbra said.

"Yes I do. Why do you care?" Kaiser asked.

"I'm going to be here for the battle Kaiser. I think I should get something ahead of the others." Umbra said.

"Why?" Kaiser asked.

"Do you really not know? You're worse than Blake at talking sometimes." Umbra said. Kaiser spun around and looked down at Umbra.

"Don't compare me to that traitor." Kaiser said.

"Trying to loom over me? That won't work." Umbra put her hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"Hey!" He said as he stumbled back. He caught his balance quickly.

"You know, it's as good as I thought it was going to be." Umbra said.

"What is?"

"Being free from Salem's wish." Umbra said. Kaiser nodded his head.

"Do you think they will still put us together on missions?" Kaiser asked.

"What, you would miss me?" Umbra asked.

"Probably about as much as you would miss me." Kaiser said.

"No, I don't think they'll separate us. We do work good together, despite me not being able to stand the sight of you." Umbra said.

"Do you always have to be like this?" Kaiser asked.

"If I wasn't you'd be interested in me." Umbra said.

"What are you talking about?" Kaiser said.

"I'm just saying…" Umbra said.

"Stop what you were about to say. There is nothing between us." Kaiser said.

"I know that. We are together for efficiency." Umbra said.

"Exactly." They started moving towards the audience chamber.

"Well… there are five things that connect us. At least they will in the future." Umbra said.

"We'll probably have no relationship with them." Kaiser said.

"That is the tradition." Umbra said. They were quiet the rest of the way to the audience chamber.

Kaiser stood at the pulpit in the audience chamber. He looked out and saw everyone gathering. Including the Sith. He showed no reaction to that, but he knew that was the best sign.

"Brothers and Sisters of the White Fang. Sith Lords and Sith Ladies. The battle to redeem Menagerie is upon us. This attack will bring down the Jedi and their clones. We will have a small force move out to the work sites for the Jedi and their clones. This force will be a distraction force. That does not mean you are going to die. But you will for a short time take the brunt of the enemy." Kaiser brought up the map of Menagerie on the screen behind him. He pressed a button and the images representing the White Fang and the Jedi appeared.

"As soon as the enemy leaves the city that is when our main force will rise from the ground and attack. There is a market in the center of the city. That is where our tanks will rise from the ground. The tanks will focus on the guard positions and defensive positions. The infantry will arrive by the hidden doorways in the fifty different outposts around the city. Each outpost has had the parts brought in so that the turrets we still have can quickly be built in them." Kaiser showed the forces in the main city.

"What about enemy air support?" One of the Sith asked.

"The enemy will have minimal air support in the city. With the civilians still in the city they cannot attack wildly. They have to be smart about it. Our distraction team on the other hand will be given the squads of fighters we have smuggled around the island in the deserts. The pilots are already at the bases." Kaiser explained.

"How long before the Alliance comes and attacks like at Hellio?" A white fang troop asked.

"Long enough that after we take the city we will be able to make defenses. We have learned from Hellio. We also have far more clones than we did back then. This battle is ours to lose. Remember, Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power, through power I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. We are here to break the chains the humans and the Jedi have placed us in. This is our chance to fight back against the enemy of the Faunus. We will attack in two days at noon."

The people cheered as Kaiser explained everything. Umbra stood up as Kaiser stepped down from the podium.

"They are blind." Umbra said.

"That's alright. They need to be."

Author's Notes: Now all the main cast are Jedi knights, and good thing too. Next chapter, the Battle of Menagerie.

Umbra and Kaiser have gotten closer, despite what either would say to each other. They would be a terrible couple. Very toxic. But they do work together pretty well.

With this next chapter, the end of the Menagerie arc is coming up. We're going to soon move onto Mistral.

No Oscar in this chapter. No real place for him here. Also, we're done with the Umbra and Kaiser child stuff for now.

I got a review, but it's one of those art scams/self promotion. He said he read my story, but he must not have read the notes where I say I don't care if he draws my characters, as long as he doesn't ask me for money.

Please leave a review and everything else.

May the Force be With You

-DragonZlayerx12