The afternoon sun hung high, casting long shadows as Yang slowed her bike. The towering walls of Argus loomed in the distance, standing tall and resolute against the horizon. The sight alone was a relief—a sign they had finally made it.

"We're here," Yang announced, cutting the engine.

In the wagon, Team RWBY, Maria, Selene, Qrow, and Rinko let out quiet sighs of relief. The journey had been exhausting, from battling the Apathy to barely escaping the wrecked train, but they had made it.

Ruby eagerly reached for her scroll, feeling the familiar buzz of a regained signal. Without hesitation, she called Jaune.

Argus

The gates of Argus opened, allowing Team RWBY to step through. The moment they crossed, they were greeted with open arms—Jaune, Nora, Ren, Oscar, and Pyrrha stood there waiting.

"Ruby!" Jaune called, rushing forward, wrapping Ruby in a tight, almost crushing embrace.

"Oof—! Hehe, hey Jaune!" Ruby laughed, returning the hug.

But when Jaune pulled away, his expression hardened, his blue eyes sharp with concern.

"What were you thinking?!" he scolded. "Slicing the train like that?! You could've gotten yourselves killed!"

"Yeah, you tell her, Jaune!" Nora chimed in, her voice a mix of exasperation and amusement as she dramatically waved a fist in the air.

Ruby nervously scratched the back of her head, a bead of sweat forming on her temple. "Eheh..."

"But seriously, though. It wasn't cool. Don't do that again." Jaune said, his voice low.

"Yeah.. I know, I'm sorry." Ruby lowered her head.

"But hey," Jaune smirked, "Atleast you all made it back. That's all that matters."

Ruby looked up to Jaune, she smiled, "Thanks, Jaune."

Nora wasted no time in tackling Weiss into a hug, while Ren greeted Blake and Yang with warm embraces.

Behind Team RWBY stood Qrow, Maria, Selene, and Rinko. Pyrrha's gaze found the silver-haired Schnee, her expression softening as she approached.

"Glad you all made it safely," she said.

"Yeah..." Rinko murmured, but something in his tone made her pause.

She studied him closely—his posture was rigid, his breathing uneven. A light sheen of sweat formed on his pale skin.

"You okay?" Pyrrha asked gently, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Rinko nodded, "I'm fine"

Before he could finish, his body swayed. His vision blurred, his mind drifting into a haze. The last thing he saw was Pyrrha's widening eyes before the world tilted.

Then—

Thud.

Gasps filled the air. Rinko had collapsed.

"Rinko?!" Pyrrha's voice was the first to cry out, rushing to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa, hey!" Jaune exclaimed, rushing to his knees beside him. Oscar's face went pale.

"What's happening?!" Weiss asked, alarmed.

Blake and Ren crouched beside him, while Qrow's expression darkened. Selene stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Rinko!" Yang shook him gently, but there was no response.

Jaune turned to the others, his hands trembling. "We need to get him to a hospital—now!"

Without hesitation, the group sprang into action. Qrow lifted Rinko into his arms, and without another word, they rushed toward the city.

Few Hours Later

The waiting room was heavy with silence. Team RWBY and Team JNPR sat together, their anxious gazes flickering between the floor and the door where Rinko had been taken. Selene stood near the wall, while Oscar shifted uneasily on his feet.

Qrow was waiting outside the Hospital.

Despite their exhaustion from the journey, no one had left. The tension in the air was palpable, worry gnawing at their patience. Every so often, someone would sigh, shift in their seat, or glance at the clock, but no one spoke.

Finally, the door opened, and a doctor stepped into the room, holding a clipboard.

Weiss was the first to rise, her voice sharp with concern. "Doctor, is he alright?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses before replying, "Yes... He's stable. Throughout all our scans and tests, we found nothing physically wrong with him."

The news should have been reassuring, but it wasn't. Instead, it left an unsettling feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

"Nothing wrong?" Yang repeated, frowning. "Then why did he collapse like that?"

The doctor shook his head. "We don't know. His vital signs are normal, there are no signs of illness or internal injuries. By all accounts, he should be awake, but..." He sighed. "He's unresponsive. It's as if he's in a deep sleep, a coma, but with no identifiable cause."

Ruby's hands clenched into fists as she looked down. "That doesn't make sense..."

Pyrrha placed a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder, but Weiss hardly seemed to register it. She was still staring at the doctor, her expression unreadable.

"Can we see him?" Ren asked quietly.

The doctor nodded. "Of course. But I can't promise he'll wake up anytime soon."

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Rinko lay still on the hospital bed, his breathing slow and steady. He looked peaceful, as if he were simply sleeping—but the unnatural stillness unsettled them all.

Weiss stood at his bedside, gripping the metal rail of the bed tightly. She wasn't sure what she had expected to see, but this—seeing her twin lying motionless, his usual sharpness and quiet wit absent—made her chest ache.

Nora placed a hand on her hip. "So what now? We just wait?"

"We have to," Ruby said, her voice unusually quiet. "Until he wakes up."

"But what if he doesn't?" Oscar asked, his uncertainty mirroring what everyone was thinking but afraid to say.

Selene, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. "He will."

Everyone turned to her, but she simply stared at Rinko, unreadable as always.

"He has to," she added, more to herself than anyone else.

No one could argue with that.

Yang went besides Weiss as she leaned a bit closer to Rinko as she laid her metal palm on his steady face.

"Rinko.."

Saphron's Home, Later That Night

The front door swung open, and Team JNPR, Team RWBY, Selene, Oscar, and Qrow stepped inside. The moment they crossed the threshold, a collective sigh escaped them, exhaustion hanging over the group like a heavy fog.

Saphron stood in the kitchen, a pot of steaming soup in her hands, ready to greet them. But as soon as she saw their faces, her expression shifted from warm welcome to concern.

Their exhaustion was evident—messy hair, dirt-streaked clothes, and dark circles under their eyes. They had been through hell, and it showed.

"What happened to you guys?" she asked, her brows knitting together.

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Uh—hello, Miss Saphron."

"Heh. Hello, Ruby. You are Ruby, right? Red cloak, dark hair?" Saphron teased with a tired smirk.

Ruby simply nodded, too drained to respond with her usual energy.

The soft creak of footsteps echoed down the stairs from above. Terra Cotta, Saphron's wife, descended with their toddler, Adrian, nestled in her arms.

"Dear, have you also made some chicken for Adrian—?" She stopped mid-step the moment her gaze landed on the group. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh gods! What happened to you guys?" she exclaimed, gesturing toward their haggard faces.

Qrow groaned as he rubbed his temples. "Long story. Got any liquor?"

"Qrow," Weiss scolded, though she lacked the energy to put real force into it.

Saphron set the soup down and placed a hand on her hip. "Well, you guys look like you've been through a storm. The bathroom's upstairs and down the hall—go clean up first. We'll talk over dinner."

Weiss barely acknowledged her before turning to the stairs. "Come on, let's go," she muttered, already heading up.

Without argument, Team RWBY, Selene, and Qrow followed, leaving the others behind.

Freshly showered and dressed in borrowed clothes, Team RWBY, Selene, and Qrow made their way back downstairs, the scent of warm food filling the air.

In the cozy living room, the group gathered around the low table, bowls of soup and plates of roasted chicken laid out. Terra rocked Adrian gently in her arms, while Saphron poured drinks for everyone.

"Alright," Saphron said, leaning forward. "Now that you're all cleaned up and fed, proper introductions are in order. I already met the others yesterday, but you guys are new."

Ruby swallowed her bite of chicken before speaking. "Right! Uh, I'm Ruby Rose. Leader of Team RWBY. And this is my sister, Yang."

Yang gave a tired smirk, lifting a hand in greeting. "Yang Xiao Long. I punch things."

"Understatement," Weiss muttered before straightening in her seat. "Weiss Schnee. A pleasure to meet you."

Blake nodded. "Blake Belladonna."

Qrow lazily raised a hand. "Qrow Branwen. Professional babysitter for this lot."

"You're also a drunk," Saphron shot back playfully.

Qrow snorted. "Yeah, yeah."

Finally, all eyes turned to the last member of the group—Selene. She sat stiffly, her posture unnaturally formal compared to the others.

"My name is Selene Marbol," she introduced with a small bow of her head. "I am a personal maid of the Schnee estate."

Terra blinked. "Oooo, A maid!"

"That explains the uniform." Saphron muttered, smirking.

Selene gave a polite nod but said nothing further.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all properly," Saphron said, leaning back against the couch. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

"Thank you," Weiss said sincerely.

As they ate, the conversation drifted into easier topics, a much-needed reprieve from the weight of their worries. But even as they laughed and shared stories, the lingering question remained in the back of their minds.

Rinko was still in a coma.

And they still had no idea why.

After Dinner

Selene was in the kitchen, helping clean up with Terra and Saphron while the rest of everyone stayed within the living room.

"So.. What happened?" Jaune asked Ruby.

Ruby looked at Jaune, reluctant to speak, she turned to the rest of Team RWBY and to Qrow. She sighed.

Team RWBY had told them what had happened after the crash. The harsh blizzard, the dead villagers, Grimm, and how that left a mark to the team.

Jaune and the rest of Team JNPR as well as Oscar, looked in shock and surprise.

"No wonder why you all looked.. Tired." Ren spoke.

"Yeah.. It was hell out there.." Yang said, her voice low.

The silence stretched unbearably until Weiss finally broke it, her voice quiet yet laced with frustration. "This doesn't make any sense. Why did Rinko collapsed..?"

All eyes turned to her as she continued. "The doctors ran every test they could think of, and they found nothing. No injuries, no sickness—so why is he still unconscious?"

Jaune exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I don't know. But we can't just sit here and do nothing."

"What else can we do?" Yang muttered, running a hand through her hair. "It's not like we have a cure for... whatever this is."

Pyrrha's eyes flickered with uncertainty. "Maybe it's not something physical."

The room shifted, all eyes locking on her. Ruby straightened slightly, nodding in agreement. "That's what I was thinking. If the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with his body, then maybe the problem isn't with his body."

Ren frowned. "You mean something like... his aura?"

Oscar shifted, fingers tightening around his sleeve. "Or... something deeper."

A heavy silence followed, the weight of his words settling over them like a suffocating blanket. No one wanted to say it aloud, but the implications were clear.

Weiss's expression hardened. "We can't just assume things. We need real answers."

Jaune let out a slow breath, leaning back against his chair. "Then we ask the only person who might have them."

Ruby's hand instinctively went to her waist, brushing against the cool, ornate surface of the Relic of Knowledge. Now, they were running out of options.

She turned her gaze to Oscar, searching for the quiet wisdom that sometimes surfaced in his eyes when Ozpin stirred within him. Oscar met her stare, hesitant at first, but after a brief pause, he gave a faint nod.

Ozpin was on board with the idea.

Qrow uncrossed his arms and exhaled, stepping forward. "If we're doing this, we need to be smart about it."

Weiss pursed her lips. "We only get three questions, right? We have to make them count."

Oscar interjected, "Actually, there's two questions left.. I.. Ozpin may have used the other one."

Jaune clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "Rinko's a vital part of our team. He led us through Mistral. If we lose him now..." His voice trailed off, the implication heavy in the air. They had been building momentum since acquiring the Relic, surviving against impossible odds.

Losing Rinko wouldn't just hurt their morale—it could break them entirely.

Qrow sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright. Let's do this."

Ruby took a deep breath, steadying herself as she pulled the Relic of Knowledge from her waist. The blue gemstone pulsed faintly, its ancient energy radiating through the air like a low hum.

She stood and gave it to Ozpin, he nodded.

Jaune let out a slow, controlled breath, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Then we make sure our first question counts." He looked at Ozpin, his blue eyes sharp and filled with unspoken urgency. "Ask Jinn what's happening to Rinko. Why isn't he waking up?"

Oscar hesitated, his grip tightening around the Relic. "That's... a good place to start." He looked at Qrow and Ruby for reassurance, and after receiving small nods from both, he stepped forward.

Taking a steadying breath, he lifted the Relic, feeling the ancient power stir within.

"I call upon Jinn," Oscar said, his voice steady despite the tension thickening in the room.

The reaction was immediate.

Time seemed to slow, as the faint running water and cleaning at the kitchen paused.

A brilliant blue light erupted from the Relic, expanding outward like a wave. The air shimmered as reality seemed to bend, and a tall, ethereal figure emerged from the core of the glowing artifact. Jinn, the spirit of knowledge, stretched her arms out in a languid motion, her sapphire eyes gleaming with an almost amused curiosity.

"Ah... it has been some time, hasn't it?" she mused, her voice a smooth melody of amusement and omniscience. She lazily observed the gathered group, her gaze lingering on Ruby and Weiss before shifting to Oscar. "You've called upon me once again. What knowledge do you seek?"

Oscar swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him. He locked eyes with Jinn, summoning what little courage he had left.

"We need to know," he said, his voice stronger than before, "what's happening to Rinko. Why isn't he waking up?"

For a brief moment, Jinn's expression shifted—subtle, but noticeable. The amusement dimmed, replaced by something unreadable, something bordering on intrigue.

"A curious question," she murmured, tilting her head. "Very well. The answer you seek... is one tied to something beyond the physical."

Her voice was like rolling thunder, deep and ancient, sending a shiver through the group.

[End]