Author's Notes;
-Hello again my dear readers. In unrelated news, I have found a job. It's not exactly what I thought I'd be doing, but it's something.
-To Guest; Dang it, that would have been so funny. Why didn't I think of that? Oh well. Perhaps I'll keep that idea in mind for the future.
-Also, Pokemon Legends of Arceus ripped my heart out. Don't worry, I fixed it! (Witchinmoonlight puts some glue on a giant heart) There. Can't say much without spoilers so... let's get a move on with the story.
Later that evening, a bird Qrow had just arrived in Aslolis and looked at the city from afar. With the boat unloading passengers, he quickly flew off past the water and sandy beachside and into the village.
I'm way behind Ruby and her friends... the bird thought to himself.
Then he saw a poster on a nearby bulletin board, flying past it before gasping in shock.
"Caw?"
He flew back and noticed a wanted poster, with five individual images;
Wanted dead or alive; Team JNPR-Ruby; Ruby Rose (dis-honorary team member), Jaune Arc (leader of JNPR), Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha Nikos (prime target)
No, this can't be. the drunk uncle thought. First Pyrrha, and now her friends too?
With this, the crow flapped his wings even faster, ascending further into the sky.
"Gosh damn it." He spoke softly when he was out of range. "I would have hoped that the Trojan Alliance was limited to eastern Sanus only." He sighed as he flapped faster. "Nobody ever said being a huntsman was easy."
Luck isn't on my side, but hopefully it is on theirs.
The heroic quintet was shown speeding away from Atrox, the sky painted blue but not complete night, Ruby carrying them and their coffin-carried prisoner forward in their cart. A flash of red, pink, green, white, and more red and a wagon dashed by could just barely be seen by the naked eye.
"Woah!" Nora and Pyrrha exclaimed.
Jaune threw himself on top of the coffin to ensure it wouldn't roll away.
"Ruby! Could you slow down?!" Jaune asked.
The silver-eyed warrior panted as she continued her trek.
Eventually, her aura started to flicker and she was reduced to walking. But they were far enough from Atrox that there were no immediate threats in sight.
Ruby told her teammates, "That... was close."
Nora grimaced with her. "No kidding."
"I just hope our new prisoner doesn't escape." Pyrrha said.
Ren gave the ladies a reassuring smile, as if the threat of death he and Jaune faced didn't faze him. "Don't worry. We have her bond in ropes, chains and aura canceling handcuffs. Not to mention we got her in a coffin, preventing her from rolling away. There is no way she is escaping."
Jaune opened the coffin and scowled at his traitorous aunt. "I hope you're ready to answer to your daughters and everyone else why you've been gone for many months."
She tried to pierce his soul with her eyes. "You think you're so clever, Jauney boy? I may not have seen you in years, but I can tell that you faked your way into Beacon!"
But he was unfazed. "They already know, Aunt Crim. And they still stuck with me. They forgave me. Too bad I can't say the same for you."
He slammed the lid shut, rattling the wagon and accidentally knocking Ruby down.
"Woah!" several of them exclaimed.
"Could you be gentler?!" Nora and Ruby asked in exasperation.
Jaune looked down. "I'm sorry!"
Wow, I kind of sound like my girlfriend. He secretly thought.
"I'll... take the next pull then." he offered.
He hopped down, and saw Ruby on the ground, too tired or unwilling to get up.
Jaune gingerly picked her up. "There, there, now get some rest. You've been working a lot today." he said, putting her down gently into the wagon. The knight linked his hands with the falling tongues of the wagon and began pulling them along.
Hours passed, and the sky had fallen into complete night. The broken moon and stars lit the way, and most of the crew was succumbing to sleepiness if they hadn't already. Ruby and Nora were sound asleep, the latter resting her head on Ren's lap. The lotus warrior spent most of his time looking at his best friend while keeping a diligent eye on the coffin prison.
Jaune began to tire as his girlfriend looked at him in concern, her loose hair gently tussled by the wind. "Jaune, don't you think we should stop for the night?"
"No... we can't. It's too... dangerous."
Ren squinted his eyes in the darkness. "I think I see a village up ahead."
Nora, semi-conscious, asked, "Pancakes?"
She smiled as she slipped back into sleep.
The lotus warrior looked at his best friend with adoration. That smile... Don't ever lose that smile, Nora.
About ten minutes later, they finally arrived at the perimeter of a village they hoped would be a refuge. The sign read, "Cornwater" and had been previously damaged from claws and bite marks. Some of the nearby buildings had cracks or other damage. Jaune and Ruby looked around, but did not immediately see an inn.
"Oh no..." Ruby spoke.
"Who goes there?" a voice called out from the shadows of a nearby building.
"Team JNPR and Ruby Rose. We've come here seeking shelter and aid." she answered.
A loud scream came from the coffin and startled Nora, waking her up.
"And a prisoner who needs to be detained." Jaune quickly added.
"Come closer so I can see you."
Getting out of the cart, they went closer to the building, seeing an old man with gray hair and red robes accented with gold, a necklace of green prayer beads around his neck and a golden ornamental hairpiece.
The older man looked closer at the spartan warrior. "Pyrrha Nikos? I thought you were dead."
"I'm afraid reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
"I see. I am happy to see that you are alive. Now what is this about a prisoner?"
Nora yawned briefly. "Well... you should see for yourself."
She went back to the cart, lifted the coffin out of it, leaned it against an exterior wall and opened it up. Inside, still furious and snarling, was Crimson Arc.
"What happened to her?" the mayor asked.
The knight sighed. "It's a long story."
"Too long to tell tonight?"
"Let's just say she needs professional help."
"I do not!" Crimson claimed. "He's lying!"
"She's a member of the Trojan Alliance, if that tells you anything." Nora added.
The man spoke in a hushed tone. "The Trojan Alliance?" He looked at the coffin, cold and stiff for a moment or two. After another moment of silence, he sighed and straightened himself. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"The Trojan Alliance came here and approached us. They offered us protection and aid against Grimm and other problems plaguing this village. We refused. Partially because we knew Pyrrha was innocent and didn't want to abandon our morals for someone we thought to be a posthumous heroine and partially because the Alliance are highly dangerous people. We couldn't call apart the truth from their lies, but we knew they couldn't be trusted. They have left us to perish at the hands of Grimm, leaving us for dead."
"Oh gosh, that's horrible..." Ruby said.
"Indeed so. And the Trojan Alliance is worse than you think." the man warned. "Not only do they want Pyrrha's head on a platter, they're trying to force other cities and settlements to accept their dangerous ideology. They're seeking to conquer the entirety of the Mistralian outlands. Maybe even the entire continent of Anima."
The quintet looked terrified at this revelation, nearly frozen in stiff silence.
"Oh God..." Jaune whispered.
"Yes, it is... quite terrifying. We can take this prisoner off of your hands, but I can't imagine what they might do to us when they find who we have in custody."
The heroes looked at each other in mutual concern as behind them, Crimson smirked.
Not long thereafter, the heroes and village leader of them were in front of a building made from stone. With Nora carrying the closed coffin, they entered the building, with Ren and Ruby behind her and Jaune, Pyrrha and the village elder in the front. They went past the sheriff's desk and found an empty cell immediately to their left.
"Set her down there, please." he instructed.
Nora followed his instruction and set the coffin into the cell. As she set her down, the ninja noticed that many of the cell bars had been bent, damaged or even destroyed in a few cases.
Ren whispered to Jaune, "Many of the cells have been damaged. Do you think they can hold her?"
Before he could answer, a slightly old man in nicer clothes, presumably the warden, entered the room.
"Oroko Ayano, what are you doing here?"
The village leader, now known to the heroes, answered, "Warden Fierr, these heroes have brought a member of the Trojan Alliance to our jail. They need a place to hold her."
Fierr did not look happy about the news. "A Trojan Alliance member? Are you out of your mind?!"
"We may be the only one able to detain them. Not to mention, I'm the leader of this village and you answer to me."
The warden sighed. "Tell me they at least got the ringleader."
"I wish that was the case, but alas, it is not.." The warden groaned loudly at this, causing Ayano to scowl. "Stop it! Do you want to have another Grimm invasion occur?"
Fierr looked downcast. "No, Sir."
"An invasion?" Ruby asked.
"Ever since the Trojan Alliance made their offer and we refused, negativity of the villagers has risen to a dangerous new height. Grimm Invasions have been occurring on and off for a few weeks, and all of our defenses have finally crumbled."
"That's because you hired huntsmen academy rejects and dropout students from Haven!"
Pyrrha winced as Ayano argued, "What other choice did I have?!"
"Not to mention there's a massive Geist out there and we have no idea how far it is from us. It could strike any moment!" Fierr ranted.
"Which is why you need to calm down!"
Fierr looked down in realization. "You're right. I'll leave you alone now. It's past time for me to be in bed anyway."
With this, the warden left, taking out a stress ball and squeezing it with his left hand.
The village leader sighed. "My apologies you had to hear that. Let me show you our inn."
The heroes followed Ayano out of the jail and into the streets. As they got further into the inn, they saw more damaged buildings and even a few frightened villagers looking out their windows.
"Is that team JNPR?"
"Who is that girl with them?"
"Pyrrha Nikos? In the flesh?"
"I thought the Alliance had killed her."
Pyrrha looked down, trying not to look at any of them.
All of these people... suffering for a twisted sense of justice. She thought of all the Trojan Alliance members out there. And you failed to stop them.
Sometime later, the heroes were seen in a spacious room with all their baggage. The room was painted plain white and had brown carpeting. For furniture, there were two beds and a couch, along with a nightstand, on which there were currently a few room keys.
"I hope this room suits your needs." Ayano told them.
Ruby chuckled, seeing the couch nearby. "Well it has a couch, so I can't complain."
Ren gave a bow of respect. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, especially at this hour."
"You are welcome. I wish that I could provide better lodgings. Alas, this is the last standing inn. And if we don't get professional help soon, this inn and many other establishments may perish before our eyes."
The others winced, with Pyrrha trying hard not to cry.
"I'll leave you be now. I bid you goodnight and peaceful sleep."
With this, Mr. Ayano left them.
"How can we sleep like this?" Nora asked. "This village is falling apart, and we're doing nothing."
"Nora, we're exhausted. We just got out of a dangerous gauntlet." Ren reasoned. "If there's something we can do, we can do it in the morning."
He climbed into one of the beds, tucked himself under the covers and tried to go to sleep.
"Why isn't Mr. Ayano asking for help? It seems that he needs it." Jaune commented.
"I think Ayano is scared that something bad will happen to us. That destiny and fate will be cruel." Pyrrha said, placing her hand to the window. "I know he isn't asking for our aid, but..." Tears fell from her face. "how can we ignore their silent cry for help?"
Nora got under the covers next to Ren as Ruby went to and curled up on the couch. Even as she tried to sleep, the valkyrie's face twitched in torment. Ruby turned, facing away from her team.
Jaune and Pyrrha embraced and looked at each other in somber yet silent understanding.
We're going to do something. I don't know what, but we will help them. they thought.
One week later, Yang, SLR and all their allies, including Edom, Gliss, Cyrene, Eric Green and Dr. Vi, stood in the shadows of the alleyway, slipping in and out of them. Soon they stood in front of a large, two building spanning the size of a football field.
"There it is." Surya forebode. "City Hall."
"You remember the plan, right?" Atum asked everyone.
Yang thought back to their first strategy session, shortly after all of the burn victims had been treated.
[One week earlier]
Yang and her allies were in the library, planning out their move. In front of them was a blueprint of city hall.
"So what's the plan for getting past them?" Yang asked.
"There's at least thirty well-trained guards before we even get to Scarlatti." Atum noted. "And that's not even counting bodyguard team SSEA. All of the entrances have two guards at them, so it doesn't matter which way we try to enter from a fight perspective. However, Scarlatti's office is on the west side of the second floor, meaning we'll have to go through the back entrance and cut through the library to make it to the nearest staircase if we want to avoid unnecessary fights that could slow us down. And that's where we want to have as little guards as possible."
"Do they," she coughed, "excuse me- the normal guards, have a leader?"
"They do. Her name is Esmeralda Ozpin. An elderly woman who lives in the old part of Aquarian."
Yang paused. "Any relationship to former Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon?"
"Well.. that's the thing." Eric began. "No one truly knows. Many suspect that she is, but she has continually denied these claims. Whether or not she is being truthful is hard to tell."
The blonde brawler raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Apollo a living lie detector?"
"Apollo can only detect spoken lies, for he has to be physically present to detect them. Written lies could slip right by him. Oddly enough, he can detect lies over video and other communication devices." Cyrene answered. "However, based on his judgement, he suspects Esmeralda is lying."
"Perhaps you can use that to your advantage," Edom suggested.
"Uriel Aaron. Doesn't he have an ally?" Gliss suddenly asked. "Someone named Hestia?"
Atum realized... "Oh man, I had forgotten all about him and his so-called associate. He, or they, could still be lurking around. Be ready for anything."
"Alright then. Here's the full plan." Surya began. "Group A, led by Cyrene, will go to the front to distract or detain the guards at the public entrance. She, alongside Eric Green, Edom Albu, his daughter Gliss, orphaned Ophelia, Dr. Vi and others will fight and distract the north guards. If things go south, run as fast as you can and hopefully no one on our side will be hurt.
"Group B, consisting of me, Apollo, Atum and Yang, among others, will move to the back, and have Apollo take out the first two guards before they sound the alarm." Surya began. "Then those of us who are fighting will roll in and take on the first wave of west guards. They should go down easily. Once we defeat them, or get them under control to the point where team SLR-flare can easily slip away, the true fighters will ascend and fight Scarlatti's bodyguards. Once they're gone, she'll have no defenses left and her tyranny will crumble."
"Solar Flare?" Ophelia asked.
"What? I thought it was a good name. Regardless, everyone who agrees with this plan, say "Aye", or something similar."
Several "Ayes" were heard amongst the crowd.
When the commotion died down... "This plan is bold. I believe I'm sold." Apollo declared. "To the west we shall go, and the sun sets for Scarlatti, ho!"
The firecracker briefly smiled. "Does he always speak like this?"
"Yes." his other teammates responded.
"Then it's settled." Eric spoke. "Tomorrow, the remnants of Scarlatti's followers and their new allies will stop her, once and for all."
"No. We are more than just the remnants of a vigilante group." Surya told them. "Our original objective has been gone for a long time. And many of us were lost when we tried to make amends in Aletheia. We shall never again call ourselves the Scarlatti Trojan Alliance. We are... the Spartan Alliance."
In the present, the Spartan Alliance looked at the entrance. The clock above city hall struck five, and the changing of the entrance guards began.
"It's time." Surya said solemnly. "Good luck everyone and be careful."
Cyrene wished them good luck. "Godspeed team SOLR-flare."
Team SOLR, Yang and many others left as Cyrene and her group stayed behind.
As the new guards came forth, Cyrene went behind a nearby fired arrows at them, but her arrows missed the mark. One hit a guard in the arm, and the other missed as they ducked out of the way.
"We have intruders!" one of them exclaimed.
The uninjured guard pressed a button on the side of the wall.
"Curses..." she groaned under breath.
On the west side, Apollo fired ice dust arrows at the guards, causing them to have their heads frozen before Surya knocked them to the ground and out of the battle that was to come.
With this, Yang and team SOLR ran through the doors to find Esmeralda and other guards within the restricted archives library. The ringleader held a spear with an electric dust filled tip in her hands.
"Traitors!" Esmeralda claimed.
She spun her spear, releasing waves of electric dust towards the freedom fighters. Atum projected an aura shield to protect them.
"What do we do, Surya?" Yang asked.
He answered, "I'll go for the commander, hold the others back."
Yang fired at one of the guards with her left version of Ember Celica, knocking him to the wall in an instant. Atum released fire dust wave from his crook, causing a dust explosion sending several guards back.
With his flail, he released a round of explosion dust as Surya stabbed one of the guards in the arm, causing a cry of agony to be heard.
Apollo fired arrow after arrow at the guards, rarely missing a beat. One of the guards was hit in the knee, one of them had their coat pinned to the wall, and one very unlucky guy got an arrow right to his hand, shattering the bones in his palm.
"OW! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?"
He winced, but ducked down as a wave of electric dust came towards him. Esmeralda advanced towards him.
Yang punched a guard in the stomach with her fist, sending him flying and creating a hole in the door.
Back at the main entrance, several guards were fighting against group A. Gliss was surprisingly quick on her feet as she punched and ducked to avoid the moves of the guards, but Ophelia wasn't having much luck. Cyrene created an aura shield, blocking the gunfire energy blasts from many of the guards from hitting the one-eyed man and one-armed man.
"Why are you doing this? Gliss asked. "You're defending a villain!"
"Sweetie, they're guards." Edom answered as he hid himself behind a shield. "Employed by the mayor. They won't listen to reason!"
The former mayor gave a quick glance at his friend. "Stop trying to interfere with your daughter's plan!"
Eric found himself dodging spears for dear life. Eventually he caught one in his hands and snapped it by breaking it over his knee.
Cyrene fired one arrow after another, and soon a new player entered the field. She had black hair, amber eyes and tanned skin. She wore orange ropes with a golden belt around the waist. She was as tall as the average woman, but displayed a childlike demeanor. How old was she?
"Is that... Hestia?" Gliss asked.
The girl stood, showing little to no emotion as she retrieved a gun, shooting out fire dust bullets.
"It is. I saw her with Uriel when they captured us." Cyrene answered.
As they dodged her bullets, Eric asked, "But where's the huntsman?"
"Maybe he left the city. Or sent this girl in his place."
Cyrene fired a barrage of arrows, but Hestia dodged them all with a simple series of side steps.
"Hey Hestia! Why are you doing this?" Gliss asked.
She didn't respond.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Hestia didn't even flinch from the sound or react at all.
The orphan girl, recently knocked to the ground, looked up at her ally in realization. "Don't you get it? She's deaf."
Gliss jumped back, terribly confused. "Death? But how? She's alive."
"Deaf. D-E-A-F. Can't hear a thing." Ophelia simplified.
"How are we supposed to reason with her?" Eric asked,
"I don't suppose anyone here knows sign language, do they?"
Gliss began, "I do, but..."
She never got to finish her sentence, her answer replaced by a very loud scream. Her cry of agony seemed to deafen everyone except for Hestia. Edom gasped in terror as he saw what happened; One of the bullets got her right in the elbow, causing blood to leak out and a few of her bones to pop out of her arm. Many of the guards did not approach her, and many more looked horrified.
"GLISS!" Edom ran over to her, seeing his little girl injured. "Dr. Vi! We have a problem!"
Vi kicked the guard she was fighting in the crotch, knocked him down and made her way over to them.
Cyrene looked at Hestia. She was smirking. With tears in her eyes, she screamed, "You monster!"
The female archer fired off even more arrows at her, these ones loaded with both ice and fire dust. Several explosions occurred, both injuring guards and obscuring those on the field.
Back in the library, Apollo jumped back from a barrage of laser gunshots, all the while appearing extremely concerned. Yang knocked down the last soldier, leaving only Esmeralda standing. She growled in rage.
The red-gem leader looked at his truth-detecting friend in concern. "Apollo, what's wrong?"
"I sense... an underlying sadness. No, wait, it's much more... an underlying madness." the rhymer answered.
Apollo threw a golden orb of aura at Esmeralda, which she quickly absorbed, a gasp and breath heard. She dropped her weapon, as if to say, "What am I doing?"
"An extension of your semblance to clear the mind," Atum told Apollo. "Well played."
"Alright, Esmeralda. Tell us the truth; why are you here?" Surya asked her. "And are you truly Ozpin's mother?"
"The truth... is much worse than you think. And... it is a long, harrowing, agonizing tale." she began. "It is true, I am Ozpin's mother, but... it wasn't by choice. I was raped." SLR and Yang all gasped. "I was defiled, my innocence stolen, and the man responsible... was a clawed faunus named Urdin Sustrai. Why he chose me, a twenty-four old woman who didn't even know him, to be his victim is something I have been asking myself for decades, but still do not know. To the best of my knowledge, he has not been caught to this day, and most likely sired other illegitimate children through such crimes. The only reason I kept the baby was that I thought I could use my unborn child against him in hopes that he would be imprisoned for life. But this did not happen.
"They finally caught him when I was five and a half months pregnant. By this point, I was hiding my pregnancy from everyone save for the criminal and the authorities. Thankfully it was the middle of fall, making it easier to bundle up and hide my pregnancy from otherwise would-be prying eyes. The court case only took a single day, and they let him go, much to my anger. It was only a few days later that I saw the reason why, and they realized their mistake. He used an illusion/hallucination semblance on the police officers, the jury, and the judge. Everyone heard his lie, except for me. I heard the truth. They tried to apologize, and to warn others of his power so that they would avoid making the same mistake they did, but it was still too late. Much too late.
"So there I was; twenty five years old, five and a half months pregnant with a child I didn't want, and a criminal who got away scot-free. I was angry, appalled and felt that I was betrayed by the world. But by this point, my child was already over half way to being born. I felt him kick and play inside my womb. He was alive, and who was I to take that life, especially in a world where life is always threatened? Life had always been threatened by the presence of Grimm and often criminals, and despite me hating him, I believed that my son deserved better. Both of us did. One part of me hated this child, but the other part felt sorrow for him. I still did not want anyone to know what happened to me, so when the time came, I gave birth alone in the walls of my own home. The labor was immensely painful, lasting for eighteen long hours. I questioned many times if I should go to a hospital, but I didn't and I somehow survived the ordeal. I named him Emmanuel, hoping that he could save himself from his father's heritage and maybe even everyone around him.
"After my son was born, I conjured up the remaining strength I had, and found a donkey and a wooden wagon I borrowed from a friend. She didn't know where I was going or what I was doing, but I made my way to Lower Cairn nonetheless. Once I arrived, I took Emmanuel to the nearest orphanage I could find; Greenleaf Orphanage, run by a kind woman named Miss Crystal. I spoke directly with her, wanting to know that he would be safe, and I asked her not to tell my son anything about me. I believe that she eventually broke that rule however, but I do not wish to get ahead of myself.
"Rather than risk going through the pain of pregnancy and childbirth again, I chose to get myself sterilized. From there, I tried to live as much of a normal life as I could, making and selling pottery, jewelry and other wares at my own shop and the farmer's market. I did this for many years, in which I was able to make a good living for myself. I tried to move on, but no matter what I did, the agony of his assault, the long, hard pregnancy, the pain of childbirth, and the smug look on his face when he was declared innocent in court. It never left me. It only grew stronger.
"Ten years later, Emmanuel tracked me down, but wanting nothing to do with him, I shunned him away, telling him who his father was before screaming and throwing a vase at him. I never wanted him to get hurt, but yet, I was hurting him in more ways than one. I regretted my actions, but never said anything because I didn't want him near me. I wasn't entirely sure what became of him afterwards, although it's likely he went to an orphanage in the city and was never adopted to his status as a half-blood. Three years later, a ski-masked teenage thief rose to power, becoming known as the "Scourge of Aquarian" and its most notorious thief. However, since he was never caught by the authorities, no one was ever able to find out his true identity. I suspected that it may have been Emmanuel, but I never told the authorities or anyone else this out of fear that he would be jailed, or worse, executed for his crimes.
"Eventually, after five years of thievery, the thief vanished from the city. Sometime later, Emmanuel became a huntsman and eventually the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. My mind continued to turn on me. As much as I was angry with him and his father, I was also happy and relieved that he managed to overcome whatever hardships that had befallen him. I hoped that he would live a long, happy life and that he would never fall in battle. But this did not happen. When the Grimm invaded Vale after the Penny vs Pyrrha match, Vale fell and Ozpin fell with it. Rumors of his death spread like wildfire, and after a month or so of anxious waiting, his death was confirmed.
"And in the aftermath of Beacon's fall and Ozpin's death, I found myself surrounded by people who hated him and Pyrrha, among others. The Trojan Alliance had begun to form from those who hated Pyrrha and wanted to see her brought to justice, and for some, that meant killing her. They defamed Ozpin, blamed him for Yang and Pyrrha's behavior and some stated that he deserved death. With my mind betraying me, I wasn't sure what to believe. But as time went on, Scarlatti was approached by Uriel Aaron, and, as a result of hating Pyrrha from the beginning of Beacon's destruction, was easily convinced to join the Trojan Alliance. Five weeks after Beacon's fall, Scarlatti officially became a member and implemented her totalitarian regime. As she shut down news stations that didn't agree with her and spread her harmful propaganda, I found myself in a hostile environment. My views became more and more polarized, and before the new year began, I succumbed to their ideals.
"There were many times I wondered if I made the right decision; to bring Emmanuel into this world or not. Should I have gotten an abortion, at any time during my pregnancy? And if so, should it have been before or after Sustrai was let go? Should I have tried to raise my child? Would my mind be in a better state if I changed my decision? I don't know if I really made the right decision on any account, but the past is long gone. Regardless, Ozpin managed to outrun the darkness he grew up in, which I fear I may have thrown him into, but yet, I am still trapped here. Some say that time heals all wounds, but it isn't true. Time doesn't heal all wounds, and it certainly doesn't heal scars.
She turned to Apollo, a golden glow flickering in and out. "I must thank you for giving me a moment of clarity. But I fear your power won't last forever... It's only a matter of time before the darkness of my mind takes me again."
"Esmeralda Ozpin, my dear. I know you're scared, but you needn't have fear. Go seek help, make haste. When it comes to your mind, there's no time to waste."
Apollo gave her a hand-written note, which she pocketed in her skirt as the gold flicker returned and faded. "I appreciate the kind words, although I fear it's too late for me. Forty nine years too late. Dare I say nearly fifty..."
Yang looked at her in sympathy. "Is it... possible that you have undiagnosed PTSD? Bi-polar depression? Borderline personality disorder even?"
Esmeralda sighed, another flicker of light around her. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but perhaps I will find out. As for you, you have a long task ahead. You may have beaten the guards, but there is still team SSEA to deal with. They never leave Scarlatti's side."
"Where is she?" Atum asked.
"If you wish to face Scarlatti, her office is not too far from here. Simply go through those doors, take a left and it'll be the first door on the right." The gold light flickered again, this time pulsing. "Good luck."
With this, Esmeralda exited the room as though she was never there.
"Well, you heard her." Surya told them. "Let's go."
Poor Esmeralda... Yang thought. She never wanted a child, she lost her mind, and she ultimately ran. Her mind turned to Raven. Is this what all mothers who didn't plan to have a child do?
Trailing behind team SOLR/SLR, she tried to push her concerns aside as she went forward.