Author's Notes;

Greetings readers. (Guess who's back? Back again? Witch is back, tell a friend!)

Musical parody aside, glad to see you all again. I'm sure you're eager to get back into the story. If you want to skip the author's notes, I don't blame you. But if you do, you'll miss out on a few things;

-This volume has been planned out, so hopefully, chapters should come out quicker and cleaner. (But feel free to give constructive criticism anytime. Feedback helps me to improve as a writer.)

-Starting from V5 onward, I'll be giving summaries of volumes so that you can get an idea of what will happen/how the volume differs from canon.

First example below...

V5;

Team RWBY still remains dissolved, but team AVNRR (Avenger) is still stronger than ever. In the aftermath of the Trojan Alliance crumbling, Pyrrha must come to terms with the death of her parents' killers and the reason she began her journey- her promise to Penny. To make matters worse- Salem, her agents, and the White Fang, led by Adam Taurus, are all planning to destroy Haven Academy. As team AVNRR, Qrow and Oscar Pine plan their next move, several heroes near and far attempt to prevent another tragedy. But will their efforts be enough? What lengths will Pyrrha go to fulfill her promise to the late Penny Polendina? Can Haven be saved, or will another huntsman academy burn and crumble to the ground?

Other semi-important matters here... The list of ships I've created, either with canon characters and/or my own original characters;

-Arkos

-Blacksun

-WarGods (ocs- Athena Bruna and Ares Adamos-badass villain couple)

-ColdMelody (Jacques Schnee and oc Bianca Delaney-which is more of a lustful adultery/one sided love on Bianca's side than anything else)

-PowerTrip (James Ironwood and oc Merla Valery-secret general and maid relationship)

-SurfandTurf (ocs-Aoi Morris and Wungeng-villain couple relationship)

-ReNora

Sunken;

-BonnieandClyde (ocs- Kiaran Barrow and Alva Parker, both killed in action)

(checks list) I think that's everything.

Now then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

(rechecks list)

Oh wait, one more thing. The new intro!

[cue revamped Volume 5 intro and music- Triumph]

[The intro begins with Pyrrha as she stands on the mountain with Mistral city in the background. Qrow, in his bird form, flies towards the city, leaving a feather behind before transitioning to Ruby standing in Mistral's lower levels. It transitions from Ruby blinking her eyes sadly to Weiss standing alone in a forest, her hair loose and crown missing, to Blake sitting on a bed in a hotel room, silently sobbing with her knees curled and Yang standing in a forest with her motorcycle.

[The Roosterteeth Presents RWBY slide appears before transitioning to the first three RWBY girls grabbing their weapons and Yang riding her motorcycle before going to an excited Ruby, calm Ren and Jaune sitting on a green couch, only both his legs are down and his arms are folded. Pyrrha is standing next to Jaune and takes his hand before Nora hangs upside down, pointing towards an exasperated Qrow. Qrow turns to Oscar, in possession of Ozpin's cane, who stands determined as a transparent image of Ozpin passes behind him.

[The intro continues as the camera zooms in on the gears of Ozpin's cane, turning and showing Leonardo at his desk in worry. An image of Salem smirks and glares menacingly from behind a fearful Lionheart as sharp, tendril-like tentacles from the Seer Grimm point at and surround him. Adam, in his new design, is briefly shown facing Hazel, who has a discontented expression and his arms folded as the bull-horned faunus smirks. The scene cuts to Ash Nikos with his back against an alley wall, looking at a letter in his hands before silently sighing and looking at the ground.

[Cinder glares at Vernal before Raven, in her bird firm, flies in between them. The camera cuts to Yang and her mother Raven looking at each other briefly. As Raven sadly turns away, her eyes show a fiery red glow around them for a brief moment before transitioning to Ares and Athena in the courtyard of Haven, with a fire raging behind them. Ares is smiling as Athena flies above him and the fire, lifting her arms up as she poses in victory in front of the shattered moon.

[The scene transitions to Haven's courtyard where Blake and Adam are locking swords, both glaring at each other as Sun fights against Wungeng, who is trying to bring down Lightning's Avalanche upon his half-brother. Weiss is shown standing on the hand of a large summoned Arma Gigas, lifted to meet with a flying Athena in the air. Ilia stands on the ground in the midst of the war, hesitant as inside the hall, several fights are seen.

[Yang fights against Mercury, with the latter trying to give her a swift kick to the face. Ruby fights against Emerald, firing shots with Crescent Rose from afar. Qrow is shown holding Harbinger to counter Raven's Omen as Hazel fights Nora, pushing back against Magnhild. Ren is shown firing his weapon at the strongman.

[Jaune and Pyrrha hold their shields up against Cinder, standing her ground and blasting them with flame, her eyes having an orange glow around them. The maiden flare burns away her eyepatch, revealing her left Grimm eye. The flame covers the screen and vanishes, revealing Pyrrha to be alone in an underground cave with a wall of fire raging behind her. Cinder is shown with her Grimm arm exposed swinging a large fiery glass sword at Pyrrha who barely dodges as she finds her back close to the fire.

[As Cinder slashes towards her again, the screen goes black and the words RWBY- CREATED BY MONTY OUM appear in red letters.]

[June 6th, 80 AGW]

The scene began with darkness, with footsteps heard.

"The city. The city of Mistral." Qrow spoke.

Team AVNRR and Qrow Branwen were shown walking through a stone brick tunnel illuminated by translucent lanterns. But while most of the heroes seemed calm and wide awake, Pyrrha and Jaune were holding hands, their eyes sunken and plagued by dark bags underneath.

Nora faintly smiled. "Finally, we're here…"

"We have faced many obstacles." Jaune yawned. "Lack of airships, destroyed settlements, personal doubts and fears… and…" Another yawn came out. "everyone and everything that tried to murder us."

Pyrrha tried to smile. "I'm just glad we're all still alive. And mostly recovered from injury."

But it only lasted a second before Ren turned to the veteran huntsmen, the latter still having his left arm in a cast. "How much farther to Haven Academy?"

"Almost there." Qrow began. "But I figured I'd take you kids on the scenic route."

The group approached a pair of large, wooden double doors. With his good arm, Qrow opened them, flooding the tunnel with sunlight. Ruby ran out onto a massive platform that doubled as an elevator, stopping at the railing to gaze out over the city in wide-eyed awe.

Ruby exclaimed, "Wow!"

The others soon joined her to take in the view of buildings and stone stairways perched on mountains.

Below them, large crowds of people were going about their day- walking, talking and buying merchandise- legally and illegally. Within the crowd was a red-haired woman hiding one of her eyes, looking for something. Or perhaps someone.

"It's certainly something."

Ruby pointed to a kiosk down below with guns, swords, bows and a variety of arrows. "Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!"

"Vendors here will sell you just about anything... whether they should or not." Qrow told them.

Jaune yawned yet again. "They really made the most out of these mountains."

"Every inch of em. Word of advice- stay away from the lower levels." he warned. "The higher up you go, the nicer it gets."

Ren smiled. "Fortunately for us, we are going up."

"You guys remember the battle plan?" Ruby asked.

Jaune stifled a yawn as he answered, "Me, Nora, and Pyrrha against Cinder, Ren against Mercury, Ruby against Emerald. Qrow can fire shots from afar to distract or disorient them if need be. Now remember, Pyrrha needs to get the last strike against Cinder, and her promise will be complete."

Qrow turned to his chosen niece. "Are you sure you want to face Emerald alone after what happened in Aletheia? And what happened and nearly happened in Oniyuri?"

"Certainly. And as long as she's fighting she can't use her semblance." Ruby reasoned.

Qrow faintly smiled, a brief laugh heard from a female voice from long ago as Ruby giggled. "You're very brave." He turned to the rest of them. "In that case, let's go."

And so they began their hike up the mountainous city.

Later that afternoon, Jaune and Pyrrha were a bit more awake as team AVNRR and Qrow entered the courtyard of Haven.

Ruby smiled, "We made it."

Qrow stopped behind them, and while they continued on their way, he took a moment to glance around and let out a sigh.

"It's quiet. Too quiet…"

Jaune suggested, "Maybe school's not in session right now?"

The huntsman dismissed the thought. "No, this isn't right. Come on."

Qrow hurried ahead, with team AVNRR falling behind for a few moments.

AVNRR picked up the pace and soon, all five stood before a pair of wooden double doors. Qrow came to a stop in front of them, drew his weapon, and extended the blade of his scythe-sword.

"Get ready." Qrow whispered. "There could be trouble."

"Do I hear something?" an unfamiliar male voice asked.

They followed his lead in drawing their weapons and noticed the silence inside the room. Qrow brought up his foot and kicked the door open. On the other side, Leonardo Lionheart widened his eyes, threw his hands into the air, and fell down.

In a flash, a huntsman guard went forth, carrying a large sword and tried to strike Qrow, only to counter Qrow and Ruby's scythes. The former STRQ member strained to hold his scythe with only one arm, but Ruby held strong and kept him at bay, metal screeching against metal.

"What the heck?!" Ruby asked.

"Intruders! Trespassers!" the huntsman exclaimed. "State your name and business before I have to hurt you!"

The other four gave themselves uncertain worried looks. The man fighting against Ruby and Qrow had slightly dark skin, chocolate brown hair, a blue right eye and a green left one. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a blue blouse, with metal armor on the chest and neck.

As Qrow tried to prevent himself and his niece from being slashed into pieces, he retaliated, "Qrow Branwen and company. I'm a licensed huntsman!" He turned to see the Headmaster cowering under the desk. "Lionheart, call him off!"

Lionheart looked up from behind the desk. "Qrow?"

"Who are you anyway?!" Ruby asked.

The other four members of AVNRR looked confused. Jaune asked, "Shouldn't we be helping him?"

A second huntsman entered the room and glared at everyone. "Brother, what are you doing?!"

He strained to hold Ruby and Qrow back. "My job, what does it look like?"

"That's Qrow Branwen, you idiot! He wouldn't attack Lionheart!"

He gave his brother a skeptical glance, before turning back to the alcoholic huntsman and his niece. "Then why did you barge in with your weapons unsheathed?!"

"We thought there were criminals in here!" Qrow exclaimed.

The second man groaned in aggravation. "I go to the bathroom for five minutes and this happens. All of you, sheathe your weapons now."

Ruby, Qrow and the first huntsman followed his order. Soon the rest of team AVNRR followed suit. Lionheart got up and took a seat at his desk.

The other huntsman had the same skin, similar facial features and clothing choices. But unlike the first man, this one had blond hair and two different colored eyes. He had an orange right eye and a red left one. He wore orange cargo pants, a yellow blouse and similar metal armor, paired with a black belt where he held his gun and ammunition.

Qrow let out a sigh before pointing to the mysterious brothers. "What's with them? And why haven't you been answering to the Circle of Light?"

Lionheart gave a long sigh. "I know you have questions. I suppose I'll start with introductions." He gestured to the green-blue one on his right, and the orange-red one on his left. "Meet Mr. M and Mr. M, my personal bodyguards."

"So M and M?" Ren questioned.

Jaune looked on in bewilderment. "Your bodyguards?"

"Yes… they are my guards." Lionheart gradually answered at first. "They were the best of the few remaining huntsmen and huntresses remaining in this kingdom."

The lotus warrior regarded the huntsmen with skepticism. "Really? Show us your licenses then."

Ren looked at their digital copies of their huntsmen licenses as they pulled them up on their Scrolls. He blinked twice as he took in the information on their licenses showing;

Their photographs

Names; Azul Matalihutl/Porphyrios Matalihutl

Their license numbers; 10409-10141-71553/10409-23032-11720

Place of Issue; Mistral

Authority; Haven Academy

Restrictions; None

After examining them, he stepped back. "Well they appear to be legitimate."

"A.M and P.M." Jaune read. "How appropriate."

Nora gave them a suspicious glance. "But how do we know that they're not fake?"

"Huntsman licenses are not like normal fake IDs. The former is a lot harder to forge." the first M, Azul said.

The second M, Porphyrios, looked increasingly annoyed with the children's questions. "Do you really not trust us?"

"It's not that we don't trust you," Pyrrha began. "We're just startled, that's all." She suppressed a yawn. "Is there any name you would like to be addressed by?"

"Most people don't know how to pronounce our first names or our surname, so they just call us Mr. M and Mr. M. Or A.M. and P.M. respectively."

Ruby turned to Azul. "But your first name's not hard to pronounce."

He chuckled back in response. "That may be so, but A.M rolls off the tongue easier."

There was a moment of silence before Jaune asked, "And how long have you been working as huntsmen?"

"Nearly twenty years. We graduated in the summer of 60." P.M responded.

"That's… quite impressive."

"Thank you," he curtly regarded.

"But why bodyguards?" The knight questioned, glancing at the Headmaster of Haven. "Aren't you a licensed huntsman?"

Lionheart's calm look fell to a frown. "Two of our council members were assassinated. A second-class messenger informed us that Ms. Braith was killed at the Flower Festival in Zephyros. Not even five minutes later, we heard Warden Cumin's report and learned Judge Bluebell was murdered in her own home. Not wanting to take any chances, Aya Swaran assigned bodyguards to me, Kin Li, and herself. Sadly, my other two council members have fallen, their guards killed in action, leaving me and my guards the only ones left. And now you appear unannounced and uninvited, scaring me and my guards to near death! I have to say Qrow, this all seems very reckless, even for you."

Qrow fired back, "No, what's reckless is leaving one of the Relics completely unguarded. It's not checking in with Oz for ages!"

"There was nothing to check in about before the fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!" He stood from his chair, his fists clenched. "Vale wasn't the only Kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching the tournament. I don't think there's a single person that didn't see or hear how that poor girl was ripped to pieces." Ruby looked away, trying not to cry. "Or saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens…" At this Jaune and Pyrrha grimaced. "and then… everything went black. Dread filled the air. With all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for our people." He went to the window and looked outside. "Mistral's territory is the widest reaching in the world and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen in the months that followed, some of which were teachers from this very institution. And it's only gotten worse."

Everyone in team AVNRR grimaced, but Ruby was the one to ask, "What do you mean?"

Lionheart exhaled, trying not to look or sound too exasperated before facing them. "Before Beacon's downfall and the fall of the CCT, Mistral was believed to have around five hundred huntsmen and huntresses within the kingdom's borders, and around fifty on its outskirts. Not as many as the Mistralian council, including myself, would have liked, but they were able to protect a good amount of territory.

"Now there are less than fifty and roughly five left in those respective areas." Pyrrha quietly gasped, barely audible to those present. "It also doesn't help that a significant portion of Mistralian huntsmen and huntresses moved away to do work in other kingdoms. And if that's not enough, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is."

"All the more reason we need the few Huntsmen and Huntresses we have left here!" Qrow tried to reason, gesturing both arms before pain shot up his left one. He screamed in pain before readjusting his cast.

All the while, Mr. M and Mr. M stood in silence, with A.M raising an eyebrow as P.M. remained stalwart.

Ruby realized the need for intervention and moved closer to the two. "Okay! Okay. Things are bad. But we can figure this out. Aside from having magic powers, why is the Spring Maiden important?"

A.M quietly gasped, but P.M didn't seem to react.

Lionheart looked at Qrow, confused. "I thought you filled them in."

"Mostly filled in," he clarified. "Look, there's a lot to cover, okay? I quit teaching for a reason."

He got out his flask and took a drink.

A.M silently winced. P.M still remained calm and pretended not to notice Qrow gulping down liquid courage.

Lionheart sat back down. "The four Maidens, in addition to having the power to perform feats of magic, are the only ones capable of reaching the Relics."

Pyrrha questioned, "Relics?"

"The Relics are each locked inside chambers that can only be opened by a specific Maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice and Spring for Knowledge." Qrow took another drink. "Spring is the problem."

"What happened to her?" Ren inquired.

Lionheart gave another sigh. "Rosa Vernal, a young woman from Olympia, Vale, was only fourteen when she inherited the powers of Spring. Overwhelmed by her mother's sudden demise and new abilities, the weight of her new responsibility crushed her…" He blinked in grave sorrow. "She ran away." Pyrrha winced in silent sympathy as he continued, "Rumor has it that she fled to Anima, possibly to Zephyros, but that was over a decade ago. There's no telling where she could be now, or if the power is still in Rosa's hands."

Qrow's silence told him everything.

"There has to be something we can do." Ruby remarked.

"What about Cinder Fall, the Fall Maiden? She came with Emerald and Mercury as students from this academy. Do you have any idea of their whereabouts or plans?" Pyrrha asked, trying to ignore the feeling of dread in her stomach.

Lionheart nodded in the negative. "I pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries."

There was another beat of silence before Qrow spoke.

"Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo." He gave a long sigh. "I hope your guards are good at keeping secrets."

Lionheart ignored that last statement. "I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help."

"We'll stay in the city for the time being." He took out his Scroll and wagged it at Lionheart. "Local comms are still up. Hopefully we'll keep in touch." He turned away. "Come along, trainees."

They all began to file out of the room. At the end of the line, Ruby turned around to face Lionheart again.

"It was nice meeting you, Professor."

Lionheart hesitated but responded, "Likewise."

After team AVNRR and Qrow left the office, Lionheart softly sighed in dismay.

Qrow knows nothing about Spring. And perhaps it is for the better that he doesn't. I am thankful that my guards aren't questioning anything they heard here or my orders… They may know about magic thanks to Qrow and Ruby's words, but they don't know about Salem's existence or any of her allies. The less they know, the better.

A new fear manifested in his mind. But what if Salem appears before me and kills them? How would I explain that to the press, to Qrow and his friends?

His bodyguards remained silent as Lionheart internally panicked.

Every move is watched by them. The longer they are here, the longer She doesn't hear from me, and the more She will get suspicious. But at least one of them is present at all times. The Matalihutl brothers are mostly silent, and I appreciate that I don't have to speak of my fears to them. But what am I going to do? I can't keep the truth from them forever, can I?

The Headmaster gave another soft sigh.

Fear is going to tear me apart before I ever get out of this.

All the while, petals were shown drifting in the strong breeze that rolled through a village. Loose red hair blew in the wind; the woman closed her blue eyes as the wind blew by her. She was shown wearing a multi-colored dress of red, blue, and purple, swirling in a downward spiral with various pops of green, yellow and orange scattered throughout the garment. On her feet were navy blue slipper-like flats. Her hair was adorned with large gold and pink flower hairpins. On her waist was a gardening belt, in which rested the collapsed form of her rake weapon, a pouch of lavender seeds and a small hand shovel. Finishing the look was a malleable green vine like glove on her right arm.

She breathed in, the fresh smell of peonies, roses, lavender shrubs, and hints of daisies permeated the air around her. The flower huntress smiled in content, as though she had just met with a longtime friend; Anastasia Chyrsanthe was in Zephyros.

"Finally, it's good to be home."

She walked forth, looking at the vendors, selling fruit such as watermelons, cherries and blueberries. Further down the line were vendors selling freshly made goods. She soon came to be in front of a wooden stand with an assortment of treats. Above her was a light purple banner with an image of a blueberry pie and the words; Belle's Baked Goods (and Cold Treats)

In front of her was a woman with deep blueberry colored eyes, chocolate colored skin, and long curled hair with a blue streak. "Hello, can I offer you a… Ana? Anastasia?!"

Anastasia smiled, nearly crying. "Ah Belle, it's been forever since I've been by your shop!"

Belle ran around and hugged her long-time friend. "Where have you been the last ten years?!"

"Oh, here, there, everywhere." Belle chuckled at her response. "In all due seriousness, Vale. And later the outskirts of the kingdom, more specifically the city of Aquarian…" She nervously answered. "I came back here because I miss my family."

"Aw neat, where ya staying?"

"No where, at the moment. Not to mention funds are a little tight…" Anastasia shrugged. "I suppose I'll be moving in with my parents, at least, for a few months but they'd understand. Right?"

The baker nodded. "Of course they will!"

The huntress placed her hand to her left elbow. "And I do want to see my little sister…"

The baker-merchant looked at her friend in curiosity. "Your little sister. You haven't seen her yet?"

"Yeah… My parents found out they were expecting a surprise baby during my last year at Beacon. She's ten years old now, born the same day I graduated. I've wanted to see her for years, but my team leader…" She faltered, trying not to break down. "He… he guilt-tripped me into staying with him and keeping team SSEA together and hurt us emotionally. He became worse and worse over time, gaslighting me, keeping me from talking to my family before the CCT tower fell… Too many crimes to list right now…"

Belle let out a restrained sigh. "I'm not surprised. I told you he was a bad influence the last time you were here, between third and fourth year. I will admit, despite having met her, I'm surprised about the little sister. I thought that after you and Drizella were born, that your parents were done having babies."

"So did I, but I'm happy she's here, and I'll be happier when I see her." She looked at the wide array of treats in containers, from pie slices to miniature cakes, cookies, cake pops and croissants, all in various colors and flavors, most of them in shades of blue or purple. "I should get her something…"

But what would she like? Ana thought.

She looked at some of the menu items and prices;

Cakes (mini)- 5 Lien

Pie (slice)- 4 Lien

Cake Pop- 2.5 Lien

Cookie- 2 Lien

Croissant- 4 Lien

"I'll take two blueberry cakes please."

Belle blinked at her customer friend. "You're getting two of them?"

"One's for my sister, the other's for me."

The huntress handed her a ten Lien bill. The merchant opened the cash register, placed the ten Lien in and got out five Lien, handing it to Ana.

"Buy one get one free. This one's on the house."

Anastasia smiled as her friend bagged up the goods. "Thanks Belle."

"No problem! I hope to see your beautiful face again soon!"

With her treats in hand, she made her way through the village until she came to a one-story forest green house. On both sides were wooden ramps leading to a front porch and the front door. To the left side of the porch was a wooden table covered with a picnic cloth and inter-connected wooden benches. To the right side were a pair of rocking chairs and a small table between them. On the right side of the railings were various potted plants, from snake plants to tulips and young peace lilies.

The flower huntress faltered as she went up the steps to the door.

Why do I feel so nervous? I'm happy, I'm free, and yet I can't help my sorrow…

She knocked on the door three times. After a few moments of silence, a woman with dark hair and green eyes opened the door. The woman appeared to be in her 50's and wore casual clothes- a sequined shirt and track pants, in red and green respectively, along with a wedding ring and a flower charm necklace.

The woman looked at the huntress in shock. "Ana?"

'Ana' nervously smiled. "Hi, mom."

Her mother held her close. "Oh Ana, my sweet baby girl. I feared I would never see you again…"

"It's okay, mom." She put her arms around her. "It's okay. I'm here, and I have no plans of going anywhere anytime soon."

She stepped inside the house; the green walls, wooden floors and living room/dining room/kitchen area hadn't changed a bit. There was even the smell of apples and cinnamon in the air. She looked at the oven, seeing a timer with thirty minutes remaining.

Is she baking a pie? Anastasia wondered.

"Honey, who is it?" a man called out from afar. Said man was also in his fifties and came with bright red hair and blue eyes like Ana's. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a red plaid shirt and black slippers. He looked at her in amazement. "Anastasia?"

She sniffed. "Dad!"

The flower huntress threw her arms around him, nearly crushing him.

"Oh my little flower, I was afraid you had fallen so long ago." He returned the embrace for about twenty seconds before looking at her sheepishly. "I guess I shouldn't be calling you 'little flower', you're thirty years old."

Anastasia wiped her tears with a giggle and a smile. "It's okay. You can call me little flower forever if it means I get to hear your voice again."

"Daddy, who's there?" the voice of a young girl called out from afar.

"Daisy, come here, your big sister is here!"

At that moment, fast, swift steps were heard against a wooden floor as a girl ran into the room. Daisy Chrysanthe was a very cute little girl for being ten years old. She had her father's red hair and her mother's green eyes. Her face had puffy cheeks and a bright smile. She wore a yellow dress with red shoes and a fake daisy headband.

Anastasia smiled. "Daisy!"

The little girl's eyes sparkled.

"Ana, you're real, and you're here!" She gave her sister a hug, happily returned, before she started asking questions. "Where have you been all this time? How many monsters did you fight? How did you get here?!""

Anastasia chuckled, smiling as she took in the sight of her family members. "Calm down, all your questions will be answered soon. But it's wonderful to see you." As Daisy backed away, she set the bag of treats down and reached into it. "I got something for you."

She got out the mini blueberry cakes and set them on the table. Daisy's smile brightened and her eyes lit up like fireworks. "No way, Belle's blueberry cakes! How did you know?"

"Sister's intuition," Ana answered. "I got one for each of us."

The huntress got out some forks for them before getting out some dessert plates. After plating the cakes and putting the forks on them, the two took their treats to the table while their parents sipped on some tea.

Daisy took a bite of her cake. "Mhm… This is delicious!" She complimented before practically singing, "Thank you, Ana!"

Anastasia smiled as the blueberry taste hit the roof of her mouth. "Thank you. She was nice enough to give me two for one."

"Ah that's Belle for ya," Mrs. Chrysanthe said. "Always being so kind to those she knows well."

"She has been friends with you and Drizella since you were in diapers." Mr. Chrysanthe began. "Speaking of which, we should get Drizella over here! She's going to want to see her younger sister!"

After sipping tea, the matriarch responded, "I've already texted her. Hopefully she'll respond soon."

And so, conversation continued as tea was sipped and cakes were eaten. Soon Anastasia was done with her early dessert. As she put away her dishes, something caught the huntress's eye. "What's this?"

On a small table beside the dining room were two different photographs. In the background, a timer went off and Mrs. Chrysanthe got up to get something out of the oven. The beeping faded as the huntress stepped closer and saw two photographs of her family; one taken over ten years ago and one taken about five years ago.

In the first image, Anastasia, Drizella and their parents, Francis and Avril, were there. Drizella was shown taking after her mother with the same dark hair and green eyes. The eldest Chrysanthe daughter wore her hair in a ponytail and wore a knee-length green sundress with sea green tights. She wore a flower charm necklace with green petals and a gold painted chain. There was also a faint green line on her neck and visible tarnish on the necklace.

Anastasia herself was wearing a red dress with a pink pattern spiraling up the dress, paired with white tights imitation ruby earrings and a rose charm necklace. Francis wore green cargo pants along with a lighter green plaid shirt, along with a golden wedding band. Avril wore a loose-fitting sunflower yellow dress with long sleeves along with her gold and diamond wedding ring.

All of them smiled as Francis held his wife close. Avril held her hand over her protruding stomach, indicating she was four months pregnant.

In the second image, Drizella was there, along with her parents and Daisy, the young child held in her mother's arms. Drizella was now wearing her hair loosely, and had swapped her sundress for a shift dress of that same color. The neckline stains were gone and the necklace she wore was one on a pink satin chord, with yellow and pink gemstones creating the petals.

Francis was wearing jeans with a T-shirt. The shirt was black and had a flaming crescent moon design with the name; Sabotage in flaming letters.

Avril was wearing a sunflower patterned high waist dress along with a white wrist watch.

Daisy, around five or so in the photo, wore a white skirt with flowers and a red shirt, paired with red strap-on shoes.

The family's overall appearance hadn't changed too much save for the child who was five years old. The parents were still married, the whole family was still bright, happy and together.

But why did the huntress feel so bad?

Anastasia felt her eyes water. "Where have all the years gone?" She stood there, biting her lip. "Why didn't I leave earlier?"

"Ana, please. This isn't your fault." her mother began.

"You were doing your duty." Daisy told her.

"Is it?" As Anastasia continued, her father rose from the table and got a tall glass as well as a tea cup. "Belle warned me about Noah, and the fact of the matter is that she was right. I should have realized that he was a terrible person when he said Thumbelina should have perished during her training mission during our fourth year." Suddenly moisture began to build in her eyes. Francis gave his daughter a tall glass of ice water and a cup of tea, setting them in front of her. Her father stood anxiously. "Or when he prohibited me from buying smell-goods. Or anytime he used his semblance…" She continued breaking down, a few tears falling. "Or… forcing me to isolate myself from my family… I haven't heard from you in five years… And… I was so scared… And… and…"

She broke down, blubbering and sobbing.

"Come here…" her father told her.

Everyone stood up to put their arms around her. She returned the embrace, everyone holding each other closely. And as the hot tears came crashing down, the warmth of her family held her together.

"It's okay," Avril told her. "you're here now. Stay as long as you like, go if you must. Just remember that we all love you and want you to succeed."

She sniffed. "I love you all too." She dried her tears. "And don't worry. I'm not going to leave. Not for a very long time."