Chapter 14
Teams SSSN and ABRN have fled from Haven Academy and have made it into the safehouses. Blake and Rosa fought in the courtyards of Haven where Blake defeated Rosa. The Safe House now has direct contact with the Jedi temple in Vale. Weiss and Pyrrha are looking for any information that may be of use.
Leo looked at the results of last night's attack. Two dead sith, twenty dead sith troops, and the six allies of the Jedi escaped into the night. The Sith forces were drawn away by a Jedi in the lower levels, but that was just a distraction. The forces left Haven's grounds and were unable to get to either incident. Leo had Umbra come to his office.
"You are the only person who saw the Jedi and lived. What happened?" Leo asked. Umbra saw down in a chair in the office. She looked around and shook her head.
"I've already told you, Valum, Kaiser, the two useless additions to the team, and everyone else the same thing. The Jedi arrived in the middle of the night and caused the distraction. My former ally Blake Belladonna was the only person I was able to identify. We fought and because of my exhaustion from being up for almost a week straight, I lost." Umbra said.
"Is that the only reason you lost?" Leo asked.
"What are you implying?" Umbra asked.
"This was a former ally of yours. Are you sure that you didn't hold back?" Leo said. Umbra was up and hands on her lightsabers.
"I don't care for the accusations of a worthless professor." Umbra said.
"Put those away or else you will be punished." Salem's voice rang out. Umbra opened her eyes wide and dropped to her knee.
"Lady Salem." Umbra said. A seer Grimm floated in the room.
"Umbra, do you know where the Jedi are now?" Salem asked.
"No, I do not my lady." Umbra said. There was no noise as Umbra felt the Grimm floating over to her. Its tentacles wrapped around her head. Umbra couldn't move. She felt a burning pain in her head as the Grimm began to flow. It stopped after a minute. Rosa fell to the floor.
"I told you everything." Rosa said.
"It seems so. So, they think they can save you from the darkness, don't they? Fools. They are blinded by the Jedi and Ozpin. They were given every chance to join us, but they refused. They must be cast aside. You must cast them aside." Salem said.
"I understand." Umbra said.
"Return to your search." Salem said. The seer Grimm moved away from them. Leo looked at Umbra and he smiled at her pain.
"The might Umbra brought down so easily." Leo said.
"One day soon, you will lose all usefulness. You will die." Umbra said.
"I'm sure I will. Dismissed." Leo said. Umbra's anger began to flare. Leo might have pushed it with that one. She got up and closed her fist. A cup on his desk shattered. He turned around and shook his head.
"What a temper on you." Leo said.
Umbra stood up and left the room.
Yang was in the lower levels of Mistral in a shady nightclub. She had Arslan with her. She was looking for any information on her mother and her clan. Yang turned to Arslan.
"Thanks for coming. I'd look for a better vantage point. Like up there." Yang pointed to a second floor.
"What do you expect to happen?" Arslan asked.
"No idea yet. But who knows." Yang said. She stepped to the bar. The bartender gave a man a shot glass of some dark liquid. The man took it, tossed it back… and continued to move backward, until he fell out of his seat.
"What does a kid like you want?" He asked. He had a gruff voice, reminding her of Junior.
"Just something simple." Yang said.
"Kid, you really shouldn't be here." He said. Yang placed down the image of Raven's emblem. The bartender looked and shook his head.
"No idea what that is kid. Seriously, you better go." The bartender said.
"Why's that? Let her stay." An older man walked down from a private booth on the other side of the bar.
"Alright Boss Rosso." The bartender said it like Yang should know he was. She felt Arslan start to move.
"Yang Xiao-Long, welcome to my business. Hero of Vale." Rosso said. Yang already knew not to accept anything this man was offering. He was a short, fat, balding man. But he had money and power.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I just needed to see if your guy here had ever seen this logo." Yang said. She slid the image of Raven's emblem to Rosso. He looked at it.
"Do you have a death wish or something? She hates Jedi and hunters. You don't stand a chance." Rosso said.
"I think I'll take my chances with her." Yang said.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. If you go looking for her, you bring her people here. That starts a war between the families." Rosso said. "I can offer you a cozy job, or I can kill you here. Which will it be?"
"Cozy job?" Yang asked.
"You have an amazing body Miss Xiao-Long. A body people will pay to see." Rosso said. "It's the best offer you're going to get. Do some videos with my guys and girls and live a nice comfortable life."
"However, could I refuse that?" Yang said with a sickening sweet smile.
"Of course, you reject it. One more chance. Porn's not a bad line for someone like you. Why, you'd be a favorite. You may even get to choose who you fuck." Rosso said. Yang used the force to grab her blaster pistol and held it against Rosso.
"I'm sorry. But I'm walking out of here. This was a waste of time." Yang said.
"Blondes are always the dumb ones." Rosso said. He snapped his finger, and dozens of guns were pointed at them. Yang smirked as she fired a stun round into Rosso. She took out her lightsaber and switched to live rounds. The purple blade hummed in the air. It was soon matched by a teal light from above. Arslan jumped down and stood next to Yang.
"They won't be able to let you go. You hurt the boss." The bartender said.
"I'm used to that." Yang said. The gangsters started firing. Yang and Arslan started blocking. Yang rolled behind a pillar and came out of cover to fire. One of the gangsters dropped after being shot.
"They seem to not take not for an answer." Arslan said as she stood behind a pillar as well.
Raven watched as the battle started. She smiled as Yang's pragmatism. She didn't reject the lightsaber just because it wasn't a lightsaber. She watched as the other Jedi was there. She was interested to see how Yang helped her teammate.
Yang fired again, killing another gangster.
"Do you have any projectiles?" Yang asked Arslan.
"Besides the rope dart, no." Yang tossed her the blaster pistol.
"Now you do." Yang said. She raised her robotic arm and fired out of it.
"I see." Arslan said. Yang put away her lightsaber and rushed forward. She activated her hunter weapon and jumped in the air. Arslan got another shot out, killing another gangster. Yang slammed into the ground, sending everyone firing at the flying.
They all slammed against the wall. She saw one of them get back up and he took out an axe. Yang rushed forward and grabbed the axe with her robotic hand. She brought her other hand back and punched him in the stomach. He dropped to the ground.
"That should be all of them." Yang said. She started to walk away and stopped at the bar. She placed down some Lien on the bar.
"Sorry for the mess." Yang said.
Raven smiled at that. Yang was getting better.
Yang and Arslan left the bar.
"That was a waste of time." Arslan said.
"We did get a few clues. She's not here for one." Yang said.
"She's probably not in the city." Arslan said.
"You caught that too." Yang said.
"So, it looks like we have confirmation she's not here. But they know and fear her, so she has to be close enough." Arslan said.
Oscar went with Weiss and Pyrrha to help them. If Ozpin could help them, that would be better than nothing. They stopped by Old Kael before going anywhere else.
"The Light Tree? No, I can't say I know something by that name. What translation was it?" Old Kael said.
"I have the book here." Pyrrha handed Old Kael the book, he opened it and looked at the front-page details.
"I do see some problems here. This translation is an older one. The Jedi archives might have a better translation. In fact, if I'm right, we have the correct translation, and the original." Old Kael said.
"That makes things easier for us." Weiss said.
"But I can't keep this shop open. Young man, can you act as a worker while we go down?" Old Kael asked.
"He may be needed." Pyrrha said.
"That may be true… That other Jedi who was here with you, is she around?" Old Kael asked.
"Blake? She could get here quickly." Weiss said.
"It would be very helpful." Old Kael said.
"I'll call her." Weiss said.
Yang entered the safe hose with Arslan. Ruby was watching a movie on the TV with Nora and Sun.
"Hey." Ruby said. Yang shook her head.
"Have you guys done anything today?" Yang said.
"We've been enjoying ourselves watching some classic movies." Ruby said.
"So, no." Yang said. Arslan went up to the room she was staying in.
"Sun, weren't you going to do something today?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, but that got canceled. So, today's a rest day." Sun said.
"What about your team?" Yang asked. She got herself a soda from the fridge.
"They're setting up the room in the basement." Sun said.
"Nora, I thought today you and Ren were doing something." Yang said, getting a canned iced tea for Nora. She tossed Nora the can and she caught it.
"That's later today." Nora said.
Ruby used the force to get herself the half-finished Boba tea.
"You know, I don't think that is what we're meant to be using the force for." Sun said.
"Don't care." Ruby said. She got a hold of her drink and smiled. Arslan stepped down the stairs and stopped.
"We were attacked this morning, Yang. Is this whiplash normal?" Arslan asked.
"Half the time they don't stop shooting at us, so it is kind of nice to get some down time." Yang said.
Blake arrived at the shop.
"Good, now I can step away." Old Kael said. He pressed a few buttons out of sight of everyone, and a secret door opened behind the romance section. Blake just looked at it.
"That was there the whole time?" Blake asked.
"Yes." Old Kael said. He moved to the door.
"Oh, I should be expecting a delivery. The pass phrase is in the logbook I left for you." Old Kael said.
Blake didn't know what to say so she stood behind the counter.
Weiss and the others stepped into the hole in the wall. There was an elevator. Old Kael started it after Oscar got on.
"This collection is old. Some of the texts here are thousands of years old. Though they aren't on paper. They're a much more secure form of records." Old Kael said.
"Holocrons?" Oscar asked. Ozpin had told him to ask.
"Yes. Holocrons are rarer to find here. The Darkness seeks to destroy them. Many newer ones have been found." Old Kael said.
"Why does Salem want them?" Pyrrha asked.
"I don't know." Old Kael said. Oscar felt Ozpin thinking in his mind.
They stopped in the vault. It was about three times as big as the store above. Along the walls were hundreds of blue square boxes with fine decorations. Weiss stepped to one and touched it. She felt the Holocron calling to her.
"Go on. I can tell it calls to you. Take it." Old Kael said. Weiss shook her head as she pulled out the Holocron. She held it in her hands, surprised at the weight.
"Use the force." Old Kael said.
Weiss closed her eyes, and focused. The first corner turned, then the second, and soon all the corners of the Holocron were opened. An image appeared above her.
"I am Jedi Master Niclas Luis Schnee, the first of my clan to become a Jedi." The man said. He was a tall man with the distinct white hair of the Schnee.
"I see you found an ancestor's Holocron. Probably a few centuries old. Perhaps even a thousand years old." Old Kael said.
"This is an ancestor of mine? His voice, it sounds so different." Weiss said.
"Back then Remnant had a few more dialects. You can tell his distinct mountain accent." Old Kael said.
"You are one of my descendants?" Niclas asked.
"You can talk to me?" Weiss asked.
"Holocrons take a part of creator and saves them. Consider him as… AI." Old Kael said.
"A brief way to describe who I am, but not inaccurate." Niclas said. "Is there anything you are seeking?"
"You might be able to tell us about the Baum des Lichts" Old Kael said.
"What did you say?" Pyrrha asked.
"It's the translation of what miracle place. Tree of light isn't that far off from what it was actually called." Old Kael said.
"That place. Yes, it was in Animas…" Niclas started.
"Anima. The S was dropped." Pyrrha said.
"Updated, Anima, where Jedi gathered to bathe in the light side. The tree had healing properties. Here is the location of the tree." A hologram appeared next to Niclas. It was in the center of Lake Matsu, which was infested with Grimm. Weiss let out a grumble.
"Great." Weiss said.
"It seems that wasn't the best news." Niclas said.
"Correct." Weiss said.
"Grimm." Oscar said.
"I see. Well, the tree should be safe from them." Niclas said.
Blake was helping out a customer when the door reopened. Blake opened her eyes wide as they people started coming out of the wall. Weiss stopped and watched as Old Kael stepped back up to the front.
"Thank you, Dear." Old Kael said.
"You got to stop scaring the new guy grandpa." The customer said. Old Kael smiled at his granddaughter.
"Where's the fun in that?" Old Kael asked.
The group returned to the safe house. Ruby was smirking as she held a stack of Lien. She had just beaten Teams SSSN and ABRN at Sabacc.
"I'll take the money you owe me." Weiss said, grabbing the Lien. Ruby slowly turned to Weiss, with a shocked look on her face.
"I just made that." Ruby said.
"And you've spent a lot." Weiss said.
"Nice one, Weiss." Neptune said.
"Hey, don't pretend like you didn't just lose big." Ruby shouted.
"Did you tell them about Jaune and I beating you with an idiot's array?" Weiss asked Ruby.
"What? You lost twice?" Sage asked.
"No, we both got it. Then I beat Jaune with a pure sabacc." Weiss said.
"Yeah, it was really cool." Ruby said in a more muted volume.
"What are the odds of that?" Nadir asked.
"You don't need to know." Arslan said.
"Why not?" Nadir asked.
"You'd hurt yourself." Reese said.
"Hey!" Nadir said.
"You didn't deny it." Bolin said. They laughed.
"We got the location of another location like the Oasis of Healing. The Tree of Light." Pyrrha said. Everyone turned to her.
"Where is it?" Sun asked. Pyrrha turned to Weiss.
"Fine." Weiss said. She took out the Holocron, making Arslan and Jaune jump. She opened it as they held their mouths open. Niclas stood there.
"You've called for me again." Niclas said.
"Yes, can you show the location of the Tree of Light again?" Weiss asked.
"Certainly." Niclas said. He showed a map of the location. "I went here a few times in my life. It has a protective shield around it that keeps the Grimm from it, and most likely the Sith."
"That's really helpful to know. How can something get that protection?" Weiss asked.
"That is beyond me." Niclas said. "The Jedi look for these spots where we can find safe haven."
"We forgot to ask who you were." Ruby said.
"I am Niclas Luis Schnee." Niclas said.
"Wait, are you…?" Ruby started.
"Yes, he's related to me, but I don't know how. I need to look that up." Weiss said.
"Could he be the man you got that Kyber crystal you used to wear from?" Ruby asked.
"The one that I still wear." Weiss said, pointing to the Kyber Crystal around her neck.
"I thought you used it for a practice saber." Ruby said.
"I did, then I decided against continuing to use it. How haven't you noticed?" Weiss asked.
"I don't look around your neck that often." Ruby said. Weiss just brought her hand up and shook her head.
"If you won't be needing me anymore, I'll shut down." Niclas said. The Holocron shut down. Weiss grabbed it again.
"Where did you get a Holocron?" Sun asked.
"Old Kael." Oscar said.
"Wait, he just gave it to you?" Arslan asked.
"Yeah. It did belong to my ancestor, so I guess it just called out to me." Weiss said.
"And now we have the entire teachings of a Jedi master, and you just had it in your jacket pocket?" Arslan asked.
"It was safe." Weiss said.
"Are we going to the Tree of light?" Pyrrha asked.
"Might as well. If the force told you what Holocron to take out of the thousands he has in there, then I guess the force wants you to go." Sun said. "We just need transport."
"I think we'll be able to figure that one out." Weiss said.
"You have an idea?" Blake asked.
"It does involve leaving Mistral and getting to the nearest alliance outpost." Weiss said. "Which should be…"
"Higanbana." Arslan said. "Which is no small trip."
"But we can get an airbus there. Then we talk to Winter, get ships strong enough or fast enough to punch through the Grimm that will be waiting." Weiss said.
"That will leave us out in the open for some time." Pyrrha said.
"We need to get to the tree to see if Pyrrha will finally be healed. The Sith are here, which gives us the advantage. We know where they are." Weiss explained.
"You're going to have to split up." Qrow said, coming from upstairs. "Teams SSSN and ABRN need to stay here. We can't have them spotted anywhere, so that just leaves nine of you. I'm going to check out a recent disturbance at the ruins of Kuroyuri. It needs to be checked out in case it was Raven or the White Fang. I'm going to need some of you with me for that. If we go at the same time, it becomes less dangerous for all of us."
"Ren and I are going with Qrow." Nora said.
"Weiss and Pyrrha have to go together and can't go with us." Qrow said.
"I'll go with them." Oscar said.
"Figured. Now that just leaves Jaune and the rest of team RWBY." Qrow said.
"I'll go with Weiss and Pyrrha." Blake said.
"Jaune should go with you." Qrow said.
"I think that means Yang and I are going with you Uncle Qrow." Ruby said.
"So, it's determined." Oscar said.
"Don't worry. We're not going to take be gone for long." Qrow turned to the others staying.
Weiss got on the airbus and turned to the others. Qrow and his group got a small ship that lifted up. It took them to the disturbance. Ruby turned and gave Weiss a thumbs-up and a smile. She waved at Oscar, but he blushed and turned away. Blake flicked Oscar on the head.
"Don't be rude." Blake said.
"Sorry." Oscar waved back. Ruby was out of sight. Weiss turned to Blake with a questioning look.
"He's still embarrassed." Blake said.
"Still?" Weiss said. Oscar couldn't look at either of them. Weiss was told by Ruby what happened.
"I'm sorry, okay. I know she said it was alright, but I can't believe I grabbed her in my sleep." Oscar said.
"You didn't mean it, so you should let it go." Blake said. Oscar sighed.
"I know I should… it's just not that easy." The airbus was starting to move.
Rosa took a seat on the airbus. She was in sight of the group. She looked at the boy with them. It was him again. She had to keep her emotions in check. They couldn't have another incident. Rosa reported that she found a lead on a Jedi, but didn't specify which one. She hoped that her teammates would avoid jumping in her mission.
Rosa scanned the rest of the bus and saw Pyrrha and Jaune. She felt the bond they shared. She smiled as Pyrrha smiled.
The airbus was in the air for hours, and everyone was expected to get up during the trip. Weiss stood up and stretched her arms.
"I forgot how hard the seats could get." Weiss said.
"They aren't that bad." Blake said.
"Sure…" Weiss said. "But I've sat in far more comfortable chairs."
Blake got up and moved to the lower floor, where refreshments were served. Oscar was asleep in his seat, lightly snoring. Weiss moved out of her row and was walking to the level up. It had a magnificent view of the skyline and a balcony that Hunters could stand on since they were able to handle the winds.
Weiss got on the elevator up and she was joined by another woman.
"Which level?" Weiss asked.
"Whatever one you're going on Weiss." The woman said. Weiss turned to her. She wouldn't take her lightsaber out here, but she was instantly on guard. The woman raised a hand to her face, and suddenly her face came off like a mask. Weiss opened her eyes wide.
"Rosa? What are you doing here?" Weiss asked.
"I followed you. The Sith know I'm following a Jedi, but not which one." Rosa said. The elevator door opened up. Weiss looked at Rosa as she put that mask back on.
"Let's go to the Balcony." Weiss said.
"A great idea." Rosa said. They went to the balcony of the airbus.
"Are you safe?" Weiss asked.
"No. I've never been safe. Even when I was with you, I was never safe. Never safe from Maku, and never safe from Salem." Rosa said.
"Why don't you leave her." Weiss said.
"I've given it serious thought. But… I think she knows that. She knows my loyalty to her isn't as strong as I once believed." Rosa said.
"Rosa, you helped me escape the grasp of my father…" Weiss began.
"That's part of why I came. I want to know how you did it. How did you gain enough strength to walk away?" Rosa asked, looking out to the skyline.
"It was hard. He put me under control and told me lies about the world. He told me things that confused me, and I never fully understood. He would tell me one day that I was his prized possession then the next day he would tell me that I was nothing. He wanted me to think like him. And I did." Weiss said.
"I want to escape her. I know with my recent failures in her eyes that I am close to being tossed aside. She won't kill me, not at first. She'll use me. She'll force me to make her more babies, and once she's got what she wants, she'll have someone kill me." Rosa said.
"More? Rosa are you…?" Weiss began to ask.
"No. I think I explained it to Yang at Menagerie. She's using my cells with Kaiser's cells and forcing five women to become the hosts to those children." Rosa explained.
"I'm sorry Rosa. There's not a night that I don't wish I was there for you like you were for me. I keep playing everything back in my mind. What could I have done to help you? But each time I come up with the same answer. I don't know. I could have stayed, I could have asked you to come with us, I could have told you about Vettom. We… I refused to see the darkness inside of you. How could someone who helped me escape such abuse have such darkness inside of her. If there is anything I can do, please, let me help you." Weiss said.
"You are right now." Rosa said. Rosa turned around and saw Blake and the boy. They went on edge immediately.
"They're here." Rosa said.
"We can still talk." Weiss said.
"We can." Rosa turned back. "The Sith are planning something. Something big. Leo is in on it. But I'm sure you already figured that one out."
"We did." Weiss said.
"They have me and Emerald here with two other Sith. Team RKER. They are strong fighters. If you fight them, show them no mercy." Rosa said.
"Rosa, what will it take for you to come back with us?" Weiss asked.
"How could you have hope in me?" Rosa asked. She held onto the railing. Blake entered the balcony.
"Because Rosa, we saw the light you had. We saw the good person you were. You helped us. You helped me." Weiss said.
"It would be easier for me to jump now." Rosa said.
"You don't get to do that!" Weiss yelled. Rosa turned to her.
"That's right." Blake said.
"Why shouldn't I just end it all? Why not stop myself from causing more harm?" Rosa said.
"You don't have that right anymore Rosa. You can't just keep coming and leaving our lives like that!" Blake shouted. Rosa looked up at Weiss and Blake.
"They're going to hunt me down. I can't leave yet…" Rosa said. Tears started to fall down her face. "I'm not strong enough yet. Not like you." Rosa said.
"Yes, you are Rosa." Weiss said.
"There are still things that need to be done. I'm… I'm trying to break the spell Salem has on me. I fan feel it even now. It calls to me. She calls to me. I can't leave until I break that spell." Rosa said.
"How can you break it?" Weiss asked.
"She's almost there. But as long as that tattoo is on her back, she will never be free from Salem." The boy came out.
"Who are you?" Rosa asked.
"I can't tell you yet. Not until you are ready to break the chains Salem has put around you." He said.
"You seem so familiar, yet…" Rosa said.
"When we meet again, I will help you break free. Free from the Sith. And free from the Jedi if necessary." He said. Weiss and Blake turned back to him.
"Free from the Jedi?" Weiss asked. She turned back to Rosa, but she was already gone. She opened a portal.
Rosa slammed into the ground in her dorm. Emerald was there looking over reports. Emerald jumped up and looked at Rosa.
"What happened?" Emerald asked.
"It was a trick. And I fell for it." Umbra said.
"Oscar, why didn't you try to stop her?" Blake asked.
"Right now, she wouldn't have been able to join you. She was still too far into the darkness. But she's finally thinking about the big questions." Oscar said.
"She went back to the Sith." Weiss said.
"She's not one of them, despite how much she pretends. I think they all know that. Salem must." Oscar said. "Have faith that she will return to you. It may take some time. The Sith will probably force her to stay with other Sith now."
"Why would they?" Blake asked.
"Rosa is a sponge. She absorbs things from those around her: personality traits, ideas, etc. But it doesn't go deep. Surface level." Oscar, in Ozpin's voice said. "Come now girls, we should return to our seats. Jaune is starting to get worried."
"She followed us here?" Pyrrha asked when they had time to talk.
"Yes." Weiss said.
"And it seems like we'll have her back soon." Blake said.
"She was asking me how I handled leaving the grasp of my father." Weiss said. Pyrrha smiled.
"Hopefully soon, she'll be back." Pyrrha said.
The airbus landed in Higanbana. There were clones stationed here. Not many, but a few dozen.
"I can't believe I'm so happy to see that armor again." Weiss said.
"It hasn't been that long since we last saw them." Blake said.
"We went to Patch, we found out the Sith took over Mistral, we found Ozpin again, we broke into Haven, we even found another mythical healing location since we last saw them." Weiss said.
"I guess we're just busy people." Jaune said. They looked at the town. There was nothing too outstanding about this town. But it was close to the center of everything. The clones established one of those devices that boosted Scrolls, and more people had been coming here. The town was on the verge of turning into a city.
Weiss took out her scroll and called Winter.
Winter woke up, wiping the exhaustion from her eyes. She was in her office in Vale, with Gold in the other room. She grabbed her scroll and saw Weiss' name on it. She answered the call.
"What is it Weiss?" Winter said, her voice still groggy.
"Sorry Winter, I forgot about time zones. I was just going to ask if there were any fast or strong ships in the Alliance outpost at Higanbana." Weiss said.
"Why?" Winter said. She got out of bed and started changing into her Jedi armor. It would be faster than her general uniform.
"We're going to a miracle healing spot like the Oasis of Healing that's in the middle of Lake Mastu." Weiss said.
"And where did you learn that?" Winter asked. She stopped moving.
"From a Holocron of one of our ancestors." Weiss said.
"Holocron? One of our ancestors? What's going on?" Winter asked. Weiss explained what a Holocron was and who the guardian was.
"You did this all… Today? You work fast." Winter said.
"Thank you." Weiss said.
"That speed does you no good right now. You are going to have to sit through military chain of command. I have to get to Ironwood, and he talks to the person actually over Mistral." Winter said.
"I forgot about that stuff. Would a Jedi ship be faster?" Weiss asked.
"If you can get one. But the masters are here in Vale, not in Mistral. You're probably going to have to wait for a LAAT to arrive, which still take a few hours." Winter said.
"Airbuses are out of the question." Weiss said.
"I was going to ask you a question about that. Did you rent out an entire airbus?" Winter asked.
"Um…" Weiss started.
"Weiss, you shouldn't spend that kind of money." Winter said.
"It was for privacy reasons." Weiss said.
"Still." Winter said.
"I know. Will you be able to send someone here?" Weiss asked.
"I'll try." Winter said. She ended the call shaking her head. "Let's hope this works."
Weiss turned to the rest of the team and sighed.
"It's going to be a while." Weiss said.
"We kind of got that." Oscar said. "This does give us enough time do what we want."
"Like?" Jaune asked.
"I was going to do some lightsaber practice." Oscar said.
"I'll join you." Jaune said.
"What about you Weiss?" Oscar asked.
"Sure. You too Blake?" Weiss asked.
"I was kind of hoping to read my books." Blake said.
"You can read them on the way back to the safe house. Pyrrha, you want to come as well?" Weiss asked.
"Oh… I you don't need to say that for my sake." Pyrrha said.
"Pyrrha, we're expecting you to be healed. You're going to have to start using your lightsaber again." Weiss said. Pyrrha widened her eyes. She looked down at her legs, and a tear fell.
"You're right." Pyrrha said. Jaune put a hand on her back.
The Jedi left the town and went to the woods in a flat area. Oscar stepped forward and took out his lightsaber. He looked at the others with him.
"You three are all very skilled. Ozpin wants to take over, you okay with that?" Oscar asked.
"Let's see it." Jaune said. Oscar's eyes changed.
"Do not hold back students. One at a time or all together?" Ozpin asked.
"Don't get cocky Professor." Weiss said. She was the first one. Ozpin turned to her and got into a Makashi stance. Weiss stopped a second before getting in range. Oscar jumped out of the way of Blake. She rushed him, and he was on the back foot. He blocked the wild strikes, keeping one hand behind his back to stabilize his balance. He sidestepped a strike at his head and brought his lightsaber up to block Jaune.
"Good work you three. You almost caught me off guard." Oscar said. He glanced over at Pyrrha and saw her watching everything very intently. He returned his focus as Weiss's lightsaber was starting to come in. Oscar broke the lock by dropping and slamming against the ground. Jaune was thrown off balance and forced himself to roll out of the way of Weiss' blade.
Blake jumped in with a spinning slash that Oscar blocked. Weiss brought her blade back and made a quick thrust. Oscar stepped back and made a wide circular arch in front of him, blocking Weiss' strike. He brought his hand up and sent a force push at Blake, who went a few feet back, but not before wrapping Oscar in her ribbon. Blake brought her arms up, bringing Oscar close to her. She planted her feet on his chest and launched off of him, releasing the ribbons. Oscar twisted in the air, landing first on a tree, and launching off it. Weiss opened her eyes wide as Oscar rushed toward her. He slashed at her. She brought her lightsaber up and blocked the attack. Oscar rolled as he hit the ground and spun around, getting behind Jaune. Jaune widened his eyes as he became the focus. He brought his lightsaber down to block the attack. Oscar slashed at the saber, knocking it out of Jaune's hands. Jaune jumped back using the force to pull his lightsaber back to him. Oscar rushed forward, turning his attention to Blake who was swinging at him. He ducked under the attack and brought his lightsaber up to block.
"Clever, Miss Belladonna." Oscar said. Oscar brought his head back to avoid Weiss' strike. Blake spun in the air and kicked Oscar, sending him back. Oscar jumped back and brought his lightsaber up. He turned it off.
"You all did great. You have improved so much and are fully using each other to help you fight." Oscar said. Jaune put his lightsaber away.
"You worked well together. Ozpin really pushed you all. Jaune, have you thought of adding anything else to your Lightsaber style?" Pyrrha commented.
"Not really. The lightsaber isn't my main focus." Jaune said.
"You still need to use it. Perhaps adding in Soresu or Niman." Pyrrha said.
"Maybe." Jaune said.
After they finished, they were at one of the inns when Ruby called.
"Hey guys. We're going to be longer than we thought." Ruby said.
"What happened?" Weiss asked.
"We found Sith ruins. We got to check it out." Ruby said.
"Are you alright?" Weiss asked.
"Oh, yeah. We just got to make sure they're not being used anymore." Ruby said.
"Please be careful." Weiss said.
"You know it." Yang shouted. Weiss shook her head.
"But we have to walk to the city now." Ruby said. "Can you tell the guys in Mistral? Our service isn't the best."
Weiss told everyone what was going on. They sighed.
"We're both delayed!" Jaune shouted.
"That does give us more time to train." Pyrrha said.
"I guess." Blake said. "Any news on the ship?"
"We're getting one… but it's got to get here. But we have to wait for either the Jedi or the military." Weiss said.
Time passed by. Jaune spent most of it learning with Blake and Oscar Niman. Pyrrha helped him also. Jaune was learning quickly. He was getting a stronger defense. He also naturally used the force in his combat.
Weiss watched the session and watched Jaune. He was trying his best. She turned to Pyrrha.
"He's grown a lot since we first met him." Weiss said.
"Yes. He puts everything he has into his responsibilities." Pyrrha said.
"He still does have that awkwardness to him though." Weiss said.
"That's one of my favorite parts." Pyrrha said. Weiss smiled at that.
"I've seen the way he helps you Pyrrha. You are lucky." Weiss said.
"I know I am." Pyrrha said.
Weiss felt her scroll ringing. She saw it was Winter.
"The ship's coming." Winter said. Weiss got everyone ready to get on the ship. They went to the docks and saw a LAAT coming down.
"I really shouldn't be surprised at this." Weiss said. Clones left the drop ship, and clone Medic Kix stood there.
"You're the Jedi, right?" Kix asked.
"Yes." Weiss said.
"We're here long enough that people won't miss this ship for a day or two." Kix said.
"Great. This is under the table." Blake said.
"The general over Mistral doesn't like General Schnee that much." Kix said in an apologetic tone.
"I understand." Kix said. "But you should get going."
"We know. Thank you for doing this." Oscar said. They got on the ship, and it took off.
They were flying when Weiss sent the pilots the coordinates. They were quickly over the water.
"I'm surprised that we aren't being attacked yet." Oscar said.
"Don't say that too loudly." Jaune said. Blake made sure her hunter weapons were in reach.
"We're reading Grimm." The pilot said. The Jedi attached themselves to the ship as the doors opened. Stinger Grimm filled the air. Weiss raised her hand and started to create glyphs. Blake fired at them. The ship launched two rockets that slammed into a group of Grimm.
One of the stingers grabbed the door to the LAAT. Pyrrha took out her blaster and fired at the Stinger. It died and fell behind. This was the blaster she made with help of the clones. It was able to be used with one hand, but it handled better with two. It had a few different modes of firing.
"This is so much easier than at Beacon." Weiss said. A stinger tried to fly into the LAAT when an ice spear rushed forward from Weiss. She smirked as the new addition to her lightsaber worked. When her original weapon was destroyed, that feature had to be taken away, but now, it had returned.
"Nice one Weiss! It worked!" Blake shouted. It was a modification she wanted to return and finished after the battle of Menagerie. The stinger evaporated. The LAAT fired two more missiles and hit another group of Grimm. Blake fired taking some stinger Grimm out.
It was like that for another few minutes.
"We're coming up to the site." The pilots said. The doors closed.
"They used to give us trouble. But now…" Weiss said.
"You have grown much more powerful." Oscar said. Jaune let out a sigh as he dropped battle meditation.
"I've never understood what if keeping those islands floating in the air like that." Jaune said.
"I'm not sure it would do any good to explain it to you right now." Weiss said.
"Hey." Jaune said.
"I'm teasing." Weiss said. "I think it's gravity dust that was activated."
"Oh, that does make sense. But doesn't dust run out of power?" Jaune asked. They landed.
"It must have massive amounts of gravity dust." Weiss suggested. They stepped onto the island. Instantly they felt a rush of light side power. Pyrrha breathed in and flinched.
"So much power." Pyrrha said. They moved forward. They saw a massive glow ahead of them. They had to cover their eyes. Weiss grabbed the Holocron and opened it. Niclas stood and stared at the glowing aura.
"This is it." Niclas said. "Raise your hand, Weiss."
"Why?" Weiss asked.
"The light will stop all those who have aligned with the darkness. Allow the light to flow through you all, and it shall allow you to enter into the inner court." Niclas said. The ground around them had a different feeling to it. The grass stood taller. It was greener. The trees around were full of power, and serenity at the same time. The plant life on the island was different. It was… holy was the only word that Weiss could think of.
She raised her hand like Niclas told her to do. She looked away from the light. She realized the light had begun to move. She turned and saw… a being in white. She thought if there were angels, this must be one. The being raised a hand and grabbed Weiss' hand. She felt it examine her. All of her. Her past and present. She felt tears come to her eyes. She didn't know why she started crying. The tears were wiped away. The being smiled at her.
"Welcome Home." It said.
"What?" Weiss asked. It walked passed Weiss and to the others.
"It has deemed you worthy enough to enter in." Niclas said. Weiss shook her head and used the force to grab Niclas's Holocron.
"Jaune Arc…" It held onto his face. Jaune's mouth hung open. He felt the hand of comfort and he felt a tear falling down his face.
"I'm sorry." Jaune said. It wiped away Jaune's tear with its thumb. Jaune didn't know what he was saying sorry for. He was overcome with Love. He was filled with it. He remembered when he went to Ozpin with his friends. He remembered the complete love and trust they showed him. He felt it here as well. He couldn't explain it.
"Welcome home." Jaune brought his eyes up and looked at the being. He saw a smile on its face.
"Home…? Why does it feel like home?" Jaune asked. The being said nothing. Jaune walked forward.
Blake looked away from the being of light. It began to reach out to her, and she remembered all the things she did in her past.
"I can't." Blake said. The being stopped. Its hand a few inches away from Blake. "I've do too many things to ever be over there in the light." Blake felt the images of her past self appear in her mind. All the darkness she caused… was repaid. Blake opened her eyes wide as she felt the hand of this being touch her. She was filled with the feeling of completeness, wholeness, and forgiveness. She didn't understand it.
"Welcome home." It said. Blake looked down and smiled. That's right. She had already… repented? Of her past mistakes. She wasn't the girl who was like that. She was a Jedi knight, and a good person. She stepped forward.
The being stood in front of Pyrrha. Pyrrha closed her eyes as the being held her face. She felt her stern exterior completely break. She thought of the pain she had faced since being hurt. She thought about all the times she thought about ending it all. Tears freely flowed down her face. She was so weak.
She was strong. She was so much stronger than she thought. This injury had been an experience that she would never forget if she was healed. It had taught her so much about Empathy. It taught her how to be strong even when you couldn't physically help like the others.
"Welcome Home."
Pyrrha heard it say. She moved forward, but her chair stopped. Jaune looked back and came to Pyrrha.
"I guess technology like that stops working this close to the tree of light." Jaune grabbed Pyrrha and carried her inside.
Oscar was last. He closed his eyes. The hand touched his face.
"I know that I barely understand what has happened in the past. But I do know that somehow… all this happened because I failed in the past. All these lives have suffered from my mistake… But I know… I can feel it… that the goal of all those lives is in reach." Oscar said.
He felt the weight of responsibility fall on his shoulders. He knew that he had to make things right. He had to right the wrongs he had made so long ago, and the wrongs he made much more recently.
"Welcome Home." It said. Oscar opened his eyes and saw the being of light. Oscar walked into the court.
Weiss looked around and marveled at the nature around them. Everything was alive. Everything exuded the light side of the force. Even the air filled her with the same light the force did. She felt the connection she had with all of nature around her.
"It binds us together with everything. The force does. It surrounds us here. I can feel it everywhere." Weiss said.
"It's overwhelming." Blake said.
"I can feel everything around us. I can sense us in a deeper way than ever before here. Do you feel that? Do you see the light coming off of each of us?" Jaune said.
"I think I know what you mean. We're so much more than this crude matter." Pyrrha said.
"We are all luminous beings." Oscar said. "Feel the force flow through you. Feel how it connects you with the plant life, the rocks we stand on, the air that fills your lungs. Feel the peace in it. Feel everything you can."
"I think I see the tree." Weiss said. There was a single tree in the middle of this grove. It glowed bright white. Everyone was drawn to the light. Jaune could have sworn that he heard choirs singing. Pyrrha looked at the light.
"What is this?" Pyrrha asked.
"I think this is the tree." Jaune said. "No wonder this faded out of knowledge. The Jedi were protecting it."
They gathered round the tree. There was a new being sitting under the tree. It stood up.
"This tree is known to you Jedi as the tree of light. For thousands of years it has stood here as a memorial to the light and the powers it gives. It is a haven from evil, and empowerment of good. Bring the wounded one before me." It said. They couldn't tell if the voice was that of a man or a woman. Jaune stepped forward, feeling the energy from the tree fill his muscles and give him more strength. He was completely refreshed.
"You have come here for a wise purpose. You have come here seeking a miracle. You have come here seeking to be healed." The being said. It brought its hands and placed them on Pyrrha's head. It may have prayed, but the words were not understood by Jaune. Light flowed into Pyrrha, and she started to glow. The being stopped speaking and looked at the others.
"Have you healed her?" Jaune asked.
"I have prepared her body to be able to accept the light." It raised a hand and picked a fruit. It was golden white, and round. The being handed it to Pyrrha. She held it and kept looking at it.
"You may eat of this fruit. And if you do, you will be healed." It said. Pyrrha looked at it. She understood that promise. She understood what the words were that it said over her. She felt almost as if her skin was glowing. She took a bite of the fruit. Words failed to fully describe the fruit. It was the sweetest fruit of all fruits. It was not overly sweet like candy, but something more real. It was delicious, soft, and filling. Her eyes widened. She continued to eat the fruit. It was something else entirely. This was no mere fruit. She had no idea what this was. She was filled with Joy. She felt the power of the fruit fill her. She had never before seen or felt anything like this. She couldn't understand it. Tears streamed down her face. She turned around and wanted everyone else to partake of this fruit.
She realized something… Jaune wasn't holding her anymore. Her eyes widened as she looked down, and saw she was standing on her own two feet. Her hands were brought to her mouth and tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
"You are healed. You may call it faith that healed you. If you had no faith that you could be healed, like you once did, you would not have been healed." The being said. Pyrrha turned around.
"I can stand." Pyrrha said.
"You can do more than that." The being smiled at her. Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat. She was shaking. She didn't know if she could do this. She looked back at everyone, and there was shock on their faces. Jaune was crying tears of joy.
"You are stronger than you know Pyrrha Nikos. Never forget who you are." The being said.
"Are they able to taste that fruit?" Pyrrha asked.
"Not yet. Their fruits are not yet ripe." The being said.
"So… we have to come back?" Pyrrha asked.
"As often as you are able, you can come back." The being said. Pyrrha took a step. She felt her leg wabble. She had to focus on walking. She took another step, looking down at her legs. Then another step. She continued to walk until she saw Jaune's shoes. She looked up and saw Jaune standing there. She smiled at him as he wrapped his arms around her.
"You've done it Pyrrha." Jaune said.
"Thank you for never giving up on me." Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Jaune.
"Now, you must return. But know that the Grimm cannot harm you right now. You are protected by the light that now surrounds you." The being said.
"Those fruits, how were they able to heal Pyrrha?" Blake asked.
"You will understand when you taste of it yourself." The being said.
"This place… I don't want to leave." Weiss said.
"But you must return. The darkness can only be extinguished by those who stand for the light. The world needs you. You will all have your roles to play." The being said.
The group stepped onto the LAAT. Pyrrha brought along the chair. Jaune looked at her as she did.
"You want to bring it back?" Jaune asked.
"I never want to forget the days I was in this chair." Pyrrha said.
"It is just a chair." Jaune said.
"Yes, and no. It was in this chair that I had the lowest moments in my life. It was in this chair that I had to overcome the dark thoughts that haunted me. It was in this chair that I learned who I could become." Pyrrha said.
"We will need the chair, to deceive our enemy. They will try to gather us together at one time. It would be best if they see Pyrrha in the chair until she reveals that she was healed." Oscar said. They turned to him.
"You are thinking of the fight ahead?" Jaune asked.
"I always am. I am looking toward my redemption." Oscar said.
It took time but they made their way back to Mistral. Their group made it back first. Pyrrha was in the chair as they flew back into Mistral. The Sith were nowhere to be seen. It looked like whatever Ruby and her group were doing made the Sith too nervous to send watchers.
They made it to the safe zone of the house, and Pyrrha got out of the chair. She smiled knowing that if the Sith did see her, they would think nothing changed. She opened the door. Sun was in the living room, hanging off of one of the ceiling rafters, doing crunches.
"Pyrrha?" Sun asked himself. He would have fallen if his tail hadn't been safely wrapped around the beam. "You're walking again! It worked!"
Sun cheered as the rest of team SSSN got up from their exercises. Pyrrha smiled as they all cheered her on. Jaune stepped in behind her. He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You truly earned this Pyrrha." Jaune said. He planted a kiss on her cheek. Everyone returned. Weiss smiled as she placed the Holocron down and went upstairs to her room. Blake was right behind her. Oscar stepped through last.
"Ruby and her group found Sith ruins a few days ago. They should have gotten to the town by now and should be on the way back." Oscar said.
"We got the message before." Sun said.
"Good. We have to hope that they found whatever they needed to. The Sith are still plotting." Oscar said.
"Like they always do. But right now, we have a reason to be happy. It's not every day a genuine miracle happens before our eyes." Sun slapped Oscar on the shoulder.
"You're right. This is a miracle."
Author's Notes: I have split the group up! Pyrrha is healed!
I've taken aspects of the tree of light from other sources. The tree of light or tree of life is a common symbol of ancient religions, so I brought that aspect here. I did use religious themes for the tree, but I'm not telling you to join any religion. We should be able to use sources of inspiration from anywhere.
This is a major departure from what the original plan was for the series. It was darker so there was no plotline of Pyrrha being healed. Originally the Oasis of Healing would have not helped her, but I got a piece of advice. This story got too dark for my liking and the constant misery had to be broken up by some light and joy.
I'll be going back to college soon, so either the updates will pick up or lower. I hope the former. I don't think there are any more elements I need to bring up in this chapter.
Please leave a review and everything else
May the Force be With You
-DragonZlayerx12