Jaune's brows knitted together. "I don't understand," he said slowly, his voice quiet but steady.

Autumn didn't blink. Her silver eyes, cold and reflective, watched him with an intensity that made him shift uncomfortably. "Think about it, Jaune Arc." Her tone was professional, detached. "Why would Atlas rally its forces to help Menagerie? An island they don't recognize as a kingdom, with no political or economic ties to them."

Jaune opened his mouth to argue, but Autumn raised a hand to stop him. "Maybe Headmaster Ozpin could rally Huntsmen to this place, but Huntsmen don't work for free. The Lien alone would be astronomical. Supplies, weapons, airships, soldiers… none of that comes cheap."

Jaune's grip tightened. "If they let Menagerie fall, then the Grimm will have a foothold on both the north and south. Atlas would be surrounded."

Autumn tilted her head, considering his words. "True," she admitted. "But tell me, why would Atlas waste its resources to help people who hate them? What does Atlas gain by moving its fleet here?"

Her lips curled into a mocking smirk as she lifted her chin, her posture shifting into something exaggerated and haughty. "Why on Oum, should we help these filthy animals?" she sneered in a perfect imitation of an Atlas noble's disdain.

Jaune flinched, falling into silence.

Autumn's smirk faded as she shook her head. "That's not even the most important factor." She leaned forward, her gaze narrowing. "Think like General Ironwood. What do you think he'll do?"

"He'll help," Jaune said, though his voice wavered slightly. "Atlas is part of the world. They'll make sure their allies aren't overrun."

"Like I said. They are not allies, Jaune," Autumn let out a humorless chuckle. "Still so idealistic. I wonder if this is because you've recovered your youth—or maybe your brain regressed too. Perhaps I should ask the Blacksmith and Herbalist about this." Her teasing tone faded, replaced by something heavier. "I know how Rusty trained you. Not to fear Grimm. To fight evil and slay it. But you should think this through."

Jaune glared at her. "Then just say it straight."

Autumn's expression hardened. "The General is paranoid. You may not know it, but he's a very cautious man. Think about it, Jaune. A massive Grimm nest, an entire sub-continent overrun. It's obvious their plan is to lure Atlas forces here, leaving Atlas undefended. If Atlas diverts its attention to Menagerie, the enemy can infiltrate or strike Atlas when it's vulnerable."

Her silver eyes glinted in the darkening light. "If I were the General, why would I risk my kingdom to help people who despise us? All that to save a few coastal settlements?"

Jaune's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't considered it from that angle. His mind reeled, scrambling to find a counterargument, but none came.

Autumn's voice softened, but it didn't lose its weight. "I'm not saying this to be cruel. I'd like to believe in fairy tales too — that doing the right thing is enough. But the real world doesn't care about ideals. It crushes them. Leaves only misery ever after."

"I know that," Jaune swallowed, his throat dry. "Even my master… despite being the Rusted Knight, a man adored by so many, didn't have a fairy tale ending."

Autumn's eyes dimmed. "No," she whispered. "He didn't."

There was a pause between them, heavy with unspoken thoughts. Jaune hesitated before asking, "Are… you like that, too?"

For the first time, Autumn looked away. Her gaze drifted out to the sea, where the waves clawed at the shore. "Perhaps." Her voice was quiet. "Me and Rusty… our stories had pages torn out, left without a final chapter. There were times I had to choose. Times I did what I had to do."

Jaune stared at her. The formidable warrior before him — whose silver eyes could burn through Grimm, who cleaved through Hounds like paper suddenly seemed heavier. Tired.

"Then are you saying Atlas won't come?" Jaune asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Autumn didn't answer.

Her silence said it all.

A chilly wind tugged at Jaune as he stood. The sky was a canvas of bruised purples and blacks, the first stars timidly appearing in the distance. The fires from burned-out buildings still smoldered in the distance, the stench of ash and something far fouler clinging to the air.

Autumn stood beside him, casually resting Sundered Rose against her shoulder, its black-and-gold steel gleaming faintly in the dying light. Her silver eyes shimmered as they scanned the horizon, thoughtful but distant.

"Logically," Autumn began, her tone even, "Atlas making the call to stay out of this is the best move. Strategically speaking."

Jaune clenched his jaw, turning to face her. "You're saying it makes sense to abandon these people?"

Autumn didn't flinch. "I'm saying they're making their stance clear. Love or hate Atlas, they have an army and resources to fight the Grimm. Soldiers, technology, Dust reserves. Forces they can muster to protect their people." She paused, letting the words sink in. "Vale has Huntsmen, sure, but they're independent. You can conscript them into a militia, but they have the freedom to refuse. They're too... individualistic."

Jaune's brows furrowed. "And Mistral?"

"Spread thin in Anima," she replied smoothly. "And don't even get me started on Vacuo. Chaos, disorganization... and that's on a good day." Autumn's gaze darkened. "A Huntsman can kill hundreds of Grimm, but they can't replace an army. Grimm's greatest advantage is their numbers and their single-minded hunger. But if Grimm starts thinking..." Her voice drifted off, letting the weight of that possibility settle. "That's a whole different nightmare."

Jaune exhaled slowly, staring at the ground. "Even if Atlas won't fight for Menagerie, they'll offer something. They can't just leave this to happen!"

Autumn chuckled, a cold, humorless sound. "Oh, but they can. Asking for help only shows how desperate things are here. And that's advantageous to Atlas. This is a perfect example for them to justify why a standing army is necessary. Why the world should follow their lead." Her smirk deepened. "And what does Atlas lose by sitting back? Nothing. But they stand to gain quite a bit if they simply wait."

Jaune's fists clenched. "So they're just going to let the Grimm wipe out the Faunus here?"

"Think about it." Autumn's voice dropped lower. "Let the Grimm tear through Menagerie. When it's all over, when the resistance is dead, they send a few airships, bomb the ruins, and claim they tried. Maybe they even rebuild it as a forward base. Maybe the Schnee Dust Company sweeps in to 'restore' the island, mining its resources."

Jaune's stomach twisted. "That's monstrous."

Autumn met his glare with a steady, cold gaze. "It's practical."

"And conscience? What about fucking conscience?" Jaune snapped.

Autumn tilted her head. "What about it? Menagerie isn't part of Atlas. These aren't their people. They're not allies. Not friends. Why should they care?" She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "People protect their homes first. It doesn't make them heartless, Jaune. It makes them human. And Atlas can play hero after the damage is done. Project strength and righteousness. Maybe even turn this place into a colony. I'm sure the Schnee Dust Company would love that."

Jaune's teeth ground together. "I hate that I can't argue with you. You're so damn... ugh. Why not do this because it's right? Because it's the decent thing to do?!"

For a fleeting moment, something softened in Autumn's eyes. A sad smile crept onto her lips. "Oh, Jaune. How beautiful would that be?" She sighed, looking at the dark horizon. "But doing the right thing doesn't always mean the best outcome. Good intentions can pave the road straight to hell. And sometimes, the villain in your story thinks they're the hero in theirs."

"What about Adam Taurus, Merlot?" Jaune muttered. "Do you believe they're somehow the 'hero' in this?"

"No," Autumn's voice dropped, her expression turning grave. "Make no mistake, they're the enemy. But that doesn't mean the ones on our side are all saints either."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the white-streaked blonde strands. "So that's it? Atlas won't come?"

Autumn shrugged, lifting Sundered Rose off her shoulder. "Maybe they will. Maybe they won't."

"Vale will come," Jaune said, more to himself than to her. "Ozpin will send help. He has to."

Autumn's smirk returned, faint but cutting. "Who knows?"

Jaune narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Autumn took a step closer, her silver gaze unwavering. "Ozpin has a history with Salem."

Jaune's breath hitched. "What? How do you even know this?"

Autumn didn't flinch. "Oh, you didn't know? Hm. Guess the Headmaster still keeps his secrets close."

She twirled Sundered Rose lazily in her hand. "You've been in the Blacksmith's workshop, right? You've seen the weapons, the relics. The stories they carry."

"Wait... are you saying—"

"Maybe," Autumn interrupted, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Maybe not. You'll have to ask him yourself." Her grin faded. "But if you think Ozpin will throw his forces at this without hesitation? with Salem possibly being here, you might be disappointed."

Jaune shook his head. "No way... The Headmaster wouldn't just abandon people."

Autumn's cold silence was more damning than any words.

Jaune's shoulders sagged. He felt the weight pressing down on him, heavier than the sword on his back.

"You thought about it too right?" Autumn asked.

Jaune didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the distant treeline, where the shadows seemed to writhe unnaturally. "Thinking about what?"

"About how this doesn't end with killing Adam or Merlot," Autumn replied, her tone sharper now. "About how even if you cut the head off the snake, the body will still keep writhing."

Jaune's grip on his sword tightened. "Isn't that how this works? We kill the leaders, the ones responsible, and the rest fall apart," even Jaune couldn't believe what he was saying.

Autumn laughed with a dry, humorless sound. "Oh, Jaune. You're still thinking this is a story with a clean ending. You think this is a fairy tale where slaying the villain makes the darkness disappear."

Jaune frowned, frustrated. "Then what are you saying?"

Autumn turned to face him fully, her silver eyes cold but not unkind. "I'm saying that even if you find Adam Taurus or Merlot and cut them down, the Grimm here has already spread inland. Into the jungles, the mountains, the valleys. This isn't as simple as defeating the 'bad guys' and watching their minions vanish in a puff of smoke. Grimm don't follow orders like soldiers. They don't stop because their leader dies. The Grimm will stay."

Jaune looked away, the weight of her words settling in. "Then what's the point?"

"The point," Autumn said, "is that you need to think beyond the fight in front of you. What happens after?" She gestured broadly to the ravaged land around them. "Look at this place. Even if you win, the cleanup will be worse than the battle."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "So what, we give up? Let Menagerie fall?"

"Don't misunderstand," Autumn said, her tone cutting. "I'm not telling you to walk away. I'm asking if you've thought about what comes next. Killing them won't stop the Grimm from swarming this island. It won't heal the wounds the White Fang has carved into the Faunus or the distrust between kingdoms. And it sure as hell won't bring back the people who are already gone."

Jaune's jaw clenched. "Why are you telling me this?"

Autumn's expression softened, but there was still steel in her voice. "Because you're leading people into this, Jaune. Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Weiss... Blake and Yang. You can't afford to think like a Huntsman right now. You have to think like a leader and what's best for your people. You have to think what's best for your friends."

Jaune turned his gaze back to the horizon, the dark clouds rolling in, mirroring the turmoil within him.

"You're here to save your friends," Autumn continued, quieter now. "But instead, you've stepped into a war you can't walk away from. And that's not your fault. But it is your responsibility now."

Jaune exhaled slowly, the breath shaky. "So what do we do?"

Autumn's eyes flicked to the distant forests, where unseen dangers lurked. "You survive. Adapt. You make sure the people following you live long enough to fight another day." She paused. "And you start thinking about what happens after the bloodshed is done."

Jaune looked down at his sword, at the nicks and scratches lining its blade. He had trained for years to fight, to protect. But Autumn was right. This wasn't a fight that would end with a single decisive blow. This was something far uglier. The worst part? He already knew that after seeing those bodies inside the warehouse. That this was not a simple rescue anymore.

"The Grimm are everywhere," he muttered. "And even if Atlas helps, even if Vale sends Huntsmen, how do we clean this up? How do we push them back?"

Autumn tilted her head slightly. "That's the right question. But I can't give you an easy answer. There isn't one."

"So what now?" His voice was barely a whisper as he took it all in.

Autumn turned away, staring into the dark horizon. Her silver eyes glimmered under the moonlight of the broken moon.

"Now," she said slowly, "I will ask you again."

Jaune swallowed hard.

"Do you honestly believe that you children can win a war?"