The road was longer than usual, but that didn't matter. Running was what mattered. The moon illuminated the road, but the night felt darker than ever.

Where were the people? Why weren't they seeing the fire?

The buildings lining the street were soulless. Their windows were gateways to the gaping dark abyss, which seemed to want to break out of its confinement and unleash the void.

Not far, on a grassy hill, a large house was ablaze, its once comforting presence consumed by roaring orange flames.

The buildings passed rapidly but it didn't matter because they never ended. The street was infinite, and the burning house felt farther away with every step than moments before.

Despite this, his legs didn't ache. There was no exhaustion, only a growing weight of hopelessness and fear.

"Help!" came a desperate plea. A woman's voice.

The endless row of houses abruptly came to an end, leaving the house dressed in flames alone.

His heart pounded; his breaths were shallow as he watched the crackling fire without warmth.

"Somebody help!" Same plea, different voice. Younger than before but achingly familiar.

No step happened, as if his legs were made of solid iron, welded to the ground. No matter how much intent he mustered, it couldn't turn into action. He stood numbly in front of the house.

"Help!"

"Somebody help her!"

The voices grew more frantic and desperate as the heatless fire was devouring the house. Its flames danced higher and higher in the starless night.

"Help, somebody please help!"

"There're grimms here!"

"Help her!"

The crackling inferno almost overwhelmed the voices that came from his home.

Wait, this was his home?

Yes, yes it was!

He had to get inside, but he couldn't move his legs, in fact, they felt powerless. He could barely stand, and he was seconds from collapsing to the ground.

"Oh, Jaune. Ever the failure, aren't you?" A voice slithered into his ears. He turned to his left and saw the Curious Cat, lazily approaching him with a self-satisfied grin.

"I do wonder, when will it be enough for you to realise that you cannot save anyone. You fail time and time again, yet somehow the whole world views you as one of the greatest heroes who ever lived." The cat sat with an exaggerated yawn. "No, wait, that's the Rusted Knight. Not you."

"Help us!"

"If only the world knew that the whole thing was just little Lewis' fantasy. A story full of lies to make his grief and regret lighter. Poor boy, he had to tell lies because you couldn't make a simple tale real." he sighed dramatically, "But what can you expect from someone who has to be carried by his friends because otherwise he will get himself killed."

Jaune wanted to interrupt him, but no voice came from his throat.

"You really don't have nothing to say? To your oldest friend?" he said with fake hurt in his voice, then he smiled at Jaune viciously. "Then how about to Amber?"

Jaune's head snapped up, only to see a young, blonde girl engulfed in flames, her agonised scream tearing through the night.

"NOO!" yelled Jaune as he jolted awake, scrambling to his feet and nearly toppling over the table in front of him. His heart hammered against his ribs; a thin layer of cold sweat covered him. He franticly looked around only to realise that he was in the common area of their room in the local inn. He looked down at the table.

A map and a few notes.

He had fallen asleep while plotting their route to Pandora on the map.

On his left, the door swung open and Cinder stormed into the room with her blazing obsidian sword, ready to strike. Her messy hair fell in dark waves around her face as she scanned the room, her burning gaze flickering from corner to corner before finally settling on him. Her grip on the hilt relaxed slightly, but the intensity in her eyes didn't fade away like the flames did.

"Care to explain why you are screaming in the morning?" she demanded.

Jaune swallowed, feeling his throat dry. He didn't want to admit that he'd been rattled like this by something as laughable as a nightmare, especially not in front of her. But he couldn't give her any other explanation. "J-Just a bad dream. Nothing serious." he muttered with a little shame.

"A bad dream?" she echoed, raising an eyebrow. She disintegrated her weapon into an onyx forearm bracelet but stayed where she stood. "You woke me up by screaming because you had a bad dream?"

"…Yeah." Jaune sighed as he ran a hand through his messy, white streaked blonde hair.

"How old are you, five?"

"Still better than waking up with a sword to your neck." he shot back, his voice tinged with irritation.

"How very mature of you." she retorted, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't make a big deal out of this. Look, I'm sorry if I cut short your beauty sleep. Next time, I'll make sure to not disturb you." He really hoped there wouldn't be a next time. This was already uncomfortable for him.

She slightly narrowed her eye. "It's not about me sleeping enough, it's about you being a walking mess."

"What's that supposed to mean?" irritation slipped into his voice fully, glaring at her.

"Oh, so you want to pretend that everything is fine? Alright, let us pretend. Then tell me why you are acting strangely since we've met?"

"I don't act strangely." he deflected. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Of course. And you didn't lie about us in Antlers, you didn't abandon your merry little band and run away, you didn't have that episode with Thana yesterday either. And you most certainly do not have night terrors and not afraid of sleeping." listed Cinder.

"Why do you care?" snapped Jaune.

"I don't." shot back Cinder, "But this journey is already difficult and the last thing I need is you to become a liability for me."

His previous irritation turned into anger. How did she dare call him a liability? Half of his and the world's problems existed because of her. She was the one who had decided to sell her soul to the Queen of all evil. The one who had killed countless people for the Maidens' power. Vale, Mistral, Atlas and Mantle, only Vacuo remained untouched by her. And she had the gall to call him a liability when she was the reason he was trapped… there the way he was. With his guilt. Alone.

Alone.

Any problem she had with him was her fault and hers alone.

"A liability? That's rich coming from you." he scoffed, "Who is wanted all around Remnant from the two of us? Certainly not me. And let's not forget where we are going. The closer we will get to Pandora the bigger liability you will become."

Instead of the expected angry remark, she just smirked at him smugly. "Then you do better to watch my back, Arc. After all Amber's future depends on what happens to me."

For a brief moment, he thought that he would lose his control and grab Crocea Mors and run it through her. Luckily for her, the sword was still in his room, so he couldn't act on his impulses. Not like he would have actually done it. She truly had a tight leash on him with Amber, an ace that she could use in every disagreement. And he had nothing to counter it.

A knock interrupted his thoughts.

Both of their attention turned to the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" queried Cinder.

"No." replied Jaune with a measured tone. "You?"

"No."

The knock came again, sharper this time.

"Are you going to stand there all day, or are you planning to answer it?" Jaune snapped his head back at her. She was only awake for a few minutes, but he had enough of her already. She may have forced him to be her bodyguard, but he was not her servant.

"You don't have legs or what?" snarked back Jaune.

Cinder met his gaze. "I am not dressed to receive guests." she waved her hand over her attire, "I don't like to speak with strangers in my sleeping clothes. It must be strange for you but some of us have a certain level of decorum, Arc. Something that you are clearly missing." her tone laced with mockery and self-imagined superiority.

Jaune ignored her jab. Reacting to her insults only fuelled her further. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He walked over the door but as he passed her, he gave her a glare which she met with an annoying smile.

He unlocked the door and opened it just enough to see who was there. It was the same man from yesterday who told them about the Western Passage. "Good morning. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"No, you didn't." Jaune was taken aback a little, he did not expect to see him again. Maybe he had slept in the inn and Jaune woke him too up with his shouting. That would have explained the man's question, but his tone was sincere, not passive-aggressive. Plus, he was dressed up in a simple blue shirt with a farmer. He was up longer than Jaune was. What did he want? "Can I help you?"

"Hopefully. Can I come in?"

Jaune didn't answer or move immediately. Why should he let him in? He looked back to the raven haired woman for an answer who was still on her room's threshold, leaning against the doorway. Their gaze met but neither of them had a definite response to the request. After a few moments, Cinder shrugged her shoulders, then returned to her room and closed the door.

The knight turned back to the man who still waited for an answer. It arrived when Jaune pushed the door open to let him in.

"Thank you." he murmured as he passed Jaune, "I'm sorry to disturb you this early in the morning but I had to catch you before you leave."

"What happened? You said you need my help" said Jaune and closed the door. The man sat down on one of the couches, Jaune took the other one.

"Yes. Uh, your partner is awake? This might involve her too." he asked, looking around.

"She's – "

"– here." answered Cinder as she opened the door. She changed into her clothes from yesterday.

"Excellent! Once again, I'm sorry to disturb you but as I said I might need your help."

"About what, Mr…." said Jaune.

"Please call me Allan." he offered.

"Allen then. I'm Jaune and this is… Cindy." introduced themselves Jaune. As he told Cinder yesterday and today, she was a wanted person so giving Allen a fake name seemed appropriate. And the look on her face when she heard her new name was quite amusing. She gave a curt nod, masking her irritation with a neutral expression.

Allen returned the gesture. "Yesterday, after you left, I continued to talk with Joe and he mentioned that the two of you are hunters, correct?"

"Yes." Jaune confirmed.

"Then I wish to hire you for a job." Allen revealed, "Late night I got a call from Mr. Zong – the local hermit if you will. He claimed that he had heard some kind of Grimm not far from his cabin and he asked for someone to check it out."

"And you thought of us." said Cinder who took a seat on the opposite end of the couch where Jaune sat.

"Yes, I did. My first thing in the morning was to come here to ask your help." he claimed, "Maybe it's nothing, Mr. Zong is in age and solitude can cause problems on its own, but if something happens to him and I did nothing, then… that's on me. And I don't wish to have that on my conscience. So, are you willing to take the job?"

"Where does he live exactly?" asked Cinder. Her question surprised Jaune. Why did she even entertain the idea? She was not the kind of person who would help people. However, that was Jaune's opinion or rather his experience with the Maiden after the Vytal Tournament's final. But before that, she had successfully maintained her cover as a Huntress, even Ozpin and Ironwood had been unable to find her, and he knew from Ruby that Cinder and her team had helped during the Breach.

"He lives in the forest, west of here. A few hours walk."

"That might be problematic. You sure remember there was a third person with us at dinner – a girl. We can't take a child with us to Grimm hunting for obvious reasons, and we don't really feel comfortable leaving her here alone since we were charged to take care of her." she explained. For Jaune, she sounded caring, which was so unlike her. But when it came to Thana, it was clear Cinder had a soft spot.

"I can help with that. We have someone who looks after the local's children until their parents finish their jobs, she can easily look after her too until you're away." Allen offered keenly with a smile.

Jaune's attention turned fully to Cinder. Her eye was focused on the table which separated the couches, biting her lower lip. Was she truly considering accepting it?

"What's the wage?" she inquired. She was considering. It was fair to say Jaune was mildly surprised. Cinder Fall was willing to help once again – of course not for free, but still.

"800 lien." said Allen.

"1500 lien." countered Cinder in a heartbeat.

Allen blinked. "1500?" he echoed back in disbelief.

"1500 if it's nothing, 2000 lien if it's a Beowolf and the price goes up with rarity and numbers." she corrected him. Jaune was speechless, Cinder's offer stunned him for a moment.

"I-It's too much. How about 1000 and 1400 liens?" Allen bargained.

Cinder laughed but it contained little humour or warmth. "So, your conscience has a price after all? 1400 and 1900."

"1100 and 1500. I can't offer any more."

"Then I hope Mr. Zong is just senile and didn't hear anything because we won't go. Walking for hours just to chase the fantasies of an old man who ate some mushrooms in the forest or wants a little attention is pointless for us. We already have a well-paying job that is time-sensitive, so we won't waste our time with something that even you don't take seriously and spend half a day here for nothing. But if you do take this seriously, our prices contain the potential wasted time and cover the Dust's cost – which has become rather expansive in the past months – if there are Grimm there." explained Cinder.

Jaune had to admit, her reasoning was convincing and logical. He had no big desire to check on an old hermit who might have heard something, something that even Allen did not take seriously – that was a mistake to admit if he truly wanted them to look on the old man. But even if it was a false alarm, Jaune's morals dictated to make sure that the hermit had heard was not Grimm. It was his duty as a Huntsman.

Allen was silently considering Cinder's offer. His eyes didn't meet theirs, rather they were cast down to the table. They didn't seem focused; he was deep in his thoughts.

The man across sighed after half a minute. "1300 and 1700 is my final offer, and… a free night in the inn. I don't know if you have taken a look outside yet, but the weather is rather overcast, there can be rain later, maybe at night. Spending an extra night here is better than getting soaked in the woods." suggested Allan.

Cinder took a moment to think it over, then she gave him her answer. "Deal."

Allen let out a relieved breath, standing up and smoothing out his blue shirt. "Thank you. I'll inform Mr. Zong that help is on the way. He'll be grateful to know that professionals are handling the situation."

Cinder leaned back on the couch, a fake smile playing on her lips. "We'll head out in a couple of hours. Let him know to expect us around noon."

Allen nodded. "I'll leave you to prepare." He made his way to the door but stopped just before opening it. "Just make sure that he will be fine. He maybe lives out there, but he is one of ours."

With that, he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Cinder scoffed and stood up. "What a lovely sentiment. I'd almost believe him if he wasn't trying to cut corners on us."

Jaune didn't comment on this; he was rather mentally preparing for the coming hours. He would have to check his gear, get dressed, bring the compass, and bring a little snack to eat it for lunch in front of Cinder, he mused because she didn't seem the kind of person who would pack food. And, of course, take Thana to that daycare thing.

"Do you think Thana is still asleep?" he asked without thinking.

Cinder turned to him with an unimpressive look on her face. "After you screamed like a lunatic, our argument after that, and this little business meeting we just had?" She arched a brow. It was at this moment that Jaune knew he shouldn't have asked. "Yes, Arc. She's still asleep. Because she's deaf."

"I hate you."

"Are you sure I can't go with you?" Thana asked with big, sad eyes. "I can help."

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous for you to come with us. We don't know what we're up against, and you'll be safe here." replied Jaine. This did little to convince the girl.

Cinder, Jaune and Thana stood in front of the gate of a nice wooden house. Its door was painted dark green, pelargonium on the windowsill, and white fences surrounded the house and the garden. The woman in charge waited patiently for them to finish saying goodbye.

Cinder let out a soft sigh next to Jaune, she stepped forward and knelt before Thana. Her expression softened, and her voice lost its usual sharp edge and superiority. "Thana, you don't need to worry about us."

The young girl's lips pressed together, her eyes flickering between them. "I don't want you to go without me." she said firmly.

Cinder tilted her head slightly; with her lone hand, she tucked an unruly lock of black hair behind Thana's ear. This whole scene almost looked motherly for Jaune. "I know, little shadow. And we don't want to leave you here either, but this is our job. This is part of being a Huntress, we go out there, so others don't have to."

Thana frowned, her resolve faltering. "But what if… what if you don't come back?" she worried in a small voice.

Jaune stepped forward and knelt beside Cinder. "Thana, we will come back. I promise. But this is something we have to handle on our own. It's dangerous out there, and we won't risk anything happening to you." he said warmly, but her frown remained. She avoided their eyes, but he could see the sadness in them. She was afraid they would never come back. And she would be alone once more.

Jaune had an idea.

"How about I leave something with you?" She looked up to him with a puzzled gaze. Jaune smiled softly, untying the red sash around his waist and pulled it out from under the belt that held his sword. "This belonged to someone very important to me. She was the bravest and the kindest person that I've ever met." He looped the red fabric around Thana's waist twice to fit her. Cinder silently watched their interaction, her eye focused on the sash. "I need you to hold onto it for me, okay? When we come back, I'll ask it back."

"You promise?"

"We promise." spoke Cinder, her voice was tender. "And when we come back, we'll tell you everything. Deal?"

Thana hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "Deal." she whispered.

The older woman stepped closer as she saw they had finished. "Don't you worry, sweetie. The Grimm won't stand a chance. They will be back before you know it." she said kindly. "Come."

Thana glanced up at her, then back at Jaune and Cinder. It looked like she wanted to say something but, in the end, she decided otherwise, she joined the matron and left towards the house.

Cinder and Jaune rose to their feet. She didn't meet Jaune's eyes, her gaze fixed on the now-closed door. After a moment she spoke, her tone brisk. "Let's get going."

A swift wind swept among the trees, shaking the branches and leaves with cool air. This was not the first bigger gust of air. In the past ninety minutes, since they had left the nameless village, their number, speed, and length had grown steadily. The temperature had also dropped a few degrees since then.

Jaune peered at the sky as much as the trees allowed with uneasiness. Dim light shone through across the leaves. The blue heavens were obstructed by white and light grey clouds that stretched as far as he could see. It looked like something was flying above the clouds and casting its shadow on them. This seemingly endless cloud cover was so thick that he couldn't even tell where the sun was. Only thanks to his scroll did he know the time. It was almost noon.

His companion walked along with him; the trail was barely visible but clearly taken care of. The grass was shorter, no big fallen branches in the way, and these signs continued towards west where the hermit lived. Probably Cinder was on the same conclusion because she didn't say otherwise so far.

They hadn't said a word to each other since they entered the forest. Because of this and the monotony of the path, his mind wondered about various things. The weather, how old some bigger trees were here, why would an old man live alone in a forest, and how nice a lighter armor would be. But there was one thing that made him wonder aloud.

"Little shadow."

"What?"

"Little shadow." he repeated, "That's how you called Thana in the morning."

Cinder glanced his way for a moment. "Yes, I did. What of it?"

"Where does it come from?"

He thought she wasn't going to answer as she continued to walk in silence with an unreadable expression, but a moment later she sighed. "When I was leading the refugee group from Antlers, she was with me all the time. Asking about being a Huntress, about Vale and the other big cities, and many other things that she had been nagging you with too. I hardly had time on my own. Same thing yesterday while you were sulking in the back, she was at my side. She is like my shadow, always there, I cannot get rid of her. Hence…"

"…little shadow." finished Jaune. "It's surprisingly nice of you." he added.

She narrowed her eye. "I can be nice. And I have no reason not to be with Thana."

"You like her, and she likes you, too." Cinder had been gentler with the girl than he could have ever imagined her to be able to. Back in Atlas, they had a brief chance to ask Emerald a few questions, among them about Cinder. And her answers painted a darker picture of Cinder – if it was even possible. How she had treated her and Mercury, how she had manipulated them.

"Of course she does, she is an orphan. Besides us, she has literally no one." Her voice turned softer, and somehow a little sad, almost melancholy, "We probably mean the world for her."

"We?" Jaune raised an eyebrow. "She's obviously closer with you than with me." said Jaune. The conversation they had last night was a proof of this. When he had heard what Thana was asking, it felt like he was listening to something he shouldn't be. Something sacred.

"After you tried to make her relive the worst day in her life, don't be surprised if she keeps a little distance from you." she chided him. "You should try to make amends."

Jaune winced. She was right, damn it. Maybe he could offer her to show some simple fight techniques, she seemed to be entertained the thought of being a Huntress. Maybe even with Crocea Mors since it was not a heavy blade. Not anymore.

After a few more minutes of walking and a steep hill climbing, Cinder started losing her patience. "Ugh, how long have we been walking?"

"Almost two hours, I guess."

"I should have demanded more lien for this."

"You already have asked a hefty price. Blaming the Dust's cost when neither of us using any."

She scoffed. "Let's get one thing straight, Arc. This isn't about 'helping' anyone. I'm no one's saviour. It's about one thing: me, making enough money to disappear after Vale and never see each other again."

Jaune frowned. "Still, 1300 lien for nothing? Feels like we're robbing them." Settlements like this had little to no income in terms of money. No special product or food that could generate commerce or major trading routes. The inn was probably the only place that saw any decent money transfer by the few travellers who chose to stay there for a night.

Cinder smirked. "Not the worst analogy. If it is nothing, we walk away richer for a stroll through the woods. If it's Grimm, we're compensated fairly for the danger. Either way, we win."

Before Jaune could respond, Cinder stopped abruptly.

"Huh, do you see that?" asked Cinder. He followed her gaze, there was a hole in the canopy that gave them a view of a nearby hill. It was around 200 meters tall and mostly covered by trees. But the interesting thing that stopped Cinder was the structure that perched at its peak.

A metal tower.

Grey metal rods formed its frame, arranged in the usual zig-tag way until its top, which was slightly narrower than the bottom. On its highest point, there were several antenna dishes with a faint, twinkling red light. It stood out starkly against the natural surroundings.

"What's that?" asked Jaune. He squinted to see more detail. "It looks like a radio tower."

"Yes, it looks like it." agreed Cinder, still studying the metal structure. "And it's not that old either. The steel is still clean, if it were built a few years ago, then there would be signs of erosion or rusting, I think. Or at least not that shining. It's new. Brand new."

Jaune took out his scroll and brought it to life. The local network's strength was very strong, every signal bar was lit. "It's that bridge network that woman spoke of in the Huntsman Office, a relay of it!" he said, holding up the device for Cinder to see. "I have full signal strength."

Cinder's lone amber eye flicked to the scroll and then back to the tower. "After the CCT, it's certainly a setback." she said unimpressed. "Are they even guard it?"

"Doubt it. We're in the middle of nowhere. Posting soldiers here would be foolish unless they have aura and training against Grimms but sending those here would be even bigger stupidity. They'd need them for more important stuff than guarding a tower in a forest."

"Whatever it is, it isn't our problem, and by the way, you're wrong. I did calculate the Dust's price into the offer." Cinder informed him, then she continued walking. Leaving Jaune behind a few steps.

He was confused by the sudden change of topic and what she was saying. "What do you mean? You have magic, the Maiden's power. As far as I'm aware summoning swords, glass shards and fire doesn't require Dust for you."

Cinder shook her head in annoyance. "I wasn't talking about myself. I was talking about you. In Atlas, you used Dust in your shield when we fought. Gravity and hard light. Did you forget already, it wasn't that long ago."

Yes, it was, he wanted to say but in the end he said nothing. She wasn't wrong, he had used Dust during their battle in Atlas. But honestly, he had forgotten some details of their fight – among a few other things. His shield's Dust capabilities were one of those. He had depleted them on that day and his prison had no Dust. Only when they had returned to Vacuo and Weiss asked him if he needed Dust for his shield he remembered after a brief second of confusion that he could use Dust. Pietro had upgraded Crocea Mors in Atlas.

He had a few vials of both gravity and light with him, but he hadn't really used them since his return. It felt alien for his style, and he usually forgot about it in combat. Not to mention how expensive they were.

Cinder slowed her pace but didn't turn to face him. "You're awfully quiet. No other immoral matter you wish to talk about?"

He sighed, adjusting the straps on his gear as they trudged along the trail. "Not really. I'm just… thinking."

"About?"

"Stuff." he replied with an even tone, indicating he wouldn't speak about it.

She didn't push the topic further, she hummed. "Well then, save the self-reflection for later. I think we're here."

The trees seemed older here, ancient even. Their thick trunks were twisted and gnarled with patches of moss and lichen, and their upper branches were dancing in the wind. Ahead, a modest cabin came into view. It was a weathered structure; its wooden walls lost their original colour from years of exposure to the elements. A thin plume of smoke rose from the stone chimney.

"That must be it."

"Let's hope this hermit has something more than tall tales to share and we didn't waste two hours for nothing." A stronger wind swept through the tree trunks, rattling branches. The leaves heavily moved against each other; the cool air had the faint, earthy scent of petrichor. It looked like Allen's weather forecast was correct, there was going to be rain. Overhead, the sky darkened further, heavy clouds gathering, they were more grey than white.

Jaune's uneasiness was growing by the second. The fresh air felt suffocating, and he wanted nothing more than to return to the inn to spend the day away from the coming storm. His throat was dry, but he forced himself to speak.

"Let's get over with it." And with that, they made their way to the cabin.

Well, it was exactly one year ago that I wrote the first chapter of my very first story—this one. It feels like the perfect time to publish the final chapter of the year. After 48k words and 9 chapters, the story is still ongoing and far from finished. To those who've been here since the beginning and those who joined along the way, thank you for your support in whatever form it's taken. I hope the story and its direction remain engaging enough for you to see where the next year takes us.

Happy holidays to everyone! See you in the next year.