The tapestry of Fate is woven by individual threads. Lives are spun, intertwine, and cut as a pattern of its age is made. Some are among many while others are among the few. Souls mingle and die as they come together to form the grand design, both terrible and great.
Such patterns are weaved as the cold winds blow into the Vaults of Beacon Academy, a prestigious school that trains the next generation of protectors of civilization. Amber was dying as her thread was nearing its end. Kept stable within a pod, her time is stretched thin and there was nothing that could be done to prolong it any further.
The cold and dimly lit halls of the Vault had dust clouds periodically rising and falling. The monotonous humming of the pod was being overshadowed by the booming sounds that have been occurring above ground. As many lives are being lost, most of them were ignorant of just what lies beneath their feet.
For you see, Amber is a Fall Maiden. One of four young women that have been bestowed by chance to possess great power. Kept secret from the rest of the world, there are criminals of malicious intent that incentivized the need of such secrecy above all else. The prospect of power over others was an alluring treasure to those whose hearts have been poisoned by darkness. There are four of them, each one corresponding to each of the seasons.
But Amber was a naïve Maiden. Thinking of herself as powerful and without equal, she had been ambushed and had half of her power stolen from her and the damage it had caused had been permanent, leaving her in the pitiful state that she is. Those who sought to protect her, could only conclude that it must be transferred to someone else less that the half sought to become whole again. Those criminals could do so much damage if they were to possess it in its entirety. Even with just half, they already were capable of doing so much.
The elevator doors dinged and the three figures rushed out. One was older while the other two were younger. They made their way towards Amber's pod with haste. They were, all of them, covered in dirt and sweat. The battle that had occurred just above them was due to the importance of Amber and it was that that had brought them here, though one had certainly been ignorant of it before now. The other two had been there before.
"What is this place?" asked Jaune Arc. He was blonde and had eyes the color of blue. The weakest among his peers, he wore pieces of plate armor to compensate for that weakness. His weapon of choice was Crocea Mors, a family heirloom that he had stolen when he had forged his way into Beacon; it was a sword and shield with the shield having the added benefit of collapsing into a sheath. During his tenure however, he had grown to be capable enough that he could at least fight with his peers without being much of a burden. Given more time, Jaune would have been able to become a capable Huntsman. All he needed to do was survive and live.
"It's… a type of Vault," answered Pyrrha Nikos. She was the partner of Jaune Arc. Her hair was red and her armor was of the color bronze. She had been known as the Invincible Girl due to her seemingly flawless victories from tournament fighting. The secret is actually due to her Semblance, an ability that is unique to each huntsman and huntress. For Pyrrha Nikos, that would be Polarity, the control over magnetism. It doesn't have to be a magnetic either, so long as it was metal, she had control over it and with most of her opponents having weapons of metal, the reputation of being without equal among her peers was expected.
Her weapon of choice was Miló and Akoúo̱, a rather complex weapon with the exception of the round shield. Akoúo̱ was the round, bronze shield. Miló was the complicated portion for it is a sword, javelin, and a rifle. With a series of complex mechanisms, it is capable of shifting between the three forms, giving Pyrrha Nikos an answer to pretty much everything her opponents could throw at her. Combine that with her Semblance, there is little wonder that she obtained the title of Invincible Girl. For the longest time, she had been a championship fighter with so few, if any, capable of challenging her position.
At the head of the three is Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy. He wore a fanciful suit and had gray hair. His spectacles did nothing to hide the seriousness of his expression. His weapon of choice was the Long Memory, a durable and collapsible cane. On one of his hands, he wore a white glove.
The dark hallway stretched on as they ran. Above them, they could still hear the muffled battles going on. Beacon was falling and the kingdom of Vale was being attacked. Every second that passed, a life might have been lost.
"You've… been here before?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha didn't answer and neither did Ozpin. The three of them continued to run as fast as their legs could carry them. Huntsmen and huntresses were physically fit that such continuous running wasn't as exhausting as it would for any other civilian. "What would this school need to… hide?"
The three have made it to their destination. Jaune paused as his eyes were on the pods. The light was dim that the objects there were shrouded in shadow but there was enough light that one could make out their shapes. There were two with one being empty. The other had Amber, still in a comatose state. Headmaster Ozpin began to push buttons on the screen and the mechanisms of the pods began to act.
"What?" Jaune stepped back. "Who?"
Pyrrha turned around. Seeing the surprised and uncertain expression of her partner, she thought that it would be best to explain it as best as she could. "Jaune," she said. She wanted to assure him that it was alright; worry had begun to decorate the blonde's face.
But Ozpin didn't let it. There was no time. "Pyrrha!" he commanded. "Get to the pods!" There was a moment of hesitation. Pyrrha had looked between the headmaster and Jaune before she nodded and did as she was told. Then, the headmaster turned to Jaune. "Mister Arc, if you would like to help, you can stand guard here."
Jaune was unsure of what was going on. He turned to Pyrrha who was staring at the empty and open pod meant for her. He swallowed and found his resolve. He trusts Pyrrha. The headmaster had been a good man to them. For one, he allowed Jaune to try in becoming a huntsman despite his forged transcripts. The blonde understood as well that whoever it was that was attacking Beacon must have done so for whatever it was that the school was hiding.
He turned around and drew his sword. Raising his shield, he stared down into the hallway that they had just come from. This was the end of the Vault and there was no way that anyone would have come from anywhere else; their enemies would be coming from the end of the hallway as the three of them just did.
Before Pyrrha stepped into the pod, she asked the headmaster, "what do we do now?"
"We do nothing." Ozpin was furiously typing away at the computer screen. When everything had been satisfactory enough, he turned to face her. "You, Miss Nikos, have a choice to make."
Half a minute had passed. Pyrrha stared at the empty pod. It was a cold and unfeeling steel. She turned to see the back of her partner. Jaune was guarding them. He had always wanted to be a hero. Jaune wanted to be like his ancestors and become a warrior. She herself had trained him just as her mentor taught her. Of course, she had to adjust since Jaune only had a sword and shield. She had never seen anyone try so hard even if it frustrates him for accomplishing what seemed to be so little. He could still grow into the huntsman he wanted to be; she was certain of that. He only needed more time, time that she would provide if she stepped into the pod.
She wiped a tear from her eye. She stepped into the pod. The barrier closed automatically, causing a mild surprise to escape her lips. With the glass pod now surrounding her, she could feel that the space was small. There was little room for her legs to move and even less for her arms, like she had been placed inside a coffin while still alive.
Headmaster Ozpin continued to push buttons. Above them, the ceilings of the Vault continued to displace dust clouds, increasing in intensity. The battle above continued to rage on and something was getting closer. The three of them were running out of time.
"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked.
Pyrrha turned to face him and gave a single nod.
For a moment, the headmaster faltered. "I… I need to hear you say it." He wasn't the same headmaster as before. Gone was the aloof, if a little mysterious, headmaster Ozpin that they had known. In his place was a man who was terrified and uncertain, holding onto the hope that it would turn out all right.
She gulped. It was heavy enough as it is. Pyrrha could already feel her knees get wobbly. Her hands were shaking but she managed to push out one word. "Yes."
"Thank you, Miss Nikos." Ozpin inputted the final commands.
Amber's pod rose to a slant. It attached itself to some tubes that connected it to Pyrrha's own. Ozpin turned to face Jaune Arc. Rather, he turned to look past his student just in case. There was no sign of the enemy yet but they were getting close. He could hear it as the muffled booming was inching closer. He could already guess who they were; it wouldn't take long before they would reach the elevator.
The comatose Maiden's eyes began to flicker open. A light that had the colors of the season of Fall began to envelop her. That light then went into the tubes and gone into the other pod. Pyrrha Nikos was soon being enveloped by that same light. Half the powers of the Fall Maiden were being transferred unnaturally towards its next host.
Pyrrha screamed in agony. The sudden surge of a power that was being forced upon her was painful. It was as though she was underneath a raging waterfall. Her competition was the sound of the machine doing its job. It was the first time that it had been done and there was an uncertainty of the success rate of the transfer process. They had never tested this before; they had no reason to for such circumstances has never occurred before.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune turned at the sound of his partner in agony. Seeing what was happening, he quickly rushed towards the headmaster's side as if begging him to help her. Helpless, he could only stare as his partner writhed in pain. His head kept going from left to right and back as he tried desperately to look for answers. But he could not.
Only Ozpin could look on and maintain a forced air of stoic calm. However, one could see that he was comforting himself for his gloved hand was patting his chest. He also gulped and hardened his resolve as he stared at what could be the last hours of his student. This was to be his burden. If anything were to happen to any of his students, then headmaster Ozpin would only have himself to blame. But he still needed to do this. That power could not be made whole as it is now; it could not fall to enemy hands.
Ozpin's resolve eventually faltered. "I'm… so sorry." He turned away in shame. He could not bear to see the end. Despite his many years, seeing those younger being made to suffer the consequences of those before them could never become easy. He could never get used to it.
Amber's eyes began to fully open. As the powers are being transferred, hints of a life so close to death had begun to return to the Fall Maiden. A last ounce of clinging that had been cut short by a glass arrow.
The glass arrow punctured through the glass barrier and into Amber, thusly did the Fall Maiden die before the process had been completed.
In shock, both Ozpin and Jaune turned around to see the face of their attacker. They were met with the smirking expression of Cinder Fall. Ozpin, in particular, had his eyes widened at her appearance. Cinder Fall, a black-haired woman that wore a red dress and heels, was one of the transfer students from a different Academy. Right under his nose, Ozpin's enemies had been operating and he never once noticed.
Pyrrha was gasping for air. The halting of the transfer process felt like air had escaped her. When she regained her composure and realized what had happened and what was occurring immediately after, she panicked and began to bang on the glass pod that imprisoned her inside. She needed to get out. She was as shocked as the other two at the sight of Cinder being the enemy but that is a second priority. Pyrrha needed to get Jaune out. He wasn't strong enough to take Cinder on. None of them were, except maybe their headmaster.
The light returned back to Amber only to leave the now dead Fall Maiden. The two halves have been made whole again.
Cinder Fall took a step back but she recovered quickly. Unlike Pyrrha, the transfer here was natural. The powers of the Fall Maiden had longed to be together again and now that it was, it only felt right for the new candidate. Cinder rose from the ground and balls of flame began to revolve around her, giving her a majestic and fiery air. Her eyes glowed and shone brightly as the temperature around her began to rise. If there was one thing that best describes Cinder Fall, it would be fire. The once calm and soothing darkness of the hallways beneath Beacon Academy had been replaced by the raging light of the new Fall Maiden.
Pyrrha's banging of the pod turned frantic. She could only lay witness to the sight that was happening before her that she had forgotten her semblance. Her focus was only on Jaune who had raised his shield and lowered his legs. She knew what he was trying to do; she had taught him that and while he still had room to improve, it was recognizable enough to be a combat stance.
The fires revolving around Cinder grew in size and intensity. She was surrounded by a ring of flame that only brightened and grew hotter with each passing second. Jaune Arc raised his sword and stepped forward.
"Stay back!" Ozpin cried out. But he wasn't fast enough to stop Jaune from making a mistake.
A torrent of flame blasted Jaune back. He fell to the ground; his face would have been burnt were it not for his aura but much of his hair had been singed. The metal plates of his armor had turned red as parts of his clothing had small embers that died out just as quickly as they had appeared.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried out. She continued to bang on the pod. "Get up Jaune! Get up! Get up! Get up!"
Her eyes widened as Cinder got closer. No, this can't be happening. Jaune needed to get up. He needed to get away. Pyrrha wouldn't be fast enough to make it and the headmaster was too far from them; that didn't stop him from rushing to the blonde's side.
Ozpin was the first to react. He moved to protect his student. However, a force that Pyrrha could not see had struck him aside and Ozpin flew towards the walls. He too fell to the ground but was on his knees, headmaster Ozpin was still conscious. What had happened? Pyrrha never got the chance to see it. The only evidence she saw was something disappearing into thin air just as quickly as it appeared.
Pyrrha's lips curved upwards in desperate hope. She saw the moment that Jaune's arms pulled into position to push himself back up. She could imagine him groaning in pain. That was good. Groaning meant that he was still alive. Groaning meant that he was still breathing, that he would still be alright. They could still turn this around. They could retreat, find allies and fight another day. Pyrrha would have to intensify his training but that could be arranged later. Jaune would need some time to heal those burns but that was fine. So long as he got up, the two of them could still go on. He just needed to get up.
But he didn't.
Jaune didn't get the chance to get up before a glass sword found itself nailing him to the ground. Cinder broke the glass sword as she did, twisting the weapon while it was still inside the blonde boy. No sound came from his mouth for the air had simply escaped him.
It was only now, through shock, that enough sense returned to Pyrrha that she had remembered her semblance. With great force, she busted open the glass barrier that kept her constrained. The rivets and hinges that held the pod together momentarily resisted before giving in. Her weapons were nearby and responded to her call.
Before Cinder could do anything to Pyrrha, Ozpin had gotten close enough to intervene. His face was filled with vengeful anger. While his eyes didn't glow like Cinder's, there was no denying that there was an inferno that burned within the headmaster. His face and hair were covered in grime and dirt. There were tears in clothes and his spectacles were broken. He swiped at Cinder, causing her to jump back.
Pyrrha got to her partner's side. "Jaune!"
"P-Pyrrha?" Yes! His voice was weak but he was alive. He was breathing. There was still a chance. He could still be saved. Jaune could still live.
She moved the singed hair to see him better. "I'm here, Jaune. I'm here."
But such comforts only lasted a short while, "take Jaune and find Glynda, Ironwood, Qrow! Anyone! The tower cannot fall!" Ozpin was between them and Cinder. The Fall Maiden rose above them and looked down on them as though they were inferior beings meant to submit before her.
Pyrrha made no arguments as she carried Jaune by her hands. She ran past a smug Cinder who looked at her with a single raised eyebrow. Cinder looked down on her as if she was superior. Pyrrha's teeth were grinding as she burned that woman's face to her memory. Jaune needed to live. That was what matters. They'll have their chance at justice after.
"Come on, come on." The elevator couldn't move any faster. With the battle that was still raging above and now below as well, there were interruptions being had and the elevator would occasionally have its bumps and sudden stomps. Her feet were tapping furiously on the metal floor. "I'm running out of time! How much slower can you go?"
She took matters into her own hands. Pyrrha forcefully moved the elevator faster using her semblance. The elevator screeched as it had been moved by means that wasn't part of its design. Any safety mechanisms that it may have had for sudden movements were shattered as the elevator barreled its way to their destination, Pyrrha blasted the doors open and had to hop down. To hell with accuracy, this was an emergency. Her partner was dying and the headmaster was currently engaging in a battle with a power-hungry maniac who sought to bring down all of humanity in pursuit of power. For what reason? Pyrrha didn't know nor did she care enough to find out. Jaune's breathing was slowing, his eyes were moving all over the place as he tried to focus on something. It was a sign that his vision was blurring and further sign that Pyrrha needed to move faster.
"Stay with me, Jaune," she repeated. "Stay with me. Stay with me, please."
The hallways of Beacon Academy were still mostly in-tact. The tables and doors may have been scattered and the windows' glasses were shattered with the torn curtains littering the floor but the foundation and the walls still stood on. Pyrrha could still navigate around the place with how long she had spent roaming these halls back when things were peaceful and her biggest worries were her classes and whether or not Jaune—
She shook her head. Now is not the time to be thinking about that. Pyrrha needed to get her partner to safety. There had to be some medical assistance outside. Rushing out into the open, the battle for Beacon Academy had gone further out to be a battle for the capital city of the kingdom of Vale. Creatures of Grimm and robots of Atlas were fighting against huntsmen and huntresses defending themselves and civilians caught in-between.
All that destruction, all those fires, and all those lives lost and for what? A pursuit of power? What did Cinder even want with it? To rule over mankind? To right some wrong that had been done to her? To make Remnant suffer as she did? Why? Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be in Pyrrha's time? She didn't want this. She never asked for this. No one did.
Pyrrha lost her balance when the ground shook violently beneath her. She held Jaune tightly as she fell. Better that she be hurt than him; he had already been hurt enough. Let her knees be scraped if it meant that no hair on his body is out of place any more than it already was. It wasn't an earthquake for large pieces of debris had fallen, broken off from wherever it had been first attached to. Looking upwards, a large, winged, Wyvern Grimm had landed onto the spires of the school.
"No." She despaired. "The tower cannot fall," she echoed the headmaster's words. She got up, still carrying the blonde knight in her arms. The large Grimm have yet to see them; it didn't care for them for they are insignificant to it.
"Pyrrha," Jaune called out to her weakly. His eyes had bags beneath them as he reached for his pockets. "M-my scroll." His breathing was labored and his skin was starting to pale. Pyrrha never noticed the small trail of blood that Jaune had left behind. "I-I have Glynda's number."
"We need to get you to safety first, Jaune." She took the scroll but she didn't call yet. Looking around her, she found those special rocket-lockers that stored their weapons. It was far enough from Beacon that there was no worry about debris falling on their heads. The Grimm didn't seem to notice them yet. With how small they must be, the Grimm might not even think much of them. "Just hold on." Her own voice began to shake.
Bringing Jaune to the locker had proven itself a difficult task. Jaune was getting heavier with each step. She could still his breath though it was still slowing down. His head and arms swayed to the momentum and made no resistance. He was still alive, if a bit cold and getting colder. She held him tightly, sharing what body heat she had. Finally, she managed to lay Jaune to rest against the cold steel of the locker. She sighed relief when she could still see the rising and falling of his shoulders.
His aura reserves were low. He hadn't activated them in time when he had been attacked from behind. Jaune always had a large amount but even that must have run out from all the fighting before they had gone to the Vault. That was fine though, so long as he was still alive to recover his reserves, he will be okay. Jaune had to be okay. He needed to. He had to be.
Looking back, the Wyvern continued to crawl up and down the tower. It was looking for something. Was there more that was hidden within Beacon? Pyrrha wasn't so sure. Neither Ozpin nor Cinder had got back up which meant that their fight was still on-going.
"Professor Goodwitch!" she exclaimed. Her fingers fumbled their way until she found Professor Goodwitch's contact number on Jaune's scroll. She immediately called. "Come on, come on, come on."
"Mister Arc?" Goodwitch responded to the call. "What has—"
"Professor Goodwitch!" Pyrrha replied instantly. "Ozpin is in the Vault. They-they've taken the Maiden powers. There's a large Wyvern attacking the school!"
"Get to safety this instant, Miss Nikos!" Goodwitch commanded. Before the call had cut off, Pyrrha had heard her professor call out "James! Qrow! We're heading to Beacon, now!"
At the sound of that, Pyrrha Nikos could only laugh weakly. Thus far, things have only gotten worse for her. Their school had been attacked, the powers that should have transferred to her were taken away and Jaune had been hurt severely.
When her tenure in Beacon Academy began, she never would have imagined it would turn out like this. At first, she had been fearful that she wouldn't make friends. People had often placed her in some pedestal because of her tournament career. Those that made gestures of friendship really only did so for the fame of being associated with her. The same could be said when it came to romance. They only ever cared about claiming to have dated the Pyrrha Nikos.
It was for that reason that she had come to Beacon Academy, to escape all of that and start anew. It was in a different kingdom, a different country. However, any hope of that had been dashed away when she was recognized even here. She supposed she must have been naïve to think that no one would recognize her just because she moved to a new place. She had felt cold and empty then. Resigned, she had accepted that she would always be alone.
But all that changed when she met Jaune, the tiniest of sparks that had come into view. He never knew of her, certainly not as some peerless combatant. He would have treated her as he would have any other girl. If he hadn't been told that she was also a mascot for a cereal brand—the memory brought a light chuckle to her—he would have flirted with her as he did another girl that Pyrrha knows; he was failing miserably in that regard but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she wasn't so different from the rest in his eyes.
She attached herself to him. Desperately holding onto him as she didn't want to lose that companionship. In time, she found friends in other people. People who would treat her as they would anybody else. But Jaune held a special place inside her as the one who made her hope again.
Then, he had been attacked. Pyrrha's hands clenched tightly into a fist as the image replayed in her mind. He had no fault in this. He didn't need to get involved in this. He was her partner, sure, but he wasn't meant to carry this burden. He may not see it, but he had done a lot for her. Pyrrha would never have made it this far without her friends, without him. She wanted to hold onto it for as long as she can. When Cinder had stabbed him, Pyrrha had feared the worst.
But now, things were finally starting to look up for her. Help was coming and everything would turn out well. Huntsmen and huntresses were fending off the Grimm and hacked machinery. While the attack was surprising and had a devastating start, the defenders of Vale managed to turn the tide and keep the horde in control. Soon, this attack would end and they could start to rebuild. Jaune would get medical attention and he will be fine. She did it. She found help and Jaune would be alright.
"You hear that, Jaune?" she asked, turning to face him as relief washed over her. Her face was weak and her knees was wobbly. "Help is coming. We did it." She fell to the ground, right next to him. "We might have to rebuilt but Vale is saved. You're a hero now, Jaune. Just like you always wanted."
When she did, Jaune fell too. He fell right on her lap. He was unresponsive. Pyrrha's eyes widened as quickly placed her fingers on his neck, trying to find a pulse. She had felt no breath on her thighs.
"Jaune?" she asked again. This time, her voice was that of disbelief. She turned Jaune around to face her. His eyes weren't closed but there was a blankness in his pupils. Pyrrha shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no. Jaune? Jaune!"
She shook him; it became more violent as the seconds ticked. Any sign of life, she needed to find it. He can't die here. Not yet. He still hadn't had the help he needed. Pyrrha still needed to find help for him. She managed to get help for the headmaster so why couldn't she get the help for her partner? He had to be alright. He was still holding on earlier. He must still be alive. Something. Anything. Just please, let him still be alive.
Her own eyes began to water. Her violent shaking of Jaune rose into a crescendo then suddenly stopped. The first tears had already dropped from her chin. Still, Jaune's head only hung down only responding if it had been moved. Pyrrha's throat had begun to hurt. She didn't realize that she had been screaming his name for quite a while now.
It was too late. Pyrrha Nikos had been too late. The Invincible Girl that had always won, lost for the first time and it was the most bitter of losses.
Jaune's head was brought to rest on Pyrrha's chest. She cried into the blonde hair as she held him tight. He was cold. She pulled more of his body closer to her as she embraced more of him. She was warm, she could give him that. His head now rested on her shoulders. His armor and weapon clung to him awkwardly. It made her embrace of him awkward. Pyrrha removed the straps of his armor along with Crocea Mors. She needed to make him comfortable. She wanted to. She had to.
"I…" she whispered weakly. "I never had the chance to tell you. But I've fall—" she could not complete it. The word fall had left a bitter taste on her mouth. Jaune had dreams and so did Pyrrha. Yes. That was sounded about right. "You were my dream come true."
She curled herself around him. Her breath was the only heat on Jaune's cold neck. "Please, Jaune," she begged, voice at its weakest. "I don't want to say goodbye. I… I…" Any word that would have come out was replaced by sobs.
Unbeknownst to her, in that moment, three marks had appeared at the back of her hand.
AN: For the most part, I will be using these ANs as a sort of reminder of what I was thinking in regards to any point of this fic in case I decide to do something like this again. Feel free to ignore these. With that in mind, I couldn't find the definitive reason as to why it is called "Stay Night" in particular so I just focused on the RWBY side of things and slapped "Fate" on it. Thusly, we have our title.