Note: Wow, chapters come out a lot faster when they aren't twenty thousand words! Anyway, the third day of Vytal has begun. This is the last day before the fighting begins proper, and hopefully it will be much shorter in chapter length. Thank you for your continued support. It means a lot. Also, tariffs are dummmmmmmmmmmbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb. Okay thanks bye enjoy.

Pyrrha seethed.

Standing amidst the ruins of her team's cabin just past the stroke of midnight, Pyrrha held a primal scream inside herself. Most of her teammates tried to be useful. Nora, Ren, Coco, Fox, Yatsu, Weiss, and Yang all helped clean the house of its clutter, throwing stuffing into trashbags, mopping up discarded food, and folding Pyrrha's belongings on the armrest of the sofa. Velvet, a few minutes removed from dropping off a package at her own cabin, came to help as well. Jaune held Pyrrha in a tight hug, feeling her entire body tense like one large muscle. Blake sat on the porch, and through the open front door, Pyrrha could hear Ruby interrogate her.

"Was it this person?"

"No."

"And it definitely wasn't Goodwitch?"

"Didn't look like her. White stringy hair, and red eyes, remember?"

It was a stroke of luck that Blake stayed home. She called her teammates the moment she was able to confirm the cabin was secure, and when they arrived, they found her unnaturally unnerved, double and triple-checking the locks on her own cabin, staring out into the shadowed woods.

"Okay, okay… wait. Was it this?"

Ruby flipped her Scroll toward Blake, and the shadow girl's eyes lit up with fury.

"Yeah. That was the fucker."

Ruby nodded, returning inside. She showed the profile to Pyrrha and Jaune, and one-by-one, as the cleaning reached its apex and the other members of Team NYBF returned to the living room, she revealed her findings.

"Mute?" Yang asked, sitting at the kitchen table. "What kind of name is that?"

"That's the first question you ask?" Weiss said, baffled.

"It's a weird name. Valid question."

"He's one of Alyx's lapdogs," Coco said distastefully. "Of course, he's going to be weird. The real question is why they did any of this?"

"Your cabin was left untouched, right?" Ruby asked.

Velvet nodded. "It's possible he was going to attack our cabin next, but no. No signs of damage."

"And he didn't go through our belongings either," Nora claimed, only causing Pyrrha to seethe more.

"Do we think he acted alone?" Ren wondered.

"Nah, I doubt it," Coco claimed. "There's no way Team NTMR wouldn't have known what he was doing. This is one hundred percent Alyx's doing."

"But why?" Nora asked. "What's the point in any of this? Destroying Pyrrha's clothes? How does this help?"

"It's fairly obvious to me," Ruby stated, addressing Pyrrha directly. "Alyx sees you as a major threat. This is just her way of trying to mess with your head."

Pyrrha scowled. Really? Was that all it was? This silent freak—Mute—ransacked her home, violated her privacy, and it was just… some childish, psychological game? It felt far sicker than that, though the reality was it fit Alyx Nevermore's M.O. perfectly. All Alyx ever did was play games, dancing and singing and making these embarrassing little jokes at another's expense. She didn't seem to injure. She didn't appear to care about getting dirt on her opponents. It was all just fun. But now, it had gotten so deeply personal that she wanted heads to roll. If she ever saw that nutjob again…

"Pyrrha," Jaune whispered in her ear. "If it will make you feel better, we can swap rooms tonight."

Her body relaxed slightly. That… that sounded nice. Her room was tainted now. She couldn't trust the walls. Jaune's room would be secure. Safe and secure…

"That's a bit insulting that she only went after Pyrrha then," Nora scoffed. "I mean, Alyx really doesn't see any of us as a threat? I have a giant hammer."

Ren shook his head. "Nora, are you really envious right now?"

"I am always envious," Nora clarified. "It'd be nice to know if someone was interested. My bras are massive—"

"Yeah, maybe this isn't the best time for that, Nora," Weiss said quickly, before Pyrrha turned her teammate into a redheaded kebab.

"That being said," Yang added, "Alyx was trying to get in our heads during the Opening Ceremony."

Ruby half-agreed. She had looked at Team RWBY and told them that everyone in the Festival would die. It was as horrifying as it was out-of-pocket. Still, it wasn't nearly as bad as being spied upon, as having their belongings rummaged through like a toybox. Alyx was prioritizing the Invincible Girl, and while she was keeping Team RWBY in her sights, she didn't view them as a major threat. At least, not yet. Or, maybe worse, not that she knew about.

"We should probably bring this forward to the Committee," Weiss immediately suggested.

"You mean right now?" Coco asked.

"Why not? We should take action," Weiss said firmly. "The stakes of this tournament are too high to have these distractions. This Alyx girl is stalking us. Let's eliminate her from the contest as fast as possible and be done with this."

Pyrrha clenched her fists tightly. It made all the sense in the world. Report it to the Vytal Committee. Team NTMR had received one major punishment before, and another strike against them could easily result in their expulsion from the Festival. It would remove a headache before it ever truly began, and would certainly give Pyrrha peace of mind. But could they actually make a convincing argument? Yeah, the cabin was a mess, but they only had Blake's testimony to verify Mute's identity, and some of that may have been based on an ability to see in the dark that they could not disclose. Even if they could pin Mute as the culprit, could they reasonably convince the Committee that Alyx was responsible? They had no evidence other than their own speculation. Without more substantial proof, their efforts could only upset their newfound nemeses.

It wasn't long before Ruby voiced these concerns, carefully avoiding Pyrrha's eye contact. "If that doesn't work?"

"We warn her not to do it again," Weiss suggested. From the porch, Blake laughed.

"Fuck, yeah, Weiss! Go straight to violence."

Weiss scoffed. "I didn't mean violence. I meant—"

"Violence."

"Y-You're one to talk, Blake!"

"Hey, I was genuinely being supportive!"

Yang tentatively raised their hand. "For the record, we also wouldn't be opposed to beating the shit out of her for this."

Ruby put her foot down. "Okay, we are not going to beat up another Vytal competitor. The last thing we need is to start fights and get disqualified ourselves."

Pyrrha muttered under her breath. "But she started it."

"And we will finish it," Ruby promised. "When it's appropriate."

Pyrrha pushed her face into Jaune's torso, hiding her frustrations. Ruby had a point, though none of them wanted to admit it. They needed to be exceedingly careful. Ozpin would jump at any opportunity to bury them to the Committee. For better or worse, taking the high ground would lead to significantly less risk. It was Ruby's best argument, and she didn't have to push too hard to get everyone else in the room to agree.

Then again, Ruby was considering a question she wouldn't dare ask aloud: Was it even worth trying to eliminate NTMR from the competition?

Personally, they were a menace. The violation would scar Pyrrha for nights. But on the other hand… they didn't actually hurt anyone. As far as Ruby could tell, they were rude, frightening, but ultimately, not a threat. Well, about as little of a threat as anyone in the Vytal Festival could be. And that raised another point. If they were truly dangerous, would it not possibly be advantageous to leave them in the tournament? They weren't necessarily their problem. They were Penny's problem. Vivian's problem. It was… hell, it was Pyrrha's problem. Not Team RWBY's. The Holy Grail in the hands of a child would be devastating, but was it worse than Ozpin or Ironwood? Alyx was a wildcard. Why dispose of a tool she could use to her advantage?

Wait, no.

No, no.

Ignore that. Ignore everything. She needed to think about Team NYBF, not Team RWBY. Sabotaging her own friends was stupid. She didn't even know where that thought came from.

Not that she would ever suggest this anyway, lest she incur the remainder of Pyrrha's wrath.

"So… should we reconvene on this in the morning?" Coco suggested, noticing a lingering silence as their leaders considered their options. "I am exhausted, and this place is looking about as clean as it's going to."

"Maybe sleep wouldn't be such a bad idea," Ren agreed. "We can make a decision about our next step when we have clearer heads."

Pyrrha shut her eyes tightly. "I…" She was too overwhelmed to form proper sentences. She squeaked out her final command. "I want everyone to leave now. Please."

Ruby checked with her team, and ultimately… yeah. That was probably for the best. Leave it all behind them. Focus on their current mission. Ruby asked her teammates to leave the cabin.

When Weiss Schnee retired to her room for the night, she believed that the worst of the day was behind her. She brushed her teeth, changed into her nightgown, and settled into bed for what would be a mediocre sleep. The heavy sheets felt like sandpaper, but after tossing and turning, forcing her eyes shut so tightly she could feel her eyelashes dig into her skin, she was finally able to slip into something resembling unconsciousness.

The third day would be better. She promised herself that as she dozed off. Less stress. Less arguing.

Don't think about Yang.

Don't think about Team NTMR.

Don't even think about Winter's weird Sienna obsession.

Just rest.

Rest easy.

That didn't last.

At around one thirty in the morning, Weiss was woken up by her Scroll loudly buzzing next to her. Weiss didn't wake up until the third buzz, groggily slapping her hand over the device and reading the name through half-shut eyelids. The bright blue screen lit up the darkness and shot into her brain like a bullet, unclogging her senses and jogging something of a reaction from her.

"P-Pyrrha?" Weiss muttered, rubbing her eyes to remove the haze. She confirmed the name on the Scroll and shook herself awake. Hesitantly, she answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, Weiss. Are you awake?"

"I am now," Weiss yawned.

"I'm sorry. Can you come outside? I want to speak with you."

"You're speaking to me now—" Weiss paused. Wait, outside? Pyrrha was outside her cabin right now? What the hell…

"I don't want to wake up your team. Please, just come outside. And bring your sword. Thank you."

Weiss didn't have the mental energy to argue. Well, she arguably had less mental energy to walk outside, but in her disoriented state, she didn't think about that. Weiss somehow agreed to the terms and quietly hung up her Scroll. She sat up on the side of her bed, lingering as the feeling slowly returned to her limbs. Pyrrha. Pyrrha outside. Right now. Move. Slippers. Sword. Quiet. Be quiet. Pyrrha…

With some effort, she forced herself upright, stifling another yawn. She slipped on slippers and fumbled around in the dark until she found Myrtenaster's case, removing the glorious rapier from its confinement. The weapon hung low in her limp arm, the tip of the blade scraping against the carpet as she stepped out into the hallway. One quick check left, then right. Coast clear. Hopefully, she wouldn't wake anyone up. To the best of her ability, she tiptoed down the stairs and into the living room, cringing at every slight creak of the floorboards. It didn't take long before she noticed Pyrrha's red hair through the window.

Weiss opened the front door, exposing her bare legs to the elements. Why the fuck was it so windy? She adjusted her nightgown as she walked down the porch toward her unwanted guest. Pyrrha tapped her foot impatiently, paranoid eyes glancing around the woods for predators. Her muscles bulged beneath her red tank top. Her weapon, Miló, was condensed and stuck out of the hem of her sweatpants. Weiss rubbed her eyes.

"What are you doing here, Pyrrha?" Weiss asked. "You should be getting some sleep."

Pyrrha crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't sleep. Not after what happened."

"I know you're upset. I'd be too," Weiss said sympathetically. "But why are you here? And why do I need—"

"We're going to visit Team NTMR. I need to talk to Alyx."

Those last words were all it took to fully snap Weiss awake. She stared at Pyrrha, dumbfounded, the sword in her hand feeling like an albatross. Pyrrha didn't say it like a request. They were going. Pyrrha had been dead set on this for hours.

"Wait. Hang on," Weiss said. "That would be a really bad idea—"

"I don't care," Pyrrha growled. "They destroyed my clothes. My things. That's…" Pyrrha forced herself to take a deep breath before she screamed. "I need answers. I need them now. And if I have to make them pay, then…"

Weiss had to process quickly. Plan. Counterargument. She needed something. Say why it was a bad idea. Say why it would get them kicked from the Festival. Wait, Ruby already said that. Wait, how about—

"And what happens if they decide they don't like you knocking on their door in the middle of the night looking for a fight?"

It was meant as a warning, but Pyrrha almost took it as a challenge.

"That's what you're here for."

"Wha—no, Pyrrha, no."

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked. "You saw what they did."

"Because—" Ruby would kill her. It was wrong. She was tired. There were a million better options. "You know why."

"Please, Weiss. Please." Pyrrha looked Weiss in the eyes, all of her hurt painted across her face. And maybe it was Weiss's genuine disgust with Team NTMR's actions. Or maybe it was the lingering feelings of that old schoolgirl crush on the Invincible Girl. Or again, maybe she was too tired to fucking argue. But Weiss felt her defenses melt. She could only stammer out one last question.

"Why me, though?"

Pyrrha had her own myriad of reasons. She couldn't put her own team in danger, and she didn't want them to suffer the fallout of her actions. She couldn't ask Team CFVY because they were too emotionally unstable. Yang? Too physically unstable. Blake? Like Pyrrha could ever trust that woman with her life. And Ruby? Well, she knew better than to get on the Red Angel's bad side. But as for Weiss specifically…

"Because you're the only person I would trust to beat me in a fight," Pyrrha admitted. "That means you're the only one I would have to watch my back."

Weiss was forced to take a step back, the revelation hitting her like an uppercut. She… Weiss Schnee… she was the one who could beat Pyrrha? Like, there was that time in Stiltskin's office, but… that was just a fluke? And she had the Reveler's powers but…

Well…

Huh.

She had never thought about it like that. Everything Pyrrha said to her seemed sincere. Pyrrha never lost to anyone. That was her legacy, written in blood and bone fragments. Even now, after a semester where she had technically lost twice, Pyrrha still felt indestructible, all of those vulnerabilities seeming illusory. But maybe she was right. Maybe Weiss, for all her failures, her shortcomings, her lack of Aura and desperate petulance… maybe Weiss actually had something within her that Pyrrha respected her. That was almost more than she could take.

So, she didn't try to process it. Instead, she chose to distract herself.

"Okay," she sighed. "Let's give Alyx a visit."

Weiss suggested Pyrrha knock on Team NTMR's door. It was more like a violent assault.

Team NTMR's cabin looked very similar to theirs from the outside, though its interior was pitch black and devoid of even the faintest lights. As Weiss waited for Alyx to respond, she looked around the rest of Claret's Oasis, Shade Academy's section of the Champions' Village. Like the desert itself, a brutally cold wind had set over the sands, and Weiss hugged herself to resist the chill, nightgown swaying by her legs. Pyrrha seemed unbothered, dead set on the house ahead of her; and the rest of the Shade teams, NDGO, ABRN, and BRNZ, did not seem to respond to their presence. Weiss was certain they had dealt with enough drama of their own to be disturbed by some Beacon students in the middle of the night. It was no excuse to cause a scene, and Weiss hoped that they would be in and out as quickly as humanly possible.

After a minute passed, and no one answered the door, Pyrrha knocked again.

Knock knock knock.

"Maybe they're heavy sleepers?" Weiss suggested. Pyrrha groaned.

Knock knock knock.

"They have to hear this eventually."

"And if they don't answer."

"They better."

Knock knock knock.

Weiss shuddered. "Just… don't kick the door down."

"Not planning on it."

Knock knock knock.

Pyrrha nearly screamed. Where were these freaks? They had to hear her by now. Maybe kicking down the door was the best way to go. She had promised she wasn't looking to start a fight, but she was the one with the weapon in her back pocket. And if the opportunity arose, she wouldn't hesitate.

Pyrrha clenched her fist even tighter.

Knock knock—

Suddenly, the door swung open. Pyrrha and Weiss braced themselves as a young woman emerged from the shadows inside... and then they turned a bright, horrified shade of red.

Alyx Nevermore stood in the entranceway with bright, awake eyes and an even cheerier grin. Her hair was a giant mess of infinite brown frizz. She wore a fabulous pair of bunny slippers, whiter than the coldest blizzard and dotted with big, floppy ears that fell on the floor like loose laces. They were fantastic slippers. Cozy. Immaculate.

This was the only clothing that she wore.

"Well, howdy, neighbor!" Alyx said with a courteous salute. "What brings thou here at the witching hour?"

Pyrrha and Weiss did not respond. They couldn't. Their brains had turned to granulated mush. Pyrrha forced her gaze down at Alyx's feet, trying to meet the cute bunny eyes instead of anything else. Weiss wanted to do the same, but she didn't have the self-control. Her eyes continually flickered to Alyx's chest, and her hips, and her places. Wow, what places.

"I… I…" Pyrrha stammered, trying to recover her thoughts.

"Oh, my slippers!" Alyx said happily, turning her heel to show them off. "Aren't they cute?"

Pyrrha grimaced. Focus. "You… did you—"

"Sorry, you have to speak up. I'm a little deaf in this ear." Alyx turned her head and pursed her lips.

"We're here because—"

"Wait! It was this ear. Sorry." Alyx turned her head to the other side. "Okay, now go."

"T-This isn't… stop that—"

"Wait! Silly me," Alyx rolled her eyes. "I'm blind, not deaf!" She held her arms out in front of her, mimicking stumbling around in the darkness. It was more than Pyrrha could take. The prodigal Huntress let out a furious scream and forced herself to look Alyx in the eye.

"You ransacked my home!"

Alyx crossed her arms over her bare chest, tapping a finger to her chin as Pyrrha stared daggers through her.

"Ransacked? Home? You?" Alyx asked. "Are you sure?"

"Don't play dumb," Pyrrha warned. "I know it was your teammate. That silent monster tore through my belongings during the Banquet."

Alyx feigned a gasp. "You mean my Cutey Mutey Patootie? No. He would never."

"You…"

Alyx leaned inside her cabin and screeched. "Hey, Mute! Did you go through this nice lady's clothing? That was very rude!" Alyx waited for a few moments, and then suddenly turned back to Weiss and Pyrrha with a blank expression. "He doesn't speak. I don't know why I did that."

Pyrrha neared her breaking point within seconds. It took more effort than it was worth to stop herself from choking the life out of Alyx on the spot. It was so obviously a game to her, a fun little prank that she hoped to escape from without consequences. Pyrrha didn't like people toying with her life. She slowly reached for her weapon.

"Ooh, what'cha got there?" Alyx asked. She bent over, putting her hands on her knees. "Are those your weapons?" Pyrrha froze, but Alyx just smiled innocently. "Awwwww, did you come here to get revenge? That's so noble. And cliché! Nebula already threatened me with violence today. But then again, who doesn't love a good revenge? Why, I remember back in the year ought seven—"

"Stop," Weiss said suddenly. She shut her eyes to block out Alyx's distractions and took charge of the conversation to the best of her ability. "We didn't come here for a fight. And we didn't come here to listen to you say a bunch of weird things! We just wanted answers."

"Answers? You haven't asked any questions," Alyx said curiously.

"You know what we came to ask about," Weiss stated. "Why did you have Mute destroy Pyrrha's things? Why did you ruin the Opening Ceremony? Why are you like… this? Right now?" Weiss gestured broadly to Alyx, who did not appear to be bothered in the slightest by her rude suggestions. In fact, the more she pondered the good ponderings, the more she found herself enjoying the pale woman's company.

"Why? That's such a weird question. Why indeed? I mean, why do people do anything? Why are you here right now? Did you actually choose to be here, or is your brain chemistry just taking the data forced into it from trillions of neurons and popping out a result that compels you into action? I mean, is anything we do truly a choice? Do we have the freedom to do anything at all? Maybe I could say I had Mute ruin Pyrrha's stuff because I wanted to torment her before the tournament—ooh, say that five times fast. Tormentbeforethetournamenttormentbeforethetournamenttormembefarhthejdhhhnbvbcc…"

Alyx shrugged. "But then maybe I only did that because daddy was very mean to me in the fourth grade, and I learned that ripping up his clothes was the best way to get his attention. Maybe it's the fault of all of our parents. Don't you have a bad father, Weiss? I think I heard that somewhere. Isn't everything you do really his fault?"

Weiss stuttered. "What are you—"

"Hey, wanna see me do a handstand?"

Alyx did not wait for an answer. Instead, her entire body leaned to the side and then fell over. She pushed herself up on her arms and, with a proud smile, stood upside down before her unwelcome guests. Her frizzy hair spread across the floor like an old mop. Her bunny slippers dangled off her toes. Pyrrha blushed even more furiously and turned away. Weiss made the mistake of opening her eyes. She was transfixed against her will, since she was perfectly at eye-level with Alyx's—

"But you know, I don't think I believe in determinism," Alyx said bluntly. "I mean, the idea that the whole universe is just consequences bouncing around in a predictable fashion? Isn't that dull? Do you think the universe could have foreseen this killer handstand? I don't think so. So, I guess what I'm saying is…" Alyx smirked. "I asked Mute to ruin your things because it was fun."

Pyrrha felt a rage fight through her. She turned back to Alyx and looked down at her, eyes wide and furious. The distractions all faded away.

"It… was fun?"

"Sure! Look at you now," Alyx said calmly. "Storming here in the middle of the night, ruining your sleep schedule, all grumpy and fighty. 'I'm Pyrrha Nikos and I am going to get myself kicked out of Vytal.' Wow, that was a terrible impression. I've heard so many stories about your temperament. Your ethic. Such a big, glorious fighter for a big, glorious fighting tournament. But look at you now… dragged down to my level. And all it took was snipping a bra." Alyx's left leg fell forward, and her bunny slipper booped Pyrrha on her nose. "Trust me on this. Bras are overrated."

Pyrrha shoved Alyx's foot away from her face, and the force caused Alyx to tumble to the ground. She lay flat on her back, head rolled up, staring at her guests, but she seemed unhurt and unbothered.

"And you think that's fun?" Pyrrha asked. "Hurting me is fun?"

"Defying expectations," Alyx clarified. "Cutting out the fat. That's the fun bit."

"You like upsetting people," Weiss said grimly. "Don't pretend you don't."

"I don't care if people get hurt! Unlike you," Alyx smirked. "Oh, don't look at me like that. You're the ones who brought your weapons."

Weiss instinctively pulled her weapon behind her back. Pyrrha grabbed the hilt of hers.

"You wanna know what's really weird, in my opinion?" Alyx asked, kicking up her feet. "The Vytal Festival. Everyone is so uptight about it. There's this really big schedule, and there are dinners and dances and fancy ceremonies with dancers and music and blah blah bleh. It's all so serious. Self-important. People twist themselves into knots speculating over it. Oh, I wonder who will win? Who shall fight whom? Let me train extra super hard and make mommy proud."

Alyx rolled over onto her stomach, resting her chin on her knuckles. "Can I let you in on a little spoiler? Sorry if this ruins the fun for you, but… I actually don't really care about the Vytal Festival that much. Like, I'm here because I was asked to be. Winning would be fun, but watching you guys act like it's the biggest, important-ist thing ever is just silly. The world is so much bigger than one silly little tournament. We're all just specs floating in a big, cosmic soup, and the sooner you realize how insignificant every moment of your life is, the more your chains slip away."

Pyrrha's blood boiled. Alyx thought she was insignificant? That was the root cause of all of this. That stung worse than psychological warfare. Alyx didn't even care if she was doing psychological warfare. She was just… fucking around. Treating Pyrrha's life as a big joke. She was just like Ozpin and Ironwood… no. It was a form of evil distinct from their manipulations. It was a fragment of chaos thrust into a world she was desperately trying to hold together. An earthquake, naked and laughing.

Somehow, standing there on the porch, looking down at this woman making a mockery of her, Pyrrha felt smaller than she had in a long time.

She could have killed her right there. Showed her just how meaningful her actions were. But the truth was that Pyrrha didn't want to be there anymore. She didn't want to give this raving lunatic another moment of her thoughts.

"Listen," Pyrrha said coldly. "I am just going to say this once. Do not ever mess with my things again. Or the next time we meet, you will face the consequences. Understood?"

Alyx let out a fake yawn. "Ugh, what a terrible word. Will. What makes you so sure we're going to meet again?" Alyx pushed herself up to her hands and knees, then quickly thrust herself up to her feet, wobbling on her heels before stabilizing. "There's one thing I love about Vytal. It's random. Every opponent determined by the luck of the draw. For all you know, Pyrrha, your biggest threat is standing right next to you."

Pyrrha, for half a second, turned to Weiss. A woman, flustered at the sight of a naked woman. A woman willing to accompany Pyrrha on this fruitless journey. A woman she had shot in the hand.

The woman who beat her…

Weiss felt the sudden attention on her and moved to dismiss it. "Ignore her, Pyrrha. She's just trying to mess with us. She said so herself."

"I do love messing with people!" Alyx said proudly. "Oooh, do you want me to do it again?"

"No," Weiss said. "I think we've heard enough tonight."

"Oh, but it's so good!" Alyx moped, jumping up and down. "Pretty please? You'll get a kick out of this."

"Goodnight, Alyx," Weiss said with one last embarrassed huff. "Come on, Pyrrha. Let's go."

Pyrrha didn't move, so Weiss grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down the porch steps. Her bare feet fell upon the cool sand, and she began to walk away from the cabin. She didn't believe anything Alyx said. Not a word. It was all just tricks and bullshit. The worst kinds of games. She wasn't going to let this random woman infest her mind anymore. Not when there were so many more opponents to worry about.

"I know about the Other Place."

And then, Alyx's words hit her hard.

Weiss froze in her tracks, turning back toward the cabin slowly.

"What… what other place?"

Alyx clasped her hands behind her back. Her smile had changed. It was subtle. Sinister.

"You know… the Other Place," Alyx said simply. "The one you've both been to. The one I see sparkle in your eyes."

Weiss didn't understand her. What other place?

Unless… wait… she couldn't mean—

"There's so much more beyond that," Alyx said. "You wouldn't even begin to understand. And it gets so much worse. So much worse."

Weiss stepped forward. "Wait, how do you—"

But Alyx had said enough. She stepped back into the shadows of her cabin and slammed the door shut. Weiss and Pyrrha were left out in the sands, alone with the winds, the fear.