The scene begins with members of team SAFF, BLAE, Azure, and Crimson all in different places in the room they are sharing while they stay at Kuchinashi as Akali begins to speak.
Akali: First it was the broadcast of the attack on Beacon, then it was the White Fang attacking the school, and after that everything went chaotic.
Evelynn: With all the panic here, the Grimm were coming from every direction. Leonardo Lionheart, the headmaster of Haven dispatched all available Huntsman to deal with the hordes. We were able to contain it but...
Ahri: So many Huntsman died from that attack. After the smoke cleared, the headmaster suggested that some teams would go out across Anima and make sure the villages were alright.
Evelynn: We were sent with a Huntress named Heather Shields to investigate some Grimm activity. She went to check something on her own and by the time we found her, she was being interrogated by these two guys. They didn't look like Huntsman.
Ivan: Can you describe them?
Ahri: One of them was this big guy, had a jacket on. He was the one talking to her while the other one held her down. The other one had this look in his eyes like he was enjoying it. He was a Faunus.
Crimson: What kind of Faunus?
Ahri: Scorpion Faunus. He kept cutting her while stabbing her with his tail. He was poisoning her.
Ahri starts to cry as Akali holds her close.
Ivan: It's ok if you want to stop.
Ahri: No, I'm fine. She never gave us up to them. And when she wouldn't say anything, the Faunus slashed out her throat. We waited until they left before going over to her. I tried to help her but... but...
Akali: It's ok Ahri. There was nothing you could have done.
Evelynn: We returned to Haven only to see that the mission board was full of names for jobs that were never finished. We didn't think Haven was safe so... we ran. Went into hiding. Helped where we could without drawing too much attention to ourselves.
Ivan: By any chance did Heather Shields have Silver Eyes?
Evelynn: No she didn't. Why is that important?
Ivan: Because this sounds like the same thing that happened to my team.
Bleu: Do you think they're related to the same person that sent Arinae and Mor'du?
Ivan: It's possible, but without more evidence, we can't prove anything. Arinae seemed convinced that if she took Tory's offer that day, she was never safe from her master.
Crimson: Aside from that, why did you think that Haven wasn't safe?
Evelynn: The headmaster is the only one who knew where we all went. He gave each of the Huntsman specific locations for us to go to. None of us signed off the mission board.
Sky: But what you're suggesting is that Leonardo set everyone up. Why would he do that?
Fang: This might go deeper than we know.
Azure: How do you mean?
Fang: Think about it, during the last match of the tournament that woman we all heard. The symbol that was placed on the screen.
Ivan: The chess piece of the black queen.
Fang: Yes, I think that they set up that fight on purpose. From what we saw, two people were placed to fight each other. One was apparently a robot, and the other had the Semblance of magnetism.
Sky: It's like they knew about them before the Vytal Tournament.
Fang: That would mean that they would have had a way into the school. Disguised as students no doubt.
Ivan: So maybe going to Haven is not the best idea.
Bleu: But all those people, if they're in danger of an attack we have to warn them.
Fang: The second we step foot in Haven and start shouting at people, Leo will catch notice of us. We got to be smart about this.
Evelynn: Normally I would agree with you Bleu, but Fang is right. We can't waltz up to Haven without a plan.
Ahri: But the bigger question is this, the two guys we saw, seemed well acquainted with each other but they were so opposite.
Fang: So how the hell did they meet?
Ivan looks to see Crimson lost in thought.
Ivan: What is it you're thinking?
Crimson: The big guy is puzzling but the scorpion Faunus you mentioned. Did his weapons look like a set of dual wrist blades resembling scorpion's pincers?
Ahri: Yes. How did you-
Crimson: Tyrian Callows is his name. Tyrian Callows was accused of murders all across Anima. A homicidal maniac who escaped justice when his prison transport was attacked by Grimm. After that, he was never seen again.
Ivan: Sooo he's a crazy person.
Fang: Sounds like he would get along with my brother.
Akali: So, that's one name we got. But what about the big guy?
Crimson: I'm as lost on that as you are.
The room goes silent until Azure decides to speak.
Azure: I'm gonna go for a walk.
Bleu: Let one of us go with you.
Azure: I'm not a child.
Ivan: Kid, after what we just discussed, no one goes anywhere alone. Especially if Mor'du is still following us. Is that understood?
Azure: Fine.
Ivan: What was that?
Azure's fins drop down as he seemed frightened.
Azure: Yes sir.
Ivan looks at Bleu and realizes that something is wrong.
Ivan: Akali, can you go with him, please?
Akali nods as she stands up and follows Azure out the door.
Ivan: Bleu, can I talk to you and Fang for a moment?
Bleu nods as she and Fang follow Ivan out of the room.
Ivan: How long has Azure been acting like this?
Fang: Ever since his team died. But to be more specific, he has a video of Diane that he's been watching almost every night.
Ivan: What was in the video?
Bleu: Just one of his happy memories with her.
Fang: Diane was playing a prank with him.
Ivan is shocked by this but doesn't show much of a reaction as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
Fang: The kid wasn't getting much sleep during our travels. He nearly collapsed when we were near Shion village.
Ivan: Why haven't any of you talked to him about this?
Bleu: Well, Fang said that you would probably be the best person to talk to him.
Ivan looks at Fang with curiosity.
Fang: From what you did tell me about what happened to you and Tory, I thought it was a good idea at the time.
Ivan thinks for a moment until he begins to agree with Fang's idea.
Ivan: (sighs) Alright, I'll talk to him.
Bleu: Thank you, Ivan.
In the Kuchinashi Market district, Azure and Akali start to explore the stores as Azure finds a weapon store. He walks inside and starts looking around at all the weapons until he finds a greatsword and frowns because it reminded him of Diane. He backs away as he starts to head for the door until...
?: Well hi there little fella!
Azure turns to see a woman with bobcat ears. She was a Faunus.
?: Hello there. My name is Liz Pistachio, how may I help you today?
Azure: Um, hi. I'm sorry I was just looking.
Liz: No need to be sorry buddy. From the looks of ya, you look like you could use some better gear if you plan on surviving a set of claws here and there.
Azure: Oh no, that won't be necessary.
Liz searches through the outfits and pulls out a jacket and positions it to see how it would look on Azure and smiles. She rushes up to the counter and just before she did anything else, Azure starts breathing erratically and falls to the ground. Liz rushes over to him as her voice echoes around him and his vision becomes hazy.
Liv: Sir, sir are you okay? Help, somebody help!
In the background, Azure could hear Akali's voice as she heard Liz calling for help and rushed over to him
Akali: Azure. Azure, can you hear me?
Akali opens his eyes to see his pupils were dilated and pulls out her Scroll.
Akali: Hello. Bleu, it's Azure. He fell over and his pupils are dilated.
Azure's vision goes dark as he starts hearing voices that he recognized.
Azure's Mom: I know you'll do great things, sweetie.
Azure's Dad: Show them what it means to be a Huntsman.
Velvet: You got this, Azure!
Nora: Go, Azure! WOOOO!
Ivan: Azure, you and your team will go far, but only if you keep learning. Never stop moving forward.
Bleu: We're here for you Azure.
Diane: I love you so much.
The streets of Kuchinashi Village buzzed with nervous whispers as a dense crowd formed around the Lotus Thread clothing shop. Voices clashed and murmured in confusion and concern, the air thick with tension.
Bleu weaved through the growing crowd, Ivan close behind her, their expressions grim.
Ivan: Excuse us.
As Ivan nudges past villagers, he and Bleu are blocked by village security guards, arms outstretched.
Guard: This area is restricted. Step back.
Bleu stepped forward, her voice sharp with emotion.
Bleu: He's our friend—our family! If anyone has the right to see him, it's us.
The guard hesitated, then stepped aside.
Guard: Go on. But be quick.
Inside the shop, the scent of linen and perfume had been drowned by the metallic tang of fear. Near the fitting room, Akali stood with her hand over her mouth, eyes wide and filled with silent horror. Her gaze didn't shift.
Bleu's breath caught in her throat.
There—lying motionless on the floor, his chest rising and falling in shallow rhythm—was Azure. His skin was pale, his usually expressive face frozen in a pained expression. Around his neck, black vein-like marks crawled like roots, pulsing faintly with an unnatural energy.
Bleu: (whispers) No...
Bleu drops to her knees beside him.
Ivan crouched quickly and placed two fingers on Azure's neck.
Ivan: He's alive, but he's been infected... It's a Nightmare Grimm.
Akali gasped softly. Bleu looked to Ivan, her voice cracking.
Bleu: What do we do?
Ivan: We take him back to the inn—somewhere safe.
Ivan gently lifts Azure into his arms as he, Akali, and Bleu rush back to the inn.
Back at the inn, the rest of the team jumped to their feet as Ivan carried Azure in and laid him down in the center of the room. Panic flared in their eyes as they took in the corrupted markings spreading across his body.
Sky: What the hell is that?!
Ivan: A Nightmare Grimm. It feeds on fear, keeping its host in a dream-like state. If we don't act fast, it'll kill him from the inside.
He turned to the others.
Ivan: Does anyone know how to perform a Dreamhunt?
A tense silence. Then, Evelynn raised her hand.
Evelynn: I've... I've been learning it with a Huntress named Shion Zaiden. I've only practiced it a few times, but I can send one person into his dream.
Bleu immediately stepped up.
Bleu: Then send me. I'll bring him back.
Ivan raised his hand to stop her.
Ivan: No. Not yet.
Bleu: What? Why?
Ivan: I'll go in first. (his tone was calm, steady, but there was a fire in his eyes) This could be deeper than just a Grimm attack. Something broke Azure. I might be the only one who can understand what he's fighting in there.
Bleu clenched her fists, fighting the urge to argue—but she saw the weight behind his eyes. She nodded silently.
Ivan turned to Evelynn.
Ivan: Get ready. Let's find him.