A/N : Hey guys, here a new chapter for you to enjoy ! However, before you start reading, there are some things to say.

-First of all, I would like to thank those who have favored and/or followed my story so far. I would also like to thank those who commented on this story. It warms my heart to see that you like my work.

-Secondly, if you do not like my story then you are free to leave !

-Thirdly, here are the result (so far) from the poll I made recently about what name should I give to Ancalagon's future mate and Queen :

-Adalinda 0

-Rhea =4

-Veydara = 0

-Thyndra = 0

-Morrigan = 3

-Freya = 0

-Freydis = 0

-Sigrid = 0

You still have time to vote!

-Fourthly, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

Now that everything was said, I wish you all a good reading ! ENJOY THE CHAPTER EVERYONE !

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(Previously:)

Cinder rolled her eyes at Ruby's words before saying to everyone "Follow me..."

With that said, she turned around without waiting for an answer. Look like she wanted this discussion to happen sooner rather than later. A bit miffed by the rude behavior, Weiss was (thankfully) wise enough to not voice it and she, liker Blake, followed Yang, Ruby and Taiyang as they headed toward another part of the wooden cabin : the kitchen.

Upon entering the room, they saw two people sitting on chairs. One looked like an older version of Ruby while the other had blond air and blue eyes. Both were beautiful, Weiss and Blake noticed, and they couldn't help… but blushing a bit.

"Mom ! Aunt Sa-Selena !" Ruby cried out in joy as she rushed toward the two, giving them a hug.

Much to Summer's annoyance and slight jealousy, Ruby hugged Salem first then she went to her. In retaliation, she decided to have some revenge… by embarrassing her.

"My baby girl~" Summer cooed at her little one before kissing her cheeks repeatedly… much to Ruby's chagrin and embarrassment.

"Mom ! Stop !" Ruby cried out to her mother who reluctantly released her from her 'torture'.

Everyone laughed at the exchange until the atmosphere turned serious once again.

Taiyang and Cinder directed everyone to sit down and once that was done, Summer spoke again, this time in a firm and serious voice.

"Well, let's get this meeting started, shall we ?"

-00/(Present Time)/00-

"… and then, Fawkes took us home in a burst of flames and I was finally reunited with my daughters and husband… the rest is history at this point..." Summer said with a sigh as she finished her tale.

Beside her stood Salem and Taiyang, while in front of her stood her daughters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose as well as Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna, their teammates.

For the thirty minutes that followed their arrival in the kitchen, team RWBY (and Cinder) listened in amazement as Summer and Salem told them the truth not only about the blonde... but also about what happened in the years earlier when Summer was sent. on a mission by Ozpin to fight Salem.

The reactions obtained during these revelations by the public were varied:

-Yang and Ruby were both shocked by what they had just learned and neither Summer, nor Taiyang, nor Salem could blame them. However, they could see a hint of skepticism in the elder's eyes while stars of curiosity shone in Ruby's. Obviously, the idea of a Hidden World fascinated her.

-Weiss Schnee, on the other hand, clearly showed her skepticism by crossing her arms and looking at them with narrowed eyes. Clearly, she wasn't believing them.

-Blake Belladonna looked as skeptical as Weiss but you could see a hint of curiosity in her yellow eyes. Like Weiss, her arms were crossed and her eyes looked at them one by one as if looking for some sign that they were lying and that everything that had been said was pure lies.

-Cinder, although already aware of her adoptive mother's history, was particularly shocked and intrigued by the idea of a hidden world. But like 2 of the 4 members of Team RWBY, her face was firm and almost devoid of expression.

"So… Do you have any questions ?" Salem asked them calmly but internally she was nervous.

For a short while there was nothing but silence...until one of the girls spoke up. It was Yang and she looked dead serious.

"Mom, aunt Salem, don't take my next words the wrong way but... could you tell us the REAL reason for our presence here?! I mean, really: a Hidden World under our feet, aunt Salem having thousands of years? It's completely-"

However, she was interrupted by Ruby who cried out

"AMAZING !"

Then, the young leader of Team RWBY turned her shining silver eyes to her mother and aunt before asking them quickly

"How is it ? Can we go there ? Is this place amazing ? Are there any Grimm in this new World ?"

Before Summer or Salem could answer the excited girl, Weiss Schnee spoke up with a small sneer of disdain

"Stop it, you dolt ! Don't tell me you sincerely believe in his nonsense ! There are no other worlds, it doesn't exist !"

Blake Belladonna didn't say anything but she showed her agreement with Weiss by nodding. However, there was a flicker of doubt shining in her eyes as if she was conflicted about something.

"Exactly ! Come on mom, Aunt Salem, we're not 7 year old girls anymore! You can tell us the truth !" Yang retorted back while glancing at her mother and Salem who seemed both pained and understanding about their answers.

"Girls... Although their story seems... unbelievable... I don't think they're lying... No change in breathing, no excessive blinking, no fidgeting... nothing.. . They are both sincere..." Blake said almost in reluctance as she look back and forth between her teammates and the adults present.

While Summer and Salem gave the Cat Faunus a grateful smile, Cinder opened her mouth to speak in a calm and serene, if thoughtful, tone.

"This explain where our dear Fawkes comes from... I told myself that such a majestic being could not be of this world..."

Yang seemed to loose some of her skepticism at those words while Ruby nodded her head in agreement to Cinder's words. Taiyang nodded his head while Weiss and Blake were now frowning.

"You know... You kept talking about this 'Fawkes' guy, but we haven't met him yet..." the Cat Faunus commented softly, unable to contain her curiosity.

Despite her cold demeanor, Weiss Schnee looked just as curious of this 'Fawkes', whoever she was. She and Blake had heard a lot about him but they never got any description except that he was beautiful and majestic… as well as being a friend of the family.

At these words, shark-like smiles appeared on the faces of Yang, Ruby, Taiyang and Summer while Cinder and Salem grinned deviously. In front of those smiles, Blake and Weiss could not help feeling strangely like mice in front of a cat and inwardly, they both wondered what was going to happen next.

"Well, dear ones, you are going to have the opportunity to meet him~" Summer said with a big smile and sparkling eyes.

"Wait ? Are you saying-" Ruby began to ask her mother with clear excitement and anticipation in her voice.

"Yes, dear ! He is here~" Summer said to her youngest before saying louder

"YOU CAN COME OUT !"

As these words were spoken, in a burst of flame and fire, a magnificent and majestic bird appeared. At the sight of it, Blake and Weiss couldn't help but gasping in awe and admiration at the gorgeous creature flying into the room while everyone else stared at the newcomer with welcoming smiles on their faces.

The two girls stared at it in amazement, taking its every detail : the swan-sized bird had crimson feathers on its body and a golden tail as long as a peacock's. Its claws and beak were gleaming gold in color while its eyes were black.

As it opened its sharp beak, Yang, Ruby, Cinder, Salem, Summer and Taiyang all listening with smiles on their faces while Blake and Weiss were stunned by once again by the beautiful sound coming out of it. But they would be lying to themselves if they said it wasn't beautiful to hear.

"FAWKES !" Ruby cried out with a bright smile at the noble bird who trilled back at her.

The noble Phoenix let out another small melodious sound as he flew in circle above them before landing on Yang's outstretched strong right arm. The second he landed, Ruby started fusing over him and he let out a little song of soothing and pleasure under her touch while everyone smiled at the newcomer.

"Hey, handsome…Its good to see you again~" Yang said gently to the Phoenix who trilled at her in response before nuzzling her hair with his beak, earning himself a fond chuckle from the blond.

Then, he looked back at Ruby before releasing a pleased trill as she started petting his feathers, cooing at him.

"I missed you so much, Fawkes ! So many things happened since I last seen you !" The young girl said to the noble bird before telling him about Beacon and everything that happened there since their 'separation'.

While the Noble Bird was being cajoled by the two sisters, the others were staring at the scene with either shock and awe or they were simply smiling warmly. Summer, from her seat, waved at the fire-bird who trilled back at her in response, nodding his crimson head in greetings before looking at Salem and Taiyang when the former Queen of Grimm and the man greeted him with nods of respect and deference. Cinder, shot him a warm look, and in response, she got a melodious song that caused her smile to widen.

"Wha-Who is that ?" Weiss shakily asked her teammates while looking in awe at the majestic crimson and gold bird.

"Oh ! I almost forgot ! Fawkes… meet Weiss and Blake ! Our friends and teammates from Beacon ! Ice Queen, Kitty Cat, meet Fawkes the Bad-ass Phoenix !" Yang said while pointing at the two girls who tensed when the Noble Bird's head turned to look at them dead in the eyes.

Weiss and Blake felt like they were being judged as they saw the intelligence shining in the eyes of the beautiful crimson and gold bird perched on Yang's arm. After what looked like an eternity, Fawkes looked at Weiss… before opening his beak to release a beautiful song.

With a startled gasp, Weiss suddenly felt like crying as the sound calmed her in a way only her mother or her sister could. Because of the song, the Heiress felt like she was free of her father's iron hands and her family's legacy. For the first time in years, she felt free and accepted.

Blake listened to the song with awe but then, became nervous when the bird turned his head to look at her… before singing again. At first, she felt like she was being sermoned by the bird but soon, she felt nothing but calm and peace. She felt like she was no longer carrying the burden of her past on her shoulders… and because of this, she had the urge to call her parents to apologize for the last things she said to them.

Due to those feelings, tears were slowly falling from her eyes as she gazed at the magnificent bird peacefully flying above their heads, singing majestically.

However, they quickly came to their senses when they heard Yang scream in pain and they looked away from the beautiful bird to stare at their blonde teammate... who stood rubbing the top of her head in pain.

Next to the latter was Summer, who wore a serious expression on her face as she looked at her eldest daughter with disapproval.

"Language, young lady !" Summer said to Yang with blazing eyes.

"Sorry, Mom..." the blond brawler of Team RWBY grumbled to her mother while still rubbing the back of her head.

Ruby couldn't help but laughing loudly at her sister's misery while Taiyang, Salem and Cinder grinned in amusement while trying their best to not release their snickers. Fawkes himself showed his amusement by trilling loudly. In response, Yang glared at them all, her lilac eyes turned red for a brief moment, but then, her shoulders slumped as she grumbled in annoyance.

"I hate you all !"

"NO YOU DON'T !" Summer, Ruby, Cinder, Salem and Taiyang all replied at the same time before laughing loudly, causing Yang to pout at them while crossing her arms over her generous chest.

Blake and Weiss stared at the scene with slight amusement on their faces before turning their heads to stare at the 'Phoenix' who released another beautiful sound. They were still clearly in awe of the majestic creature and no one could blame them for it.

"As amusing as it is to tease the Firecracker, I think we still need to the matter at hand, don't you all think ?" Cinder inquired after a moment, her face turning dead serious again despite the smirk on her lips.

Ignoring Yang's indignant squawk at the nickname or the amused snorts coming from almost everyone present, the atmosphere slowly but surely became more serious... like it had been at the beginning of this little meeting.

"I shall, indeed..." Salem said in agreement to her daughter's words, nodding her head with a grave look on her face.

"So that's him, Fawkes... I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such a... magnificent bird..." Weiss said while eying the Fire Bird with critical eyes.

Fawkes, in response, trilled at her and the Schnee Heiress understood that he was thanking her for the compliment. Blake, who was also looking at the bird, couldn't retain herself from asking in curiosity.

"But what is he ? I have never seen a bird such as he before..."

"I thought I did when I presented you to you and the Ice Queen !" Yang retorted with a frown.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT !" Weiss hissed at the blond with a look of annoyance at the nickname.

"Ms Belladonna, Fawkes here is a Phoenix… a Fire Bird from the Hidden World…" Salem answered the Cat Faunus, ignoring the cry of annoyance from Weiss for being ignored.

"But what is a Phoenix? From what I've seen, he can appear in a burst of fire and sing like I've never heard... Are there any other abilities you know about him ?" Blake asked them with clear curiosity on her face and Weiss also leaned forward, just as intrigued as her teammate.

The Xiao-Long/Rose/Fall family looked at one another with slight hesitation, silently deciding if they should say more about their crimson and gold friend.

"Fawkes has the ability to heal any kind of injuries with his tears, he can also transport heavy weight and teleport..." Summer replied after a moment of silence, with a serious expression on her face.

Blake and Weiss' eyes widened at her words.

"Wait, really ?! He can heal anything ?!" the Schnee Heiress asked them with wide eyes of shock and awe.

"He can… I remember the time when I accidentally cut myself with a knife… Fawkes cried on the wound and it healed !" Ruby said with a nod while looking at the fire bird with a smile on her cute face.

"But why keep him hidden ? With such a gift, we could heal lots of people !" Weiss demanded them with a frown and narrowed eyes.

Blake, her, staid silent but she was also curious of the answer.

"Miss Schnee, while it is true that Fawkes could use his tears to save lives, it would be dangerous for him to be revealed to the world..." Summer answered in a firm tone.

Cinder then stepped in when she saw the look of confusion and disbelief on Weiss' face, adding

"If the world ever discover the existence of Fawkes, his life would be in danger... He would be hunted down by not only scientists who would want to study him, but also power-hungry men who would want to seize his gift of healing..."

Weiss Schnee seemed ready to protest, but having nothing to counter these accusations, she remained silent. Blake, for her part, couldn't help but agree with Cinder and the others on this. Fawkes' power would be seen as a guinea pig and his tears as a means to greatly enrich himself. The young Faunus knew what it was like to be hunted and she wouldn't wish that on anyone... especially not a creature as beautiful and majestic as Fawkes.

Humanity can accomplish great things... but it is often by doing questionable and terrible things.

"And if the world ever finds out he's immortal, they'll want to capture him even more !" Taiyang added with a sigh.

At those words, Blake and Weiss stared at the man in shock.

"What do you mean immortal ?!" The Faunus asked him with disbelief.

"You will see..." Summer said before turning her head toward Fawkes.

"I hope you don't mind being what I'm going to do..." she said to the noble bird who trilled at her gently, as if telling her he didn't mind.

Quickly, Summer pulled out a gun… before shooting at the firebird. Weiss and Blake gasped in shock while Fawkes burst into flames with a hair of pain, before becoming nothing but a pile of ashes. Yang and Ruby looked just as stunned by what she happened.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT ?!" Weiss hissed at the older Rose with wide eyes of shock and slight anger.

"YOU KILLED HIM !" Blake snarled in anger and pain at the death of such a beautiful creature.

However, Summer, Salem, Cinder and Taiyang didn't looked particularly affected by Fawkes' death.

"Wait for it..." Summer simply said while looking at the pile of ashes.

Suddenly, the pile of ashes began to glow with a faint light... which intensified into a blaze as the seconds passed. Because of this, Blake and Weiss lost their anger and stared at it in shock and awe, wondering what was going on. A few seconds later, in a torrent of flames, a Fawkes appeared, alive and well, opening its beak to let out a melodious song.

At the sight of the Phoenix, Blake and Weiss gasped in shock, unable to look away from the magnificent bird flying in the air above them.

"How is this possible ?" the Cat Faunus asked to herself in shock, unable to believe that this bird… came back to life.

All things die… and yet, this 'Phoenix' did the impossible : returning from the dead.

"See ? Immortal !" Yang said to her teammates with a smug look on her face while Ruby looked happy to have the Phoenix back.

"I can't believe this..." Weiss whispered in shock while still looking at the Phoenix with admiration, shock and awe.

"Yeah, we made the same face in our first time too..." Cinder said in compassion to the two girls, understanding their point of view.

"True !" Yang and Ruby said at the same time with nods of agreement.

"Now that questions about Fawkes are answered, here a question for all of you..." Salem began to say to them before pausing.

"What question ?" Yang asked her aunt with curiosity shining in her lilac eyes while Ruby stopped cooing over Fawkes to stare at her aunt with equal curiosity.

Weiss and Blake, for their parts, lost their shock to focus on the woman, also curious of what she had in mind. Cinder crossed her arms over her bust, staring at her adoptive mother with a firm expression on her face.

"Do you want to visit the Hidden World ?" it was Summer who spoke.

"Wait, REALLY ?! We can go there ?!" Ruby asked her mother and aunt with anticipation and excitement.

Yang, Cinder, Weiss and Blake were far too stunned to articulate a single word as they stared at the two older women with wide eyes.

"Of course ! Fawkes can take us there ! Don't you, old friend ?~" Salem said to the girls before asking the last part to the Phoenix who nodded his head with a trill.

"How ?" Blake asked her with curiosity, having regained her senses at some point.

"You'll see… But first, we all need to get outside… I do NOT want to clean up any ashes when we get back !" Summer said in a stern tone that caused everyone to shiver in slight fear.

However, as the group of people made their way out of the kitchen, they noticed that Summer was heading elsewhere : upstairs.

"Mom ? Aren't you coming ?" Ruby asked her mother with curiosity.

"I am, little rose, but I must pick something first… I will join you in a minute !" Summer said before climbing the staircase, disappearing upstairs and out of sight a few seconds later.

Shrugging their shoulders, Team RWBY and Cinder followed Taiyang and Salem as the two adults led them outside, following by Fawkes who was flying above them. Outside, the wind was smooth and the weather was acceptable.

"I can't believe we are going to see a new world !" Ruby squealed in excitement as she stood next to her teammates.

"I can't believe either ! It's totally wicked !" Yang said in agreement to her younger sister.

"I'm still a bit skeptical about the existence of this 'New World'… but I'm curious of where Fawkes came from..." Weiss said with her usual cold demeanor even if we could see a hint of curiosity and eagerness in her blue eyes.

Blake, being the silent girl, didn't say anything as she was still eying the Fire Bird flying above them in circle. Many questions were filling her mind but she had no answers for all of them… yet.

A few moments later, as the young ones were growing restles due to impatience, Summer's voice echoed from the building.

"I'm ready !"

When the silver eyed woman stepped out of the wooden cabin, the girls and Cinder couldn't help but gaping in shock at what they saw : the Silver eyed Huntress was wearing a dark red tunic which is split at the bottom for movement and the bottom resembles giant leaves, black leather bracers, black leather bodices, medium black tights and a pair of knee high boots. Dangling from her hip was a graceful and gently curved sword. Its blade had a sharp edge, as well as well as what looked like a false sharp edge on the other side of the blade, right below the hilt.

"Wow..." Yang and Cinder said at the same time while looking at Summer from head to toes.

"Mom, where did you get this sword ?!" Ruby asked her mother with stars shining in her silver eyes.

"This beauty ? It was a gift given to me by the inhabitants of a village named Malon… in the Hidden World..." Summer explained to her daughter while gently caressing the hilt of her sword with her fingers.

"Oh, I almost forgot ! Here is yours, Salem !" Summer said while handing a gorgeous looking sword with a beautiful scabbard and jeweled hilt to the other woman. The girls all blinked in surprise as they haven't noticed it and couldn't help but admiring its beauty.

"Thank you !" Salem said while taking the sword from her friend's hands.

"Does this sword also come from this 'Hidden World' ?" Yang asked them while pointing at the sword in question with a finger.

"It does… now… Fawkes !" Summer called out to the Phoenix who stopped circling them to fly right above them, trilling.

"Now everyone, in order for Fawkes to take us to the Hidden World, we need to catch his tail!" However, seeing that there are too many of us, we have to hold hands while some of us grab his tail! Do you all understand ?!" Salem explained to them in a loud and clear tone.

Despite their confusion, they all nodded their heads in understanding. Summer, Salem, Yang, Taiyang and Cinder all reached up to grab the Phoenix's tail while Ruby, Weiss and Blake hold hands with the closest people to them : Summer for Ruby, Yang for Blake and Salem for Weiss.

"We are ready, Fawkes !" Summer cried out to the Phoenix once she made sure everything was good.

At that moment, the noble Fire Bird released a melodious song from his beak while bursting into flame. Next, there was a flash of fire and then, nothing. Bird and people had completely disappeared in a whirlwind of flames.

A few seconds later, the group reappeared in a whirlwind of flames. When their feet touched the ground, they took their time to regain their bearings.

"Well, it was… interesting..." Cinder said while shaking her head to get rid of the dizzy feeling she felt.

Weiss, Blake and Taiyang all grumbled in displeasure while Ruby… released a deep gasp of shock and awe.

"LOOK !" the leader of Team RWBY said while looking forward with shining eyes. At her side stood Salem and Summer who both had warm smiles on their faces, also looking at the same direction that Ruby.

Blinking, Taiyang, Cinder, Yang, Blake and Weiss followed their gazes before gasping in shock as well. They were standing on a cliff and what they were seeing from their point of view was breathtaking : a rocky ceiling was far away above the entire area, supported by high rocky pillars (pillars that were perhaps taller than the tallest buildings on Remnant). Underneath the ceiling, there was a beautiful landscape with waterfalls, rivers, forests and they could see a massive dark mountain to the east of their position !

In addition, somewhere in the distance, they could see what looked like a sun shining in the 'sky' of this new land ! Summer and Salem also could see some forms flying in the air and they could also hear animal sounds coming from the forest nearest to them.

Salem and Summer, seeing the looks of shock and awe from their companions, shared an amused glance before looking at them.

"Husband, my dear daughters, Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna, Welcome… to the Hidden World !"

(To be continue…)