Miracles of Ancient Wonder [RWBY/Exalted]

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.4

~~~​

Ren caught the charge with his legs, leaping on top of his opponent's shield and springing away. He flipped in the air, making his sleeves billow out as he touched down.

Pyrrha whirled, raising her shield to block a counter attack. It would not come because the time was not right.

He took a breath and focused on his Aura, pouring energy into it as he exhaled. He spread his arms slightly, presenting both palms as they began glowing with a faint pink.

She pulled her weapon behind her shield, the sounds of metal on metal making the shift obvious.

"Sword, Longspear, or Rifle? Each says something different about the person wielding them." He asked, just loudly enough for her to hear. The style he was using was made by philosophers and teachers. While he couldn't call himself either, especially not to Pyrrha, practice was important.

His opponent narrowed her eyes and twirled.

Four shots rang out as she stepped forward, her rifle slotted into the side of her shield. The first was completely wide.

Ren stepped to the side, hand moving into the path of the remaining bullets. His Aura caught two of them between each of his middle three fingers. Better, but not good enough for what he needed.

"You keep your distance, afraid of what could happen if you get close to someone." He pushed more power into his own spin, taking Pyrrha's attack with him and firing it back with more force.

The first slammed into her shield, moving it out of the way just enough for the second to catch her shoulder.

She spun in the air, weapon shifting again.

Ren spared a glance to the scoreboard. She'd lost more Aura than he did in the exchange, but it wasn't enough.

As soon as he looked away, Pyrrha threw her shield.

While Ren questioned her reason for doing that, it wasn't a strange enough attack to catch him off guard. He spun, catching the edge with his Aura and flinging it back.

Pyrrha hopped up to avoid the blow and used it as a platform for a tremendous leap.

Ren dropped from his stance, bringing one hand back. He grit his teeth and activated the Dust stored in his sleeve.

Red and white bands of raw power ran up his arm, searing his skin and his soul. He sank into his knees, ready for her charge.

Pyrrha had reach, but no way to stop herself. Her eyes widened as she came in, several of the students watching gasping. It was dangerous, but Professor Goodwitch hadn't called the fight.

He weaved to the side of her thrust, catching the haft of her spear between his elbow and forearm. With her weapon bound, he struck with all of his might. The fangs of Mistral closed in on Pyrrha's stomach, where her armor was thickest.

She kicked his arm up with speed that she didn't have last semester. The energy of his attack dissipated in the air above her. His follow up, a knee to the back which she shouldn't be able to see, was caught by her free hand.

With a smooth motion, she rotated around his arm and swept his legs from under him. A flurry of sword blows struck before he landed, his Aura dropped into red with the first and fell from there with each additional hit.

Ren raised his hands. "I yield."

Pyrrha stopped a thrust, chest heaving with how deeply she was breathing.

The crowd of students erupted into applause.

"Woo, go Ren!" Nora cheered from team JNPR's bench. "And Pyrrha!"

After a moment of looking around, Pyrrha offered a hand up. He'd brought her Aura down to fifty-six percent, the best anyone fared so far. She was tearing her way through not only Beacon's class, but the other schools as well.

"I'm sorry about the end." Pyrrha couldn't meet his eyes. "I went a little overboard at the end."

Ren shook his head. "I did as well."

"Indeed." Professor Goodwitch stepped into the center of the stage. "While your ascension to Mistral's peak of the Four Kingdoms Style is commendable, Aura-breaching techniques are grounds for disqualification in the tournament."

"I understand." He bowed his head despite the dull ache he felt.

"As is striking an opponent after they've already been eliminated, Miss Nikos."

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha joined him in bowing.

"Now then, let's give some of the other students a chance to fight." She dismissed them with a nod.

As they walked back to their bench, Ran whispered. "Are you alright?."

"I'm…" Pyrrha paused and looked at the crowd. She turned slightly, walking into the hallway leading to the arena instead of their team's bench. He followed her to a small room off on the side which was filled with Professor Goodwitch's combat training aids.

"I don't know." She leaned against a table full of practice dummies. "May I ask you something that might be a bit painful to think about?"

"Of course." Ren closed the door behind him.

"When you fought the Anathema, how did you realize what she was and break away from her? What did it feel like?"

Ren closed his eyes, tensing up as the memory of who he had been. "What do you mean?"

"In the moment when you broke free… what were you thinking about?"

He could see her in front of him, telling him that they needed to kill everyone else. His pulse raced and his hands balled into fists. "I knew that what she said to do was wrong and..."

The words had echoed in his head, forcing his hands to move on their own… no, making him want to move them for her. But, a spark deep within his soul kept them still. That wasn't what he learned to fight for. Even if she was the one who taught him, the Anathema was telling him to do something that went against her own teachings. "And that… it wasn't something that a leader who really cared about people would say."

"This was about killing people?"

"Yes."

"What if… what if she just didn't care?" Pyrrha grabbed one wrist with her other hand, closing herself off. "What if, instead of telling you to kill someone you knew you shouldn't, she said that it wasn't your job to save them from danger?"

"I'm… not sure." Ren clenched his fists, digging his thumb nail into his index finger. "I want to say that I would, but I don't know. If she asked me to watch people die… then probably. What brought this on?"

Pyrrha couldn't look at him. "Do you remember last semester, the night when Ruby... attacked?"

"How could I not?"

"I was in the forest right before it happened, watching her."

He nodded. "When your goddess appeared?"

Pyrrha flinched. "Yes."

Ren waited for her.

"I wasn't clear about what she said before because it was… not something I really wanted to think about at the time." Pyrrha continue with as much pain as Ren had ever heard, "She said that the gods would not save us because they were no longer responsible for the affairs of the mortal world; instead, the Anathema are."

"What?"

"I know." Pyrrha met his eyes. "How could they just, abandon us like that? Leave us to the Grimm and-"

"No." Ren shouted. "Not that."

"What do... " Pyrrha gasped. "Oh… the An-"

"Anathema." Ren cut her off. "What do you mean they're responsible?"

"Lady Mars told Ruby that the Anathema were given the mortal world to rule over by the gods. She said that they created the Grimm-"

A shiver ran down his spine.

"-and that they could also destroy them."

"Also destroy…" Ren clenched his teeth and shook his head. "Pyrrha, did Ruby tell you this?"

"No, it was Lady Mars."

"Was Ruby there when you heard it?"

"Yes."

"Then you can't trust it."

Pyrrha's eyes went wide as she took a step toward him. "What are you talking about?"

"The idea that the Anathema can destroy the Grimm is a lie that I fell for once." Ren stepped closer as well. "I won't let you be deceived like we were."

"But, Lady Mars-"

"Who says that was even her? There's no proof that any gods exist."

"I felt it." Pyrrha's voice had an edge he'd never heard from her before. "I felt it in my heart and in my soul; it was her."

"How do you know you remember it right? Ruby made everyone forget her, even if some of us could break through. She could just as easily change what you remember."

"That's not-" Pyrrha looked away, clenching a fist. "That's not important right now. What matters is that the gods aren't going to help anyone. They've… abandoned us."

"Pyrrha, you can't trust that your memory is accurate. This is what the Anathema do to ensnare you."

Pyrrha went quiet. The only thing he could hear was the clash of metal on metal from the sparring ring.

"If… if you assume the the first part was correct. That the gods have abandoned us, whether or not the parts about the Anathema are true… what would you do?"

"I…" Faith may not have been important to either him or Nora, but it was for Pyrrha. If Ruby, or any other Anathema for that matter, was using it against her, then he needed to bring her back however he could. "I think you should still believe."

"But… How could someone just ignore the pain of millions that they could save? What sort of example is that? How could that be deserving of any adoration, let alone worship?"

Ren didn't know too much about any of the gods besides the Sun. "Isn't Mars already the goddess of conflict and war? Wars always harm a lot of people."

"That's-"

"It's not different. If she's supposed to make wars happen, then not interfering in the mortal world could also be the same." He cut her off. "Just like how the other kingdoms didn't step in to help Vale until they were asked to."

Pyrrha crossed her arms. "I suppose you're right about that, even if it doesn't feel correct."

Ren nodded. "Is there anything else?"

Pyrrha looked at him, lips tightening. After another long pause, she gulped. "If… If there was something you could do to fight… against the Anathema on a more even footing… what would you give up for it?"

The way she'd hesitated made a sense of dread rise from his belly. "Pyrrha, I don't know what you're thinking, but it isn't worth it."

"Nora is going to have to give up a part of herself to learn sorcery."

Ren flinched. "I don't like that she's going to do that, but it's still her choice.She wants to learn how to protect us from something that we have no defense against."

"It's still a sacrifice."

"It's a sacrifice that she's choosing and…" Ren looked at her face, but she averted her gaze. "And from everything you've said so far, it doesn't sound like this is one that you want. Whatever this is, it's something that you think you might need to do despite not wanting to."

"You might be right, but that doesn't mean I don't need to become better."

"You're already the best in our year and can fight better than most of the seniors!" He shouted. "If you said you were dropping out to become a Huntress right now, I wouldn't worry about your safety."

"I may be the best freshman." Pyrrha's eyes met his. They were the same as his own from so many years ago, when he and Nora were the only ones left of their village. "But is that enough for what might be coming? For what we might have to fight?"

~~~​

What would be enough?

Pyrrha looked to the skylight and found the constellation of the Spear shining overhead. It was her birth sign and foretold what her future would be. Discipline, skill, and professionalism: they would be her weapons, her tools for making life better for everyone around her. It was her Destiny, no matter what she decided about the gods.

She ran her thumb up Miló's shaft, moving from the base to the spear point. As she slid back down, she let out a breath, and moved.

One, two, three swings and a twirl. She launched herself forward with her Semblance by grabbing her boots. With each step, she sped up, using her spiritual senses over her normal ones. The tip of her spear, the metal of her armor, and the ever shifting magnetic fields surrounding her.

With the right amount of focus, she could feel all of them at once, react to any movement as if she were touching it. She needed that focus, to be able to control the battlefield and keep her allies safe.

The slow bob of a sword approached from the hallway. Pyrrha opened her eyes, smiling at Weiss. "Hello."

Weiss matched the smile, closing the door behind her and locking it. "Good evening. Are you ready?"

Pyrrha tightened her grip. "I was hoping that we could spar before moving to meditation."

"You didn't get enough earlier?" Weiss chuckled, tapping the pommel of her sword.

"None of them compare."

Even though Weiss' talents weren't based in combat, and she needed to be protected to cast her spells, she was still the best at Beacon who Pyrrha could practice with.

"Well, how can I say no after that?" Weiss drew her sword, walking to the side of the circle in the floor.

Pyrrha called her shield over and took her own position. "Normal rules?"

"Yes." Weiss raised her blade. "Begin."

Tiles cracked as Pyrrha launched herself forward, closing as quickly as she could. She soared over Weiss' first glyph before it finished forming, but her opponent stepped away from the first blow.

She spun herself with her Semblance, throwing another faster than her body would've been able to move without the added force. It caught Weiss' shoulder and sent her spiraling to the floor. She should've dodged that.

Again, Pyrrha launched herself, but Weiss was ready this time.

And so their game began again. As they danced, each trying to force the other into her own best range, Weiss slowly surrounded the field with glyphs. With quick gestures, she fired ice shards at Pyrrha's blind spots between their clashes of steel.

No single shard could win the fight, but the small blows would add up. It was also a technique that a normal Huntress would not have been able to avoid.

Pyrrha took a deep breath and felt for the disturbances around her. There were small fluctuations, almost imperceptible. With her mind expanded, Pyrrha slipped around the shards. She stepped in for another clash and-

Weiss' rapier smashed into her neck.

Pyrrha parried the second thrust with her Semblance, letting go of her weapon and stepping in while she was shot by several shards

Unlike Weiss, she couldn't focus on two things at once.

Another blow struck the side of Pyrrha's head, but it wasn't enough to keep her from grabbing Weiss' wrist. She pulled the girl in, forcing the point of her rapier past Pyrrha's body.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, then yanked her hand back. She wasn't strong enough.

Pyrrha punched, the edge of her shield narrowly missing Weiss. She yanked it back with her Semblance, again missing by less than an inch.

Pyrrha threw her body and Semblance behind the third blow, almost wrenching her own shoulder with the speed, but it hit. Weiss flew backwards, her weapon landing behind Pyrrha.

Pyrrha kept her grip firm, flipping over Weiss. She spun herself faster, landing on her feet and slamming her opponent into the ground.

Close combat was where Weiss was the weakest. Pyrrha could have continued hitting her until it was her win. Instead, she let her go and stood up.

"Fight me seriously." She called both of their weapons over, letting Weiss' sword land in her lap.

"I am."

"No, you are not." Pyrrha checked her Aura; she had slightly more than sixty percent remaining. "You should not have been grabbed and you keep hesitating."

Weiss staggered to her feet. "I need to keep myself under control."

Pyrrha took a deep breath, forcing her pounding heart to calm. "You should listen to your reflexes and instincts."

"If this fire is what I think it is, then it's dangerous and not useful. I'd reveal myself if anyone saw it."

"I already know and better to have a dangerous technique in case you need it than be left without one."

Weiss held her blade to the side, unready. "Pyrrha, what is this about?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "I want you to fight me at your best. No holding back."

"Very well." Weiss closed her eyes. "Can you close the skylight?"

Pyrrha forced the shutters closed. The room had no windows and only one door, which was locked. The regular lights were dull, but more than enough to fight with.

Weiss' entire body tensed, her breathing growing heavy. Her muscles bulged out, shifting underneath her greying skin. Her arms and legs lengthened, turning the small girl into a beastly woman who towered above Pyrrha. Her dress, which by all logic should have torn, merged with her skin to form a grey-white skirt flaring smoothly from her waist. Her new body was covered in lines of Moonsilver, exactly where they had been in Weiss' dress.

Weiss opened her eyes to reveal pits of utter darkness and smiled. Her teeth were like razors.

"Are you ready?" She growled, the tone enough to send a shiver down Pyrrha's spine.

Pyrrha grit her teeth and forced her way past the terror of fighting back against such a monster. While her hands and muscles still trembled, Pyrrha still raised her shield and slammed the flat of her blade on it.

Their second duel began like the first, but that was the only similarity.

Rather than leap away from Pyrrha's charge, Weiss shifted her position very slightly. Pyrrha passed within a hair's breath and was met by a thrust to the gut for her trouble.

Where Weiss normally would have pulled back, instead she stepped in, sword striking again as Pyrrha's feet hit the ground.

The tip of her rapier smashed into Pyrrha's shield with a force similar to Ruby's scythe, throwing it to the side.

Pyrrha flung her shield away and shifted Miló to spear form. She stepped back, taking full advantage of the extra reach. It barely kept her on her feet.

Weiss advanced relentlessly, flowing smoothly from attack to attack with an inhuman grace. Every counter thrust of Pyrrha's was parried then immediately riposted. Despite how much heavier her spear and the force that holding it with both hands allowed, the dainty looking rapier forced it away again and again through Weiss' masterful control of her leverage,

Pyrrha continued her offense with her shield, striking at Weiss' back. At the last moment, her foe spun to the side, throwing another heavy thrust without a single wasted movement.

No matter the angle, no matter how much she used her semblance to accelerate her strikes, nothing Pyrrha did worked.

All without Weiss using any of her Glyphs.

After a reckless attack that left Pyrrha completely off balance, Weiss spun away.

"What?" Pyrrha gasped, that should have been a fight ending mistake.

Weiss said a single word in the language of Sorcery. Her fingers glowed with a grey light as they drew runes in the air.

Pyrrha flung herself forward again, using her Semblance to make up for her lack of footing. She swung with all of her might, forgoing any attempt at protecting herself. For nearly six seconds, she flew around Weiss as if she had wings, striking with each limb in turn. Spear thrust, kick, shield slam, knee: Nothing connected.

Despite Weiss putting herself in the most dangerous position someone could, casting an expensive spell within the reach of an opponent, she was still untouchable.

The grey energy expanded into a cloud, then shrunk into hundreds of icicles. They surrounded Pyrrha, points glinting in the light.

Pyrrha set herself onto the ground. "Do it."

Weiss met her gaze and nodded.

As the shard fell upon her, Pyrrha grabbed her weapons with her Semblance once more. She turned into a whirlwind of metal, smashing as many of them as she could.

Again, it wasn't enough.

Seconds after the attack started, her Aura fell and two pierced her skin. Weiss fired the rest in a circle around her.

Pyrrha fell to her knees, her hands balled into fists.

"You made me dip too deep at the end." Weiss' voice had returned to normal. "It was your win."

"Thank you." The words were like ash in her mouth, rules were for tournaments.

Weiss could decisively defeat her in melee now. She also didn't need anyone to protect her while she worked her spells.

"If you refine your flight technique, I'm certain that you'll become even more fearsome in battle." Weiss smiled. "And even outside of it, I'm still very happy that you're here with me."

Pyrrha nodded, pulling herself up. It was a nice idea, but she would not be able to focus on it, protecting herself, and attacking at the same time.

"You're the one who convinced me to reach beyond what I was comfortable with." Weiss grabbed her wrist. "I think that there may be a way to call upon that power without being so obvious. It will take time and… practice, but we can work on them together and make this even better."

"Of course." Pyrrha couldn't keep the emptiness out of her tone.

Weiss frowned at her, but didn't say any more.

"I… I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to meditate tonight."

"I understand." Weiss nodded, leading the way to the door.

Coco was waiting for them outside.

"Not sure what you two were doing in there, but it sounded impressive." The older girl grinned.

Pyrrha nodded. "Weiss figured out something useful."

"Pyrrha did as well," Weiss said.

Coco looked between them and hissed as she took a breath. "Right. I also found two more potentials who want to talk to you soon."

"How soon?" Weiss asked.

"Tomorrow."

"I would prefer having both of you present."

"I'll be there when you need me." Pyrrha began walking away.

Neither of them stopped her, or said anything else.

When she was almost out of earshot, Coco started asking, "Is she-"

Pyrrha walked faster, pushing all other thoughts away.

Coco had found two more people to join then while Pyrrha hadn't even gotten one herself. Emerald found Nora first. She'd merely happening upon them at breakfast.

Pyrrha looked out the hallway window at sky and The Spear.

What use was faith in gods who did not care and would not help? It was one thing to believe that they were busy, like everyone else thought, and another to know that they were silent because they gave the responsibility to other people and when that group failed, didn't help.

"Oh man, you're gonna destroy me." Jaune's voice echoed from one of the rooms.

Pyrrha crept up to the door peering in. Jaune and his girlfriend were playing a board game. It had been months since they did that as a team.

For a few minutes, she stood next to it and listened. It sounded so nice, so relaxing. It was… something that 'The Invincible Girl' would never have.

What use was skill so great that it separated you from normal life, but so weak that it couldn't help those you needed it for?

All of Remnant had its divinely ordained protectors in team RWBY... With such champions, what use was one girl whose only meaningful contribution was fighting?

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.5

~~~​

Weiss sat at a cold, metal table with Pyrrha at her side, sizing up the boys flanking Coco.

The first was a very fit monkey Faunus who didn't seem to understand how buttons worked. He also seemed to be impervious to the cold. The gazebo on the edge of campus was chilly enough that she wanted a jacket, but that was the price to pay for good sightlines to anyone approaching.

"Weiss Schnee," Coco gestured to him. "Sun Wukong."

He flipped a chair around, sitting on it backwards. After a moment, he held out a hand. "Hey."

Weiss placed her cup down and shook it. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Ladies." The second, better dressed, boy smiled, snapped his fingers, and pointed at her.

"Dude." Sun elbowed him in the side.

Weiss raised a hand to cover her mouth and laughed. It was just like when Yang started hitting on her and Blake.

Coco raised an eyebrow as she met Weiss' eyes, but didn't otherwise react. "And Neptune Vasilias."

"Charmed." Weiss waved to the seats. "I was told that the two of you wanted to speak with me."

Neptune took a seat like a normal person. "Yeah, we have a lot of questions and you're probably the only person who could answer them."

She waved her hand in a circle.

They boys looked at each other.

Sun spoke first, "So, your team."

"Yes?" There were a number of ways that this could go.

"Is Blake Belladonna a Faunus?"

That was not at all what Weiss had expected, but also wasn't something she needed to be dishonest about. "Yes, she is."

"And, she's also actually Anathema, not someone who just got called that because people think that she wasn't, then suddenly became one?"

"Yes, she is." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to know something like that?"

"Well, sometimes people don't notice that someone is a Faunus and then when they suddenly realize that, the person gets accused of being Anathema."

"Did that happen to you?"

"Yep." He nodded. "I was almost run out of town when I discovered my Semblance. A bunch of idiots didn't realize that my 'fuzzy belt' was really my tail and freaked because I 'suddenly turned into a Faunus'."

"Which is ridiculous. Your Semblance is pure gold, not silver." Neptune shook his head.

"It's terrible that happened to you, but it wasn't the case with Blake." Weiss smiled at Sun slightly. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Sun nodded to Neptune this time.

"Yeah..." Neptune looked around, all of the way over his shoulder, then whispered, "The Girl in Red."

"Why would you want to know about her?" Weiss met his eyes.

"Well, I mean, who wouldn't want to know about her?" He tried to hold her gaze, but had to look away after a few seconds. "She's probably the most famous person alive right now, for, er, a lot of different reasons."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, who she was and the sorts of things that she thought about."

"I see." Weiss looked at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha snapped to attention after a moment, then closed her eyes. After two deep breaths, she nodded.

"Well, I suppose the first thing that you should know is that her name is Ruby and she was my partner. She was incredibly talented." Weiss focused. 'She had a lot of interesting opinions that others might share.'

"Umm…" Neptune glanced at each of them. "A-Anyway, she said some pretty out there things about the Anathema."

Weiss nodded, looking over his shoulder as most of Emerald's team came into view. They were only missing Cinder.

"Were you curious about any of them in particular?" Weiss met Emerald's eyes. The girl immediately perked up and started walking toward her. A shake of Weiss' head stopped her. Though, the motion also made the others look at Emerald. "Nothing to worry about, just letting a friend know we're busy."

"Sure... friend." Coco smirked.

"Moving on." Weiss gave her a look. "Yes, Ruby said a lot about the Anathema." 'All of which is true.'

Both boys' eyes widened.

"Which she claims was directly told to her by a goddess."

"So, uhh, umm." Sun stammered, almost tipping his chair over. "That means the Anathema really are blessed by the gods?"

Weiss nodded.

Neptune slowly sucked in a breath. "I… I see…"

Weiss folded her hands in her lap. "Have you encountered any before?"

"Well, I don't think I have." Sun awkwardly grinned. He kept glancing between each of them, but his eyes lingered on Weiss the longest.

Neptune took a deep breath. "I did when I was eight."

Pyrrha perked up again.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Weiss asked softly.

"There's not that much to talk about." He tried to shrug, but the motion was too forced. "I was sailing with some family friends. We ran into a huge Sea Dragon. I almost drowned and was saved by a... person with a Silver Aura. Then, once we were back on dry land I was forced to watch a group of Hunters kill it… him."

"That's horrible." Pyrrha gasped.

"I… got over it." Neptune couldn't look at any of them.

Weiss tapped her fingers against each other. The potential was there. However, she didn't know whether or not it was worth anything. "You two are from Haven Academy, aren't you?"

"Yep, we're the best freshman team." Sun grinned.

"Best?" Coco asked.

"We have more fans than anyone else." Neptune smiled, teeth practically glinting in the light.

"Do you know Cinder Fall or Emerald Sustrai well?"

"I wouldn't say well, they're both kinda loners… Actually, that whole team is." He shrugged. "Why?"

"I've been speaking to Emerald more and have some concerns about Cinder."

He nodded.

"How would you describe her?"

"Well, she's cold, strong… terrifying..." Sun gulped. "Also, sort of insightful. When I was wondering whether or not I should talk to you, she gave me some good advice."

"I see," Weiss nodded. "What about how she and Emerald interac- One moment."

Penny Polendina was coming straight towards them.

Weiss waited for her to arrive.

"Salutations, Weiss Schnee." Penny waved.

"Hello, Penny. Can I help you?"

"I believe you can." Penny was as chipper as possible. "I'm missing thirteen point seven seconds of memories from when we last spoke and Ruby said I should talk to you about it."

Weiss resisted the urge to sigh. "I'm not sure what you mean. How could you have forgotten something like that?"

"I do not know, but she was certain that you would."

"Wait a second." Neptune held a finger up. "You've talked to Ruby, as in the Girl in Red?"

"Yes." Penny nodded. "She and Blake Belladonna answered when I called them."

"And they couldn't help you with this?"

Weiss could practically see the gears turning in his head. She could simply erase their memory of whatever happened next, but that hardly seemed like it would help.

"They said that Blake might be able to write me something to help me remember."

"Team Anathema thought that they might be able to help you with..." Sun slowly turned back to Weiss.

Weiss slowly stood up. "All of you are going to be quiet and follow me right now."

"Bu-" Penny began speaking.

Weiss unleashed every ounce of terror that she was capable of producing. Penny froze, Neptune shivered, and Sun became as pale as his teammate. "Now."

They followed behind her dutifully, as did Coco and Pyrrha. The other girls couldn't meet her eyes either, even though they should have been more used to such feelings after practicing. The edge of the cliff was very close to the gazebo. When Weiss nodded, all five of the others jumped off.

She spared a glance behind herself, confirming that no one else was following them, before descending. As she fell, Weiss used a glyph to propel herself slightly forward, leaving everyone else's backs against the cliff wall.

"Now then, shall we continue?" Weiss released her hold on them with a snap.

"Holy shit!" Sun swore.

"Hehe," Neptune laughed, teeth chattering.

Penny just stared at her, body completely frozen.

"That might not have been the best idea, Schnee." Coco stepped forward, turning around when she passed Weiss. Pyrrha remained where she landed, staring up.

"I think it punctuated the severity of the situation." Weiss looked at each of them in turn. "Needless to say, anything that was just said, or thought, leaking would be disastrous for everyone involved."

Pyrrha joined them, leaning close to Weiss, but speaking loud enough for the others to hear. "I believe there's a camera on the cliff, maybe a microphone too."

"I see." Weiss added it to the ever growing list of things she needed to speak with Ozpin about, but that would be a conversation for another day. "Can you destroy it?"

Pyrrha nodded. "It's done."

"Thank you." Weiss smiled, then turned back to the other three.

Penny still hadn't taken a breath since she landed.

"As I was saying, anything leaking is dangerous… Especially for those of us who have recording devices on them." Weiss looked at her.

"I do not have-" Penny shouted. "Oh, wait, I do."

"Delete whatever you have so far."

"I'm not deleting my own memories!" She covered her mouth with her hands as soon as she spoke.

Weiss narrowed her eyes and listened intently. The dual microphones were still present, but she couldn't hear any normal bodily function coming from Penny. Everyone else turned toward her as well.

"I- I mean-" Penny stammered.

"We all heard what you said." Weiss cut her off. "What exactly do you mean by deleting your memories?"

"I… Ummm… It's classified?" Penny smiled nervously.

"Which level?"

"Top Secret."

"Anything else?" That much wasn't a problem.

Penny's eyes widened. "Uhh, SAR-CR."

That might be trickier. She hadn't heard of a CR program code before.

"Very well." Weiss relaxed.

"You're just going to accept that? She didn't say anything." Sun gaped at her.

"Considering the number of people without access to Top Secret information here, yes."

"Okay." Neptune stepped forward, patting Sun on the shoulder. "So, what do we do now?"

"Now, you three are going to help me help Ruby." Weiss smiled.

"With what?" Neptune winced.

"Eliminating the Grimm."

"All of them?" Penny gasped.

"All of them." Weiss nodded.

"You can do that?" Sun asked.

"No." Weiss looked at Pyrrha. "But, the goddess Mars told Ruby that if she were to lead her team against them, it would be possible. Right, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha had been looking at the cliff, delaying her response. "Yes."

"I… I can't believe it." Neptune shook his head. "Killing all of the Grimm with just four Anathema? No way."

Weiss held a hand out to the forest. "Do you remember the report about the Grimm in Vale being depopulated?"

The three of them nodded.

"That was Mars, demonstrating just how powerful the Anathema can become. She did it in seconds."

Sun whistled.

"I can show you where they appeared, if you want."

Sun and Neptune glanced at each other before nodding.

"Penny?"

"I…" Penny looked back up the cliff. "Ciel will be angry if I'm not back soon. We had a meeting to go to."

"I'm sure General Ironwood will understand." Weiss waved a hand to the side.

"How did you-" Penny cut herself off. "Oh, right."

Weiss grasped their sympathetic ties with those they cared about. With a hidden pulse of Essence, she bound herself into them, just like Emerald. As soon as she finished, each relaxed and smiled.

"Let's go." She began leading the way with Coco and Pyrrha.

"That was easier than expected." Coco whispered.

"They all were, at least partially, aware of some of the lies." Weiss added another statement, only to Coco and Pyrrha. 'I also used my power to strengthen the loyalty, just in case.'

Coco nodded.

Pyrrha frowned, but didn't say anything.

~~~​

Blake slightly shifted her balance, leaning into Yang's turn and pressing her back against Ruby's. She was sitting on the very back end of Yang's bike both hands engrossed with her book. It would have been impossible to sit there, let alone read, but the lip right above the rear wheel was like a solid floor to her.

The book was pure schlock; the main character had the personality of cardboard and her love interest was a deep as a puddle, but they didn't need to be three-dimensional for their dumb spats to be entertaining.

She chuckled, looking over her shoulder as she slid her bookmark in. The sun was setting and while she could read in the dark, she'd had enough of lover boy's 'aventurine orbs which held a barely concealed spark of passion' for one day.

Ruby turned around too. "Blake?"

"Sorry, it's not you." She lied; Ruby's position was also funny. She was scrunched down so she could fit her arms under Yang's wings. If just the two of them were that bad, then all three must be a sight to see. "My book is… a bit silly."

Ruby stared at her for a moment. "Okay."

"How much longer do we have?"

"Hmm…" Ruby looked forwards again. "We're pretty close. If we really want to, we can probably get there by midnight."

Blake rolled her shoulders. "Will there be beds?"

"The town has an inn with beds."

"That doesn't sound like a recommendation."

"It really isn't."

Blake sighed, "Great. What'd you think Yang? Are you up for a few more hours?"

Yang revved the engine, glancing at Blake "You know I could go all night."

"Missed her that much?" Ruby asked patting Bumblebee's seat.

Blake turned away and held her mouth as tightly shut as she could.

"You have no idea." She served back and forth, "Ahh, you treated her good, sis."

Ruby giggled.

Blake slipped her book into her bag and turned around, looking over Ruby's shoulder. She peered down the road ahead and then glanced up. The sky was overcast with long streams of orange in the clouds, but…

Blake blinked a couple of times and then focused on the sight ahead of her. She could clearly make out individual leaves from miles away, along with the dark clouds. "Ruby, do you see that?"

"See what?" Ruby shifted, leaning forward. "Oh…"

"What'd you two-" Yang gunned the engine as everything around them changed.

A shiver ran down Blake's spine. It was like she'd been breathing in a smoke filled room for her entire life and it finally cleared. Everything around her felt more right, like she belonged. She took two deep breaths, the air was damp, sort of like a swamp, but even so, it tasted sweet.

Though, the rest of their surroundings weren't anywhere near as good. The trees surrounding them had looked like they were about to reach down and snatch anyone passing by, their branches knotty and their bark greyed, like they were dead. The brilliant orange in the clouds had become an almost sickly purple.

"What the hell is this?" Yang shouted almost throwing Ruby from the bike with a sudden stop.

"Oh, yeah…" Ruby whispered. "It really doesn't feel good around here."

Blake gulped and looked at her teammates. Both of them were shivering. "I, umm… It feels really good to me."

"How could it-" Yang gaped at her, then snapped her head to the side and shouted. "Shut up!"

"What?" Ruby flinched back.

"Not you." Yang rubbed her temples. "The demon's freaking out and won't stop yelling."

Ruby winced. "Gotcha. Blake liking it makes sense since Petra also liked it and they're the same type of Anathema."

"Yang, do you want to go back?" Blake laid a hand on her shoulder and rubbed softly.

"I'll be fine as soon as it stops," Yang said through clenched teeth. "What were the two of you looking at before?"

Blake turned her eyes to the sky. It was faint, but the rising black smoke was unmistakable. "There's something burning far ahead of us. Or, maybe there was something burning and now we're seeing the remains smoke... I'm not sure."

"Got it." Yang had her eyes closed. "Yelling more isn't going to help. I'm going in there no matter how much it scares you."

"Yang?" Ruby grabbed her hand. "Are you sure you're fine?"

Yang took a deep breath. "I think it just needs to calm down and I need to get used to this."

"Okay, let's just make camp then. We can-" Ruby hissed, sitting straight up. "Or there's something bad coming our way."

"Seeing the future?" Blake looked down the road again.

"Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it'll be here soon." Ruby hopped off of the bike and walked to the edge of the road. "Counter-ambush?"

Blake and Yang nodded, setting themselves up.

"I'll be next to the road." Ruby vanished from sight.

'Can you still hear me?' Blake sent thoughts to both of them.

'Yep.' Ruby sent back, though Blake still couldn't make out where she was.

'Let me know when to charge in.' Yang was far back, hidden in the bushes with her bike.

Blake slipped into the shadows on the side of the road.

They waited several minutes for lights to appear from the way they came, a lot of lights. When they first showed up, Blake could make out four distinct sets. As the trucks and vans got closer, she realized there were seven, all maintaining speed very close together.

'Ruby, is Crescent Rose powerful enough to take out the leader?' Blake shifted to the other side of the road. She'd have trouble punching through that much metal, but once the driver's got out, she would have a perfect opportunity.

'I can do windshield and tires, but the armor's too thick for me to shoot the engine out.' Ruby thought back. 'Actually, wait a minute… From the model of truck, armor, and how they're driving… That's an Atlas convoy.'

'It wouldn't be the first time we had to mess them up,' Yang said.

'What do you think they're here for?' Ruby asked.

'Probably hunting us.' Blake kept the lead truck in sight. 'Also, isn't there another Anathema where we're going?'

'Yeah…'

Yang said. 'What does your future thing say?'

Ruby waited for a moment. 'It's better to hit them now, but it's not terrible if we don't.'

'I say we let them go past then.' Blake let herself relax a little. 'We've never attacked first.'

'I… Alright.'

'You'd be able to see something awful if the other Anathema died, wouldn't you?'

'Probably, but… It's still better to go now. All three of us will wind up happier if we do.'

'Sorry, sis. I'm with Blake. Even if it might wind up being better, that doesn't mean we should do it.'

'Fine.' Ruby grumbled.

Blake relaxed and sat down, watching each of the vehicles rush past them. They'd have kept pace with Yang's speed at the rate they were going.

"I hope you two're right about this." Ruby reappeared about Blake after they passed.

Blake turned to the tail lights disappearing into the forest. It was the right thing to do, even if it wasn't the best idea according the Ruby.

'Hey, sis? This place is even more wrong than we thought,' Yang said slowly.

'Why?' Ruby started heading back toward her.

'It's made the Grimm weird. Sort of… like the opposite of how they normally are.'

'What?'

'A Nevermore flew past me just now. It was pure white with blue eyes and veins.' Yang continued. 'Still died like a normal one though.'

An inverted Grimm for an inverted place? Blake felt at home here, but it was terrible for the others. What about her made that the case? Was she somehow like those Grimm?

~~~​

Weiss checked the clock on the side of the ritual chamber. It was five minutes to midnight and they were coming up on the moment of truth.

She fed more Essence into the circle in front of her, making the runes flare with power. They were the same green as Yang's true Aura with a bit of silver mixed in. There was no point in expending extra effort to disguise it at the moment.

"It's brighter than when I attempted the spell," Professor Goodwitch said from the far corner, writing notes into her scroll. "The color balance has also shifted, but it is within expectations."

"Yours were green with purple exteriors?" Weiss pushed slightly harder, making the silver more prominent. The flames within the runes were compressed, glowing even brighter as the silver barrier formed.

"No, they were entirely green." Professor Goodwitch stepped in and took a picture. "Also, more uncontrolled. Could your nature be modifying the spell in some way?"

"I can't see any reason why it would." The ritual had been very straightforward regarding how it functioned. "What did you use as a control agent?"

"Three parts Earth Dust, three parts Water, and one part Gravity."

"Stability, flexibility, and binding." Weiss focused on her other research, maintaining the energy flows without needing conscious thought. "I would have done similar if I couldn't brute force it. Though, why three parts Water? That may have overwhelmed the Earth."

"It counteracted the secondary ring of Fire Dust that Miss Rose recommended. The initial attempt had only two parts." She gestured to the ring of Fire Dust. "I'll ignite it as soon as the spell finishes."

"Hopefully, we won't need that." Weiss had looked through every record of a 'successful' cast that Beacon had, along with those of Atlas Academy too. A surprisingly large number of Sorcerers had tried to fix the spell before. While none of them managed to keep a demon alive for more than several minutes, a few claimed to summon beings capable of meaningful communication.

Resilience, knowledge, and sociability: calling a being with those traits was the core intent of her spell. She kept each of the three in mind as the final minutes wound down.

At the stroke of midnight, a line of green fire appeared in the center of her array. Its edges pulsed with flames, widening as if an invisible giant was grabbing the fabric of reality and pulling it apart.

When the rift was a wide as her shoulders, a pair of glowing eyes appeared within the fire. Slowly, surely, the creature plodded forward. As is got closer, Weiss felt a terrible pressure on her soul.

She grit her teeth and pressed back against it. Silver light flared from the summoning circle as a stone paw emerged. The glowing eyes met her own as its own will assaulted her. By the time she pushed back, the face of the gigantic lion appeared in the rift and the runes were so bright that Professor Goodwitch had to look away.

Again and again the two smashed against each other, Weiss growling between her teeth, When the clock ticked to twelve-o-one, a final flash of silver erupted and it bowed.

<"For what purpose have we been called."> The lion spoke in the language of Sorcery, somehow completely intelligible.

<"To teach us lost knowledge,"> Weiss said slowly, the language wasn't meant for conversation. Or, the version she knew wasn't.

<"What do you wish to know?"> It stood up, looking more smug than a cat should be able to. <"And, ask quickly, less this form be destroyed by humanity's folly before I can provide an answer.>"

<"By what?">

A number of small scratches appeared on its face. <"By the corrupted creations of a traitor, turned from their purpose of maintaining the natural order.">

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.6

~~~​

Weiss watched the scratches slowly appear on the stone lion's face. <"What do you mean by that? What creations?">

<"The creatures are the results of a Second Circle spell created millennia ago."> The lion swatted his paw, as if he was swiping at a large bug.

<"Was the spell made right before a… revolution... against the Solars?"> Professor Goodwitch stepped up to the outside of the burning circle, speaking very slowly.

<"Considering your native tongue, I suspect you mean fight, not circle around."> The lion raised an eyebrow.

<"That is correct.">

<"Then yes."> The lion nodded.

Weiss glanced at the professor. How did she know about that? Weiss had only found that piece of information out thanks to Tialeth. <"How do you know about our language?">

<"A Teodozji has visited this land before. As such, we all know of the dialect that you speak.">

<"Teodozji, that is what you are?">

<"Yes.">

<"I see."> If the lion had the ability to share knowledge with its own kind, then summoning another in the future may be necessary. When Weiss noticed a small chunk of stone fall from it, she quickly continued. <"Moving back to our original topci. If the things harming you were created from this spell, could we repurpose it to eliminate them?">

Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, lips twitching as she mouthed out the words.

The lion waited, tail also swatting at something while his sides were scratched. <"It may be possible for one of the Unquestionable, but such feats are beyond your power.">

<"What are the 'Unquestionable'?">

<"They are the greatest of demons, Princes and Princesses of Malfeas whose grasp reaches beyond the wildest imaginations of your kind.">

Assuming the demon was even partially telling the truth, Weiss doubted that meeting one would be wise. <"I see, so there are more powerful demons which can be summoned.">

The lion laughed loud and deep. <"You could never hope to call upon such might. It is as beyond you as cleansing the filth layered upon your world.">

<"Do not lie to me, demon."> Weiss glared at it. <"I have good word that cleansing Remnant of the Grimm is entirely possible for a single Exalt.">

<"On whose word?">

<"The goddess Mars.">

The lion glared at her, the runes etching into his skin blazed with light, and he growled, <"The words of a deceiver and traitor are of no worth.">

<"Traitor? What did she do?">

<"She is one of many who betrayed the creators and true rulers of all Creation, sending it on the path of ruin that you stand upon.">

<"Let us leave that aside for now. "> Weiss kept her expression neutral. <"You believe that my goal is hopeless. I disagree and will try to do so anyway. What information can you give me which will make me more likely to succeed?">

<"If you wish to pursue such hopelessness, then sorcery would provide the most aid."> It slammed a paw to the floor, where it hovered in the air despite the lion's weight shifting to above it, only continuing after tearing something off of the invisible object with its teeth. <"While you can never reach its greatest heights, your kind is capable of accessing the Celestial Circle.">

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

<"We are unfamiliar with specifics, for it is a power restricted to the Unquestionable and their greatest souls. There are many citizens who would provide such instruction if you were to release them."> It snatched another invisible object immediately after a large chunk was torn from its neck.

<"Release?"> The wording had not been lost on Weiss. <"I'm afraid I must ask for another clarification.">

<"None may freely leave the Demon City. The greater their power, the more restricted they are."> Another large chunk was torn from its front leg. <"But, there is always a way out. Such is the 'mercy' of the traitors who chained their own creators.">

<"I see."> Weiss grinned. There may be more potential in the citizens of the city, who were presumably easier to deal with. <"And what exactly would need to be done?">

<"It varies."> The lion lept away from something. <"The task that would allow Lady Mara to be free is-">

Half of its head exploded before it could finish. The glowing runes darkened and its body began decorporializing with large chunks vanishing all at once.

Professor Goodwitch stepped back, glaring from the corpse to Weiss.

"I'm not actually considering doing what he said." Weiss technically told the truth. Until she had reliable backup, like one of her teammates, attempting to call a more powerful demon would be foolish. "At least, not the part about calling an even stronger demon."

"You'll seek this, Celeste Circle?" She said slowly.

"Celestial and"- Weiss conjured a glyph in her palm. -"yes. Can you think of a better way to fight back against a goddess?"

Professor Goodwitch watched the glyph as Weiss channelled energy into it. Her heart was beating faster and faster.

Now, she knew what she needed to do to really make a difference when the rest of her team came back. She wouldn't be restricted to logistics and analysis.

The power within her soul surged, bathing the room in a silver light.

"Is there a point to this?" Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, fingers gripping her weapon tightly.

With the flick of a hand, Weiss squelched it… even more easily than before. The power beat deep in her chest, aching to be used.

"Yes, there was." She smiled, only one worry spinning within her mind.

If she needed to go through the ordeals again, what would the second sacrifice be?

~~~​

Ruby walked along the main road, hidden from almost all eyes. A couple of little kids looked right at her, but none of the adults did, including the patrolling Atlas soldiers. She slipped through their checkpoint on the road and went straight for the pillar of smoke.

She listened to the flow of energy around the town as she moved. It was off, the stream that should have continued spiraling in looping around itself instead.

The night was briefly illuminated by a lightning jumping from one spike of the tower to another.

'Is that what you were talking about?' Blake said to her mind.

'Yeah.' Ruby watched it strike again and again. Some of the spikes were much weaker than the others, just like they had been before she had helped. 'Don't get too close to the tower.'

'Not planning to. There's a squad of soldier's I'm tailing.'

'How many?'

'Fifteen.'

'Gonna take'em on all at once?' Yang interrupted.

'I could, but no,' Blake said.

'We need to know how many they have here.' Ruby counted the patrolls moving past her. 'I can only see six more so far.'

'That still isn't enough for all of those trucks and-' Blake paused. 'I think I know what caused the fire and made Atlas stay here.'

'What'd you mean?'

'Jump up to a roof. You should be able to see it from anywhere.'

Ruby launched herself up three stories. She landed on the edge nearest to the fire with a gasp. An entire row of houses had burned down, the blackened remains still smoldering with glowing embers. An Atlas airship was sitting at the end of the path of destruction its cargo bay torn open.

In the distance, a second row of houses was destroyed with a second ship at the end of the path, this one's left wing blown off.

Both could be traced back to the tower. Another squad of soldiers was standing around the base with a large machine, sparks flying from the door to the tower. They had the area cleared, a single woman approaching from the town a Dust saber on her belt. One of the soldiers saluted her as she walked up to them.

Ruby pulsed her Semblance as she jumped, landing a few feet away from them.

"Progress is slow, ma'am." The soldier lowered her hand and pointed to the door. "The Fire Dust isn't burning hot enough to soften the door."

"It isn't burning hot enough?"

"No, ma'am. Igniting it in the first place was difficult and it's almost two hundred degrees too cold."

"How far have you gotten?"

"Two centimeters. At this rate I expect that-"

Ruby tuned them out as she walked away. There were more important conversations. 'Blake, Yang, we have a problem.'

'Need me to come and take some of those guys for you?' Yang chuckled.

'The Atlas military is trying to drill into the tower. They have another six guys working on it.'

Yang snickered, but didn't say anything.

Ruby stopped at the other entrance that she knew about. The rod that opened it was sticking out of a barrel on someone's porch. She ran her fingers over the rough metal. Getting in would be easy, but she couldn't be sure they wouldn't notice the mechanism. When she was at Beacon, people noticed the things she had messed with, even if they didn't notice her.

After a moment of thought, she put the rod back down. It was too risky and a quick glance to the future confirmed that.

'I think...' Ruby hesitated in her message. 'I think that this is why ambushing them would've been better. If we want to save Petra and Maroon, we're going to need to fight them in town.'

'I guess we can't maroon them in the tower.' Yang's dumb grin could practically be heard.

'Can't you just break whatever they're using?' Blake asked, ignoring her partner.

'You're no fun.'

Ruby also ignored her sister. 'I could, but it isn't exactly hard to find another drill and it breaking out of nowhere would make them even more curious. They're not going to give up unless we make them.'

'I'm still not comfortable with that.' Blake continued.

'We don't need to seriously fight. We just need to make them leave the town.' Ruby watched the officer as she left. She went for the nice inn, opening the door to the largest room in town that also happened to have the most comfortable bed. 'It's simple. You two will fly down the road at the crack of dawn, taking breaks to make sure their scouts see you.'

'I'm not seeing how this helps break them first.' Yang almost sent a yawn. 'I mean, it'd be better than just sitting here, but…'

Ruby crept close to the inn. 'I'll be following behind on Bumblebee, in disguise as another soldier.'

Neither of her teammates responded. Just in case, Ruby looked at the threads of the future to confirm her plan was a good idea.

'There's just one thing I need to know.' Ruby peaked into the window. The officer was sitting at a desk, looking over her scroll. 'Blake, if I can get a copy of some orders, how long do you think it'll take to forge an order to chase the two of you down?'

'Ohhh, I see… It wouldn't take me very long,' Blake said.

'Give me a couple of minutes to get some samples.' Ruby lept up to the roof and came down on the other side with a laugh. The latch had been loose when she stayed there and popping the bathroom window of the officer's room open was a cinch.

She crept up to the door, opening it a crack. The woman's back was turned to her. Through her Semblance, Ruby turned into a cloud of rose petals and reappeared in the middle of the room.

The woman still didn't turn around.

Scroll in hand, Ruby snuck up to her and snapped picture after picture of the documents, only pausing when she saw the woman's email signature: Specialist Schnee. Now that Ruby was close enough to look, she could see the same snowflake emblem that Weiss had on the pommel of the woman's saber.

Was she Weiss' sister? Cousin? Ruby knew that Weiss had a sister and a bunch of cousins, but not what any of them did.

'I… I just figured out something that might make this a little complicated.' Ruby sucked in a breath.

'What?' Blake asked.

'The Specialist in charge of the unit here is related to Weiss in some way.'

'I'm... ' Blake paused. 'I don't think that changes anything. What does your future sight say?'

Ruby checked it again. 'It's still good.'

'Don't worry, I'll be sure to be gentle.' Yang snickered. 'I mean, I wouldn't want Weiss getting mad at me for treating her… sister?... please be sister, badly.'

Ruby had a distinct feeling that she shouldn't ask.

'Or maybe I should? It'd be pretty evil for me to go after someone Weiss can't and the demon's still pissed off.'

'Please don't,' Blake said before Ruby could.

Yang sighed very loudly, 'I know.'

'Am I gonna have to not be near the tent tonight?' Ruby squeaked.

'Nah, it'll be fine.' Yang sighed again. 'Though, I wouldn't say no to a picture.'

Ruby groaned. 'Seriously?'

Ruby, I've been sitting here, by myself, for almost half an hour. You two get to go off and be ninjas while I'm in this creepy forest, with only the demon's stupid voice to keep me company. I can't practice exploding things, moving energy around, or even just read the net because we have no reception.'

'I'm sorry?'

'It's not your fault… I'm actually looking forward to this plan. It's been awhile since I gave a good evil speech and maybe that'll get rid of this migraine.'

Ruby winced. Even though she had no idea what that felt like, it still wasn't a good place to be. 'Would it help if I pranked her?'

After a long moment, Yang asked, 'Define prank.'

'Like, write some sort of threat on her bathroom mirror.'

'Ohhh… What should we do, Blake? You're the writer here and I'm thinking that something about angels is appropriate.'

Ruby giggled while they planned out a properly scary message, keeping an eye on Specialist Schnee the entire time. This woman was the commander, the point of failure for the entire group. Her connections could be their downfall… but it wouldn't be right to do that.

Ruby could've solved all of this just by cursing this particular unit. They'd shut down, unable to perform any task correctly. But… she already had Blake and Yang with her. That was the main reason why she placed the curse in the first place. This was a town where the locals would kill anyone who threatened them and, even if Atlas was trying to kill Anathema, they didn't deserve that.

'Ruby, I've got it.' Blake snapped her out of her own head.

She dashed back into the bathroom as a cloud of petals and picked up a bar of soap.

'It starts like this.' Blake began rattling off a very long message.

'I'm gonna need you to repeat that.' Ruby gulped; she might not have enough mirror.

'And don't forget to lather and rinse.' Yang chuckled.

Ruby tapped her forehead against the mirror, barely keeping her own giggles in as she started writing.


A/N: Hey all, sorry this one's going up so late.

Life has gotten incredibly busy faster than I expected and I'm really sorry to say it, but I think I need to shift the schedule for a bit. At least until the holidays are over at minimum.

I feel like my quality's been dropping because of how often I need to write or edit last minute. This is primarily thanks to time I used to have in the middle of the week no longer existing.

I'd hoped to put this off, but I've dropped too many balls and need to slow down a little to catch up.

That said I'm still really excited about where the story is and will keep posting chapters, just less frequently than I have been.

Starting today, I'll be posting a new chapter every other week and will get back to every week once life calms down.

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.7

~~~​

Jaune slowly opened the door to his room, peering inside. The lights were off and the curtains drawn closed. Ren and Nora were both curled up in their beds, though Nora was sleeping on the book Weiss gave her. Pyrrha, along with her gear, was nowhere to be seen.

"Jaune?" Her voice echoed from down the hall.

He turned to the side, she'd just come around the corner. "Pyrrha?"

"Hello." She waved as she walked to him, voice soft. "It's rather late."

"Yeah." Jaune chuckled, watching her. She wasn't walking right. Her steps were wavering, like her balance was off.

Pyrrha was in her armor, skin glistening with sweat.

"More nightly practice with Weiss?"

"No, not today." She frowned, almost sighing. "She had somewhere else to be."

Jaune nodded, biting the inside of his cheek. He closed their door. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"What?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "You know, just like, walk around campus and talk about stuff… Catch up?"

She stared at him for a moment. "Why?"

"I… uhh…" Jaune rubbed the side of his neck. "Well, it sort of seems like you might need it."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Kinda?" Jaune dragged the word out into an awkward chuckle. When Pyrrha slumped, he stopped. "Sorry."

"That may be true, but…" She turned away, fists clenched. "Wouldn't your girlfriend be angry with you for spending time with me rather than her?"

"What? No, Flora's gotta study tonight and we're not together all of the time."

"Flora… That's her name?"

Jaune raised a finger. "No way."

"Yes, I had no idea what her name was."

"I know that I introduc-"

"You been avoiding us all semester." Pyrrha raised her voice. "Ever since you were dating… Who was it? The blonde one?"

Jaune took a slow breath, pushing his objection down. "I…I guess deserve that."

There never had been a blond girl he was dating, just talking to, but that was beside the point. "But, I'm here now and I'd like to help… if I can."

"It's not that simple." She crossed her arms, turning away. "We've already spoken more tonight than we have in months."

He dug his nails into his palm. "You've been busy too, training with Weiss or going to Vale with her."

"I need to get better."

"Why?"

She kept her back to him.

"You're already amazing... incredible." Jaune sputtered, running his fingers through his hair. "Why do you need to train, for hours, every night?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Because I'm not good enough."

"What are you talking about?" He shouted. "Pyrrha, you're so far beyond everyone else already. What could possibly…"

She clenched her fists and glanced toward Weiss' door… no team RWBY's.

"It's her again… isn't it?" He stared at it. "She's the one Ren and Nora are obsessed with too…"

"Jaune?"

"How many hours, Pyrrha… How many hours have you been practicing every night?"

She didn't respond.

"How many?"

"Four or five."

"Four or five…" Jaune rubbed his forehead. "You're spending all of your free time training; Nora's trying to decide which part of herself to cut off for power; and Ren just mastered a technique used by assassins."

"You have no right to judge." Pyrrha glared at him. "You haven't been around-"

"That doesn't mean I don't notice you coming back to our room after me every night I'm there!" He slammed his fist into the wall. "It doesn't mean I'm not forced to watch the three of you getting ready to throw your lives away."

"We- I'm not going to-"

"Not going to what? Get yourself killed by going after the girl who beat Professor Goodwitch to a bloody pulp? Try to take out a demon who's murdered literally hundreds of people with her own hands? To say nothing about the third, who, was the strongest according to the other two last semester."

"They have names and that's not why I'm doing this."

"Then why?"

"I-" She clasped her hands, running a thumb over her knuckles. "Jaune, have you ever watched something happening which you knew should not occur, but you were powerless to stop?"

"Yeah." The memory of terror, of a brilliant red cloak and the sounds of gunfire, flashed in his mind. It was followed by the sight of Pyrrha's empty bed.

"And, no matter what you do, no matter how much you practice… you will always be outmatched. You will never, can never, be never relevant, never able to make them listen unless they choose to."

"Yeah." A pit fell into the bottom of his stomach. That had been all of last semester. "I've been there. I get it, but… But who is this they you're talking about? What have they done that's so wrong?"

"Jaune… I..." She wandered down the hall, path drifting from side to side.

He followed her to a window overlooking the main courtyard. It was just like it always had been, long before that night… unbroken.

Pyrrha walked up to it, touching the glass and looking to the sky. "When Ruby… fought... that night, what were you thinking?"

"I'd... rather not…" He started answering reflexively. "No, wait. You should know."

Pyrrha glanced to him, arms still crossed.

"So many people ask me that and I… I wasn't thinking about anything." He couldn't look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"When she was there, about to kill them, I looked out at the crowd." Jaune stared at the ground. "I could see how she was controlling them in their eyes. They were paralyzed, unable to help."

Pyrrha didn't say anything.

"I was too, but I knew that someone had to do something." He looked to the sky, watching the dark clouds overtake the stars. "So I did. I shouted and by the time I realized I was running at her, it was too late."

"She would not have killed them."

"She would've," He practically spat. "Pyrrha, she went completely insane. She was ranting about Atlas murdering kids to make weapons. Weapons that she was convinced were talking to her; which, in hindsight, makes the way she talked about her scythe make so much more sense."

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "I do not know what she was thinking in regards to attacking Beacon or hearing the voices of weaponry, but I know what I heard in the forest. Ruby has the power to save all of Remnant from the Grimm."

"Pyrrha, that's crazy. Someone like that"- Jaune clenched his fists. -"can't be a savior. People don't just wake up and start killing everyone who disagrees with them. That's not what a hero does."

"Ruby hasn't-"

"Yes, she has. She cursed every single Hunter in Vale and a ton in Mistral too. She said so herself." He shouted. "Do you have any idea how many people have died because their protectors can't stop the Grimm? Is that something a hero does? Stand by and let innocents be slaughtered to save a demon?"

"That isn't…"

"Pyrrha, why are you defending her?"

"I don't think that you have the entire sto-"

"She put my sister in the hospital!" He cracked the window frame with his fist. "My oldest sister, who kept the fact that she was a Huntress a secret for years, can't keep my little nieces and nephews safe any more... because Ruby decided she might be a threat and cursed her."

"I do not believe that she realized that the effects would be so cri-"

"Maybe she didn't, but she's had months to notice. It's not like the results are being kept secret, but no, she hasn't stopped." Jaune stomped, stepping toward her. "Meanwhile, Blake and Yang burned a camp to the ground and just took over a city. If that's what saving the world from the Grimm looks like, then I don't want to know what breaking it does."

"The temple of Saturn says that there are those who must die in order for new life to come about. I can see no reason why this would not be true on larger scales as well."

"And they're the ones to do it?" He matched the fire in her eyes with his own. "I refuse to believe that the gods would ever give any of those murderers their blessing."

"Lady Mars, under whose sign I was born and have trained, is the goddess of war and conflict. There is no such thing as a bloodless war and I refuse to assume that I would have a better idea what fights must exist than she." Pyrrha stepped closer. "If her champion causes a great deal of strife and hardship, then it must be because such battles should come to pass, otherwise she would not have named Ruby as her Shieldbearer."

"Pyrrha…" He gasped, unable to find the words.

"Thank you, Jaune." She looked away and stepped back. "Though this may not have been your intent, you have provided me with the answer that I sought."

"Pyrrha, no." He stepped forward, the spectre of just how wrong he was about Pyrrha running its claws down his back. "You need to get help. Don't let her control you!"

Pyrrha turned away. "Goodbye, Jaune."

He fell to his knees and held his eyes tightly shut. That wasn't how anything was supposed to happen.

Jaune touched the sunburst amulet hidden under his uniform and spoke to himself. It was not the right time, but night was still a part of the day.

"I-I know that I haven't gone to any services or make any sacrifices, but please. If there is any justice in this world, do not let her be right. If there is any goodness in heaven, then they must have stolen their power from its rightful wielders. If there is any light in the hearts of man, open her eyes to the truth and… give me the strength to keep them safe from the Anathema… and from themselves."

Lightning flashed outside. The metal was cold.

~~~​

'I'm in position.' Ruby's voice echoed in Yang's mind as the edge of town came into sight.

Even though she'd seen it last night, it was still hard to believe that such a little town was able to survive without any real defenses. The morning light made it seem so open, vulnerable.

'You could make it yours.'​

"Are you ready?" Yang asked Blake.

"Yeah." Her partner's eyes flicked from house to house. "They have us surrounded."

"Good." Yang took a deep breath and stoked the flames of her soul. This was it, time to be an evil jerk and draw all of the attention to herself. She rolled her shoulders and neck, muscles tightening up too soon on the left.

This was going to be so bad, but feel so good.

They continued walking until they were halfway down the street. The houses and windows were deserted; the echoes of heavy footsteps running away were the only sign that anyone lived in the town.

After a moment of waiting, Yang shouted, "You can come out, I know you're there."

Her voice echoed through the deserted streets while she tapped her foot.

"Come on," She groaned, raising a fist. A green flare shot into the sky, exploding as soon as it got high enough for the tower to strike it. "If you don't come out, I will start shooting."

She pulled an arm back. "Five."

She spread her wings wide. "Four."

She ignited her fist. "Three."

They still hasn't come out. "Two."

Shit, she was really going to have to do it. "O-one."

"Wait." A woman called out from ahead of them.

Yang pulled her hand back, watching as she walked out. She was definitely a Huntress with the long white coat and expensive saber. It was held low, pointed at Yang.

"Glad you could join us." Yang grinned, awkwardly chuckled under her breath.

"I didn't take you for someone who would threaten the innocent to get your way." She stopped in the middle of the road. "How disappointing for someone admitted to Beacon to fall so far."

Yang kept smiling as she clenched her fists. It might be easier than expected. "Innocent? You mean the soldiers who took over a little town in the woods?"

"You'd destroy the only property of these poor townsfolk simply to make your battle easier?"

As she shrugged, Yang grit her teeth. "Well, yeah. I am Anathema. It's what we do."

"Yes, you listen to the little voice in the back of your head that tells you that you can do whatever to want to whomever you want without regard to consequences."

'She's smart. You should do what she says.'​

'That's… a little too accurate.' Yang thought to Blake as she stepped forward. "That's really rich, coming from you."

"Ahh, yes." The woman smirked. "How was it phrased again? 'You shall be visited by the spectres of those whose lives your family has stolen. One of red, one of black, and one of green; the three shall torment you with the pain that they had suffered.'?"

"I might be a demon, but you… damn." Yang shook her head, trying to pull up Blake's old arguments with Weiss. "Skimping on safety equipment because the workers had Aura, charging them so much for rent and food that they can't even buy a train ticket out, even making them buy their own tools: it's… inspiring."

She glared at Yang, but didn't say a word.

"So, I thought, if I'm gonna go around taking over cities, I might as well learn from the best."

"And thus, you came find to me." She shook her head. "I'm afraid that you wasted your time, though I'm also sure that my sister will be thrilled to know that you approve of our father's methods."

Yang pushed the flinch down. 'Blake, are you getting anything from her?'

'She's in touch with Weiss and knows that Weiss wants to change the SDC.' Blake sighed. 'She's also trying to mess with you.'

'Well… the second part's working, but something still feels weird.' Yang kept her worry from her face with a chuckle. "Does this mean you're not just going to come along? I didn't expect you to like pain that much."

She arched an eyebrow. "I said nothing of the sort."

A glyph appeared on the ground behind her. It looked just like the ones Weiss used when she wanted to hit a big group. As the white light grew, a bony skull rose from the center. White skull, blue eyes, and blue markings: it continued going until an inverted Ursa Major stood behind her. Unlike a normal Grimm, it stood silently, waiting.

"If you're not going to come qui-" Yang began speaking.

The woman raised her sword. Yang could feel the attack coming long before it got near her. She could catch the bullet, but it didn't feel too bad and just taking it would make it even worse for them.

Blake vanished from sight, but Yang focused all of her power into her form.

Her head snapped to the side as it smashed into her, the fires of her Semblance raging within her soul. The round fell to the ground, tinkling on the stones of the road. A drop of wetness ran down the side of her face.

'You're still weak.'​

A gasp echoed from the roof to her right as she wiped the blood away.

"Huh… you actually hurt me." Yang looked at the man. "Good job."

'I'll hit the machines and their scrolls.' Blake thought to her from one of the alleyways.

"Anyway, where was I?" Yang looked back to the woman, smiling. "Right, if you're not going to come quietly, then I'm going to have to pound you into the ground first."

'Make her beg for death.'​

"You can try." Another glyph appeared beneath her feet.

"Ohh, feisty. I like."

"Hmmph." The woman scowled.

"Weiss enjoyed it."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say anything."

"Sure thing ice queen." Yang rolled her eyes. "Can I at least get your name before we dance?"

"Winter." Hey glyph glowed with a pale yellow that Yang hadn't seen from Weiss before.

Yang raised her fists and winked.

Winter flicker her sword to the side and the Ursa charged. With each lunge, it rattled windows.

Yang stomped, firing a line of force through the ground at it. The street exploded into a shower of shrapnel that tore through the Grimm's belly. It crashed to the ground, sliding to a stop right in front of her.

"You're going to need to do better than that." Yang shattered its mask with a single kick.

"Fire at will." Four more glyphs sprang into existence around Yang as the soldiers unloaded. Their regular guns stung less than the Grimm wasps that Tyrian sent against her. Her skin was more than enough to stop them, no Aura needed,

She slapped the bullet from the heavy rifle down as more anti-Grimm appeared, enormous apes. The largest, standing almost three times as tall as Yang, bellowed as it beat its chest.

Yang fired her gauntlets, rocketing toward it. She caught its swipe mid-air, her path unwavering. As she landed, she sank a fist into its gut and fired it at its mistress.

Winter sidestepped the Grimm as gunshots rang out from the rest of the town.

Another of the monsters came flying at her. She caught its punch by one of its fingers and heaved, slamming a third into the ground with its bulk.

By the time she'd thrown the fourth into the air, the first had gotten back up.

Yang roared with laughter as she danced between their fists. Duck, weave, jump, flip: it wasn't often that she was the agile one in a fight, but they were just so slow that it didn't matter. She spun through them, nudging their arms so that they hit each other. "Come on, this is a joke. Give me a real-"

She blocked Winter's blade with an inch to spare. Yang turned to her, smile brightening. "I guess I should stop monkeying around."

"They're apes." Winter hopped back as the Grimm came in again.

Yang shrugged, catching the double fisted slam with one of her own. "I snow that, Winter, but-"

Yang jumped out of the way of the second sword strike. "You really need to chill."

"Must you?"

"Blame your parents for providing the ammunition." Yang shrugged, glancing at her gauntlets. "And the other ammunition."

Winter growled and pressed the attack.

Yang hopped, parried, and winged away of her as the Grimm closed in. Winter moved between their swings as if they were in sync, the tip of her saber catching Yang again and again. It was never hard enough to be a worry, but also not soft enough that she could ignore it like most of the bullets… which had stopped.

Yang kicked off of the back of a Grimm, slamming it into Winter. As she flew up, she spread her wings and watched the soldiers on the roofs. Their guns were in pieces, each cleanly sliced through.

'Good going with the guns.' She thought to Blake. Her partner was out of sight, but there were still other shots ringing from the streets. 'Find a scroll?'

'I have three that're unlocked.'

'How long until they're good.' Yang watched two of the apes line up underneath her. A third leapt onto their hands, then was thrown up. Its face met a shot burning with hellfire and the body arched past.

"Come on. You were doing so well." Yang twirled as she ascended, keeping an eye on the new glyph forming behind Winter. It spun rapidly, glowing with a yellow light.

As she swung her sword, a flock of tiny Nevermore sprang from the glyph. They flew at her, small sparks jumping between their talons. They raked her as they passed, making her skin tingle.

"Is your nest trick going to be-"

The hair on the back of Yang's neck rose as Winter smirked. The air smelled like a pool... or an arc welder. Light flashed from behind too fast for her to turn around.

Yang tensed all of her muscles and flooded them with power. The fire raging within her surged forth, sending sparks flying as the cage of lightning writhed around her. Her hair became a glowing inferno so bright that Yang had to close her own eyes to avoid going blind. The bolts that raged and coiled around her heated the air to the point where it shimmered, but she remained inviolate.

For a moment, the arcs of power quieted down. She wasn't going to die. She was safe.

Two more lines of Nevermore closed to the tower and Yang once more broke the attack upon her body.

In the next break, she fired both gauntlets and threw herself down, narrowly avoiding the bolt that followed. Green flames licked the top of her vision even as she saw red.

The air screamed behind her dive, tearing into burning ribbons. She came upon Winter like a shot from a cannon, her flaming fingers wrapping around the woman's throat as she punched her into the street.

Yang's feet hit the ground as the flames leached into Winter's soul.

She ran, tearing up the street beneath her with her enemy's body.

'Show her what true power is.'​

As the road bent, she plowed forward. There was no curb, but the building would work just as well.

Yang ended her charge by slammed Winter through the wall, following behind and landing on top of her. Yang's body heaved with each breath through clenched teeth.

She grabbed what remained of the woman's collar, hauling her face closer while she pulled her free hand back for another punch at…

'Do it.'​

Winter's closed eyes…

'Finish her.'​

Her limp body…

'She'll kill you if you don't.'​

Yang dropped her. She didn't move.

'At least you marked her as your own.'​

'Ruby! The plan's off!!' Yang's entire body shook while she leaned closer, hovering her cheek over Winter's mouth. The brand on Winter's neck pulsed with heat, letters bubbling up in the green light.

There was no breath coming from her lips to cool it down.

'Get over here right now!'

~~~​

The air was hot and heavy, hard to breath.

Every movement was like fire tearing through her skin, ripping open wounds against the all too rough sheets beneath her.

A deep crimson flashed before her eyes.

Winter awakened with a gasp, heart pounding. She was in an unfamiliar room, lying on an unfamiliar bed, and an unfamiliar girl was sitting by her side. She reached for her waist, but there was no handle waiting for her.

"Oh, you woke up really fast." The girl sat straight up, her red eyes sparkling with bronze.

"Who are you and where am I?"

"You're in biggest room in the inn and… umm..." She saluted improperly. It was so bad that it would have been an insult, if the girl wasn't obvious non-military. "Private Ruby Rose reporting for duty."

Winter stared at her.

"I'm, uhh, aware of the irony?" The girl tried to smile.

Winter continued staring.

"Well, you know. We're supposed to be hunting the Anathema Ruby and I have the same…" She groaned, folding under the glare. "Okay, fine, that was a dumb idea."

"Why am I alive?"

"Because I fixed you up even though you"- Ruby leaned in close and shouted -"tried to murder my sister!"

"I see." Winter opened and closed her sword hand, stretching her fingers. "Thank you."

"That's it? No, 'I'm sorry' or 'I'll never do it again'?"

"No, I'm not sorry and I fully intend to finish the job once I have the forces to do so."

"What?"

"You are the greatest threats to civilization that I'm aware of. To do anything less would be a mockery of my oaths to Atlas."

"But, why would you just say that when I'm right here?"

"Because I'm not a fool. I do not have enough force to accomplish anything, as your sister so easily demonstrated." Winter held back a wince as she shifted, a line of pain flaring up along her back.

"That's it then, you're just going keep trying no matter what we have to say?"

"Is there anything I could say which would convince you to free the Hunters of Vale?"

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "I'm not going to let them torture people."

"Expected, but disappointing." Winter met the glare. "I had heard a great deal about how moral of a person you were from Weiss."

Ruby backed away. "Wait… Weiss is talking to you?"

"Yes."

"And she's told you about us?"

"Of course she has."

"And you know about her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Winter stressed every word.

"Nooo," Ruby shook her head. "You wouldn't say things like that if you didn't-"

Despite the pain each movement caused, Winter lashed out.

Ruby caught her hand before she could cover the girl's mouth. "I'm still mad at you for hurting Yang."

Winter took a deep breath. At least this was a different topic. "None of my attacks on her were successful."

"That's not what I meant." Ruby let go of her hand. "Do you have any idea how freaked out she was that she almost killed her girlfriend's sister?"

"That's odd. I wouldn't have expected a mass murderer to care about such things."

"Yang is not a murderer." Ruby growled through her teeth.

"She has the blood of at least a hundred on her hands, to say nothing of your own."

"You think I don't know that!" Ruby screamed. "I don't want to keep going like this, but they weren't going to stop unless someone made them."

"So you took away their freedom to choose. And here I would've expected you to fight on Vale's side during the Great War."

"I am not-"

"The strength of a person's character is proven through actions, not words or ideals. You already have control that the kings and queens of old could only dream of."

Ruby turned away and stomped. "Grah, it's like arguing with Weiss. Everything I say can be thrown back at me."

"I'll take that as compliment." Winter smirked.

"I- You… Why?" Ruby ran her hands through her hair. "Why are you… You're not scared that a bunch of Anathema have your at their mercy?"

"You already indicated that your sister wants me alive and I'm certain that you are aware of how angry Weiss would be if anything happened to me while I'm in your care."

"So you do-"

"Care about my little sister's feelings?" Winter raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

"Or is it because-"

"Where is your sister right now?"

"Stop interrupting!" A red glyph appeared on her forehead.

Winter suppressed a shudder. Even though she knew she was safe, the way that the girl glared at her was like staring death in the eyes.

"Thank you for shutting up for one moment." Ruby huffed. "It's just- Why are you so much worse than anyone else I've ever talked to?"

"Not used to naked hostility? It's unsurprising; I'd imagine that most people you encounter would either be sycophants or be so fearful they cannot speak against you." Winter pushed the butterflies in her stomach down. "It's simple. I have heard a great deal about both you and your sister from Weiss that do not match the reality that I can see." Winter folded her hands in her lap. "Is she is to be believed, then the two of you have incredibly strong morals and good instincts."

"O-Okay…"

"It's difficult to reconcile such an opinion with your actions. Are you a liar so skilled that she can fool my sister or are you a little girl who cannot comprehend the impact that she has?" Winter raised one hand to the side. "Similarly, is your sister a seductress playing on Weiss' loneliness or a hot head who does whatever her worst impulses suiggest?

"The distinction doesn't matter because neither type of person can be allowed to have the power and influence the two of you do."

"You didn't say anything about Blake."

"No, I didn't, though going along with your orders doesn't speak well of her."

"Alright, so you think we're either dangerous or stupid, but it doesn't matter which."

"There are significant differences between the two groups."

"Because one of them might be able to change?"

"Quite."

Ruby frowned.

"How about you bring me to your sister so that we may speak more in private?"

"You just woke up."

"And we're burning daylight."

"Okay, sure." Ruby shrugged. "She went to the tower so that she can learn how to build it and keep everyone safe from the Grimm."

"That only makes matters worse." Winter slowly stood up. She glanced down at the simple blue dress they must have dressed her in. I was simple, conservative, and thus acceptable for being in from of her men. "You've already brought a kingdom to its knees and now you seek to replace its defenders with infrastructure that only you can maintain."

"That is not at all why we're doing this!" Ruby kept her voice down, "We're going to save everyone from the Grimm and then-"

"And then what? When you're crowned God-Empress of Remnant, how many soldiers will need to die to the hands of a rogue Anathema before you deem them worthy of death?"

"I also don't want to be that. Why would you think-"

"Let's assume that your ambition becomes reality. Do you truly believe that you would be able to save all of Remnant from the Grimm and then go back to a 'normal' life? You, Ruby Rose; the Girl in Red, Blight of Beacon, and Savior of Anathema; have already declared that your opinion is the only one that matters in Vale. You can cripple anyone with the wave of your hand if they do something you deem unacceptable."

Ruby growled.

"If what you say is true, then the only reason why the throne sits empty is your own ignorance of the influence that you currently wield."

"Even if I wanted to be… I don't know, Queen of Vale, there's no way the Hunters would let me."

"What Hunters? You've already rendered your opposition irrelevant."

"Then the people! They would never-"

"Accept the girl who saved them from ever fearing the Grimm again, eliminated the ancient foe which has trapped us, as their ruler and goddess in the flesh? If you mad plan succeeds then you will become the savior of all humanity. No one would dare speak a word against you."

Ruby looked down. "It would save more lives than I can count."

"What lives would live in your wake? The technology of the Anathema cannot be reproduced. It can rarely be fixed when it breaks. Maintaining your favor would be the primary job of every single person who ever interacts with you. They would be beholden to a girl who would sacrifice innumerable lives, control the minds of her own countrymen, all so that every Anathema has the chance to become someone capable of winning a battle against an army."

"That's not why I stopped them. They were torturing and killing innocent people." The force behind her words had almost vanished.

"And through doing so, condemned thousands to die because the Hunters who were supposed to protect them are not able to." Winter stepped closer to Ruby, towering over her despite their different in power. "How many people would your sister have to kill before you would turn against her? Regardless of whether or not she meant to."

"I would never-" Ruby stopped herself, freezing.

"I had to answer that question myself. It was not easy, but it had to be done in order for me to be an effective leader and ensure that I would prevent her from going too far."Winter ran her hands up the places where her body ached or burned, feeling her muscles and joints. As her fingers touched her neck, she paused. There was a large scar running from one side to the other.

"I wasn't able to fix that one and now I'm not going to even if I could." Ruby scowled at her.

"Very well. I still thank you for the healing provided."

"Yang said that it'll explode into hellfire if you either attack her or are mean to her. So, you know, stop being such a jerk."

"Noted." Winter took a deep breath. With that knowledge, her next conversation would be much harder. "Shall we continue with her present?"

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.8

~~~​

Ruby bathed the tunnel in red light that only she could see. There were still no bugs. "Follow me. It's straight."

Winter walked behind her, flashlight casting the shadow of Ruby's cloak on the ground in front of them. It shifted back and forth, sometimes covering up one of the holes in the wall and sometimes making the runes on the floor shine with a light that was a little too dull.

"It shouldn't be too far now."

Blake's voice echoed down the tunnel as they continued. "I don't want anything to do with the White Fang."

"But, Lady Belladonna-" Maroon pleaded.

"No, that's that and-" Blake paused. "Ruby?

"Hi, Blake!" Ruby shouted to them as she rounded the corner. "I brought Winter with me."

Blake was sitting at dark iron table with Maroon standing opposite of her. A bunch of empty boxes littered the sides of the room, all snack and survival food. As Winter came around the corner, the runes on the floor lit up with a pulse of light traveling toward an inner door.

"Greetings." Winter stepped beside Ruby, watching Blake. "Is she the other Anathema the townsfolk spoke of?"

Maroon glared at her, speaking through clenched teeth. "I am not, Schnee."

Winter met the glare. "I see."

Ruby groaned. "Anyway. Where's Yang?"

Blake nodded her head toward the hallway leading down to the center of the tower.

"Gotcha. We should let her finish… whatever it is she's doing." Ruby slumped into a chair with a sigh. 'What were you two talking about?'

'She wants me to take over the White Fang.' Blake thought back, rubbing her temples.

'Oh… I, uhh…'

'I'm not going to.'

'That's good.' Ruby looked at Maroon, then Winter. Both were still standing, watching each other.

"You believe that she ought to lead the White Fang?" Winter asked.

Maroon crossed her arms. "She was once one of us. Her ascension is already a sign of our providence. Our leader would step aside if she were only to ask."

Winter glanced at Ruby, meeting her eyes. "Of course. I shouldn't be surprised that the White Fang would betray all of humanity so easily."

"They haven't and I'm not going to do that." Blake grumbled. "There are better ways for me to help."

"What will you do then?"

"I'm-" Blake cut herself off. "Give me a moment."

'Ruby, will telling her about my book end up good or bad?' Blake thought to her.

'Uhh.' Ruby looked at the paths of potential. She flinched at the result. 'It's a bad idea.'

Blake frowned at her. 'I know you're lying.'

Ruby looked away. 'Okay, fine. Yang and I are going to be sad, but you'll be happy if you bring it up.'

'Are you alright?'

'No, I'm not, but that doesn't really-' Ruby checked the future again. It had already changed for the worse. 'Actually, just do it. It doesn't matter any longer.'

'What's going on?'

'Nothing.'

Blake locked eyes with her.

Ruby glanced at Winter, then back to Blake. 'She's a jerk who argues just like Weiss.'

Blake waited for a moment. 'What did she say to you?'

As tempting as it was to say 'nothing' again, Blake would catch it. 'That nothing we're going to do will make things better.'

Blake clenched her fists. 'If we kill the Grimm, then that makes it worse?'

'Yeah, according to her we'd wind up ruling over everything because we saved the world and no one can ever fight back.'

'That doesn't sound like something that'd make you feel bad.' Blake glared at Winter.

'She also… She…' Ruby took a deep breath. 'Blake, am I a bad person?'

'... No.'

Ruby shivered. 'You hesitated.'

'That's not what you think it means.'

"Then what does it mean?!" Ruby stood up, sending her chair flying backward from the force. Her voice echoed around them, repeating again and again.

Maroon stepped forward, hand going for her weapon.

Winter crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow

Ruby pulled her chair back and sat down. 'What did it mean? That you have to figure out if what we're doing is right? I'm stopping them for torturing innocent people to death!'

Blake looked back to her. 'I… I don't think that what you and Yang mean when you call someone a good or bad person is really relevant here.'

Ruby stared at her.

'Okay, so… What would you call someone who killed a man who was threatening to kill a thousand people?'

'A hero.'

'And how about someone who had the power to save a thousand people, but chooses not to?'

Ruby waited for a moment. That was kinda bad, but not super-bad. 'Do they know about this?'

'Yes, they know for sure, but still don't do anything.'

'I… They're being a jerk and really destructive, but… okay, it's bad.' Ruby winced.

'How about someone who kills the second person in order to save the thousand?'

'I…' Ruby looked away from her. 'I don't… That's not good, but... They're still saving a lot of...'

The thought sputtered out as it formed. Anything could be justified with that.

'That is what Adam did... or, at least, this is what he claimed that he was doing.' Blake stood up and walked away from them. 'For a long time I believed him. I did whatever I could to help him, even when the people he wanted to kill didn't deserve it.'

"Why does it have to be like this?" Ruby dropped her head to the table.

'Like what?'

"I just wanted them to stop torturing people! Not put themselves into hospital trying to go after me." She rubbed the sides of her neck with both hands. "I thought that they'd eventually give up on investigating people, or hunting us, and go back to fighting the Grimm."

"Would you have stopped?" Blake met Ruby's eyes when she looked up. "Back when we first met, you were completely against the Anathema. If this happened back then, would you have stopped?"

Ruby shivered. "No. I'd have immediately gone after us if I thought I could…"

"Ruby?"

Ruby sat all of the way up and turned around. "Winter, why is Atlas the only one coming after us?"

"What do you mean?" Winter crossed her arms. "Hunters from across the globe traveled to Beacon to kill you."

"Yeah, individual Hunters did, but only the Atlas military showed up as a group."

Winter shook her head. "Vale only accepted help from Atlas."

"We're not in Vale anymore. We've basically claimed a city as ours and no one else has done anything." Ruby ran through the potential scenarios in her head. Hunters across the world each felt the same, that she was sure of, but that didn't mean their leaders did. "How are the Hunters in Vaccuo organized?"

"They group themselves into bands that patrol and protect specific territories."

"Sort of like Vale?"

"If Vale's Hunters split up into groups of a few hundred, yes."

"And… these bands, they're just Hunters? No other people who might also be part of the group?"

"Yes."

Ruby slowly sucked in a breath. They'd be even easier to stop than Vale had been. "I see."

Blake's eyes went wide.

"I…" Maroon gulped. "I'm afraid I don't understand. How is that relevant?"

"I cursed all of Vale and they can't fight back. Vaccuo isn't sending anyone to help so they don't get hit too." Ruby winced, holding her eyes shut. "They're still running investigations too, aren't there?"

"Not that I know of," Winter said slowly.

"Don't lie to us." Blake looked at her. "I can tell when you do."

"Very well. They are."

"That's also why the other guilds from Mistral haven't done anything…" Ruby punched the table. "And the other guilds are doing investigations, aren't they? Even the ones who shouldn't be."

"Yes. Several have picked up the task now that the primary guild can't."

"Why haven't you cursed Atlas?" Maroon asked after a moment of no one talking.

"They're…" Ruby looked at Winter. She probably already knew, but there was no reason to give her any more information since she was still their enemy. "Different."

"We suspect that the size and structure of the organization may impact how effective the curse is, just like those of the traditional types." Winter confirmed Ruby's suspicion. "She hasn't cursed individuals before and Hunters who have renounced their ties to Vale were freed from it."

"I'm surprised Vale has any Hunters left." Maroon shook her head. "Just say that you're out and do unaligned Hunting."

"It's not that simple." Ruby sighed. "They not only need to say they're out, but also mean it."

"And the council doesn't just change their laws or kick everyone out?"

"They can't because that would be doing work, which they're not allowed to do." Ruby looked to the way this conversation could go. "Blake, what were you going to say about your book earlier?"

"I- uhh…" Blake pulled out her scroll. "I've been working on a book about the history of the Faunus and their abuse."

"And?" Winter turned to her. "There are many like that already, though I suspect yours would be more persuasive."

"I thought that if I published it as Blake Belladonna, the Anathema, then enough people would read it for their opinions to change."

"There are protocols for destroying anything known to be written by Anathema." Winter shook her head. "You would need to publish anonymously and wait for it to propagate naturally."

"I see…" Blake frowned. "Why would you give me advice like that?"

"Because you, unlike either of your companions, seem to be aware of the consequences of your-"

Ruby grit her teeth and growled.

"-actions."

"There's no need to be insulting." Blake narrowed her eyes.

"I disagree."

"Then stop disagreeing before I make you." Blake's eyes flashed with a violet light.

Winter stepped back, inhaling sharply. "Understood."

Blake relaxed. "Why do you feel that strongly?"

"Because you plan before you take action and seem to think about potential consequences."

"I said to stop doing that."

"There are very few ways that I could praise your restraint without it seeming like an insult toward your companions."

Blake sighed, drumming her fingers on the table. "Okay, fine. Let's start over. Do you hate the Anathema?"

"Not in and of themselves, but traits which I could ignore in normal people cannot be allowed with such power."

"And, even though we're trying to help everyone, you're still going to fight us?"

"Correct, in part."

Blake gestured for her to continue.

"The most dangerous aspect of the Anathema is how they can destabilize society and then render it dependant on them. If you were to build a weapon that would kill any Grimm that comes near it, no one else would be able to service or repair it, let alone reproduce the design.

"In Atlas, we have vast stores of Anathema technology. Some of them date from before the Great War and we still don't understand how they work. Even those who had the foresight to make notes on construction cannot design something that can be reproduced."

"That's not true! I bui-" Ruby started speaking.

'Please, let me handle this.' Blake thought at her before she could finish the sentence.

Ruby slumped, slouching until her shoulders were almost on the seat, and grumbled about the Dust furnace she'd improved on, but Doctor Oobleck definitely knew how to make.

"We're trying to discover how this tower was made and build more so that people're safe from the Grimm. You're worried that this would translate into a dependence on us that no one could break free of."

"Correct."

"I don't see any other way the four of us could stop all of the Grimm. It's not like we could just go around killing them faster than they app…" Ruby mumbled, thinking back to the rivers of energy flowing around them. This town seemed like it never say any Grimm, even without the tower. Then again, it was also wrong on a deep level.

Winter glanced at her before turning back to Blake. "If you discover a means of harnessing this, then you would have complete control over any region a tower is built in."

"That isn't an easy problem to solve." Blake rubbed her temples.

For a while they all waited, listening to footsteps growing ever louder.

Yang popped through the door, a pair of cross swords glowing brightly on her forehead. "Okay, so I could feel all of that. What the hell is going on?"

Petra peaked in from the doorframe, smiling slightly at Ruby. She didn't have the energy to smile back.

"We're discussing our plans with Winter." Blake sighed, "and getting nowhere."

"Okay," Yang drew the word out. "Umm, I didn't know she was on board with team Anathema, but I guess it makes sense."

"I'm not." Winter bowed slightly. "Lady Xiao-long."

Yang flinched. "No. Don't call me that."

"It's the only proper way to greet you. I wouldn't want to accidentally offend nd have my throat explode. Is there anything else that you would prefer?"

Yang groaned through clenched teeth. "Just call me Yang."

"This is what we've been dealing with." Ruby said with a huff, "All she does is insult us and tell us that everything we want to do'll just make things worse."

"Kay." Yang nodded. "I was happy that you're not hurt anymore, but if you're going to be like that, I don't know if I still am."

"I have said nothing except for the truth. Every idea proposed has horrendous consequences, with the exception of the book that would stop discrimination against the Faunus. Even that could backfire, but it doesn't have to, unlike building more of these towers."

"So why don't you help us?" Ruby snapped. "If all of our plans are so bad, what would you do in our shoes?"

Winter looked at her. "No. I'm not going to help you. If you can't realize what might be wrong without my advice then you shouldn't-"

"Shut up." Ruby slammed her hand into the table, warping the metal. "Just shut up."

"Ruby," Yang reached for her.

"You too!" She snapped. "I'm going to say stuff and all of you, just, actually listen to me, for once."

Blake nodded.

"Nobody actually listens." Ruby paced around the room. "When Weiss was almost murdered, Professor Goodwitch didn't. She said that it was the lesser evil, that it was better to do that than let a single Anathema run free. Considering what I've done so far, maybe she was right.

"When I finally talked to Professor Ozpin, after we fought that Anathema at the docks, do you know what he did?" Ruby didn't give them any time to respond. "He ignored me. He knew what I was saying was correct, that what had happened was wrong, and he ignored me. All because I didn't have a solution to his problem. All because I didn't have any idea what could be better than what already existed. He refused to even let me try fixing it, let alone think of something himself."

Yang cringed.

Ruby laughed. "Actually, you know what, I do have a better idea now. I can tell who an Anathema is just by listening to their Aura… If either of you or Weiss had trusted me, then maybe I could've told him that. If you trusted me at all, maybe we wouldn't be here right now because I would've been able to come up with a plan that didn't involve pushing Yang to the point where she revealed herself."

She sucked in a breath, shuddering from her chest to her stomach. "But, no. You didn't trust me. You still don't trust me even though I can literally see the future and tell you what the best choice is. I told you that letting the Atlas caravan through would be bad… and here we are."

"And you." Ruby turned to Winter. "You also refuse to help, even though you could. Even though I asked for your advice, you refused. Why? Because 'I'm dangerous' and don't 'think about things'. What about all of the people who are dying right now, not because of my curse, but because we have to spend so much time running that we can't help? Do you ever think about them?"

Winter shivered ever so slightly.

Ruby turned on her heel, sending a wave of rose petals flying into the room. "I hate this. I hate it so much. All I ever wanted to do was become a Huntress and save people.

"You want to talk about the greater good? Right before I attacked Beacon I spoke to the goddess of war, Mars. I asked her for help." Ruby turned back to Winter. "Do you want to know what she said? She said that the gods didn't care about us, that we weren't worth helping... She also said that if I reunited my team, I could end the threat of the Grimm… forever."

"She also said that I could stay with her, in the city of the gods, and never have to worry about any of this again." Ruby leaned back, opening her ears to the sick decay encircling them. "It was a paradise so much better than even Beacon that I don't know how to describe the difference. But, I still came back. Because if I didn't then I'd be abandoning Blake, and Yang, and Weiss, and Pyrrha, and everyone else that would ever be at risk from the Grimm. I could've left everyone behind and ignored all of the stupid… arguing and fighting and never actually getting anything done."

"I must sound crazy right now." Sobs wracked her breath, but Ruby pushed the tears down. "I'm not like Weiss; I don't know what to say to actually convince people of anything or the things I'd need to do to make them realize that what they're doing is wrong. The only way I can make anyone listen to me is to hold a gun to their head… Just like..."

She turned back to Yang. "Just like you keep telling me not to. I know it's wrong, I shouldn't make decisions for people. But… I don't have any other way to actually convince them. What am I supposed to do? Just watch them make bad choice after bad choice without stepping in?"

Something scuffed the stone behind her.

Ruby whirled around, one hand on Crescent Rose.

Maroon stepped back hands up and palms open. "I- I-"

"Go ahead. I'm not mad at you."

"What you said about no one listening." She said so softly it was almost a whisper, eyes flickering from Blake oto Ruby and back. "That's something that we knew a long time ago and had to relearn."

"Who?"

"T-the White Fa-"

"Don't listen to her!" Blake shouted.

Ruby looked back to her. "Blake, back when you were arguing with Weiss, you always defended what the White Fang did. Has that changed?"

"I… I don't think they were wrong, but they went too far... Adam went too far."

"I'm not Adam."

"You're acting a lot like him right now."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Okay… That's… that's probably fair… Umm… From your book, how much do you go into the Faunus Rights Revolution?"

"I…" Blake hesitated, her aura blazing with power. "Ruby, this is nothing like that."

"I disagree." Ruby locked eyes with Winter. "The Kingdoms are refusing to listen to reason and stop doing terrible things, even after so many of Vale's Hunters have been disabled that they needed to call on Atlas for help."

"You... " Blake gulped. "You might…"

"Maroon." Ruby turned to her. "You wanted Blake to take control of the White Fang, right?"

She nodded.

"And, Winter, you said that Vale's throne is empty, waiting for me to claim it, right?"

"I did." Winter's face was cold, just like Weiss when she was mad.

"Then fine. If being hospitalized for months won't change their minds, then I need to push them further, but also in a different direction." Ruby watched the paths before her branch into neight infinite possibilities, then collapse into a pair of choices.

"Uhh, Ruby?" Yang awkwardly smiled at her. "What does that mean?"

Winter spoke before Ruby could. "You'll remove even more of their choice? Actually take control of a Kingdom and declare war on the whole world?"

"No, that's a line I'm not going to cross. I'm not going to make the same mistake the White Fang did." Ruby grabbed ahold of the threads of Fate she had bound to the Titan's Fist. "But, them ignoring me means that I haven't used a big enough gun."

She shattered the bindings and with them the curse. "The leaders of Vale aren't really afraid of what could happen. The other kingdoms seem to think that it's okay to continue being terrible just because I haven't cursed them yet."

Yang shuddered. "Ruby, this doesn't sound good."

"That's because it isn't good, it isn't fair, and it isn't what I want to do. But, it looks like asking nicely and hoping people understand isn't an option." Ruby's felt her blood chill as she thought of a map of civilization and all of its weak points, all of the avenues of attack to cause the most destruction. "Winter, how many international shipping companies are there?"

Winter glared at her. "You wouldn't."

"No, but they don't need to know that." Ruby turned back to Blake. "Blake, can you write something for me? I'm pretty sure that if I did, they'd just laugh it off as an empty threat."

Blake nodded. "What is it?"

"A letter to the leaders of the world declaring that Lushezen and the surrounding towns are ours. If any of the Kingdoms or Hunter organization act against us or continue the investigations, then I curse all shipping. No more trade, for anyone, if anyone goes against this."

Blake and Yang looked at each other, Blake's Aura flaring from the mental communication power,

"You'll take up the crown then?" Winter raised an eyebrow.

"Nope." Ruby shook her head. "I'd be terrible at it. I don't have the right words and am going to need to spend all of my time building things in order to actually help people. Besides, all of the people worshiping Yang are still there and she's inspiring."

"I'- I'm not..." Yang sputtered. "Ruby, I can't-"

"Yes, you can. We're going to need to do it at some point if we want to actually build more of these towers and save people from the Grimm." Ruby shrugged. "Might as well be now."

Winter shook her head, "It's impossible. You'll have an army of Hunters at your doorstep within weeks and all trade would cease before then."

"That." Yang pointed to her.

"That's fine. Cities out here need to be self sufficient and the three of us can send any small groups packing." Ruby tugged at several of the other strings that made up the energy of Fate. "Besides, we have options. If we have problems with food, I'll bless the farmers. If we need materials, we can lead a mining expedition. If the Grimm break something, I can just fix it."

Winter stepped toward her. "It won't be a small group, it will be an army. An army comprised of the best that every Kingdom has."

"You think they'd risk everything to stop us? Leave their people defenseless and allow other Anathema to grow in power?"

"To do anything else would mean the end the world as we know it."

"Well… If they decide to do that, then we vanish. We leave in disguise and… I don't know, re-apply to Beacon, take over another city, whatever." Ruby threw her hands into the air. "I already beat one of Vale's best Huntresses one on one, then two on one with one of Atlas'. No one has been able to pin us down and now that we're together, they never will."

"You'd never abandon those people once you started protecting them."

"No, but it's a good lie, isn't it? This is why I'm not the one writing it."

"I think…" Blake paused. "I think it might work."

"Blake?" Yang gasped. "I… I can't be a god-queen-thing! That would mean letting the demon win!"

Ruby looked to the future again. "It's not going to be painless, but I don't think we have any choice. Not if we want to make a real difference."

Winter's eyes flickered toward Blake, but came back to Ruby. "And what of the meantime? Will you simply allow those currently cursed to waste away?"

"I've already released one of the curses and I'll release the other in…" Ruby paused. "Give me a minute."

'Hey, Yang?' She closed her eyes and thought to her sister.

After a moment, Yang responded, 'Yes?'

'How long do you think it'll be before you figure this tower out?'

Umm… Hard to say, but I figure two or three weeks.'

'Got it, thanks!' Ruby reopened her eyes. "Winter, if Atlas went after us now, how long would it take for the army to arrive?"

Winter looked at Blake. "Rapid response would be here within three days. The main forces would take two weeks."

Blake nodded.

"Alright, then you'll bring our message to them in three weeks and I'll remove the curse on Vale in a month."

"You'll keep me and my men captive for that long?"

"No, it'll just take you that long to drill into the tower and drive us away from it."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we vanish early and I don't release the curse."

Winter narrowed her eyes. "No."

Ruby gaped at her. "What? What do you mean no?"

"I mean no. I'm calling your bluff. You wouldn't go through all of this trouble if keeping them cursed didn't offend your own morals." She stepped forward, towering over Ruby. "Now that you know how bad the results are, I expect you'll release it within the month anyway."

"I- I- You-" Ruby raised her hands toward Winter's throat, fingers grasping like they were claws. "I hate you so much."

"If such little barbs are all it takes to get under your skin and ruin any of your lies, then they never had the chance to succeed in the-"

Yang's fist slammed into the side of Winter's face, launching her into the wall.

"Yeah, no. No more of that." Yang held a hand out, pulling the woman back to her. She grabbed the neck of the medical dress, hauling Winter off of her feat. "If you don't believe her, then how about this.

"I'm not a good person. When a demon came up to me and offered me power, I didn't even think about what it might mean before I said yes. I've already sold my soul to hell, so I really have nothing to goddamn lose."

She tossed Winter to the ground again. "Do you wanna know what the little voice in the back of me head is telling me to do right now? Hmm?

"Well, too bad. I don't care if you want to. It's telling me that I could take you and claim you as my own, right now. I'm not going to because… well, a lot of reasons, but that voice is always with me. It's always telling me that I'm not doing anything right. I should kill more people when they offend me. I should seduce people just because I can. I should… storm the gates of heaven and burn it down… That one, usually less relevant, but let's pretend heaven is Atlas."

She lifted her heel up and slammed it to the ground. The iron table exploded into shards of molten metal. "There go the gates. I'm in and I'm going to give every single politician or general or CEO the exact same scar I gave you. The one that if you ever attack me will explode and tear your throat out. It won't disrupt trade, it won't directly cause everyone to die, but I'm damn certain that no one will ever dare attack us again."

"You would die if you attacked any city."

"So what?" Yang shrugged. "It's not like we have great lives right now, always on the run. Besides… if you kill me, then this power is just going to go to someone else."

"Yang?" Ruby squeaked. "What do you mean?"

"I… I know a lot more about the Anathema than I probably should. The power comes from some sort of extra soul we're given and when we die, this soul seeks out a new person to give power to." Yang said, voice going back to normal. "So, there's your choice. You can either work with us and try to make Ruby's plan work, or I can go on a rampage and either terrify the entire world or die… giving the power to someone who might actually listen to that little voice every time it speaks to her."

Winter put a hand on the ground, pushing herself up. "Very well. I'll make sure to let my sister know that I have you trapped within this tower, along with what will happen in a month's time."

Ruby looked at Blake. "Is she lying?"

"No…" Blake continued in thoughts. 'I think she might respect both of you a lot more now. Though, she also still thinks you're too dangerous to let live.'

Ruby looked at Yang, then shrugged. "Good enough… umm… Also, Blake, please tell me you're okay with this. If you're not, I don't think it'll work at all."

She sighed. "I'll get to work on the letter."

A/N: I'm... apprehensive about this one for a bunch of reasons. Please let me know what worked and didn't because I sort of word-sploded on the scene and there probably need to be more edits to pare it down. So, feedback is very welcome in this case.

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 3.i

~~~
​

Would eyeshadow be appropriate? She wondered, staring in the bathroom mirror. She wasn't that good at putting it on and her teammates worse than useless… Especially her partner. If he ever saw her like this, urgh.

The brush felt heavy between her fingers. She could match her hair and dress, or her eyes.

She looked at the greens she had. She had one that went with the dress, but clashed with her hair. She could try to lighten it up, but… no, that was a bad idea.

Then again, would the restaurant care? Would she care?

Probably…

It would at least be noticed.

She sighed and went back to the closet. There was only one good dress. It was not the most useful gift she'd ever been given, but it was probably the most expensive. A shiver ran down her back as she ran her fingers over the silk. Maybe… after this date… she'd be able to wear it again with...

No, that was hoping for too much. Besides, this one needed to go well first.

She had a couple of accessories that could work, a pair of earrings and a bracelet, but they were so much cheaper. The most expensive and impressive things she owned were... Her eyes drifted over to the dual sheaths on her dresser. How would she have her weapons while wearing it?

She could strap them to her thighs, but the skirt would be too short. The ends would fall to almost to her knees and ruin the flare at her waist. Her blades weren't elegant, so she couldn't just wear them openly, unlike, say, a masterfully crafted rapier or a dust summoned weapon.

With a sigh, she turned back. Either of them would have a much easier time with this. They were beautiful, elegant, able to command a room without saying a single word. If they were challenged, the fool would be left sputtering. She'd have to force whoever it was to not notice with her Semblance and that would give her such a headache if she had to keep it up all night.

If she didn't want to look like some sort of thug, she'd have to leave her weapons.

The knob rattled in the door behind her. She spun around, stepping next to her dresser. Her teammates were supposed to be on a mission all weekend. Had someone caught them?

The steel handles were cold under her fingers.

If it was Hunters, would she be able to get away? If it was, had they already caught…

The door opened.

"Cinder?" Emerald gasped, putting her weapons down. "You're already done?"

Cinder stepped into the room, brow furrowed. "Yes."

Emerald flinched back. "I- Are our…"

A blush crept to her cheeks as she realized that she was standing in front of Cinder… in her sexier underwear… with just the two of them in the room.

"Are our 'friends' doing well?" Emerald smiled, forcing herself to sound normal.

"No. They're still fighting over who's side to be on after the breakup." Cinder met her eyes, glance not flickering down for a moment. That was their code for the White Fang still being caught between maintaining Adam Taurus' methods or breaking away.

"Great." Emerald didn't need to keep the annoyance from her voice. "Do you think they'll still want to talk to us?"

"They don't have enough people to really throw parties anymore."

Emerald nodded. That meant that she really needed to get Weiss to gi… to… join them. That was it, she had to bring Weiss on board with the plan and then they could still be… something… together… or at least, something, hopefully.

"Has she spoken about the end of last semester yet?"

"No, whenever I brought it up, she just went quiet."

"You've had weeks."

Emerald shuddered. "I can try again tonight."

"Do so." Cinder finally looked somewhere besides her eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Where exactly are you going with her?"

"The Valeia Bistro. She said to dress nice and"- Emerald pointed to the dress -"this is the nicest thing I have."

"I see…" Cinder opened her scroll, scowling at the screen after a moment of typing. "That dress is appropriate for such a venue."

She looked over Emerald again.

Emerald smiled, clasping her hands in front of her.

"What about training with her group? Have you made any progress there?" Cinder's eyes bored into hers.

Emerald looked away. "She hasn't offered. I've just been training with her… alone."

"Doing what exactly?"

"What we used to do." Emerald whispered. Right after Cinder saved her, they spent almost two months sitting in a room together, staring into each other's eyes. Cinder assaulted her mind with every spell she knew until Emerald could resist them. "She's… terrifying when she wants to be."

"Well." Cinder's scowl turned into a smirk as she walking up to Emerald. "You wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"Of-" Emerald gasped as Cinder's fingers ran along her waist.

"Emerald." Cinder pressed into her side, whispering in her ear. Her body was warm, even though her arms were frigid. "Such diligence deserves a reward, especially when you were so uncomfortable with the idea at first."

Emerald stood completely still.

Cinder ran a finger up her belly. "Take as much time as you need. I'll still be up when you get back."

She drew the tip of her finger up Emerald's chest, then neck, ending just below her lips.

Emerald shivered, nodding very slowly.

"Now then, while you get dressed, go over everything she's done to you, in detail."

~~~​

Cinder waited for almost a minute after Emerald left. When Emerald appeared in the window, walking in the courtyard with the Schnee girl, she looked at the 'empty' bed. "I know you're there."

Neo appeared on her own bed after a moment, in her black haired disguise.

"How much of what she said was accurate?"

Neo raised her hand and wobbled it.

"Show me."

She pulled out one of her new scrolls. The first was a short clip of Weiss staring at a shuddering Emerald, then embracing her. That had not been part of what Cinder did during their training.

"How often has she done that?"

Neo held up three fingers.

"Anything else?"

She played back one of their discussions. There was something off about it. The words were innocuous, but Emerald's responses had too much intensity for what was being said.

"What about the group? Has Emerald ever joined them?"

Neo shook her head and swapped to another image. It showed a picture of Weiss Schnee, Coco Adel, Sun Wukong, Neptune Vallies, and Penny Polendina walking into training room together.

"Has Nikos broken with them?"

Neo shook her head, then held her scroll up with one hand; with the other she mimed crushing something.

Cinders arms rumbled, growling. "I see. And Valkyrie?"

Neo swiped to an image of her in Weiss' office.

Cinder nodded. It was a connection, but not of the same sort. "Does anyone else behave like Valkyrie does?"

Another shake of the head.

It could be a coincidence then, but she couldn't afford to assume that any more. Any plans would need to include the girl as well as the rest of Schnee's group. "I'll assume that you haven't gotten anything useful recorded."

Neo tapped her scroll again.

"Ahh, that's just… so unfair." Sun's voice echoed as Schnee danced around him, casually deflecting the attacks of three others. "How can you be that… oh wait… nevermind."

Cinder watched the battle for almost a minute. The girl was not only able to weave between three opponents at once, but also lecture them on their technique in the middle of fighting. Impressive, but not enough for a student who had been forced into the second investigation her freshman year. Her movements were barely outside of what a mature Huntress was capable of. The video would not cause the panic she needed if released to the public without a lot more proof.

"If your first recording had survived, we would have no issues." Cinder closed her eyes, considering the likely outcomes of each plan.

She had made a mistake, a mistake that might prove fatal. If Neo had heard correctly a few weeks back, then Weiss Schnee was not the person who killed all of the Grimm surrounding Beacon, it had been the goddess Mars. That meant she'd sent Emerald up against an Anathema who was not focused on sorcery and combat, like they'd assumed, and that Ozpin didn't have a secret weapon they couldn't directly fight against.

Everything that had happened since they arrived at Beacon was consistent with that notion.

"Follow them to the restaurant and record everything." Cinder needed to know if she'd completely lost Emerald before planning any further. Neo could replace her for certain roles, her Semblance was more versatile in many ways, but Neo could not be trusted to act with the correct intent or goals.

Neo made a gagging noise, proving the point.

"Are you incapable of such a simple task?" Cinder formed a fireball in her palm.

The girl sat up, shaking her head. She held up a picture of Emerald on her scroll, then clasped her hands. Bright pink hearts floated from her eyes as she blinked at the ceiling.

The flame stretched with a twist of her fingers, shattering the illusion with a whip crack and revealing that Neo was still lying down. She gulped, eyes white as she slid off of the bed.

Cinder held Neo in a glare until she left the room. The feeling of hunger vanished from her arms as the girl ran away. Only then did she go back to the window.

Emerald and Weiss Schnee were standing near the fountain, very close to each other. Emerald was smiling, laughing… Cinder's arms growled as she grit her teeth.

She glanced at the tower. What remained in the Fall Maiden was in there, somewhere. She could feel the void deep in her soul; half of a flame that yearned to be whole again.

Cinder shot a glare back to Weiss Schnee. If she wasn't responsible for destroying the Grimm, then she could still be beaten down.

No one would take what was hers away from her.

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 4.1

~~~
​

Nora groaned, dropping her head onto her sorcery book. She'd gone over the sacrifice section so many times the words on one page were starting to bleed into the next. None of it made any sense.

According to the book, the point of it was to free you of your limitations. Then it went on and on about what some people gave up. Each and every one of them was defined by how much they wanted the power and were willing to do anything to get it, including giving up the reason why they were looking in the first place. Not all of them were like that, there were plenty of missing hands and people who gave up drugs, but two in particular kept coming back to her.

The first was a famous model, someone who wanted to learn a spell so they could keep their looks forever. He worked for years, desperate to find a meaningful sacrifice, only succeeding when he gave himself a giant scar on his face. There was a ritual that called for blood that could've come from anywhere, but he knew what it needed to be. After he had the power, he didn't heal it, even though he could've.

There was also a woman who had worked herself to the bone all of her life, taking on whatever job she had to in order to keep her family ahead. She wanted another edge, a skill that would guarantee her a job. She started learning sorcery, but after years of effort, never managed to learn it. Then, one day, she walked away from her life and family to wander in the desert for a year. By the time she came back, they had moved on… and so had she.

The thought of that made Nora's blood run cold. She needed to learn sorcery so she could keep her team safe from the Anathema; she couldn't give up on caring about them. That would defeat the point of learning!

But… It was also supposed to be about removing your shackles and…

She glanced at Ren's bed. It was pristine, so well made that it was like a comercial. He was at his super-secret late-night martial arts again.

Jaune and Pyrrha's beds were also empty.

"Urgh." Nora sighed and leaned back, chair going up on two legs as she put her feet on the desk. Her scroll said it was getting close to ten… which meant…

The doorknob started rattling.

Would it be Jaune, Ren, or Pyrrha?

She leaned all of the way over, watching it upside-down as it opened.

Pyrrha stepped in, waving. She wasn't in her combat gear this time. "Hello."

"Heya, Pyrrha. No practice tonight?"

"No, I was meditating by myself," she said with a sigh. "It was… not very productive."

"Why not?"

"I reached a wall that I couldn't go past." Pyrrha paused, "No, a limit would be a better description."

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose the best analogy would be slowly increasing the weight I was lifting until I could no longer move the bar." Pyrrha clenched her fists and looked down. "I need to push my limits further, but don't have the energy to do so without her assistance."

Nora gulped. "What exactly are you and Weiss doing together?"

"She's been helping me meditate..." Pyrrha paused for a suspiciously long time. "By feeding energy into my Aura so that I have enough to push past that wall."

Nora flipped back around. "So, like, with sorcery? She can do that?"

"I believe so… Yes."

Nora glanced at the sorcery book. If she learned it then she could make people's souls stronger?!

"Nora, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing!" Nora yelped. "Definitely not thinking about using unlimited magical power to turn all of us into Super-Hunters with giant muscles and wings and eyes that can shoot lightning!"

Pyrrha chuckled. "I don't think it would be that easy. She has to focus on the spell the entire time and I don't think anything that… different… would work well."

Nora huffed. "Ruin all of my fun, why don'cha?"

"Well, I suppose being able to fly would be nice."

An image of a bloody angel surrounded by green fire flashed in Nora's mind. "...Yeah."

Pyrrha looked away for a while. "Have you figured out what you will do?"

"For what?"

"The… sacrifice?

"Not really" Nora frowned, looking away. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I know what I should do, but… no. I'm not gonna give that up… I can't."

"Is that not supposed to be the point of the sacrifice? If I'm not mistaken, it's supposed to be something important to you.."

"You're not wrong. I need to give up something that's holding me back, but… I don't want to stop caring about all of you, my team, my friends. That's why I'm learning it in the first place."

Pyrrha sat down on her bed, clasping her hands on her lap. "Is that what you really think you'd need to do?"

"What else is there?" Nora grabbed the book and tossed it to Pyrrha. A couple of pages turned when it landed on the bed. "Just look at the examples. All of them are terrible, or… well, they'd be terrible for the person before they learned."

"And you believe that the only choice is one which would make you not yourself anymore?"

"Yeah." Nora brought her knees to her chest. "I need to do this if I want to have a chance against the Anathema. I need to do this to keep everyone safe. What's the point of that if I stop caring about them? What's the point of doing this if I'm no longer me?"

"That's a good question." Pyrrha said softly, "I've had to ask myself the same thing."

"Why? You're not learning sorcery too, are you?"

"No." Pyrrha shook her head. "But, part of what I'm working on might change me. There is… a technique that we found that can empower someone, but… I may not be myself after it's complete."

Nora stood up. "And you're okay with that?!"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes. It's necessary for me to be… relevant. I may lose parts of myself in the ritual, but that will be worth it for the ability to make a real difference."

Nora stared at Pyrrha, her pulse pounding. That's what she should have been saying. "Is this the Ruby thing Jaune was talking about?"

Pyrrha looked away. "Yes. I know how you feel about her, but-"

"Pyrrha." Nora cut her off. "I've been there."

She frowned.

"I know what it's like." Nora shuddered. "How it feels when she looks at you and says to do something. The way that her voice echoes in your ears every day and night, always in the back of your head even years later. The way that a smile, a single word of approval fills your heart with joy. Like the mom you never had who's always there watching over you and pushing you to greater and greater heights no matter what you think about it."

She could see the first day of training when she did the most pushups.

"Nora!" Pyrrha grabbed her shoulder, shaking the memory away.

"Sorry." Nora panted. "Sorry, but yeah, I get it. I know that it feels right and that you just can't help it."

"This is not the same as what happened to you."

Nora bit her lip. She needed to remember that those weren't Pyrrha's words, they were the Anathema's. Pyrrha needed to find her own path through them. "Okay, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

Pyrrha took a deep breath. "Thank you for the offer, but can we focus on your issue? I think I've figured out a potential solution."

"Whatcha got?"

"Well, it is supposed to be about changing and freeing yourself from your limitations, isn't it?"

"Yeah?"

Pyrrha paused for a moment before meeting her eyes. "Wouldn't you say that, even though it was terrible, you gained a great deal of skill and discipline when… it happened?"

Nora sucked a breath in through her teeth. "I guess."

"Wouldn't that dedication be useful when learning sorcery? You can take the good parts without the bad."

Nora shivered as she took a breath. No, that was…

After a second breath, she held her eyes shut. She knew that this was Ruby talking, not Pyrrha. It wasn't something that she should do… but it also sounded possible. She wouldn't need to give up on her team… but…

"You don't need to worry!" Pyrrha raised her hands, eyes wide. "There may also be other options."

"No, no… It's… it's fine. I'm fine..." Nora calmed her mind, pushed it back down. "You… might be right."

Pyrrha nodded slowly.

"It's an idea. Not a… terrible idea…" Nora forced a smile. "So, thanks."

Pyrrha smiled, then folded her hands in her lap. "I hope you find your path soon."

Nora turned back to her desk and pulled open her scroll. She had ten new messages with more coming in every second. Each one was a link to live news about… "Pyrrha… They're doing something."

"What?" She gasped. "Already?"

"Already?!"

~~~​

"You ready for this?" Ruby asked as she adjusted the crown of brass on Yang's head. The green flames surrounding her made the metal shimmer, drawing even more attention to the textureless-blackness that her hair became when she went full-demon.

"Not really." Yang sighed, fiddling with her scroll as she went over the speech again. "You're sure that it's the best choice?"

Ruby looked to the future for their potential options. Their path would be unhappy in the short term, but good in the long. "Yeah."

She also looked for risks, for any potential danger, again. There was nothing.

Yang stepped back, slowly turning. Her armor wasn't Ruby's best work, but it was good enough. The base was a dark brown long coat that haphazardly turned to black by the time it reached her waist, the line was rough thanks to the gravity Dust that infused the leather being burned in by Yang.

It was cut in the same style as the Colorless Empress', with a very un-Yang covered chest and high collar. The off-center buttons made it a lot closer . The Dust-infused steel plates matched the burned color as they rose up her body, runes shining in the unsteady light that Yang was casting. The same runes made the dragon pauldron seem like its mouth had an inner glow that spilled down the plates on her left arm. One arm being protected was so impractical compared to both, but it was Yang's armor so it was her choice to make.

"How do I look?" Yang briefly closed her eyes, then crossed her arms and scowled. The scarf, taken from her normal outfit sort of ruined the image, but it was also important for today.

"I'm really not the person you should be asking about that." Ruby shrugged as she fiddled with her cloak, looking at the others gathered around them instead. Her own armor a bit heavier than expected. All she was supposed to do was replace her corset with a full breastplate and the top layer of her skirt with steel bands, but that also meant rebalancing everything else and wearing a shirt thick enough to not risk tearing whenever she moved.

So, she kept replacing more and more, along with adding in wires that would eventually be attached to motors, until she covered her chest and arms in metal and had to run a second section of wires down, so her legs were also plated to keep the wires safe… not that they did anything… yet. It wouldn't be as good as the suit Doctor Oobleck had been working on, but it was a good baseline and ran off of her Aura instead of an external Dust furnace.

"You look great. Very menacing." Blake stepped out of the side room, buckling her new and improved sword to the outside the heavy white coat. The thick sheath kept the awful, terrible metal from being audible even if Blake, for some reason, felt like using it 'felt right'.

"Rawr," Yang growled with an eye roll.

Ruby shuddered at how it felt to forge and focused on how everything else looked.

They'd painted her symbol within a circle on the back of the coat in the same color blue that the old White Fang flag used. She'd picked out a regular leather top and pants that Ruby infused with Earth Dust, for some level of extra protection, because of how heavy the vetoed steel pieces were.

It was heavy because their enemies would be attacking with Aura breaching weapons and techniques, but Blake was refusing to be practical.

"Any other opinions?" Yang surveyed the room.

"You are radiant, Lady Yang. I'm certain that they will see the greatness of your vision soon." Carmen, now Yang's High Priestess, bowed low.

"Yeeeeeah." Yang drew the word into a chuckle. "I don't think greatness is going to be what they're thinking about."

Carmen raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going for more of a… don't fuck with us speech."

"That isn't likely to endear you to the kingdoms."

"It isn't meant to. I just need to make them scared enough to stay away while we work."

Carmen bowed her head again. "The appropriate use of fear is one of Lady Luna's teachings. Though making enemies that you don't need isn't advised."

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course."

An older man, the city's mayor, opened the door and stepped through after a moment of hesitation. He gulped as Yang turned to him. "E-Everyone had been assembled."

Yang rolled her shoulder, as she stood up straighter. With a flap of her wings and a sudden exhalation, she stepped forward. "Okay… let's do this."

"...Yeah." Ruby listened to the sounds of the world as she stepped up. She dragged her heels as she walked toward the door.

Blake nodded, her Aura a net of songs that surrounded her. Everything that she needed for her role was ready.

Yang flung the doors open, stepping out into the morning light. Ruby followed behind, to the right, while Blake was at her left. They were in front of the city hall, a podium waiting for them.

They'd spent a month working on this. A month Ruby spent more time sleeping on her workbench than in her bed. Yang had stopped sleeping entirely so that she could study more of the tower each day, all in preparation for this moment.

Yang stepped up to the podium, taking in the crowd gathered before her. The square was packed full of the people of the city they'd saved… the city that they were about to claim.

"I don't think we need any introduction. Each and every one of you already know who we are… know what we are." She flared her flames brighter, making the crowd take a step back. She chuckled into the mic. "You don't know how right that fear is.

"For all of my life, I dreamed of being a Huntress. Of traveling across the world and saving people from both the Grimm and the Anathema. I didn't know how strong they were, just that they needed to be stopped before they destroyed everything that I knew and loved." Yang spoke with a calm, even tone.

Ruby's eyes flickered to the tallest building where a glint of green light reflected back at them. 'Sniper. Top floor of the blue building.'

'You were right.' Yang replied, not missing a beat of her speech. "When I became one, accepted this terrible power, I didn't know what to think of myself. Weren't Anathema supposed to be evil spirits taking over people's bodies? That couldn't be further from the truth."

"Liar!" A man in a loose robe shouted from the crowd. "No Huntress would ever-"

Yang spoke over him. "All of you have been lied to your entire lives by people who thought that not knowing would make it easier. Ask any elite Hunter who goes after the Anathema. They all know the truth. They've been murdering children for centuries to stop any from getting too strong. And, you want to know another terrible truth?"

The man quieted down. Two others pulled him back.

"They were right. For the past few months the entire world has seen just how right they were." Yang gestured to the side. "My sister, The Girl in Red, brought the kingdom of Vale to its knees all by herself. If she wanted to, she could destroy Atlas, the kingdom with the biggest and strongest military, but she doesn't want to do that. Even with all of the lies and hatred thrown at her, Ruby is still a good person."

Ruby looked away. Even if Yang thought that was true, it wasn't. She wasn't a good person anymore. The crowd's shaking, quick breaths… terror… was proof enough of that.

Yang held up a hand, igniting it with sickly flames. She flexed her fingers, making the fire dance with each movement. "Simply put, your protectors have failed you. They allowed the three of us to grow so strong that we can't be stopped.

"Just the other day, I took on an Atlas battalion, led by Winter Schnee, for fun." Yang grinned, but Blake's slight flinch made the lie obvious to Ruby. "And it was fun, for a little while. Then she fell, just like the rest."

The color drained from several faces. Those who looked like they were ex-military whispered to each other, exchanging wide-eyed glances.

"To those of you lying in wait for the chance to attack… Go ahead. Try me! Maybe, just maybe, you'll be worth a couple minutes of effort."

She stepped to the side and spread her arms wide. "I'll even give you a chance. I won't use my Aura."

Ruby grit her teeth and checked for danger again. Nothing.

The sniper's reflection in the window shifted. A bright red missile streaked toward them, shaking every window it passed.

Yet, Yang didn't move.

Ruby's left hand shot forward, stopping at her waist; every muscle tensed as she fought her instinct to blast it out of the sky.

Yang vanished from sight as a fireball bloomed from right above her heart.

Silence fell over the crowd as even the dissenters held their breath.

As the flames died down a soft chuckle echoed in the square. Yang, scarf reduced to ash, leather armor smoldering, stood firm, exactly where she had been before the impact, proof that her Aura had been down.

'Ow.' Yang mentally groaned, not letting any pain show.

'Was that worse than my test shot?' Ruby had left an enormous bruise, but Yang was fine the next day.

Yep... I'm pretty sure it broke a rib… or two.' Yang shook her head at the building as she stepped back to the podium, pulling the flames away with the wave of a hand. "You see, I give you the best chance you'll ever have of killing me and you can't eve-."

Another shot roared from the building.

Ruby snapped a finger up, drawing a line of violence between it and the round, raining fire and metal down upon the crowd.

She traced the path of another shot, her phantom bullet bouncing off of each fragment and turning them into a shower of harmless sparks.

The crowd surged away, people screaming like they were the targets.

Black and purple shadows erupted from the window as Blake's Aura sang from that far away.

Ruby hadn't even noticed her leave.

Blake reappeared on the stage, a circle of blood on her forehead, the same sign that appeared on some of the golden Anathema. She had a man and woman in tow.

She tossed both to the ground in front of Yang.

"As I was saying!" Yang shouted, flaring her Aura until the city was covered in green light. "You had one shot and it didn't do anything."

She picked up the mic and walked up to the pair. "Where are you two from?"

"Nowhere." The woman snapped.

"Really? Because a gun that powerful doesn't come from nowhere." Yang crossed her arms. "Who sent you?"

Ruby felt a flicker of weight surrounding them and smashed through it, forcing them to speak.

"The Menagerie." The man responded. As far as Ruby could tell, he wasn't a faunus.

"That's a lie." Blake narrowed her eyes.

"Prove it."

Yang looked at Blake, then back to them. "Was it Vale? Atlas? Mistral? Vaccuo?"

"Vaccuo." Blake confirmed.

"Huh…" Yang shrugged. "I would've expected Vale or Atlas."

Yang turned back to the crowd. "I'm sure you all want to know what we're here for. Well, we sent each of the kingdoms a warning about what would happen… and what would happen if they came after us."

With a pulse of her Aura, he flew to her open hand, fingers coiling around his throat. Yang shuddered, briefly closing her eyes.

"You see, my sister is a good person." Her hand erupted with flames.

The crowd's shrieks of terror drowned out his cries.

The woman lunged for Yang, only to meet Ruby's elbow. When the weight of a choice surrounded her appeared, Ruby forced the woman to stay down.

"I'm not." Yang held him, flames continuing to burn while people turned their eyes away from the stage.

"It's the best choice. You know it's the best choice." Ruby whispered to herself, allowing her grimace to show. She pushed the sights and sounds away. They only needed to do this once, then they'd be safe.

The body hit the ground, gasping for breath.

"But, I'm a merciful Queen... and Ruby wouldn't like it if I killed someone for a simple mistake." Yang almost stuttered the words. "It's not your fault that your leaders failed to heed my warning."

His hands carefully touched his throat, running over the ugly scar.

"If you ever attack me or mine again, that scar will explode," Yang said as she walked over to the woman.

"No, no!" She tried to run. Yang let her get to the edge of the stage before pulling her back.

As she flew through the air, she wailed. When the flames surrounded her, the man started to move.

A green light pulsed from his scar. He trembled, sweat dripping from his face.

Yang threw her next to him.

"I'll repeat the message that we sent to Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vaccuo." Yang walked back to the podium, allowing the Hunters to creep off of the stage. "This city is ours. If anyone attacks it or us, then we will seek out everyone responsible; every politician... every headmaster; and brand them as well.

"The Atlas army chased us for months… and failed. Your greatest sorcerers have attempted to break our curses… and failed. If you ignore this warning, then you will fall."

Yang looked at Ruby, then stepped back.

Ruby crept up to the microphone. "I am releasing the curses that I placed on Mistral and Vale. Your Hunters will be free to fight again. But, if you ever start up the investigations, and I will find out if you do, then I won't just hit the Hunters. If you have anyone you want to test as Anathema, you can send them to us. We can tell you what they are."

A woman from the front slowly raised her hand.

Ruby looked down at her. "Yes?"

She flinched back, stuttering as she spoke. "I-If they are Anathema, what will you do?"

Ruby looked at her teammates. 'If they're bad…'

'Yeah.' Both nodded.

"There are bad people in the world who need to be stopped… need to die. If that person is bad, then I'll stop them myself."

The woman's eyes flickered to Yang. "O-Okay."

"But, that's not all that we're going to do."

She backed up slowly.

"We've designed a defense system that will keep you safe from the Grimm." Ruby pointed to a section of the walls that was under construction. "While we're here, we're going to rebuild your walls and make it so that you never have to live in fear again."

Hundreds of eyes stared at her.

Ruby smiled and stepped back. The smile didn't help. "That's all for now."

Yang nodded and turned on her heel. Ruby and Blake followed her back inside.

Carmen bowed to them as they entered. After a moment of hesitation, the mayor did as well.

"Uhh, y-your majesty?" He stammered. "What commands do you have for me?"

"Urgh." Yang groaned, tossing the crown to the side. "First off, it's just Yang unless we're in public. Second, I like this place, keep doing whatever you were doing except when we need things."

He slowly nodded.

"Right now, I need a bucket, a barrel of whiskey, and a map of the city."

"O-of course?"

Blake stepped up next to her and raised an eyebrow.

"The bucket's for my breakfast because of"- she waved her hand behind her. -"that, the whiskey's for me, and the map's so we can get everything fixed as soon as possible."

"Yang," Ruby stepped up. "I'll take care of the map. You go drink with Blake."

She turned around eyes watering slightly. "Thanks, sis."

Ruby slid over to the old man. "So… how do you think people'll feel about giant spikes of iron?"

He whimpered, glancing to the door.

It was going to be a long day.

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 4.2

~~~
​

The elevator dinged as it opened. Weiss raised an eyebrow as Qrow and Taiyang entered Ozpin's office.

"You got something to say?" Qrow scowled.

She smirked. "I just glad that you chose to join us for such an important meeting."

He glared at her, stomping off to the opposite side of the room.

Taiyang sighed, following Qrow. "Do we really need to be here right now?"

Professor Ozpin said from his desk, most of his body obscured by floating images. "We have a report to make to the Vale council about how they should respond."

"Yeah, I get that, but do you really need us"- Qrow pointed from himself to Taiyang -"for that."

"I value your opinion as a Huntsman and as the person most familiar with the… sources of our current issue."

"God dammit." Taiyang swore under his breath.

The image of a grey haired, heavily bearded man with the name Leonardo lit up. He had an enormous bookcase behind him, befitting the headmaster of Haven Academy. "Considering the... er... nature of the threats. It would be best to know how seriously there are about following through."

"I already told you that they wouldn't have said anything they weren't committed to." Weiss interrupted.

A second image, Headmistress Locasta of Shade, also flashed. The old woman wore 'traditional' sorceress robes that were covered in pockets. "We all need to make a choice about how we respond."

"It would take a strong argument to change my mind," General Ironwood said from the side.

"I'm aware." Professor Ozpin sighed, turning to her. "Miss Schnee, if you would be so kind as to explain to everyone."

Weiss stepped closer. "Is everyone aware of the full situation?"

"They both have more knowledge than you do."

"And of my own situation?"

"Yes."

"Then this will be a lot easier." Weiss smiled for a moment, but let all of her frustration seep into her tone. "They only called me once over the past few weeks. I told them it was a terrible idea and, when they decided they were going to do it anyway, helped them phrase this in a way that will lead to the fewest problems."

It was only partially a lie. Her teammates had 'been too busy' or 'were in a dead zone' for weeks.

"You thought this would have the fewest problems?" Qrow punched the window hard enough to make the panes shake.

"Compared to establishing themselves as the worst type of Anathema, which would have needed to be taken out as soon as possible, yes." When she saw the confusion on his face, she continued. "Their original idea was an empty threat for Ruby to curse international shipping, like she did to the Anathema Hunters, if they were attacked."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"I have confirmation of this from a Specialist who confronted them as well." Ironwood stepped up.

Qrow pulled out a flask and took a swig.

Locasta frowned. "I'm wondering… why are they going to such lengths now? What changed?"

"They've been on the run for months. One week of tracking duty and I know I'd want a shower and a nice bed." Qrow mumbled, mid gulp.

"That doesn't explain why they didn't simply re-enter society in disguise," Leonardo said slowly.

"Ruby, Blake, and Yang each wanted to be a Huntress." Weiss stepped closer to the desk. "They want to help people and they want to do it as themselves, not with false identities."

"To not only seek triumph, but also glory." Professor Ozpin shook his head. "If they were more subtle, then we would not be in this situation in the first place."

"Precisely." Weiss nodded to him. "They found something that might help a lot of people and had no method of accomplishing it without revealing themselves. Thanks to all of the pursuit, they also decided that they would need to have the strongest position they possibly could."

"Leaving us with this." Ironwood laid his scroll down and a map of the area around the city they'd claimed appeared. "Leo, Locasta, can you two see the map?"

"Yes," both said after a few seconds.

"What are you proposing, James?" Ozpin folded his hands over his cane, thumb running over the handle.

"After speaking with Winter, we have a better idea of what would be needed to harm them." He pulled up several weapons profiles. "When they fought, Yang was able to take fire from an automated energy defense system that almost immediately forced her into revealing her mark. The Hunters who ineffectually attacked her were using fifteen-millimeter rounds."

Weiss nodded.

"With that in mind, the thirty-millimeter anti-air cannons that I've had the fourth army reinforced with should be more than sufficient."

"Sufficient for what?" Professor Goodwitch stepped up as well.

"A long-term blockade combined with cutting the region off from the CCT network." With the press of a button, a number of marks appeared on the roads of the map. "If we can get approval from the Vale and Mistral councils to deploy the third and fourth army, we'll be able to shut down all land and air traffic. Hunters from the other kingdoms patrolling the forests would ensure that they can't send any runners out."

Taiyang stepped up and took a look at the map. He tried to speak, but the breath was caught in his throat. "Y-You're going to starve them..."

"Precisely." General Ironwood nodded. "We can't take them on directly without risking horrific collateral damage. If we announce our intention and give every civilian living there a few days that they can leave by, we'll deny the Anathema a power base. I doubt that any of the three would be willing to keep people there against their will. And, when people start starving, they'll break."

"That means torturing thousands of people for-"

"For our own survival." Ironwood cut him off, then looked to Ozpin.

Professor Ozpin closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "James is correct. We've been placed in a situation where there is no good choice.

"If I thought that Miss Rose was capable of such spite"- He glanced at Weiss -"then I would assume this was an intentional statement. She always objected to the idea that she would have to make such decisions."

"Kids her age shouldn't have to." Qrow grumbled under his breath.

"Be that as it may," Ozpin continued over him. "As far as I can see, James' plan has the greatest chance of success so long as we keep drastic measures off of the table."

"This isn't drastic?" Taiyang shouted.

"No. It involves neither attempting to use Anathema made weapons against them nor calling on a Maiden to destroy the city. Not that the later is truly an option at the moment."

"We're seriously considering this…" Taiyang slumped over. "They need to d-die that much?"

"Yes." Weiss cross her arms as she met his eyes.

"You agree with this?"

"There are no other options available. Allow Anathema to take control of a city and hold the world for ransom? Do you believe, for a second, that people would accept acquiescing to demons?" She paused for a moment, waiting for him to open his mouth. "And before you say 'we could just tell them the truth', think about how many people have died to keep the Anathema from taking power. Revealing that people's loved ones have been killed for far less than what Ruby or Yang have done? That is not an option."

"I wasn't going to say that." Taiyang looked away. "I thought you cared about them."

Weiss resisted the urge to smile. "I do."

"But you just said they needed to be killed!"

"If the kingdoms are going to survive, then they cannot. This plan would force the eventual fight into a situation where the greatest strength of the military, massed fire, would be able to be brought to bear."

"Uhh…"

General Ironwood stepped up. "After the perimeter is established and the window to leave closed, anyone else going in or out would be indiscriminately bombarded."

"Fucking hell." Qrow swore under his breath. "You goddamn…"

"Go ahead, say it." Weiss kept her expression neutral.

"You goddamn heartless bastards." He turned around, throwing an arm wide. "You're just going to kill whatever innocents it takes to-."

"It's the only way that you'll have any chance against either Ruby or Yang. You can't go after Blake anymore... unless she lets you."

"And we're just supposed to sit here while you tell us that?" His hand went to his sword. "You say you care, but you still suggest this. What's your angle?"

Weiss arched an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing. Logically, the two of you would most want them to survive and yet, you accuse me. Yes, I care about them, but I also care about the preservation of society."

"Qrow," Professor Goodwitch spoke for the first time. "I've been watching her. She's had numerous opportunities to contract them and, while I'm certain that she's taken quite a few, yesterday did not feel like an action that Miss Schnee would have any involvement in if she could help it."

"I still say there's something else going on here." Qrow gestured with his flask. "Something we're overlooking. They're too smart to just let Atlas surround them like that."

Assuming none of them had, somehow, heard Blake's complaints about Yang's diet of pinecones and poisoned berries, he was correct.

"Would they go on the offensive to stop the deployment?" Locasta asked. "They might see it as an attack."

"While it would go against their displayed character, I've taken that possibility into account." General Ironwood highlighted several cities on his projection. "We'll begin by reinforcing nearby cities, to prevent any panic from calling the Grimm. When Salem launches her own assault, we'll be able to begin deploying immediately."

"You're sure she'll do that so soon?" Leonardo's voice quivered.

"It would fit how she's acted previously." Professor Ozpin sat back down, laying his cane on his lap. "She'll have tried to recruit them by now and, assuming they refused, send her men after them."

"That much I can confirm," Weiss said. "A man by the name of Tyrian, who worshiped her, attacked Blake and Yang for rejecting his goddess' offer."

"The result?"

"They killed him and discovered a very interesting species of Grimm in the process."

The room waited for her to continue.

"According to Yang, Tyrian attacked them with invisible hornets that she could only harm with her Anathema abilities. Ruby confirmed that she'd seen those before… floating around Beacon without anyone the wiser." She met Professor Goodwitch's eyes. "The issues with demon summoning come from these attacking the demon, rather than a flaw with the spell."

All eyes moved from her to Professor Ozpin.

"D-did you know about this?" Taiyang stammered. "Invisible Grimm surrounding us?"

"I did and there is a reason why I haven't informed anyone about them." Professor Ozpin closed his eyes. "There is nothing that we can do to fight them, not in any real capacity. Very specific spells can ward a small area, forcing them to become material or shooing them away. I've maintained such a spell on my own office and specific parts of the vault, in case she can observe via the Grimm."

"There's no way to fight them and they're always around us?" Leonardo whispered so softly that his mic barely picked it up. "At any time, she could..."

"She could have wiped us out at any time… if that was what she wanted." Professor Ozpin continued. "But, human extinction would not further her own designs: fear, despair, corruption… worship. Those are what she seeks."

"Why didn't you tell us?" General Ironwood slammed a hand on the desk hard enough that the holo display flickered. "We've been vulnerable this entire time!"

"And vulnerable we will remain. It is better to not know of the sword hanging above our heads than to let it consume your thoughts and restrict your actions." He looked at each of them. "How many conversations are you replaying now, wondering what she may have learned or how she could use such knowledge? How many plans that have helped were hatched in such meetings? Do you worry that a Beowolf will overhear your plan of attack and change its strategy in response? These are no different."

"Ozpin…" Locasta sighed. "If what you say is true, then all that we have been working toward is pointless. She has an unstoppable weapon at her disposal."

"No, a weapon requires a hand to wield it." He shook his head. "Miss Schnee, what did they say happened after he died?"

"That the Grimm stopped attacking."

"Which is precisely what occurred when she tried to kill me with them." He rolled the cane in his hands. "So long as humanity continues to serve a purpose for her, she can't use these Grimm indiscriminately, not without going against her own objectives."

"How do you think she'll attack?" General Ironwood was fixated on his map.

Professor Ozpin took a moment to respond. "I suspect that one of her agents will try to enter the city soon. Once the tension reaches its highest point, a Behemoth will lead the attack, along with the agent calling on the invisible ones as soon as battle is joined."

"If that happens, then we'll be able to sweep in during the fighting." General Ironwood modified the placement of several of the fast assault units. "Specialists with air support would be there in minutes."

Weiss kept a close eye on the map. It would be Blake's night for a detailed dream. Neither Ruby nor Yang were good at identifying threats like that.

"On the topic of the Enemy," Weiss drew their attention back to her. "This will give her ample opportunity to come after us as well. We need to make a decision about who to ask to become the Fall Maiden before she acts."

Professor Ozpin drummed his fingers on the head of his cane. "While you may be correct, I have to question your timing. Between the other major decision facing us and your revelation of the Grimm, there's already a lot to think about before we consider the candidates."

Locasta's voice was ice. "Candidates that you've done your best to poison."

Weiss huffed, crossing her arms. "I would hardly call training poison."

Professor Goodwitch pulled out her scroll. "Pyrrha Nikos, who you spend every third day working sorcery on for several hours. Nora Valkyrie, who you are tutoring in sorcery and is about to make her sacrifice. Coco Adel and Penny Polendina, who both know a great deal about the Anathema and have joined your training group. Lastly, Emerald Sustrai who you appear to be dating as of last night."

"I haven't hidden anything that I've been doing. Due to this, each of them is much more prepared for the risk of an experimental spell to attach what is effectively half of a soul to their own. However, if you're that worried, I'll stay silent until a decision has been reached." Weiss shrugged and walked past the desk. She leaned on the wall to Ozpin's side, clearly in view of anyone who would look at him.

"Thank you." Professor Ozpin glanced at her, then turned back to the others. "Leo, what were the results from your search?"

"Missus Arc said that she could not risk being out of commission again." Leonardo sighed. "There are a couple of other students who might be potentials, but there are problems with choosing either."

"There is one girl for me, but her Aura isn't quite strong enough," Locasta said.

Taiyang sunk down. "Dammit, it's gotta be one of the kids then."

"The only other person who I can think of has similar problems, Winter Schnee." General Ironwood glanced at Weiss.

Weiss frowned slightly. While Winter would help her personally, there would be issues with the rest of her team.

Qrow stopped drinking just long enough to say, "I've got nothing."

"Very well." Professor Ozpin pulled up images of each. "I feel that we will need to assume each of them is equally influenced by Miss Schnee. Otherwise, we'll spend too much time trying to quantify that."

The others nodded.

"With that in mind, I will speak last." Professor Ozpin turned to Professor Goodwitch.

She crossed her arms and closed her eyes while she thought. "Coco Adel. I would normally say that Nora Valkyrie would be the best choice, but her impending sacrifice adds too many unknowns to the equation."

"Couldn't she just cut off a finger or something?" Qrow grumbled.

"Technically yes, that would be a valid sacrifice as far as the lessons of sorcery are concerned." Professor Goodwitch eyed Weiss. Everyone else followed suit.

Weiss shrugged in response.

"However," Professor Goodwitch continued. "she has the impression that it needs to be a significant change to who she is and, as far as I can tell, the sacrifice is more about the person in question than any hard rules."

The eyes turned back to Weiss, with much more ferocity.

"While some believe that a great sacrifice will pave the foundation for a great sorcerer," Locasta could have frozen water with her tone. "Any modern school would regard that as the height of folly."

"Great." Qrow blew his bangs out of his eyes. "Well, I'm still gonna say Valkyrie. Even if she's gonna change, her head's in the right place about the Anathema."

"Pass." Taiyang shook his head. "This is just..."

"Very well." Leo began with a slight hesitation. "I believe that Miss Sustrai can both handle the power and understands subtlety well enough to keep herself from being caught."

"Subtlety isn't everything. We need someone able to use the power to do what has to be done." Locasta shook her head. "Nora Valkyrie. It could be said that this risk and the pain associated with the procedure would be a great sacrifice."

Weiss kept her expression neutral.

"Penny Polendina has the strength of Aura and character. However, thanks to her 'friendship' with Ruby, I can't recommend her any more." General Ironwood said slowly. "I agree with Glynda. Coco Adel is our best choice."

Professor Ozpin took some time to finally respond. "I stand by my initial assessment. Miss Nikos had the discipline, skill, and temperament. Though, this does put us at an impasse. Does anyone have any new arguments or evidence for their prefered candidate?"

Weiss paid attention to the ensuing debate, remaining silent.

When someone brought up her prefered choice, she shifted her expression very slightly and drew a slight amount of attention with a pulse of Essence. If one of the worse choices was getting attention, she revealed a sliver of fear. It was too weak to make anyone stumble, just enough to send a shiver down the spine of Sun, Neptune, or Penny while they trained. The men and women who ruled the world wouldn't have such an obvious reaction.

Ruby or Blake would've been able to catch on immediately, but a normal person shouldn't be able to notice. The only potential issue was Professor Ozpin, who always seemed to see more than he ought to. But, even he didn't have eyes in the back of his head.

Merits were considered, potential moral failings discussed, but the didn't truly matter. The division between them that she had needed to create was present.

The first to fall was Emerald. Between her vision and the awful 'relationship' with Cinder, Weiss made sure of that. It wasn't even hard considering Coco was just as good at keeping secrets and already had two people supporting her.

"I suppose that Ozpin has the best idea then." Leonardo sounded almost pained when he gave up for exactly what Weiss had hoped for.

Either of the other three could work, but her dreams had told her who would be the best choice. They'd also been preparing for it.

Weiss' made her touch a bit heavier as Professor Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin began their own discussion. She took a slightly different approach, obviously approving of Professor Ozpin's choice in a way that could not be missed.

That was enough. Professor Goodwitch switched to Nora, stepping over to Qrow's side.

General Ironwood met Weiss' eyes, held the gaze for a moment, then looked to Professor Ozpin.

The sides were even. The room heated up.

What had been a calm debate grew fiery without Weiss needing to say a word. General Ironwood and Qrow needed little prodding to begin hurling insults.

"You gonna bend over for her too, Jimmy?"

"I'm not the one who's lack of judgement lost us several Maidens."

"You lying, son of a-"

"Everyone!" Professor Ozpin silenced the argument by lifting his cane and slamming it back to the ground. "There is a simpler method of us coming to a consensus than continuing this."

"What? Asking her?" Qrow spat, pointing over his shoulder at Weiss. "She's the reason we're having this fight."

"No." Professor Ozpin looked over to one side. "Taiyang, you did not wish to choose earlier, but now have the tiebreaking vote. Unless you want us to give it to Miss Schnee."

He looked at Professor Ozpin, then to her.

Weiss arched an eyebrow and looked him in the eyes. He'd seen her before. He already knew who she wanted, but that wouldn't matter. It was all about giving him a reason. All that she needed to say was communicated with that, one gesture and a burst of power. 'Who is most likely to help your girls?'

Taiyang looked away almost immediately.

"Come on buddy," Qrow took a step toward him. "You see what she's doing. You know what's right. We'll find a-"

"Give me a minute." Taiyang mumbled. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples while his mouth moved, without saying anything. Everyone else stayed silent, until he finally spoke. "Pyrrha Nikos."

Qrow stared at him, groaning. "Tai!"

Professor Ozpin stood up. "Does anyone have any other objections which would disqualify her?"

He waited for a moment.

"Very well. I'll inform her about this myself." He turned to General Ironwood, then Weiss. "If you would prepare the machine to scan her, we should take what little time we have to ensure nothing goes wrong."

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 4.3

~~~
​

Pyrrha adjusted her tiara as she sat down in front of Professor Ozpin's desk. She'd only been to his office once before, when they were debriefed about the Anathema. The afternoon sun made it bright and welcoming, not like the morning when she had to avoid looking at certain windows.

There were a small number of things that she could think of which this meeting might be about.

"Thank you for coming so promptly, Miss Nikos." He sat down behind his desk, coffee mug in hand.

She smiled, folding her hands in her lap. "It isn't every day that the Headmaster himself calls upon you."

"Well, I do try to speak with our most promising students when I have the opportunity."

"Thank you. Though, I would hardly call myself the most promising."

"Nonsense. While modesty may be a commendable, so too is an accurate appraisal of one's abilities."

Pyrrha looked away, staring out the window at the grey sky.

"You are one of the most talented and driven students that I've ever had the pleasure to have attended Beacon." He tapped his mug on the desk, drawing her eyes back. "I dare say you could give most professional Hunters a run for their money."

"I don't… If you say so..." Pyrrha closed her eyes and tried to push the heat rising to her cheeks away. She wasn't anything special, not compared to either Ruby or Weiss. "Is… is there another reason that you asked me to come here?"

"There is. Tell me, Miss Nikos, what is your favorite legend?"

"Legend?"

"Story, myth, fairy tale." He shrugged. "However you would prefer to think about it."

"I would say that…" Pyrrha paused, considering all of the options. "The story of the Girl in the Tower. I feel like her determination is the most important part. How she continues to face the demon's trials, slowly passing them despite failing for years. It seems like a good lesson for anyone taking on a challenge that seems insurmountable."

"Would it surprise you to know that 'The Girl In the Tower' was based on an event that truly happened?"

"Slightly. I can't think of many reasons why someone would kidnap a young girl and trap her on top of a tower."

"The 'demon' was actually a god who had been testing several maidens."

"To determine who to give his blessing to?"

Professor Ozpin grimaced. "To determine who to make his bride."

"Oh." Pyrrha shuddered. "That… rather changes the meaning of the story."

"Indeed. I prefer the modern rendition. The moral is strictly superior."

Pyrrha nodded.

"However, it is not the only legend with a basis in reality." Professor Ozpin paused for a moment. "Are you familiar with the Story of the Seasons?"

"Of course." Pyrrha smiled. "Four young women come upon a gruff old hermit in the woods as they're travelling. He rebuffs them, but they do not give up on him. Each of them bestows a gift upon him: the reflection of winter, bounty of spring, warmth of summer. Autumn begs him to look at all that he has and be thankful for each.

"Their kindness warms the man's heart and be responds with an offer of his own. He grants each of the maidens a great power to help everyone in Remnant. They continue their travels, sharing these gifts with all."

"Would it surprise you to know that this one was also built on truth?"

Pyrrha cringed. "Please tell me it was a different truth."

Professor Ozpin mirrored her expression. "The old man was a god, but the gift was genuine. Not only were they granted the power of the seasons, but that power still exists today."

"I see…" Pyrrha held her lips together tightly. "Is this the reason why you called me here?"

"A very apt guess." He nodded, folding his hands on the table. "One of the mantles must be transferred to another person before its bearer perishes. I would ask that you be next in line to receive the power of the Fall Maiden."

"I accept."

He blinked at her several times. "Pardon me, you accept? You haven't heard anything about what this entails, what risks you may face."

"I assume that it would be a risky procedure that may cause the same sorts of changes as becoming a sorcerer."

"You…" He sighed. "Did Miss Schnee explain exactly what would be involved to you?"

"She did."

"Including the part where the ritual involves surgically attaching another soul to your own?"

A shiver ran down her spine. "N-not exactly. That sounds… a bit more… umm… dangerous than I expected, but it does not change my answer."

"Hmm." He frowned. "That is problematic."

"I- What do you mean?"

Professor Ozpin looked at her with colder eyes than she'd ever seen on him. "Miss Nikos, I just told you that receiving this gift would entail attaching a soul to you. This is no mean feat and yet you're only a bit rattled. Why do you want this power?"

Pyrrha tried to look at him, but couldn't maintain eye contact.

"You immediately agreed to this, without knowledge of the risks. Then, when I revealed something that would give anyone pause, you maintained you agreement. This implies that you would want such power despite the risk. I must know, why do you want it so badly?" He paused. When she didn't respond, he continued, "If it isn't for yourself, then who would you seek power for?"

"It isn't about having the power…" She took a deep breath. "It's about… becoming more than I am…"

"What do you mean?"

"I…" Pyrrha closed her eyes, considering what to say. In some ways… no, in most ways, it as much more important to convince Professor Ozpin of the issues than any member of her team. "What I need power for is to be relevant; for my thoughts to have weight and meaning to others. To be able to make decisions about what is best and see them through with my own hands if necessary."

"Miss Nikos, you are already re-"

"No I'm not and I'm becoming very tired of everyone pretending that I am." Pyrrha snapped, flinching back as soon as she realized how she spoke to the Headmaster of Beacon. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He waved a hand to the side. "There's no issue. However, I do wish to know what you mean. You are certainly relevant to your friends and teammates. As one of our best students, Beacon cares about you and how you're doing as well."

"Not where it matters… Not when it matters." Pyrrha lowered her hands to her lap, clasping them as hard as she could. The feeling was a slippery one and she'd never knew how to accurately describe it before, not in a way that resonated, even to Jaune. If he wasn't convinced of her plea, there was no way that Ren and Nora would accept that some Anathema weren't dangerous.

Weiss had definitively proven that she would only take Pyrrha's opinions into consideration when she felt like it due to how freely she'd manipulated Penny and Emerald. However, that wasn't something she could just admit to.

She could never call having another example of what she meant something to be thankful for, but one had been provided which needed no further explanation. When she looked back up, she was able to match his gaze. "Everything changed this morning. Ruby, Blake, and Yang have… done something that I never imagined they would and… and is also not something that I could ever approve of. I'm certain that it made sense to them to terrify so many people, but there had to be another way."

He nodded.

"I was not able to speak to them about this, but I'm also certain that whether or not I approved of their plan it wouldn't have mattered."

He matched her position, folding his hands in his lap. "If you're comparing yourself to the Anathema, then none of us have any relevance. Not as individuals. They overwhelm everyone physically, mentally, and socially if given enough time. They will know you better than you know yourself, tell you exactly what they need to in order to shape your opinions, and, if all else fails, dominate any fight."

He was entirely correct. She couldn't match Weiss in any field. "Last semester, I could fight them. When I spoke to Ruby, she listened to me." Pyrrha shivered, remembering the last time she saw Ruby. Her words had fallen on deaf ears and her actions were so insignificant that they went unnoticed.

Pyrrha raised a fist. "I know that I will never reach the point where I can beat any of them, but… if I'm able to stand in the same arena and compete, then they will need to at least consider my thoughts."

"You speak as if they will live long enough for this to matter."

"They will." She held her fist above her heart. "Lady Mars said that Ruby would lead her team against the Grimm and destroy them."

It took him several seconds to respond. "You're certain that it was her who spoke to Ruby?"

"I could feel who she was in the depths of my soul."

"When one stands before a goddess in her full majesty, they understand what it means."

"Exactly! There was no mistaking it." She hesitated at the thought of how intense such a sight was. If she were to be blessed with the powers of a god, then... "Are you worried about what I would do if I have this mantle?"

"No, you've already shown the sort of character that we would hope for in a Maiden. I am worried that you want to do this for the wrong reason. You say that it is to become relevant again, while ignoring the number of people who already care about you. For those whose choices determine the fates of hundreds or thousands, connections and friendship are vitally important. These are what make us human and allow us to continue relating to the rest of the world." He said, a hint of pain entering his tone.

"If that's so important, staying connected, then why isn't Vale willing to work with Ruby?"

"Despite our knowledge about what she was for the entirety of last semester, no one lifted a finger against Miss Rose until she attacked Beacon. Argued with, yes; attempted to teach, yes; but never fought. We did our best to impress upon her the reasons why we had to take actions she felt abhorrent."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean. Weiss was almost killed and both Blake and Yang were hunted as soon as they were revealed. How can you say that you weren't lifting a finger when you were still harming people? If I decide that I disagree with you and use whatever power this mantle grants, would you do the same to me?"

"The Anathema hold overwhelming power over others which cannot be fought against conventionally. To use your analogy, the arena that they stand in is incredibly small to begin with and shrinks further with every day that passes. They cannot be afforded any amount of trust by default, unlike one of the Maidens." Professor Ozpin stood up and walked around his office. He stared out one of the windows, hands clasped behind his back. "While accepting this would allow you to lean on the likes of the Anathema, it would not isolate you from any consequences like their might does. Many Maidens have fallen in single combat before and not even against Hunters. You will have no more ability to rob people of their will than you do right now. Even if all four Maidens decided to try and take over the world, they would not be able to create a situation where only their opinions held sway across the entire globe."

"I… I do not believe that Ruby, Blake, or Yang want to take over the world or make that happen. They want to save everyone."

"What someone intends is irrelevant compared to the result. Even a goal as noble as removing the threat of the Grimm can be corrupted beyond anyone's imagination, having such a negative result that it would have been better to never tried in the first place." His hands shook gripping even tighter.

"Professor Ozpin... " Pyrrha whispered, "Are you alright?"

He slowly moved a hand to his face and wiped his eyes. "My apologies. This conversation has… reminded me of the single worst mistake I ever made."

Pyrrha watched as he walked back, movements far too stiff.

"Miss Nikos… Pyrrha, I understand why you would accept this risk all too well. If I had my way, there would never be a risk of anyone being rendered irrelevant. However, I don't think you realize just how much you already matter."

She sucked in a breath, looking away.

"Please. Take this day to think on what it is that you want to do and who you care about. Speak with your friends, your mentors, your family… In particular, those who have never had any interactions with Miss Schnee."

"I… It's a bit odd that you'd specify her like this." Pyrrha gulped. If she didn't already know that he knew, that would be awfully dangerous.

"She must have known how you're feeling about this and if you're still feeling that way, then she must not have assuaged your worries."

Pyrrha's pulse quickened. That was… she hadn't considered that, but…

"Please, take the time to talk to them, let them know how you feel. There are many people who care about you and you may not be the same when this is over."

She took a moment, closing her eyes again. Even if Weiss had been manipulating her to agree, did it matter? Were her feelings about this incorrect? Professor Ozpin certainly believed the same things.

"I'll…" Pyrrha sighed as she stood up, only speaking again after she'd turned away. "I'll try."

~~~​

As the sun fell below horizon and the hallway took on an orange tine, Weiss leaned on the wall across from the main elevator, checking the status of the SDC on her scroll. An illusion concealed the screen, replacing it with a news article she read at lunch.

The reshuffling of managers had improved overall productivity by five percent with a two point increase in moral. It wasn't the best she could do, but it wouldn't be considered worth investigating further, even without the protection of General Ironwood.

With a flick of her thumb, her notes from each demon summoning session replaced the report. The path to power lay within the web of misdirection that those lions had spun. A new circle of sorcery was within her capacity, if only she could grasp it.

Beckoning any of the greater demons was not a choice she could make without her team around to put it down. Yang would undoubtedly object to doing so, no matter what knowledge was offered. She couldn't imagine Ruby feeling any differently. Blake might understand.

Supposedly, there was a magical tome which would reveal the secrets of contacting powerful demons without calling them into the world. The lions had been a bit too enthusiastic when they told her about it, which meant that it must be a trap of some sort.

That left her with two options: working the principles out herself and prayer.

The first would take an enormous amount of time that she didn't have. The second relied upon the good will of the most mercurial goddess. To make matters worse, she didn't even know if Luna would respond, let alone what she would ask of Weiss in exchange for instruction, assuming such a thing was even possible for her to grant.

A journey to enlightenment was always personal. It was entirely possible that even one of the most powerful goddesses couldn't speed it along.

If the various cults were to be believed, then the best time to perform the ceremony would be at the intersection of two roads during the night of a Full Shatter. It would be a Full Moon in a few nights, which would give her two weeks to prepare. Though, she didn't have any direct knowledge about exactly what a proper ceremony was. Pyrrha's experience and opinions regarding them would be invaluable.

"Weiss?" Emerald called out from the end of the hallway, quickly walking up to her. "Are you busy tonight? I know a little coffee shop just outside of campus that has great cakes."

Weiss smiled, that would be very nice. But, she still had to shake her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm tied up with TAing."

"Oh..." Emerald slumped down. "Well, alright. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure." Weiss nodded. She just needed a little more time to convince Emerald of what Cinder was doing to her.

The elevator pinged right before the door opened. The girl of the hour was standing there, avoiding Weiss' glance.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Weiss waved to Emerald as she stepped in, waiting for the doors to close completely before speaking. "How did it go?"

"I think he is disappointed in me." Pyrrha was holding her arms across her body, one hand grabbing the other wrist.

"That's what happens when you blatantly ignore someone's advice."

Pyrrha nodded. "I've already spoken to everyone that I need to. I did so a month ago."

"Mmh." Weiss pulled her key card out and swiped it in front of the floor selector. It immediatly doubled in size. She pressed the very last option, holding it along with the close button for three seconds to override it and prevent it from stopping anywhere else. "Has he explained what's going to happen?"

"Yes." Pyrrha whispered. "You'll be attaching another person's soul to my own."

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Weiss stared at the space between the doors, watching the bars of light move each time they passed another floor. "I'm going to be detaching a construct that's been attached to her souls, hopefully without very much of them clinging to it, and then attaching it to yours."

"Souls?"

"People actually have two souls, but the distinction between them only matters academically in most cases." Weiss flexed her fingers slightly, feeling the increased amount of Essence in the air. "I wouldn't be surprised if most Hunters didn't know about this, let alone the general populous."

"I see…" Pyrrha mumbled as the doors opened.

Weiss stepped out first, leading the way through the dark hall. Pillars holding torches of green flames, less eye-searing than Yang's, lit the way further in. Every six meters, the path branched off, a new hallway veering off into the dark. On rare occasions, they could see something at another intersection. Sometimes it was an obelisk, sometimes a pedestal, in one occasion a spear which had been thrust into the ground.

Weiss continued without slowing. She'd memorized the five unmarked turns she'd need to take to get there the first time they brought her down.

"Weiss." Pyrrha spoke softly, not looking at her, as they approached the first turn. "What is the difference between the two souls?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow, glancing over her shoulder. Pyrrha had her arms crossed, one hand grabbing the opposite elbow and couldn't look at her eyes. "The simplest answer would be that one represents your spiritual strength and the other your personality."

"Your Aura and your Semblance?"

"A bit more than just that, but yes." Weiss slowed her pace down enough to wind up next to her. "Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine." Pyrrha voice echoed around them from how loudly she spoke.

"You neither look nor sound fine."


Pyrrha frowned, tightening her arms up.

"It's alright to be nervous. We're trying something that's never been attempted before."

"It's not that. It's…" Pyrrha took a couple of breaths. "Weiss, have you been… allowing me to feel bad in order to make me want to do this more?"

Weiss stopped, grabbing Pyrrha's shoulder. "Do you want to stop? We don't need to."

"No!" Pyrrha stepped back, shaking the hand free. "Even if you were, that wouldn't change my mind. I just want to know."

"Very well." Weiss waited, shoulders tightening up more than they should. She continued staring until until Pyrrha looked up and met her eyes. "Yes, I could've made you feel better before. In hindsight, I should've done so, but I didn't at the time because of how important it was for you to be the one."

Pyrrha pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "What? If you had explained and asked me I would've accepted."

"I know and that's part of the reason why I didn't. I wanted you to come to a decision yourself, without me forcing it either way."

Pyrrha slowly nodded. "It would have been as easy for you to push me further along than stop it."

"Exactly."

"I still don't like this at all." Pyrrha clenched her fists. "Why was it important that I was chosen if you weren't going to tell me?"

"I can't fully explain."

Pyrrha glared at her.

"Simply put, I don't know how I know." Weiss shook her head, briefly considering how that trace felt. "When I figured out who was an option and who would be best, I was submerging myself in more information than I've ever processed at once. I don't know where these insights came from, but you were one of the three best choices in terms of your ability to handle the power and I trust you more than the other options."

Pyrrha took another breath, closing her eyes. "Okay. I trust you, but do not do something like that again."

"Thank you and I'll try not to, but revealing information can have as much of an impact as hiding it." Weiss turned back to the path. Respecting Pyrrha's agency in that regard would be incredibly difficult, but she owed it to her to at least try. "It shouldn't take too long once we're there."

Pyrrha followed behind, now looking at Weiss when she turned around. It took them a few minutes more before they came to the chamber. The dim light revealed a large machine with a pair of person sized pods attached to it. One held a comatose young girl whose face was heavily scarred.

"This is Amber, the current Fall Maiden." Weiss gestured toward her as she walked up to the computers in the middle of the machine. The table of sorcerous tools she'd requested was right next to it. "She was attacked by the Anathema we fought at the docks and had part of her power stolen."

Pyrrha walked up to Amber's pod. "Then... that woman wasn't Anathema?"

"No, she's worse." Weiss started up the second pod. "She's a traitor who's actively helping the Grimm."

"What?" Pyrrha gasped. "But, how could someone do that? The Grimm would just..."

"I received the truth of this very recently. There's a goddess who rules over the Grimm. That woman is a servant of this goddess, as was the person who attacked Blake and Yang."

"I didn't believe that I could learn anything new that would increase my certainty, but that was it." Pyrrha turned back to Weiss with a fire in her eyes. "What do I need to do?"

Weiss pointed to a table off on one side. It had a privacy curtain next to it along with a hospital gown. "First, remove any metal or Aura conductive material. I need to perform a full scan of your souls and figure out the best points to attach the mantle."

"Do I want to know what those are?" Pyrrha set her tiara of the table and stepped behind the screen.

"To be honest, I'm working primarily off of the research Atlas has put into this along with my own instincts and other senses, so I couldn't tell you."

"I see…" Pyrrha waited a moment. "Will we need to worry about her coming back, the not-Anathema woman?"

"No, Blake killed her while we were fighting the White Fang." If Weiss hadn't been sure of that, then she'd have been even more worried about Cinder Fall. The woman who'd ensnared Emerald looked almost identical to their enemy, but her location during both fights was confirmed by Haven when Weiss'd looked into her. She was just an abusive team leader. "I'm certain they're send someone else after us though."

"We'll be ready." Pyrrha stepped out and placed her clothing on the table.

Weiss opened the pod. "The first bit of scanning should take around half an hour, depending on how lucky we are with the imaging."

"What should I do?" Pyrrha stepped into the pod, laying down on the cushions.

"Relax. We need as close to a baseline as possible for this one."

"Would meditating be bad?"

Weiss took a moment to consider it. Pyrrha's Aura had usually calmed down a lot whenever she did that. "No, it might even help."

"I'll do that then." Pyrrha closed her eyes as the pod door closed. The machines whirred to life, a read out on Pyrrha's souls beginning to appear.

Weiss watched the results as they streamed in. Within the first two minutes, the spikes in her Aura settled down to a soft cycle.

After another, there was a spike.

Pyrrha's eyes shot opened and she shouted, but the pod muffled the sound.

"What?" Weiss hit the emergency abort, forcing the lid to depressurize.

The tools on the table next to her clattered. Three shot off into the darkness.

The air around one of the pillars shattered, revealing a small girl with pink and brown hair. The same girl who had fought them at the docks.

Her eyes were completely white, then they were gone. She'd shrouded herself in another illusion.

Weiss conjured a glyph underneath her location, making it erupt with flames. By the time it finished, she was already four meters away, fleeing at top speed.

Pyrrha lept forward, pulling the other tools to her. She fired three more out, but they didn't hit anything. "What do we do?"

Weiss stared at the darkness, considering each of the potential outcomes.

This could have been a scouting mission. If so, letting her get away would grant them victory.

It could have been an assassination. From what she remembered, the girl was more than capable of that. If so, who was the target? Herself or Amber would make the most sense if they knew.

For that matter, it could have been scouting but cutting the girl off at the elevator could result in her killing Amber without them being able to defend her. That would deny them the ability to transfer any part of the mantle.

Pyrrha was the only one able to locate her. If she tried, Weiss might be able to figure something out by working from the principles of her own illusions, but that would take time that they didn't have.

She looked back to the pods.

Weiss needed a couple of hours to scan and perform her analysis. There was enough time to do that if they got the word out and made sure no one could come down, so long as they had defenders here.

Pyrrha had to remain nearby to foil any assassination on Amber.

"I'm going to conjure the thickest dome of ice that I can around you. Keep yourself and Amber safe." Weiss began laying out a circle of glyphs. "I'm going to get Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. We finish the ritual tonight."

 

[Graveless]

Miracles of Ancient Wonder Book Two: Remnant

~

Chapter 4.4

~~~
​

Emerald paged through a crappy Valish gossip magazine, freshly stolen from a convenience store on the edge of campus. Some famous Hunter-Celebrity pair was in trouble because they got into a fight and people didn't realize the movie star had his Aura awakened.

She couldn't help chuckling. The man was famous for doing all of his own stunts. Did people really think he could just survive walking out of an explosion that blackened bricks?

"What's so funny?" Mercury asked from his bed, nose almost touching his scroll.

"Stupid people being stupid."

"Heh, not hard to find those around here." Mercury turned his scroll to her. "Check this out."

A video of last week's training match was playing. He rewinded to the portion where Weiss knocked three of her enemies to the ground with an ice slick. Then rewound and repeated it, again and again. "Your girlfriend sure knows how to put on a show."

Emerald's lips trembled. Weiss wasn't her girlfriend, yet. No matter how hard she was trying, but just saying that would mean letting him win. "At least I have one, unlike some people."

"Hmmm…" A truly diabolical grin spread across his face. "Well, I suppose I'll just let our dear boss know that you're happy with your new girl. Maybe she'll need someone else to-"

"You jac-" Emerald stifled her statement with a growl.

"So greedy." He chuckled, going back to his scroll. "It's a good thing you're better at stealing money than hearts."

"Fine, you win this-"

The door was flung open, crashing into the wall.

"Both of you, get ready. Now!" Cinder barked, walking straight to her closet. She threw the blazer of her uniform to the side as she moved, unbuttoning her shirt next.

Emerald jumped up and went for her own, purposely not looking back at Cinder. Mercury joined her, skipping any commentary.

"Neo, mask us." Cinder ordered, followed by the girl snapping her fingers. As soon as the illusion settled into place, she continued. "We've discovered where Ozpin is keeping the Fall Maiden. Bring everything you may need."

Emerald finished putting her combat outfit on, weapons on the small of her back. While the others finished, she filled her speed loaders with Dust rounds.

Neo simply picked her parasol up.

Mercury only needed to put his greaves on.

Cinder thou… Cinder went into the back of her closet and pulled out the dress. The red and gold, Fire Dust infused and Orichalcum gilded dress that she brought out when it was serious. It also showed off most of Cinder's legs and back.

"We're going to a classroom first, to finish preparations and ensure that no one will get in our way." Cinder wasted no time leading them out. "Neo, if anyone sees us..."

As the crept through the dark halls, Emerald tried to push down the pain in her gut. She wasn't hungry, that was an all too familiar feeling; it was something else.

Tonight was the night that they'd accomplish what they came here for and finish taking the power of the Fall Maiden from Ozpin. Cinder would become even more powerful, more incredible. But… Emerald was sure that Weiss would be involved somehow. She knew too much and was too important to be just a freshman.

Weiss had also been kinder to her than anyone... except for Cinder…

Her mind went back to their date. Weiss immediately picked up on how she ate and guessed why she ate so fast. The rich girl knew enough people who'd gone hungry that she knew the signs and… and made sure that there was an open tab for whatever Emerald wanted. Weiss had even asked if they wanted to go to a different restaurant for dessert when she realized the menu options were not to Emerald's liking.

Cinder hadn't done that for her, but… that was fine. They had an important mission and money was tight at times...

Even though they always had enough for extra-high quality Dust so that Cinder's sewing projects would be simpler. Surely some of that could be spared.

Emerald grit her teeth and pushed it down. Weiss might be nice, but she owed Cinder her life. Cinder was her… her everything… Even if Cinder would never feel the same way toward her.

She held her eyes shut for a few seconds, then reopened them. She just needed to stop thinking about it.
They reached their destination soon enough. A classroom with a single window that had the curtains drawn. It reeked of metal and ash, a smell which only got stronger as they approached the center.

"You had fun without me… again." Mercury groaned staring at Salem's symbol painted on the floor in red.

Neo preened with a smile that wouldn't look out of place in a bad horror movie.

"You can argue about who gets to kill someone later." Cinder pulled a vial from the sleeve of her dress. "Take you positions around the circle and be ready to repeat the prayer."

Emerald dropped to her knees, the stench of dried blood becoming even more overwhelming. As Cinder spoke in that odd language, Emerald repeated every word. Her voice echoed with Mercury's. Neo, of course, said nothing.

As their voices grew louder, a dark mist began seeping out of the center of the symbol. It expanded into the room, giving Emerald goosebumps wherever it touched her skin. So much appeared that she started shivering.

A chill wind ran over her back as the mist suddenly sped inward. Emerald kept her eyes down, well aware of what would come next.

Salem's voice echoed around them, dripping with what Emerald could only guess was annoyance.

Cinder responded in the same language. Emerald could practically hear the plea in her tone, an utterly alien sound for her.

Salem's reply was sharp. She pointed at the blackboard, then the floor. The only word Emerald recognized was a name, Ozpin.

Cinder was standing with her head bowed, hands clenched at her side so tightly that they were shaking.

Salem's features eventually softened as Cinder continued. The goddess raised a hand and more mist spilled out from her dress. The black cloud flowed over to the curtains. After a moment, she turned, looking at Cinder. The next words were short.

"Neo, make this room seem like it is empty to the outside. No lights, no sounds, no people." Cinder stared at Neo until the girl nodded. "Lady Salem has graciously accepted my prayer and will be blessing us for the fight ahead. She will also cast a spell that will allow us to move without being obstructed."

She looked from Neo to Mercury. "Do not look at the sky after she finishes or harm anyone who has become entranced by it."

Emerald took a deep breath as the mist swept around her. The chill seeped into her skin, her muscles. She tensed up as it settled in; cold, but somehow making everything feel better. She could only hope that Weiss would either be caught in whatever Salem did or would be off campus. If she was really with Ozpin…

~~~​

Thunk-clang.

Thunk-clang.

Thunk-clang.

Nora used the rhythm of Ren's training to time her breaths as she sat, focusing on the Fire Dust crystal in front of her. The air in the forest was cold enough she could see her breath, but she barely noticed thanks to the heat flowing up her arms. She wiggled her fingers, feeling for the energy that she knew, from reading books, was there.

Her hands found only normal warmth.

"Urgh." Nora opened her eyes, glancing over at Ren punching another tiny disk out of his sheet of metal. "Is it getting any better?"

He sighed and held up the most recent one. It was more of a weird octagon-star thanks to all of the jagged points. He flicked it into a tree with another thunk.

"Well, I'm not really getting anywhere either so I guess we could jus-" Nora sputtered to a stop as the sky lit up. "R-Ren!"

He turned around, following her pointed finger.

A beam of white light was shooting out of the center of campus. It rose higher and higher into the sky until it lit up the clouds from below.

Then it exploded.

A brilliant light lit up the forest like a new sun, slowly fading as Nora blinked away the spots in her eyes.

"Nora, do you see that?" Ren stepped next to her, pointing at the spot where the light exploded. The stars above campus were brighter than normal and… and they were moving. The entire sky was swirling around the main tower with some new pattern in the center of it.

Nora squinted, but that didn't help her make it out. "I'm gonna sneak up on it."

"You're going to sneak up on the sky?" Ren crouched next to her.

"Well... you're gonna sneak up on it and I'll follow your trail." She drew Magnhild in grenade launcher mode. "It'll never see us coming!."

He nodded with a sigh before slowly moving into a bush. Nora followed right behind, eyes flickering to the sides to keep watch. She caught a couple of squirrels running around them, but nothing threatening. The only sounds she could hear were the noises she made: boots scuffing dirt, leaves rustling, the rattle of her extra grenades. Even as they came up on the edge of campus, nothing.

Beacon didn't have too many people walking around most nights, but there was always someone making noise, even if it was just blasting music too loud. As they continued forward, there was no music, no partying, no shouting, no anything.

Nora's grip tightened on her weapon, finger pointing along the metal piece right above the trigger. The air around them was different, like something she'd only felt twice before. It hummed with power greater than any person should ever have.

She licked her lips as her pulse raced. It was the same as last semester… It was the same as her first real fight… her first kill. When they reached the edge of the forest, she rose with her weapon pointed.

There were two people moving just outside of one of the buildings. They were students from Haven who hung around Weiss a lot, but just Weiss. They were abs and pie-face; the faunus who didn't know how to button his shirt and the blue haired guy who Nora hit with a pie during a food fight. Both of them were looking down and carrying someone looking up at the…

…

Nora gasped, slamming her elbow into whoever was covering her eyes hard enough to send him flying.

"Gah." Ren coughed. "Nora!"

"What? Ren?" She spun around just in time to see him hit a tree. "Oops… What were you doing covering my eyes like that?!"

"You got caught by whatever that it." He pointed up without looking.

Nora started to follow his fingers, but managed to stop herself before she looked at the sky again. "That's… that's just evil. It's so natural to look up when you see that."

Ren nodded. "I don't know what to do. I was able to get you out because we're at the edge."

Nora's hands shook hard enough to make Magnhild rattle. She couldn't even fight against it… again. If she could only let go and learn sorcery, maybe she wouldn't've been caught.

"Sorcery…" Nora muttered to herself, pulling out her scroll.

"Nora?"

"Gimme a minute." She called Weiss, staring at the ringing icon so hard that if she could shoot things from her eyes, her scroll would be destroyed.

She got voicemail.

Pyrrha was next since those two were together a lot.

Also voicemail.

"Dammit." This wasn't something she could just figure out herself. She needed Weiss to explain more about whatever it was. Someone else, like Professor Goodwitch or Professor Peach, could do it too, but she didn't have any of their numbers and… and...

Nora shuddered as her blood ran cold. If Weiss wasn't available, there was technically someone else she could ask who would probably know the answer. After all, she'd already done something like this once before.

"Nora?" Ren laid a hand on her shoulder.

Her scroll fell from her fingers. Was that really their only option left?

"Nora?!" He shook her lightly.

"I… I think I know what I need to do."She trembled as she picked up her scroll again. "I need to… get a picture of this and send it to someone who knows more about… this stuff."

Nora turned it to camera mode, closed her eyes, and aimed over her shoulder. She mashed the button again and again, re-angling it each time. After twentish pictures, she re-opened her eyes.

Whatever it was didn't seem to work through pictures.

The stars were definitely moving and there was a weird symbol in the middle. Weird, but also familiar… too familiar. It was a circle with a cross coming out of the bottom.

"Ren, is that what I think it is?"

"The symbol of Venus. Sister of the goddess that Pyrrha worships."

Nora took a deep breath; that confirmed it.

She was right, she didn't want to be, but she was right. There was only one person who might know what was going on. But, could she do that? Just expose herself to that much danger.

She knew what they could do with just words. It would open her up to falling back into… into being just a puppet, a mindless soldier who would kill her own friends if she was ordered to.

Nora looked back at the campus, making sure to keep her eyes down. One of the boys was staring at the sky now and she could see at least twenty more who were looking through windows or coming out of doors to see what was happening. They needed help. She needed to be in control of herself.

One, two, three: she counted her breaths, making each deeper than the last. She knew that she had focus, discipline lurking in her soul. All she needed to do was grab ahold of it, make it hers and use it against… them. "I-I'm going to call her."

"Who?"

Nora pulled open one of the first notes that Blake had given her. While keeping it around might've been a little dangerous, she sometimes needed the jog to her memory. The note described someone who she knew about, but the text of the name had been corrupted into random characters. It also had a phone number at the bottom.

Nora punched it in and hit call.

Her scroll rang once, twice, three times.

"H-Hello?" A girl mumbled. "It's like one in the morning."

At least that confirmed that she wasn't here.

"Beacon's under attack again and you're the only one left who might know what it is and… I need your help," Nora said as quickly as she could.

"Wait, what?" Ruby Rose clamored as she finished waking up. "Nora? You're calling me and… and…"

"If you really ever cared about anyone here, you'll tell me what's going on with this picture." She took a breath through her teeth as she sent the best image. As she waited for Ruby to respond, she kept her eyes on the clock. If this took a minute…

"I… don't really know what that is."

"It's another one of the goddesses that you claim to have power from. Another one of you is attacking us and if you don't tell us, I don't know how many people they'll kill because anyone who looks at it just keeps on staring and forgets anything that happened while they were out of it."

Nora felt the warm tranquility from Ren pass over her as she started hyperventilating. After a moment, she started breathing normally. Sometimes his Semblance was the best.

"Give me a second," Ruby said before the sound of rushing wind took over the scroll.

A door slammed and she continued, "Hey, Yang."

"What's up, sis?" Yang's voice was surprisingly chipper for the middle of the night. What horrible thing was she doing to be that awake?

"Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Not reall- Wait a minute."

Nora grabbed Ren's hand and squeezed, not saying anything. His fingers were just as tense as hers.

"It's sorcery, a really old spell. It's supposed to be for entertainment, but only Anathema can cast it," Yang said slowly.

"It's not entertaining." Nora almost snapped, but Ren had given her enough calm to be okay.

"Nora? What're you- nevermind. Look, this thing is sorcery, so-"

"Got it." Nora pulled her scroll back up. "Thanks."

She ended the call before either of them could say something which would control her or Ren. Her heart was still racing despite Ren's help. She wouldn't have been able to do that last semester, asking one of them for information that only they could give without panicking. The idea of it wouldn't have even entered her head, even if...

"Looks like that was useless. We can't do anything about-" Nora turned toward him, eyes going wide. "Ren! Why are you glowing pink?"

"What?" He let go of her, staring at his hand. As it moved away, so did the pink. "What're you talking about?"

"Your hand was…" Nora reached out for it. As her hand came close, the pink glow reappeared. When she wiggled her fingers, the color followed her movements. She pulled all the way back, taking some of the pink with her and it combined with her own glow… which was a slightly brighter pink… that'd be tough to figure out the difference between when she had the time.

The pinks combined with each other, swirling in between her hands and flashing brighter and brighter. Her fingers tingled as the edges of the swirl began sparking, jolting her with electricity. It whirled, expanded, only to be forced back down into a ball by the pink that surrounded her hands. Then, when the shocks got strong enough that she could feel her Semblance kicking in, it exploded.

Nora fell back, flipping head over heels from the blast. Her ears rang as she shook her head, giving Ren a thumbs up when he ran over. He was shouting something, but she couldn't make it out.

She grabbed his arm, pulling herself up. When he pulled back, she was very careful to not grab ahold of his pink. That wasn't something she'd focused on. She'd thought that she needed to know how to put a barrier between herself and other magic, take away the power of spells.

"-at -ppened?" He could barely be heard over the ringing.

"I can fix it!" Nora shouted, pointing at the sky.

She kept her head down and walked forward. A heavy blue fog fell around her the moment she stepped over a line that sparkled when she got near it. It was the aspect of Serenity… or was it energy? Eh, it didn't really matter that much. She raised both hands, extended a field of pink, and shoved the blue away!

For a moment, the air was clear.

Then, the fog came right back in.

Maybe stopping the spell would be harder than she thought.