I am in a celebratory mood because I got my degree secured now. Therefore, you get an extra chapter this week. The next one will be on Saturday as usual.
The next few weeks became notably more calm. A total of four others made it through the gauntlet of Beacon students and three of those passed in the Emerald Forest. Miraculously, the two already in the forest managed to evade the Grimm horde.
Lumina recuperated for several days, mainly to keep up appearances. Then she went on a number of missions with Ruby; simple ones, mainly search and destroy. Her partner convinced her to look into a missing person's case once, but did not ask again when that ended with a corpse in the woods and more dead monsters.
After a month in Vale, she finally returned to Menagerie. Selina thankfully left out Ghost when she told Kali and Ghira about recent events. Lumina did the same. The pair already knew she made it but insisted on a small celebration of her success in the examination.
Ilia joined as well, currently recovering from injury herself; she began patrolling alone in preparation of her own application to Shade Academy. Her skill vastly improved, but so did the danger. As she told it, a waspoid Lancer caught her foot with its stinger; Ilia was limping, though slated to make a full recovery within the week.
They were momentarily interrupted by a storm of rose petals cresting over the horizon. Ruby had followed the trail of Lumina's Essence across the ocean. Her aura was low and the other girl winded from the exertion, but in good cheer regardless. The Belladonnas greeted her with interest and warmth; Ilia was wary, but warmed up to Ruby rather quick.
The three young women sat together at the coast that evening. They looked out to sea, all silent.
Lumina mused about her uncertain emotional state. The tranquility after that recent upset felt... nice. It was a peace she desired to last. Yet at the same time she knew it would not; Salem existed in the shadows, a scourge upon Remnant.
Were The Radiance alive, She could smite Salem with ease. As it were, the crowned light was dead but dreaming, now known as Lumina. She could not settle the issue with overwhelming power. At the same time she was curious about this Salem character; who was she and what did she actually want?
"Lien for your thoughts?" Ilia queried. The chameleon faunus had her bad leg stretched out to the side, Lumina noticed when glancing back. She shrugged.
"What to do next, mostly. There is a great deal of work to be done. Light once buried will awaken in time."
It spoke volumes that neither of her companions even challenged the cryptic statement.
Ruby nodded, offering a little smile. "I mean, we have a good thing going, right?"
"That we do," Lumina agreed. She was not just being polite there either; having a partner felt nice even if she did not need one. The moth could not help but study Ruby for a time; perhaps she should feel annoyed that she wanted to depend on someone, but she could not make herself.
Her partner did not seem to care much for the introspective mood. She piped up soon enough: "Actually, I never asked: why did you want to become a Huntress?"
"For the fame, mostly. I was killing creatures of Grimm anyway, so it is a simple path for me."
"...oh. That's not really what I expected."
So saying, Ruby could not quite hide her confusion. Her furrowed brows settled a moment later, though. The young woman snapped her fingers. "Oh, right! I was meaning to ask, shouldn't you have a weapon? You can afford it now!"
Her enthusiasm returned, not diminished even when Lumina shook her head. "Come on, it'll be great! Look, I'm not certified yet but I can make you something if you want! You can't keep running around without a weapon, it's just wrong!"
Ilia giggled in the background while tactical puppy dog eyes were deployed against Lumina. She weathered them stoically, yet Ruby's argument got her to thinking. If just for peace of mind, she may as well agree.
That realisation drew a soft sigh from Lumina. "Very well. I do have the money now."
Ruby cheered and dashed back on home right after dinner. Ghira remained amused but also thoughtful.
"Being able to move that fast is certainly convenient," he mused. "You could both find work as couriers around the world."
Lumina had to agree, though she preferred her current profession.
That evening, laying in 'her' bed, she idly played with a shard of sunsteel. Pure ivory, forged in the fire of a star and materialised from her Dream. It was firm and sturdy, but just this tiny shard drained a notable amount of aura. It was simply inefficient. Then again, taking a few days of downtime to materialise enough steel for a weapon may be worth considering.
Alas, most of her old powers still felt inconceivably far away. Unavailable, all because of that damned vessel. Thinking back to the encounter with Ghost still baffled and enraged her.
It took far too long to realise that this thing never fought her out of malice. It was not even programmed to act against The Radiance. No, it simply existed at her. It kept existing and surviving the cavalcade of bodies she threw at it in her anger. Until it found her and, in the end, killed her.
The godslayer dwelled on Remnant, yet its presence was not what bothered Lumina the most. She was furious with herself for taking so long to realise. Had she let go of her hatred in time, she never would have ended like this. Diminished, trapped in mortal flesh and at the whim of time. At the same time, she realised with sudden clarity, if she were still whole but sealed, she never would have met them. Selina, Kali, Ghira, Ilia, Ruby. Not a single one of them could have become dear to her.
As much as she might want to deny it, they all became precious. Far more than Lumina expected.
She pushed the entire train of thought away, unwilling to engage with it further. It was time to sleep.
Elsewhere, the Fall Maiden once more awoke in a secret laboratory below Beacon.
Amber was weak, that the wizened headmaster knew. She spoke faintly as he monitored her status. The Maiden's power was whole again, meaning that Cinder Fall died; he already called off the search for her. This did not undo the damage done to Amber, though. Her muscles atrophied after a months-long coma and she would require physical therapy to recover. Even that was just a pipe dream for now, though.
Then again, Amber herself seemed happy just to be alive.
"Fortune favours us of late," James ventured from his side when Amber fell silent. He kindly held up a glass of water for her to drink from. "Amber is whole again and there was not even a peep since the day of the dragon. What is more, a new legend is on the rise."
He glanced to Ozpin. "Are you sure you don't know what happened to Amber's attackers?"
He absently shook his head. Being reminded of Lumina brought back the handful of conversations they had.
"W-What happened?" Amber asked into the silence. "What dragon?"
While James filled her in on current affairs, the local headmaster continued to muse. Even the notoriously firm General Ironwood spoke of Lumina with respect. He freely admitted they did not see eye to eye, but he could appreciate the younger woman's down-to-earth demeanour.
Once his old friend finished the recounting, he spoke up himself: "What do you think of her, James?"
"That is a difficult question. She seems ulikely to stir up trouble, but her own beliefs are firm. Perhaps unshakeable. Having her for an enemy is a worrying prospect."
Which did say a lot; perhaps he had even picked up on the more subtle hints as to Lumina's nature.
Ozpin could only nod. "More so than you know, James. More so than you know."
He had meant to leave it at that, but James and Amber both displayed a great deal of curiousity. There was no real danger in telling them a little more as long as he was mindful of their mental states.
"It was her wrath alone that lured the dragon that day. From previous conversations I gathered that she drew Grimm to her like moths to a flame for a long time."
There Ozpin paused in realisation. He huffed softly. "Pun not intended."
It seemed neither of the other two quite noticed it themselves. Rather, they were concerned now. Reading their thoughts out of their faces was a simple matter. The oldest of the three inclined his head in agreement. "Yes. Such an individual would normally not survive to adulthood. For her, I can tell it was not luck that saw her through. She is more than meets the eye."
Before his mind's eye flickered another moth, one he but glimpsed. Everything felt so meaningless in comparison to Her radiance even now. As if in response to that thought, the great moth fluttered her wings; somehow Ozpin knew She was looking back. She knew he thought of Her. It was in equal parts intriguing, impressive, and terrifying.
"More in which way?" James inquired. It was not quite a demand, but his wariness shone through. This was something Ozpin needed to head off now.
"In a way that can upset all of Remnant. Whether she ends up a saviour or a villain, though. That is yet to be seen." He did mean to push James a little with that comment. Seeing his fellow headmaster's expression harden, Ozpin finished the statement: "Do not antagonise her. If she aligns herself with Salem out of spite, the world will be doomed."
James was clearly not happy, but he did not argue. Amber broke the tense silence with a question of her own: "You think she would? Destroy the world out of spite?"
He could do little more than shrug.
"Mayhaps. What I know is that these strong feelings of hers kept her alive. Leave her be, the both of you. Though I doubt you will meet her anytime soon," he added kindly toward Amber. "We can only wait for now. Wait and provide guidance so she is not led astray."
They left it at that and continued setting up a more detailed plan for Amber's recovery. Ozpin could tell James was still not happy with the situation regarding Lumina, but he would follow the older man's lead.
Days passed at Beacon, too. Soon enough the weekly football match between CRDL and SNNL commenced and ended. It remained tense from start to finish, both teams about evenly matched. In the end a swift goal from Dove turned it around in CRDL's favour.
"That's the score tied up again," Selina noted cheerfully. She passed the ball over to SPBY, who challenged CFVY to a match as well. "Guess we'll have to see who's boss next week. Good game, folks."
She bumped fists with Cardin, who wore a shit-eating grin.
"Looks like it. You better prepare to get your asses kicked again!"
Some laughter followed his playfully cocky announcement. Then Nora jumped onto the larger man's back. "Not a chance! We will do the asskicking!"
Selina and Dove cackled while their huge friend tried to throw Nora off. As usual however, it took Ren's intervention to dislodge her. Or rather to make Nora allow herself being dislodged. Once the excitement passed, Cardin took a look at his scroll and turned away.
"Time for me to get a move on. See ya!"
He was already out of reach when the words registered. Selina blinked after him owlishly, uncertain what to make of the sudden departure. "What? Where's he going?"
"Hitting the showers," Sky commented with a knowing look and a chuckle. Wrapping an arm around Selina's shoulder, he whispered conspiratorially: "Dude got a date lined up."
Selina whistled at that and glanced between her friends. "She cute?"
"Nah, not really my type." Sky let go of her right after, somewhat sheepish. Dove shrugged.
Meanwhile, Russel was fidgeting. "I mean, kinda?" he ventured. "She's plain, more like."
All three acted a little awkward, at least until Selina shouted after Cardin's retreating back: "Have fun, big guy! And don't be a jerk!"
He flipped her off over his shoulder, prompting laughter from most of the students present. It was a jovial moment for all of them, standing together like this.
Pyrrha brought up what Selina noticed only somewhat once everyone calmed down: "Is there a reason you three are so skittish."
The guys hesitated at that. Looks were exchanged as neither of them seemed to know how to answer the question. Ultimately it was Sky who made to respond with an awkward shrug: "Little bit. Never took Cardin for, er, y'know." He threw a look at Selina, but did not say any more. Not that she did not understand.
"Ah, so he asked out a faunus girl?" Three nods were given. "Good for him. Anyone we know?"
"Nah." Dove shook his head for emphasis. "Some girl in town. I think she's a deer? With her trait, I mean. Do deers have antlers?"
That was a good question. Selina had no idea. Thankfully, she had a Ren to field the question in her stead: "Rarely. It may be a caribou trait, or elk."
Not that it mattered in the end. Selina was happy for Cardin and pleased that conversion worked as intended. She had to call Ghira soon and tell him about her success; changing the world in one go remained a pipe dream, but doing so one person at a time still improved it.
Meanwhile, Lumina soared atop the Grimmlands.
She managed to head out alone because Ruby was busy planning up her partner's weapon-to-be. This was the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at Salem without exposing the other girl to danger. She still did not quite know how to feel about that being's existence, but she was certainly intrigued. Nobody else was informed, either. Lumina was out gathering information so that she could decide on a course of action.
Knowing the rough location from Cinder's memories, she could have flown far faster than she did. The scenery required some consideration, though.
This land was dead.
Rivulets of black sludge carved deep trenches into the barren earth. Not even proper void but dregs. No plants grew, no animals could be heard. The only noises beside a gale's soft whisper were the rustle of Lumina's clothes and the calls of beasts.
Though many of them noticed the moth due to her distaste of them, she was unreachable to the lot. Whatever flying creatures came close were exterminated. As gratifying as it would be to destroy them all, Lumina had a purpose here.
She still spent time searching for even a single spot of life, but nothing presented itself. Only empty plains and hills. Not even the sun shone onto this desolate realm, blotted out by a constant cover of thick clouds.
It took about an hour of flight before she spotted the castle. Hewn from black stone that may be solidified void matter, it loomed ominously above several pools of the latter. Lumina's distaste grew even stronger at the sight, but she held back once more.
Gliding closer on spread wings, she soon spotted a figure awaiting her on an elevated platform. Dressed in grey and black, the woman stood relaxed. Crimson eyes gleamed in the Grimmlands' eternal twilight. Lumina answered with a soft golden shine and descended on a ray of sunlight. Only upon landing did she realise that black veins ran across the woman's face. Her ashen hair was trapped in several tight braids, almost like a crown.
Lumina met her gaze evenly. Being human, she possessed animal instincts that told her to flee or curl up under this being's attention. Danger rolled off the woman like tangible waves, shards of Essence flickered and flared around her.
Any lesser being would quake in their boots, but what was she to The Radiance? Her threatening aura rolled off Lumina like water parts before a rock. Their silent standoff continued a moment longer, in which the woman seemed to find what she sought.
"Visitors are quite rare in these parts," she ultimately spoke. Her voice was deep, filled with an absolute certainty and the faint echo of something other. "Especially such prominent ones. What is it you seek, Huntress?"
Lumina snorted, uncertain if the attempts to alienate her were purposeful or mere happenstance.
"I come seeking knowledge," she retorted. "Your origin as well as your purpose and designs for Remnant. The question is: will you answer, Salem?"
This earned her a faint smile, pretending warmth that Salem did not feel. Beasts crawled around them, suddenly roused to motion. Lumina ignored them while Salem raised one thin arm.
"Colour me impressed. Few were ever brazen enough to seek me like you have. I will answer, but so will you."
"Very well."
Their accord struck, Salem turned around and led Lumina along. The instigator of Remnant's strife almost seemed to glide, the hem of her dress fluttering with every motion. They entered the castle and the gate closed behind them.
It did not take long until black and white were seated opposite of each other, darkness and light at each end of a long conference table. They both studied the other for a time, though little tension was felt. In fact, Salem even had tea brought to entertain her guest.
Once she had her fill of attempting to discern the other woman's nature, Lumina broke the silence. Her voice rang clearly in the vast room: "Now. Why are you, to begin with? The void is poison to those not of it and you are clearly human in nature."
Salem's brow creased ever so slightly, eyes gleaming a shade brighter. "You should learn some courtesy, child," she admonished. "I have walked these lands since ancient times."
All that earned her was an arched brow as Lumina sipped her tea. Salem's countenance did not reflect her actual train of thought. "Whatever Ozpin may have told you however," she continued idly, "will not be the whole truth. I am immortal, well and truly. No force in this world can kill me and have it stick. Such was the Brothers' punishment for defying their oppressive will."
That was interesting, if the tiniest bit irritating. To presume her an uninformed fool from the onset. Lumina's cup touched down with a soft click.
"First of all, Ozpin told me nothing. I came by the knowledge of you through other means. Secondly, do you speak of the Brother Gods? They existed?" A nod was given. "I see. I had my suspicions, what with how wide-spread their worship is. Although no one seems to remember them."
Her implied question was taken with a huff from Salem. When she spoke however, her voice was almost toneless: "Of course not. The Brothers eradicated all human life on this world when they left. The broken moon is their doing as well."
"What would make them do so?"
The moment of weakness vanished and Salem laughed. It was a frigid, haunting sound, yet failed to creep beneath Lumina's skin.
"I did," Salem declared with something akin to pride. "They threw a tantrum once their little humans stopped being obedient sheep. They cursed me, so I gathered an army and confronted them to steal their power."
At this point she paused, stopped by an incredulous look from Lumina. The immortal had the grace to be abashed for at least a moment.
"It failed," she admitted, "contrary to my expectations. But it made the two leave Remnant, never to return."
"And why are there still humans if they destroyed them on the way out?"
"They left behind residue of their powers. Not enough to truly uplift the world, but enough to recreate the humans they destroyed. The rest remains as Dust, ever-replenishing."
Now that was curious. Lumina still did not know how this woman came to be infected with the void, but she could definitely read between the lines of this statement. Her brows rose.
"You brought them back?" A nod. "It seems you ended up regretting that decision, considering your current endeavours."
"As a matter of fact, I did not." Salem took a sip from her tea and idly motioned for the world behind this room. "Eternity is dreadfully boring on my lonesome. Watching humans struggle to survive the inevitable is quite interesting. They always die in the end, although their methods and perceived solutions are rarely the same. The cycle will continue until the day I tire of it. The God of Light interfered once from far away. He called upon Ozma, whom you know as Ozpin, to oppose me. Neither understands the extent of my power. He is but human, oh so easily killed."
The immortal chuckled to herself as if hearing a beloved joke once again. Lumina could only incline her head, well aware how alluring the game of life could be. At the same time these 'gods' irritated her.
Then she realised that eradicating their former faithful in a fit of emotion was something not just the Brothers had done. The Pale King's actions suddenly seemed different in that light; the desperation with which he fought her in the end.
She did not know how to feel about that and got no time to figure it out. From one moment to the next, Salem commanded the room: "Enough. You are certainly not a normal faunus, child. Not once have you doubted my tale where even my own retainers meet notions of the Brothers with reverent disbelief. Why?"
The roles had been reversed. Lumina leaned back in her admittedly comfortable chair. She savoured the tea for a moment; a fine blend, not too bitter and with a floral scent.
"I know little of the Brother Gods," she began, "except they are not the only deities in existence." She could tell she had her audience's attention. "Nor are they the oldest. Truthfully, I was not aware they existed to begin with. And I have existed since the beginning of time."
Salem had leaned forward in interest. At the end she arched a brow and challenged: "Really, now? And you would claim this so openly?"
"You were truthful with me and so I shall return the favour."
She maintained her calm, having laid the trap: if Salem lied before, she would now have to wonder if Lumina noticed and did the same to her in turn. At the same time the moth doubted that any untruths had been spoken so far. She simply continued to stack the deck.
"I was once known as The Radiance."
And just like that Lumina felt the tiniest streamer of her Essence settle within Salem. Her name would be remembered, at least for a time. The immortal woman did not even realise.
"Let us say that you were not the only one with aspirations of destroying a higher being. Only the Wyrm succeeded. Or rather his weapon did. I survived him if nothing else."
It hurt to admit, but it remained the truth. Salem mulled over what she heard, studying Lumina.
"And yet you live," she finally challenged. A note of interest swung in her voice as well. Lumina chuckled in response.
"Spite is a powerful motivator. But no, The Radiance is dead for now. In time I will return to Her light."
"From the name and how you talk, she is a goddess of light?"
"Light is the medium through which She exerts her personal power. The Radiance's domain is that of dreams."
"And what of that 'Wyrm'? Who was he?"
Lumina scowled. Of course they would go there.
"The Pale King," she spat. "A being greater than mortals but lesser than I. He beheld The Radiance and envied Her dominion, and so he convinced Her faithful to forget Her."
She wanted to say more but stopped herself; Salem did not need to know how The Radiance was first defeated. She rather went into a different direction: "From what I gathered, he first came to the realm I made my nest from elsewhere. Perhaps another, younger god. His original form, the carcass of a dragon, still lies in the outskirts of Hallownest."
Now she had Salem's undivided attention. The immortal woman displayed real interest for the first time.
"A dragon, you say? The Brothers were quite fond of appearing as such."
Her implication was clear, though Lumina could only shrug. "Perhaps it was one of them. Perhaps not. It does not matter in the end."
Yet even as she said it, she realised that Remnant's void and the one formed from the dead dragon's blood were oh so similar. Although there was no reason to mention that now.
Going by the faint tilt of her head, Salem agreed with her judgement. She had a many-limbed Grimm refill her cup and took another sip while studying Lumina. "Then what interest do you have in these mortal beings? They are nothing, no?"
It took a while for the moth to respond. She thought much the same for a long, long time. Only recently did her feelings change; Selina, Kali, Ghira, Ruby, each of them became precious in a way she never imagined before. The only one who stood ever by her side was Grimm, but their relationship had always been a distant one.
In the end her response was contemplative: "Being mortal myself gave me insight into their thoughts that I always lacked. It is humbling, in a way."
"I can only imagine," Salem returned. There was no real emotion to her empty platitude, though it helped Lumina shake off her odd melancholy.
"Enough of that. Tell me more of the Brother Gods."
Salem complied, though she ultimately had little to say about the Brothers themselves; they left Remnant behind a long time ago. However, they formed a set of four powerful relics for Ozma to use; a set that was said to call the Brothers back to Remnant for some unfathomable reason if brought together. The wizard himself somehow managed to guard these Relics from Salem's designs for a millennium. He was also greatly diminished, having gifted large chunks of his magical prowess to four Maidens.
Lumina already knew of the Maidens. Their origins and the fact each of their powers could open a given Relic's vault Ozma built were news, though.
In addition, it appeared that faunus were a small error of Salem's recreation of humanity. She seemed pleased enough with their role in compounding the strife on Remnant. It irked the moth, but she said nothing.
Once the other woman closed, Lumina offered a few nuggets of information as well. Then she rose.
"I believe I understand now. It was an interesting conversation, but I now have to take my leave."
Salem remained seated, though she arched a brow. "And what makes you think you can leave?" she prompted, creating a heavy silence between them. "Those who approach me usually do so to strike a bargain of sorts. I do not offer charity. And you, claims of divinity aside, would make for a powerful agent."
Sparks of red and black flitted around her body, casting malevolent shadows.
"You should join me."
It was not quite certain which annoyed Lumina more; the attempt at intimidation or the demand she subordinate herself to another.
"No," she denied. "I came for knowledge and I gave knowledge in turn. No further transactions will be made."
"That is unfortunate."
Pain blossomed across Lumina's back before the final word was spoken. She turned with the motion, both her wings slashed apart; there stood a gaunt man with vibrant yellow eyes, grinning maniacally. He somehow cut through her aura with a pair of blades.
Pain and indignation drained all rational thought at the sight of how pleased he looked. A radiant beam of light chewed through his aura and his face; it cut a hole through Salem's entire castle. Then a barrage of colourful lights took her in the back before the corpse finished its descent.
Lumina's aura dropped precariously and almost broke, but she managed to evade. Flickering away with the final drop, she made it out of the castle. Yet she painfully dropped to the ground with both her wings shredded by the surprise attack.
Beasts converged on her, drawn by the incandescent bonfire that was her wrath. Lumina weaved between them, even managed to avoid them for a time. She regenerated enough aura to manage another flicker, but it only got her another kilometre away. It was a start, though nowhere near enough to get her to safety.
Her mind was awhirl with anger, both at Salem and herself. She got carried away again and was out of aura for it. She let her guard down trusting in its protection, now she paid the price for her foolishness.
Lumina kept jogging despite the self-flagellation and pain; if she could buy time until some more of her aura regenerated, she could escape and formulate a plan. She could make this damned miscreant understand the enemy she made today.
Unfortunately, these very thoughts continued to draw the beasts; not a single one was weak, each one ancient. Massive Beringels lumbered after her as Sphinxes descended from the sky. Lumina somehow barely stayed ahead of them; she was too focussed on that to realise that they all backed off when another joined the fray.
Its first lunge would have caught her if it had not shone with silvery Essence.
The massive hound caught itself and bounded after her; the next time it leapt, Lumina had to roll away desperately; sand rubbed over her tattered wings and drew a pained hiss. The moment of distraction was enough for the Hound to capitalise. Its jaws closed around her leg.
Lumina grunted as she was swung around; bones snapped and ligaments tore with every jerky motion until she could no longer move. Every part of her body burned, but she refused to scream. No tears escaped her, even when the beast started dragging her broken form back.
An agonising eternity passed before the castle appeared in her sight once more. Then Salem entered her field of vision, as irreverent as before. Calm, distant, pleased.
"Whether you spoke the truth or not," she mused with faux gentleness, "I always wanted to kill a goddess."
Lumina glared back at her, refusing to so much as twitch. Even though the pain nearly overwhelmed her, she refused her body's urge to scream, plead, and wail.
Salem was not impressed.
"Any last words you wish to utter? I do so adore collecting them."
That did it. Lumina's anger overflowed to the point several nearby Grimm flinched back from her. Eyes gleaming gold, she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her vision already grew hazy, but she did not care.
"This is not. Over." She spat, heaving with each word. Indignation alone kept her concious. "You. Will. Regret. This. Dawn. Will. Break!"
She fully expected a killing blow, but Salem just kept staying there. She still wore that faint, almost indulgent smile. Blood began to pool around Lumina, but her glare did not diminish. Salem clearly took notice of the expectant silence as her amusement grew.
"I am not going to give you the pleasure of a swift death after your declaration. Take your time, sooner or later that defiance will run out."
This was likely supposed to break her; on Lumina it had the opposite effect. Her wrath only grew at being denied that little bit of closure. This creature, this tiny little thing, was going to treat her death throes as a show. Not even that blasted vessel dared to do such a thing!
Her emotions ran strong enough to recover the tiniest spark of aura. Not enough to escape, but that no longer mattered. Lumina's mouth flapped, the half-delirious goddess grasping for words to speak. She could not hold to her usual eloquence, but then she did not need to. She remembered clearly what Selina would have said in her place.
"Fuck. You."
Then she promptly shredded her own brain with light.
Lumina dropped dead, leaving a befuddled Salem. The immortal woman bent down to study the corpse before shrugging her shoulders. "Huh. Oh well. Throw her in one of the pools."
The Hound approached once ordered and dragged the corpse away. Neither it nor Salem spotted how the Essence surrounding them dispersed.
Back at Beacon, Selina and Velvet suddenly got the faint feeling that something was wrong. Kali and Ghira felt it as well, yet no one could tell what caused the premonition. Ruby was still toiling in her workshop when it struck; she paused, squinted, and shook her head before getting back to work.
Cinder's body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. She lay dead in the Emerald Forest, ignored by the creatures of the void; an empty shell felt nothing, thus it was of no interest to them.
And in the Grimm Troupe's encampment, Brumm's jolly tunes slowed into a funeral march.
