The fire was even hotter than Natsu expected. Black flames mixed with the scalding steam of the magma jets as he darted across the cracked landscape. He couldn't get close. Fafnir was too well protected.

"Come on! You're the original right?! That all you got?!"

Twin streams of flames sought out the amnesiac hunter. He barely dodged in time. Though it was only a slight reprieve.

"Were you always this slow?"

The moment Natsu's feet touched the ground Fafnir was behind him. He grabbed his wrist, tightened his grip and a flash of black fire consumed Natsu in an instant. When the flames subsided Natsu's scorched body fell limply to the ground, his arm being held up by a smirking Fafnir.

"There's no one here but you and me." He taunted. "Your annoying friends can't save you."

Natsu slowly looked up, his lips pulled back into a weak, yet confident, grin. "That all...you got…?"

Fafnir returned his counterparts grin with one of his own, albeit much darker.

"Oh the fun is just getting started."


Cinder listlessly watched from her bed as Beryl tended to the garden just outside the window. The girl waved and smiled, but Cinder made no effort to return the pleasantry.

Her entire body ached. That made sense. She had fallen hundreds of feet. Even if she hit water at the bottom of the chamber, the impact would have no doubt broken nearly every bone in her body, and that was if her Aura was active. Cinder Fall had died. This was an indisputable fact. She felt the last dregs of life exit her body as she sunk deeper into the bottomless lake. She watched the world above her grow dark. Yet here she was as if it had never happened.

"How am I alive?"

The question echoed in the empty room for several seconds as if she were waiting for someone answer her. No such thing came. She knew the Maiden powers were gone. That only added to the mystery of her survival. Death was the only way a Maiden's powers could be transferred, Ozpin's perversions of technology were an outlier.

So how was she still alive?

Was it because of the unnatural way the power was split between herself and Pyrrha Nikos? It was a possibility, but a distant one.

She felt a pain in her arm. Underneath the blanket the Grimm arm grafted onto her by Salem started to throb. It had transformed somehow. Changing from the ghoulish claw she had wrapped in worn bandages, into a regular human limb – albeit completely black. The dull pain shot up her arm, through her shoulder, cascaded down her neck, and finally stopped at her chest. That was when she realized what it was that brought her back to life.

"The arm?"

She tried to wrap her head around the concept, but the more she thought about it the less sense it made. Grimm were living beings, but still weren't considered alive in the literal sense. They were more closely linked to undead, or at least a being in constant limbo. How could something that is not alive bring back the dead? The thought hurt her head.

At first the unnatural fusion of the arm pained her every day. She had to use her maiden abilities to keep it in check, but now she felt next to nothing. It was as if this arm had finally accepted her as its master, or maybe she accepted it as part of her. When she focused, she could change it back into a claw.

This might prove useful. She thought to herself before returning it to its hand form.

After having more or less figured out the reason for her resurrection, another thought crossed Cinder's mind: how weak she had become.

She was always keenly aware of her own power in relation to others around her ever since she was a small child. A low level Aura detection ability that she had fostered by Salem. It was a gift when she was stronger, but a curse when she wasn't. If Cinder had to guess, she was no stronger than the woman outside tending the garden. In fact she might have been even weaker given the strain the loss of the Maiden power put on her body.

All that time spent gaining power only to have it ripped away from her. It was maddening. There was a time when she was strong enough to challenge Ozpin himself, now she was too weak to even walk under her own power.

"Damn them." she cursed, Raven and Pyrrha's faces in her mind.

For the third time her eyes wandered to her supposed savior. If she remembered right the girl's name was Beryl.

The thought of killing the girl crossed Cinder's mind the moment she woke up, but judging by Beryls reaction - or lack thereof - to seeing her face, she had no idea who she was. There were no weapons in the house - which Cinder thought was beyond foolish - so she clearly wasn't a Huntress or a mercenary; which didn't seem to fit with the majority of people who had lived in Shin'en. She was something of an oddity, but Cinder had neither the time nor desire to worry about it. Her main focus was recovery. Everything could be settled after that.

"I-I'm sorry. I don't have it right now."

"You don't have it? Do you know how rude that is?"

Cinder watched Beryl talk to two men; her face clearly distressed as they inched closer to her.

"Our boss is nice enough to let you and your brother use this land for your little farm, but it ain't free of charge." said a portly man wearing sunglasses.

Cinder could just barely make out the spider tattoo on his calf muscle. It looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"I-I know." Beryl apologized with a bow of her head. "I am very grateful to Miss Malachite for all she's done for us. I just need a little more time. Once my brother returns from his job we'll-ah!"

The fat man grabbed Beryl by the hair and pulled her in close.

"You got three days. After that we ain't asking anymore. Understand?"

"Y-yes!" she nodded with tears in her eyes. "I understand!"

"Good." He threw her to the ground and laughed with his companion - a man with long blonde hair - as they walked off.

"T-thank you so much!" Beryl bowed her head, her clothes caked with mud and grass as she watched the men leave. When they were out of sight she picked up the vegetables she had dropped, placed them in the basket, and returned to the house. It wasn't until she started washing the produce that she saw Cinder had awakened.

"Oh! You're awake! You must be thirsty. Let me get you some water."

"I don't-"

Before Cinder could finish her protest, Beryl had already filled a glass with water from the sink and handed it to her. Even with her face and dress covered in dirt she was still smiling.

How foolish.

"Do you feel better today? Any pain?"

"I'm fine." Cinder said roughly after finishing the drink and placing it on the nightstand.

"That's good." Beryl took the glass. "Hold on just a moment. I'll go get breakfast started."

"Who were those men?"

Cinder's question stopped Beryl in her tracks. She gripped the sides of the doorway, her lithe arms shaking just a bit, and looked back to Cinder. The smile she was wearing was starting to falter and there were still tear stains on her cheeks.

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

Once Beryl started cooking, Cinder returned to the window. It looked like it was going to rain again.


The lights of the Argus train station illuminated the night sky as the damaged Limited slowed to a stop on the platform. The passengers, still anxious from the Grimm attack just a few hours, eagerly escaped the train once the doors opened. An outpouring of men, women, and children flooded the platform, tears in their eyes as they greeted the loved ones that came to meet them.

The Hunters were the last to leave the train, an exhausted Ren being helped along up by Jaune.

"You ok?" the blonde asked.

"Yes." Ren nodded. "I just need to rest for a bit. I've never cloaked something so large before"

Jaune patted his friend's shoulder with a smile. "You did good, man."

"Yeah, Ren! You were awesome! You too, Jaune!" Nora added, her eyes brimming with admiration at her boys. She prepared to tackle them both, but Jaune managed to stop her in time.

A small grin appeared on Ren's face. A rare peek behind his stoicism. "You two did a good job as well. We wouldn't have managed if we all weren't working together."

Suddenly the trio found themselves surrounded by cheers and applause by the civilians on the platform. The sight was enough to make Jaune and Nora blush. Even Ren couldn't hold in his embarrassment for long.

"Oh stop!" Nora said bashfully. "But you can keep going if you want."

"It was really nothing." Said Ren.

"Y-yeah!" added Jaune as he shook a few people's hands who thanked him. "Just doing our jobs."

"Hey."

Dudley approached the teens as the cheers began to subside; his arm still in a sling. He was nervous; scratching the back of his head as he searched for the right words to say to the trio. Swallowing his pride, he bowed his head towards them.

"Thanks…for what you did back there. If not for you guys, we would have all been Grimm food."

"It was no problem." Assured Jaune. "It took all of us to get out of there alive. We couldn't have done it without you either."

Dudley smirked and puffed out his chest. "Well I am a pro Huntsman after all. I wouldn't be worth my salt if I let a few lame Grimm scare me away."

"Looks like he's back to normal." Nora joked.

Dudley then checked his scroll. "Dammit."

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"I've been trying to call Dee since we got separated, but he's not picking up. He hasn't even called me back. It's starting to freak me out."

"Now that you mention it." Jaune looked at his scroll as well. "Ruby and Pyrrha haven't checked in either." He tried calling both just before the train stopped but got no answer.

"Maybe they just have bad reception." Nora said with an incredulous grin. She was worried about Oscar. "I'm sure they'll call soon."

The blonde put the scroll back in his pocket. "I hope so."

"Jaune!"

A loud voice cut through the crowd. In the distance the group saw a beautiful young woman with long, dirty blonde hair forcing her way towards them. Her eyes were focused squarely on the young knight.

"Whoa! Wait, hold-"

The mysterious girl tackled Jaune to the ground, knocking Ren over as well but Nora caught him before he hit the ground.

"I was so worried about you!" The girl hugged Jaune tightly, her face rubbing his dirty armor as tears streamed down her cheeks. "You should have called and told me you were ok, you idiot! I nearly had a heart attack!"

"Saph…I can't breathe...!" Jaune strained, his arms starting to unnaturally bend under the girl's tight embrace.

"Oh! Sorry!" The girl released her death grip and let the boy up, her eyes still watering.

"Who is this, Jaune?" Ren inquired.

"You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend here." Nora teased.

"She's cute." Dudley grinned.

"Easy, cowboy."

Jaune was confused. "My girlfriend? What? Ew! No! She's my sister!"

"Your sister?!" Ren and Nora exclaimed.

The girl smiled wide and waved. "Nice to meet you. I'm Saphron." She introduced before putting Jaune in a headlock. "Thanks for looking after my adorably stupid little brother."


"I don't get it. All the other abandoned towns we've gone through were either damaged or unfinished, but this place looks perfectly fine."

"I don't think there's anything fine about this place, Rubes."

Ruby and her sister voiced their concerns as their group cautiously proceeded further into the Brunswick Farm. The howling winds accompanied by the harsh snow made it hard to see the path in front of them. Even if Pyrrha was leading the way.

As Ruby said the farm for the most part was completely intact. There were no signs of Grimm or bandit attacks that would have forced the people to evacuate, but then again what criminal would want to raid a farm in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm?

"I can see something." Pyrrha pointed.

A large farmhouse slowly became visible in the distance. When they reached the porch, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief at the discovery of shelter. The snow started to slack just a bit, making the farm as a whole easier to see. As it expected it was very spacious. Though that made the absence of any form of life besides the group all the more unnerving.

In center of the farm was an old stone well, and on the opposite ends of the snow-covered paths away from the well were two wooden houses. They likely belonged to relatives or workers, while the main house belonged to the farm's owner. Various barns dotted the snow-capped landscape as well. None had any animals in them.

The scene reminded Ruby of a movie Yang made her watch when they were children. Something about a group of scientists at an Atlesian outpost who had to survive a mutated Geist grimm that turned people into monsters. She couldn't remember the name of it, but the visual of the empty farm was enough to bring back that unpleasant childhood memory.

Pyrrha rapped her fingers against the farmhouse door.

"Hello? Sorry to intrude but we're travelers who got lost on our way to Argus. We just need a place to stay until the storm lets up if it's not too much trouble."

There was no answer.

"That's not a good sign." Dee uttered nervously.

"Maybe they're sleeping?" Oscar suggested.

Pyrrha knocked again. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Once again no answer came.

"Should we just burst in?" Yang questioned.

"Don't be absurd." Maria shot down. "You kids today. Always want to solve problems with your fists."

"Maybe we should just check the other houses instead." Ruby suggested.

"Everyone." The group looked Pyrrha's way, her hand was on the door handle. "It's unlocked."

The others saw the look in her eyes and grabbed their weapons.

"Pardon the intrusion." Pyrrha pushed the door open, leading the charge along with Ruby and Yang, but there was no need.

The inside of the house was just as empty as the farm outside. Worn wooden floors creaked under the stress of the group's steps, the smell of dust was enough to make them choke, and the aged walls provided no solace from the cold.

"This feels even creepier than outside." Dee commented.

"Hurry up and close that door!" Maria shouted. She was the last to walk in. "It's cold enough as it is."

Pyrrha did as the woman said while Dee and Oscar pushed the drawer from the dining area in front of the door to block some of the cool air from coming in.

The house was dark, not to the point where the group was blind, but dim enough to where they had to squint just a bit to see things properly. When Dee tried to turn on the lights they didn't work.

"I think I saw a chimney outside." Yang said. "Maybe we can start a fire."

"I can help you look for firewood." Oscar offered.

"Thanks, but I'm good on my own."

With that curt reply the blonde left, leaving Oscar's shoulders to sink to the floor.

"Women am I right?" Dee joked, but his attempt to lighten the mood utterly failed. "How about you come look for some light bulbs with me, little man?"

"A-Alright." The boy agreed, happy to be of use.

He followed Dee around the first floor of the house, pushing open a creaking door to the left of the dining area just below the stairs leading to the second floor. Inside the room were rows and rows of books and charts. On the table in the center of the room were numerous papers. Maps about the farms land space, seeding schedules, pricing lists for vegetables, and lots of other information. He remembered seeing things like this while living with his Aunt, but never in this much detail. Then again this farm was much bigger than the one he grew up on.

"Find something?" Dee asked as he poked his head into the room.

"Yeah." Oscar nodded. "Looks like some kind of study, or maybe a library?" He stepped closer to the shelves, the floorboards groaning with his every step.

There was a desk at the end of the room next to the window. It looked just as ragged as all the other wood in the house. On top was a pen, as well as what looked to be an old journal. The dust had been piling for a long time it seemed.

"Well I don't think we'll find bulbs in there." Dee said. "Let's keep looking."

"Ok." Oscar followed the licensed Huntsmen out of the room, but not before taking the dusty journal that was sitting on the desk with him.

Ruby had remained in the entrance hall, the grandfather clock in the far-right corner slowly ticking away. Despite it looking like no one had winded it in ages, the time was surprisingly accurate. An invisible string seemed to pull her forward as she walked through the room, her steps finally coming to a stop in front of a picture hanging on the wall in front of her. It was old, the edges having weathered away over time.

Men, women, and children of various height and ages stood in front of the farm entrance for the picture. Some were smiling, others were not as friendly. Ruby guessed that the family in the center were the ones who owned the house they were currently in, while the families on either side of them resided in the other houses. All things considered it looked like a relatively peaceful photo that gave off a friendly and warm presence; the complete opposite of the farm they had stepped into now. But even so her unease continued to grow.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked as she approached Ruby.

"I don't know. Something feels…off."

"I feel that way as well." The redhead agreed. "Come on. We should look for blankets for when Yang returns with firewood."

Ruby nodded and followed Pyrrha upstairs. Her uneasiness grew even more with each step she took.

On the second floor was a long hallway with three doors on each side. Pyrrha checked the left side while Ruby took the right.

Starting at the door closest to the stairs, Ruby opened it to find a modestly sized bathroom. Other than the dust lining the mirror, bathtub, and toilet, it was perfectly fine to use as long as the water worked. Which she confirmed by turning sink faucet.

On a whim the young girl sniffed her shirt. "Maybe I should take a bath later."

When she looked in the next room, she found a storage closet filled with cleaning supplies and other farm equipment.

Still no blankets.

She moved on to the final room on her side of the hall. The door was already slightly ajar. A shiver crawled up Ruby's spine when she grabbed the handle.

Carefully, she revealed the bedroom inside and her eyes started to wander. There were two figures lying in bed, more than likely the owners of the house she had seen in the photo downstairs. They were sleeping.

Ruby's gut tightened. They had to be pretty heavy sleepers if they were able to ignore all the racket she and the others had made throughout the house.

"E-excuse me."

She reached for the body under the blanket.

Her heart pounded in her ears.

Her hands started to sweat.

Her mouth went dry.

The figure turned.

Ruby screamed.

"Ahhhhh!"


The Pequod continued to sail the now clear Menagerian waters as the sunset; it would reach the port in the Net in a few short hours

There was shuffling about in the cabins as everyone made preparations for when the journey came to an end. Most were happy to finally be home, eager to regale their loved ones of tales of their heroics against the villainous White Fang, others were saying this was a one time deal and they hoped to never pick up a weapon again.

Weiss Schnee was in neither camp. Her family lived in Atlas so she had no one to tell, not that she wanted to tell in the first place, and the fighting was nowhere near as brutal as the Fall so she had no need to be wary. Instead her only concern was her unconscious brother finally getting the proper medical attention he needed. The way she saw it they couldn't get to the island fast enough.

Neon had gone to ready a few more things along with Blake and her parents, but Weiss elected to once again stay behind to watch over Natsu.

"It was bad enough that we let you bring that Schnee along. The people are starting to feel that you're too involved with these humans. Bringing them to the island will only increase that fear."

"You're gonna have to make a choice soon: us or them. I don't care if they're your friends. If they put you or any of our people in danger, I won't hesitate to put them down."

The conversation she had overheard on the upper deck was still very fresh in her mind. Weiss didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when Blake didn't come back she got worried and went to look for her. She just happened to see Sienna and Ilia escort her friend to the upper deck, and then she just happened to follow. It was completely innocent. She didn't mean to put Blake in such an awkward position.

A slow creaking caught Weiss' attention. The door to her cabin was ajar.

"Neon must have left it open. That girl can be so careless."

Weiss got up to close it.

"So nothing's changed?"

Weiss heard a voice and quickly loosed Myrtenaster from her hip. She looked around the room for and intruder, but there was no one inside but herself and Natsu.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" she demanded.

"Calm down, Princess. It's just me." Ilia suddenly appeared next to Natsu's bed; having dropped her camouflage.

Weiss sheathed her weapon. "You know you could have knocked and came in like a normal person."

"Perhaps I just wanted to give you a little scare, your highness." Ilia smirked.

Weiss rolled her eyes and returned to her chair. "Well you succeeded so well done. Also I have a name. I would greatly appreciate if you used it."

"Don't worry. I know your name good and well, but not everything goes your way just because you want it to, Princess."

Weiss was starting to get agitated. "If you've come here simply to pester me, then you may kindly leave."

"Still trying to order people around?" Ilia chuckled. "Sorry, but I'm not like those little slaves that follow you around because of your family name."

Weiss shot up from her chair. "How dare you?! I-"

"I know you were eavesdropping earlier. Hear anything good?"

Weiss looked away in shame. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to snoop."

Ilia shrugged. "I don't really care. It's not like I'm one to judge, but I am curious about something. Why did you decide to come here? I could tell when you got on the boat you were more than a little uncomfortable being around so many Faunus. So why leave the safety of Atlas to come all the way out here?"

Weiss placed her hands on top of one another to stop their shaking. "That's…that's none of your business."

"It actually is." Ilia pushed back. "You being on this boat puts everyone at risk, including Blake. Even if she doesn't want to see it. There's probably people searching for you right now and-"

"No. There isn't." Weiss interrupted.

"What?"

"No one is looking for me." Weiss repeated. "Even if there was, the closing of the borders would prevent them from leaving Atlas anyway. As far as the world is concerned, I'm still safely locked away in my family's estate. At least I'm sure that's what my Father reported."

Ilia couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of sympathy for the former heiress, but she didn't let it show. Weiss was still a Schnee after all. There was every possibility that she was lying.

"I'm sorry." the snow-haired girl apologized. "I didn't-"

"Look, I don't care about your sob stories. Actually, I'm not even sure I believe a word you said. Fact of the matter is you're only here because Blake is vouching for you. That's it. Otherwise we would have thrown you and this…thing overboard a long time ago. Your family and humans like them have caused so much suffering for my people both on and especially off Menagerie. If you truly want to atone, then be a good little girl, stay out of the way, and do what you're told. The quicker you're gone, the quicker things will go back to the way they were. Got it?"

Weiss slowly nodded. "I-I understand."

"Good." Having said her piece Ilia promptly left the cabin, ignoring the look of shame on Weiss' face as she exited.

"Ilia?"

Before she was halfway down the hall she crossed paths with Blake.

"Where have you been?" the militia leader asked. "Sienna's been looking for you. She said she needed you to look at something."

Ilia smirked. "I was just visiting our resident Princess."

Blake's stare narrowed. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing I hadn't said before."

"Ilia-"

"Stop worrying. I didn't say anything bad. Just reminding her of her place." She pushed past Blake.

"Ilia!" Blake's call was ignored as the chameleon faunus disappeared up the stairs. "What is her problem?"

Blake continued on to Weiss' room, knocking and announcing herself before coming in. When she entered Natsu was still sleeping, but Weiss' head was down.

"Weiss?"

"Hmm?" Weiss looked up to her friend. "Oh, Blake. Hello. I didn't hear you come in. I trust everything went well?"

"Yeah. We should reach Menagerie soon."

"That's good." She said through a forced smile. "I think I've worn out my sea legs."

The faunus noticed the water pooling in the corners of her friend's eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Hmm? Oh this?" she wiped the tears away quickly. "I just yawned. It's quite tiring sitting here and doing nothing but playing watchman all day."

"What did Ilia say to you?"

"Ilia? I'm not sure what you-"

"Weiss." Blake interrupted. "I just ran into her in the hall. She told me she left here. Do you need me to go talk to her-"

"No!" Weiss suddenly shouted, startling Blake. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to raise my voice. It's just…I've caused enough problems already. I don't think it would be best to rock the boat further. Pardon the pun."

"Weiss…" Blake pulled up a chair and sat next to her despondent comrade. "I'm sorry about Ilia. She means well, but she can be a bit...awkward at times."

"That's certainly one way to describe her, but she wasn't wrong about what she said."

"What did she say."

"Nothing I wasn't already aware of. My being here puts you and the other passengers at risk. You only allowed me to come because I was being so obstinate."

"Yeah you were kind of forceful." Blake joked.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Gee. Thanks."

"But I don't really mind it." Blake continued, this time grabbing Weiss' hand. "You want to make an effort to help improve the relations between humans and Faunus. I'm not going to fault you for that. In fact, it makes me happy. You've come a long way from the prejudiced, arrogant, know it all heiress I met at Beacon."

"Hey!"

Blake chuckled. "What I'm saying is that you've grown, and I'm proud to call you my friend."

"Oh, Blake." Weiss teared up and hugged the Faunus. "I feel the same way. I really missed you."

"I missed you too."

They released each other and looked to Natsu.

"I promise we'll get him to a doctor the second we dock." Blake declared

"Thank you." Weiss smiled, a small one this time but, much more genuine than before.


The crackling fire was the only sound emanating from the common area of the main farmhouse. Ruby sat closest to the flames, arms wrapped around her shuddering body as Maria, Oscar, and Dee sat on the furniture behind her. She hadn't spoken in almost two hours.

Yang came down the stairs with a blanket in hand and wrapped it around her sister, noticing her slight jump at the contact. The blonde sat next to Ruby, allowing the shaken girl to rest her head on her shoulder.

The front door opened, the fierce wind lowering the temperature inside the house for a brief moment. In walked Pyrrha, brushing away the snow that had piled onto her armor. Everyone looked her way. She shook her head.

"It's the same in every house."

The shock was written on the group's faces.

Corpses. That was the sight that made Ruby scream.

In the upstairs bedroom, two decaying husks rested in the queen-sized bed. Their sunken in faces showed no real signs of distress, and there were no wounds of any kind. It was like they had simply gone to bed and had never woken up.

Despite all the horrors she had seen in her short life, there was something about the sight of the couple upstairs that shook the girl to her core. Every time she closed her eyes she saw their faces; hollow as if the life had been drained out of them.

"Are we really staying here?" asked a frightened Oscar.

"There's not much of a choice, I'm afraid." reasoned Maria. "That blizzard is only getting worse. If we tried to leave we'd die long before we found another place to stay."

"Perhaps I could go alone and search." Pyrrha volunteered. "The cold doesn't affect me. I could find a shelter and-"

"And then what?" questioned the old woman. "That immunity of yours doesn't last forever I imagine. Besides, how would you let us know you succeeded? Last I checked our Scrolls are deader than the bodies on this farm." Everyone stared at Maria incredulously. "Too soon?"

"Bottom line is that we can't really go anywhere until morning." Said Yang. "So I guess we might as well try to make the best of it. Large place like this should have some supplies around here that we can use. I can check around the grounds. Might even be something that can haul us outta here."

"I'll go with you." Dee offered. "Anything to get out of this creepy place."

"Alright. Let's go while the snow's letting up." When Yang stood up to leave she felt Ruby gripping her coat. The blonde smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon. I promise."

Ruby tentatively released her sister and watched her leave with Dee into the storm.

"I'm going to the restroom." Pyrrha announced. "When I come back, Ruby and I will look for some food. Is that ok?"

The girl nodded. "Be careful."

Pyrrha made her way up the creaking stairs, passing the now closed master bedroom, and headed towards the bathroom on the far right. The second she closed the door she felt herself becoming dizzy, catching herself on the sink counter before she fell over. She had been using her abilities nonstop since before the train crash. She still wasn't used to the full maiden powers, so the strain was still a little much for her body to bear. However, she couldn't let that weakness show to the others. They were counting on her.

"Is it everything you wanted?"

"Wha-?"

Pyrrha's eyes searched around the small bathroom, but she was the only one inside.

"It must be hard to wield such power on your own."

"Who's there?"

"You should know the answer to that, Pretender."

Pyrrha slowly looked into the bathroom mirror, to her shock the face staring back at her wasn't her own.

"C-Cinder?"

The former maiden smiled. "Intoxicating isn't it? Even now I bet you're trembling with anticipation. Waiting for the next time you'll be able to use your power."

Pyrrha's eyes trailed down to her hand, as Cinder said it was shaking. She held herself to stop it.

"This isn't possible. You're dead. I'm…I'm just exhausted. This is just a hallucination."

"Whether I'm real or not is irrelevant. You know my words are true. You feel it don't you? The addiction of power. The lust for more of it. Does it not feel good?"

"I'm not like you!" the redhead denied. "I don't wield power solely for myself!"

"Such a convenient lie." Cinder dismissed. "You heard that genie's tale. Anyone would have done. You were simply the closest at the time. I mean why else would you have accepted Ozpin's proposal in the first place?"

"Because it was something only I could do." Pyrrha defended. "I was chosen to safeguard the world and-"

"You don't believe that drivel. That's just something you tell yourself to hide the truth. You say you want to protect others, but in reality you just want to test your limits. There is no shame in that."

"No…you're wrong!" Pyrrha looked away, but her twisted reflection continued to speak.

"It's not a sin to want power. Power rules all. Ozpin had it and he controlled the world until it was taken from him. Salem has it now. You could be in their place. Push past your limitations."

"Stop…"

"Challenge the other Maidens. If they are unworthy of their power, is it not your duty to relieve them of that burden? It is in service to the world, right? No one would blame you."

"Stop it…"

"Your so called 'friends' deceive you. They want to use your power for their own ends. They don't truly care about you. They only care about how useful you are to them."

"You're wrong!"

"When they realize what you truly are, they will begin to despise you. Even Natsu will-"

"Shut up!"

Pyrrha punched the mirror, shattering it into millions of pieces that fell in the sink and around her feet. She fell to her knees, her hands shaking as her aura healed the scars caused by the broken glass.

"Pyrrha?! Are you ok?! What happened?!"

Ruby was pounding on the door, her frightened shouts echoing in the redhead's ears.

"I'm-I'm ok!"

"Are you sure? I heard something break."

"It was the mirror. I guess this place is older than we thought." Her weak joke managed to pacify her friend.

"Ok…well I'll be right here until you get out."

"Ok. Thank you, Ruby."

Pyrrha washed her hands, her eyes set on "Cinder's" superior smirk in the broken mirror as blood and water circled down the drain.


The howling storm winds pushed Yang and Dee towards the shed closest to the main house. It took both of them to close the sliding door, the dusty shelves and old equipment rustling at their backs as the snow pounded their hands and faces.

After cleaning themselves off they were able to take a look at what was inside the shed. Multiple shelves were filled with supplies worn from years of stagnation. A tractor was sitting to their immediate right. Yang could tell with a glance that it was unusable.

"What do you think happened here?" asked the train guard.

"Don't know." Yang replied almost robotically.

"Think it had something to do with that fountain in the middle of the farm? Maybe someone contaminated it."

"Probably."

Yang remained distant as she continued her search through the dust and cobwebs for anything they could use. She had put up a brave front for her sister back at the house, but the revelations Jinn brought to light about Ozpin and Salem still weighed heavy on her mind. If not for her sister she would have abandoned this mission right then and there. Though maybe there was still time.

"…I saw it on TV." Dee said suddenly, his eyes on Yang's prosthesis as she combed the shelves. "The Fall of Beacon, I mean."

Yang stopped. Dee continued.

"It wasn't long after me and Dudley got our Hunter's licenses. We were watching the Vytal festival from the hotel in the capital city because some of our underclassmen were participating. That's when everything started to go down. I knew you guys looked familiar, but I didn't really remember until now. You're the one that injured that kid from Haven, and the redhead was the one that destroyed that robot girl from Atlas."

Yang turned around in a rage, her eyes red. The temperature in the shed started to rise.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" Dee put his hands up in surrender. "I'm not tryna pick a fight or anything. I was just saying."

Yang took a breath and her eyes returned to normal. Dee breathed a sigh of relief.

"So what? Are you going to judge me for something that happened over a year ago?"

"Not really. I guess I just wanted to say thank you."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Thank me for what?"

"Well not just you. I mean all of you guys. When we saw the news reports of the attack it was like something out of a horror flick. People were being mowed down left and right by not just Grimm, but by the White Fang and Atlesian Knights too. It was pretty gruesome stuff."

"You don't have to remind me. I was there." Yang retorted as she clutched her metal arm.

"R-Right. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is that watching all of that really put stuff into perspective. We thought 'that's what we have to deal with on a regular basis?'. I mean we stumbled our way through the Academy. In fact, I think the only reason we even got our licenses was so we wouldn't have to repeat a year. Stuff like that was way too much for a couple normal guys like us to handle. Dudley was just in it for the fame and I needed to support my little sister. We knew stuff would get dangerous, we fought some Grimm here and there, but we never thought it would be that bad. The stress almost made us rip up our licenses right then and there."

Now Yang was slightly intrigued. "So what changed your mind?"

"The longer we watched the more the footage started to change. It slowly went from people dying, to people being saved. We saw this one guy with a scythe save a kid from the robots, General Ironwood was blasting away at Grimm, this lady with a riding crop was lifting debris to save civilians, and we saw you guys too. Even during that tragedy, you kids were putting your lives on the line to protect people. That's what being a Hunter's about I think. At least that's what it sounded like in the story books I read as a kid anyway. I mean…if a bunch of kids can do it, why can't we? So that's why I wanted to say thanks. Also, sorry for what happened that day."

A snicker crept from Yang's lips. Not long after she started to laugh loudly.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing really, just that you thought trying to extort the people that stopped you from quitting was a good idea."

"Hey, guarding a train isn't the most rewarding job in the world. And like I said earlier I didn't know who you guys were at first." Dee then smiled and beat his chest. "That's all done now though. The train might have crashed, but you guys are still passengers on the Argus Limited. Which means you're all under my protection until we reach Argus. I'll even do it free of charge."

"How noble of you." Yang joked. "But that's enough heart to heart. Let's keep looking around."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The pair resumed their search. After a few more minutes passed, Yang came upon a sheet covering something in the back of the shed. She pulled off to reveal a flatbed trailer.

"Guess we found our ride out of here." She said.

"You think your bike can handle all that weight?"

"Insult my bike again and you won't be conscious to find out."

Dee threw his hands up again. "My bad."

Yang looked out the window. The storm was getting worse.

"We should head back to the house before we're snowed in." she suggested.

Dee nodded in agreement. "Right."

He headed for the door, but Yang stayed behind a few seconds longer. Something outside the window had caught her eye. There was a figure standing in the snow. When she squinted to focus her vision, she saw Adam Taurus unsheathing his sword with a sadistic smile.

She jumped back with a gasp, prompting Dee to return to her side.

"You all right?"

Yang looked out of the window again. Adam was gone.

"Y-Yeah. I was just seeing things. Guess I'm exhausted."

"Me too. Come on."

Yang gave the window one last glance before following Dee out of the shed, recalling something Blake said to her before they parted ways.

"Adam is still out there somewhere. I doubt he will come after you, but you should still be careful."

Yang grasped her shaking arm.

"Careful…right."


A small light slowly floated through an underground cellar beneath the farm house. Her face barely illuminated by the light on her scroll's screen, Ruby carefully felt along the walls to urge herself forward into the darkness. Pyrrha was just a step behind, creating a small flame in her hand to light her own path.

Seeing the faint outlines of candles hanging on the walls, Pyrrha snapped her fingers and dispersed the flame into tiny sparks that lit the candles. The lights shined in perfect harmony, revealing various bottles of alcohol on shelves as well as what looked to be a bar.

"You're getting pretty good at that." Ruby complimented.

"Thank you." Pyrrha replied.

As she looked at all the alcohol around them, Ruby's shoulders started to slump.

"Is something wrong?" asked Pyrrha.

"Huh? Oh. No. It's just…I know I shouldn't remember him like this but…"

"You mean your uncle?"

"Y…Yeah." Ruby looked away. "I'm sorry."

"There's no reason to apologize. Let's check further in. There has to be food around here somewhere."

The pair opened the door in the back of the room, revealing a storage with even more alcohol, this time in barrels lining the walls.

"How much did these guys drink?" Ruby questioned as the pungent smell irritated her nostrils.

"The might have been fermenting wine in order to sell it." Pyrrha reasoned as she inspected the containers. "At least making a fire won't be a problem."

There was a door leading further underground in the middle of the storage room, the old handles bound by an even older lock and chain.

"What do you think is down there?" Ruby asked.

"I would think a wine cellar. At least that's what I hope it is..."

"Hey look!" Ruby zipped over to a shelf near one of the alcohol barrels. Her eyes wide with wonder, she shoved a can of beans in Pyrrha's face. "Food!"

Pyrrha examined the shelf, there were dozens of cans of beans as well as various other foods.

"It makes sense that a farm this far out would stockpile so many canned goods. Good job, Ruby."

The girl blushed. "Thanks."

"Ruby?! You here?!" Yang's muffled voiced echoed from above.

"Yang's finally back!" Ruby exclaimed. "Let's get a bunch of these cans and have a feast!"

"I don't know about a feast, but it should at least last us the night." Pyrrha chuckled.

With a wave of her elegant hand, Pyrrha's proper semblance activated. One by one cans of various foods, including beans, moved from the shelf and over to Pyrrha.

"Is this enough?"

There were ten cans of beans, sausage, carrots, and corn floating just above the redhead.

"Yeah…minus the corn." Ruby said with disgust. "That stuff is nasty."

"Don't be like that. Corn is essential for growing girls like us." Pyrrha said with a motherly tone.

"If you say so. Let's hurry out of here, this place is seriously freaking me out."

As the girls left the storage behind, the metal cellar doors slowly cracked open. Then as if to spite its initial sluggishness, the doors quickly fell closed with a loud bang that echoed in the cellar.


New Chapter!

With everything thats going on out there I hope everyone is staying safe and that this chapter brightens your day or week or whatever just a little bit. Things are moving in to place: Natsu has started his fight with Fafnir, Cinder's awake, Blake and the others are about to reach Menagerie, and Ruby's group have started their first night at the Brunswick Farm. Honestly those two episodes on the farm were easily the best in V6 and possibly the entire show depending on your preference. Hopefully I can try and keep that same energy. Never really written horror or suspenseful before so it will be a neat challenge.

As always, leave a comment/review letting me know what you think! Stay safe! Stay healthy! Thanks for reading! :)