Hi...I'm sure you're only here because you were curious about what this had in store. I know most if not all of you have been too busy taking care of either an island or stopping the scourge of hell. So I present you this chapter just in case you need a break. Just know that I'll be a reliable cushion to fall back on when you want to take a breather. Enjoy the chapter!

The ride on the elevator was surprisingly comfortable. Tension was expected, but none was there. Jaune enjoyed the moment nonetheless. Another part of his position as leader had him taking a class on leadership that was taught by the Headmaster himself, so he should get used to seeing Ozpin on a daily basis.

"Jaune, I've been meaning to ask. Where would you have headed next if you decided to decline Ozpin's offer?" Ruby asked out of nowhere. Jaune turned his head to her and thought about it for a moment. He got caught up in all the stuff that's been happening recently that he almost forgot.

"I probably would have moved on from the Emerald Forest and make my way over to Mt. Glen. I've heard some interesting things from that place. Things that involve what I told you about." Jaune answered easily enough. He would have investigated the place, make camp and see if any of that information he got had bore any fruit. If it did, then he would get more info on his pursuers. If not, then he would still get some good training in and clear up some of the Grim that resided there.

"Oh, cool." Ruby said simply. Jaune hummed before continuing.

"I still intend on going there. Probably when we have a break from school though." Jaune concluded, shifting a little bit as he noticed that they were only about halfway to the top now...wow, this thing was slow.

"Would you take us with you?" Ruby asked after a few seconds of pause. Jaune's brow raised a little, shifting his eyes towards her again. He gained a contemplative look before slowly nodding.

"More than likely. I don't think Ozpin would let me otherwise. Besides, It could serve useful to you guys if you were to train there. Keep you on top of things." Jaune said. Ruby smiled to and nodded, thinking about how they could also train her new powers without people seeing it. Now normally, she wouldn't need to worry about such things, but if what Jaune said was true, then those same people that wanted to capture him would try to get to her too. A conundrum to be sure, but such was the life of a superhero. Always hiding behind a mask.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Any other questions that Ruby had for him could wait until after their meeting with the Headmaster. She of course wanted to know what happened to his parents and who exactly wanted him captured, but again, that could wait until after.

As the elevator stopped and signaled that they were at the top the doors slid open, revealing to them the office that they had visited before when they had stopped the criminal known as Roman Torchwick

"Ah, welcome you two. Please, come inside and have a seat. I wish to speak to you two about something." Ozpin greeted with a casual demeanor. Ruby walked with a small skip in her step while Jaune walked with a calm stride. He wasn't particularly worried about what he brought them here to do, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Ozpin was going to tell them something big.

"Headmaster, you wished to see us?" Jaune asked, staying standing even when Ruby had taken a seat in front of Ozpin's desk. Ozpin nodded to him, looking behind them with a look of recognition. It had Jaune confused for a moment before he looked to back to see a rather large man. Someone who was even larger than him!

"Gurarararara." The man bellowed. His exposed chest showing scars of battles long since passed. The black bandanna covering his scalp, obscuring what would be his hair color. But his magnificent mustache had the smallest hints of gold amidst the glorious hair. The large marine coat on his back was mostly white in color with red lining the inside. It only took Jaune a few seconds to realize that this man was the same as the one from the one in his family photo!

"You...You're..." Jaune trailed off, seeing the gargantuan of a man approach. Never mind the fact that he never noticed such a large man before, this was the man that he had tried to find for a good number of years. He was now right in front of him. The giant stopped when he was only five feet away from the young man.

"It seems you're still the little squirt that I remember you were!" The large man said, raising a hand and ruffling Jaune's hair. Jaune himself was still trying to gain his bearings from having such an elusive man show himself to him and act so cordial with him. It was then that Ruby finally decided to speak up.

"Who are you? Do you know Jaune or something?" Ruby asked, standing beside Jaune and feeling inwardly intimidated by the new arrival. If she felt dwarfed by Jaune before, then she felt like an ant in the presence of such a monster! The man looked from Jaune to Ruby, taking only a moment to asses her before laughing again.

"Gurarararara! Are you the one that's partnered with my nephew? Such a small girl. Are you sure she's the one, Ozpin?" The man said before turning to the Headmaster. The professor smiled at him before nodding.

"I assure you Edward, she's much more than meets the 'eye'." Ozpin joked. It made Edward seem confused before looking Ruby in the eye again and realizing what Ozpin meant by that. However, Ruby by now had caught what Edward had said, her eyes widening and gasping at the realization.

"Wait! You're Jaune's uncle!? I thought he said that you...er, you know..." Ruby started excitedly before suddenly realizing what she was trying to say and promptly stopped herself. That was some pretty sensitive information she was fairly confident that Jaune didn't want being blurted out like that. Luckily, Jaune was still gobsmacked at who was in front of him to really hear her. The large man on the other hand had gained a rather somber expression at her words, letting out a sigh.

"You are correct. The rest of my family...they were murdered. It's something that I should have prevented. I should have been there to make sure that they were safe...That my family was safe" Edward said, remembering the moment he heard from Ozpin that his family had been murdered. It was on that day that the world shook from his anguish. He missed his brother and sister-in-law dearly. His nieces deserved better than that...

"Newgate, it wasn't your fault. They counted on you being away on a mission. They planned for that to happen." Ozpin said with a tenderness to his voice. Newgate let out a small sigh before nodding and regarded the small reaper again.

"I am indeed Jaune's uncle. My name is Edward Newgate. However, most know me simply as Whitebeard. I also happen to be the Strongest Man in The world!" The giant introduced himself with pride and gusto. His previous anguish having been forgotten for now. He stood tall, flaring his massive Aura reserves as well with his marine coat and deep violet sash flowing slightly at the action. Ruby looked at him with slight awe, seeing the Hunter with such power was astonishing...

But...

"Whitebeard? But you don't have a beard though..." Ruby said with a quizzical expression on her face. It caused Edward to slightly deflate and twitch in anger while Ozpin snickered at his expense.

"He did have a beard at one point, but after underestimating one of his opponents, he promptly lost not only the beard, but the ability to grow the facial hair back as well." Ozpin said with an amused smile. Whitebeard frowned and rubbed his lightly scarred chin.

"That bastard nearly took the top part of my skull off. My Aura was able to minimize the damage, but the skin was still too damaged." He explained, remembering the man that he faced off against. Spewing some 'Absolute Justice' nonsense. His expert use in Fire Dust had been commendable, but nothing he couldn't handle. What he didn't expect however, was for that same man to have a hidden Dust Crystal in his sleeve and use it to send a concentrated column of fire directly at his face. He was able to flare up his Aura in time to keep from burning his face to a crisp and knock the bastard out cold, but the damage had been done. It was such a great beard too...

"I...where have you been?" Jaune finally spoke after shaking off his shock. He was...he didn't know how to describe it. He wanted to be angry-to be FURIOUS at this man for never popping up once to at the very least try to save his family. On another, he was glad that he wasn't the last of his name, at the very least. Though, for the sake of diplomacy, he held back his tongue.

"Jaune...I'm sorry that I have not been around. I understand if you wish to be angry, but I simply wish for you to understand. The people that took our family away from us had planned on also taking me out. If they knew where I was, then they would send any mannerism to try and kill me." Newgate tried to explain. Jaune however, shook a little before glaring at the taller man with a righteous fury.

"Oh yeah? Then tell me how I was able to survive just fine with them hunting me everywhere I went!?" Jaune demanded. Whitebeard winced before glaring back at Jaune.

"I am not as young as I used to be is what happened. Even when they first killed our family I was starting to wain. For all the strength I have, I cannot engage in battle as often as I wish anymore. If they battled me, all they would have to do is send enough Grim my way until I tired out and I'd be finished. I do not have as many escape options as you do either, so I would have to run away on foot. That is why I had to go into hiding, Jaune Arc." Whitebeard said with an oppressing aura. Jaune continued to glare at him for a moment before letting out a breath. He supposed those were valid reasons. He knew that if he wasn't able to some up with his Solar Flare or his ability to fly, he wouldn't be standing here right now, that's for sure.

"Alright, you made your point. But I've been looking for you, If you'd known what happened to me, then why didn't you at the very least try to stay in contact?" Jaune asked. He wasn't mad anymore, not much at least. He just wanted to ask that one question for now. That's all he was asking.

"I must confess, I had no Idea that anyone had survived the attack. I only realized that you had survived a year ago. That's when I asked Ozpin to try and take you in when he had the chance." Newgate revealed. It made Jaune ruby his chin in contemplation. He closed his eyes and tried to accept that. Something in him wanted to say that he must have known where he was the whole time, but another part, a stronger part, told him that what he was saying was the truth. However, what Jaune's mind caught was something that his uncle had said.

"'All they would have to do is send enough Grim'? You make it sound like Tyrian could control Grim." Jaune said, turning to Newgate for more information. The tall man winced again, not meaning to let that one slip. He turned to Ozpin for something, but found that the man was simply giving him a blank look. Newgate knew what that look meant, and lightly grumbled.

'So that's what you really brought them up here for. I should have known.' Whitebeard thought to himself before he heard the elevator behind him open up. He could already guess who they were, so he didn't turn to see. However, both Jaune and Ruby turned to who had just entered the office. From behind them, Ozpin spoke up with a rather serious tone.

"Mr. Arc. Ms. Rose. I feel like now would be a good time to tell you the real reason I brought you two here." He said, looking to the new arrivals. One of which the two students could both recognize as their combat instructor, Glynda Goodwitch. The other, Jaune could personally say was displeased with knowing as well.

"Ironwood." Jaune spat under his breath. He was one of the very few people that knew of his power as well other than Raven. That was only because of an incident in Atlas. They had been able to record his use of KI when he raided a military base. They only caught a glimpse of him before he destroyed the bot. But of course that was all it took for them to realize that he could be used to further advance their own army. From then on, they tried to apprehend the 'Justice Blanc'. They even tried to replicate his power for themselves. One of which was a ginger giant. They got pretty close too. However, a replica can never compare to the real deal. Thing couldn't even fly. The only reason it still remained operational was because he was on a time crunch and he needed to leave as soon as possible at the time. Though, if he was here, then he probably knew about who he was now. Joy.

The other gentleman with them was someone that Ruby knew.

"Dad!" Ruby exclaimed as she rushed towards him and subconsciously used a bit of KI to boost herself even more. Where normally, Qrow would be able to brace himself and just pick her up with his one arm, he was now caught off guard with how fast she went and how much force she hit him with. He shook it off with a small smirk before remembering exactly why he was here in the first place.

"Hey there squirt, what are you...Ozpin." Qrow began before turning a strong gaze towards the Headmaster. The man himself gave a look that told him to wait and let him explain. However, another clash was already happening between two other people in the office place.

"So you are the criminal that's been raiding my military outposts. I should have you arrested on the spot." Ironwood proclaimed as he pulled out his revolver. Jaune glared at him before flaring up his KI and tensing his muscles, his mouth in a fierce scowl.

"I'd like to see you try, Bronze Boner." Jaune taunted, readying himself to wipe the floor with the General. They were in each other's faces, each glaring into the other's souls.

It only went on like this for a few moments before Newgate used his strength to hit them both on the top of their heads and into the floor. Whitebeard huffed before walking towards the Headmaster's desk and stayed beside it, still staring at the two men, daring them to try it again.

"Will you two leave your personal squabbles aside for the moment. I would like to remind you as to why I called you all here." Ozpin said, making them all look to him. Ruby looked to him with a confused expression, wondering why everything seemed to get serious all of a sudden. Qrow took a breath before replying.

"I know why you called us here, Oz. I just want to know why my daughter is here too." Qrow said with an undertone of a threat. Ozpin nodded in understanding before pushing a button on his desk, closing the windows around them with metal shudders and locking the access to the elevator. It was dark for a moment before Ozpin had pushed another button, lighting up a holographic display on his desk.

"I brought both her and Mr. Arc here to tell them of our inner circle, Qrow. Along with the existence of the Queen." Ozpin said flatly, the holographic screen showing seven pictures.

Only three had actual people on them. The others were replaced with chess symbols. All but one being of a pawn. The last one, above them all, was the symbol of the Queen. As Jaune was recuperating from his uncle's strike to his head, he looked up to the pictures and recognized one of the people.

Tyrian Callows.

"What the hell? What is this?" Jaune asked as he looked at the chart. From what he could gather, the chart showed an organization of sorts...and if Tyrian was involved with them...then this was the same organization that has been trying to hunt him down for the past seven years.

"Are you serious, Oz? I thought you said you'd keep other kids-MY kids out of this." Qrow complained, a small glare in his eyes. Ozpin did not flinch, not even when he noticed the looks that both Glynda and Ironwood sent his way.

"I am indeed serious Qrow. I wouldn't have brought them here if I did not have a valid reason." Ozpin stated, typing something into his computer. Qrow glanced over to his confused daughter before moving towards Ozpin.

"And what, pray tell, reason is that?" He demanded. As soon as he did, Ozpin finished what he was doing and brought up footage alongside the chart, showing the moment where Jaune had shown Ruby the wonders of KI. Though, without the Audio.

Jaune cursed under his breath. He thought that he checked if there were any cameras in the area, but he supposed he missed one.

"What is this supposed to-" Qrow tried to say before he saw Ruby reach out and take Jaune's hand and glow with a powerful gust. The power surrounding her was different than Aura. It seemed much more raw. He didn't know what it was.

"So it can be transferred." Ironwood whispered as he observed the video. Jaune narrowed his gaze at him before turning his look to Ozpin.

"Ozpin, I'd like to know what this is all about before I decide to blow a fuse." Jaune said with a twitch of his eye. The Headmaster figured that he had kept quiet long enough now and should explain himself.

"I brought you all here because in some way, you are now involved with the Queen and her pawns." Ozpin said, gesturing to all of them. Jaune was only a little confused, not knowing who this Queen was. Ruby was completely lost on what was going on, and the rest of them were concerned at what that implied considering two students were here. Though Qrow still thought that Ruby was only here because of her Silver Eyes.

"That still doesn't explain why Ruby is here. And what is that power? Was is magic?" Qrow asked the Headmaster, gesturing to the now still image of Ruby with that powerful aura around her.

"I think Jaune could answer that for you. He did give it to her after all." Ozpin said, gesturing to a still miffed Jaune. When Qrow was going to turn and do just that, Jaune interrupted, marching up to the Headmaster's desk.

"I'm not explaining anything until somebody tells me what the hell is GOING ON!?" Jaune boomed, slamming his fist into the desk. It nearly caused everything to shake while Jaune's KI flared up with his anger. Ozpin stayed calm before speaking again.

"No no, you are right. It is unfair of me to expect you to cooperate without knowing the full details. Mr. Arc, to put it simply, the Grim are being controlled by a single Queen. That Queen being named Salem. She and a small consort of villains work to try and destroy everything that you know and love. While My Inner Circle, consisting of Qrow Branwen, Glynda Goodwitch, James Ironwood and your uncle Edward Newgate all lead by me work to try and stop her behind the scenes while everyone else lives their normal lives." Ozpin explained. It took a moment for Jaune to take in everything before nodding. He'd need time to fully understand everything, but for now he'd just roll with it.

"Grim...Queen?" Ruby thought to herself, trying to imagine what such a creature would even look like. However unlikely it might be, she was taking all this rather well, all things considered. She just associated this whole ordeal with the likes of a story book. Good vs Evil and all that jazz. They were the heroes and this Salem thing was the villain. Simple as that.

One could almost envy her nativity.

"Now that I've given you what you want, I believe Mr. Branwen has a question for you." Ozpin said as he looked directly into the blonde's eyes. Jaune lightly furrowed his eyebrows before turning to an expecting Qrow.

"For your information, that was KI. It's not something that I wanted in the first place, but I will admit, It has it's uses." Jaune said, gathering a small ball of energy into his hand. Qrow looked at it, a bit unimpressed, expecting a bit more out of it.

"Is that all it can do? I don't know what I was worried about." Qrow said, dismissing the strange power. Jaune twitched a bit, feeling insulted. He then turned to Ozpin with an expectant look. Ozpin rolled his eyes before raising his mug to take a sip with one hind, and typing a few commands into his computer with the other. A moment later, it showed footage of Jaune using his Maximum Flasher to decimate both the Deathstalker and the forest behind it. It caused both Qrow and Ironwood to be surprised. Newgate had been sent this same footage by Ozpin a few days ago asking him to come by as soon as he could. He was actually quite proud of his nephew for becoming so strong.

"That Is what It can do. With enough training, it can do that and more." Jaune said, moving away from Qrow and towards Ruby, going to say the next bit of news while at the same time making sure the Tin Meat General couldn't try anything funny with his partner.

"And Ruby has agreed to take on this power and be trained by me as well." Jaune said as he stood next to his partner. Qrow narrowed his eyes at him while Ironwood strait up glared daggers at him. Glynda had stayed quiet, letting everything happen while making sure nothing too extreme happened.

"Ozpin, I'm going to have to detain the both of them. If they have the potential to do that, then it could serve invaluable to us if I am able take them back to Atlas and harness their power for ourselves. It could turn the tide of this war in our favor!" Ironwood tried to reason with the Headmaster. Immediately, both Ozpin and Qrow were defensive about this.

"You keep your cold metal hands off my daughter Tin Man! You so much as lay a finger on her and I swear I will personally-" Qrow started to threaten before Ozpin intervened with a pound of his cane.

"That is enough! Both of you need to calm yourselves. Ironwood, If I so much as hear you say such a thing again, I will personally subdue you myself, is that clear?" Ozpin said with a tone of authority. Both men backed off for now, not wanting to have to face the Time Wizard. There was a reason he was Headmaster after all. Ozpin took another breath, already wanting to end this meeting. He knew that the General and Jaune would cause trouble due to past transgressions, but he would have hoped that they would see passed those differences and focus on the main threat. However, much like the kingdoms themselves, it seems as though they can't understand what exactly is at stake here.

"I had hoped that all of you would act in a civilized manner. I was under the assumption that we were here under the the same banner. Or was I simply making an ass of myself by assuming so?" Ozpin asked as he looked over the people gathered. Newgate was with him, looking over the most recent transgressors. Ironwood grumbled a bit, but did nothing else. Qrow simply let out a huff before taking a drink of his flask. Jaune shook his head and took out one of his Virga Terras and lit it up before smoking from it. He only had two left. He'd need to go out and get the ingredients to make more.

"So Headmaster...why exactly are you telling us this?" Ruby finally spoke up. Ozpin softened his glare when turning to her before speaking, glad to see that she was taking this as well as she was.

"Well Ms. Rose, I originally intended to keep you out of this until it was absolutely necessary. However, because Mr. Arc has given you this power, and that the Queen has started to become more aggressive with her plans, I have realized that the sooner I am able to prepare you, the better chances we have at being able to stop this war altogether." Ozpin explained. The rest of the occupants of the room heard him and finally understood why he had called this meeting so soon. Qrow still wasn't happy about this, having his child in that kind of danger was not something he was okay with. Being a Huntress was something that took a lot to be okay with. Even he knew that he couldn't stop her from pursuing her dreams like her mother. So he decided to try and prepare her as much as possible for it. It seemed to work apparently, since she was accepted into Beacon two years early. So he could rest easy she wouldn't be KIA any time soon. But this was something that was beyond what any Hunter or Huntress should have to do. This should only be left up to them and them alone. There was no need to bring her into this!

"That still doesn't mean we need to bring her into this Oz! We can do this on our own!" Qrow tried to argue. However, he had no choice in this matter anymore. Ruby already know about all of this. Whether he wanted her in this or not, she would more than likely want to be a part of this either way.

"Really Qrow? Did the attack on the Fall Maiden not make it painfully clear that they have the advantage here? Or how about the time Whitebeard had to fight tooth and nail to protect the Winter Maiden? Even before that, the assassination of your wife!?" Ozpin said harshly, his patience running out. The room went silent after that. Instantly, Ozpin felt regret for saying something so insensitive. Qrow's eyes showed intense pain before he hung his head low.

"Qrow...I'm sorry. I didn't-" Ozpin tried to apologize, but Qrow held a hand up, taking a shaky breath.

"No...you're right. I just...I can't lose her too." Qrow said with a shaky voice. Ozpin closed his eyes, feeling like he should move on from this. However, a voice came though, reminding them exactly who they were talking about in front of them.

"My mom...what?" Ruby asked, looking between the two adults. Qrow froze up with a look of shock. He forgot that he was talking in front of Ruby. Ozpin sighed again in tiredness. This was all a big mess. But it needed to be done. If not today, then it would be even worse later down the line.

"Ruby...your mother was assassinated while on a mission to the Grimlands." Ozpin revealed, making Qrow look away with a frown, his hair shadowing his teary eyes. Ruby had been shocked to her core. All she knew about her mother's death was that she was killed in the line of duty. But to figure out that she had been purposefully murdered...

"W-who?" Ruby asked, wanting to know who killed her. She needed to know.

Ozpin sat there for a moment, glancing towards Jaune in that time. It only took Jaune an instant before he realized what the Headmaster was going to say, making his eyes dilate, set into a glare. The stick that was between his teeth had been crushed, and visible veins appeared on his forehead.

"We have evidence to believe that the man that was sent to assassinate Summer Rose...was Tyrian Callows." Ozpin said finally, making Jaune nearly lose his shit. He was going explode in anger, to fly through the roof and find somewhere to blow up before he heard a small whimper from beside him. He looked to see that his partner had her head down in her hands, once again seated.

"...Why?" She said quietly in a weak voice. Jaune was by her side in an instant, with Qrow not too far behind. They only looked to each other for a moment before they came to a mutual agreement to discuss whatever they wanted after this meeting was over. They just wanted to try and be there for Ruby.

The Headmaster hated to have to bring news to people like this. But it was either this, or for her to find out the hard way. Besides, if she knew now, then she would be able to make sure that she was prepared later down the road.

"She was targeted for her Silver Eyes." Ozpin stated, making Ruby look up at him in confusion, tears still in her eyes.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ruby asked with a sniffle. Ozpin had to look to the other members within the room before continuing. Glynda finally speaking up to try and explain it to her.

"Your Silver Eyes, much like your mother's, are special. For some reason that we are unsure of ourselves, they have the ability to defeat Grim with just a glance." The woman explained. Ruby looked down at herself, feeling this was sort of surreal. She could do that? But her mother could do that too...

"Then how was that Tyrian guy able to..." Ruby trailed off, still not able to come to terms with the fact that her mother was murdered. Ozpin spoke up, explaining the one drawback to the Silver Eyes.

"The power of the Silver Eyes only works on Grim. They have little to no effect on everything else. The assassin had sat patiently for your mother to tire herself out while fighting Grim before striking. Such is the cowardliness of an assassin." Ozpin said with a little venom at the end. Summer was indeed a good friend of his. He missed her as well.

"What do we do you want us to do now?" Jaune asked, wanting to know what the end goal of this meeting was. Ozpin nodded to him in understanding, knowing that the young man would want to leave and try to comfort his partner along with her father. But he needed to tell, or rather showthem, one last thing.

"I feel as though if you two are going to be joining this fight against the darkness, then you are to know of the secret underneath the school." Ozpin said, getting up after pushing the button to unlock the elevator doors and walking towards it.

"You're not going to like this." Whitebeard said as he passed by his nephew. Jaune scrunched his eyebrows, already not liking what was happening here. He helped Ruby up, and lead her towards the elevator.

As they all sat patiently in the elevator, Jaune was worried for this partner. She had stayed silent for the entire ride. He had seen Ozpin push in a code of sorts into the console before the lighting changed to green. The elevator also sped up in it's decent. He saw the levels go from the top floor, to the first. But the structure didn't stop there, still going down. He figured this is what the Headmaster was talking about when he said the secret under the school. He could already feel an air of unease from everyone here. He looked to the side, seeing his uncle stand there with a blank look. He then looked back down at himself. He could feel that his uncle was right about this. He already didn't like this.

They finally reached their destination, having been descending for a solid minute. When the doors finally opened, they were greeted with a large room, the only lighting being a series of green lights. At the very end of the room were a pair of pod looking structures. Jaune could feel one of them radiating energy. It wasn't the same as his own, but it was rather powerful. About three quarters as much as his own.

Ozpin led them as he walked forward. His footsteps echoing in the rather empty room. They were all silent. It was rather eerie for Jaune to be here. It almost seemed like there was something wrong with this room. It was when they were mere feet away from the pods did Jaune finally notice something about the pod that was radiating such an energy.

There was a woman in there.

"This is the Fall Maiden." Ozpin said finally. Jaune glanced over to him for a moment and back to the pod. He then noticed something about the energy coming from the machine. It was actually leaking out and traveling somewhere. He looked to Ozpin for answers.

"The Fall Maiden...so the tales are true...what happened to her?" Jaune asked as he looked expectantly towards the Headmaster. The man didn't look away from the woman in the pod, but he responded anyway.

"Yes, there are indeed four women out there with the power of the Elements. As for her...her name was Amber. No known last name or relatives. However, a few months ago, she was attacked by three of the Queen's Pawns. Qrow was able to fend them off. But they had been able to steal half of her powers with a special type pf parasite Grim. Qrow was unable to get a good look at the assailants due to one of their Semblances. He believes that they had an illusion based one. We were able to bring her here and keep her from dying, but not much else." Ozpin explained, making Jaune contemplate that information for a moment before widening his eyes. He knew who they were!

"I may have run into them before." Jaune said. It caused a majority of them to turn to him. They needed to know if he had seen who they were.

"You have? Then spit it out already!" Ironwood tried to demand, but Jaune simply ignored him, looking to Ozpin as if he had asked the question instead.

"Well, I can't say what they looked like. They used the same illusion Semblance as well. So I don't know if what I saw was what they really looked like. However, If I were to sense them with my KI, I'd be able to know who they are. One can't change their own energy signatures." Jaune said, making Ozpin hum in thought before nodding.

"Good. I have a feeling they will be sending the same three here to try and infiltrate the school. They will more than likely try to hack into the CCT and receive what they need to locate the Maiden." Ozpin hypothesized. Jaune agreed with him. That was reasonable enough. He's done the same to get info on the Queen's pawns as well. Of course, he didn't know that Tyrian was a Pawn to begin with, but that didn't matter anymore. He was in this more to get his revenge on Tyrian than anything else.

"It wouldn't be that hard either. For as useful as the CCT is, It lacks any real security system. I know from personal experience hacking into them isn't that hard. A simple virus is enough to take down the firewall." Jaune said, once again making the Headmaster think for a moment. Goodwitch took out her Tablet Scroll, typing out a message of sorts.

"I will see If I can increase the security. It should be done within the month." She said, only proceeding for a few moments before Ozpin interrupted her typing.

"No. If we do that, then they will notice and most likely try something different. I say we keep it as it is." Ozpin said, most of the others looked at him with some skepticism, however, Whitebeard and Qrow knew that Ozpin wouldn't say that without having a plan up his sleeves.

"What are you planning now, old man?" Newgate questioned, making the Wizard smirk before turning to the blonde young man in the room.

"Jaune, do you think you could create a sort of...'antivirus' that could go undetected within the CCT?" Ozpin asked the teen. It took the Arc a moment to realize what the Headmaster was asking him, but when he did, a cocky smirk made it's way across his face.

He wanted to create a trap.

"...I think I can whip something up." Jaune said, nodding. He could already see what he was going to do with it.

"Good. With that out of the way, I believe we are done here. Do you have any questions?" Ozpin asked, already knowing that Jaune would undoubtedly have them. And indeed he did.

"...Are you the wizard within the story?" Jaune asked, Ozpin's expression never faded, finding the question rather simple.

"Indeed I am." Ozpin stated, answering the question with ease.

"What of the Maidens? Why is it so important that she doesn't die?" Jaune questioned. At this, Ozpin took a breath before answering.

"The way the Maiden powers are transferred is for them to die while thinking of a young lady in her dying moments. It will not work if they think of a either a male or a woman who is over the age of thirty." Ozpin explained. Jaune once again nodded. He just had two more questions.

"If you are indeed the wizard within the stories, then how have you lived for so long without anyone realizing your age?" Jaune asked. This one caused everyone to look expectantly towards the Headmaster. They had asked the same question in the past, but he would either brush it off or just ignore the question all together.

Ozpin stayed silent for a moment before answering.

"...I have my ways." Ozpin said in an ominous tone. Jaune stared at him for a moment before letting it go. He wanted to try something.

"Right. I have one more question." Jaune said, moving towards the pod. Ozpin stared at him with some trepidation, not knowing what he was trying to do.

"Will you allow me to try and heal her?" Jaune asked as he was directly in front of the pod. The others were surprised that he asked the question before they started wondering if he could do that. His power was something that none of them had seen before. It was a possibility...

"Go ahead." Ozpin said, giving him a green light on the idea.

Jaune closed his eyes, reaching out with his KI and delving into Amber's soul.

Jaune was silent for a few moments before he opened his eyes with a somber look.

"I can't do anything for her. No one can. Her soul is almost completely shattered. The only thing that's keeping it together is a black viscous presence. You do anything to her soul, she dies and that power is gone. Even stabbing her would be enough to break her Aura and release her soul to whoever did this to her...She's in constant torture. I can't say that I'm not mad at you for keeping her this way, but if what you say is true, then we need to make sure that other woman is eliminated before Amber dies." Jaune stated as he turned to them. The rest of the members looked to each other, knowing if that were the case, then their plan to transfer her powers to another host was out the window.

"That is not good." Qrow commentated. That meant that they were on a race against time to try and find that woman. If she were to get the full powers of the Maiden, then she could kill them all. The only one that would be able to put up a fight would be Ozpin.

"No it is not. But for now, we can't do anything but go on with our lives and prepare. For now, the meeting is over and we can go about our normal lives." Ozpin said, dismissing the people here.

Ironwood sent Jaune one more glare before leaving along with Goodwitch. Qrow turned to Ruby and told her something that Jaune couldn't hear before leaving as well. The only ones remaining were Ozpin, Jaune, Ruby and Newgate.

"I assume you want to talk more about my power?" Jaune asked as he knew from a look from Ozpin that he wanted him and Ruby to stay a little longer. Whitebeard was staying because he didn't really have anywhere to go. His last safe house had been compromised. Ozpin was kind enough to offer his Academy as a safe haven.

"I want to know for certain that you can teach Ms. Rose to properly control this power. If what you said about it is true, I would hate to see one of my students have to say goodbye because of a bad teacher." Ozpin said, looking directly into Jaune's eyes. Jaune stood strait before nodding.

"Ozpin, you have my word as an Arc that I will ensure my partner's safety." Jaune promised, going to proclaim his family's motto before his uncle cut in and said it for him.

"And an Arc never goes back on his word. You are more like your parents than you think, boy. I'm proud of you." Newgate said, putting a hand on Jaune's shoulder. It made Jaune smile a bit wider hearing that. He wanted to be someone that his family would be proud of.

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, I'm sure that you and Ms. Rose have places to be. And I know that I don't need to say this, but-" Ozpin started to say before Jaune started walking past his and leading his partner towards the elevator with his uncle close behind.

"Neither of us will say anything about this. I understand how crucial this information is." Jaune said as he moved closer to the elevator. Ozpin nodded before turning back to Amber, trying to figure out what to do now. Their original plan wouldn't work if Jaune was telling the truth. But he was a millennia old man, he could figure it out.

"It's not like I'm so incapable as to not notice something going on right under my nose. That would be rather bad storytelling."

There you go, guys! Another chapter for you to enjoy. I'm probably going to update The Man That Will Be King again. I'm sure none of you will object to it. Anyway, stay safe out there. And wash your gosh dang hands! It's not like you have anything better to do. Until next time! Toodles~!