Here's the next chapter of this, still technically a first draft, since I haven't gotten it to my beta reader, like the last few chapters. I hope to rectify this issue soon, I just need to get working with Google Docs, which has been taking me a lot longer than it really should of, but it just… makes me nervous, I suppose. I won't get into that here.

Still, a lot of the earlier chapters need revision, so this will probably also get revised when I work my way up on that as well.

As I said before, this story was planned out before elements such as Salem, or the Maidens were revealed in RWBY, and I didn't want to rework the story to include those matters, so it's pretty much in AU territory, though all Fanfiction kind of is, technically.

I hope this chapter is enjoyable for what it is at least, I at least have a chapter name ready for this one, unlike the other last few chapters.

Announcement 1/28/2020: I've decided to discontinue this story and reboot it. I've found this story to be nothing but a burden for a while and haven't enjoyed writing it for a long time.

This is the story that made me realize I need to plan my stories out beforehand, but that didn't fix the issues of this story not being planned out. I thought planning the rest and revising the older chapters would fix its issues, but it can't, and the only way I can enjoy writing this story again will be to get a fresh start; plan the whole thing out from the beginning, and write with that plan going forward.

I hope those that have invested time in reading this story don't take this too badly, A Grimm's Aura is not dead, it will merely be reincarnated, hopefully as something better.

I'm not sure when the reboot will come about, but I'm not considering A Grimm's Aura primary story slot to be open while I do so; A Grimm's Aura still fills that spot, and will continue to until the story is finished, reboot or otherwise.

Again, I hope those who have read this aren't too disappointed, and will keep their eyes open for the reboot. I will also be leaving this version of the story up in its current formin case anyone wishes to come back and read it in the future.

Chapter 13: Everything is Horrible

The W, B, and Y of team RWBY were pacing the room with shared worry, occasionally glancing to their still sleeping leader, sleeping in the bottom of the triple bunk.

Ash stood close to the bed, letting out a few concerned whines as he watched over the girl with his blue eyes.

After Ruby had collapsed in the training room, Weiss and Ash had both gotten her to the infirmary as fast as they could, apparently, she had somehow almost completely drained her aura reserves, and was suffering from severe exhaustion. The only thing that could be done was to put her to bed and allow her to sleep it off.

So, now the team waited…

"She still isn't awake; it's been twelve hours…" Yang spoke worriedly as she looked over her little sister's slumbering form. "What could she have possibly been doing to get her so exhausted?"

"I have no idea," Weiss muttered while shaking her head. "The training we were doing was basic, barely anything that should strain someone of Ruby's physical status. I don't understand…"

"She… has seemed pretty tired these past few days," Blake pointed out, frowning a bit as she looked towards their resting leader.

Ash moved his clawed hand toward the sleeping girl's head, careful not to hurt her as he stroked the hair. 'Ruby, please be okay…'

"Hmm… Ash," Ruby muttered in her sleep, moving her arms to take hold of the beowolf's hand as pleasant smile came to her face, much to the other occupants of the room's surprise.

"She talked, in her sleep, but she talked!" Yang exclaimed with an expression of both shock, and relief.

"And moved," Weiss added, taking a step closer to the bed, her hands on her hips. "But… why did she only respond to Ash…?"

The kid in the body of a beowolf could only shrug, or rather, attempt to do so with his one free arm, in response.

"Emerald? Emerald where are you!?" Cinder gave a frustrated huff as she walked through the undisclosed location of the base her team was operating in. "Emerald, answer me this minute!" when the fire-wielding woman was only met with more silence, an uneasy frown made its way onto her face. "Where could that girl have gotten to…?"

Cinder heard a bit of muttering nearby, she turned a corner and spotted a couple White Fang grunts, chuckling about something. The fiery woman wasted no time in approaching them.

"Anyway, and then she said– "

"You two!"

Cinder's sudden voice silenced the duo of masked faunus from whatever they were discussing, as they both quickly stood at attention towards the threatening woman.

"Have either of you seen Emerald around, her lack of answer to my calls is starting to wear on my nerves," Cinder stated with slight snarl, internally denying the feelings of worry that passed through her mind over her green-haired disciple's absence.

"Um… Emerald…?" one of the faunus questioned, sharing a nervous and confused glance with the other. "The green-haired girl?"

"Yes, her!" Cinder hissed, her eyes narrowing threateningly.

"We haven't seen her since she was last with you, ma'am," the other White Fang soldier assured, trying his best to remain calm while faced with someone who could probably kill him and his friend in an instant.

Cinder glared at the two grunts harshly, before giving a frustrated grunt and stomping away.

The two White Fang agent let out a few relieved breaths.

"Emerald!? Dammit, where are you!?" Cinder shouted again as she walked into an intersection of several hallways, after a moment she decided to pull her scroll out to attempt calling her disciple again.

"You should cease your yelling…"

Anomaly's emotionless voice sent a chill down Cinder's spine. The red-clad woman put her scroll back into her pocket, before she whirled around and found the cloaked entity floating there, the glowing red eyes under the cloak's hood staring at her impassively. "Anomaly…"

"You will not find your pet," Anomaly stated firmly. "She was making herself a nuisance, so I set out to rectify that."

Cinder's eyes widened, the implications of what the entity was saying filling her with dread and rage. "Anomaly! What have you done with Emerald!? Where is– "her words were cut off as she found herself under an immense feeling of pressure, unable to move or speak.

Anomaly's red eyes glared at the woman from under its hood, its sleeved hand raised.

After a moment, the pressure holding Cinder back ceased, causing her to fall to the ground, gasping for breath.

Anomaly hovered slightly above the ground, moving past the downed criminal without so much as glance, even as he spoke to her, "Know your place, human."

Cinder's throat was too raw to give any coherent response, she could only give a few gasps as she glared hatefully at the retreating cloaked form.

"Your concerns are insignificant. Your little pet attempted to interfere with my work, and you know the consequences of such actions… you should have discipline her better," Anomaly commented coldly, before disappearing into one of the halls.

Cinder gave a few coughs as she struggled to stand, keeping a fierce glare in the direction her… 'partner' had gone. Finally, the fire-user managed to fully stand and immediately charged down the hall the cloaked entity had gone down.

"Anomaly, what are you…?" Cinder started to question, but trailed off as she continued walking down the hall and found no sign of the cloaked humanoid, she gave a frustrated growl as she looked down, before she noticed her other disciple walking towards her, she quickly charged towards him, "Mercury!"

The teen boy took a step back in surprise, "Cinder, what are you– "

"Where did Anomaly go!?" Cinder shouted with fierce, blazing eyes.

Mercury would not be afraid to admit he flinched then and there. "I-I don't know, that… whatever that guy is just kind of comes and goes. Cinder, why are you– "

"That thing took Emerald!" The dark-haired woman gave a gasp as she clutched her head. "I don't know for sure, but it all lines up… I knew she was suspicious of it, why didn't I give her stronger warnings to stay away!?" Cinder gave another roar of frustration before she kept charging down the hall, now with a fearful and somewhat concerned Mercury trailing her.

The two eventually came to where the hall led; a large armory where many weapons and vehicles were stationed, with various White Fang and other goons moving about. However, there was no sign of Anomaly within the crowds…

"Where did it go…?" Cinder hissed as her eyes darted around the room, almost like a predator trying to spot its prey, however it was for naught, as the strange cloaked humanoid was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, Cinder I really don't want you to burn me to a crisp, but I need to say; you're scaring me… and not in the usual way," Mercury stated carefully as he crept up behind his superior.

Cinder whirled around to yell at the boy, when she noticed a flash of green moving down the hall adjacent from the one that they had entered the room from. "Emerald?"

The dark-haired teen had been prepared for pain when the fiery woman had turned to face him but could only look confused at her sudden change in demeanor, glancing behind himself to try and see if his missing partner was really there, but seeing no sign of her. "What are you talking abou– "

"Emerald!" Cinder suddenly shouted in a panicked tone, rushing by Mercury and running down the hall.

Mercury noted how the various criminals working in the room were now staring in his direction, muttering about stuff he couldn't bother to listen to, before deciding it would probably be best to follow his boss…

"Emerald!? Stop this right now!" Cinder shouted as she ran through the hall, coming to a sealed door leading to a tunnel that was not structurally part of the base, but was rather a overly protected hole that led through an underground passage and into the wilderness, from which many grimm could be lured in and captured for Anomaly's various experiments.

Pressing the key for the path to open Cinder stood anxiously and could only just hold back her scream when the door gave a beep, indicating her access had been denied. "What is the meaning of this? I am the master of this base! I am the leader of this operation! You can't deny me!" however, despite her shouts, Cinder's subsequent attempts to access the passage were all met with the same response.

"Um, Cinder?" Mercury called as he walked through the hall and came up behind the dark-haired woman, noting the maddening look he caught in the side-glance of her eyes as she started trying to pry the door open.

"He… it… they're hijacking everything! Why didn't I see it? Right from under my nose…" Cinder muttered while shaking, trying and failing to melt the door open with her fire powers. "Why… why did I let that thing into this base, into my plans!?"

"Cinder…?" Mercury took a step back, noting that it didn't seem like his boss even knew he was there.

"Pitiful, is it so easy to reduce you to this state?" Anomaly's metaphysical voice held an almost unnoticeable tone of disgust as they emerged from the surrounding darkness, glaring down at Cinder. "Your light has grown even dimmer than it was the day we first encountered one another, a feat I knew not possible for one so fickle as yourself."

"Anomaly…" Cinder tried to stand up and scream, but the familiar invisible force was pounding on her again, keeping her from standing or even raising her voice beyond that of a whisper.

"It is foolish to grow so personally attached to tools, if any beings of light should understand this, I would think it would be you…" the cloaked humanoid shook their head disapprovingly. "Still… perhaps I had expected too much from one of light in the first place, despite your disproportionate darkness, you are still of the light after all, and still subservient to its weaknesses."

"What… is going on?" Mercury questioned slowly, growing more and more unnerved as the other two continued to ignore him.

"Anomaly…" Cinder tried to scream again but was still unable to do much more than remain on the ground and whisper the name in contempt.

"That moniker is growing tiresome, particularly from your tongue," the strange being's glowing red eyes narrowed slightly. "Still, it will continue to do for the time being, there is no point in coming up with another at this time, soon the time for aliases will end…" the entity tilted their neck as they noticed Cinder's continued attempts to struggle against the force they were placing over her. "You wish to see your 'Emerald,' fine…" Anomaly gave a slow nod, gesturing towards the passage behind it. "I had intended to show her to you soon, so cease your whining."

Cinder and Mercury's eyes both moved to the darkness of the tunnel as Anomaly drifted aside. Light footsteps could be heard approaching, and a pair of burning eyes glowed in the darkness, growing closer and closer.

'A grimm?' was the simultaneous first thought that jumped to both human's heads, instinctively preparing to fight if Anomaly had decided to just send them to the slaughter. However, the truth of the matter was anything but that simple…

"… What!?" Cinder gasped in shock, finding the force over her body had been removed as she stood up, but still unable to do anything but stare at exactly what emerged from the tunnel to stand before her. Her dark-haired disciple looking no better in reaction to the sight.

The person… the creature that had exited the tunnel was Emerald, or at least Cinder could guess it used to be Emerald. But though the creature that had emerged resembled Cinder's female disciple in body, both humans could tell just by looking that this was not the same Emerald they knew…

A small snarl escaped the green-haired girl's mouth as she glared between Cinder and Mercury with burning, grimm-like eyes. Her hands were jittery, repeatedly clenching and unclenching, her stance was slightly slumped, her body shaking ever so slightly, looking as though she was resisting the urge to pounce and rip their throats out at that very moment.

"Emerald…?" Cinder spoke in an unreadable tone as she stared at the younger girl in disbelief.

The green-haired girl gave a snarl that barely resembled a sound a human could make, more akin to a bloodthirsty monster, or rather, a grimm…

Cinder's bodied trembled as she stared at what had become of her young disciple, before she turned toward Anomaly with a snarl, "What did you do to her!?"

Despite the way Cinder had addressed them, Anomaly spoke in the same indifferent tone as usual, "She wanted to know what was going on, so I made her able to understand, now she has no more questions."

The 'grimm-ified' Emerald suddenly gave another screech, speaking in a snarling, distorted tone as she glared at the other two humans, "They can't understand! They are of the light! They taint the vision! They make it scream! Only we understand!"

Despite how nonsensical Emerald's ranting came off to Cinder and Mercury, Anomaly gave a nod of understanding before lightly patting Emerald on the head.

"I… I… WHAT IS THIS!?" Mercury shouted, finally managing to get the attention of Anomaly on him, though he wasn't so sure he wanted that at this moment…

"I have eliminated the weaknesses of light, while avoiding those of darkness. Truly this is close to the perfect blend, what I have been searching for… and yet, it is still lacking," Anomaly circled Emerald with a critical eye, "This one does not have the crippling attachments of light, but it retains enough conscious thought to avoid becoming a mere mindless beast, but…" Anomaly's neck suddenly cracked, looking towards Cinder, and at that moment Emerald pounced.

"DIE!" the green-haired teen shouted in another distorted snarl, jumping headfirst towards Cinder and knocking her to the ground, before attempting to wrap her hands around the neck.

"Cinder!?" Mercury cried out, about to make an attempt to help his leader, however it proved unneeded.

"Emerald, STOP!" Cinder managed to shout, pushing the smaller girl off her body and into a wall, activating her flames and holding them out like a shield.

Emerald gave another animalistic grunt as she slumped to the ground against the wall.

Anomaly regarded the fallen 'grimm-ified' girl coolly, "Weakness… that is the problem, a strong body is what is missing that keeps this from being the perfect blend…" the cloaked humanoid turned back to the clearly horrified humans. "If either the power of 'aura' could be kept, or if a body of darkness could be constructed, while keeping the mental state of this blend, that would be ideal. But at this time, such a combination seems impossible; the power of aura cannot be kept without the crippling attachments of light, while no being with a body of darkness has been able to hold together a coherent mind…" Anomaly's eyes seemed to fill with disgust for a moment. "Even the Guardian Grimm are unable to maintain their minds once their aura drains…"

Cinder and Mercury still could find no words to respond to Anomaly's words, which seemed all but pure nonsense to them, and could only watch as 'Emerald' pulled herself up, her bones making cracking sounds as she twisted her limbs in unnatural angles, eventually repositioning herself back into a standing position.

"You look upon what my labors have wrought with such revulsion? This is one of the most critical breakthroughs in my research yet, soon all will be ready, soon our chance will come…" Anomaly's echoing voice seemed to fade out as their body shivered.

Cinder finally found her voice, speaking up with a tone of horror and disgust. "Tell me what you did to her!"

Anomaly stopped shivering, giving Cinder an almost empty expression. "I believe I had already explained, though I suppose what you really want to know is 'why?'" The cloaked being floated over to Emerald's side, a bony, three-fingered hand reaching out from under the cloak and touching her shoulder. "Those of the light who sought to understand the motivations of darkness are destined for madness, you should happy I have prevented that fate for your servant and instead have made her fully able to see the truth of my plans…"

"The light blinds, it screams, it screams!" Emerald twitched as she scratched at her head, giving a few snarls as her entire body slowly began trembling. "Screaming, screaming, SCREAMING!" with a screech the green-haired human charged forward to attack again.

Cinder and Mercury were almost too shocked to move into defensive positions, however before any conflict could start, Emerald was pulled back in midair by the familiar invisible force, before she suddenly lost consciousness.

"Perhaps I spoke too soon on the mental capability, it might require further adjustment…" Anomaly commented as Emerald hung limply in their psychic grip. "I do hope you are still around to test it when next it is required," the cloaked humanoid commented without care, gliding past Cinder and Mercury and back down the hall, the comatose Emerald drifting through the air not far behind.

Cinder wanted to call out a protest, but again found herself without voice and unable to step forward, Mercury found himself with a similar infliction. Though neither could be entirely sure if it was Anomaly's powers that currently had hold over them, or if it was their own fear that prevented them from acting…

Silence was the only thing both Cinder and Mercury experienced for the slow-moving minutes that proceeded the encounter with Anomaly and… 'Emerald.' Neither could find the will to speak even as they moved through the halls of the base, Cinder taking the lead, deliberately avoiding the currently more populated areas of the base, eventually making it to the room that acted as her 'office' in this base of operation that she had previously believed was under her control…

Even after making it to the office and shutting the door behind them, the two did not say a word to each other for several moments.

The younger was the one to break the silence, "Cinder, just… what was that back there?"

Cinder took a moment to answer, looking away as she clenched a fist before speaking, "I… don't know."

This answer did not seem to satisfy her teenaged follower. "You… don't you? But you brought that thing here, how can you not know what it's done!?" Mercury's voice held a tone of disbelief and frustration, but his boss failed to respond to this comment. "What even is that thing!? I'm not sure how much more of this I can take, the stuff it was doing with the grimm was strange enough, but… why are you letting it do this!?" Mercury would not normally have spoken to the boss that he both respected and feared in such an outrageous manner, but this situation had gone far beyond anything he could consider normal.

Instead of growing angry as would be expected, Cinder simply lowered her head, a dark look in her eyes. "Do you really think I'd let that monster do this…?" the normally confident woman's form trembled as her hands clenched into fists. "Don't you understand, Mercury? I've never been able to tell Anomaly to do anything." She looked like she wanted to throw up as she struggled to speak her next words, "I've been in denial until now, but the truth is… ever since it showed up, I lost everything."

"What…? What are you talking about!?" the dark-haired young man started to shout, but the fierce glare his boss sent him prevented him from saying anything further.

"Don't you get it you buffoon!? That thing is the one in charge! We're all Anomaly's puppets!" Cinder's fists clenched tightly as she spat out those words, her eyes going from angry, to one of defeat.

Mercury had no idea what to think anymore, the woman he had always seen as so in-control of everything was now admitting that she had control of nothing, that instead the strange entity that she had recruited to their forces not too long ago was the one pulling the strings, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. "Cinder… what… how did this happen?"

The woman's blazing, yet dim, eyes met her minions again, before she spoke in a tone of both hatred, and regret, "I made a terrible mistake…"

"I had heard whispers of rumors, something powerful and unknown, most had dismissed them has nothing, but I felt I knew better; I wanted to find it, and make its power my own…"

Cinder stepped into the small town, her form concealed by a white, hooded robe, walking through the road she made note of how few people seemed to populate the area.

As she made her way through the town, she heard several doors or windows close from the homes she approached, unconcerned, and even perhaps a little intrigued, by this, the cloaked woman headed towards building she recognized as a tavern, the voices coming from it indicating it was at least a bit livelier than the rest of the town appeared to be.

As soon as Cinder stepped foot into the building, all the people went silent, looking towards her with eyes filled with dread; the fire-wielding criminal was almost a bit disappointed when she removed her hood and it garnered collective relief from the tavern's inhabitants.

"They were afraid of something, but not outsiders… I knew I was in the right place…"

Raising her hood back up while walking through the tavern, the visitor noted that while the inhabitants had seemed relieved, they avoided eye contact with her. As she walked further in, she came to a single man sitting at a table near the back of the tavern, one who finally looked at her without hesitation.

"If you're expecting me to buy you a drink, sorry to disappoint, but I don't play that game," the man grunted, eyeing her carefully.

Cinder kept a small smile to her face as she pulled out a chair and sat across from him, "I am not after drinks, sir. Rather, I want information…"

"Information, huh? What sort? Looking for something perhaps?" the large man questioned with curious eyes, scratching his beard.

"You could say that, I've heard some interesting rumors," Cinder's smirk was hidden by her hood as she spoke. "Tell me, have you heard about… the 'Grimm Huntsman?'"

At this the man's eyes seemed to widen slightly, before he backed off a bit, giving a small scoff, "What do you want to know about that? It's an urban legend. Just superstition."

The confidant woman gave a small chuckle at the reaction, "I've heard differently, I've heard it really exists."

The man gave a huff, standing up from his chair, "Well, you've heard wrong. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm in no mood to speak about fairy tales," the local turned to leave, but glanced back at Cinder with serious eyes, "I do suggest you move on from this town soon, there may not be a 'Grimm Huntsman,' but there are certainly things you'd be better off not encountering."

Cinder almost laughed again, "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

The large man sighed, his shoulder's slumping a bit, "I'm afraid not miss, but it's the best warning I can give you…" the man starting walking away, pausing and briefly clutching his forehead with a grunt, before shaking his head and continuing.

Cinder kept her eyes on the local as he left the tavern, before noticing how everyone else in the vicinity were now refusing to look her way. With a weary sigh, the fire-wielding woman pulled up from her chair and also headed for the exit; she would have to find another place in town to ask questions, she wouldn't get any answers here, or so she thought…

"Psst, stranger."

The sudden, whispering voice sent Cinder's eyes roaming, she glanced around trying to find the source of the voice, before she noticed a figure moving in the alley next to the tavern she had just walked out of.

"Hello? I assume you have something to tell me?" Cinder spoke up as she stepped into the alley, glancing around for the person who had signaled her.

"You want information, don't you?" the voice whispered again, a figure resembling an older woman slinking out of the shadows in a hunched posture, her body obscured by the dark robes she wore, and her face hidden by her large scarf and hat. "I heard, you tried to gather information, but you were unsuccessful…"

The fiery visitor eyed the other woman curiously, "Yes… and I suppose you called me over because you're willing to divulge a bit more than those in the tavern?"

The hidden woman gave a throaty, hollow chuckle, "All the others are too terrified of it to say anything, but the truth needs to be known!"

Cinder's curiosity was amplified by the strange person's wording. "'It?' You mean the Grimm Huntsman?"

"The 'Grimm Huntsman,' a name befitting something out a fanciful legend meant to scare children," the mysterious woman shook her head slowly as she spoke. "But the truth was, the being described of in this 'legend' had only come about in the last few months. The 'Grimm Huntsman' title wasn't even originally for the being, but rather another unrelated legend. Still, the people couldn't help finding the name very fitting for the being…"

"What being? You're not giving any specifics… at least tell me what exactly I'm looking for," Cinder requested, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"'Looking for?' Miss, I do believe you are in over your head. I'm telling you now; you do not want to find this thing…" the older woman hissed seriously. "You need to get out and reveal the truth to the world, before it's too late; that is why I tell you this. You must tell the world that the 'Grimm Hunstman' is real, and to stay away."

"Look, I know you think whatever that's out there is too dangerous for me to handle, but I should tell you something…" Cinder moved closer to the woman, leering towards her with sinister eyes, "I'm dangerous too… so you best tell me what I want to know…"

The intimidating aura Cinder gave off caused the elder to recoil in fear. "Miss, please; you know not what you attempt to tamper with…"

"I'll be the judge of that," Cinder let out a low growl, starting to lose patience with the elderly woman. "Now, just tell me what I want to know, and I'll be on my way."

The local woman let out a sigh, trying her best not to let out how terrified she felt, before speaking, "A mysterious entity of unknown origin. Wrapped in a cloak, obscuring any known form. Seemingly lacking in an aura but possessing intelligence and powers that resemble a semblance. The Creatures of Grimm don't attack it, but it still acts hostile towards them. At least that's how it seems, but it has never been observed killing grimm, only capturing them… but for what purpose?" the alley-inhabitant gave a sad sigh as she shook her head. "Don't try to find it, whatever that thing is doing… it's something humans and faunus alike would be best to avoid."

"Just tell me where to find it!" Cinder all but shouted, an aura of flames erupting from her body.

The elder gasped fearfully, taking a few steps back, before weakly holding up a hand, "V-very well… head just north of the town, into the forest… you will find the base of the beast in the clearing where the air stands still… that's all I can give you, that's all I can say."

Cinder's aura died down in an instant, a pleasant smile returning to the visiting woman's face. "Thank you, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"Please, miss, heed my warnings; this is a creature that should not be trifled with!" the elder pleaded one last time. "Run from here, and tell the world of its existence, it is the only chance we have!"

"Thank you for the advice…" Cinder gave a small smirk and a dismissive wave before she turned to leave, barely catching the disappointed sigh the older woman gave as she did. The smirk on Cinder's face widened as she continued, confident she could handle whatever this 'thing' was and use it to her advantage.

"What a fool I was…"

Cinder trudged through the forest just at the edge of the town, the location she was seeking was not far off; though she noted that the closer she got to the location, the heavier the air seemed to get…

"I should have trusted my instincts at that moment and fled… but my pride would not allow it."

Cinder looked through the trees, to the bushes, and all around the area; there was no sign of any kind of 'base,' but she knew better than to take the appearance of the area at face value. Crossing her arms and smirking a bit, she allowed her aura to flare up ever so slightly, noting with satisfaction as the strange feeling in the air intensified. "I know you're here; will you show yourself to me? Or will you remain hidden, like a coward?"

The forest seemed to freeze in time, there was a noise, rustling in the human's peripheral vision. Cinder spun around and was satisfied to find the one she had been seeking.

"Why have you come here, human…?" the voice was emotionless, yet Cinder could still feel the edges of disdain and disgust mixed within it. The tattered cloak only slightly touched the ground as the one wearing it glided just above.

Despite the strange feeling of dread that seemed to permeate through the very air of this creature, Cinder stood firm and confident. "Are you the 'Grimm Huntsman?'"

"… I have been called many names, but that is not one I have ever gone by," the being spoke in a manner that seemed to echo through Cinder's mind, giving her a look that revealed burning red eyes underneath its cloaked visage.

"Then, what is your name? If you don't mind me asking."

The cloaked being did not seem pleased with this demand for information, keeping a burning glare directed at the intruder. "Why have you come here, what is it you seek?"

Cinder let out a confident chuckle as she answered, "What I was seeking was you, and I have found you."

"You were seeking me…? Your survival instincts must be lesser than even those of a standard human," the entity responded as it continued to hover a bit closer. "The ones that live down in the near settlement know better, you must not be one of them…"

"How perceptive of you," Cinder praised, almost sarcastically. "Yes, I'm not from that village. I came here specifically to find you; it was a bit hard to get the information necessary to do so though, you've left quite an impression on those simple folks."

"I care not for what you humans think of me; this puppet has provided me with a means to finally accomplish that of which I have waited millenniums to accomplish; I will not be distracted by your meddling," the cloaked humanoid stated mechanically, looking away from the intruder.

"Okay, so you don't want to talk," Cinder shrugged, taking a few steps towards the hovering being. "How about this: I have heard you are quite the beast, how about a demonstration of power?"

"What sort of 'demonstration' do you desire, human?" the grimm-like being questioned uncaringly, slightly turning their head back towards the human.

Cinder inched forward a bit more, a taunting smirk coming to her visage, "I have seen how the villagers down there fear you, I do wonder though, if it is truly warranted."

The 'Grimm Hunstman' eyed Cinder as it hovered around her, scanning her in an almost robotic fashion, before it gave a humming sound and spoke again, "A confrontation with you would yield nothing for me, your light is fickle. My time is valuable…"

This response did not sit well with the ever-prideful criminal. "What? Are you saying I'm weak?"

"Weak? No, you are not weak. You are very powerful… but your power is uninteresting," The cloaked being scoffed as it turned away from her.

"Uninteresting!?"

"Leave this place and never return, you will meet the same fate as all others of light that infest this world soon enough…" the entity stated plainly as it floated back in the direction it had appeared from.

Cinder's fist clenched as growls slipped out from between her teeth, sparks started to form between her fingertips as she glared fiercely at the retreating humanoid. "Who do you think you are… to just dismiss me like this!?" without a second thought, she hurled a ball of fire towards the cloaked being.

What happened next went too fast for Cinder to properly process; one moment the 'Grimm Hunstman' was in front of her with its back turned, her fire about to strike it. The next; her target was gone, the fireball struck a tree that lit ablaze, and then Cinder was on the ground; an intense pressure beating down on her.

"Foolish, beyond foolish…"

Cinder could barely speak in response to the voice of the cloaked entity that echoed from behind her, nor could she turn her head to look at it; in only an instant this thing had rendered her helpless, and she had no idea how.

"What is it you desire from me that would compel you to do this?" the creature questioned slowly.

Before Cinder could even try to respond, she suddenly felt a searing pain go through her skull–no–her brain! She didn't know how, but this creature was digging through her mind. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her mouth, she tried to use her powers to set the forest around her ablaze, but nothing. And just as soon as the pain had started, it stopped; the invisible tendrils of the thing had left her mind, and she had to use all her willpower not to collapse into a screaming mess.

"I see, so that's what this is… you really are a fickle thing," the creature's voice was unchanged as it hovered back into the downed woman's view, looking down upon her as if she were no more than an annoying insect. "Your goals could perhaps be useful… yes." The cloaked being hissed as it released Cinder from whatever power it used to hold her. "I have no name to give you, wayward child of light. To this world I am now considered an 'anomaly,' so that is what you shall know me as."

Cinder's breath was heavy as she struggled to regain her bearings, still trying to process everything that had just transpired "… Very well, 'Anomaly…'"

It wasn't long after this that the newly dubbed 'Anomaly' moved from their base in the forest and into the one Cinder had occupied. The nearby town disappeared not long after; the entire area wiped clean, not a trace of any buildings or humans ever being there.

That, along with the experience of that dreadful first meeting, should have tipped Cinder off that she had been over her head, but pride is a powerful and blinding thing…

"Ever since then, I've tried everything to keep at least a sliver of control over Anomaly, but nothing worked," Cinder stated as she looked towards Mercury.

The dark-haired teen seemed unsure of how to respond the story his boss had just told; how someone he saw as so strong could have been defeated so effortlessly, and his mind swirling with questions on what exactly Anomaly even was.

Cinder noticed the state the boy was in, and gave a shallow laugh, "I let the demon in, and now we all suffer for it… I suppose my hubris caught up with me. I doubt whatever Anomaly has planned will serve us well in the end…"

"All this time, I just thought that thing was something you had a handle on, but that wasn't true," Mercury clenched his fist, still processing everything. "Cinder… what are we even working toward anymore?"

This question gave Cinder a moment of pause; their original goal… Cinder wanted to tear down the society that glorified Hunters as 'heroes,' that restricted freedom, that put people like her down. She believed that if she had the power to, she should be able to do whatever she wanted, she deserved to be able to do what she wanted.

But as for what Anomaly was having them do, what that entity was working towards? She wasn't so sure it lined up with her own goals, at least not anymore…

"I don't know, I thought it had something to do with making grimm more powerful, with the negativity, and the processing, but this… thing with Emerald…" Cinder tried to keep composure, but she seemed to be very close to panicking. "I just don't know anymore. All I can say for certain is; whatever Anomaly actually wants to do; it's probably not going to be good for any of us…"

Mercury gave his boss an unreadable look as he seemed to be thinking, but before he could speak, a dreadfully familiar voice rung through both of their heads.

'All personal report to the briefing chamber, I have new orders.'

Both Cinder and Mercury froze up after Anomaly's command had hit their heads; they could reach them that quickly… had they been listening to them as well? Had Anomaly heard everything that had just been discussed between the two?

With a trade of uncertain looks, Cinder and Mercury exited the room to head to the 'briefing chamber,' both feeling a sense of dread towards what was to come…

"The reconstruction of this world approaches steadily, but there is still much to do for the time being…" Anomaly stated, hovering off the ground and pacing, looking between their subordinates who stood before them, with those ever-burning eyes. "Though plans must be updated; the spreading of negativity is no longer the primary goal, we have a target now," Anomaly stated firmly. "That blue-eyed beowolf… we must capture it at all costs!"

"The blue-eyed… why? What is– "Cinder started to question, but was halted by that familiar feeling of pressure, pushing on her mind.

"From the information we have; it's location is most likely at Beacon Academy!" Anomaly interrupted the woman without even sparing her a glance. "Cinder, Mercury, Adam, you three will go to Beacon under the guise of a team from another school, staying at Beacon for the purposes of attending the tournament…" the cloaked entity eyed the three, before focusing on the faunus man, "Adam, you shall be in charge for this mission, and thus be registered as the team's leader."

Cinder gaped, though internally knew she shouldn't be surprised; Anomaly had fully usurped control from her entire operation at this point, no doubt they were going to attempt to lower her further in the chain of command…

"As you command, master," Adam spoke in a loyal tone as he bowed his head to the grimm-like entity.

Cinder held back the scoff of disgust in her throat at Adam's subdued response; Adam had once been violent and unruly, too much so for even Anomaly to consider beneficial… the humanoid being had forced Adam to be more submissive, she wasn't entirely sure how, but she knew it probably had something to do with the grimm-like being's ability to probe the minds of others.

Anomaly had taken Adam aside one day, and it could only be assumed they reached into Adam's mind and… yanked out what was unsatisfactory. The faunus man wasn't very different, but how calm he was and the unquestioning loyalty to Anomaly he displayed since then were… disturbing.

Another reason Cinder couldn't afford to fully speak against Anomaly, not now at least.

"Neo will be acting as the final member of your team on paper but will be given an excuse for her lack of attendance," Anomaly stated, gesturing to the short girl, who gave a mocking smirk. "Her abilities are more useful in use elsewhere…"

"So, you actually listened to me about that?" Roman asked with an amused chuckle.

Anomaly just stared at the thief impassively, "I listen to everything, I only respond to what make sense. Your reasons were satisfactory."

"Well… nice to know you're not just ignoring us most of the time," Roman tried to keep his smile, but it was cracking a bit under the grimm-like humanoid's stare.

Clenching her fist slightly, wanting to scream at this being that had taken control of everything she had worked for, Cinder bit her tongue and instead asked one question, carefully, "What about Emerald?"

Anomaly slowly turned to the woman, giving her an unreadable stare. "Emerald…? Yes, Emerald's place in this plan is important, but we cannot risk any of the public seeing her as she is, not yet…" Anomaly eyes seemed to glow slightly redder as they kept staring, unblinking. "For now, she is still not ready, I must preform more experiments, until the results are satisfactory…"

Cinder's fist clenched harder, near to the point of causing her to bleed; if Anomaly noticed her restrained rage, it did not express any acknowledgement of it.

"Wait, what happened to Emerald anyway?" Roman asked with a somewhat confused expression, apparently only now noticing the green-haired female was not among them.

Anomaly turned their gaze towards the thief, "… You shall all know, soon enough."

'… Creepy,' Roman thought to himself, giving Neo an unsure look, but his partner simply shrugged in response.

"Enough talk. Begin preparations at once," Anomaly ordered, the voice echoing through their subordinates' minds, the force of the grimm-like entity's will giving them no option to argue.

"Yes, it shall be done," Cinder stated with a forced bow, before standing back up and looking towards Mercury, before she exited the room with him following not far behind.

Without a word the disturbed Roman left as well, Neo had a smug look on her face as she followed him

Soon all who remained in the room were Anomaly, and Adam. The bull faunus took a step forward to the cloaked being who stood turned away from him.

"I had dismissed you…" Anomaly looked back over their shoulder, a glowing eye staring straight at Adam, "What do you want?"

"I would just like to thank you personally, for trusting me with leading this mission," Adam spoke with a small bow towards the cloaked being.

"Trust is not a factor; I know you shall not fail me…"

Anomaly's cold response almost made the faunus cringe; yes, he knew why Anomaly was so sure of his success… everything that could impede him had been removed, after all. But he knew the sacrifice was worth it, for what Anomaly wanted, for what he was promised. "I know you are correct. No matter what; together, we shall make all humans suffer, as they deserve."

"Yes, humans will have what they deserve." Anomaly affirmed with a quiet hiss, before narrowing their eyes at the faunus man. "You are dismissed, Adam."

With a nod, the masked man turned and began exiting the room.

Anomaly's eyes narrowed further as they watched their subordinate leave, letting out another hiss once he was out of earshot, "Humans will get what they deserve… all humans…"

With a yelp, Ash shot up from his bed, breathing heavily as his body shook in fear; but for what? He did not know…

"Ash…?" Ruby's voice questioned carefully, looking down from her bed and at the grimm. "Is everything okay?"

The trainer-turned-beowolf stared at the girl for a moment, before jumping up and off his bed, looking up towards Ruby and frantically gesturing with worried eyes.

"Er, what's with the noise?" Weiss muttered, sleepily sitting up in her bed from the sound of Ash's movements, before looking down, and noticing how Ash was staring at the middle bunk, glancing under her bunk, the white-haired girl's eyes widened.

"Er… Weiss, Ash? What's with all this weirdness?" Ruby questioned with a sheepish grin.

"Ruby!?" Yang's voice suddenly exclaimed, causing the other three to look over and see the blond huntress-in-training jump out of her bed with a frantic look. "Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine, why is everyone looking at me like that?" the young leader questioned, letting out a small yawn.

"You collapsed earlier; don't you remember?" Blake stated as she got out of her own bed.

"Do you have any idea how worried you had us!?" Weiss nearly shouted as she climbed down from her bunk to stand beside Ash, glaring at the leader, concern evident in her eyes.

"Guys, guys, calm down," Ruby assured before her teammates could get any more worked up, "I'm fine. I just needed some sleep, that was all."

The claim by the youngest girl did little to calm her team's worries and was met with more than a small amount of skepticism.

Walking over to the triple bunk, Yang stood up on Ash's bed and placed a hand on her sister's forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick or anything? It's not normal to just collapse like that, Ruby…"

"Yang, really, I'm fine," Ruby assured, a bit more forcefully, gently pushing her older sister's hand away. "I overexerted myself, I'm sorry."

Ash let out a worried whimper as he watched Yang move down from the bed, before focusing back on Ruby.

"Speaking of rest; it's late, we should all be sleeping," Ruby insisted, glancing between each of her teammate's still-worried faces and nodding. "We can discuss it more in the morning, if you want, but I am positive I'm fine!"

The W, B, and Y of team RWBY looked like they wanted to argue more but conceded than their leader was right that they should probably rest for the time being and address the issue in the morning.

As each girl returned to their bed, Ash kept focusing on Ruby, his mind swirling with mixed worries about the young huntress-in-training's state, as well as all the strange feelings and dreams that had been plaguing him lately. With a bit of a sigh, the beowolf moved back to his own bed, hoping a bit of sleep might help clear his thoughts…