"WHAT?!" Yang screams as we finish our explanation.

"You promised you wouldn't yell, you'll wake the baby." Ruby says, pouting slightly as she cradles the little one in her arms.

"I said I wouldn't yell while you two were explaining, which I did. Now would you repeat what you just said one more time?"

"Ruby and I have a baby to take care of."

"And why you two exactly?" Weiss asks.

"The baby is a homunculus," I say, showing them the ouroboros tattoo on her wrist, "not unlike the ones we encountered in the research facility. Matt and I thought it best that I take care of her until her powers manifest. If she doesn't have any powers or her powers aren't dangerous, we can put her up for adoption. Any dangerous powers would mean the only places she could be kept are in AHH prisons, and I won't let that happen."

"How long will it take for her powers to show themselves?" Blake asks.

"It's like the homunculi version of a semblance, so there is no telling how long it could take. Could happen a month from now, could happen ten years from now."

"You're talking about trying to raise a kid while you're both still in school training to become huntresses, one of the most dangerous professions on the planet. Neither of you are ready for that commitment, nor is this the place to raise a child. Weiss, Blake back me up here." Yang says, looking to her teammates for support.

"I, for once, agree with Yang." Weiss says, "A combat school is certainly not the place to raise a child. Not only that, but it seems like the two of you are rushing into this without thinking about how this will affect the two of you personally. This is still a mostly human baby we're talking about, and she will need to be cared for as such."

I look to Blake, "What do you think?"

She sighs, "While Yang has a point, I can see why you're hesitant to let this baby go without knowing if she'll become dangerous. The one homunculus Yang and I dealt with at the facility fought the two of us to a standstill, managed to escape, and I doubt that was all she could do. If that baby is even half as powerful, and she has a temper tantrum that activates her powers, what would a normal person be able to do to stop her? Placing a child in prison for powers she may or may not have is not a solution either."

"Can you at least agree that a combat school is no place for a child?" Yang laments.

"Yes, but a prison is not any better and that's her only other option." I say.

"There has to be someone else who can take her in…" Weiss sighs, rubbing her temples.

"There are only a hand full of people on the entire planet who know about the homunculi and a good chunk are standing in this room. Ruby and I know the full extent of the risk, which is the only reason I'm willing to take it."

"But what about the two of you? You're not even a year into your relationship and you're suddenly prepared to raise a child?"

"I never said we were prepared! But I will not let this baby end up in an AHH prison. I've seen what they're like and I won't let it happen to anyone, let alone a baby!"

The room goes dead quiet for a split second before the baby starts wailing.

Ruby shifts back and forth, "Shhhhhh, it's okay, Shhhh..." She says, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm trying to do right by this little girl who deserves to grow up free," I say, taking the baby from Ruby's arms, "not locked away. I lived a chunk of my life chained to the ceiling, told I was nothing more than an experiment, a number. I will not let that happen to this baby, even if it kills me."

"Is there really no one else you could think of who could take care of her?" Blake asks.

"I mean… Ozpin I guess, but he's always doing headmaster stuff which means she would still be here at Beacon."

"It seems like you have already made up your mind." Weiss comments.

"I have, but I know it will affect us as a team and I didn't want to just disappear to care for a baby you guys didn't know about."

Yang looks at Ruby, "You've already made up your mind too?"

Ruby nods, "Yeah. We weren't explaining the situation to you guys to ask for permission, we just wanted you guys to be aware of what's going on. We know she's going to be a handful."

Yang sighs, "I still think this is a mistake, but if you're both sure about this…" She says, before motioning to me, "give her here. Auntie Yang wants to hold her."

Ruby and I look back and forth between each other, "Okay." I say, placing her in Yang's arms.

"She is really cute." Weiss huffs.

"I can't say I disagree." Blake says.

"See? We're starting off on a good note."

Uuurp!

All of us look towards Yang and the baby, "Alright, she can burp with the best of 'em." Yang says as she starts to chuckle.

"That reminds me," I say, looking to Ruby, "We need to go shopping for baby stuff."

"Nope," Weiss interjects, "you and I need to go shopping for baby stuff while Yang, Blake, and Ruby stay here with her." She says before pausing, "Does she have a name?"

"Ummm… No. We didn't think that it was something we should do."

"You didn't think that as the people raising her that you should give her a name?"

"Neither of us are her parents…"

"It's not about that. It's about her having a name, and if you don't know what her name was originally, you should give her one."

"Well… you kinda put me on the spot here. Can I think while we're shopping?"

Weiss sighs deeply, "Sure, but she will have a name by the end of the day."

"She'll need to be fed sooner rather than later, so we should get going." I say.

"When was the last time she ate?" Weiss asks.

"I don't think she had a fully developed stomach before yesterday, so I don't think she's ever eaten."

I interrupt before Weiss starts, "Trust me, it's a long story and if you want all the details, I can tell you on the way."

"Alright, let's get going." Weiss says, grabbing my arm and pulling me along.

"Ow, ow, ow, bye guys, OW Weiss slow down!"

48 Hours Remaining...

"Weiss, you are not buying all of this." I say after seeing the full total, "Ruby and I…"

"Should not have to pay for a baby you shouldn't be responsible for in the first place."

"We made the choice to take her in Weiss, and I'm fine with paying for it."

"If you're so insistent, then pay for the essentials, food and such. I'll buy some of the...accessories."

I sigh, "We aren't leaving until you get your way, are we?"

"Nope."

"Fine, but I will pay you back for all of this."

"How about you start by picking a name for the child I'm buying all this for."

"What do you think about Violet?"

"If you were thinking about that name the whole time, you could have said something and I would have gotten more purple onesies." Weiss huffs as we walk out of the store.

"I thought of other names, but Violet just sounded right."

"You just went through names that sounded good with Ruby's surname."

My entire face burned, "I did not!"

Weiss starts laughing, "You totally did!"

I stride away from Weiss, "Sierra, come back, I was only teasing."

"I'm going home."

"We have so much more to get while we're out! Blake needs dust magazines for Gambol, Yang needs her allergy medication, Ruby needs cookies…"

I sigh, "She always needs cookies."

"and we aren't going to have time to go out again before our mission with Professor Oobleck."

"What mission?" I ask.

"The one Team RWBY is going on, did Ruby not tell you?"

"No, she didn't say anything about it."

"Ozpin did have to approve it, so maybe he didn't want you to go."

"Or maybe Ruby thought I should stay with the baby. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not disappointed, I really want to do some field work."

"Ask Ruby when we…"

"I should stay Weiss, Violet needs care and attention like any other child, and I'm fine with it. Though I want your word that if things get bad you guys will let me know."

"We're going to be out of CCT range for most of the trip, but I'll make sure to send updates when I can."

"Thank you, and be sure to keep Ruby from doing something too heroic."

"Diving headfirst into danger without thinking about the consequences?"

"Exactly."

"So keep her from doing what you always do?"

"Sounds about right."

"Ugh, what am I going to do with the two of you?" Weiss sighs.

"Keep us in line. Organization was always one of your strong suits." I grin.

"Just because I'm good at it, doesn't mean I like to do it. Especially when I know the two of you aren't going to listen the moment someone is in danger."

"Not going to argue with you on that one, guilty as charged. So what do you guys need for this mission?"

"Like I said before, dust, ammo…"

"Cookies."

"And cookies for the dolt."

UNKNOWN LOCATION:

"I can't believe those brats beat us…" Envy grumbled.

"Speak for yourself," Lust mocked. "I didn't captured by a teenage girl and a Schnee."

"You act like that mattered in the slightest. Salem still showed up, and Angel was going to find the place eventually. We weren't hiding all that well, especially with some of the experiments Father was having Matthew perform."

"Enough to fool the Atlesians and Ozpin, and it was certainly better than being here with loudmouth and mute."

"Not a fan of the stale air Sis? Or is it the lack of conversation?"

"No, this waiting around is boring. I'd rather be taking a more...hands on approach to the situation. Something Father would have disapproved of."

"Ooooo, what did you have in mind?" Envy grinned.

"Dealing with a certain brat to make sure everything goes according to plan. Then we can deal with the traitor."

"We'll deal with Greed once we're in Haven, and that means we get to play with their headmaster a bit more while we're there."

"Having another pawn in our game doesn't seem like such a bad idea now that Father is out of the picture. Salem will want to be rid of us soon. We are simply loose ends that know too much."

"Taking care of the brat should give us plenty of time Lust, or at least enough to get out of Vale before the fireworks."

24 Hours Remaining…

"Are you positive you'll be fine taking care of her alone?" Ruby asks.

"I can handle a newborn for the three days you guys will be gone, no problem." I boast.

"But you need the mission time more than any of us, it's the only thing you need to graduate."

"A three day mission isn't going to make or break me graduating Weiss. This is a mission Ozpin intended for Team RWBY, and I'm fine sitting it out to take care of Violet. Just be sure to update me on how things are going whenever you have Scroll signal."

"We'll be sure to keep that in mind, but we need to hurry, the Bullheads are leaving soon." Blake interjects.

Ruby kisses me on the cheek, "Love you, see you both when we get back."

"See ya later." Yang says, before bolting out the door.

"Wait up Sis!" Ruby says, sprinting after her.

Blake simply nods to me before stepping out.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Weiss asks.

"Bored? Maybe. Okay? Definitely. I have Matt back and the cutest baby girl I've ever laid eyes on. I can make do with that."

Weiss rolls her eyes, "Whatever you say." She says smiling.

"Sure Princess."

"I told you and Matt not to call me that!"

"You're going to be late." I say in a singsong voice.

Weiss glares at me before running out after the others.

"None of them mentioned where the mission was, did they?"

"Up North was all I ever got, why?"

"Where Mountain Glenn is right?"

I freeze, "All they are doing is tracking some odd Grimm migration patterns..."

"Grimm migration patterns, especially Elders, don't change without some prompting. Human emotions, good or bad, tend to drive them around. So if there were to be a large gathering of humans around an area like Mountain Glenn."

"It has to be a coincidence…"

"Ozpin wouldn't know not to send them since you decided to keep him in the dark."

"Would you tell him? He lied to me about my mother's death."

"So did your father, do you hate your father?"

"I'm starting to think that I should have. He hid so much from me."

"I'm sure he had his reasons, maybe your brother knows."

"If anyone would, it's Matt." I say looking down at Violet, "Let's get you changed and dressed up."

"Didn't think you'd be able to make time for me," Matt says, "You seem to have your hands full."

"Haha, very funny, but I really do need to talk with you."

"Come in and sit down first."

The two room office had been converted for Matt to have some room for his research as well as a bed to avoid having him in the dorms. We took a seat on the small couch that he had requested.

"And the reason you didn't accept Oz's offer to start training?"

"I have no intention of becoming a Huntsman, not for the AHH anyway."

"How much do you know about that?"

"As much as I caught in passing from some of the mercenaries that passed through Father's compound, enough to know that corruption spreads deeper than I thought. But that's not important, what did you need to talk with me about?"

"I need to know what Dad told you, all of it."

"And what do you think he told me that he didn't tell you?"

"Did you know about Mom?"

"Would I have cried with you under her cloak if I did? Would I have held you during the funeral?"

"Matt…"

"How dare you think I held something like that from you?! I'm your brother!"

Violet squirms as I raise my voice, "AND HE WAS OUR FATHER!"

My voice drops low, "I just had to be sure Matt, I have to know who I can trust. Whatever is going on is so big, I need to know I have people on my side."

"Well count me as on your side, and nothing will change that." He says reaching out to place his hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks. I want to sort through everything we can remember and see if there is anything that feels out of place."

"I can already think of one. Your aura training came when you were much older than I was."

"What?"

"I started my aura training with Dad when I was six and had my semblance unlocked by the time I was seven. You didn't even start your training until you were eight."

"Mom died when I turned six, maybe he wanted me to be in the right state of mind?"

"But you asked to be trained not even a week after mom's funeral."

"The only thing that changed when I was eight was…"

"You trying to bring Mom back."

"But Dad couldn't have…"

"Known that you had taken his books? He absolutely knew because he asked if I was moving them. He knew what you were after…"
"And didn't stop me. He knew about the Portal, all of it, and let me go through it anyway."

"Your aura changed after your attempt for sure, does that mean it changed your semblance too?"

"Dad waited to see what going through the portal would do to my aura and semblance before training me, hoping it would be better than what I already possessed."

"Or knew that it would be better. You said Raymond had been through the portal, Dad must have asked about it."

"All that means is I'm another one of Dad's weapons, built exactly the way he wanted without ever being able to choose for myself. After all this time, I had finally convinced myself Mom wasn't my fault, but I was wrong. All of it was for their ultimate weapon, their last chance."

"What are you talking about?"

"Mom, Dad, Ozpin, Ironwood, they all ran out of options. Whatever it is Oz fears, it's coming and soon. They needed their best chance at beating it, so they came up with a plan to make their trump card. Me."

"But what could Ozpin be that afraid of?"

"Something that making someone going through the portal was the only way to beat it. Then having me bond with Ruby. The silver eyes and my power? There's not a Grimm that could beat us." I say before freezing.

"What is it?"

"He's worried about The Fall. One of the other ascended showed me the Fall of Beacon, and told me that was what would have happened if I wasn't here."

"So you are their ultimate weapon against...whoever or whatever is going to attack the school, how does that do them any good if they don't tell you anything?"

"Maybe they were trying to spare my feelings, or maybe they didn't want me to reject the grand destiny they planned for me. Either way, I'm going to make Oz tell me the truth."

"Here," Matt says, motioning for Violet, "Go get your answers, I'll keep her until you get back."

"Thanks, and I'll be back." I say, blinking to the administration wing.

I take a deep breath and knock twice on the door.

"Come in." Goodwitch calls.

"I need to talk to the headmaster if it isn't too much trouble." I say, closing the door behind myself.

"The headmaster is currently in a meeting with the council discussing recent unsanctioned actions undertaken by a team of huntresses in training."

"As if the council isn't glad to have several missing persons reports off their plate."

"What did you need to discuss with The Headmaster?"

"Salem."

Goodwitch paled, "Excuse me?"

"I want to discuss Salem, and everything else Oz has been keeping from me. I'm not going to be a weapon for a cause I know nothing about, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"We figured it would only be a matter of time, but Ozpin thought it would take you longer to ask."

Goodwitch sighs, "I'll let him know you have an urgent matter to discuss with him."

"So this is it? Your answers."

"I've got a feeling this isn't going to go as well as I might hope."

Goodwitch opens the office doors, "Come in."

Goodwitch seals the door behind me with her semblance.

"Is that really necessary?"

"With the gravity of the questions you are about to ask, I'm surprised you think that's enough." Ozpin replies.

"The truth is that much huh?"

"As if I wouldn't have told you if it was something simple."

"Considering the mother of all Grimm told me more in the five minutes I was in her presence than you did the entire time I've been at Beacon says something."

"And what exactly did Salem tell you?"

"You sent Summer on the mission that killed her, and lied to Ruby and her family the entire time."

"I was the one who asked Summer if she would join team JINX for their mission, yes. I was concerned for them as a team who had only recently begun working together, and Summer was one of the best leaders to ever graduate this academy, still is. I thought it best for them to have someone to lean on if things got to be too much, especially Jamie."

"What was the mission?"

"Odd activity had been noted outside of the walls. Supplies being stolen from transports, Grimm becoming erratic, and missing persons reports all stemming from the stations close to the eastern gate. Team JINX, along with Summer, were sent to investigate."

"So what actually happened?"

Ozpin stands from his desk and walks to the center of the room, "Team JINX returned without Summer, and the only thing they had to offer was this book." Ozpin says, pressing his cane into the floor and opening a small chamber.

He reaches down and pulls out a journal, my father's.

"The team was set under administrative watch by the AHH, and that was the last I ever heard of them."

He places the journal in my hands, "One of your father's?"

"What do you know about that?"

"He said his research was too important to keep it all in one place. I knew he had divided it up, but was never sure exactly what he was trying to hide."

"He wasn't lying, no one should ever have all of his research, but I'm sure there is more to it than that. I'm sure this necklace has something to do with it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I couldn't make sense of it until I saw the first journal. At first, I thought it would be something at home. That was kind of true considering the first journal was hidden there, but the journal I found was missing a thin strip along several pages. If this one is missing the same, then this small piece in my necklace is the four missing pieces transmuted together, one from each of the journals."

"But there isn't anything written on the scroll on your necklace."

"But it might complete the journals, my father must have hidden something that you could only see if the journal was complete."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You've met my dad, right?"

"That...is a valid point. What other questions do you have for me?"

"How does Salem know you? Obviously you're Beacon's headmaster and people know of you, but there was more to it than that. She sounded like she knew you personally."

Glynda looks to Ozpin, "This will be too much."

Oz shakes his head, "She wants to know the cause she fights for, I'm not keeping anymore secrets."

"Do you know the story of the four maidens?"

"The fairy tale? Yeah, mom had a book of them that she would read to us before bed."

"The Tale of Two Brothers, The Seasonal Maidens, The Rise of Atlas."

"That was all of them in order, you've heard of the book?"

"Heard of it? I wrote it and made sure I gave your mother a copy."

"But why?"

"Because I wanted her to know who I was, not who she thought I was."

"You're not making any sense Oz."

"I was there in all of those stories, the so called hero or wizard, that was always me."

"What?" I said in utter disbelief.

"In my past lives, I created the maidens as well as the academies to protect the gifts given to humanity by the two brother gods. All in an attempt to ward off the creatures of Grimm and Salem. The only woman I truly loved."

"She wasn't always like that was she? What happened to her?"

"My name, in my first life, was Ozma. I was nothing more than a mortal man who sought to be a hero and help those who needed it. I found Salem sealed in a tower by her Father, held only because she possessed magic that she did not know how to control. I freed her and we fell in love, but it didn't last. I succumbed to an illness not long after we found love. She pleaded with the gods, the two brothers, to return me to her, but she...deceived them into believing that she had not gone to the other for help first. When they learned of her lies, they cursed her with immortal life, and told her she would be allowed to die only after she learned the meaning of life and death. Only then would she be allowed peace."

"The gods sound like assholes."

"When Salem couldn't find a way to die, she sought a way to defeat the gods and force them to obey her. She brought humanity together in an attempt to fight against the gods, the gods were not happy about the attempt on their lives and reduced humanity to embers. The gods then left Remnant taking their magics and gifts with them, leaving behind only four relics of their power. They, along with Salem, were the only sources of magic once held by all living things on Remnant."

"So then how are you here?"

"I asked the gods to tell me of what had become of humanity and my beloved. They showed me my love in the ashes of humanity, wailing for me. I pleaded with them to let me help, to guide her to the understanding she needed. That request started my cycle of reincarnation. Once humanity had begun anew on Remnant, I arrived in the body of a like minded soul and was once again reunited with Salem. Only she wasn't the woman I had loved. She had been driven mad by her attempts to die, and had become resentful of the punishment the gods had given her. Her wish was no longer death, but the destruction of the gods that had cursed her. I hoped that with my return she would change her ways, and for a time, I believed I had convinced her that what we had was enough. She and I still had magic, we ruled over humanity as the new gods, and built great kingdoms. Together we had four beautiful baby girls, they inherited some of our magics, and I felt hope that we could rebuild what we had lost."

"What changed?"

"Despite everything, Salem could not give up on her revenge against the gods. We argued about it constantly, but one day, she reached her breaking point. I tried to flee with our daughters, but she saw it as the ultimate betrayal. We fought with our magic, and the resulting explosion brought down the castle we had built. Salem found me in the rubble, and ended my life for taking her daughters away."

"Salem wants the gods to return so she can kill them, but you said they left."

"The four relics they left, when brought together, will summon the two brothers back to Remnant. If humanity is united, they will be spared. If humanity is divided, they will be destroyed for good."

"Then Salem is trying to gather the relics so that she can try and kill the gods, and even if she fails, humanity would be destroyed and she could die."

"That would seem to be her plan."

"So you've spent all your lives trying to stop her, what's changed in the last few that you told my father you needed a weapon to fight Salem?"

"How did you know about that?"

"I am the weapon my father created for you Ozpin. My entire childhood was molded so I would attempt to bring my mother back from the dead. In doing so, I became more powerful than any person alive, at the cost of my arm and sanity. You didn't find the weapon where my father told you it would be, only this necklace. My father was always trying to find the source of the Grimm, and stop their creation. I think after all of his research, he found a way, but knew it was too dangerous to attempt. He split his answer into four parts within the journals, and hid one in each of the kingdoms. Just like you did with the relics."

Ozpin's brow furrowed, "Your father couldn't have found a way to beat Salem."

"What makes you say that?"

"The relic within Haven Academy is the Lamp of Knowledge. The being held inside the lamp, Jinn, can answer any question you ask of her. I asked her how Salem could be defeated, and she told me that it was not possible."

"What if that was true at the time, but it isn't anymore? That must have been several lives ago, something could have changed."

"That was only two lives before now Sierra, and nothing has really changed in that time except for my own weakness."

"What do you mean?"

"With every new soul I merge with, I lose more and more of my magic. I barely have any left now, but Salem doesn't have the same problem. She has only grown stronger, so I asked your father if he could make the strongest weapon he could. I could attempt to fight Salem one last time before my magic runs out, and my cycle of reincarnation ends."

"You would lose."

"It seems I was always meant to lose. The gods didn't revive me to help Salem, they did it so I could watch her fail."

"Like I said, the gods seem like assholes. So then when my dad died before giving you the weapon, did you come up with a new plan?"

"I retreated into my inner circle with the other headmasters, Qrow Branwen, and Glynda. We came up with a plan to find all of the maidens before Salem gets the chance, only we were too late, at least for the Fall maiden."

"What happened to her?"

Ozpin stands and motions for me to follow, "You were curious when you first arrived about the towers construction were you not?"

"Yeah, it looked like the elevator was the first thing built and the rest of Beacon tower built around it."

Ozpin smirks as he and Glynda enter the elevator, "Well, you are about to see why."

I step in and the doors close. Ozpin taps the end of his cane against one of the buttons. The button lights up bright yellow before the elevator starts its descent. The screen above the buttons shows as we go to ground floor, and then further down.

"What is this?" I say, beginning to feel an unnatural aura as we step out of the .

"This is the vault of the Fall maiden, and the most secure place in Vale."

"Oz, you didn't establish the academies to beat the Grimm, you did it to protect the vaults."

"Yes, the huntsmen and huntresses trained by the academies serve the additional purpose of defending the vaults, but the people do need protection from the Grimm."

"But if Salem comes for the relic, everyone here will be at risk. Students, teachers, everyone."

"They are all Huntsmen and Huntresses, they know the risk of a Grimm attack."

"Not the mother of all Grimm and whatever pet she decides to bring along. These students aren't soldiers Ozpin, most of them are children. The maiden is down here isn't she? You know an attack is coming so Salem can force the maiden to open the vault, and you're not evacuating or calling off the Vital festival."

"Even if I were one hundred percent certain when Salem's attack was coming, any announcement would not only cause panic among the people of Vale, but it would inform Salem we are aware of what her next step is. What happens when we don't know about the next attack and aren't prepared for it?"

"We can find a way to defend Beacon without putting innocent lives at risk. Every Vital festival attendee is a target."

"What do you suggest then? Wait until the entirety of Vale at risk instead? There are no good options left."

"Where is she? The maiden."

Ozpin points to the end of the chamber where the light glow of machines flickered. I walk closer and feel the aura I was sensing on the way down, only I couldn't have been prepared for what I would see. It was a young woman laid out in some sort of tube, her face covered in burns and scars. Her aura wasn't all there, pieces were missing.

"What happened to her?"

"She was attacked, part of her power taken."

"Taken?"

"I gave the maidens immense power, so much so that it changed their very souls. The power would be passed to the person the maiden last thought about before their death, the person they believed would be their successor."

"Or the person who murdered them for their powers."

Ozpin sighed, "That was an unintended side effect, yes, but it was the reason I let the maidens fade into myth. I hoped it would be enough to keep them safe."

"What stole pieces of her aura like this?"

"A Grimm of some sort, but we're unsure exactly what it did with the pieces." Glynda comments.

"What is this machine she's hooked up to?" I say, looking from the maiden's pod to the identical one sitting across from it.

"It is an experimental aura transfer machine that Ironwood insisted be placed down here in case of the worst case scenario."

"Which is?"

"Amber not waking up, and the rest of her maiden powers going to whoever or whatever attacked her."

"Who's your candidate for that worst case scenario?" I say, knowing that I was at least considered.

"Miss Nikos."

I freeze, "No…"

"What?"

"You cannot let Pyrrha know anything about this. If you do…"

"What are you talking about Sierra?"

"She dies if you do! The person who tried going after Amber comes during Salem's attack and she kills Pyrrha. I had to watch her die, turned to ash."

"How did you see this?"

"One of the other ascended showed me during my therapy session, I saw Beacon fall to some sort of dragon Grimm."

"A Wyvern? They're extinct, none have been seen in hundreds of years." Glynda reasons.

"Salem must have one hidden somewhere near Vale, long distance isn't their specialty. Glynda, go back to the surface and start sending out teams, I want it found before the festival."

Glynda strides off before Oz begins again, "Sierra, if you're right, then Miss Nikos is no longer a candidate, but the general wants someone ready in the event that our last resort becomes necessary."

"Then I'll do it."

"The risk is great without the variable of your ascension technique, we have no idea what this technology could do to you."

"If no one else is put at risk, then I'm more than willing. I swore I wasn't going to let Pyrrha die."

"We will do everything in our power to make sure Miss Nikos is safe for the duration of the festival. I know this must be a lot to take in, and I understand if you need time to process all of it. All I ask is that you don't tell anyone else, the knowledge of my origin will put them at risk."

"Will you ever tell them?"

"Not if I can avoid it, the less people that know, the less people Salem will seek to exploit."

"Ok, I'm going to go rest for a while, you were right about this being a lot to take in."

"I would advise taking the elevator up to the office before attempting to blink. This whole vault is aura dampened."

"Thanks for the tip." I say, about to walk to the elevator, "You're not coming?"

"I'm going to stay down here for a couple more minutes, go rest."

I walk back over to him and wrap my arms around him, "Thank you for trusting me with all of this. You didn't have to."

He returns the hug, "But you deserved to know, all of them deserve to know, but it's simply too much of a risk."

"One day maybe?"

"Maybe." He replies before motioning me away.

I get in the elevator and watch Oz until the doors close. I only got a glimpse of the tears beginning to roll down his face.

I went and picked up Violet before heading back to my room. I fed her quickly before laying her down in her crib.

"She seems to be doing alright all things considered."

"I don't know what to do James, about any of this."

"Take it day by day, we have more information now than ever before, but that doesn't mean we have to use it all right at this very moment. But there is one thing I think we should discuss now."

"Which is?"

"You accepting Ozpin's request to become the maiden. The procedure will kill you, I'm sure of it."

"Like Oz said, we're out of options if Amber doesn't wake up, the person who attacked her cannot gain the full power of the maiden."

"Because if she does Pyrrha will die. I know, but there has to be another way, someone else."

"Just as I have always been, the final weapon, my father's greatest creation, this is my destiny James."

"LOOK AT THAT BABY GIRL AND TELL ME AGAIN YOUR DESTINY IS TO DIE! THINK OF RUBY SMILING AT YOU AND TELL ME YOUR DESTINY IS TO DIE!"

Sobs rack my body, "But others will have to suffer and die if I don't make this sacrifice."

"What about the ones who will suffer because you choose to make it? We will find another way, we still have time."

"We can talk in the morning, but I don't think you can talk me out of this one James." I say, laying down in my bed.

"We'll see about that." He says before I let my eyes close.

6 Hours Remaining...

A/N: I broke my promise, and I don't really know where to start. A lot of things have changed for me since Ascension was last updated. I moved out of the abusive situation I was living in, got a new job, and have been deciding on what the future holds for me. I am starting a new chapter in my life and part of me wants Ascension to come with me. Another part wants me to close the old chapter for good, all of it. I'm not sure what the best choice is, but for now at least, I am going to try to continue Ascension. I apologize for it taking so long, and for those of you still with me, thank you. I'm not going to promise anything, but I'll give it my best shot, for whatever that is worth.

Hope to see you all soon,

Keep Moving Forward

The_Marksman