A Pyrrhic Reconciliation

Cardin shivered slightly as the wind whipped around him and shot through the gaps in his armor. He had foolishly believed a traveling salesman when he told him that Argus was beautiful this time of year, but that beauty extended only to the sight alone as all of Cardin's other senses protested the chill of winter. Cardin had put on extra layers of clothing under his armor, but the chill was ever persistent, and the fact that his armor was made of metal didn't help either. But Cardin refused to let the cold hinder his progress. The sun was already setting, and he had hoped to ask around to see if anyone had seen a group of Hunstmen around before turning in for the night.

Cardin had followed Jaune's trail all the way from Vale to Mistral, to the place that Ruby's letter had been sent from. It had certainly not been an easy trek, and Cardin had the seemingly growing number of Grimm to thank for that, but he had felt excitement at being so close to his goal when he had finally arrived at the grand city. Unfortunately, Cardin had not been in Mistral for less than an hour before he learned that Jaune and his group had already departed, and apparently, they had left quite a mess too. From reports collected by the Mistral Police, Cardin had learned that the White Fang had attacked Haven Academy a few weeks ago. According to the police, the group had been attempting to down the CCT tower located there like they had at Beacon, but a small counterforce of Faunus from Menagerie had learned of their plans and had intercepted them before they could carry out their mission. According to the report, there had been a number of Hunstmen there as well who fought against the White Fang. Very few photos had been taken of the incident, but Cardin was given access to them due to his status as a Huntsman.

The pictures were blurry and slightly out of focus, but in one of the shots, Cardin caught a glimpse of some very familiar faces battling inside the academy. The most important of which belonged to Jaune, and despite the quality, Cardin had no doubts that it was him. To his surprise, he also spied Yang's easily identifiable hair as well. According to the reports, the incident had occurred a little over two weeks ago, but when Cardin had spoken to Tai, Yang had only been gone a few days. Somehow, Yang had been able to get to Mistral much faster than he had. Even with her motorcycle, that time gap was insanely large.

Cardin had decided not to dwell on it too much and had asked the police if they knew where the Hunstmen had gone after the battle of Haven. They had pointed him in the direction of Argus, and just as Cardin was beginning to dread another three days of hiking, he was informed of the Argus Unlimited, which was a direct train line between Haven and Mistral. That fact alone lifted his spirits greatly, and he was even more relieved to see that the recent damage to the track by Grimm attacks had been repaired, and that the train was now running better than ever.

The trip had been enjoyable. No Grimm had attacked, which was quite surprising given the increasing frequency, but Cardin decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. That was how you jinxed yourself.

Now, Cardin was walking down the streets of Argus, one of the largest non-capital cities on Remnant, asking around if anyone had seen a group of teenagers with varying color schemes walking around. Cardin felt his spirits lift again when an older gentleman said he saw some people that matched that description.

Unfortunately for Cardin, the man was hard of hearing. Very hard of hearing.

"Oh yes! There were quite a few of those youngsters hanging around here a few days ago! All armed to the teeth and tough as nails!"

"Those might be the people I'm looking for. By any chance, sir, do you know where they went?"

"'…the letter you sent?' I'm sorry, my boy, but I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Cardin frowned and shook his head.

"No," he said, raising his voice slightly. "Do you know where they went?"

"You're…late for the event?"

"NO, I—"

Cardin stopped himself, determined not to lose his patience with the old man. As of right now, the man was his only lead, and he could not let him get away.

"Do…you…know…where…they…went?" Cardin said slowly, this time acting out the words as he was saying them.

"Well, of course!" the old man said, happily ignorant of just how thin Cardin's patience was getting. "Last I saw them, they were headed for the military base, but I doubt they ever actually got in!"

"Thank…you!" Cardin acted out before turning his heel and walking away from the man. He was not about to ask the man where the military base was, as he would rather not waste the next hour trying to get the answer.

Walking down the street, Cardin politely asked a woman with a toddler where the Argus Military base was. The woman was friendly enough, and she politely listened and bounced the child in her arms as Cardin made his inquiry.

"You too, huh?" the woman said with a laugh, her long blonde hair falling down her back as she tilted her head. Supporting the child with one arm, she turned and pointed down the street. "Take a left down Vine street, then just keep going until you hit the water. You can't miss it!"

"Thank you so much!" Cardin said, bowing his head in gratitude as he did so. The woman's friendliness had made him smile unconsciously, and though he couldn't place it, there was something about her that was very familiar.

"Good luck getting in, though!" the woman said, walking past Cardin as she did so. "Those kids barely made it on without my help, and I am not about to make Adrian throw a fit just so someone can get to Atlas!"

Cardin's eyes widened in sudden realization. The blonde hair, the military base…ATLAS?!

Cardin whirled around to stop the woman again, but something caught his eye that caused him to freeze entirely. His whole body suddenly seemed to lose all feeling, and this time, he wished that it had been due to the cold.

Before him stood a small park. Beautiful wooden structures and benches were placed all around, with plenty of flora to match. It was a beautiful sight, and it was made even more beautiful by the thick blanket of snow that had settled on every surface. The whole park seemed to be frozen in time, but all of that was lost on Cardin as his eyes widened at what stood in the direct center.

Before him, cast all in bronze and standing twelve feet tall, stood Pyrrha Nikos, holding her shield out in front of her in a non-threatening gesture. Unbeknownst to Cardin, he had slowly began approaching the statue ever since he had laid eyes on it, and within a few moments, he came to a stop before her, his eyes staring up into hers with a storm of emotions whirling just beneath the surface. His mace clattered to the ground beside him, momentarily forgotten.

Pyrrha stared back at him, and suddenly, Cardin felt the weight of her gaze settle onto him like an anvil. All at once, every single memory he had of her came back in full force, and with a feeling akin to been stabbed through the stomach, Cardin realized that if there had been one more person that deserved an apology just as much as Jaune did, she was standing before him.

Cardin lowered his gaze to the ground, already aware of the fact that he was shrinking rapidly. His whole body began to dwindle down, almost as if the weight of Pyrrha's gaze was forcing him to shrink.

Truthfully, he couldn't blame her. As all of his memories came back, Cardin woefully registered that none of them were pleasant. Every picture in his mind, every word spoken, every thought conceived…all of them had been laced with contempt toward heer. Contempt that now burned Cardin when he thought about it. Contempt that the old Cardin had felt was rightfully placed against someone who had just been trying to make him better. Contempt that had been born from a weak man who couldn't stand to have his fragile ego broken.

Oum, did it hurt to remember. Cardin shook his head as his gaze remained glued to the sidewalk. There was no memory, not even a single instance in Cardin's past that could be described as kind or respectful to Pyrhha Nikos. During that time, it almost seemed as though Cardin had existed to bring her down. Something he had never been able to do, obviously, but someone else had, and when Cardin thought about it, he realized something horrible.

Perhaps, in all his plotting and hating and disdain for Pyrrha, he had done something or said something that had contributed to her demise. Pyrrha had died, and it was a likely possibility that he, Cardin Winchester, had helped make that happen.

The thought alone almost made Cardin fall to his knees, but before his legs could buckle, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Gritting his teeth, Cardin caught himself before he fell. He didn't want to make a scene, but even so, he still felt as though he was being crushed. The thought that he had indirectly killed her was more than he could take.

Cardin didn't look up as the footsteps stopped beside him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" came a voice. It was a woman's voice, and it felt like warm sunlight after a stormy day. "Larger than life, just like she was."

Cardin screwed his eyes shut, refusing to let himself feel comforted by the woman's kindness. He didn't deserve to be here. He didn't deserve to even look at her.

"Yes," he said, attempting to force the strain out of his voice. Gulping hard, he forced his eyes up and stared straight ahead. The movement alone was a herculean effort.

"More and more have come to see her," the voice said kindly. "Seeing them all, it makes me so happy to know that she had so many amazing people around her at Beacon. Seeing them come here, it just makes me so proud."

At her words, Cardin couldn't help but turn his head and see the face behind the words. His eyes went from surprise to agony as he saw emerald green eyes and bright red hair. The woman looked back at him with a smile that he did not deserve. A smile that he perhaps would never deserve, especially not from her. Her words cut like steel through him, torturing his very soul. It was excruciating.

'…so many amazing people…'

Cardin shook his head.

"I…I need to go. Pyr—"

Cardin bit his lip. He could feel tears welling up behind his eyes.

"She…wouldn't want me to be here."

Cardin turned to leave, but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to shrug it off, wanted to step away, but he knew he couldn't have what he wanted. He wanted to leave. He wanted to escape the pain he was feeling, but he knew he couldn't be that selfish. He deserved to wither under the combined scrutiny of mother and daughter. The hand was still there, so he slowly turned his head and met the woman's emerald gaze.

Her smile was still there, and so was her hand. Her hold was gentle. It was as though Cardin were a lost child, and she was there to reassure him. Cardin bitterly added that to the list of things he did not deserve.

If Velvet could see him now, Cardin was sure that she would be angry at him for being so stuck in the past. But right here, right now, there was so little Cardin could do from breaking down.

"Pyyrha always had a saying," the woman said. Her gaze never wavered, and her smile somehow burned brighter. Cardin hated himself for wanting to smile in return.

"She used to say: 'Your past doesn't define who you are. It just gives you a starting point for who you're going to be…'"

Cardin started to shake his head. But the woman continued talking, silencing all of his protests.

"…and I know that if she was here right now, she'd tell you to go forward; to move on. There's so much to be done, and to stay behind is to increase your sins tenfold."

Cardin sighed heavily.

"How can I move on? How can I live knowing that things would be better if it was me instead of her?"

The woman shook her head.

"I know that Pyrrha wouldn't have done what she did if she didn't believe in us to carry on for her. She made her choice, and we can honor her now by being the best we can be. No matter who we were before, we still have time to be better."

Cardin set his jaw as her words began to warm the blackness within him. This time, he let the smile tug at the corners of his lips. The woman's smile grew in return, and she finally removed her hand from Cardin's shoulder.

Cardin turned to look at Pyrrha again, and though he knew it was impossible, it seemed like her expression seemed to change. Instead of bearing down on him, it now seemed to offer a silent challenge. A passing of responsibility to Cardin to prove that he was deserving of her forgiveness. He could almost hear her voice inside his head.

I gave it all, and when I fell, I couldn't get up to give more. Will you stand up, or will you stand aside?

As if to echo the words, the woman spoke again.

"There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that tears you down until there is nothing left, and the kind that kindles your soul to action. Which kind do you feel, Cardin?"

Cardin's eyes widened at the mention of his name, but when he snapped his neck back in surprise, the woman was gone. He looked around widely for her, but after a quick sweep, he saw that he was alone in the park yet again. Well, almost alone.

Looking back up to Pyrrha's statue, Cardin felt the crushing weight lift from his shoulders. He was vaguely aware that he was growing again. As he jumped back to his full height, Cardin smiled up to the statue. Tears formed again in the corners of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Pyrrha," he said aloud. "I'm so sorry that you never got to see me at my best. I'm sorry that you only knew the old me. And most of all, I'm sorry that I never got a chance to show you just how far I could go. But if you're listening, please just know that although you never knew it, you helped shape me into who I am today. I hope that with time, I can be someone you can be proud of."

All of a sudden, the wind shifted. The clouds parted just for a moment, but the sun suddenly shone brightly through the gap and illuminated the entire park in a deep red hue. The white canvas of the snowfall was painted crimson by the solar glow, and as Cardin turned his head to admire the scene, the wind shifted direction again.

As Cardin watched, he saw a fleck of bright orange and gold appear from behind a tree. It was a leaf. The last leaf of Fall, if Cardin were to guess. The wind billowed and whipped throughout the park, but Cardin's eyes never left the leaf as it sailed through the park on a haphazard path towards him. At the last moment, the wind abruptly stopped, and the leaf lazily drifted for a few more moments before hovering down towards him. Cardin stood still and held his breath as the leaf fell closer and closer, and only when the leaf landed softly on his shoulder did he let out a breath of relief. The leaf remained on his shoulder, perched as though it was meant to be there, and Cardin had a feeling that it was. It sat on the exact same shoulder that the woman had touched just a minute earlier, and although Cardin knew it was impossible, he felt his shoulder grow warmer on the spot where the leaf sat. It was as though another hand rested there.

Cardin smiled and nodded his head.

Thank you.

Gently taking the leaf in his hand, Cardin studied it for a moment before holding it out in front of him. The wind picked up once more, and just like that, the leaf blew away and out of sight.

Sparing one last look at Pyrrha, Cardin nodded once before picking up his mace and strolling from the park, once again feeling at peace.