Starlight's Poet: Aaaaaaaand we're back! Goddamn, when was the last time we updated this?

Daemon of Wrath: Quite a while I can tell ya that.

Final Fantasy XV x RWBY Crossover:
"Of Crystal Shards and Dust"

The night of the dance had arrived. And Ruby Rose, up and coming first year phenomenon (the incident on the highway aside) and future second coming of the fearsome Grimm Reaper, had only one thing to say about the situation.

"I. Hate. Heels!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at her leader's exclamation. With the exception of Yang, who was already in her dress and was already at the party ahead of them, the rest of the girls were getting dressed. The Schnee heiress took little time in prettying herself up, not bothering with any make-up and had already found a dress that she picked for occasions such as these. Blake had a dress that was a hand-me-down from her mother, which fit her surprisingly well. The only actual complication they ran into was Ruby, namely because of her stubbornness in what she thought was proper etiquette.

"Ruby, wearing dress shoes is required for this." Weiss admonished. "That includes heels. And they aren't that bad. I wear them all the time and you don't see me complaining."

"I don't understand how you can fight in these, these lady stilts!" Ruby whined. She attempted to stomp her foot, but she wasn't used to her footwear and wobbled, nearly falling over herself before managing to regain her balance. "They're impossible!"

"The only impossible thing here is your stubbornness." Blake sighed. "Can we go already? Last thing we need is for Yang to come back here and drag us by the hair. I still don't understand why she's so pushy about attending. It's just a dance."

Weiss nodded in acknowledgement. "Perhaps, but the dance is an important part of the school year. All that's asked of us is to attend."

"Night would be better if I didn't have to wear these death traps."

Weiss felt her eyebrow twitch. How much longer was she going to complain?! "Would you stop?! You can take them off once the dance is over and done with, but until then, it stays on. And if I hear so much as another complaint, Ruby, we will have words."

"Tyranny! Witch! Demon!"

"And you are being a child!"

As another argument erupted between the two of them, Blake couldn't help but sigh and look up at the ceiling, hoping that tonight was going to be peaceful. Or at least wouldn't end in more White Fang business.

Inside the ballroom, where the dance was well underway and practically filled to the brim, Yang patiently waited for the rest of her team near the front entrance and chatting with Nora, who was tasked with making sure everyone who was eligible for the dance was on the list. Ironically, having beaten the crap out of bouncers in the past when going out to party at a club, Yang found herself being a bouncer and throwing out anyone who tried to sneak in. So far, she had to deal with people bluffing their way in, trying to slide in with somebody else or even just outright trying to rush past Nora.

Naturally, she had to make sure damages were kept to a minimum. And since this was Beacon Academy, the people trying to sneak in were usually way better than the bouncers she dealt with on a regular basis. Whether it was because they weren't dressed for the part or because they were like Ruby and couldn't find worth a damn without their weapon, Yang had little problems taking them down and handing them off to a nearby professor to where they would wait for punishment.

The only actual downside was that, half the time, she was working up a sweat. She wasn't worried about the fact that any flashy moves she might have done that kicked up her dress and give people a very good view of her underwear, being the flirty woman she was, but she was also going to make it clear that if anyone tried any funny business with her, she was going to break more than their hands.

"Aaaand there goes the next contestant." Nora grinned as a fuming Goodwitch led one of the rambuctuous first years away by the ear. "Better luck next time, champ!"

Yang snorted. "Maybe if he wasn't so busy looking at my packages, he wouldn't have gotten his butt whooped."

"Speaking about that, I'm surprised you didn't go for something more daring." Nora commented. "I kinda expected you to go for like a lower v-neck or a shorter skirt."

"Oh, please. I may be a flirt when I wanna be, but I'm not a slut. And if I want somebody to get in my pants, I'll let them know I'm ready for some action." Of course, she was only comfortable doing that with her boyfriend, and she really didn't see herself getting one anytime soon. "Anyway, where's Jaune and P-money?"

Nora snickered. "Turns out our fearless leader didn't have a tuxedo, so they're making a quick stop by the student store."

"Lover boy in a tux, huh..." Yang tried to picture the blonde dressed in a monkey suit in her head. The image didn't last for long, nor was she impressed. Not unless it was hugging that physique of his. She rarely got to see Jaune in the middle of training, but what few times she did when she caught him without his Glaive jacket, boy did she get a nice look at those arm muscles. Pyrrha knew how to pick 'em. "Eh, whatever."

The doors opened. Yang initially prepared herself for another brawl, but stopped and grinned when she saw a miserable-looking Ruby at the head of a group of three. "What took you girls so long? I was worried I'd have to come and kidnap you."

"Dealing with Ruby and her complaining." Blake shrugged. "I'm betting ten lien that Weiss stabs her at the end of the night."

"I'll take that action."

"You're all meanies." Ruby pouted. "My own team, my own sister, betrayed me."

"Quit being so melodramatic." Weiss huffed. "You are going to this dance, with heels, and that's final!" Without waiting for another argument, Weiss pushed a resisting Ruby Rose into the room.

"Noooooo...!"

The Team Leader's cries became drowned out by the loud music. Yang smirked as she watched Ruby disappear into the crowd. She really did hope that she would loosen up, seeing as how one of the reasons why she was so insistent that they go to the dance was to try and ease up on themselves. It wasn't that long ago when they were worrying about themselves and the public opinion.

Her face scrunched up, recalling some of the comments people made about the whole highway incident. She couldn't believe that people could be so cruel. Okay, sure, they screwed up majorly, but what else were they supposed to do? Just let Roman get away with his crimes and let the White Fang go unhindered? They had to do something.

Or, maybe that was just them being cocky. They could have easily have just left all of that to the licensed huntsman, but they just went in half-cocked.

The blonde sighed. "That was a big one." Blake remarked. "Having some thoughts?"

"Yeah, and not the kind I want to be dealing with right now, since we're here to unwind. Speaking of unwinding, where's monkey boy?"

"Right here!" The doors opened and revealed Sun Wukong, skin slightly lathered in sweat and his smile shaky as he was currently breathing hard. Yang gave him a flat look when she saw that the only changes to his wardrobe was a necktie and black dress shirt, which was open and revealed his killer six-pack. "Sorry I'm late! I ran into some trouble."

Blake gave him a deadpan look. "Enough that you didn't change pants?"

"What are you talking about? I dry-cleaned these the other day! See? Not wrinkles." The two girls groaned, the Faunus completely missing the point. "And the reason I'm late is mainly because of him." They looked over his shoulder and saw Neptune entering. Unlike his teammate, he was dressed for the occasion. Yang had to admit, it fit him very well, though she was jealous that a man had better looking hips than she did. "You think girls take a long time in the shower? Neptune takes even longer."

"Lies and slander!" Neptune roared in disagreement.

Nora rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Let me check the list first."

"List?"

"To see who's allowed to attend this shindig and who isn't." Yang explained. "We've had to throw out a couple of people who weren't. So, Nora? What's the verdict?"

"They're clean!"

"I thought we were going to a party, not undergo a drug inspection." Neptune joked. Nora laughed and the two shared a high five. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna go snag me some punch."

"Save some for me, will ya?" Sun called and watched his friend vanish into the crowd. He then turned to Blake and straightened his tie out. "For the record, I would like to say that I hate ties with a passion. I think you are the only person besides my mother who can get me to wear one."

Blake rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless as she extended a hand. "Whatever. Shall we?"

"But of course~"

Yang snickered to herself. Oh, they were just perfect for each other. Though Sun could probably take some tips about learning how to dress better. That six pack was a dangerous weapon after all. "If that's everyone who's supposed to be here, I'm gonna head out to the dance floor." she told Nora. "Have fun with your together-not-together boy toy!"

"We're not together-together!" Nora snapped back with a flush. Cackling, Yang turned and entered the building. If only those two finally realized. They were a cute couple in her opinion.

By now, the dance floor was positively cramped. The music was blaring and mainly slow-dance kind of music. She scanned the crowd, searching to see if there was any worthy dance partners or just people to hang with in general. She spotted Ren over by the punch bowl with two cups, one most likely for Nora and the other being for himself. Not far away was Ruby, who was standing off to the side awkwardly and holding her own cup close to her chest and look completely lost on what to do. Oh, how she wanted to just march over there and push the girl out of her shell by force, but she relented and hoped Ruby would just come out of it naturally. Meanwhile, over by the rest area was Blake and Sun, the two talking animatedly and the latter doing goofy things that managed to get a smile over the sour-puss, pun intended.

"Found my team, found one-fourth of JNPR..." she muttered. "But where's the bad boy band?"

Though the large crowd made it difficult, she thought it wouldn't be too hard to find Noctis and the rest of Team LAPI. Being a prince and good looking would obviously warrant some attention, especially from girls looking to get lucky, but to her surprise there was no such disturbance. She saw nobody around vying for the prince's attention, if he was even here.

After a minute of searching, she was about to give up. She stopped when she caught sight of a familiar mess of dark hair wearing a very expensive-looking suit that made him look as every bit of a prince that he was.

"Aha, target spotted."

Noctis tugged at his shirt collar and fanned his face. The room was starting to become a bit warm, but he didn't remove his jacket. He put the suit on recently, and he didn't see any reason to remove it just yet. At the very least, he would remove it if he started to become unbearably warm. Of course, going outside for some fresh air might also help, but navigating through the crowd seemed like a nightmare.

It didn't hold a candle to the parties held at the palace, though. This was tame in comparison to those events.

"Where the heck are they?" Noctis muttered. "They should have been here by now."

"Heeey, princey~"

Noctis turned. He saw Yang walking through the crowd, wearing a surprisingly modest dress with a big grin on her face. He nodded back in greeting. "Hey yourself."

"What'cha doing all by yourself? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, hanging out with the rest of your boys or something?"

"I'm actually waiting for them." he answered. "They should have been here like an hour ago."

"Maybe something's holding them up?"

"Like what?"

Yang shrugged. "Beats me. Anyway, what do you think of the dance so far?"

"It's good so far, but it's still pretty early to tell." Noctis took a quick sip of his punch. "A lot less chaotic than the parties thrown at the palace. Especially the Grand Ball. God I hate that party."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Grand Ball?"

"It's an event held back in Lucis. Pretty much all of the upper class and nobility from the area gather for one formal celebration every year."

"Wow, that sounds pretty boring."

"By boring you mean listening to snooty nobles gossip and talk, and some of them actually breaking out into fights...then yeah." He shrugged. "It's usually just a glorified meet-up. All anyone actually does is just talk, strike business deals or discuss marriage. The only time it ever really gets exciting is when the dance starts, but I don't get involved in those."

Yang quirked an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Noctis smirked. "I tend to step on people's toes way too often."

"Oh really? So little princey has two left feet? Betcha it must be hard for Luna when you two do the waltz then." Yang teased.

"Well, she wears steel-toed shoes for a reason." And by the Astrals did they hurt.

"Sorry we're late!" Noctis heard Prompto apologize. "Traffic was murder!"

He sighed. "About time. What took you-"

Yang gasped when she saw who else was with them. Noctis' voice died in his throat while his eyes went as wide as saucers. A familiar, beautiful face was among the faces of his friends and closest allies. A face wreathed in blonde hair that came down to her chin, wearing a blue-and-black dress with two feathers along the side of her hip. Around her neck was a crystalline blue teardrop necklace, complimenting the dress she wore.

Lunafreya smiled. "Hello, Noct. I hope I'm not late."

"L-Luna?" Noctis choked. "W-why..."

Prompto laughed upon seeing the prince's reaction. "We were just as surprised as you were! We found her right at the front door to the school, wouldn't you know it."

"She came here for official business, but she found out the dance was today." Ignis explained to him. "It was quite the pleasant surprise, to be honest."

"No thanks to my little sister, here." Gladio chuckled as his sister grinned sheepishly next to him.

"After Iris told me about the dance, I just couldn't resist and wanted to surprise you." Luna smiled at him and his gaping expression. "It was definitely worth it."

"Well, I'm definitely surprised." Noctis mumbled.

Yang dumbly nodded in agreement. "I'm kind of surprised nobody here's recognized you yet. Or tried asking you for a dance. Hell, I expected people to be asking Noct over here for a number."

"Well, they will have to get in line." Gladio smirked. "The first dance belongs to the missus."

Noctis glared at Gladio. The bastard had the nerve to laugh - laugh! - at him. He then turned his attention to Luna and gulped, suddenly finding it very difficult to breath in his suit. Was it just his imagination, or was the necktie tighter than it should be?

"Alright, let's leave them to their reunion~" Prompto exclaimed as he snatched a halfway-filled cup from one of the other students much to their dismay. "As for the rest of us, let's party!"

"W-wait, what? Now, hang on just a-!" Too late. They were already going, vanishing into the crowd. Noctis whined at the fact that his back-up was gone. Seriously, he just got done telling Yang he couldn't dance! What made them think this was a good idea?! His attention returned to the target of his affections when Luna giggled at his expression. "S-so, um... About that dance..."

"Still left-footed, I take it?" The prince could only look away in shame. Luna smiled and gently wrapped her hands around his. They felt so smooth and soft, smaller than his own. "Come, then. I think it's time for another lesson."

In the end, Noctis could only nod and follow after her, hands still linked together. The room felt unbearably hot right about now...

Ruby sighed to herself. "What am I even doing here?"

After running off from Weiss, she took refuge in a corner of the room, cradling a cup of punch she swiped from the bowl. She sipped her drink, noting the taste of sherbet ice cream mixed in, making it sweeter. It did wonders to help dull the misery she was feeling. She was completely out of her depth here. She didn't want to wear frilly dresses or pointy foot prisons. Why did her team have to drag her out to this?

She tilted her head for another sip, only to come up empty. She groaned. Now she was out of punch. And she didn't want to go back and interact with people. She wanted to be alone.

"Why didn't I get another cup?" she whined morosely.

"Here you go."

A cup filled with punch dangled before her eyes. There was even a solid scoop of sherbet in it. "Oh, thanks!" Not thinking clearly, she took the beverage and took a swig. Once the fruity taste washed over her tongue, she then realized that punch cups don't just magically appear.

She looked up to her server and saw the smiling face of Gawain, leader of Team GLAE. "I take it you were hiding from the crowd too?" He questioned with a light smile. He was dressed in a charcoal black suit with a burgundy dress shirt and black tie. In his hands was his own cup of sherbet laced punch.

Ruby spluttered. "G-Gawain?"

"That's my name." the red head smiled.

"W-what are you doing here?"

"Well, my team and I are here to participate in the Vytal Festival." he answered. "That, and we're currently on duty." He gestured his head over to the far left of the room. Ruby followed his eyes and found Penny, standing awkwardly by a pair of Atlesian soldiers while doing small little awkward movements. It looked like she was dancing, but the young huntress wasn't entirely sure. Close by was James Ironwood, currently chatting away with Glynda.

The real center of attention, though, was a face she had only seen on TV screens and on her scroll when browsing the web. She did a double-take and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"T-the High Councilman's here too?" she whispered in awe before turning to Gawain. "W-why? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything personal against him or something like that, but I thought he didn't attend events like this."

"The Vytal Festival brings in all kinds." Gawain chuckled. "That, and he's been pretty interested in the event this year. After all, Lucis is participating for the first time since the World Crossing. Now that I think about it, though, he has been pretty interested in seeing the prince perform."

Ruby tilted her head. "Noct? Why?"

"I really have no idea. He hasn't told me anything, but then again, I'm pretty sure it must be something work related." Gawain sighed. "I wish he'd take a break every now and then."

Ruby eyed Gawain curiously. Something about that statement felt weird to her. It was less like a bodyguard worrying about the health of the man he's supposed to be protecting and something more personal. Maybe Gawain knew the High Councilman personally? Wait, what was she saying? Of course he did. He must have gotten to know Ardyn pretty well over the years he and Team GLAE were assigned to his personel.

Maybe she was just overthinking it.

"Aaah, Gawain my boy!" Ruby jumped and nearly spilled her drink and whipped her head. To her horror, she saw Ardyn Izunia approaching with a wide grin. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

Gawain smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sir. I was talking with a friend."

"So I've noticed." Ardyn looked at her. "And of the female variety, no less. Might you be Ruby Rose?"

'Crap! What do I say, what do I say?!'

"Ghrbl."

Chibi-Ruby wailed. 'You moron!'

Seeing her flustered expression, Ardyn laughed heartily. "Oh, no need to feel so nervous, kiddo. Tonight's a night of celebration! The calm before the storm that will be the Vytal Festival. You should live it up while you have the chance, instead of hanging about behind the fruit punch." He paused and stared at the two, a sly smile forming. "Or, perhaps you're already living it up. Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how dashing is Gawain?"

"Bwah?!"

Gawain frowned. "Sir, please."

"Oh, it's harmless teasing, nothing more." Ardyn assured him. Ruby felt the heat in her cheeks increase. Seriously, even the High Councilman was in on it?! She didn't have a crush on Gawain! She didn't! Absolutely not! Besides, Yang would kill her if she found out she started dating! Actually, wait, that would be dad. Yang would just beat the crap out of the person who took a romantic interest in her. "Still, I do thank you for offering your friendship to Gawain. Aside from his teammates, he hardly ever socializes."

"Lies and slander!" The leader of GLAE snapped, much to Ruby's shock. How was he able to yell at his boss like that?!

"Oh, don't be like that my boy. You know its true. Name at least one person your age that you speak with on a regular basis." Ardyn smirked. Gawain opened his mouth to retort. "Aside from Penny." The red haired teen reluctantly closed his mouth. He stared at the man before looking away taking a slow sip of punch. "That's what I thought."

The High Councilman chuckled victoriously. Ruby looked back and forth between the two with a befuddled face. The more she saw them interact, the less she saw them as a mere high-ranking official and bodyguard. It was almost...familial. As if they were father and son. At first she thought it was odd, but then she realized they must've gotten familiar from the years Gawain's team has been assigned to protect him.

Still, though...

'I thought relationships like these are supposed to be professional, at least from what I've heard from Weiss.' she thought before taking another sip from her punch.

"At any rate," Ardyn straightened himself out. "I look forward to seeing your performance, Ruby Rose. Aside from our wayward young prince of Lucis, I'm rather interested in you."

Ruby went still and internally panicked again. He was interested? In her?! Why?! Darn bee's knees! "R-really? C-c-can I ask why?"

"Aside from being Gawain's first, if perhaps only female friend besides Penny, as well as the circumstances that brought you here, I admit I have a somewhat selfish interest. Namely, to see how you compare to Team STRQ." He chuckled when he saw Ruby's eyes go wide at the mention of her parents' team. "Oh, don't act so surprised. Team STRQ was seen as one of the brightest teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses to ever grace Beacon's halls. I understand Oz himself held a peculiar interest in them. Some say that Summer Rose, the team leader, was considered to be the second coming of the Grimm Reaper. I wonder whether or not you'll be just as interesting."

'Wow, geez, way to put pressure on me!' Ruby moaned internally. Why did he have to go and say that? As if she wasn't already nervous enough about whether or not they were going to do well at the festival.

Before Ardyn could continue, a bizarre sound blared from his coat pocket. He pulled out a Scroll from his person and gave it a brief glance before he sighed. "And once again, duty calls. Such a shame. I was hoping to speak with you further. Apologies, but I'm afraid we'll have to cut our conversation short."

"N-no worries!" Ruby assured. "Um, it-it was nice meeting you, Councilman sir!"

"Please." Ardyn smiled charmingly. "Call me Ardyn."

Before he turned to leave, Gawain spoke up. "Do you need me to accompany you, sir?"

"I appreciate the offer, but no need. Young Edan and Leonidas will be following shortly. Go on. Have fun. Chances like these won't come all the time. Make the most of it, my boy."

"Yes sir." He nodded. With a wave, the High Councilman weaved through the crowd to leave the building.

"Well, he's...nice?" Ruby said, not quite sure how to put her first impression of the man.

"He is. But sometimes I can't help but feel like he's too lax. I mean, I know he has complete faith in us, but it'd be nice if he was cautious when the situation calls for it." Gawain sighed.

"You two seem pretty close."

He smiled wryly. "Well, you could say that. Believe it or not, he's like a father to me. Do you remember what I told you before the last time we talked?" Ruby nodded. It was a depressing talk that she still couldn't exactly wrap her head around. It also reminded her of the fact that Gawain somehow knew Weiss' brother. "There was a time when I was at my lowest point. My father was...well, he wasn't a good person. He left me for dead, sold me off to some people."

"What?!" Ruby splat out her drink and stared at Gawain incredulously. "B-but I thought slavery was banned!"

"It wasn't slavery he sold me to." he retorted angrily. Ruby gasped. "It was worse than that. Every day felt like hell. Every day, I kept hoping someone would find me and Blanc. But, when it mattered the most, no one did. Not my dad. Not anyone. By the time Ardyn found me, I was..." He sighed deeply as if taking a moment to collect himself. "I was at my lowest point. Being powerless, unable to save my friend. I didn't think there was any point in anything anymore. At least, not until he found me and gave me a reason. If it wasn't for the High Councilman, I would be nothing more than a husk."

Ruby was speechless. She had no idea what to say to that. To think that Gawain and Blanc went through something that horrible? What sort of monster was his actual father to do that in the first place? No parent should be capable of such cruelty. She felt a mix of emotions. Confusion. Righteous anger. And curiosity. The latter two pieced together her response.

"What, what happened?" She couldn't help but ask. Gawain glanced at her. "Where did you go?"

His response chilled her to the bone. "Hell."

The silence that followed was palpable and thick that it could be heard over the blaring music.

Before Ruby could even try and form a coherent word of apology for bringing up such horrible memories, the voice of her teammate slash best friend came behind her. "There you are! I've been looking for you!" Weiss stomped toward her, looking positively fumed. "I thought we agreed that you were to socialize, not stand by the fruit punch like some wall flower." She stopped when noticed Gawain's presence, the cherry-red-head smiling and waving at her. "Gawain? What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the party." he told her. "And talking with Ruby, though I think I ruined the mood. I'll just-"

"I'm gonna go dance."

Weiss and Gawain blinked at Ruby, who after having said such a bizarre thing downed her punch and set the cups down before speed-walking past the former. The two watched her leave, her retreat awkward in part because of the footwear before they exchanged looks.

"...did I missing something?" Weiss asked as she narrowed her eyes at Gawain. If he had done anything to hurt Ruby, there would be hell to pay. Either by her hand, or Yang's.

Gawain's smile became strained. "I may have told her more than she needed to hear about my past." Weiss rose an eyebrow at that, but he gave no further indication of what he meant. Instead, he stared at Weiss peculiarly. "I never really noticed it before, but... Your features are the same."

"Excuse me?"

"To Blanc's, I mean."

The heiress felt her world stop dead in its tracks.

"...you knew my brother?"

Neptune stared at Sun, his team leader and best friend for several seconds before he sighed. "Look, man, I-I'm not sure about this."

"Oh, for the love of the Brothers," the Monkey Faunus groaned. "Will you just go over there and ask her for a dance?"

Not long after Blake and Sun had their moment, a moment that felt absolutely wonderful to the latter, the male Faunus had searched for his friend under the idea that he would be with Weiss. Not only was that not the case, but he actually found him chatting up another girl. May Zedong, he thought her name was. Considering how interested in Weiss the flirt was, more than he would with any girl, it seemed rather odd, especially since his attempts to woe May were pretty weak than what he normally did.

Worried that something was up, Sun pulled Neptune away and decided to see what was up. And as it turned out, Neptune was nervous about facing the heiress for numerous reasons. For starters, when Weiss had come asking him if he would like to be her date, he had refused instead of giving her an indefinite answer. That made Sun a bit irritated and demanded to know why.

And as it turned out, it was both nervousness and his lack of ability.

"I just told you! I can't dance!" Neptune hissed before he looked around, fearing somebody heard him. "Do you know how long I worked on the cool guy image?! How are people gonna react to the cool kid looking like a total idiot on the dance floor?!"

"You're an even bigger idiot for rejecting Snow Queen for something as stupid as that!" Sun rebuked him. For his part, Neptune did seem a little ashamed. "Dude, I am not an idiot and nor am I blind. I saw you trying to chat up that girl earlier. It usually takes out maybe three minutes tops for you to lead her on and start a fling. You crashed and burned in one. Now, I am not and never will be an expert in girls or things related to dating, but I am willing to bet my position as team leader that you obviously have something for Weiss."

The blue-haired teen grimaced. "That's not..." After failing to say otherwise, he sighed. "Okay, fine. Weiss is, well, different. Not because she's an heiress or anything like that. And sure, she's pretty. Just as pretty as some of the girls I've messed with before. But she just-just works. B-but that's beside the point! Look, she has to have some high standards. She knows where I grew up, man! What if I'm just pushing the envelope?"

"...she asked you to the dance." Sun deadpanned. "I think that speaks volumes. And I really don't think she'll care if you can't dance."

"B-But she's from Atlas! She's the SDC heiress and is no doubt an amazing dancer. Me? It's like I have two left feet! I'll just end up tripping over or stepping on her toes!"

"Maybe, but do you think she'll care?" Sun asked rhetorically. "She asked you for a reason. And if you don't know, then I'm pretty sure that's a good reason for her to teach you."

"B-but!"

"And dude, stop obsessing over this cool guy image! Sure you tried to reinvent yourself, but there's no need to always act like some you're not! If you wanna dance with her, then go for it! Do what you want!"

Neptune stared at his team leader for several moments before releasing a sigh. "Y'know, it's times like this I remember why you're our leader."

"What can I say? I'm a persuasive arguer." Sun grinned. "Now hurry up and go find your Snow Angel before I make you."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Jaune and Pyrrha finally arrived at the ballroom, the former now wearing a tuxedo as was required. The second he came in with Pyrrha on his arm, her cheeks tinted pink and wearing a stunning red number, Nora felt her face split in half.

"You two look awesome together." she grinned. "And what took you?! I've been waiting forever! I even missed Renny doing a ping pong trick!"

"First off, do I even want to know why Ren has a ping pong with him?" Jaune said flatly. Having lived with seven sisters, he knew full well what the "ping pong trick" was and sincerely hoping what Ren did was not the one he was thinking of. "And secondly, they didn't have a tux in my size and had to get a custom order. Which, by the way, should have taken days to make. Not a few hours."

"Well, when you know some people, favors can get the job done." Pyrrha grinned sheepishly.

"Well, you know some pretty fast tailors." Jaune replied.

"Alright, that's enough standing there and gawking you two." Nora popped up from behind them and pushed the couple through the doors. "Night's not getting any younger! Go and have fun! Oh, but not too much fun! Enjoy!"

"What will you be doing?" Pyrrha asked curiously. "Are you still on duty?"

The hammer girl nodded. "Yep. Just making sure we get no late additions. Then I'm off to join Renny and see if I can't find any of our old buddies from Mistral! Especially the guys from the ParaNorma Club!"

Jaune blinked. "Para-what now?"

"ParaNorma!" Nora reiterated. "You know, paranormal? It was awesome! We investigated haunted houses and even chased down ghosts! We got to see a mass sponge migration!"

"Nora, those sponges moved a foot and a half!" Ren called out from the far side of the room.

"They still moved!" Nora refuted with a loud yell. "That still counts as paranormal!"

"Oookay then." The leader of JNPR sweatdropped. "We'll just leave it to you then. Just don;t be out too late. As team leader, I'm ordering you to enjoy yourself too."

"Aye-aye, sir!" The hyperactive ginger saluted.

Jaune and Pyrrha smiled at their friend and teammate before entering the ballroom. No sooner had they entered had they witnessed what had to be the "king and queen" of the dance. A sizable crowd had gathered, circling the dance floor while watching a couple dance to the tune of classical music. Noctis was easy enough to recognize, but it took Jaune slightly longer to recognize who his partner was.

"Well, look who joined the party!" Yang saw them and approached, smiling as she waved. "What took you?"

Pyrrha smiled apologetically. "Sorry. They didn't have any suits in Jaune's size, so I had to pull a few strings. Still, I'm amazed that everyone is watching. I would have thought others would have joined in."

"Considering who's on the dance floor, I'm not surprised." Jaune remarked. He was amazed that the princess of New Tenebrae was here. He was also equally amazed that there weren't any news journalists or crews waiting outside Beacon waiting for the scoop of the century. "What's Princess Lunafreya even doing here?"

"Surprise appearance." Yang answered. "She also said she was here on actual business, though. No idea what, though."

"Maybe it has something to do with that Daemon by the docks?" Pyrrha offered.

"Maybe. But Luna's been pretty tight-lipped about it." The three continued to watch as Noctis spun her around before pulling her back into his arms. "Then again, she probably just wants to enjoy her dance with her prince charming."

"I didn't even know he could dance that well."

"It's because Luna's the lead. Trust me, if she wasn't, he'd be tripping over his own feet."

Jaune snickered. "Are you serious?"

Yang grinned. "Oh yeah, he's got two left-feet. Found out from Ignis. He's over there talking with Coco about something. Dunno what, though." The blonde shrugged. "By the way, you guys seen Weiss anywhere? Neptune asked me if he saw her, but I can't find the girl."

"Really?" Pyrrha frowned. "That's odd. Did she leave?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Dunno why, though. She was the one who suggested we come here to unwind."

Weiss was frozen where she stood. Her eyes were locked onto the cheery-red haired teen before her. His face was solemn, eyes apologetic. Once again, the world around her seemed to freeze into place. Everything around her was a blur, save for the person in front of her.

She thought her ears were playing tricks on her, yet she knew by his expression and tone that he was telling the truth.

Her hands curled into fists as her shoulders trembled. Her face was calm, but her eyes told Gawain that her emotions were raging inside of her like a storm.

"...if this is a joke, I am most certainly not laughing."

"Even if it was a joke, it is in poor taste." Gawain replied. "Blanc had a small scar on the lower right side of his back. It was caused during a training accident against one of his instructors, a man by the name of Miguel Shanoir."

Weiss' eyes widened. "H-how do you know about that? The only people who even know he has a scar is me, Winter and Whitley!"

"It's because he told me himself. As I said, we were best friends."

"B-but if what you said is true then-!"

"...I'm sorry." He apologized.

Weiss felt as if her heart had ceased beating. She could only hang her head low, eyes overshadowed by her hair. "Why..."

"I'm sorry." Gawain repeated, this time sorrowful for the pain he was causing her. "I was there when it happened, yet I could do nothing. I was powerless. Instead, all I could do was promise him that those who caused us such pain would be dragged to the depths of hell."

"...did you?"

"They did not see the light of day afterwards."

Such chilling words brought little comfort, yet Weiss took some sadistic pleasure in knowing that the people responsible for her brother's suffering died painfully. However, Gawain's news brought her many new questions.

"How exactly did you meet my brother?" she asked. "Moreover, how in the world did you end up in the White Fang's captivity?"

Gawain shook his head. "It wasn't the White Fang that were holding us captive. It was someone else. I'm ashamed to admit that I knew little about them, other than that they were interested in experimentation involving aura. But, to answer your question, Blanc and I met because we shared the same cell. First time we met was after he went through one of their "tests." He was beaten all to hell, his skin red and his nose bleeding from whatever it was they did to him. All I could do was offer him some comfort and consolation in that he wasn't alone. Of course, that wasn't to say he was in the best shape when he did arrive even before they started working on him. I do know he was being held by the White Fang for a short time, but for some reason they handed him off."

"What?" Weiss was incredulous. That didn't make any sense at all. Considering the opportunity, it was foolish of them to just hand off what should have been a valuable political bargaining chip. Granted, her father only cared about the incident as a mere PR stunt to bolster his reputation, but the repercussions of not pursuing getting his son back would have been disastrous. "Why would the White Fang...?"

Gawain sighed. "To be honest, I've been trying to figure that out myself. Whenever I had the opportunity, I dug around to see if there was any reason why the White Fang would give up a Schnee to some unknown group, especially considering Blanc's worth to them. Unfortunately, any leads I did have ended up being dead ends. The group responsible for Blanc's kidnapping all died in the same explosion in the building where he was thought of being held in. And no one outside of those people knew anything about the deal, either."

"So, these past few years he wasn't just missing. He really was..." She sobbed. For so long, she had hoped her twin was still alive. But to hear that he had died long ago stabbed her heart.

"I truly am sorry. Blanc. He always told me how fond he was of his siblings. How his sister Winter was a strong individual that was his inspiration to fight. His brother, Whitley, someone that looks up to him and does his best to lead. But you? He always said that you were the closest to him. How you two were always together, learning together, growing up together. He missed you most of all." He said solemnly. "That is why I refuse to give up searching. I swear, I will find out the truth no matter what."

Weiss rubbed her eyes and wiped away the tears. Her voice was choked and strangled. "T-thank you. That means a lot."

"Here." Gawain offered her a handkerchief. "I apologize. I didn't mean to cause you such distress. Even though you deserved to know what happened to Blanc I still..."

"It's fine." She cut him off, but accepted the handkerchief nonetheless and dabbed her eyes. She would have to fix her make up later, but it was a trivial matter. "I'm grateful for telling me the truth."

"It was my pleasure." Gawain smiled before he took out his Scroll. "This is my number. If you have anything you wish to tell me, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."

"I-I will. Thank you so much." Weiss said gratefully as she copied the number into her own Scroll contact list.

"You're welcome. I apologize if I ruined your night. I never meant any harm."

"No, it's alright. Just, thank you. For telling me what happened." She smiled sadly.

The two departed afterwards. Weiss was left by herself as the cherry-red-head left, vanishing into the crowd. Where, she had no idea. All she knew right now was that she needed time to decompress.

Gods, how was she going to tell this to Winter?

"Weiss?"

The heiress blinked. She looked up and, to her shock, found Neptune standing there with a worried look. "N-Neptune?" She quickly wiped away the traces of tears in her eyes and stood up straighter, quickly composing herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, actually." he answered nervously before stopping. He saw her eyes tinted red. "Have you been crying? Did something happen? No, wait, do you want to come back another time or-"

"N-no!" She cringed, watching Neptune reel. She had been a little to loud and attracted some attention, though thankfully anyone who glanced turned their attention back to the festivities. "I'm sorry. I just...got some bad news is all. I-I think I could use some good company."

"Oh, I... I'm sorry to hear that." He said sheepishly. "Well, I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Soooo penny for your thoughts?"

"Thank you. It's a complicated matter. One that I just learned and need some time to process."

"R-right." Neptune nodded nervously.

"I don't think I can talk about it just yet." Weiss shook her head before putting on a brave smile. "Maybe when I've decompressed. So, why were you looking for me?"

"Right! That! Um, how do I say this...?" The blue-haired boy's face scrunched up, clearly trying to figure out what it was that he wanted to say. Weiss waited expectantly but was no less curious. When she previously asked him to the dance, he had refused but did not give her a reason as to why. She saw no reason to press the issue. Maybe Yang was right and somebody else had caught his fancy and asked him. After a minute, he sighed in defeat. "Okay, so, remember when you asked me to the dance and I refused? I refused because I, erm..."

Weiss raised a brow. "Yes?"

"...I can't dance."

She stared. "...what."

"I can't dance." He repeated shamefully. "Like, I don't know how to dance properly. I just end up tripping over my feet or look like I have a seizure! I'm sorry I turned you down for such a lame reason!"

The heiress continued to stare. Neptune squirmed as she continued to look at him for what must have been several hours before she quietly took a cup of untouched fruit punch from the table next to her and proceeded to down the whole thing. She then promptly turned her gaze back to Neptune.

"...this is how my night is going to go." she began, face devoid of emotion. "You and I are going to join His Highness and Lady Luna on the dancefloor, audience be damned. I am going to teach you how to dance, and I could not give a damn if I ended up with bruise feet after this. Is this acceptable, mon amour?"

Neptune's eyes widened, namely because of what exactly those last two words meant in the traditional Atlas tongue. He swore his face turned bright pink.

"...I find those conditions acceptable, my lady."

Weiss smiled thinly and took his hand, gently pulling him over to the dance floor. The morning afterwards, he could confidently say he knew how to waltz and could proudly say he learned it from the first girl that ever made his heart race with only two words.

Still, who knew the so-called Ice Queen knew how to flirt better than he did? And with only just two words...

Everything was perfect.

The students were all so focused on dancing their fears and tension away that no one would notice if somebody slipped in or out of the party. In the event someone did notice, well, she had an alibi. Even now, the black-haired woman with gold eyes wearing a pretty black number was still dancing the night away with the boy on her team.

Cinder grinned as she strolled her way up towards the main entrance. The guards in front of her had only just stepped inside, backs turned to her. They did not notice her until it was too late, when she was inside the elevator and her weapons drawn. As easy as it would have been, killing these fools was out of the question. She couldn't risk drawing attention, not when this was to be a covert operation. All they needed to know was that someone stepped inside and wanted something from their computers, not what she might have slipped inside.

The guards, startled after a second to process what was going on, drawed their weapons. A single swing, blades lit aflame, and the guns were sliced apart. After that, she effortlessly rammed the hilt of her weapons into their abdomen and knocked them to the ground. A swift kick and they were out like a light.

"Typical Atlas." Cinder sneered. "Quantity over quality. Not even a speck of aura."

The elevator doors opened and she smiled, stepping out into the main console room. The entire affair had been easier than she expected. Then again, what else can be expected from fools that were complacent with this false peace?

Let them wallow in their lull. For it will soon come crashing down on all of them. Once she reached the terminal, she pulled out her Scroll. With but a few keystrokes, her task was complete though not before doing some added insurance. She input a connection into the console and forced her way into Beacon's records, perusing its list of graduates before zeroing in one her target. With a wicked smile, she attempted to open the file, but stopped when the sound of an elevator buzzing caught her attention. She cursed and swiftly ducked behind the console.

The elevator adjacent to the one she had been using opened and two people stepped out. Cinder cursed. 'Who the hell is here?'

She glanced over the console and frowned. It was that silver-eyed girl from before. Ruby Rose. And with her was an unexpected face.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret.

She never anticipated for the crown princess of New Tenebrae to be here of all places. Especially not while both girls were armed with their respective weapons. While Ruby had her scythe, Lunafreya wielded a mechanical trident.

"Are you sure you saw someone come in here, Ruby?" Lunafreya asked as she looked around. "I do not see anyone here."

Ruby nodded. "I'm definitely sure! There was somebody jumping across the rooftops and-" She stopped in front of the elevator with the fallen guards and gasped. "L-Luna! Look!"

'Of all the people...' Cinder grimaced. 'That silver-eyed girl is quickly becoming a pain.'

She weighed her options carefully. She could easily deal with Ruby Rose, but the otherworldly princess was another story entirely. She had confidence in her abilities and she had sufficient training with only a portion of the Fall Maiden's powers, yet even she wasn't sure whether or not she could defeat someone who had much more experience than she did. Especially when that someone had the powers of the Nox Fleuret Royal Family.

But even so, she would not be captured here. She refused to fail here and now.

Moving quickly, she formed a bow and three arrows made of black glass in her hands. With the string drawn, she aimed at the two before releasing. Ruby's eyes widened when she saw them coming straight at her and panicked, raising her Crescent Rose to defend. Lunafreya was faster and stepped forward. With a single swing, her trident shattered the arrows with ease before she locked eyes with Cinder, cold blue meeting amber.

"What the-where did she come from?!" Ruby cried.

"Who are you?" Lunafreya demanded.

Cinder remained silent, knowing better than to answer such a useless question or speak. She glanced over her shoulder and at the glass panel window behind her. She only needed a second to escape. That was all she needed. She just had to find an opening and get away from these two-and they're already rushing at her. Ruby struck first with an overhead swing that Cinder had to backflip to escape. Luna followed up with a flurry of thrusts to keep her back.

The Fall Maiden formed twin swords of black glass and caught the trident by the prongs between them. She wrestled the spear away before kicking Lunafreya aside. Lunafreya stumbled back, but was quick to regain her balance. To Cinder's shock, the trident she had managed to pry from her hands disappeared in a flash of light and returned to her hands. She took a step forward and thrusted her spear toward the Maiden, who blocked the attack with her blades. Ruby came quickly behind her, scythe primed to strike at her back. Thankfully for Cinder, the girl was unused to fighting in her new footwear. As a result, her swing was sloppy and lower than it should have been.

Cinder took advantage of the fact and backflipped right over Ruby, landing right before the silver-eyed girl. She struck the girl in the back with a roundhouse kick, forcing her into Lunafreya. Taking advantage of this, she swiftly made her exist and shot an arrow at the glass panel. It cracked. As soon as her body smashed into it, it shattered and she let her body fall through the air.

"No, wait!" Ruby cried in vain and rushed over to the edge, only to find nothing. It was too dark in spite of the glowing lights from Beacon, and there was no discernable shape in the shadows. She promptly fumed and stomped her feet. "Darn it! We almost had her!"

Lunafreya dismissed her trident and approached Ruby from behind. "Who was that woman?" she questioned. "What was she even doing here?"

"What do we do?"

"We inform the authorities." Lunafreya replied. "They will want to know of this."

"A little late for that, Princess Lunafreya."

The girls jumped and turned around. A tense Ironwood looked at the two of them, brows knit close and eyes narrowed.

Ruby gulped. "Aw, crud..."

Ardyn smiled to himself as he returned to the ballroom. It was a lovely scene, watching people dance away their worries. With the exception of that remarkable little girl, all of Team RWBY was finding ways to push their unease and punishments to the back of their minds. A wonderful reprieve, but they surely knew this couldn't last forever. Not when something was quickly approaching. Ready to sweep them off their feet and take them by surprise.

Oh, how fun it would be!

"I take it things went off without a hitch, my dear?" Ardyn asked to the woman at his side. A stunning beauty with shoulder-length black hair and amber eyes, dressed in a stunning black number.

"Everything is in order." Cinder Fall smiled. "Admittedly, I ran into some trouble. They were seconds too late, however."

"Splendid. I look forward to the show in the coming months." Ardyn chuckled before he extended a hand to her. "May I have this dance, milady?"

"Where did Luna go?" Prompto asked his friend once they regrouped by the Punch Bowl.

"Not sure." Noctis shrugged. "After a Ruby pulled her away for something, I don't really know where they went."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be back soon. Nights still young and all that."

He gestured to the dancing couples and groups of friends around them. Off to the side, they could see Leonidas slow dancing with Velvet. The Rabbit Faunus looked as if she wanted to die or crawl in a hole out of sheer embarrassment with how red her face was. Meanwhile, Leonidas looked as if he was having the time of his life and was grinning from ear to ear, leading her around the dance floor in a slow gait. The two Lucians even happened to notice Coco snapping pictures of the two with Velvet's own camera, though whether or not her teammate actually noticed they had no idea.

"By the way, digging the suit." Prompto remarked as he glanced at Noctis' ensemble.

Noctis grunted. "Hand-me-down from my dad. Surprised it fits, actually. And speaking of surprises, I never thought I would see the day where you would be wearing a monkey suit." Of course, he did expect Prompto to dress up in some fashion given that this party had a dress code. Even so, he never expected his friend to be wearing an actual tuxedo.

"Well, what can I say?" Prompto smirked. "I'm a man of many surprises!"

The slow dance segment seemed to come to an end. Those currently on the dance floor disembarked, but the music had not stopped. Instead, a new more upbeat tone began to play. One that apparently incited Team JNPR to step up to the plate. In a matter of ten seconds, the four had begun to execute what could only be considered a top-tier dance routine. Even more surprising was that it was being led by Jaune himself, who looked as if he was having the time of his life.

"Well, they're having fun." Gladio chuckled. "How long do you think it took 'em to practice that?"

Ignis smiled thinly. "If the howls of "kick-step and body roll are not rocket science" were of any indication when I was passing by their room, I would say quite a long time." As they watched the dance proceed and expand, Team JNPR inciting many others to join them and party along to the music, the man took notice of something odd. "Noct. Look."

The prince followed Ignis' pointing finger and saw the soldiers moving. Penny looked confused about what was happening but danced awkwardly along nonetheless. The soldiers leaving didn't bother him so much as the tense and serious looks on the faces of Argent and Gawain, the former of which was slipping on a pair of gloves.

"Did something happen?"

"I hope not." Prompto said in concern. "Things are bad enough with people trying to lynch Ruby and her pals. We sure as heck don't need another bad thing happening."

The next day, things at Beacon looked relatively normal. The students from all across Remnant were preparing for the upcoming missions and tasks the teachers were preparing for them, all of which would involve them shadowing under Huntsmen.

None of the students were aware of what had transpired last night, however. The teachers and the headmaster had decided to keep things as quiet as possible and ensure there were no leaks. Even their meeting now was done in secrecy.

In the same chamber where they had spoken the last time, the three Headmasters plus Glynda had all convened. Ironwood's face was intense, anger and paranoia raging in him like a storm. Ozpin was no less concerned than he was, but he was more composed. Glynda was more concerned about the implications behind the incident than anything else. After all, no one had dared an attempt like this before.

"Someone attacked the CCT?!" Leonardo looked as if he was about to faint. "Why?! Do they not understand how important the towers are?!"

"You talk as if they care about collateral damage." Ironwood gritted his teeth. "This is the tip of the iceberg, Leonardo. A sign of what exactly are enemies are planning."

"I fear you may be right about that..." Ozpin sighed as he turned his gaze to his friend. "James, has your student finished his work?"

"He has. He's found no signs of tampering, but there were signs of hacking involved." the general answered. "Specifically, they were looking into records concerning an old student of yours. A graduate from ten years ago."

Glynda became alarmed. "Amber?"

"They know." Leonardo whispered in horror. "They know she's there."

Ozpin narrowed his eyes. "It may be a possibility."

"Oz, we have to move her." Ironwood said. "Even if they don't know anything, the fact that they were looking into her records means they suspect she's here! We can't risk this!"

I know. But do we have the option right now?"

"What do you mean? Of course we do!"

"Even as the Vytal Festival draws near, with Ardyn of all people present?"

Ironwood opened his mouth to protest, only to fall silent. Ozpin had a point. Attempting to move Amber out now would be dangerous. Not only would a transport out of Vale so heavily guarded garner unwanted attention, but Ardyn had more than enough authority to inspect the contents of said transport. Even keep it grounded. And even if they did somehow manage to escort Amber out safely, there was no guarantee that Ardyn had also prepared for such an event and kept his eyes even in Atlas.

"This poses a problem..." Glynda looked at Ozpin. "What do we do?"

"We stay the course. For now, all we can do is keep an eye on Ardyn and proceed as planned. And hope to the Brothers and the Astrals the worst does not come to pass." After saying this, Ozpin's face grew more intense. "That said, Queen has made her move. I believe it's time for the King to counter accordingly. James, would your team happen to be on duty here in Vale?"

Ironwood smirked. "They would be. I have them running security detail during the Festival. If anything does happen, they will handle it."

"They?" Leonardo looked between his fellow Headmasters in confusion. "May I ask who you are referring to?"

"Just insurance, old friend." Ozpin assured him. "One can never be too careful. In the meantime, how are things in Mistral? Has there been any unusual movement as of late?"

The Headmaster of Haven shook his head. "None that I am aware of. The White Fang here have been rather docile in the last few months, though I have heard whispers of Sienna Khan's growing frustration with Devil. I fear it may be the calm before the storm, Ozpin. Whatever that madman has planned, he is creating ripples. The White Fang was already split before, one side agreeing with Sienna Khan and the other following Krimzen Taurus by allying with the Kingsglaive. Now there's a third group siding with that madman. Radicals."

"Not unexpected." Ironwood grunted. "I still wonder what in the world Sienna was thinking, making that man her most trusted."

"Perhaps she did not expect the depths of his hatred." Ozpin offered. "Regardless, there is another matter that requires attention. I believe our guest would wish to speak?"

All eyes fell on the fifth occupant in the room. Lunafreya Nox Fleuret looked back at them, her face lathered in composure and eyes unyielding before she took a small breath to compose her thoughts. "...there has been word from the Night Stalkers. The Anti-Lucian Federation and the White Hoods have started infighting."

The Night Stalkers were New Tenebrae's answer to the Ace Operatives and Specialists. They were Crownsguard, but whereas they acted openly in defense of the kingdom and its king, they acted in the shadows and struck without a sound. Espionage, politics, information gathering, they handled it all. And like the warriors sworn in service of the king, they too wielded the power of magic.

A few days prior to Team RWBY's fateful encounter with the one calling himself Wraith, the Night Stalkers happened upon some unusual information. They discovered that the Anti-Lucian Federation and their allies, the White Hoods, had engaged in a small-scale conflict. The details were vague, but the reports all pointed to signs that the organization's respective higher ranking members, Plague and Trinity, were involved in this skirmish. The details as to why they were fighting were unknown, but this skirmish resulted in tensions between the groups. Compared to the White Hoods, the Anti-Lucian Federation was a much larger organization and had more members than its ally. Power struggles often occurred between them, but they were unified in the goal of removing who they thought were dangers to their world.

And yet, with this one action, a powder keg was lit. Suddenly, the two groups were more focused on each other than they were with the Faunus or the Kingdom of Lucis.

"...this is rather peculiar news." Glynda said after a moment, deep in thought. "While there have been tension between them in the past, why would they start infighting now?"

"Stranger still is the report that Roman Torchwick was also involved." Ozpin noted. "It is one thing for him to have ties with the White Fang, but it is another entirely for him to be cooperating with the Federation. There's also the fact that one of the White Hoods' most trusted officers is also working with the White Fang, if perhaps only out of mere pragmatism."

Ironwood rubbed his chin. "Is it possible Plague has chosen to switch sides?"

"Doubtful." Leonardo scoffed. "From what little I've heard about him, the man despises Faunus with a passion. If anything, there's something going on that we aren't seeing."

"And what of this Wraith character that Team RWBY spoke of?" Lunafreya questioned. "Do we know anything of him?"

"Unfortunately not. He has not engaged in direct conflict. The only notable traits that explained about him were that he was able to summon Daemons through the use of portals of some sort." Ozpin elaborated. "The Daemon he called forth was an Iron Giant."

Leonardo blanched. "H-how?!"

"Unfortunately, we have no idea." Lunafreya sighed. "How he was able to accomplish this is a mystery." She paused for a moment, then spoke in a grave tone. "However, I do believe there may be a theory as to who he may be." Once again, all eyes fell on her. "There exists a story in Eos, dating back to the conception of the Kingdom of Lucis. The Founder King, Somnus Lucis Caelum, battled a terrible creature who plagued the Caelum bloodline. According to the story, if the Founder King and those that succeeded him were the light of Eos, then this monster was their cold, dark shadow. The Founder King defeated it, but realized it could not be slain. Instead, it was locked away and sealed within a chamber hidden on Angelgard."

Ozpin closed his eyes. "Regis once spoke of a similar tale. What was the name of the Caelum bloodline's shadow, again?"

"Adagium. The Lord of Daemons."

Leonardo let out an audible gulp. "Y-you couldn't possibly mean that this Wraith is-!"

"We do not know for certain if it is." Ozpin cut the Haven Headmaster off. "But, if Wraith is indeed Adagium...then I fear we may need to prepare for the worst."

"But what should we do if that's the case? How can we even hope to fight something unkillable?!"

"There's no such thing as unkillable." Ironwood snorted. "The bastards just make you work for it."

Had Ironwood been looking at Ozpin when he said those words, he would have seen the haunting, regretful look in his eyes and the way his hands had become a vice-grip around his cane.

.

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Chapter: END

Next Time: Descent

Starlight's Poet: Don't you just love misdirection and misinformation? For clarification, Regis does know that Adagium is actually Ardyn, but as is the case with Ozpin, some secrets are best left secret for a reason.

Daemon of Wrath: And based on how RWBY is right now, I can say we all know how that could turn out in the end.