Chapter Thirteen: What Embers Remain

She saw it all, so clearly. How things began. How they ended.

She made a change in herself, in a way that contradicted the destiny she had foreseen, and with the help of her lover's guidance became a better person. Just as before, she was reborn as new life, and cast aside the past life in favor of the new person she aspired to be. Where once she'd been driven by a simple need for power, now she had found herself motivated to find acceptance, forgiveness, and love. She cast aside all that she had gained for the chance to find redemption and peace.

She stood against the darkness, bringing hope to those in peril, and proving that no one, even those marked by the progenitor of death and destruction, was beyond saving. With her powers she held the line against the overwhelming dark and brought fire to the hearth.

Once her task was done, she would return to the one who'd reignited her hope, who'd shown her love and support and brought her back when everyone else had wished to condemn her and rid the world of her scourge. She saw the moment when they shared hearth and home, when she cradled with her lover and felt the contentment she'd been lacking, and all her doubts disappeared. She envisioned the morning when they'd wake free of old nightmares, thoughts only for each other and moving on from the terrors of his past. She foresaw the day her wounds no longer ached, and she no longer bore a grudge against those who'd wounded her, and the fire that raged within her provided warmth and comfort rather than welled up in anger. She saw herself made whole by standing in the light of her lover's soul, and found peace and contentment in their shared embrace, and both of them bound together in love.

But then she fell.

And that hope and love were naught but ashes of a fire long since extinguished

All throughout Mistral, onlookers observed the battle from afar, as fire, wind, and metal clashed against the Grimm horde, with brief flashes of light illuminating the dark and misty morning, and the sounds of rending and tearing, of trees falling and ground rupturing filled the air.

The Mistralian soldiers, standing on the kingdom walls or the decks of their airships, looked on as the massive Grimm numbers that had forced their retreat were held at bay by a single adversary. Civilians on all levels of the kingdom, either those able to hide behind high walls of their own or unable to sequester themselves in a safehouse watched as the monsters on their kingdom's borders were repelled by the powers of the elements.

Lionheart and Watts, standing in the headmaster's office of Haven Academy, watched as Salem's superior numbers could not overcome the rebel they'd briefly had in their grip.

Ruby and Qrow, and Ozpin and Oscar watched as their former enemy Cinder Fall battled against the Grimm, using her considerable power for good.

On the battlefield, Ren and Nora found themselves supporting the woman who destroyed the school they'd called home and killed their friend and teammate, adding their bullets and grenades to the fray and reducing the numbers of the Grimm attacking Cinder's flanks. It seemed that –inevitably- the Grimm would be their mutual enemies. And against the scale of the adversaries they faced, any allies would do.

Salem continued to observe, smashing the weight of numbers against Cinder, watching her Grimm destroyed by the dozens with her every strike. Their sacrifices served their purpose; Cinder would expend effort and energy and glean some small measure of hope, believing herself able to overcome the odds… until Salem decided to stop humoring her former disciple and intervene personally.

After all, the more Cinder destroyed, the greater Salem's eventual counterattack would be. The dissipating bodies of the fallen Grimm could not complete their departure; instead the darkness would gather beneath Cinder, and eventually she'd be surrounded by it. Death was little more than an inconvenience to soulless constructs.

It really was unfortunate how things had progressed, but Salem had a plan to mitigate her loss. She could not simply kill Cinder, lest the Fall Maiden's abilities reincarnate elsewhere: potentially anywhere in the world. But if she left Cinder alive, however faintly, she'd steal the powers Cinder had acquired. There would be no shortage of ambitious young women she could lure to her service, and with soulless Grimm as a conduit to host the maiden's power, she would draw the essence from Cinder and pour it into her new disciple.

And then, she would end Cinder's life, before an audience of peers, to remind them the fleeting, illusory nature of hope.

The older ones were needed now. Alongside the Creeps and Beowolves and Ursa, Giant Nevermores and Goliaths began to assail Cinder as well. Now she needed to invest a great deal of energy on destroying a single adversary, all while still trying to fend off a dozen more still approaching her.

And the darkness would continue to gather, with Salem there to weave it, and put it to use, to seize the opportune moment. It wasn't far off now. The Maiden's power was functionally infinite, but Cinder had not had it long enough to regulate it and adjust her body to its potential. Instead she was still relying on her own Semblance, and recklessly utilizing the second Semblance she'd stolen from Pyrrha Nikos. Cinder would still have power to call on, but she'd feel exhaustion, and she'd trick herself into thinking she'd spent it all.

It didn't matter how powerful she'd become. She was a small flame, and her fire would burn out in the face of the smothering dark.

Jaune managed to make it to his feet, albeit just barely. He'd never felt so exhausted, wandering in the darkness under what felt like constant weight and pressure. He'd been briefly content to have delivered his message to Cinder and she'd departed from this strange place, but almost immediately he felt deflated upon seeing Pyrrha bear witness to his proclamation of love. To Cinder. To her killer.

Jaune met her eye. She was a purple facsimile, much like the red and blue incarnations of Ren and Nora, so he hoped it was simply some representation of an element of his own soul, some manifestation of his suffering and guilt, but almost immediately he recognized the difference.

She had unlocked his Aura, embracing him in the Emerald Forest. From that moment, they were bound together forever. After his initial confusion, Jaune realized she hadn't emerged from his mind. When he'd arrived, she'd been confronting Cinder, not him.

Yet she lingered here in the dark with him. She hadn't left this place with Cinder… had what remained of Pyrrha's soul finally separated here?

"Pyrrha," Jaune began. "I'm so glad I got to see you again."

Pyrrha's expression ran through a gamut of emotions. For a brief moment she tried to return the sentiment, but no words left her mouth. Then her expression turned harsh and she raised her hand to point at Jaune, only to stop herself before she could speak. She occasionally had difficulty vocalizing her thoughts to him, but this was a very different hesitation. It seemed she couldn't decide what to say, rather than deliberately holding back her feelings.

Jaune walked towards her through the oppressive, stifling black. She averted her eyes from him, mumbling something inaudibly to herself as he drew closer, her mind racing.

Then Jaune hugged her tightly. If Pyrrha had difficulty deciding what to say before, now she was completely at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry I could never see it," Jaune told her. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance when I should have."

Pyrrha had lived with him for several months but had only rarely held Jaune in embrace. The Emerald Forest, the dance, the heart to heart after Ozpin presented his plan to her… the kiss… before she…

"I'm scared," Pyrrha confessed to him. "I don't know what's going to happen to me."

"Whatever happens, I'll be here with you," Jaune promised. "You won't have to face it alone."

"But what about… what about Cinder?" Pyrrha inquired. "Didn't you come here for her?"

"I did," Jaune confirmed. "But I gave her what she needed to complete her trial. She won't need any more help from me up there with her old boss."

It was encouraging to Pyrrha to see Jaune safely out of harm's way –at least in the most literal sense- but she kept thinking back to exactly how he had helped Cinder. She'd had insight into Cinder's personality through the bond between their souls, and now in such close proximity to Jaune, she was once again enlightened by their bond. Without the usual barriers that kept the soul's aspects concealed within, Jaune's actions were clear and vivid to her.

She saw his doubts and his pain, as he'd struggled to reconcile the guilt he'd felt from disappointing his friends and dishonoring Pyrrha's memory with the real, tangible affection he'd felt for Cinder. Nestled with her head in his shoulder, she didn't have to see his pain –she could never bear to look at it- but now she felt it all too clearly.

And Jaune, in turn, felt Pyrrha's pain flow into him: her fear of disappearing in this empty darkness, and her feelings of betrayal upon witnessing Jaune confess his love for Cinder. Both emotions were very powerful, contorting Pyrrha, denying her the chance to enjoy being in Jaune's arms again.

"I'll tell you all about it," Jaune promised her. "Or… show you, or let you understand it in whatever way I can."

Pyrrha had not been conscious within Cinder's mind; only flaring up at points of particularly strong emotions, sensing the gradual change. She knew that Jaune's actions had instilled a real love in Cinder, and seeing Jaune's memories of events unfold before her brought each moment into focus.

Pyrrha saw the scattered pieces of Jaune's memories, of the time after Beacon fell and waiting through the seasons to wallow in his despair, as he tried to decide purpose for himself, and to provide strength and support to Ren and Nora, who had nowhere to go. She saw Jaune decide to help Ruby in tracking down the people who'd done this harm to Beacon and their friends, both to avenge Pyrrha's loss, and to help his surviving friends in finding purpose in the harsh and bleak new world they found themselves in.

She saw him struggle to sleep, as he recalled her kiss and then her sending him away, while she rushed off to fight a hopeless battle. She watched as Jaune turned his restlessness into an asset and stayed up late to train himself, using the module Pyrrha had left for him on his Scroll, as he forged himself into a better warrior, both in honor of her memory and to be of more use to his friends and never be a burden on the important mission they had undertaken.

Pyrrha watched as Jaune had his ancestral weapon –something he treasured and respected as an heirloom, a symbol of his lineage- rebranded with Pyrrha's own sigil, so that he could carry her with him into battle, carrying on her teachings and her legacy; further binding his life with hers'.

She watched Jaune struggle with his feelings of doubt, pain, and betrayal as he started to fall for Cinder, driven by something more than a base desire, but feelings of real, tangible interest. He'd felt disgusted with himself for harboring such thoughts about Pyrrha's killer, but still pressed ahead in spite of himself, as his desire to offer her forgiveness and lead her to atonement was genuine. Once it became clear Cinder did wish to change for the better, it was easier for him to accept his feelings for her, and to move on from the loss that weighed on him without once allowing himself to forget it.

Then she felt the pain within him as he thought of Ruby and Nora's concern and disappointment, compounded by being unable to answer as Cinder suffered through her own doubts and he couldn't find the words to comfort any of them. She felt his spirits uplift when he followed Cinder to her old home and sat fireside with her, and then the following morning he regained his confidence when Ren offered support and Jaune found the words he needed to bring Nora and Ruby in.

Pyrrha had felt betrayed to hear Jaune confess his love for Cinder. She'd been bound by worldly attachment, constrained by her own hatred for her killer. She'd savagely attacked someone who didn't fight back, and asked for her forgiveness.

No more. She would not allow herself to hate or despair. Not while the man she loved was happy, and holding her, guiding her through this darkness.

And slowly, she felt the darkness slide away… felt herself fall backwards, her perception changing completely. Jaune glanced around too, feeling as though he was sliding down, his feet sinking into the dark floor, as he and Pyrrha disappeared beneath it, still holding onto one another.

Jaune closed his eyes and held Pyrrha tight as they continued to sink…

The time had at last arrived to intervene personally.

Salem began slowly circling her hands over the patches of dark blood left by the Grimm, allowing the darkness to pool together and form a larger stream. Salem slowly and deliberately weaved the darkness together, tying the threads together, using the residue of multiple Grimm specimens to create a single front of black liquid. Cinder continued to battle the horde, destroying one monster after another, only adding more raw material to help construct Salem's weapon.

The black blood continued to rise, answering to the movements of Salem's hands. Cinder finally took notice of it, as her former mistress thrust her arms forward, and a torrent of dark liquid rushed towards her. Cinder pointed her right hand at it and unloaded a torrent of her own, as fire met darkness.

Cinder found herself on the defensive quickly, as she exerted all her energy to maintaining the stream of flame. Salem seemed to have no difficulty weaving the dark, moving the black blood in cycles against Cinder's fiery barrier, pushing her back with the weight of her onslaught.

The Grimm horde continued to advance. Nora and Ren continued to maintain their fire on the small species, but whenever a giant Nevermore swept in or a Goliath moved into range, Cinder had to break her focus and attack them, and with each distraction Salem pushed her back further.

And Jaune hadn't returned from the Heart of Remnant. He was still somewhere in that dark hole, with his friends left alone against Grimm, their only ally assailed on two fronts and steadily losing ground.

"I told you, Cinder," Salem reminded her former disciple, "You cannot have this life. You cannot go back to what you were. And your love is not a source of strength- it's just a delusion. That is what you traded your power for."

Cinder looked down at the entrance to the Heart of Remnant, only to find herself being pushed further back by the constant, steady current of Salem's attack. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flock of Griffons get past Nora and Ren's gunfire as they stopped to reload, and she broke concentration to attack them, only to lose even more ground.

She was tiring, and constantly pouring flames from her hand was exacerbating that exhaustion. She wasn't sure how much longer she could maintain her offense, and her former mistress showed no signs of letting up.

"This is the end," Salem told her. "I hope whatever joy he brought you was worth it, because now you must pay for your disobedience."

Cinder wondered what would happen if she failed. At last, doubt entered her mind, as she felt herself relaxing her grip, her arm growing unsteady.

Jaune hadn't returned. Would he? Could he have possibly been prepared for the trial when he'd only known of its existence for a day?

If she failed now, his friends would be surrounded by the Grimm horde and Cinder would be captured or killed. All of this would have been for nothing.

No, she had to keep going. She had to believe Jaune would find his way out of the dark. He had been the light she needed to find her way, and with that same light he would be able to find the exit.

And if she were to fall before Salem, it would be when she could no longer draw breath. The darkness would not claim her again. She would make any victory Salem could claim taste as bitter as defeat.

Cinder reasserted herself and continued to pour fire from her hand, encircling herself in the flames and pushing back, bringing the sun to face off against the night.

Jaune took in his new surroundings… where before he'd stood in formless black, now he stood against stark white. Pyrrha was no longer colored entirely in purple; she had regained her original form, with her red hair and green eyes. She looked as she had on her last day, in the moment she'd kissed him before sending him to safety.

Pyrrha stepped out from Jaune's embrace to look around her: "What is this place?"

"The Heart of Remnant."

Both turned their attention to the third voice as a woman clad in a brown traveler's cloak stepped towards them. Pyrrha recognized her dark skin and her long brown hair, and slowly, Jaune did as well.

"The Fall Maiden?" Jaune inquired.

"Amber," Pyrrha corrected.

The woman nodded. "This is the transition point- the place where Aura gathers together, and once made whole, transcends the bonds of the world's remnant and returns to the world born before."

Jaune had no idea where to begin with that statement. "So… is it, like… some sort of afterlife?"

"It is a transition point," Amber repeated. "A place for souls to reconstitute themselves before they move on."

Pyrrha met Amber's eye. "Move on to what?"

Amber shook her head. "All things in time, Pyrrha Nikos. Your time is nearly upon you. All that is left is for what embers remain to fade and gather here. The fragment that exists within the new Fall Maiden will rejoin you here and you will be ready to progress."

Pyrrha contemplated her words. "So, you escaped from her?"

"Not entirely," Amber answered. "Until my power reincarnates from her host I will not be made whole. I must wait here until all of my Aura is gone from her."

"That… may be a long time," Jaune gently suggested.

Amber shrugged. "It is time I have, Jaune Arc. I have glimpsed what awaits me within the heart of this remnant, and know when at last I am whole I can find a better place to return to."

Pyrrha glanced between the two. "What about Jaune? How can he return?"

"He need only decide," Amber answered. "Stay or go."

"Stay?" Pyrrha repeated.

"If he wishes, he can remain. His soul is whole and his own- he can progress from this point and transcend the barriers," Amber explained. "Or he can linger here with you, until your time comes."

"Wait, but how?" Jaune asked. "Don't I have to go back through that… dark place? That place… uh, above, I think?"

"Above, below, both and neither," Amber answered. "It is a shadow, Jaune Arc, that seems larger than it truly is, because of the light that illuminates it. The darkness you journeyed through was nothing but an illusion. The darkness may seem unending, but its power lies in deceit. It will never swallow the light. It cannot exist without it."

Pyrrha refocused her attention on Amber's words about Jaune. He could stay with her… here, in this place.

Jaune met her eye. He recognized what she was thinking. "Pyrrha… I did promise-"

"No." Pyrrha cut him off.

She wanted nothing more than to stay with him. She wanted him to accompany her on her journey, and to hold her in his embrace, as she transcended from this place and found… whatever other world awaited her now.

But he was alive, and his soul remained complete. Ren and Nora remained alive. Ruby and her teammates remained alive. Cinder remained alive. If he were to disappear now, even if he were to be hers' now and ever after, the world would be less for it.

Pyrrha could not bring herself to be selfish. Even in death, it seemed, she would be selfless. She would place him before herself.

Pyrrha reached over and hugged Jaune again, before whispering in his ear: "Go back."

"Pyrrha-" Jaune began, but she raised her index finger to his lips and quickly silenced him. She didn't want to hear him speak more. She didn't want to be tempted.

"Jaune, when I think of all you did for me, and all the ways you changed me… that's why I needed you to live," Pyrrha explained. "The world has need of your light. There's so much more good you can do."

If he could bring Cinder back from the dark, there was no limit to the good Jaune could do.

"So please," Pyrrha requested. "Be brave, and go back."

Jaune shook his head. "I don't want to leave you."

Pyrrha smiled at him and tapped his shield, where he'd emblazoned her crest. "You never did."

Jaune reached down to take hold of her hand, entwining his fingers with hers'. Pyrrha squeezed his hand and closed her eyes.

Jaune leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers'. They remained there, in that moment, their souls bound together one final time.

But he had to return. Pyrrha had time to wait.

She pushed Jaune upwards, and he ascended up through the formless white, vanishing within its stark emptiness.

Pyrrha looked down at the empty floor. She'd thought that death would mean she could be free of the pain of loss, but it was only more vivid and powerful now that she'd sacrificed for him a second time.

Amber moved over to stand beside her. "You were a noble soul, Pyrrha Nikos. I wish you'd been fated for something more than this."

"Maybe it was fate," Pyrrha acknowledged. "But it was also what I wanted."

She closed her eyes once again as she recalled that moment in the Emerald Forest, as she embraced Jaune for the first time, and stood in the light of his soul.

For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee.

Pyrrha carried her love through the darkness and death and found him one more time. Jaune, carrying Pyrrha's protection on his shield and her spirit in his deeds, embraced her a final time before returning to the remnant above.

That was a fate she could accept.

Cinder was no longer able to sustain her levitation, and she'd been forced to stand on the solid ground as she tried to fight against Salem's attack. She was nearly out of energy, and stumbled back, falling to one knee. This only encouraged Salem to press forward, encircling Cinder's fiery barrier with more of the black blood.

Salem slowly walked forward, continuing to encircle Cinder's position with more of the overpowering, suffocating blackness. She was so close she didn't need to raise her voice; she barely whispered as she leaned down to speak: "It's time, Cinder. Your destiny has finally arrived."

Cinder looked up at Salem, feeling the aches in her arm and eye as she struggled for breath, and her invincible mistress prepared to deliver the final blow and destroy what remained of her defense.

Until Cinder looked past her and saw Jaune emerge from the entrance to the Heart of Remnant, stepping out amidst the Grimm. He met her eye, and she felt the pain within her wash away. He made it out… he was still alive…

And Cinder had one more thing to fight for.

Cinder used the second wind Jaune had granted her and raised her left hand, summoning the metals she'd scattered around the battlefield and flinging them at Salem. Caught by surprise –for perhaps the first time Cinder had ever seen- Salem refocused her attention to deflect the shot, finally letting up on her attack. Jaune moved closer, rushing to Cinder's side when the opening presented itself.

He said nothing, merely standing beside her and raising his shield. His presence continued to fuel her, her Aura replenishing as she continued to bombard Salem with fire and metal.

Salem finally took notice of Jaune's presence, stunned to see he'd managed to emerge from within the dark gate. His two friends, still fighting the Grimm on Cinder's flanks, found new inspiration and reinvigoration, and fought harder against the horde.

Salem needed to remove this variable before the tide could turn. She commanded the Seer to change tactics, and the Grimm focused their efforts on attacking the two young hunters instead. They acquitted themselves well at first, but were slowly worn down as the numbers continued to pour in. Soon, the boy would have to divide his attention, and abandon his position beside Cinder to save his friends.

The moment came at last when the boy in green was knocked down by a Beringel while his partner was distracted. She tried to fight her way towards him, but was held back by a pair of Ursa in her path. The boy would have to leave Cinder's side and try to save his comrade.

Until the silver-haired brute, Cinder's assassin underling, leapt into the fray and kicked the beast away. His green-haired partner, Cinder's spokeswoman before, emerged from the forest behind him, cutting one of the Ursa down and fighting beside the red-haired girl.

Cinder glanced back to see Mercury and Emerald fighting alongside Ren and Nora, giving them a chance to briefly rest and regroup before rejoining the fight. Only a few days before, those four fought against each other when Cinder sought to divide them from an incapacitated Qrow; now they fought alongside each other against the Grimm. The four continued to keep the horde at bay, leaving Cinder to focus her attention entirely on Salem.

Salem collected the dark essence of the defeated Grimm, adding their black blood to her stream, only for her to sense trepidation from the remaining Grimm. More of their number had fallen than remained, and the older and stronger ones recognized they were fighting a losing battle. They feared Salem's wrath, but their own instincts for self-preservation were asserting themselves, and they were finally questioning whether this small collection of humans was worth the effort.

This couldn't happen now; not when she was so close. Cinder had been moments from her grasp, and now it was Salem being forced back by her former disciple –someone she knew to be weaker than herself- and her band of outcasts and novices managing to not only hold their line against the darkness, but push it back.

Cinder recognized it, too. She met her former mistress's eye and asked: "What good is all your power, Salem? Why would you want to be so strong if you have to be all alone?"

The elder Grimm were breaking their ranks and withdrawing from the fight, risking Salem's wrath in an attempt to survive. Salem's dark stream was holding against Cinder's flames, but without new material to rebuild itself, it was slowly collapsing. The darkness was dissipating and drifting away. Her offense turned into defense was crumbling. Behind her, the reduced numbers of Grimm were looking much less dangerous as sunlight began to break through the cloud cover, illuminating more and more of the battlefield.

Salem turned her attention to the Seer organizing the Grimm. Without the numbers necessary to press forward, she had only one course of action left. The messenger waved its tendrils and summoned a Nevermore from the horde to land behind her and serve as her mount.

Salem finally lowered her hands and let the darkness fall away, pooling on the ground and dissipating. The Seer instructed the remaining Grimm to fall back, and all but a few of the newly-forged beasts heeded the order, turning away and marching back east. Salem stepped onto the great winged beast, locking eyes with Cinder and the blue-eyed boy at her side.

It was a terrible humiliation, to cede even such a meager victory to her former pupil. Cinder must've recognized it as well, because she focused her attention on Salem and the Nevermore she stood upon as her mount, rising up into the sky. The clouds broke behind her, as sunlight fell on the forests and the outskirts of Mistral.

Cinder had never seen Salem in sunlight. It seemed very strange that she should have to retreat towards the light to escape. Cinder wanted to pursue her, and destroy the dangerous threat once and for all, but she could barely even stand.

They exchanged no words. They each knew the result. They each knew what it meant.

Salem scoffed and instructed the Nevermore to return to her keep, and she retreated after the shattered remainder of her Grimm force, the darkness having been repelled by the Fall Maiden.

Cinder fell backwards, finally succumbing to exhaustion. Jaune caught her before she could hit the ground, cradling her in his arms as their friends and allies encircled them, helping however they could to return from this vicious battle.

The darkness faded away in wisps of smoke. The entrance to the Heart of Remnant sealed itself, and soon appeared to be no more than a patch of dirt left unmarked by the scars of battle.

High above the battlements, in the headmaster's office of Haven Academy, Arthur Watts looked on in astonishment as the Grimm withdrew and the clouds obscuring the kingdom began to part. He'd never even considered the possibility of Salem ceding defeat to an adversary, much less expected to see it firsthand.

He'd allied with Salem because he believed her invincible. Now, he'd seen Cinder –a woman he'd viciously mocked for her weakness- repel Salem and force the darkness to turn away.

The soldiers on the borders of the kingdom and patrolling in their ships looked on, awed by the display of power, before dispatching a squad down to collect the small group of heroes who'd saved their kingdom. It didn't matter they'd been instructed to capture and imprison four of them only days earlier- these people had saved all their lives, and the least the soldiers could do was give them a lift back inside the kingdom's walls.

The downtrodden citizens of Mistral, long left to their own devices and floundering on society's very lowest rung, found a rekindling of hope and optimism as they saw the Grimm pushed back. Their meager lives left them little to return to, but the knowledge that the Grimm could be stopped gave them reason to believe they could progress, and their despair was not so overwhelming.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her friends be returned from the fight, victorious against impossible odds. Qrow took a moment to inspect the contents of his flask before joining her in quiet celebration, as Salem was dealt the greatest defeat he'd ever borne witness to.

Ozpin had not believed this possible; at least not without the combined forces of multiple kingdoms working in collaboration. He'd thought a guardian enough to defend a kingdom from the Grimm, but to press back Salem herself? It was a new sense of optimism Oscar had never expected to feel from the man now sharing his soul.

One final witness, wandering through the wilds of Anima and drawn by the presence of so many Grimm, observed the scars left behind and the countless of his children destroyed. And moreover, destroyed by flames he had bequeathed to a young soul that he'd believed would turn her wrath upon the world, and bring further chaos and destruction as he'd wished.

Instead, she'd found a different purpose… a way to use her powers to protect others, even those who had mistreated or abandoned her, and pushed back the dark before it could swallow the weak and feeble souls.

He shook his head. He hated acknowledging his brother's success, but it seemed he'd been correct once again. Even the worst among them could escape his grip, if they wished to.

And the Heart of Remnant, the true nature of the world before, had been briefly exposed. It was not in him to hope, but he tried to envision that the child had not comprehended the depth of what he'd learned. Or this world, this remnant, might change for the benefit of its unworthy inheritors, and his work would be for naught.

He turned away to search for a place to start again. Today, his forces had suffered a setback. Tomorrow, there would always be a new heart succumbing to despair, and ready to accept the dark's invitation.

Cinder was in and out of consciousness as Jaune carried her back to the inn. She'd never felt such exhaustion; not even when she'd been near death atop Beacon tower.

When she was awake she felt Jaune's heart beating beside her head, as she nestled close to his chest. She could vaguely see Emerald, Mercury, Ren, and Nora walking beside them, and vague, incomplete images of onlookers, as citizens of Mistral watched them walk past.

She looked up at Jaune, and eventually he met her eye, smiling down at her. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Cinder wanted to ask, but she couldn't manage the words. She was so tired.

Jaune followed her eye around to the various people watching them. "Some of them saw you defend their kingdom," Jaune explained. "They're grateful to you."

Grateful… Cinder had never expected to experience gratitude from any but a select few, handpicked for their usefulness to her. A few days ago, she'd have considered these onlookers beneath her notice and never give them a second thought. Now she was left wondering who among these poor and downtrodden had gone their entire lives without a glimmer of hope and suddenly been given inspiration.

She wondered how many poor little girls living in fear suddenly had reason to believe they could move beyond the lives they knew and make things better for themselves. She wondered how many left abandoned had found new purpose.

Because of her.

Cinder formed half a smile as she closed her eye, counting Jaune's heartbeats and slowly returning to sleep in her lover's arms.

Salem paced her meeting room, glancing at the empty seats at her table. She wondered which of her subordinates would return to her side now that they had reason to doubt her.

Watts allied with her because he was greedy and opportunistic and she'd given him a chance at advancement. Tyrian was devoted to her, but driven insane by the poisons in his bloodstream, and had already suffered one defeat at her enemy's hands and Salem had dismissed him, to wallow further in his insanity. Hazel had joined her when promised protection for those he cared about, and now that Salem had been bested his eye might turn elsewhere, to an ally more aligned with his moral compass.

Alone with her thoughts, Salem felt the ache of her wounds… aches she had been able to ignore for so very long and dismiss. On certain days she'd been able to forget the pain of the life she'd had before, but now that she had reason to doubt, now that she had a firsthand demonstration of her failure, the pain had returned and she could not simply dismiss it.

Cinder's defection was more than a setback to her plans; it unraveled years of work and placed one of the pieces she'd needed in direct opposition to her. Cinder also had firsthand knowledge of Salem's intent, as well as the location of her keep.

And she did it all for love. That hurt worst of all.

Salem had believed in love once, and even let it cloud her thoughts, however briefly, into believing she didn't need to walk the dark path she had chosen. But her journey into the Heart of Remnant had exposed her to the overwhelming power of the darkness and reminded her of the importance of her purpose. She could not allow herself to be distracted by something as trivial and fleeting as love.

It hurt to be alone. Old wounds ached far worse when there were no eyes upon you but your own.

Eyes… the last eye had been the one to provoke this course of action. Salem had accepted his offer, confident Cinder would be like her and reach the same conclusion. Had Branwen somehow known of this result and deceived her? No. An eye was of no use without a mind to relay information to. Someone had given him the task.

Ozpin.

Ozpin was alive.

Another failure on her part. But at least she had a clearer picture of the battlefield. She'd have to recover quickly, with the pieces she still had, and focus her attention on finding the relics. The Grimm gathered at Beacon could be recalled; clearly there was nothing to find there if Ozpin had managed to escape from Cinder with his life.

If she hadn't simply lied to Salem before… if she hadn't been several steps ahead.

Salem had to compose herself; to rid herself of these doubts. The Grimm's allegiance to her would always be conditional, and unless they feared her she would lose her already tenuous grip. Salem concentrated on the losses she'd suffered, from Cinder to Ozpin to a life long since discarded, a woman left forgotten by history and erased in the fires of war, and focused on the thing that gave her strength.

Hatred. Her fuel. Not hate directed only at these enemies who'd slighted her, but hate for everyone and everything… all the accursed beings wandering this remnant, marring the tapestry of the world with their pointless and unwelcome existence. She let the thoughts fester, let the power of her hate slowly spread outwards and fill her every thought.

The Grimm sensed it. It resonated in their soulless vessels. They felt the power of it, and were cowed back into submission.

Her wounds still ached. Perhaps they would continue to do so until she destroyed her traitorous disciple and personally slew Ozpin herself.

Salem looked out through the windows of her castle at the pools of black blood on the scarred red ground beneath her. Grimm continued to emerge from the darkness, but notably fewer in number. The unexpected salvation that came to Mistral had lessened the negative emotions that birthed them, and the number of new minions had been reduced.

One more setback… but only a setback. She'd seen the Heart of Remnant, and its infinite darkness. In time, the darkness would swallow everything.

And then, at last, when all her enemies were destroyed, her hatred would be quenched, and at last the pain would end… and she would sit her throne, overlooking the endless black as its ruler, waiting for the remnant to shatter and the world to begin again.

But for now, buried under her certainty, was the niggling doubt that Cinder, one handpicked by the darkness, had found love and turned back. And that thought refused to leave her.

Cinder rested the entire day, waking late in the night. Jaune was asleep beside her, an arm draped over her. She took a moment to take in her surroundings of the inn, and after adjusting slightly to a more comfortable position, she lay beside her lover and wiled the time away.

He was in a deep sleep; undoubtedly he'd exhausted himself too, given the time he'd spent in the Heart of Remnant. Then he'd lent her his Aura to help repel Salem, and been instrumental in turning the tide.

It was a strange thought: Salem was defeated. At Cinder's hand.

She'd envisioned this day for a long time. When she finally surpassed her mistress and took her place… yet, now that goal seemed strange to her, like some brief flight of fancy she'd had as a child. In truth, she didn't know if she was more powerful than Salem or not, and certainly the battle would never have been won without Jaune, his friends, and Emerald and Mercury fighting alongside her. It was a strange thought, to take pride in what had been accomplished in collaboration, rather than through her individual effort.

Once, she might've taken pride in the immense power she wielded, eager to put it to use and demonstrate it to the masses, so they might fear her and envy her strength. Now she coveted only the pride Jaune had shown in carrying her off the battlefield, and this moment here with him.

For so long, fire had burned right under the surface, eager for every outlet she gave it. Now, it seemed, only a few faint embers were left. What had once been a virulent mix of ambition and hatred had cooled into a much simpler and nobler wish: for the embrace she held, and with it, her fire steadily burnt enough to warm, without leaving scorches and ash in its wake.

Reluctantly, Cinder slid out from under Jaune's arm, climbing out of bed and stretching. She looked down at him, running her hand over his forehead and ruffling his blonde locks.

Pyrrha had envisioned this moment. She'd done the same many times, but never in such an intimate context. Those memories felt very faint now; vague and incomplete, like trying to recollect dreams years after they occurred. Cinder wondered how much longer what remained of Pyrrha within her would linger.

Wandering outside her room to find one of the former Beacon students keeping watch, Cinder hoped that soul would wait a while longer before fading from her completely. Cinder quietly counted down, hesitating only momentarily before walking over.

Ruby Rose, leaning against rafters on the inn's second floor, seemed surprised to see Cinder approach. She had no remark to offer, only watching her quietly; guardedly. Cinder moved to stand beside her, quiet for several long and awkward moments.

The wounds Ruby had inflicted ached, but the pain was intermittent. The hatred dwelling deep within Cinder tried to force its way upwards, but it was a small and feeble voice, and one steadily growing quieter. Perhaps that monstrous, ugly side of her would never vanish completely, but it was smaller than it had ever been, and growing smaller still. Soon, she hoped, it'd be small enough to not just ignore, but completely forget.

Several times Ruby tried to initiate conversation, but never quite got there, just making a few brief, high pitched sounds before abruptly silencing herself. It was astonishing to think the girl who bested Cinder Fall could be so timid.

Cinder remembered their battle, when she refrained from doing the girl harm for Jaune's sake. Now, she focused instead on Pyrrha Nikos, and the moments they'd shared in the Heart of Remnant, and how Cinder had been able to lay down her arms and search for forgiveness. It was a quality she may never have found without Pyrrha's influence.

She'd waited long enough, and let Ruby struggle to comprehend her intent a bit too long. It wasn't like Cinder to hesitate, and she pressed on to speak her piece.

"I'm sorry," Cinder quietly offered. She wasn't quite able to meet Ruby's eye, but based on the thunderstruck silence that met her, this hadn't been at all what the silver-eyed girl had expected to hear.

It was a strange thing, to seek forgiveness from someone who'd maimed her. It was such a difficult task to maintain composure and continue speaking. Hating her was so much easier.

But change was never meant to be easy.

"Let's talk about Pyrrha Nikos," Cinder suggested, eventually summoning the will to meet Ruby's eye. "And about what she taught me."

Ruby was every bit as hesitant as Cinder was, but did eventually return the look and speak up. "Okay."

Cinder and Ruby stood at the rafters talking, slowly but steadily, of their absent friend, of dreams, and the way how everything they'd once perceived could change so radically with a few simple words.

Nora peered out her window at Cinder and Ruby in conversation, making out –if not their words- their emotions, as the two developed some sort of understanding. She wasn't sure what to make of it all… at this point Cinder pretty much had to be genuine, and making things right with Ruby wasn't something she'd needed to do. At least, not yet.

It was impossible to forget what Cinder had done to Pyrrha, and how one of her best friends had been taken away. But when it counted most, Pyrrha's killer fought against an even greater evil, and now it seemed was making amends with those she'd hurt.

Nora felt guilty for how she'd browbeat Jaune, attacking him over what she'd thought was nothing but selfish desire. Maybe she just hadn't been ready for Jaune to move on, but now it was impossible to deny how well things had worked out. If not for Jaune, Cinder might never have made this change, and Ruby might still have nightmares about the night Beacon fell, and Jaune might still be lonely and reserved.

Nothing was what it had been before, but somehow, someway… things seemed a bit better.

Nora tapped Ren, who hadn't yet found sleep, in the side and watched him turn over to face her. Fortunately, he'd long since gotten used to Nora waking him whenever she had an important thought to share.

"You know, I don't hate Jaune's girlfriend," Nora remarked.

Ren smiled and reached over to take her hand in his own, proud of the step she'd taken.

When morning rolled around, Qrow knocked on one of the room doors. Emerald answered and reluctantly allowed him in while Mercury lazed on his bed with an old issue of X-Ray and Vav.

"I'm not gonna' pretend that things between us are hunky-dory," Qrow told them, "but you did right by blondie and his friends. I'm not sure if anybody in Vale or Atlas will be after the two of you or not, but provided you keep your noses clean, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones."

"How generous," Emerald remarked, rolling her eyes.

"I know, right?" Qrow quipped right back, before turning serious. "I doubt this thing with your old boss is over, and we're all gonna' have to let some things go. And if you two are putting those skills of yours' towards something as noble as saving the world from the Grimm… well, I think we can all manage to live with that."

He stepped out, leaving the thief and assassin to their own devices. Emerald glanced over at Mercury, who put his reading material aside and met her eye.

"Any idea where we go from here?" Emerald asked.

"I've got one stop to make," Mercury replied. "I'm going to tell Cinder the truth."

"About dropping her off here?" Emerald inquired.

Mercury nodded. "You said it yourself, Em- we've got to stick together. The three of us."

"What about blondie and his friends?" Emerald wondered.

Mercury shrugged. "My enemy is who Cinder says is my enemy. Nothing would make me happier than to leave all that stuff we did at Beacon in the past."

He was so simple. Hopefully the others would understand his sentiment and be able to put aside their grudges.

Emerald had some fences to mend… and she thought if Cinder had asked for forgiveness, it certainly wasn't beneath Emerald to try the same.

It was a whole new world. Yesterday had certainly demonstrated that.

Cinder had spent so much time seeking forgiveness it made a nice change of pace to be able to offer it. She assured Mercury she had no reason to doubt his loyalty, and with a few words and an exchange of honesty, they were once again in alignment. She'd have to find something for him to do to mitigate his killer instincts and vent his aggression, but she envisioned future battles with Salem and her forces would find a role for him. The good guys needed sharp swords just as much as they needed kind words.

Once he'd left to get food, Cinder took note of what the Mistral locals had left outside their inn: provisions, pillows, blankets, and assorted trinkets. All of them offerings to the Maiden who'd saved their kingdom, even from those who barely had anything to spare. She took a moment to sort through them, eventually stopping herself upon finding some fine glassware, raising it in her right hand.

It wasn't likely to have been hers' or her parents' creation; it seemed much newer than that. Still, it seemed her past had reached out to her in this offering from a grateful citizen, and Cinder thought back on a small child, who'd once wished she was strong enough to protect people –even people who'd shunned her- from Grimm and people with ill intent.

Maybe she hadn't been reborn then, when her home was burnt away. Maybe she'd just slept for a long while, waiting to return once she'd learned what she needed to become the better person she'd envisioned.

Maybe this was who she was always meant to be, and she'd just taken a bit longer to find her way.

Jaune finally emerged from their shared room, smiling at her as he stepped out to join her. "Hey."

She still wondered where things would progress; if she and Jaune could maintain this feeling they shared through the months and years ahead, and how long the fire would burn. In the back of her mind, Cinder wondered if such strange twists of fate were meant to last, and if life could be like some fairy tale where redemption took hold and the unpredictable romance between two people who had once been strangers –even enemies- could truly endure forever.

But it was just a thought. Just a quiet outlier among many other thoughts, all united in the single truth: she loved Jaune Arc, and her love for him and his love for her changed Cinder for the better.

He stepped beside her, reaching to her left arm and taking Cinder's hand in his own. Where once her arm had ached from the pain of her loss, now she felt only the warmth of his fingers intertwining with hers'.

Cinder had been practicing her use of the second Semblance, and used it to great effect in her battle with Salem. Now, feeling him take hold of her hand, she couldn't feel the metal of his armor, of his sword and shield, or the metals in the ground far beneath them. It seemed, at long last, the embers of Pyrrha Nikos were fading from her.

But the fire raged on, the love wholly her own.

Qrow walked over, taking a long drink from his flask before he called to them. "Hey, lovebirds, come join us for breakfast- we've gotta' talk about Lionheart and the relic. I've brought in a new guy who can shed some light on things."

Another complication. It seemed the battle against Salem had to continue.

Still, there were these moments, when she could hold her lover and think of the past and find its good, and look to the future and see hope glimmering in the distance.

Cinder squeezed Jaune's hand and the two went to meet this new player Qrow had invited into their unexpected coopt, and maybe share a meal with the man she loved while she was at it.

Within the Heart of Remnant, Pyrrha Nikos felt the change, as at last the missing fragment of her soul rejoined her, filling her with new memories, of the love she'd wished to have with Jaune Arc. It was a small comfort, to think of what could have been, but it was a much greater relief to know Jaune was alive, happy, and had successfully redeemed a soul, bringing someone lost in the dark to salvation.

And for her, there was the next step. The path to the next world lay open to her, if she'd only take her step.

Pyrrha thought of how Jaune had emblazoned his shield with her sigil, then thought back to the day they met, and embraced in the Emerald Forest.

Not the life she had expected. Not the destiny she had worked towards.

But there were worse things to dwell on in your final moments. She could think of no better legacy to leave behind than the changes she'd made on Jaune Arc… and on Cinder Fall.

When they dispersed from breakfast, Cinder seemed almost unsurprised by the revelation. If she bore any anger at Ozpin for eluding her killing blow, it didn't rise to the surface. If she resented his taking charge and directing them to appeal to Lionheart and convince him to join their unusual alliance, she didn't let the thought fester or even linger.

Instead she stood beside Jaune, still holding his hand, knowing that no matter how uncertain the future appeared to be, he was in it with her, at her side and in her heart. And Jaune returned her affection, finding comfort and support and eventually regaining the trust and support of his friends.

Mercury, Emerald, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Qrow, and "Oscar" waited for them ahead, while the two waited just a moment longer before they moved forward.

Cinder and Jaune -unlikely though it was for their fates to link- had embraced this turn of events, and they stood together, united by common purpose, and bound together in love, light, and flame.