I don't own any intellectual Properties

The sound of boot clad feet crunched against ash and gravel covered ground, the distant sun in the sky set. The sky illuminated by the shattered visage of a moon, as the four members of Team RWBY exited a Bullhead, which had landed a small distance away from the out of commission Academy of Signal.

Yang and Ruby walked closely, towards the school they once applied too. Having known the grounds much better, they took the lead, while Blake and Weiss followed.

Blake sniffed the air a few times, before her pupils dilated; her enhanced senses picked up a rather familiar scent.

"Oh geez, it's the men in blue." Yang mumbled, taking notice of several stiff standing policemen which boarded the facility.

"There was a few dozen deaths, what'd you expect?" Weiss responded in a sardonic tone, as she crossed her arms.

Ruby closed her eyes at the memories that flashed across her mind, being reminded of the fact her past teachers were all dead. Yang noticed her sister's downcast reaction, before she glared at Weiss.

Weiss noticed Yang's eyes flashed red at her. "A-ah, s-shutting up now." She muttered, before she glanced away.

"It's fine. We can't change what happened." Ruby said with a somber tone in her voice, before a smile spread across her face. "But, we can make sure this doesn't happen again!" She insisted.

"Of course, Sis." Yang agreed.

"There is still the manner of…them." Blake stated, as she took a few steps forward and stopped at Yang's side and motioned towards the police officers' around the building.

"Hmph..." Yang sounded with a frown, as she put her hands on her hips. "…I could always knock them out." She offered.

Ruby tilted her head and cast her older sister a side-ways glance. "We're supposed to be Heroes, not criminals." She stated.

Blake pursed her lips and a faint smile spread across her face. "Take it from experience, sometimes breaking the law is better in the long run than in the current moment. It may seem like something bad, but if it's for a purer purpose; it makes all the difference." She admitted.

Yang and Ruby shared a glance. "I...if knocking out the police let us discover why this happened...I..." Ruby trailed off. 'Am I really going to break the law...to figure out this great evil?' She asked herself, before she looked forward. 'People will die if we don't…if I'm branded a criminal…I'll keep moving forward.' She thought. "…It's something that'll have to happen then." She stated.

Yang looked at her little sister and then gave a one-armed hug. "I'll stick by your side, no matter what." She stated.

The blonde fighter tensed up for a moment, when she felt a delicate hand lightly put itself on her shoulder. Yang turned her head and she saw Blake smiling at her.

"Me too, I won't leave you." Blake admitted, causing Yang to stare at her in surprise and she felt a rustling in her chest and stomach.

Yang opened her mouth to reply, before she, Ruby and Blake heard something. "We need to enter this establishment!" A loud bossy tone stated, causing them to turn and realize Weiss had left them and was talking to one of the stiff and robotic-acting Police officers.

The Police Officer stared at Weiss for a few moments, as the rest of her team came running after her. She had her arms crossed and was glaring up at the man, waiting for a response.

After a moment the Police Officer turned and grabbed the strand of yellow tape and lifted it up. "Hmph, as expected!" Weiss stated in a pompous tone, as she walked underneath it.

"Weiss!" Ruby squeaked out, as she appeared right next to her in a storm of rose petals. "What are you doing!?" She questioned, before Yang and Blake met up with them moments later.

Weiss smiled at them and crossed her arms. "If you act like you belong here, sometimes others will believe." She stated, totally unaware of the fact she was allowed in by the Cylon pretending to be the Officer.

"Oh Gosh, you are so amazing! You were all like, let me in, and the guy was all; okay!" Ruby reenacted with energetic vigor.

Her hood was yanked down, covering her face and in turn shut her up. "Okay chatter-box, we have a scene to investigate..." Yang said, as the four entered the dark building of Signal.

The hallway they entered was dark, with the entirety of the building being shut down for investigation. "Ruby, if you want to hang back, while we check up ahead. No one will think any less of you." Yang offered, knowing up head there might be some sights that might be unforgettable at best and mind-shattering at worst.

Ruby closed her eyes and shook her head. "I...we can do this." She said, looking at her shadowed team. Wanting to be strong for them, more then for herself.

Weiss held a hand out and summoned a bright white Glyph, which radiated a shimmering silver light, illuminating the Team's path.

–

After a decent amount of time searching the lower floors of the academy, the four arrived at a long and narrow hallway leading to the Headmaster's Offices.

"Whoa..." Yang sounded, looking around at the completely destroyed ceiling and walls surrounding them.

"What happened here?" Ruby questioned to no on in particular.

Blake tensed up, feeling a faint static clinging to her body. A familiar sensation of Magic she had become accustomed to by Nui and Harry. Whatever happened here, it scarred the literal atmosphere of the area.

"You were right Yang, this isn't a Grimm attack." Weiss stated, as she observed one of the massive holes in the wall.

Yang pursed her lips and looked towards the white haired girl. "What makes you say that?" She asked.

Weiss crouched down and reached out towards the edge, towards a brick wall of the hallway. There were several jutting black rocks, formed from twisted heat and energy. "...It almost looks like, Obsidian." She observed, as she grabbed a hold of the small jagged rock and ripped it off, it being brittle.

She tilted her head and looked at the glass-like substance, it was hallowed out with dozens of tiny tubes littering it's interior. "What ever hit this wall, had to have enough force to shatter the brick into sand and then crystallize it. Someone who has to have a weapon which discharges powerful bursts of lightning or electricity, dust based probably." Weiss offered, as she stood up and let the black glass fall to the ground and shatter.

She turned to look at a frowning Ruby, a contemplative Yang and a rather impassive Blake. "We're looking for someone with some kind of lightning-based weapon." Weiss theorized, not automatically thinking of Harry, who they saw use a lightning Spell months ago. The spell he used, from what they saw, came from the sky and held enough power to probably vaporize Signal itself. The hole had to be created from a horizontal vantage point, and they only saw him do his more destructive variant.

She studied the angle in which the Obsidian-like glass was pointing. They were jagged and pointing outwards, towards the outside of the hole. Revealing the force of the attack must have come from the inside. Weiss focused on the angle of the affected wall, before she tilted her head and angled it towards the door of the Headmaster's office.

Weiss turned and pointed towards the Headmaster's Office. "The person would have to be standing, there." She stated.

Yang crossed her arms. "You sure know what you're doing." She commented.

Weiss pouted and looked off, a faint blush of embarrassment. "I...I went through a procedural cop show phase, a few years ago! J-just shut up!" She responded, noticing Yang's teasing grin.

The sound of the Headmaster's door opened, causing Weiss and Yang to turn, only to see Ruby had taken the initiative and was investigating.

"So...the person was standing here..." Ruby said, as she drew out her Crescent Rose and leveled it's Gun Form at her Team, which they quickly moved aside. "…And they fired." She surmised, before she slowly lowered her weapon and turned to look back.

"Why where they here though?" She asked aloud.

Blake came up behind her and her golden eyes darted around. "Perhaps they were looking for something and your teachers caught them off guard." She theorized.

"But what could Mister Gascoigne have had, that someone would have killed everyone here for?" Yang questioned.

"He was such a sweet old guy..." Ruby muttered, as she walked about the office she had only been to three times, one was for her admittance into the academy. One was when she was called to the office, when a few of her bullies had their arms broken by her older sister. And the third was when he called her in to personally wish her luck, when she was accepted into Beacon.

Yang picked up a picture and looked at it sadly. "He lost his wife, and both of his daughters to Grimm. In some of the dozen or so times I was called here, he told me...He said, 'Please Miss Xio Long, I became a Headmaster here. Because I failed to protect my children. I don't want you to get hurt just like them, so please stop trying to start fights.'" She remembered, looking at the photograph of the grey haired old man.

Weiss closed her eyes. "I'm not surprised you were called in so many times." She admitted, trying to use humor to defuse the tense atmosphere.

"Everyone always called him, Grandpa Gascoigne…he was like everyone's grandfather, only just wanting the best for all his Gran-kids...whoever...whatever monster killed him…" Yang said, her eyes watering and her pupils reddening.

Blake glanced away from Yang, who was growing a bit emotionally unstable. Her eyes landed on the scroll on top of the desk. She pulled out the swivel chair and took a seat before she opened it up.

"Whoa, hey; Blake!" Yang said suddenly, drawing attention towards her.

Blake looked up towards Yang, Ruby and Weiss. "Yes?" She questioned.

"A person's scroll is private!" Yang insisted.

"Perhaps the person that hurt your friend, wasn't looking for something your Headmaster had...but someone was sent here because your Headmaster found something he shouldn't. You said this whole thing was fishy, why cover this up?" Blake questioned, as she pushed the scroll towards Yang. "Maybe...your Headmaster came across information he shouldn't have, and someone; someone with control of Huntsmen sent them here, to silence him. Before he could voice something." She suggested.

"That's...a bit far-fetched." Weiss offered, not wanting to discredit her friend. But most of the time chasing a conspiracy, was like pulling at a ball of yarn. You'll pull on it and you'll get what you want, but It'll keep on going and going, down a rabbit hole.

Blake shrugged. "I know a thing or two about working behind the scenes. This smells like a cover-up, even you noticed it Yang. And...the answers lay in here." She offered.

Yang looked at the opened Scroll, only for Ruby to reach out and grab onto it. "Ruby..." Yang warned seriously. "…If we do this…" She started, she was a person that valued honest and privacy. If someone wanted to bring something forward they could, in their own time. But they had the right to keep somethings hidden.

Ruby smiled at Yang. "We were going to knock out cops, this ain't as bad in my book!" She admitted, before her smile fell. "Our headmaster didn't have any skeletons in his closet. If he did find something, if he came across something really bad that people sent killers to wipe him and all the staff out...We have to stop it." Ruby stated.

"R-right...Sometimes...my emotions get the better of me." Yang admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's fine, Yang. I don't want to do this either. But, we know we have too. If we didn't care about Gascogine's privacy, we'd be no better than the killers that hurt him. But if he knew the situation, he'd approve!" Ruby insisted.

Weiss took the scroll out of Ruby's hands and opened it on the desk, before she took out her own scroll; which was more new and had a wide variety of applications that the standard Scroll didn't hold. Due to her being in the heart of Atlas, she had her foot in the door to any new technological appliances; and some not even in the viable market.

"W-Weiss, what're you doing?" Ruby asked.

"...Making a cake." Weiss responded, causing Ruby to look a bit confused.

"Huh?" Ruby sounded, inclining her head to the side.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I'm unlocking his Scroll, dunce." She muttered, shaking her head at her partner's inability to understand sarcasm.

"You can do that?" Yang asked, a bit worried. Her hand slowly snaked down towards her brown leather pockets, attached to her belt, where she kept her Scroll secure.

Weiss exhaled in an annoyed fashion. "No, I'm actually just doing this for fun." She said, a bit irritated.

"Shush up guys, let Weiss do her thing." Blake said, giving Yang and Ruby annoyed looks. Ruby looked apologetic, while Yang kept a hand on her side; keeping an eye on it with Weiss around.

"Thank you." Weiss said, giving the Cat Faunus a smile; before she went back to work.

After a moment, the Scroll released a faint chime, as the security system was bypassed. "...Alright..." Ruby said, as she opened the scroll up, with Yang and Weiss looking over her shoulders. "...Let's see what happened." She said, her eyes focused on the screen.

–

Across the country in Vale, in the cusp of night; Harry stood on an expanding pier outside of the Warehouse he controlled. The visage of the shattered moon reflected the light of the star in the solar system, casting a shine on the night sky.

Harry himself wore his usual alter-ego attire, his black suit, long coat and ceramic white smiling mask. "Hah!" Came a frustrated female voice, as a scarlet ball of flames came hurling towards the back of the Sorcerer.

Cinder stood behind him, her hand extended and her hand emitting some smoke. The scarlet ball of flames exploded and dispersed, the moment it touched Harry, fading away into flickering embers. Harry seemed entirely impassive, as Cinder charged forward and summoned a writhing flame into her hand, which solidified into a short sword of glass.

She slashed at Harry's side, before the Sorcerer reach out, while he kept looking up at the moon. His hand clasped around the blade, stopping it, before he tightened his grip. Cinder's eyes went wide when the sword in her hand shattered to flakes of glowing embers.

Cinder quickly lunged back and summoned more flames, before they condensed and formed into a bow and arrow. She crouched down and drew back on the wire, before releasing it. The glass arrow was hurled towards Harry at high-velocities, the arrow radiating a glowing and burning orange.

Just before the arrow could impale the side of his head, Harry's hand shot up and grabbed a hold of it. He released a sound, comparable to that of a bored sigh; but Cinder smirked maliciously. The arrow in Harry's hand gleaned a much brighter glow, before it erupted in a violent explosion of fire.

"Yeah!" Came a cheer from across the pier.

Sitting on a wooden stump, was the mint-haired fighter Emerald, watching the 'fight' with wide red eyes. At her side, Mercury had his arms crossed and was rather disinterested in the events around him. Next to them, was the petite and diminutive sized illusionist Neo, her arms wrapped around her knees, which were pressed to her chest. Her eyes were studying the fight with rapt attention.

Cinder had a satisfied smirk, watching someone stronger than her fall for her trick. That was before she noticed the smoke around the masked man swirl about for a few moments, before it dispersed. Harry stood there, completely fine.

Cinder looked surprised to see Harry have been completely unscathed by her attack. "How?" She questioned.

Harry turned and looked towards her and inclined his head. "Your attacks are, how you say...all style, no substance. And they're not even new, look." He admitted, as he held his hand up and a sphere of writhing azure flames danced around. He closed his fist and the sphere of bright blue flames condensed, before they crystallized into bright blue arrows of flame.

With a flick of his wrist he hurled the arrows at Mach speed, creating pops in the air, as they moved through it. The arrows themselves were engulfed in flames, with Cinder rolling to the side and avoiding the projectiles. She turned her head to see the three arrows slamming into the water around the pier, before they erupted in a three massive explosions of bright blue flames.

"I don't...understand..." Cinder admitted, looking towards Harry.

"A-ah, of course you don't understand! You've had the ability to use Magic for what...six months?!" Harry said incredulously. "Magic is the ability to manipulate the fundamental source of energy, of life and creation! And you're using it like it's a bloody gun! Trying to shoot off the biggest fireball, and when it doesn't work, you shove more power into it!" He said in a dumbfounded tone.

He held his hand out and conjured up a small flame, slowly it grew larger and larger, until he held it above his head. "Any bloke can conjure a fireball with magic, and any moron can feed it as much power as you can." He stated, as the massive fireball dying away. "I could've done that when I was bloody twelve!" He stated.

Cinder scowled at him and then she looked down. "You said...you were going to help me learn! How am I supposed to learn, when all you do is berate me!?" She demanded angrily, her eyes radiating a faint glow.

Harry looked at her for a moment, before he exhaled and his aggravated posture lessened. "You're right, it's not helping." He admitted, surprising the hell out of Cinder.

Emerald looked between the two and was surprised that their new, all powerful leader, who was a bit more terrifying that Salem was...admitting his was wrong. The idea he could admit he was wrong, was more humanizing than him sticking to his guns and turning it around on Cinder.

"I...I am?" She asked, before her posture turned more confident. "Of course I am." She added.

"I never had a teacher, I've only learned through trial and error. And I see you going down the same path I once went down." Harry admitted, as he turned around and looked up towards the moon. "Let's start this over…I've judged your skills, and they are...inadequate. Ask me a question and I will answer." He informed.

Cinder blinked a few times at the change of pace of his 'teaching lesson'. "You keep talking about Magic, about what I'm supposed to feel. But I...I don't feel it, well. I'm not sure I do. What is it?" She asked.

"Magic...Magic...What is Magic?" Harry asked aloud, as he turned around and looked at Cinder, to see she was staring right back at him.

"To describe what it is, hmm..." He sounded, before he smiled behind his mask. "...It's like...a cloud, a mist that drifts from living creature to living creature. An energy that's generated by all living things, by the heart, the soul, be emotions. Set in motion by currents and eddies. It's the eye of the storm, the passions of all things transcending from a preternatural substance to the physical and spiritual, into a chorus..." Harry said, as he looked up towards the night sky and shivered.

"It is the rising swell at the end of life, the promise of new adventure, of new blood. The beckoning whispers of the darkness, the mysteries not yet discovered. It is the smoldering passions brought forward by your pure unadulterated will..." He said, as he held a hand out and closed his fist. "…A person with magic and a will of steel, will be virtually unbeatable. However, a person with magic and a weak foundation, will be corrupted, twisted and killed by the very force they wish to use." He stated.

"Magic is the energy of life itself, fueled by your emotions and brought forth by your will and resolve." He explained.

Cinder observed him, as she processed what he had said. "I see." She muttered.

"You only have Magic, because your using someone elses. It will naturally be much, much harder to conjure up even the simplest of affects." Harry informed.

Cinder looked at him confused. "But it's...easy." She admitted.

Harry slowly shook his head. "No, how do you feel when you use your Maiden Powers?" He questioned.

"What?" She responded, not understanding the question.

"When you conjure up a fireball or whatever, how do you feel? Happy? Sad?" Harry asked, before he inclined his head to the side. "Or are you in pain, in anger, in hate?" He questioned.

Cinder stared at him for a moment, before she glanced off in thought. "...I...remember..." She muttered, her eyes getting a glazed look, as she remembered her past. That was before her eyes were illuminated by a fiery of light.

Harry observed her reaction and was able to read-between the lines. "Pain and anger. The reason most untrained Magical Practitioners go Dark-Side, is because Magic reacts to emotion. Those emotions are infinitely easier to produce." He admitted.

"Is...it stronger?" Cinder asked curiously, the two practitioners standing a few feet apart.

To Cinder's surprise, Harry slowly shook his head. "No, anger, hate, lust, pain. They're easy to manufacture and in the short-run, the affects they cause with Magic will be astonishing. But…the emotions I use, how I fuel my Magic, are far more difficult to create, but in the end; it's more pure, more powerful...more beautiful." He admitted.

Harry glanced down at his hand, despite how twisted he was. He loved his daughter, Nui loved him. He was alive because of his mother's Love, his mother's sacrifice to protect him. He may have not understood it completely, but he wasn't going to spit in his mother's face by using hate and anger. The same emotions Voldemort used to kill her. 'I...am not like him.' He thought to himself.

"That sounds pathetic." Cinder stated.

"My magic beat yours, didn't it?" Harry retorted, shutting her up instantly. "The magic you use, is bloated up with our emotions. You have no control over them, so in turn, you have no control of your magic. It goes bigger and bigger, and it may cause some chaos. But in the end, my Magic can easily destroy or even control your own." He admitted, as he took a few steps towards Cinder.

"And your Magic, it's someone elses, remember that. It is a twisted, perverted Magic." Harry stated seriously, causing Cinder to tense up. "Ozpin, he did something no one should ever do. He tore his own soul apart, created ciphers and divided his power. He placed them into four individuals, in doing so he allowed four people access to Magic, through him." He explained.

"It's a technique almost as old as the first Necromancers, it's a means of prolonging your own life to indefinite time. And as each four of the magic-casters die, a new on is then taken in it's place. The former's life-force consumed with it." Harry said seriously, causing Cinder to tense and look at him in fear.

"W-what?" Cinder asked in horror. "Is...is that what the Maiden's are?" She asked, her eyes wide.

Harry pursed his lips. "I have a suspicion, yes. My former mentor was a notorious Necromancer in his prime." He admitted, in reference to troves upon troves of tomes and books he found and studied, before he himself started his own experiments. His former mentor was truly a twisted individual, who inspired the likes of Voldemort and Grindelwald.

"Why...would he give out that kind of power?" Cinder questioned, as she looked at her hands. Taking noticed of the flickering embers dancing around her finger tips, reacting to her fear.

"Power?" Harry asked curiously, with an almost amused tone. "You think Ozpin just gave out power, for the shits and the giggles?" He questioned, before he shook his head. "No, no. You'd be wrong. There is no strength in 'gifts' he gives. And the strength you gain from being a Maiden is only that on a primal level. And it devours you, as you use it. His Magic is like a symbote inside you, it's giving you access to magic; while it feeds away at your life-force." He informed, as his eyes flickered up towards his forehead for a moment.

"T-that's...impossible..." Cinder muttered.

"Nothing is impossible through Magic, it's an energy that flows through all living things. And like energy, it can be harness, channeled...and consumed at times." Harry explained, he turned and glanced away. "I've seen and experienced this type of Magic before. But it seems like this is the pinnacle of what a Horcrux could achieve." He added.

"What...what do I do?" Cinder asked, worried and understandably so.

Harry exhaled and glanced away. "There is no way to reverse this, without killing you. But...perhaps...no, it'll take to long..." He said to himself.

"Please, anything!" Cinder said urgently, she lived as a slave to Salem; now she was source of life-force to Ozpin. She was always controlled and she needed a way to be free.

Harry looked at Cinder curiously, giving her a once over. "Perhaps...this Maiden fragment has given you the ability to use Magic. You can feel it, abet only on a small level. I could help you use it to awaken your own talents in Magic, allow you to grown and expend. And I could help you banish the energy inside you..." He theorized.

"Y-yeah, t-that sounds fine!" Cinder insisted.

"I don't know." Harry said, giving her a bit of a cheeky tone. "It would mean you have to listen to everything I say. Everything I tell you to do, every act. No matter how you personally feel." He stated.

Cinder closed her eyes and lowered her head. "I'm...I'll do anything to get stronger." She admitted.

Harry turned around and hummed lightly to himself. "Interesting. I've always wanted an Apprentice." He admitted, causing Cinder's head to shoot up in surprise.

"A-a-Apprentice!?" She said in surprise and shock.

"Yeah, what else did you think I meant?" Harry asked, as he glanced back at her. He noticed her rather shocked expression and he smiled behind his mask. "Naughty-naughty. I am not adverse to any relationship like that, not at all." He commented whimsically.

He heard the sound of clinking glass, as Cinder walked up next to him. "...So...M...Ma...Mas..." Cinder started, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth at the word she was about to say. "...Mas-ter...what am I going to learn first?" She questioned.

Harry didn't look at her or react in any sudden way. "I'll start teaching you later, tomorrow..." He started.

"My team is infiltrating Beacon tomorrow..." Cinder stated seriously, before she scowled. "...We should've arrived there tonight." She admitted.

"Right, right. Salem's dumb little plan." Harry said dismissively, causing Cinder to cast him a side-ways glance and concealed her smirk.

A part of her got a certain thrill about how apathetic and unthreatened he was by Salem, almost like she wasn't even a factor in his game. It gave her a bit of hope that perhaps she wasn't going to be serving under Salem for the rest of her life, or until her use ran out.

Harry opened his mouth and then closed it. He was going to be at Beacon obviously, Cinder knew of his name. But she didn't know his face. 'How can I teach you at Beacon, while also not giving away the fact that I'm me?' He thought, as more of a challenge than anything. He knew he could confront her at Beacon and continue on like nothing happened...but where was the fun in that?

"Alright then, you're free to go. If you have any more questions or want to continue training, you know where to find me." Harry offered, surprising Cinder by his rather candid and almost warm response.

"Ah...S-sure." Cinder responded, as her eyes flickered over towards his form and took a hesitant step back. A part of her didn't want to go, afraid that Salem had her servants lurking about, ready to stab her when she least expected. She kind felt safe around the psychopathic Sorcerer. As weird as that thought was.

But after a moment she turned around and walked up the pier. "Emerald, Mercury, we're leaving." Cinder said curtly, getting a quick nod from Emerald and a sigh from Mercury.

The trio were gone, leaving Harry alone on the pier with Neo, who was walking up to his side. The two stared at the luminescent shattered moon, with Neo holding her open parasol up over both hers and Harry's head. A distance away, perched up on a wooden column on the pier, a pitch black red-eyed raven stared at Harry. The black, red-eyed raven stared at Harry with wide eyes, it's own body in a frozen state of shock at the information it had just heard.

–

Later that night, as Beacon; Ozpin's office door was opened. Ozpin was siting at his desk, observing the darkened horizon.

Before the heavy shoes of Orow disrupted the peace and quiet of the office space. "Ozpin..." Qrow said, causing the grey-haired man to raise his head in some surprise and he turned around in his chair.

"Qrow, I must admit; you caught me by some surprise. I thought you weren't going to be here yet." Ozpin admitted.

Qrow exhaled in exhaustion. "I wasn't. Did you hear what happened with Signal?" He asked.

Ozpin closed his eyes. "A tragedy." He admitted soundly, and he was almost genuine in a way. But he lived a long life and he'd seen countless deaths to the point where such things were trivialities to him. "It wasn't a Grimm attack." He summarized.

"I told the law enforcements it was a Grimm Attack, I know you wouldn't want the real reason for the attack to be broadcasted." Qrow admitted.

Ozpin looked a bit confused. "Pardon?" He asked.

Qrow approached him. "Whom ever attacked Signal, it was for the Relic. The one that's here." He informed, as he leaned forward and his hands pressing against the desk.

Ozpin blinked a few times in some obvious surprise. "That...isn't right." He commented.

"That's what the attacker stated, 'We were paid to retrieve the Relic in Vale'. Apparently they assumed it was in Signal and tried to force their way in." Qrow stated.

"Salem knows where each of the Relics are, and she wouldn't higher someone off the street and let them get the location wrong." Ozpin surmised and he shook his head. "This...isn't Salem's work." He informed.

Qrow frowned a bit. "...He told me, a Headmaster from one of the other Huntsmen Academies paid him. Is it possible?" He asked.

Ozpin frowned and glanced down. "They...are aware that their schools protect a Relic. But I made sure to departmentalize them, to make sure that if they became compromised they wouldn't know about the others...But who could've been compromised? Ironwood...Lionheart?" He asked himself, while Qrow's frown deepened.

"You...lied to them?" Qrow questioned.

Ozpin didn't respond to Qrow's tense question, having heard it a few times in the past. "Information is a very powerful thing. This isn't the first time a Headmaster of another academy hungered for power from the Relics." He admitted. "It's more important that if someone needs to know something, they only learn what the need to. Instead of indulging on what I feel they have too." He admitted.

Qrow observed Ozpin with a critical gaze, while the later pursed his lips in thought. "...I see..." Qrow muttered to himself. 'If...you'd hide such important information from your allies...what...what are you hiding from me?' Qrow asked himself, having lost so much under Ozpin's command. Did Ozpin still not believe him to be fully trust worthy, after losing his sister to darkness, losing his teammate Summer.

"There is something else...about the man that was there..." Qrow admitted, causing Ozpin to raise his head.

"Yes?" Ozpin questioned curiously.

Qrow looked at Ozpin's inquisitive look, before he glanced away. "I think the people that attacked the Fall Maiden were with them, they seemed to be using something she would've used for an attack." Qrow lied.

"Ah, it's to be expected." Ozpin admitted.

Qrow frowned at the idea of keeping information from Ozpin, but he had a feeling the information he might've been a game changer. 'Ozpin, I don't know what you're keeping form me. It was because I trusted you, Summer died. It's because of you, Raven went bad. But I always believed you were telling me everything. But...if you are so easily able to hide information from your closest friends and allies...I...I can't trust you with this information.' He thought, as he took a step back and turned around. He wasn't sure why that man with black hair had the powers of a Maiden, he wasn't sure how Ozpin would react. But he wanted to get to the bottom of it first.

"Ah, Qrow, before you leave. I have a mission for you." Ozpin admitted.

"Hmm?" Qrow sounded, as he slid his hands into his pockets.

"There's a student here..." Ozpin said, as he pushed forward an open scroll. "...His name, is Harry Black. I want you to keep a close eye on him." He said, in a rather serious tone.

Qrow's eyes landed on the picture, before they went wide. His eyes landed on a young man's fair skinned face, his vivid serpent-slitted green eyes, and his unruly inky black hair.

–Flashback

Within the Headmaster's Office of Signal, Qrow narrowed his eyes at the masked man, who was nodding. "Ah, a tit-for-tat, a quid-pro-quo..." He said, as he turned at a ninety-degree angle. As he seemed to show Qrow an opening, as he reached out and idly adjusted a piece of paper on the desk.

Within a moment, Qrow was on him, holding a rather large sword to the side of masked man's neck, the papers on the desk blowing away. "A quid-pro-quo, I won't cut your head off, it you tell me everything I want to know." Qrow threatened, his voice heavy with the weight of seeing his allies dead.

There was a faint distortion in the air around the Sorcerer's hand, a unique warbling sound followed, as the Masked man cast a sideways glance at the Huntsmen. "An interesting idea, I must admit. However, I do believe I might have a counter offer..." He said, before the warbling sound turned into the sound of a loud shriek, followed by the chorus of a thousand chirping birds. The entire darkened room was illuminated for a moment by bright blue lightning.

Qrow's eyes went wide, catching a glimpse of vivid, slitted green eyes from behind the black crescent eyeholes of the mask, with a messy head of inky black hair flaring about. That was before Qrow only saw blue and heard a high-pitched chirping of thousands of birds.

–Flashback End

Qrow stared at the picture in surprise. 'He's...here?' He thought, his eyes flickering up towards a curious looking Ozpin.

"You recognize him?" Ozpin inquired.

"...I think I saw him around, once or twice." Qrow lied, not sure what this young man's connection was with Ozpin. It was obvious Ozpin knew something about this kid, Harry. And it wasn't his normal interest. Perhaps Ozpin even knew of his strange affinity for Maiden powers. It only made Qrow more distrustful about not being in the full loop.

"I would imagine so, he is...ahem, in a relationship with your niece." Ozpin said with a tense smile. He needed Ruby for her Silver Eyes, which he assumed she inherited from her mother. And he needed the prodigious Warrior Pyrrha, for her skills and strength to become the next Fall Maiden. But it seemed his little Wizard protegee had dug his claws into both of them, as well as the rest of team RWBY. That was not something that he needed in his way.

"My niece...which one?" Qrow asked, a bit tense too. He sure as hell hoped it wasn't his darling little Ruby, she was to young, sweet and innocent to be in a relationship at this time.

Ozpin adjusted his collar. "Ah...I'll let you discover that one on your own." He stated.

Qrow looked back at the image of Harry on the scroll. "Why do you want me to keep an I on him? He's...a student here." He said, reading the small dosser Ozpin put together.

"That he is...that he is." Ozpin commented as he spun around in his chair and looked out the window. "He's a dangerous advisory..." He started.

"He's a kid." Qrow argued, looking at the image and studying it. He knew he was wrong about that, seeing what the young man could do. But he was probing for more information.

"…The abilities he has are a twisted one. Abilities I haven't seen in...in a long time. Abilities I hoped to never see again. This boy, might be stronger than me in my current state." Ozpin admitted, shocking Qrow a bit.

"That's imp-…that can't be..." Qrow said in obvious surprise. "How?" He questioned.

"Now is not the time for me to answer such questions, just do what I need. This boy might end up hurting more of your family." Ozpin deflected, causing Qrow to tense up.

'You would...throw that in my face?' Qrow thought to himself with narrowed eyes. That was before he closed them and exhaled through his nose. "Fine, I'll report to you if I see anything." He informed.

"And Team RWBY." Ozpin stated.

"What?" Qrow questioned.

Ozpin observed the scenery, not giving the man a glance. "When you discover something from Harry, nonferrous especially. I want you to inform me...and Team RWBY." He informed.

'You want me to break up their relationship...if Yang or Ruby are with him...he wants...he wants me to break their heart…' Qrow thought, feeling an immense weight of guilt hit him in the chest, as he left the office without answering Ozpin.

Qrow exited the office and leaned against a wall, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask and opened it up. His hand was trembling as he brought the flask up to his lips, before he slowly lowered it and slumped against a wall.

"You want me to break me darling niece's heart…I would never...I...I couldn't..." He said to himself, as he put his hand on his forehead. He didn't know who his target was in a relationship with, be it Ruby or Yang. But he loved them to the point where they might as well been his own children. Ruby may not have had any relation to him in blood, but he still saw her as his own.

'What...are you Ozpin…?' Qrow asked himself, as he stood up. 'Maybe...maybe Raven was right about you.' He thought, as he vanished into the darkness; with a black crow flying off.

With in the office, Ozpin kept his view on the horizon. He had his unique cane, inscribed with intrinsic sigils, which ran along it's form. He had it laid across his legs, his eyes focused on nothing in particular.

'I don't know what you're up to, Mister Black. I left our kind for a reason, that moronic Gryffindor, the naive Hufflepuff, and know-it-all Ravenclaw…In those Dark Ages, they made my life hell. They treated me like I was the villain, when all I wanted to do, was help. And so I left. I found a place here…' Ozpin thought to himself, as he looked down at his unique cane. "…A Wizard's life is one of pain and chaos. I...I gave up most of my power, so I could protect the place I call home..." He said to himself.

"...But you are a threat to the battle with Salem, thousands of years in the making. If I have to vilify you, so be it." Ozpin said with a scowl, ready to protect what he came to call his home. He would destroy Harry's life, if it meant ensuring his plans survival.

However, he was unaware Harry was a dozen steps ahead of him; and has taken his own steps to vilify Ozpin towards his own allies.

–

There was a chilling silence in the RWBY dorm, Yang and Ruby sat on the former's bed, while Weiss was sitting in her own. The three of them had wide eyes, as the Scroll they swiped from Signal rested upon one of their dressers.

"I can't...I can't…believe this..." Ruby said to herself.

"To think...it's..." Yang said, lost in her own thoughts.

"...Impossible...But it's all right there..." Weiss said aloud.

Blake looked at the three with some annoyance. 'Geez, was I this stubborn to the truth, when Daddy tried to show me the way?' She thought, a bit irritated. "You wanted evidence, there it is." She stated bluntly.

"How can you be so calm? The man we thought was the most noble person, is a monster!" Weiss snapped.

Blake glanced away and shrugged. "I never trusted him to begin with, my trust lays with you guys...and one other." She admitted, crossing her arms.

"But to think...we were...just pawns to him..." Yang muttered, as she glanced towards the scroll.

Blake's eyes landed on it, knowing it was the work of her Dear Daddy. She knew exactly what he was doing, to some extent. He wanted to save her Team, but first he had to turn them against the people they were allied with.

On the Scroll Ruby's and Yang's former Headmaster had, was almost a few dozen documents; that apart didn't make much sense. But together, it painted a rather extravagant and horrifying picture.

Instead of Planting evidence that could be contradicted, Harry opted to giving them bread crumbs to the truth. After all, the Truth that's been hidden for so long, is more damaging to Ozpin than any lie he could formulate.

"Ozpin is using us to hide something..." Blake stated. "...We're his personal security force to protect something, and we don't even know we're supposed to be protecting anything!" She stated.

"...We...are supposed to protect..." Ruby mumbled.

"We're supposed to protect people that can't protect themselves. Not Ozpin's treasure." Blake argued, causing Yang to lower her eyes and nod in agreement.

"And someone found out what our purpose was, and they told someone who had a lot of power. And for that...for that..." Yang trailed off.

"...Headmaster Gascoigne had to die..." Ruby said weakly.

"If Ozpin...If Ozpin is using us, if he's using everyone here...we...have to tell everyone!" Weiss said urgently.

"And end up dead?" Blake asked dryly.

"He wouldn't..." Ruby started, before she stopped. He sent people after her former Headmaster and his staff, in her mind. Why wouldn't he do that to them?

"How about we check it out first, make sure this is legit." Yang said, as she looked at the three. "This thing said someone here found this treasure, that it's in the deepest part of Beacon. We gotta find out who found it, and we'll have them take us to this treasure. If it's real..." She trailed off.

"...Who do we tell, who can help us if what we learn is the truth!?" Ruby asked worried.

"We can...tell Atlas!" Weiss said quickly.

Yang frowned. "A few dozen of those Altas Gunships came in, with that pompous looking guy. But he and Ozpin seemed to be buddy-buddy. Who's to say they're not in on this together." She stated.

"...Then, who do we trust?" Weiss asked quietly.

"Who can protect the students here...who can protect us from someone as powerful as Ozpin, he has so many allies..." Ruby muttered.

"Someone we know would never work with Ozpin..." Blake said, causing the three to look at her. Blake herself looked towards Ruby. "...You remember that guy from the docks a few weeks ago." She offered.

Ruby's eyes went wide. "You mean that man in the Mask! With that Shadow-Demon Thing, and that really cool and really scary Building-sized Tank!" She said, her eyes steadily growing wider and wider.

"Guy in a mask..." Yang said unsure, looking at her sister.

"...He has gained control of both the White Fang and an army of robotic automaton, he calls the Cylons." Blake informed with narrowed eyes and a frown on her face. "He calls himself, Nyarlathotep." She stated.

Weiss looked at her with a suspicious look in her eyes. "He has control of the White Fang?" She questioned.

Blake glanced at her. "He...took control of the leadership and has made moves to militarize it and reform it from it's terrorist ways to a more civilized one. The reason he took so much Dust from around Vale, was to disperse it to the colonies of Faunus outside of human civilization, outside the protection of the Kingdoms where they needed help." She explained.

"...You...sure know a lot about what happened..." Weiss muttered, her eyes laser focused on the Cat Faunus.

Blake closed her eyes and sighed. "During our break, I visited my mother, in our home. It was kinda the heart of the White Fang at the time, so a lot of people still believed in them. I heard a lot about what happened after I left. This guy, Nyarlathotep. He may be able to help us, Ruby you saw what he had at his disposal." She urged.

"It was really cool looking." Ruby muttered, almost fan-girling out at the idea of seeing that technological terror weapon again.

"So we have a person we can turn to...do you know where he is? Where we can contact him?" Yang asked, looking at Blake.

All three, Yang, Ruby and Weiss noticed her rather embarrassed reaction, her cheeks reddened and her bow flattened against her head. "I...I may know who he really is. Nyarlathotep is a name he uses when he's wearing his Mask, but...I do know him personally. Over break, we..." Blake trailed off.

Yang's and Weiss' eyes went wide. "Oh God, is that why you're so...not stuck up anymore!?" Yang asked in surprise. "...You got yourself a boyfriend!" She added with a grin. Blake looked really uncomfortable, as she adjusted the collar of her shirt. "You know, I don't know what happened to the Uni guy, but I hope this one works out much better!" Yang added.

"Who is he?" Ruby asked curiously, tilting her head. "Is it someone we know?!" She asked, a bit of an excited tone in her voice. In her mind, the docks weren't a total horror feast. It was exhausting and that thing she saw, the Amygdala was terrifying. But apart from that, she never felt in danger. When she looked back, that masked man never actually attacked her at all, he just attacked the area around her. He didn't even raise a finger against her. Then again, only Blake knew of his involvement in the killing of Sun. And part of Ruby really wanted to inspect those cool robots he had, or that massive building sized walking tank.

Weiss kept her stare focused on Blake, with the Cat Faunus closing her eyes. "I think...it would be better if he revealed who he was. He'd really hate it if I spoiled it." Blake said with a smile.

"It's not Jaune, is it?" Weiss asked, in an almost abhorrent tone. The idea of that blond dunce, being some criminal-Robin Hood Mastermind, in charge of the White Fang of all things. It might short circuit her brain if she thought too much on it.

"No, and don't bother trying to guess. I won't betray My da...his trust like that." Blake said quickly.

'Was she about to say 'My Daddy'? Kinky.' Yang mused.

There was a silence among the ground, before Ruby stood up. "…So, when we can next to this. We're going to investigate this treasure and if we do find something, we're going to go to this Nyarl-guy." She planned.

Yang nodded in agreement to the plan. "Come on guys...it's been a long day, let's get some sleep." She offered.

"That would be amazing..." Weiss muttered to herself, as she stood up to change into her night cloths.

"Sounds like a plan!" Ruby said with a smile, as she followed suite.

–

In the middle of the night, within Team HHUG's Dorm, Grimmjow was lounging on his bed, asleep. Madara was in his usual seated position, his legs crossed and his hands on his knees, his eyes closed; having entered a state of sleep while sitting up.

On their own personal bed, Harry sat, mostly in the nude. His lower body was covered in a black blanket, with Nui asleep underneath it. Her blonde hair out of their usual pig-tails and free, her head resting on Harry's side.

Harry's eyes were open, as he stared up at the ceiling. His arms were crossed behind the back of his head, as he was kept awake by his own thoughts, which tended to happen; he would run plans, ideas, schemes. Which kept him awake until the dead of Midnight and sometimes into the early morning.

His attention was drawn to the door, which seemed to have miraculously opened up slightly, letting the light from the hallway enter the Dorm. The faint creaking of rusted joints released a faint squeak, before a dark shadow flickered into the room, before the door sealed close again.

Harry raised an eyebrow, as his hand slid down to the side of his bed, where his Team's Weapons Rack was located. However, before he could grip his weapon, he felt his blanket raise up slowly. He made an unsure face and retracted his hand, he doubted an attacker would sneak in here just to get a look at his junk.

That was before he felt a weight on the side of his bed, at the corner. In an almost slow, barely noticeable pace, the weight was creeping closer and closer towards him. That was until the shadowy figure was inches from his face, the person's delicate hands on his chest, with their knees on the bed. His eyes landed and connected with a pair of golden cat-like eyes.

"...Ah, Blake...your Dorm is across from mine." Harry said quietly.

"Um-hm..." Blake sounded in agreement, not really taking it as an order or a thought.

Harry watched as Blake kneaded her hands against the soft fabric of the blankets he had. "...Hmm..." She sounded in absent mindedness. Harry just stared at the Cat Faunus, as she pulled the blankets up and over her body, before she curled up next to him, opposite of Nui.

In an almost unceremonious way, Blake slammed the side of her head into Harry's side, causing him to grunt in surprise. "Hmm..." Blake sounded, as she hummed lightly and rubbed her head back and fourth into his side.

Harry felt Blake's legs press and wrap around his own, her arms hugging around his pelvis with her head nuzzling up against his side. His eyes landed on Nui, who was happily sleeping with a serene expression on her face. His focus landed on Blake, before he reached out and idly rubbed the Cat Faunus' head, in between her pointed cat-ears.

"Mn-Mn..." Blake hummed out lowly, as she smiled and curled up into him, like a cat would with it's beloved owner.

Harry slowly leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the heat and love from two, in his mind, rather beautiful girls. 'I guess, any reasonable man would do in a position I'm in, should just enjoy this…' He thought with a smile, as he placed a hand over Nui and his other hand snaked down from Blake's head, down her back and he gripped her tight rear. '...Good night.' He mused to himself with an amused smirk on his face.

Well, here's the new update. It's sure been a while. I've been on that Destiny 2 Grind, with the new Expansion DLC. I know the games a bit repetitive, but hey I think it's fun.

Anyway, here's a short update. Only two chapters this time :(.