Chapter 92 – Honour and Love

Jaune

Salem's Sanctum…

Ruby stared at the halls with wide eyes, both she and Oscar could feel the energy in here, the flashing memories of when they were here last. Trying to escape with each other after Mercury and Emerald helped them escape. If it weren't for Hazel, Oscar would have never made it out of there. Ruby looked at the glowing purple crystals in the walls, touching them gently. Her silver eye squeezed shut, and she could hear it again. Her echoed cries, her screams of pain…

… his maniacal cackling.

"Hey… are you okay?" Jaune asked Ruby as he gently held her shoulder. Ruby blew out a breath, her heart was hammering to stand inside of this place once again. It had been five years, yet nothing had changed, she knew it was going to be hard to be back here – but she never thought it would get to her this bad. She felt Oscar's hand gently clutch into hers, she looked into his eyes as he smiled – he was feeling the same way, but he was there for her.

"You're not alone this time." Pyrrha promised with a kind smile, Ruby smiled back.

"Yeah… c'mon, let's find her." Ruby said as she walked with Oscar. Jaune walked ahead of them with Pyrrha, and Cinder was beside her whilst Hazel hung back with Ruby and Oscar.

"This all feels so weird… it's been so long since I've seen these halls, yet it all feels like it was just yesterday." Cinder said, she closed both her eyes, now that her burned eye had finally healed and she could see through them both again. Only scarring surrounded her eye, but she was done hiding behind that patch. "Why did I waste so much of my life here?"

"Hey, you're not that person anymore… gods I never thought that I'd be saying this to you… but we're here." Jaune assured with a smile, Cinder chuckled with a smile back.

"A lot has changed. Yet some things haven't." Cinder said, looking at everything that surrounded them. The same halls, with the same scars from the past. They kept moving through the halls, and Pyrrha aimed down one of the splitting paths, there was nothing down there. All they could hear was the whistling wind, and the nearby explosions and gunfire of the Warzone outside.

"We need to keep moving, every second we waste is a soldier dead." Hazel said as he moved around the corner as well, pulling his Ancestral Blade from his sheath attached to his belt. He held it tight, ready to kill anything that was lurking nearby. Yet there was nothing inside of the halls, it seemed to be completely abandoned.

"Don't let the silence fool you, if Salem hasn't got any Grimm in here it's because she's waiting for us." Cinder said.

"You think she knows we're already inside?" Ruby asked her.

"Definitely. She's waiting for us to come to her – and I know exactly where to find her." Cinder said.

"Yeah, so do we." Oscar agreed, remembering that large room with the huge table. Where he played against Death at that game that got Mercury killed. They followed the former Followers of Salem down these halls, and they approached – a door.

With two levers.

"Hmm… eenie meanie miney moe." Jaune said as he looked at the two levers. "Which shall we pull?"

Cinder suddenly shot past Jaune and she stood beside him, and it was bizarre to see her act so – exuberantly. She pointed at one of the levers with her eyes closed and head held high with a grin. "Pull the lever, Jaune!" She called out, Hazel smirked and purposefully pulled the one next to the one she desired before Jaune could even do anything. The floor opened beneath her and her eyes widened as she plummeted down into the water beneath. "WRONG LEVER!" Her voice trailed down beneath them as they watched her fall.

Cinder groaned as she walked out of the water, her long black hair ruined with a small crocodilian Grimm biting onto her aura protected foot. "Why does she even have that lever?" She groaned, kicking the pathetic Grimm off her. She flew back up and Hazel pulled the lever again as she got out, closing the trap door. "You did that on purpose didn't you?"

"Of course I did!" Hazel laughed heartily, it was wholesome to see the two of them able to joke with each other like that, considering Cinder did in fact kill his daughter a long time ago. Hazel was a more forgiving man than most could admit.

Hazel proceeded to pull the correct lever, which opened the door.

"You're such a jerk." Cinder groaned as she wrung her hair like a flannel, getting the water out as Hazel patted her shoulder. Ruby turned round the corner, slowly peeking around to see if there was anything there.

"Hello?" She softly said, still baffled by how empty the Sanctum was. "Is it bad that I kinda find this disappointing? I was expecting tonnes of Grimm to be in here, Knights' Bannermen, stuff like that!" Ruby called out.

"Hey Ruby, ever heard of the phrase don't jinx us?" Jaune asked her curiously. "Because I don't mind it being this empty."

Pyrrha walked past one of the windows and she looked out, seeing the Grimm Battalions Versus the Acolytes of the Rose, explosions for as far as the eye can see. They approached a set of heavy double doors and Hazel cracked his knuckles and he pushed the heavy doors open. Pyrrha gasped from what was in front of them… it was the skeleton of a man on his knees – he died upright.

"Whoa… the hell happened here?" Oscar said as they approached the skeleton in the hallway. There was a battle here.

"I rarely came through this way, Salem always said that we should not disturb their bodies." Cinder said as she crossed her arms. Pyrrha stared at the armour of the warrior, she looked closely, and she looked at Jaune. They quickly recognised the Ancient Nikos Sigil on his pauldron.

"It's Herakles… Pyrrha's Ancestor, Ares' son… Cynthia's Brother… last I saw of Vyrryk he went with Constantine and Herakles to kill Ezekiel… they came here. He must have died fighting in here." Jaune said as he looked at Herakles' body.

Ruby looked at the armour plating around his chest, the hole was still there, punctured through his heart. "Must have taken a lot to bring this guy down, look at the state of the hall." She commented as she looked around. Jaune turned his gaze and saw the broken double doors to their left. Someone had barricaded it.

"Herakles was holding them off – Constantine and Vyrryk must have gone through here." Jaune said as he walked into the next room. It was hard to tell what this place once was, unlike the rest of the Sanctum, this area actually looked more like Arc Architecture than Salem's kind. No Shadow Dust, exactly as it was left – it did not take Jaune long to remember.

"This is the Arc Hall… I remember seeing it in some of the earlier visions, this was where the Arc Family would feast." Jaune explained as he looked at the large room, the fireplace that had been cold for thousands of years. There was destruction everywhere, and Jaune could sense the whispers of a Visionary Book in here, gently calling to him. "There's one in here… a Visionary Book."

"Where?" Pyrrha wondered as she looked around, Jaune walked up some steps, past the destruction of an epic battle inside of here – and he found a balcony. With a skeleton leant against the wall, staring out at the horizon. He crouched down and knew who it was, from his Mace and Sword in his hands. And the Arc Symbol engraved into his shoulder plate.

"It's Constantine…" Jaune said with wide eyes, he could feel the whispers of the Visionary Book in the back of his mind. He turned and stared at it, rising back up to the Pedestal that the Book Floated upon. He approached it whilst Pyrrha stood beside him, he stared at the handprint, purposefully made the same size as his own.

He blew out a breath.

"Okay… what happened here?" Jaune wondered, pressing the palm of his hand against the page, he had used so many Visionary Books by now that he had actually become more accustomed to it… it was seamless.

And he saw the world from the eyes of Vyrryk Arc.

Vyrryk

The land was darkening from Salem's Curse, however back then there was still some green to be seen, primarily in the distance. The sky was blackening, and the moon was always mysteriously in the sky. Vyrryk, Constantine and Herakles slammed and locked the doors shut behind them as the hordes of Grimm crashed into it. They slashed against the wood, roaring viciously as they tried to get inside, snarling over and over again, but they managed to bar it shut.

The Grimm quickly retreated to find another way inside of where they were. "C'mon! We've gotta stop him!" Vyrryk called out, he ran ahead of them, and a Griffin suddenly smashed through the window in front of them, tumbling across the floor. It dug its talons into the ground and roared at Vyrryk. It jumped towards him, but he drove the blade of his sword straight down the gullet of the monster, killing it instantly. He yelled with rage, slicing its throat open and pulling the blade out from its neck.

"We've got more coming!" Herakles warned, launching his spear down the hallway, impaling a Knights' Bannerman to the wall, using his Polarity to pull it back into the palm of his hand. He spun it through his fingers and held his Discus Shield close, looking around. Constantine punched a Bannerman cross the face, causing it to stagger backwards, and then he smashed the head of his mace down onto the armoured skull of the entity that he fought. He sprinted forward and picked the Entity's weapon up and cut through the bodies of Beowulves that charged down the hallway towards him, roaring devilishly. He cut one of their heads off and then smashed his mace across the jaw of the other, so hard that the bone armour broke apart from the impact. He rolled across the shoulders of the next, cutting its arm clean off with the sword, before throwing the sword straight through the heart of the creature.

He held his Mace up, stopping the jaws of a Creep from biting down into his neck. It shook like a dog as it tried to pull his weapon from his grasp, until Herakles sprinted forward, pushing the tip of his spear through the heart of the monster. He pushed it back and pinned it against the wall, the roars of the Creep echoed down the hallway, and then Herakles squashed its head with his shield, killing it instantly. An arrow shot down the hallway from one of the Knights' Bannerman and he stopped it with his shield, before he nodded to Vyrryk and threw his Shield towards the Bannerman. It collided into the Bannerman's chest, staggering it back, and Vyrryk sprinted towards it and the other Grimm.

He slashed his sword through the bodes of the Grimm, halving a Bannerman with one strike and proceeding to behead a Beowulf with the next swing. He slid under the attacking jaws of a Sabyr which was then butchered by Herakles' spear. He jumped towards the Bannerman and pushed the sword straight through the Bannerman's helmet, the blade erupted out the other side and dug itself into the wall.

He pushed his boot against the chest of the Bannerman to free the blade before it collapsed into itself. "Come on! We haven't much time!" Vyrryk yelled, he ran round the corner and his eyes widened, seeing Ezekiel stumbling as he tried to escape. He quickly drew the gun he had with him, firing it back at them. Sometimes it was easy to forget that the Arkhoni did in fact use firearms, not just old-fashioned weaponry. He aimed it at his own son and shot without hesitation. If it were not for his aura, he would have killed him then and there, Vyrryk took cover behind the wall.

"I will not allow your short-sightedness destroy us! The Arcs must live on, and they will die with whatever you have planned, boy!" Ezekiel yelled.

"You have no right to call yourself an Arc! You married your way into our name and have disgraced it! There is no way in hell that you will leave this place!" Vyrryk yelled with anger in his voice.

"And neither will you, boy! You have charged into your own death; you will never make it out of here alive!" Ezekiel yelled back, he started to slowly retreat from his position.

"As long as you're dead as well, it doesn't matter what happens to me!" Vyrryk bellowed down the hallways.

He turned, seeing that he was fleeing round the corner, the three of them sprinted after Ezekiel, and as they turned the corner, they saw that he opened a door to their left… because of who was waiting for them down the hallway. Their eyes were wide – because it was Salem. She still looked like Cynthia Nikos then, but her skin had paled, and her hair had turned white… but she did not have the dark corrupted veins yet. She still looked young, but her eyes were not burning, the Winter Maiden power that Kragen had bestowed upon her had left her body after using the Salem Stone.

Umbra must have done something to the Summer Maiden's Power for it to accept Salem now… however no matter what he did, it could still be granted to anyone if it still followed the natural rules.

What he did to Salem's Power was clearly a one-time offer, if they killed her… that power would return to its normal state.

Removing it from Salem thought will not be an easy task though, she had her full power back on top of the Summer Maiden's Power. And as they were about to see, that power was something to truly be reckoned with. "Your journey ends here." Salem snarled, her eyes glowed bright red and black and red energy coursed through her arms and into her hands. The entire room cracked around them, and she blasted an almighty storm of dark magic towards them. Herakles held his shield up and stopped the energy from reaching them. It pushed him back and he stared her down, before turning to the Arcs.

"Go! Now! I'll hold her off." Herakles ordered.

"But… you won't survive!" Vyrryk said to him.

"I knew the risks when I followed you here – she's my sister! Go! NOW!" Herakles yelled at him, holding the energy back with his shield. Constantine and Vyrryk looked at each other and then they both rushed towards the double doors and smashed them open, closing them. Herakles held the power of Salem back for as long as he could before the environment darkened and she blasted towards him with a haunting screeching howl. She grabbed him by the throat and pinned him against the wall, staring her brother in the eyes.

"What… have they done to you, sweet sister?" Herakles strained, choked by her cold pale hand.

"Cynthia is dead, Herakles! She was weak and obsessed over childish dreams." Salem snarled, she threw him across the hallway, and he smashed against the pillar. He pushed his Spear against the ground as he started to stand back up, lifting his head to stare Salem down. She held her hand out and formed her old Spear, forged from embers and obsidian, alongside a shield as well. "I'm Salem now… and am proud to cast the old name and life aside."

"No… you were kind and loving… you always cared about people, you just wanted what was best for everyone! You helped Kragen Nox rebuild the Silver Eyed Warriors after the Fall!" Herakles argued. Salem stared him down. "Do you remember none of that?"

"I did… and I know where they are hiding." Salem snarled, the old Cynthia Nikos he knew was gone, if she were in there… then she was buried under so much darkness that it would be kinder to simply put her out of her own misery. Herakles sprinted towards Salem, and she launched herself towards him, slashing her Spear across his aura and kicking him in the chest. She blasted lightning into his chest and then smashed her shield across his jaw. He staggered backwards and then slashed his Spear across her chest, causing her to stagger back and black smoke and blood leaked from her wound that was already healing back together.

Herakles watched as she stared him down, and a pair of massive Grimm Draconid Wings opened out from her back, her eyes glowed bright red. She had become a monster, and she launched herself towards him and drove her Spear straight through his shoulder, smashing him down against the ground. He grabbed onto her spear and then he drove his one straight up into her gut. Salem snarled with pain, she still felt pain, that much was certain, but no blade could ever kill her – except for one.

He twisted the spear in her gut and then kicked her off him, he rose back up and held his shoulder as it bled. His aura was already fading from the punishment he had already suffered from her. Fire ignited in her hand, except it was not the fire that a Maiden would use, this fire glowed blue, and she blasted a beam of it towards him. He held his shield up… but watched with disbelief as it started to melt the metal down. He launched it towards her as it melted, and the shield crumbled into dust before it could even reach her. The ashes flew past her face as she stared him down, red irises and black scleras in her eyes. He stared at her and spat blood from his mouth, standing his ground and refusing to fall back.

Salem launched across the hallway towards him and she drove her Spear into his chest, cutting through the armour and puncturing his heart. Herakles gasped in pain; he also drove his Spear through her heart, but it did absolutely nothing at all. He stared at her as he felt the blade in his heart and he fell to his knees, looking up at his sister who towered over him.

"I'm sorry, Herakles… but this was always going to end this way…" Salem told him, he spluttered blood down his armour… then stared up at her.

"Perhaps… but at least I can die knowing… that I didn't betray everything my family… my father… ever stood for." Herakles snarled, Salem scowled at him, and she twisted the Spear and pushed it so hard it erupted out his back, impaling him straight through. He looked up at her, and then his eyes faded. She gently pulled the spear from his chest, but his body did not slump over.

He just remained upright as his father died… until Ezekiel dishonourably pushed his body over. Grimm emerged behind her, and they respectfully walked around his body as he died but stayed upright with defiance. Salem walked away from her brother, and she stared at the door, channelling dark energy through her fist.

Whilst Herakles bravely held Salem off, on the other side of the door when they slammed it shut, Vyrryk and Constantine looked at each other. "He won't be able to hold her off for long and that door will not last long either… the Grimm will surround you before you even get to him." Constantine said as he walked with his brother.

"Then we have no time to waste, come on." Vyrryk said. "We will kill that bastard together."

But Constantine stood there, staring at his brother and then looking back at the door as he listened to Herakles battle against Salem. "No… I'm staying here." Constantine told him, looking his brother in the eyes with a very brave expression.

"What? No… I am not leaving you behind, brother." Vyrryk told him as he walked over to him.

"Vyrryk! You and I both know that the futures of your children, of William's children and Herakles Children… the Arcs, the Schnees and the Nikos'… they will be the ones to carry the weight we leave behind. But if Ezekiel lives, he will decide their futures, he will create a world that will make our sacrifices worthless. A world where Honour and Love are cast aside, and sinful actions are rewarded." Constantine explained as he looked his brother in the eyes. "You must kill him – I will hold Salem and the Grimm off."

"I…" Vyrryk stammered, his voice trembled, and his eyes started to stream tears. "I won't leave you! You're my brother!"

Constantine smiled, there was once a time where Vyrryk would never call him a brother because of the lie crafted that nearly destroyed his honour – to protect someone so much less fortunate than himself.

"And you are mine – which is why I will hold them off. Until I fall." Constantine said, holding his hand out to him. Vyrryk looked at his hand and then at his brother.

He ignored the handshake, and wrapped his arms around him, embracing him in a loving hug. Constantine held him close, and they pressed their heads together. When they broke, Vyrryk turned to walk away from his brother… but then he stopped. "You are the best brother a man could ever ask for… and you never lost your honour. You are a true Arc… you always have been."

Vyrryk walked away… and those words… stuck with Constantine. A smile formed on his face, and he heard the door explode behind him. Salem was stood behind him with her army of Grimm and he did not even flinch. He turned to face them, and he spun his Mace through his fingers and picked up one of the old swords left behind. He stared her down as she glared at him with all those monsters.

"My turn…" He laughed, and the Grimm all roared as they charged towards him, and he sprinted at the horde, smashing Beowulves and Creeps apart with his mace and beheading three others with the sword. He jumped towards Salem, but she blasted a bolt of dark magic into his chest, the impact threw him backwards and he landed on both feet. A Leshen dropped down from the ceiling, staring him in the eyes. It was the Lord of the Wood, back when it had both antlers on its head, and it formed a pair of axes as it approached him.

Constantine fought every single one of them, killing everything that got close as they slashed their claws across his armoured and aura protected body, dealing damage with every single attack. He swung his mace and howled, breaking the skull of a Sabyr apart with a single swing, and driving the blade of his sword through the throat of an Ursa as it attacked him.

He never stopped fighting, Grimm after Grimm, he killed them all, he fought for so long against them.

The Lord of the Wood swung its axes at him over and over again, but he rolled backwards, and the Lord of the Wood threw one of the axes from its arm. It dug into his shoulder, breaking his aura and plates of armour in one strike. He grunted and staggered backwards, but then he threw the sword towards the Lord of the Wood.

The huge Leshen grunted, hit in the chest with the sword so hard it sent the beast flying through the wall behind it. He continued to fight despite the wooden axe dug into his body, bleeding out. He ripped it out and he cut the head off a Beowulf, killing the last of the many Grimm that Salem brought with her. Salem was astounded – there were at the very least, seventy Grimm charging in there towards him, and he killed them all.

He stared at Salem, and she stared back at him with her Spear in her hand, and Constantine growled with anger. "You know… I actually liked you once… I was gonna ask you… when we got back from Arkhonex if you wanted to be with me." He winced, and Salem scoffed.

"And not now?" She asked him with a raised brow.

"I'll admit, you're still pretty hot even now… but… I know you're not her anymore." He said as he held his mace tight, covered his blood that poured down his arm. He limped and fell to one knee, the Grimm had bitten and clawed him in many places, and he was dying from blood loss but was still fighting. Salem walked towards him, and he roared as he swung his mace towards her face, but she caught his mace in one hand and drove her Spear into his heart with the other. His eyes widened as he looked at her, she did not smile when she did it. She just sighed sadly, and she quickly pulled the spear from his chest.

"Come…" She said, she looped his arm around her shoulders, carrying him to the Balcony where the sun was starting to rise. She sat him down and gently leant him against the wall as he started to bleed out. They both stared at the sunrise, an exceedingly rare thing here now… and Constantine chuckled.

"Wow… it's beautiful…" He softly said with a smile on his face, Salem was stood beside him as she stared at the sun, she could not even feel its warmth on her body anymore.

"You fought admirably, both you and Herakles." Salem told him as she looked at him. "But Vyrryk will not be able to kill his father."

"You… don't know that… Cynthia." Constantine winced, leaning his head back against the wall. Salem looked at him, she was about to say the same thing she said to Herakles – but she didn't. She just stared out.

"But worry not… no matter what happens here today… Ezekiel will never be able to accomplish his goal." Salem promised. She looked down at him. "I promise you that."

His breaths became weaker. "Do you think… we could have made… a good couple?" He asked her, and Salem looked at him and she looked back at the clouds.

"In another universe… perhaps…" Salem admitted – a part of Cynthia was still there back then – but not anymore.

"Well… I hope those versions of ourselves are happy. But for me… I think this sunrise… is a fitting end for this bloodstained life. I pray… that those who continue after us… will finish this… for all of us." Constantine softly said his eyes closed, and the life faded from him. His hand fell from his mortal wound, and he died, where he was still remained today.

Salem looked at his body and she walked away, leaving him there, so then he could look out at the world even after he had gone.

Jaune

Jaune had become so accustomed to the Visionary Books now that the pulse no longer felt so jarring, it did not throw him across the room anymore or even cause him to stagger. It was seamless, and he looked at the land that Arkhonex had become now… black ash everywhere… those massive purple spires of Shadow Dust for as far as the eye could see.

He turned to Constantine's body, still laid where he fell, and he crouched down beside him, looking at his bones where they fell. "You died with honour, Constantine. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten… none of your sacrifices will be forgotten. We will make sure that everyone will remember you, and Arkhonex, when we defeat Umbra. You never lost your honour; you were a True Arc…" Jaune promised as he bowed his head to him. Pyrrha helped him back up to his feet, and he looked at her.

"What did you see?" Pyrrha asked him.

"Herakles and Constantine, they held Salem and her Grimm off so then Vyrryk could get to Ezekiel and kill him. Or at least to get close… we haven't seen Vyrryk's body yet. Or Ezekiel's…" Jaune explained as he looked around at the room. They all looked out at the battlefield as the missiles and mortars crashed into the ground, creating massive explosions which were decimating Grimm. Alongside the Drift of Wandering Star and his fleet of Dreadnaughts, laying waste to the creatures of darkness beneath.

Jaune blew out a breath. "Come on, let's keep moving."

They walked down the steps and back into the large Arc Hall where Constantine made his last stand, and they followed Jaune towards the doors that Vyrryk opened. They were already broken down, but there were spiralling stairs up to the next floor in the castle. "How big is this place?" Oscar asked them.

"The main building? Roughly five stories, but we won't have to go that high up to find her." Hazel assured as they walked up the stairs. The castle rumbled and they heard the sound of wind rushing through the wings of the King Wyvern, he was here as well.

"Crap… if that big Dragon is here, then he will cause a lot of problems for us." Ruby said, remembering the level of destruction that dragon was capable of. Hazel pushed the next set of doors open and they all walked out into the Halls. Cinder looked around at this hall in particular.

"Emerald and Mercury used to spar in here from time to time." Cinder commented.

"How far is this from where we need to be?" Jaune asked her.

"In the building? Still got a-ways to go." Cinder assured.

"Still surprised we haven't seen any Grimm yet." Ruby said again.

"Ruby… come on… please don't jinx us." Jaune begged her, they turned the corner and their eyes widened, and then they sighed. "Jinxed us."

Ahead of them were Knights' Bannerman, armed to the teeth as they were walking down the stairs to patrol the halls. Hazel looked around and he turned to one of the closed rooms, he thought fast, and he busted it open. "Come on! This way." He told them, they ran in and Cinder looked at Hazel with concerned eyes after he closed and blocked the door. They stayed quiet, listening to the Knights' Bannermen as they marched past their room, completely oblivious to their position. Cinder turned and she stared at the room that they were in, and they looked around as well.

"Whoa… the hell is all this?" Oscar wondered as he poked around, there were computers in here, terminals with holographic interfaces.

"This is Atlas Tech." Pyrrha said as she looked around, seeing beds around the room with testing equipment and restraints. "What is this place?"

"Watts' old lab…" Cinder answered as she looked at the place. "He tended to our wounds, its where he helped Tyrian regrow his tail after Ruby cut it off, giving him some drug that helped it grow faster. Where he helped contain the damage to my eye, but he did say it would take a long time before I could see with it again." Cinder explained, Ruby smiled as she looked at her.

"Yeah… sorry…" Ruby softly said to her.

"Eh, got a cool scar now, huh?" Cinder shrugged her shoulders.

"He did a lot of shit in here." Hazel said as he walked around, seeing some of the rusted over and abandoned machines. It was literally left here; at the end of the day he was not expecting to die at the Volcanic Chain Isles in the explosion of Fury's Body. "None of it was good, I rarely ever came down here. Tyrian always did though, the two of them always got a long. I think it was because he trusted Arthur's intelligence, and he also let Tyrian go crazy every now and then. The two were a lethal duo, you guys were lucky you never had to see what they were capable of. They could take down a Kingdom in under a month if Salem commanded it." Hazel explained as he walked around the room, seeing the many abandoned tests left behind.

"I'll get the door, looks locked." Cinder said as she ignited a flame in her palm, but as she approached the doors, she looked at both Ruby and Pyrrha. "Ruby, Pyrrha… you might want to check that terminal there. It has information on it you may find… interesting." Cinder told them, remembering what was on it.

They both approached the terminal.

"What are we looking at?" Ruby asked her.

"Project Osiris. Pyrrha's resurrection, and when he kept you alive after… after you lost your eye." Cinder told them, and their eyes widened. Ruby and Pyrrha looked at each other, and they nodded.

They needed to see what was recorded on here.

They started the first entry.

They saw Watts stood there with Salem stood before him with her arms behind her back. This was before Ruby had lost her eye, but Pyrrha was indeed dead at this point. The exact time of which was clear, with Cinder still resting with the patch over her freshly scorched eye, laying on one of the beds.

Cinder looked away, seeing how she once was there.

They then heard his voice again. "What you're asking of me? Bringing Pyrrha Nikos back from the dead? It's simply not possible, it is not down to a matter of resources, with the technology I have… I could easily reconstruct her body – but her soul? I'm sorry, this is not possible." Watts explained.

"Everything comes down to resources, you just require the correct one. Archer Merlot believes he can save Ortega's daughter, does he not?" Salem questioned.

"With a machine, Penny Polendina was a prototype but resurrecting someone? Literally from the ashes like a Phoenix? It is impossible to do so, her soul is gone." Watts explained. "We cannot overcome nature."

"Look at me, Watts – and tell me how far the boundaries of nature restrict us?" Salem said as she stared at him, an immortal entity. Watts sighed as he paced around the room.

"Why do you even want her back? I understand her skills would have made her a valuable asset but… she was a child. A child who was in love with a buffoon, according to Cinder. She would have never worked with us." Watts explained.

"It's… a personal matter." Salem said. "That, and I believe that we can get her on our side. I have allies, ones that can help fix this matter. But as you said – without her soul, she has no semblance or memories – therefore we lose her skills. It is all that she is worth the effort for, start tissue production, start rebuilding her body with your machines. I will work on finding you a way to save her soul." Salem assured, then the footage ended there.

Pyrrha's eyes were wide. "Gods… I knew it was bad… but…" She stammered, and Jaune held her hand affectionately.

"Pretty stark… are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm still me, she said it herself. The Onyx Phantom just pushed me down, just like the Knights of Grimm, just like Salem herself. It just controlled my body… but I'm still me. I wouldn't have been able to break free from its control otherwise." Pyrrha explained. "Unless… I'm just a monster that thinks its Pyrrha Nikos… but I dunno… I…" Pyrrha stammered.

"Hey… you're real. A little crazy, yeah… but real… and mine." He promised as he held her lovingly. She gently pressed her head against his, then she turned back to the Terminal.

"You wanna keep going?" Ruby asked her.

"Yeah… I need to see how they brought me back… I know the Relic was involved but… I didn't know that Watts physically rebuilt my body." Pyrrha explained, and Hazel approached one of the machines, the very one that he used. A tissue constructor, one that could also build organs and eventually entire bodies.

"He must have had Roman steal one of these from Atlas… can't imagine Emerald could have done it without some help." Hazel said.

"I've seen some of them before, up in Atlas when we went there. They use them in their hospitals… but that one is modified." Jaune said.

"Watts always liked finding new ways to change pre-existing technology to suit his majesty's needs." Hazel said with a scoff in his voice.

Ruby played the next entry.

This must have been a few weeks later because laying in that machine were the early stages of Pyrrha's body, it was more skeleton than body, but muscle tissue was beginning to form. Salem was back here, looking down at Pyrrha's body. Cinder was here as well, with a bow and firing it at a target, missing over and over again. "I see our Fall Maiden is still working hard to adapt to her new vision." Salem said as she watched her, and they heard Cinder cough in pain, unable to speak still.

"It appears Cinder was severely affected in her larynx as well from Miss Rose's silver eyes. Must admit, she has some immensely powerful eyes, that kid. No other Silver Eyed Warrior bar Kragen Nox shared such power, and it was on her first go." Watts chuckled, sounding almost impressed.

"How long until Cinder is ready to fight again? Is this loss of her voice permanent?" Salem asked.

"Oh no, her larynx simply needs to heal. I managed to repair the worst of it, she just needs time now. How long until she can fight? Well… it's hard to say… she has temporarily lost her eye. In a few years she will be able to see through both again, but until then she must adapt to only one. This will take time, perhaps a few months of training here in the Sanctum. It may be wise too, her efforts at Beacon have given her quite the target on her head. Some time away from the public eye may do her some good." Watts explained to Salem, and the Dark Queen nodded her head.

"Then that is what she shall do, and what of our other project over here?" Salem asked as she approached Pyrrha's body. It was chilling for Pyrrha to see her body in such a state. Salem gently placed her hand upon the glass.

"Well her skeleton has been successfully constructed, it's a good thing Pyrrha Nikos fought Cinder Fall. During their fight I managed to find some strands of her red hair, that was enough for the machine to replicate her body… but outside of that… I still do not know how you intend to get her soul back." Watts explained, and Salem turned to him.

"That is what I have come to inform you. It actually will help our plan continue on – the Relic of Destruction still is contained in the securest of the Kingdoms, Knowledge is missing – we cannot find it in the ruins of Beacon. Choice is at Vacuo, but Creation is in Mistral. Adam Taurus wishes for Haven Academy's destruction; the boy is on a warpath for the White Fang. The Revolutionary will make a valuable asset however I fear his mind is divided between love and duty. Perhaps aiding him in the destruction of Haven Academy will help… ease those problems." Salem explained to him.

"The boy is obsessed with that member of Team R.W.B.Y… Belladonna?" Watts asked her.

"Indeed – however his anger towards her seems to relate to her abandoning the White Fang, he cares for the cause more than anything. From what I have gathered, that was what divided them in the first place. If we show him we support him, he will do the same for us. I have a plan to eradicate Blake Belladonna, I am sending a force to Menagerie soon to kill her, Sun Wukong and her Parents and anybody else in our way." Salem explained, it sent chills down their spines.

That force was Fury – the first Knight of Grimm to ever reveal themselves.

"When the White Fang is under our control we will strike Haven and get our hands on the Relic of Creation, and from that – I will be able to snatch Pyrrha Nikos' soul from the Afterlife, and we will plant it within her new body." Salem explained as she walked around, and Watts looked at the body.

"You know how to use the Relic? I mean… from what you have told me… it's a pebble." Watts scoffed.

"A pebble with immense power. Do you trust me, Arthur?" Salem asked him.

"From what I can tell, yes." Watts responded.

"You have always spoken plainly with me, Arthur – I have always respected that. If you trust me, then I can assure you – her soul will be returned to her body. And then my… ally… will help make sure she is loyal to us." Salem assured.

"What about the rest of them? Those brats?" Watts asked.

"I have already tasked Neopolitan in the Disguise of the Onyx Phantom Assassin with eliminating them. She already has a personal grudge against Ruby Rose for what happened with Torchwick. She does not need to know that it was my command – she will work with us." Salem assured, and then the footage ended there.

"You never even had a choice, as soon as they plucked you from the Charred Forest you were already the Onyx Phantom's thrall… the evil bastards." Jaune snarled with anger.

"I tried to fight it… I tried… but it was too strong… too strong to fight against on my own." She said with tears in her eyes, but she sucked her pain back down and steeled herself.

"But you did beat it – you're stronger than you ever thought you were." Jaune assured as he held her hand still. Pyrrha shook it off and she nodded at Ruby – this was the one Ruby was dreading, and she hit the button.

She gasped from what she saw – Pyrrha was still in that machine but her body was now completely reconstructed. Laid naked inside with Watts concluding the tissue regeneration, he was tending to someone else, however. Salem walked inside and Hazel was with them, the person on the bed – was Ruby.

There was so much blood.

"By the gods, why the hell did that Knight of Death have to take the girl's eye out? It's making my life a living hell to keep her alive – for whatever reason. Should've just killed her." Watts said as he stitched up the damage and slowing the bleeding.

"Will she survive?" Salem asked him.

"Probably, I dunno – it damaged her brain in places, fractured part of her skull and she even has internal bleeding. I'm having to use some of my best tech to keep her body from going into shutdown from how much blood she's losing." Watts explained.

"Keep her alive." Hazel commanded.

"Why bother? She's a Silver Eyed Girl, and an annoying one at that, this is a waste of good resources." Watts said as he stepped away from her, and it was right then that Ruby saw her younger self in the footage. There was so much blood on her face… and the damage… was so bad.

Then they saw Watts actually jolt with shock. "SHE'S A CHILD!" Hazel erupted with anger at the Doctor, and Hazel turned when he heard himself yell that. "Save her, she does not deserve this."

Watts looked at Salem. "We need her, I have received information that the Relic of Choice is not in the Vault, but at the Volcanic Chain Isles, where it was first discovered. I am not sure how it ended up there, but my contacts in Vacuo have assured me that Theodore made sure it ended up there. He must have some way to get it there that fast – but it does not matter. The Islands are surrounded by a powerful storm, one that only her Silver Eyes can open a path for. Once we are inside she ceases to be useful." Salem explained to them.

"Do what you can for her eye, just make sure she is alive." Salem commanded.

"It might be hard, your grace – she is nearly braindead from this damage. The amount of blood loss and how long she has been out there? She could have infections festering in that wound that we don't even know about. Adding the shock she suffered as well? I'm a skilled Doctor, but I'm no miracle worker." Watts explained.

"Recent achievements have proven otherwise." Salem said as she looked at Pyrrha's reconstructed body. "We have the Relic of Creation, when Ruby Rose is stable, we will use it to bring Pyrrha Nikos' soul back to our Realm, and we will plant it in her new body. Then my… ally… will handle the rest." Salem explained, she turned to the mannequin with the Onyx Phantom armour on it, ready for her when she wakes up.

"Make sure she lives; our plan depends on it." Salem commanded.

"Your wish is my command, your grace." Watts assured.

Then the footage ended.

"Gods… I didn't know it was that bad." Ruby stammered as she stared at the frozen frame of her body. Oscar gently put his arm around her, she rested her head lovingly on his shoulder. They heard the sound of Cinder prying the door open after melting the locks down with her hand.

"Come on, we need to –" Cinder stopped, her amber eyes were wide from what she saw. They all looked at her, both Pyrrha and Ruby were still staring at the screen as Hazel walked past. Their boyfriends gently tugged their shoulders, snapping them out of it.

"Come on. Let's go." Oscar softly said to Ruby, they walked away, leaving the remnant of Arthur Watts and his deeds behind.

They followed Cinder into the large room, with a skylight above their heads. Cinder stared at many areas of the room, remembering when Salem trained her to use the Fall Maiden's power five years ago. She saw the very spot where Tyrian butchered that Beowulf, she could still hear his maniacal laughter even now. But for Cinder, there were more dark memories here, because she walked over to the centre of the room… feeling that burning hot pain resurge once more, seeing Fury's burning eyes once again. "Cinder? What's wrong?" Ruby asked her softly.

"This… this is where Salem punished me for not killing Ozpin. Where Fury burned the print of his hand onto my chest." Cinder explained, touching her breast where she could still feel that mark even now.

"Cinder… I'm so sorry." Ruby said to her, and Cinder blew out a slow and shaky breath.

"Come on, let's keep moving. We're closer now, there's some more spiral stairs over here, we can use this room as a shortcut to bypass the patrols."

They followed Cinder and Hazel up the curving stairs, the higher up they got the colder the place became. They moved higher and higher up into the castle and they reached the next floor. Where that door was waiting for them, the very one that Salem and Vir Nominis Umbra talked about, the one that could not be opened no matter what they threw at it. Jaune slowed down as he stared at the door.

"Oh yeah, that door. Not sure why, but we have tried everything to open that damn door. Nobody knows what's inside." Cinder said.

"There's a Visionary Book in there." He said, they looked around and saw a crater in the wall, one that went upwards into the next floor. Something shot through here, and it was big. Jaune could hear the soft whispery voices calling to him and he approached the door. He pressed his hand against it, and to all of their surprise – even both Cinder and Hazel – the lock dropped, and the door opened.

"What the fuck?" Cinder gasped.

"Are you kidding? We tried so many methods to get in there, and you just pushed your hand against it?" Hazel said with awe in his voice.

"I… felt like I had to." Jaune said as he looked at them, none of them were gonna stop him from opening those doors. They needed to see what was in there, and he pushed open the doors. It looked like some sort of Study, with a Visionary Book floating atop the pedestal at the very end. Jaune walked inside, seeing the dust that had gathered on the ancient texts. Ruby opened one and her eyes widened.

"By the gods… they're untouched, still readable." Ruby said as she looked at them.

"How come the entire place looks like time hasn't even passed? I mean sure there's dust… but no damage whatsoever." Hazel said as he looked at everyone in here, exactly as it was left. Like Watts' Lab, except this has been this way for over two and a half thousand years.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha whispered, he turned, and his eyes widened. There was a skeleton huddled in the corner, arms around their knees, cowering in the corner when they died. Jaune approached the corpse and saw the clothing and the armour.

It was a direct match.

"It's Ezekiel…" He gasped and his eyes widened. He stood up and looked around, he had not been stabbed with something. He just died… alone. "What the hell happened here?"

"Well the answer is over there." Oscar said, pointing to the Visionary Book.

Jaune approached it and looked back at Ezekiel's body, before he pressed his hand against the page.

It was time to know how this traitor met his end.

Ezekiel

He ran as fast as he could up the stairs, pointing his gun back at Vyrryk and firing it at him. He deflected the bullet with his sword and then the gun clicked, out of ammunition. He rushed forward and swung his sword at his father who ran towards the very room that they were inside of right now. Vyrryk cut his father across the face, blood streamed from the wound and he then pushed the sword against his throat, lifting him off the floor as he stared at him.

"So many died because of your greed, your lust for power! I will not let you live so then you can destroy the lives of my children! Of their children's children!" Vyrryk yelled at him with anger in his voice.

"My voice will never be forgotten… but yours will be nothing but a whimper, not even an echo to remember." Ezekiel laughed, then suddenly the Knight of Death erupted through the wall behind Vyrryk and he tackled him, his Nevermore Wings opened and they both were sent flying up through the ceiling an into the next floor.

"NO!" Vyrryk yelled as he reached out for his traitorous father. Ezekiel opened the door and he closed it behind him, shaking with relief as he locked the door behind him. He then turned and grabbed the curtains to make an escape, opening the windows.

Until an unseen force slammed them shut, he jolted and gasped. He tried to open the windows, but they would not budge. He turned and he gasped because he saw him stood there in the shadows. His hands were held together, and he slowly emerged, except there was no smirk on his face, just a scowl.

He then whistled that chilling song he always sang, the one that everyone knew meant that he had arrived… that it was too late.

"A grin as candid as children, as sweet as bee honey,"

"His voice kind and sharp, as the blade of a razor,"

"Brings you from elder to youth, within the blink of an eye."

"Wishes be granted, be it: love, riches or luck,"

"His face like a mirror, fear shall consume you,"

"Anger through truth, loss through acceptance."

"For the end of your journey, Death will come for you,"

"Charcoal Cities, come waiting for you,"

"The Soothsayer shall wait, for his voice will control you,"

"Torment and Control, till the moon will shatter..."

Ezekiel chuckled as he saw Vir Nominis Umbra stood before him, those false brown eyes stared directly at him. "Ah, Umbra! My good friend, I see things have been going very well haven't they. Worry not though, once my pesky son is dead we can track down his bitch of a partner and his children and set them ablaze… I will start a new lineage, perhaps even with her as a punishment for her actions, yes?" He stammered, nervous at Vir Nominis Umbra's lack of a smile, and his silence.

But Umbra soon ended the silence.

"Yes… Vyrryk will die here today… and our contract shall be fulfilled." Vir Nominis Umbra assured, staring him dead in the eyes. That smile never arrived, not once. "So worry not, Ezekiel, I am a man of my word. I never cheat, I never lie, and I always hold my end of the bargain." Vir Nominis Umbra assured as he slowly walked around the room, picking up one of the books, skimming through it.

"Good… good… so then… what can I do for you?" Ezekiel asked curiously.

"What can you do for me? My, my… you have done everything I needed you to do, my friend. I mean, look around – your actions helped destroy this entire Empire, leaving extraordinarily little left behind. Sylens started to dig too deep into my history so things had to be altered, you were immensely helpful in expediting this process." Vir Nominis Umbra explained, his smile still ceased to appear.

Every word… was causing Ezekiel's heartrate to skyrocket.

"Your son – your honourable, respectful, and heroic son – he will die today. He will die and I will stand by his body, and I shall honour him, for he has earned my respect with his courage." Vir Nominis Umbra explained. "And then there's you." He said, pointing his finger towards Ezekiel. "A man who only cared for himself, consequences be damned, the happiness of others be damned. I mean… hell… you just told me that you wanted to kidnap your son's wife – so you could rape her – for your own lineage?" He laughed at him and Ezekiel's eyes started to widen.

"What a brave man you are." Vir Nominis Umbra chuckled, that was the first smile he saw, but there was nothing kind about that smile.

"What is this?" Ezekiel questioned.

"What is this? Oh this is me giving you what you asked for all those years ago. Let's see… you wanted to be the richest man in Arkhonex, you wanted to also be the most powerful man in all of Arkhonex and stand in a grand tower, in a grand castle that could look down on them all." Vir Nominis Umbra said. "Well – there is no Empire Left and in here is… all the gold you can spend… more than anyone left in Arkhonex ever had. You are the only man left in Arkhonex, therefore the most powerful left. And you have a castle – of course, you never said that you wanted to actually roam the castle, did you?" Vir Nominis Umbra asked him, and Ezekiel gasped.

Umbra smirked sinisterly at him. "Be careful what you wish for lest your wish be granted." Vir Nominis Umbra told him, in a panic Ezekiel started to try and pry open the windows to escape but nothing worked.

"No… No! No, No!" He stammered, running to the closed door and he tried to unlock it, but nothing would move at all. It was like he was not even touching it. "What have you done?" He screamed.

"The Honourable Thing. The Only Thing." Vir Nominis Umbra answered.

"This… is your proud tower now. This is where you will live out the remainder of your years, alone. Nobody will be able to open that door, not until a True Arc finds this place and opens it." Vir Nominis Umbra explained – and that was why Jaune could open the door, because he was a true Arc, to the very end. "Nobody will hear you. Nobody will remember you. Nobody will even remember your name. You will just… rot… here in this little home. Alone."

"Why? Why do this? I did everything you wanted!" He screamed.

"You did – however you betrayed your own people. You betrayed your family. You murdered, stole, raped and dishonoured countless good men and women over the years. And when Ares died? You showed him great dishonour by pushing his body over – why would I be honourable to a man who is the embodiment of dishonour?" Vir Nominis Umbra asked him as he ran around the room, desperately trying to find a way out, only for there to be no way out.

"You fucker! You cheated me! You lied to me!" He yelled, and Vir Nominis Umbra raised his eyebrows with surprised.

"Were you not listening, old bean? I never cheat. I never lie. You wanted these things, but you were not careful with your words, you simply told me you wanted a tower, wealth and power – I have granted you those things. But you failed to mention how you meant to use it – see how long your power lasts when you have taken it from those who were better than you could ever hope to be." Vir Nominis Umbra said to him, and Ezekiel felt sick to his stomach.

"Enjoy your reward, Ezekiel – enjoy it until your final day, I imagine it will be a while until then." Vir Nominis Umbra said, he then turned to walk away from him.

"No… no don't leave me here!" Ezekiel begged.

"Goodbye, Ezekiel Arc. I have given you what you asked for; thus our contract is fulfilled. You have it all, Grand Lord of Redcrossing - everything a man could ever want, but with nobody to share it with." Vir Nominis Umbra said to him as he walked towards the shadows.

"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOO! DON'T LEAVE ME! NO! NOOOOO!" He banged on the door desperately, shrieking and wailing like a child, but on the other side?

Vir Nominis Umbra was outside, and he could not hear a thing, not even the bangs on the wall, it was deafly silent outside. He smiled and chuckled as he walked away, and he began to sing a chillingly familiar song.

"Why, oh why must I bow down to you.

A group of measly peasants?

Spoke the Grand Lord of Redcrossing,

Demanding his people work harder and harder – for his own goal.

Gold, women, food, wine and power,

Tis all the reward he knows for his effortless acts.

Though judgement comes for all men,

No matter wealth, age or gender.

When he comes – one should allow him entry with kindness,

And think carefully on their wishes.

"Riches, food and power...this is what I demand"

Spoke the Grand Lord of Redcrossing.

But now the ashes lay on the once green fields,

With only one body residing.

Wishes be granted...

But not what he wanted.

And with all he asked...

He be left behind with not a soul to share with."

He walked away, leaving Ezekiel to starve to death on his own, to suffer in his reward.

Vyrryk might not have struck the killing blow – but Vir Nominis Umbra ensured that their bravery would not be in vain.

Their sacrifice was not in vain.

The cruelty…

… the lies…

… of Ezekiel Arc have come to an end.

Jaune

The Visionary Book released him, and he stepped back, immediately looking at Ezekiel's body. It was like he crawled into a corner and cried pathetically until he died. Jaune stared down at him, and Ruby looked at Jaune. "What is it? What happened to him?" Ruby asked him, and Jaune stared at his bones with hatred in his eyes.

"Vir Nominis Umbra – he made sure that Ezekiel would never get out of here. He used some sort of magical spell and made it so then only a True Arc could open the door. It's why nothing you tried could work, only I could open it. Because I understood that an Arc is judged by their actions… and he committed foul deeds. Umbra locked him in here, with riches and power in a tower – the three things he wanted – and let him die slowly in here, wallowing in his own misery until he died." Jaune explained.

He wanted to smash his bones into powder, but Jaune knew that he was better than that. He was not like Ezekiel, he was a good man who respected the dead, whether or not they deserved it. They all stared hatefully at the bones of Ezekiel Arc, but it made Jaune feel good, knowing the truth. "It's funny… I was hoping Vyrryk would drive a blade through his heart or something… but this? He had this coming… hell if Umbra were here I'd seriously give him a high five." Jaune chuckled.

"That song… Grand Lord of Redcrossing? We always wondered who it was about since we never found anything in the history books… it was about him." Jaune said. "Umbra ensured their deaths weren't in vain – a good thing too. We already have Jacques Schnee, imagine if this bastard survived? We'd live in a world where honour was forbidden, and dishonour and cruelty was rewarded." Jaune scoffed, shaking his head.

Jaune walked away from the body of Vyrryk Arc, and Pyrrha stared at his bones, with anger in his eyes for how he treated her father. "I hope he's rotting in the darkest depths of the Charred Forest." Pyrrha snarled, before she followed them away from the room that Ezekiel Arc had finally died in.

There was only one more left… and it was the Hero – Vyrryk Arc.

Cinder walked beside Jaune as they followed the stairs up to the next floor. She gently bumped his arm. "Hey, you okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah… I guess I'm just really nervous. To know what happened to Vyrryk. We know what happened to Herakles, what happened to Constantine and now Ezekiel – now… he's the kind of person I always aspired to be without even knowing it. The kind of man who would risk it all to protect someone he never even knew. I mean hell, he fell in love with a stable girl, when he was surrounded by all these beautiful rich women who wanted to marry him – he fell in love with Claudia. Most people in his place would not even take a second look… but he saw who she really was. That just sums up who he is, he never cared for power or riches or castles like his father did – he just wanted to keep the people he cared for safe. Just like I do." Jaune explained, and Cinder nodded her head.

"Y'know… you guys helped me understand how that feels. To want to help people less fortunate than me. For a long time… I was like Ezekiel. Angry because I had nothing, so I wanted to take everything from everyone else – I nearly became a monster. But you all helped me realise I could take that pain and strengthen myself from it, and then help others. I owe everything to you… especially after what I did." Cinder explained.

"Well – I forgive you. Pyrrha forgives you. You're not the Cinder Fall you were anymore, you're a hero. Hell… you're a Huntress." Jaune said to her with a smile, her amber eyes lit up with awe at him saying that. She may not have been an official Huntress yet – but that was what she always wanted to be.

They walked up the stairs and found themselves in a massive beautiful chamber with giant knight statues around them. And at the very end was a beautiful stone altar, with a body clad in armour rested upon it. Jaune's eyes were wide as he saw the skeleton, and he slowly approached it with Pyrrha beside him. He stood before the body, seeing the sword respectfully rested upon his armoured chest.

Jaune looked at the name inscribed into the Shrine.

Here lies,

Vyrryk Arc

Brave and Heroic Protector of the weak and innocent, and punisher of those who brought dishonour and pain upon the honourable and the strong.

Tears streamed from Jaune's eyes, and he felt the Whispers of the Visionary Book that was floating beside the Altar. The Last of Vyrryk's Visionary Books. Jaune was nervous as he looked at Vyrryk's body on the shrine, but he looked at Pyrrha. She smiled and nodded her head lovingly at him. Jaune blew out a nervous breath and wiped his tears from his cheeks, and he approached Vyrryk's Final Visionary Book.

He pushed his hand against it, and the Vision formed around him.

Vyrryk

The Arc Knight tumbled across the ground as both he and Krekras Blackridge erupted through the floor from beneath. He crashed against the ground and immediately grabbed his sword. He coughed as he stood back up, staring ahead at the Knight of Death as he landed before him. "Krekras… what has happened to you? You were once a man of honour, who protected those from death, not become its Archangel!" Vyrryk yelled at him as the Knight of Death stood tall, his burning red eyes stared directly at him.

"You know how this ends, old friend." Death told him.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. My brother is gone, and my best friend is gone. All I want is to stop my father." Vyrryk told him in return. He turned around and saw Loss drop down behind him, her bow trained in on him. Fury erupted through the wall with a vicious snarl, Fear then swooped in through the ceiling and used his wings to soften his descent. And finally a flash of lightning cracked behind Vyrryk and he turned around to see what Wymerus Ozymandias had become.

What Ozpin once was…

He stood tall, a body forged from rampaging lightning and storms, growling as he held his Mace – Mihi Vindicta – in his hand. "Ozzy? What happened to you… to all of you? We were family once!" Vyrryk yelled as he held his sword in his hand.

"It wasn't our choice…" Loss softly said as she kept her bow aimed at him.

"Then fight it! It isn't too late!" Vyrryk begged them. They all stared at him, but Vyrryk sighed, spinning his sword through his fingers. "Or perhaps… it's too late for me to try and save you. But one day – someone will – I know it." He assured as he stared them down. The Knights of Grimm all attacked him at once, but he fought them all at the same time. He slashed his sword against their weapons at the same time, dodging and rolling out of the way of all their strikes. Fear slammed Formido Falcem down where he was stood, then he ran across the Scythe and slashed the sword across his jaw. The jaw of the Knight of Fear hang from one hinge as he roared in pain, and then he stopped the dual axes of Fury as he jumped at him. He then dropped down and rolled out of the way. He then slashed Fury across the back of his knee, before driving it through his spine. He quickly jumped backwards to avoid the blade of Ferrum Arctus which Death accidentally drove straight through Fury, he roared with anger as he felt the blade stab straight through him.

Loss blasted forward after firing an arrow at Vyrryk which damaged his aura, she slashed her Tonfas across his body over and over again, until he stopped her blades with his sword. He then kicked her in the knee and punched her across the face. Vengeance jumped at him and swung the crackling mace at him over and over again. Vyrryk backed up, ducking and dodging every attack made by his old friend. He then drove the sword into the shoulder of the Knight, but then the electric shock threw Vyrryk towards Death who punched him in the face, knocking him down to the ground. The punch broke what remained of his aura.

He rose back up on one knee, and Death pointed Ferrum Arctus at his throat. "Give in, Vyrryk. We can still allow you to return home." Death told him, Vyrryk laughed as he looked at the sword and slowly drew the knife in his boot.

"Have you abandoned everything you once were, Vanguard? The Vanguard never back down, not until either their enemy's heart has stopped beating… or theirs have stopped. He suddenly pushed Ferrum Arctus aside and he drove the blade of his knife through the eye socket of death. The Knight roared with anger as he staggered back, and Vyrryk slid under the axes of Death, using only a knife as he took out the back of his neck and then cut his throat open. Lava poured from Fury's throat as his jugular opened up.

He jumped up and stabbed the knife into Loss' neck and rolled across her back and twisted it, throwing her across the floor. She crashed into the ground and Fear blasted towards the man with a broken aura and slashed him across his side with Formido Falcem. Blood leaked from his wound, but as Fear went to behead him, he suddenly threw the knife and it dug into Fear's face. He staggered back in pain, grabbing the knife as he staggered. Death swung Ferrum Arctus again, cutting his shoulder, but Vyrryk never backed down.

Never stopped.

Never gave in.

He punched Death across the face, nearly breaking his hand against the metal, but as he fought all five Knights of Grimm at once, he felt the blade of his sword suddenly puncture the armour… and push through his heart. Vyrryk's blue eyes widened…, because it was the Knight of Vengeance… Wymerus Ozymandias… who dealt the final blow. He stabbed him with his own sword, and Wymerus' eyes widened with heartbreak and he pulled the sword from his chest and immediately caught his friend. The electrical current calmed and he held his best friend in his arms as he was dying.

"Vyrryk… I am so sorry…" Wymerus softly said, able to break through the curse for a few moments as he looked at his friend, but Vyrryk shook his head.

"It's… okay… it isn't you…" Vyrryk said to him.

"You will be free one day… you will all be free one day. I've seen it in my dreams… one day… an exceptionally long time from now… you will avenge us. All of you will avenge us… you will fight against him, the one who did this, Vir Nominis Umbra… and together you will win. I know you can do it… it's just a hurdle… you just have to have the strength to make the jump." Vyrryk wheezed.

"But… what if we can't?" Wymerus asked with worry in his voice.

"You will… because you're Knights… Knights fight for Honour. No matter what Vir Nominis Umbra has done to you, that fact will always be true. You are Knights, not Knights of Grimm, just Knights. And you will defeat him – there will come a day when all seems lost… but your actions will bring about the greatest peace and victory this world has ever known." Vyrryk promised.

"Vir Nominis Umbra will die… he will." He promised, Death turned and saw that Vir Nominis Umbra was watching and he just nodded his head to them.

Vyrryk's breathes shallowed as he looked up at the sky and he saw the stars. "Stars… Claudia… she always loved the stars… perhaps one day… I'll see her again. Perhaps… the Squires of Light will join us?" He softly said.

"Light… shining through darkness… life against death… good against evil…" He softly said as he stared at the stars.

"My love… Claudia… guide them… guide… him… as you guided… me…" Vyrryk softly said as he stared at the sky and then his eyes closed in Wymerus' arms. Ozymandias bowed his head with grief, knowing that it was him who struck the killing blow to his best friend. Death looked at Wymerus and he then looked to the Shrine.

"Come… he was an Honourable Man… he deserves to rest with Honour." He said to him. Wymerus lifted Vyrryk's body and he respectfully carried him to the Altar and gently laid his body upon it, resting his head back against the stone. They gently placed his sword atop his chest and placed his hands over it.

Vir Nominis Umbra walked away, letting the Knights of Grimm have a moment.

All five of them stood before his body, holding their weapons down against the ground, bowing their heads with their eyes closed.

Honouring him.

Thus concluding, Vyrryk Arc's story.

Ruby

The Visionary Book ended, and Oscar was stood in the exact same place as Wymerus Ozymandias. They all paid their respects to Vyrryk's body, still laid where Wymerus put him down.

"I… I know why Ozpin carries so much guilt… it's because he killed Vyrryk when he was the Knight of Vengeance." Jaune softly said as he looked down at the brave warrior, he approached his side and he gently held his shoulder, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"How did he die? I mean… apart from Oz?" Ruby asked him curiously, and he smiled.

"He fought all of the Knights of Grimm at once, alone." Jaune answered with a smile, proud of what his ancestor accomplished.

"Damn… what a badass." Cinder chuckled as she looked at him.

It was hard for Jaune to speak, to see the very embodiment of who Jaune always wanted to be as a Huntsman, there were so many emotions choking him up. "Seeing him… in person? After all this time? He's the man I always wanted to be… to be a hero, not the cat stuck in a tree. I just… I just wanna make him proud." Jaune softly said, Pyrrha claimed his hand and he looked at her.

"You already have." Pyrrha promised.

They stood in silence for a few moments to honour Vyrryk, to always remember him, to remember Constantine and Herakles.

To remember Ares Nikos, William Schnee, Godwin Azula, the Lords of Arkhonex… even Sylens Emerais in some ways, his research and data helped them understand what has to be done. All these people who sacrificed so much for their future.

But not Ezekiel – all they learned from him was that evil exists in all forms, not just Demonic Ones.

Hazel looked at them all, and he gently held Jaune's shoulder. "You good?" He asked him, and Jaune wiped the tears from his cheeks, nodding his head.

"Yeah… yeah… I'm ready." Jaune said, they all walked away from Vyrryk's body, one by one. Jaune was the last to leave, looking back at his shrine.

"Thank you…"

They all walked away, leaving Vyrryk Arc to rest… in peace.

They walked up the steps and they approached the door and opened it, and Ruby's eyes widened with Oscar's. They knew where they were now, just down this hallway was the massive room where Salem was undoubtedly waiting for them. But in this hallway… were the cells.

There were so many of them, still empty to this day and they walked through, then Ruby and Oscar both stopped at two cells. Ruby stared into one and Oscar the other – no questions had to be asked.

They were their cells when they were captured.

When Tyrian tortured Ruby.

They both stared at their cells, and Jaune looked at Ruby. "We'll… give you two a moment." Jaune said to her, but Oscar did not need one. He held her hand and she nodded – she wanted to have a moment alone. They walked down the hall and waited for when she was ready. She opened the unlocked door and walked inside of her cell.

It looked no different at all, she turned to the wall where she scratched in the days she had been there for… sixty-seven days…

It felt like it was so much longer than that.

She saw the corner where she would cry, where she would try and hide from Tyrian when his laughs would echo down this hallway. She then saw her small bed that was like her best friend. She sat down on it and stared down at the floor; the old stains of blood left behind. She closed her silver eye and she sighed.

Her hairs stood on end… and she heard his voice.

"It seems fate has brought us right back where we started my little flower." The voice of Tyrian Callows said, Ruby slowly opened her silver eye and stared directly at him as he was sat in front of her with his legs crossed. "It's like fate enjoys… bringing us right back where we started, doesn't it? I don't blame it, I enjoy it too, the feeling of coming full circle to where we began." Tyrian chuckled.

"As do I… because I look around… and I remember all of it. The pain you put me through, my terror… my suicidal thoughts… but now? I just know that all this pain became useful to me… it helped forge me into who I am today. Does it still haunt me? Yes. Do I wish I never went through it? Of course I do. Am I glad I went through it? No." Ruby explained. "But that's life – taking the moments that hurt us the most, the things that scar us… and turning it into our armour. And you? You have made me extraordinarily strong, and that angers you."

"Yet it will all be for nothing. You are going to lose today; you are going to fail." Roman said, stood in the corner as well as he looked at her.

"I have made many mistakes, I have failed." Ruby admitted, staring at Roman. "But this time I will not fail." She could picture Taiyang dying in front of her again and again, Oobleck getting his head smashed in by Umbra, Port being killed by the Albain Brothers.

So much death…

But Ruby remained hardened with skin as strong as steel. "We will win." Ruby promised. "I am not alone anymore, and I am not afraid of myself anymore. I promise you this… that we will defeat her… and Vir Nominis Umbra." Ruby assured with gritted teeth, and Tyrian stared at her and he giggled.

"You are wrong. The Gods abandoned you a long time ago, my little flower. There is no way you can win. Believe me… no way you can win…" Tyrian said, and Ruby sighed as she stood back up.

"Well that's just it Tyrian – I don't need their approval. I never did before you, and I sure as shit don't need it now. This place… it brings me pain to sit in it… but you no longer weaken me. You're just… there. And I've outgrown you." Ruby said as she walked away from her hallucinations, leaving them behind in the cell where they were created.

She joined her team who were waiting outside the door. Oscar held her hands and she smiled at him and kissed him affectionately. Jaune and Pyrrha did the same, and Hazel hugged Cinder gently. "Are you ready?" Oscar asked her, and she smiled.

"Yeah… I'm ready." Ruby agreed.

They all drew their weapons, transforming them into their melee forms, and Hazel pushed the heavy doors open. The six of them walked inside of the large room where the huge purple crystal table was located with the bony chairs all neatly positioned around it. Large windows that helped them see the massive battle raging outside.

And sat in her throne as they expected – Salem.

She was sat there, waiting for them with her elbow pressed against the armrest, staring at them as they exited. Pyrrha stared at her and she stared right back, with her own circlet formed from bone, and Battle Armour as well. "Is it fate or privilege to be held in such high presence?" Salem wondered as she saw them all walk inside.

She stared them down as they spread across the room. "Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Oscar Pine, Pyrrha Nikos… and my old friends – Cinder Fall and Hazel Rainart. It has been quite a long time." She said as she looked at Hazel.

"It has." He agreed.

"I take it you know that I have been waiting for you?" She asked them as she stood up from her throne, walking towards the window, staring out at the conflict.

"Yeah… we kinda gathered that." Ruby responded, and Salem softly chuckled.

"You all fight so hard… believing you can win? So blissfully ignorant of what is coming." Salem said, looking up at the almost completely shattered moon.

"This ends here Salem, we're not gonna let you leave the Sanctum." Jaune promised, and she softly chuckled as she turned to face them.

"So it would seem, but surely you know that your actions are in vain, do you not? All your resources in this battle will be worth nothing when the Shivering Dominion begins. You cannot defeat the Oncoming Shadow… so you shall settle for me? Is that it?" Salem asked them as she held her hands together.

"We know Umbra will be weaker if we cut you out of the picture, and it will give us a better chance." Ruby responded, which made Salem laugh. It was disturbing, to see Salem actually laugh at something. She was always so cold and lifeless whenever she spoke, her eyes glowed bright red at them as she stood there.

"There it is again, the blissful ignorance of mortality." She said as she walked towards the table, placing her hand upon it and burning it into ashes, which were blown away in the wind. "Even if you can destroy me, it will gain you nothing. This universe and everything you have fought for? It will all be lost in the blink of an eye."

"Vir Nominis Umbra can be defeated; you know he can!" Ruby tried to convince her, fully knowing it was worthless.

"Even if you did – Humankind and Faunuskind? Every universe is on a timer before it destroys itself, he will simply make it less painful for you. Say you do destroy him, and things are fine for a while. But believe me, in time your universe will slowly and painfully destroy itself. It's what always happens – and when it does? You will wish Vir Nominis Umbra had erased you when you had the chance." Salem assured.

"That's not for him to decide." Ruby growled back at her. "We're not like you, we're not gonna just give up and join his side because things are hard. We're Huntsmen and Huntresses, we don't back down… and we will always fight until our last breath." Ruby promised.

Salem's eyes ignited, and they felt the climate heat up as the Summer Maiden's power activated around her. That was the moment they realised… that Vir Nominis Umbra had given her the Summer Maiden's power.

She held out her hand, and from the ashes of her table she formed obsidian, and that obsidian shaped into her Spear and her Shield. She spun it through her fingers and held her shield up, staring them down as her eyes burned hot.

The windows cracked and exploded around them as the smoke from the battle wafted inside.

Salem stared them down, Pyrrha stared back with anger.

Staring at one of her ancestors.

"That last breath, will come sooner than you think." Salem warned.

This was it…

… it was time to face Salem.

Author Note - Well... that is easiest my biggest chapter I have ever written so far, man what a beast!

Vyrryk's story has finally reached its conclusion, and wow did he, Constantine and Herakles battle to the very end like legends, and Ezekiel's fate has finally been revealed. I always wanted that piece of trash to die alone and in misery, and I always wanted it to be Umbra. Hell I've had that fate planned for him ever since I started using the Grand Lord of Redcrossing song in this series, which we now know was all about Ezekiel and the consequences for his dark deeds.

The part with Ruby and Pyrrha witnessing Watts' records was really fun and cool to write, Pyrrha's side was always fun, and another thing I have wanted to show for a while. It shows how long Salem technically had Pyrrha's body, but without the Relic of Creation she could not reclaim her soul. It was really fun to link the Acts together there too, for example Salem saying she is sending an "ally" to Menagerie to eliminate Blake. That was all the way back in Act 1 when Fury killed Kali and Ghira.

And man, things were really bad for poor Ruby when she lost her eye, she was lucky she didn't die after hearing how bad things got for her. And of course the part with Ruby returning to her cell was really cool to do. Act 2 is always a personal fav of mine because of Ruby's time here in the Sanctum, simply because I couldn't wait for them to come back for this chapter.

And now? It's time for Salem Vs the Four, Cinder and Hazel

It's gonna get really epic now.

No more flashbacks, no more mysteries - time to end Salem, or die trying

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I sure did, was awesome to finally write this one. Please review, follow and favourite!

- Matt