Behind the outdoor stage where Orville's funeral had taken place, Ruby was about to tell her teammates what happened between her and Tyrian. "Well, during my fight with Tyrian, he mentioned that they, referring to the Scarlatti Alliance, could take the gold, and that all he was interested in was silver."

Nora raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They called Pyrrha gold?"

"Likely referring to the golden circlet crown that I used to wear, which is actually rusting away." Pyrrha told them.

"Really?"

Jaune got out the rusted circlet. "Yeah... It's seen better days."

She stated, "Guess it also goes to show how my fake my reputation was from the very beginning."

The knight put away the circlet, only for it to break in half. "Go figure."

The spartan warrior looked at the two halves. "I'm sure we can find some use for it." She turned back to Ruby. "So, anyway, back to Tyrian's reasons... He mentioned silver and gold. If gold refers to me being the primary target of the Scarlatti Alliance and my title of the so called 'Invincible Girl', then..." She looked at Ruby's silver eyes in cold dread. "Perhaps he sought to kill Ruby because of her silver eyes?"

"That's what I was thinking, was that it had to do with my silver eyes. Only there's one problem with your theory- he wanted me delivered to his mistress alive." Ruby told them. "And that's not the only strange thing that happened. After getting away, he conjured negative emotions to beckon a Grimm creature towards us. But before it could attack, he pulled out some sort of medallion or talisman and was able to get the Beowolf to serve him and obey his every command."

"That would happen why we saw you tied to the back of a Beowolf." Ren stated.

Pyrrha turned to Ruby, the former holding her braid in front of her. "You don't think Cinder made him the medallion?"

"Creating the talisman doesn't seem like something Cinder would be able to do..." Ruby stated. "At least, not from what little I saw."

"She may have other abilities." Ren theorized. "Not to mention we don't know the full extent of her maiden powers."

Nora scrunched her eyebrows. "Hmm... Perhaps someone else made the talisman?"

"We did overhear Mercury and Emerald mention someone by the name of Watts." Jaune mentioned. "He's probably also one of her cohorts. Based on the conservation we overheard, he seems to have skills in hacking and computers. Somehow I doubt he made the amulet."

Ren nodded. "I see what you're getting at, but if Watts and Tyrian are cohorts, then is Cinder the one in charge?"

"I don't think that's the case. Tyrian said Cinder would be in charge only in her wildest dreams and he claims his heart belongs to his 'Goddess'." Ruby confirmed. "Whoever the heck that is."

Jaune shrugged. "Maybe this so-called 'Goddess' is one of the maidens?"

The Valkyrie looked horrified at the possibility. "Oh Gods no! That would be terrifying!"

"Hopefully Cinder's the only maiden or magic user among them." Pyrrha put her braid behind her. "Otherwise our mission could become a lot harder."

"Here's hoping." Jaune knocked on the wood of a nearby tree.

"And here's hoping we don't encounter more of Cinder's coworkers in the future." Nora added, also knocking on wood.

"At least we'll never see Tyrian again." Ruby stated.

"True." Jaune remarked, before turning to Ruby. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about while we're away from team SOLR?"

"I think that's it." she answered. "And speaking of which, I think we should opt to refuse to speak to them about this."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Alright then." Jaune agreed. "Now that we've got that settled, let's get to the memorial service."

The five made their way through the village, the view shifting upwards from a bright blue sky...

To a dark red sky, zooming in on the Evernight Castle.

Cinder Fall was seen in her room, writing something with her right hand as an open book was shown on a wooden desk. Upon finishing her notes, she put the papers in her drawer and shut the book.

Alright, my notes on the silver-eyed warriors are finally complete. She stood up. Now I just need to return the book without anyone, especially Salem, noticing my presence or the book's absence from the archives.

Taking the book she had taken from the library many weeks ago, she snuck out of her room, cradling the book in her right arm. She made her way through the halls, and eventually made her way to the library. Carefully ascending the white carpeted steps, she made her way to the third floor. The Fall Maiden made her way over to the bookshelf where the letter S was. She put away the book and exhaled softly.

"Cinder?" She turned to find Salem standing there. "What are you doing here?"

The injured maiden turned back to the bookshelf and let her fingers dance across a few books in a row before choosing out another book at random. Salem used her magic to levitate the book and get a closer look at it.

"Hmm... Slave to the Sword. I didn't know you were into those kind of books." Cinder gave her a glare as if to say, Don't judge me! The witch handed the book back to Cinder. "Then again, perhaps some reading will help to boost your morale." She nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh, and don't forget about your treatment tonight." She exhaled heavily. "Don't worry, you're almost there. You've made excellent progress these last few weeks. Soon enough, the end results will manifest. That is all."

She bowed her head and took her leave, descending down the steps gingerly and leaving the library. Once she was sure she was far away enough, she gave a sigh of relief.

That was too close. Cinder thought. I got the notes and the book returned. Now I can focus on...

"Cinder!" She turned, surprised to find Emerald smiling and rapidly approaching her. "Good to see you're out of your room for a change." Emerald smiled sheepishly but became concerned as the fall maiden turned away from her and gradually walked out of sight. "Cinder?" As she faded from Emerald's sight, she asked herself, "Why isn't she talking to me?"

"Let it go, Em." Mercury stated off screen. She turned to him as he continued, "She's obviously not in the mood to talk and/or she hasn't gotten her voice back yet."

"She's been acting really strange lately." She gestured to the direction from which their boss had left. "She hasn't said anything, she spends a lot of time alone in her room. She doesn't even text us her thoughts or concerns."

Mercury quipped, "And you're just now noticing that?"

"I noticed earlier. It's just... now it seems to be getting worse." The thief clinched her right fist and glanced at it forlornly. "You don't think... Salem's treatment is making her this way, is it?"

"Somehow I doubt Mistress Salem is responsible for Cinder's behavior." The assassin folded his arms. "Wake up, already Emerald. Cinder doesn't care about you. She doesn't care about either of us."

The mirage maker shot him a glare. "You're wrong! You don't know her!"

"But do you really know her?" Emerald looked away, crestfallen by his swords. She refused to tell him that he was right, but at the same time, had no way to prove him wrong. "Your silence speaks volumes."

"Okay, I thought I knew her!" She sighed and the camera turned to show her face. "I thought knew what I was getting into when I signed up to aid Cinder. But this? Knowing that my boss's boss is some sort of ancient magical being, living in a highly unnatural place?" She turned to face Mercury, even more aggravated. "We haven't seen the sun in weeks, no, months! We can't even get out to vent our frustrations, lest we wish to risk our necks at the hands of Salem's subjects! I didn't ask for being holed up in this dark palace! I didn't ask for working with Grimm! I didn't ask for all of this!"

"So why did you join her in the first place?"

Emerald gave him an angry and sad sigh. "I was what you would call a 'lonely street rat'- an orphan all my life, fighting and stealing to survive. My ability to create hallucinations is the only reason I survived this long. That, and somehow unlocking my aura and semblance under pressure."

The butcher raised an eyebrow. "You unlocked your aura and your semblance under pressure?" Emerald nodded in the affirmative. "That doesn't even seem like it should be possible."

"What shouldn't be possible?" a familiar feminine voice asked.

The two turned to find Salem standing there. "Mistress Salem. I was responding to Emerald's claim about her unlocking her aura and semblance under pressure." Mercury answered. "I don't see why she would lie to me, but I just don't see how it could be possible..."

"Well, it is. I've seen it happen myself." she confirmed.

Emerald looked at the witch in shock. "You have?"

"Quite a number of times over the centuries- lucky dastards who manage to save themselves and/or their friends by unlocking their aura and/or their semblance under stress. Unlocking powers they never knew they had." She smirked before forming a fiery glyph of a jewel that looked like Emerald's emblem. "But it all pales in comparison to the power I wield." With a wave of her hand, the flame apparition vanished. "Remember this for when you are deployed for future missions- luck will not save you in the end."

Salem left without another word, leaving Emerald and Mercury alone with their thoughts. Without anything else to say, they walked away from each other, each going the opposite way.

Mercury rolled his eyes. She's delusional. Sooner or later, she'll have to face the truth. How long will it take her to realize it?

Emerald folded her arms. He's wrong. Cinder does care about me! She has a heart! And I'll find a way to prove him wrong!

The spirit of Ozpin was shown walking along a dirt path in the forest. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky as a few clouds slowly rolled in.

We're almost there guys. Ozpin told his predecessors.

Finally, it's about time. the hermit stated.

Stop complaining. the patient guy told him. You had to wait even longer when I ended up dying.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch. said the patient guy's successor.

Who or what could stop Ozpin from reaching Oscar's farm? the inquisitor asked his fellow spirits.

Nothing. Ozpin himself stated. Because we have made it. He looked at his successor's residence. Here we are- Oscar's farm.

The former headmaster of Beacon Academy looked around for his successor.

So where is he? the king asked.

He's probably taking a break from doing his chores. the settler stated.

Well, it looks like this is where we part ways. For now. the hermit told him.

Don't worry, we'll be back.

I know. When the time comes. Ozpin told them. We've all been through this before.

It's up to you now Ozpin. an ancient voice told him. I hope that Oscar will be the last host I have to use...

Ozma... Ozpin began.

The scene switched to a black area within Ozpin's mind where Ozma's spirit was. Behind him were the countless successors he had.

Go now. Ozma gestured. The world needs you.

Thanks for everything. Ozpin told them.

Ozpin felt a rush of energy breeze past him, he opened his eyes and then, there was nothing. The predecessors had left him to do his part; try and convince a teenage farm boy to help him save the world. He went forth, observing his surroundings. He found his successor carrying a pitchfork into the barn, which had loose bits of hay strung about the floor. He passed a sink with a mirror behind it, and Ozpin's spirit threw a tiny amount of magic to create a green light seen on the mirror. Out of the corner of his eye, Oscar noticed the light and took a closer look.

Huh? What is this? A... ghost of some kind? the young farm boy thought.

He looked at his own reflection and lifted a lock of his hair. He leaned forward and examined the mirror more closely. "Hello?"

Just as he was about to back away, a voice spoke, Hello, Oscar.

A rush of energy flowed through the farmhand and winds surround him, sending him crashing backward and screaming. Upon landing, Oscar looked up at the sink and mirror from the floor of the barn, breathing heavily.

"Oscar?" a female voice called from afar. "You better be careful with those tools!"

Oscar titled his head around, looking around for the spirit. "Who... who are you?"

I am Professor Ozpin. he answered.

"Professor Ozpin?" Oscar asked softly. "Of Beacon Academy?"

He felt a buzz of energy rush from within, which he believed meant yes. Feeling exhausted, he closed his eyes.

As the scene transitioned to a dark area, he saw Ozpin's spirit within his mind and looked at him in disbelief. Oscar manifested in a normal, tangible form.

Oscar started their mental conservation. But... aren't you alive?

I should be, but sadly I was killed via flash-incineration. Ozpin answered.

How is that possible?

You didn't hear the news? Beacon has fallen, and during said event, I was murdered by a woman with highly dangerous powers.

Oscar winced in sympathy. Ouch. That had to be painful.

It was quick, yet very painful.

There was a moment of awkward silence before the farmhand asked, So... why are you here?

I need your help.

My help? But I'm just a farm boy. How could I help you?

Because you're my successor. Fate has chosen you to be my successor, and save the world.

Me? But I'm not capable. This doesn't even seem real! Oscar held his hands over his head. I'm speaking to a ghost!

Well, I assure you it is real.

No, no, I must be going crazy. This just can't be happening!

If you slow down, I'll explain what happened. Do you know what aura is?

I... can't say that I do.

Aura is the manifestation of the soul. However, since I have unfinished business to attend to, my aura has combined with yours. Thus we share the same body with two souls.

You're.. inside me?! This can't be real! I must be dreaming. If I wake up, maybe he'll go away!

Oscar!

The farm boy woke up, shook his head and said to himself aloud, "I'm losing it. I probably just hit my head when I fell down. I still have chores to do. Maybe I'm just working too hard..." He picked up the rake and went back outside. "Hearing things..."

Well... This is going about as well as I expected. Ozpin stated.

Which was to say, not well at all.

In a far away secluded place, a blue genie like being was conjuring images of current events happening around the world. She sat on a blue sofa couch with a blue cylinder pillow on the right side. Surrounded by golden walls with horizontal glowing blue lines, the camera turned to her perspective, seeing the matters at hand.

There were five different images, each being shown in big blue circular frames;

On the very left was an image of Emerald Arc, hiking through a snowy forest with several letters in her satchel. The emotionless genius now wore shamrock colored wool pants with big thick pockets. Both side pockets had grey zippers. She also wore a long basil green sweater underneath a big sea green winter coat. Underneath the hood, she wore a white winter cap and a light green scarf. On both hands were black winter gloves with black latex on the palms to grip items. Next to her right glove was the 'Protective Bubble Watch' that her sister Rouge gave her. To complete the look, she wore light green felt boots with white fur, with noticeable white vertical lines on the side of each boot.

Next to the second class messenger was an image of Xanthe fighting members of the Noire Armada on a ship. It was raining and his vision was blurred, but he refused to give in. With his frying pan in his right hand and a sword on the left side of his belt, he knocked down everyone in his path before making his way to the captain.

"This ends now!" Xanthe declared.

The Noire Armada captain swung his sword towards the half-blood, attempting to crack his skull open, only for him to block the sword with the frying pan. The captain was stubborn and tried to grind the sword through the pan- so much so that he didn't notice Xanthe getting out his sword and striking a fatal blow to the ship's captain.

The next image displayed Tangerine coming back to the Arc family home, looking tired and beaten. As she entered the house, multiple scratch marks were seen on her face along with a black eye on the left side of her face. She made her way to the couch and promptly collapsed on it.

Azura, who was in the kitchen and saw her come in, grabbed a glass and filled it with water before giving it to her. "Here, have this."

She sat up and kindly accepted it. "Thank you."

Tangerine gulped down the glass of water in record time. Azura looked at her older sister with concern, noting the damage she had taken. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story."

"Tangerine, please. I can tell you're not alright." The vigilante folded her arms and looked away from her. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

To the right of Tangerine was Qrow Branwen, shown in a prison cell. Instead of bars, he was boxed in by unbreakable glass. The stone wall had no windows and there was only a wooden bench, a mattress on the ground with white sheets and a pillow, and a small bathroom barely hidden behind red curtains.

On the glass side, there was only a small window near the bottom right corner to place food and water in, and a glass door, both of which were currently locked.

"I can't believe this. I mention I'm looking for Ruby and team JNPR to the wrong people, I get swarmed by a massive group of criminal police and then I get thrown in here! No windows, no weapon, and no booze!" He turned to a wall and made another small vertical line on the wall with white chalk, revealing a total of twelve days in the cell. "Twelve days I've been here. In another four, my trial begins. I need to find a way to escape, get my weapon back and find Ruby. But how am I going to do that without being killed by the Trojan Alliance lunatics who run this show?" He sighed heavily. "How did my luck get to be this bad?"

On the very right was Hazel, with his back against a tree, holding the square-shaped locket. He opened it and looked at the contents inside. He was looking at the image of his younger self and his sister. Hazel and Gretchen Rainart were both fifteen years old when the photo was taken. Hazel was nearly two feet shorter than he currently was and appeared to be wearing a bright green sweater with the sleeves rolled up. His younger self also wore black jeans and worn out black boots.

Gretchen had long brown hair, parted into twin braids worn in the back. Like her brother, she had tanned skin and hazel eyes. She was muscular, yet not too bulky. She wore a red knee length dress, similar to what a peasant would wear, with a white apron in the front. Under the dress was a pair of black tights. She also had a red belt, and from that belt hung an oversized axe. On her right wrist was a bracelet of faux pearls. She also wore brown boots.

Clutching the locket closed, a tear fell from his eyes and he screamed to empty air.

Jinn waved her hand and the other images disappeared. She focused solely on Hazel and his sorrow.

"Oh, that poor man." she stated to empty air. "Blinded by anger and hate, trapped in an endless cycle of vengeance, just like his mistress. If only he knew the truth... Maybe he wouldn't be this way."

She thought back to the events that led up to Gretchen's death...

Nearly thirty years ago (twenty eight to be exact), Gretchen Rainart was a student at Beacon, and like everyone else, was launched into the Emerald Forest during initiation. She was shown using gravity dust with her axe to slow her descent, and found herself tumbling down a tree.

Gretchen groaned upon landing. "That was not a good landing strategy."

"Well I've seen worse." a male voice spoke off-screen.

She turned to find a young man with long red hair flowing down to his waist. He wore dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt that read in red letters, Trust Me- I Got This. To finish the look, he wore black boots with dark red laces.

"Who, who are you?"

He extended her hand to help her up. "I'm Roux. Roux Arc. And you are?"

"Gretchen. Gretchen Rainart."

A montage of her team's initiation went by; Gretchen and Roux had made it to the abandoned temple and were shown retrieving a wooden carving of a horseshoe, with Gretchen taking it in her hands. Among the other wooden carving pairs were crescent moons, hearts, clovers, stars and some empty pillars that had already had some of wooden pieces taken by other initiates.

Sometime after they had left, her other two future teammates, Samuel Caspian and Diane Albain, had made it to the temple.

Samuel had tanned skin, blue eyes and blond hair with a streak on the very left dyed blue. He wore blue track pants with a navy blue jersey shirt and deep blue tennis shoes with white laces.

Diane had pale skin, long brown hair flowing loosely and brown eyes. She wore a long silver sleeveless trench coat over white pants and short-sleeve midnight blue shirt. The girl redid the buttons on her coat as Samuel retrieved the second horseshoe.

The montage ended as the four stood off to the side of the stage. As they made their way to the stage, Ozpin, the new headmaster of Beacon Academy, faced the new recruits. "Roux Arc, Samuel Caspian, Gretchen Rainart and Diane Albain. You have successfully retrieved the wooden horseshoes. From this day forward, you shall be known as team RSRA (Ristra). Led by Gretchen Rainart."

She blinked twice in disbelief. "Me?"

"Congratulations Gretchen." Roux spoke.

"Wow, I... I don't what to say."

Roux smiled at her before The scene dissolved.

The genie then remembered how things went down. During the second semester, team RSRA was sent on their first and only mission; they heard reports of a string of deaths in the city and were sent to investigate it. Although normally a case for second years and above, all the other teams were unavailable. To make things worse, there weren't enough teachers available to accompany the first year students on missions, so they had to go in all alone.

Gretchen, Samuel, Roux and Diane were shown at an apartment, with the body of of a dead woman lying on the floor.

"Oh man... I don't like the look of this." Gretchen squirmed.

Roux looked at the giant hole in the wall, then back at the body. "Hmm... Something doesn't add up. The wall looks like it was blown up, but yet the only damage we see to the body is blood related. Why would...?"

"Shh." Samuel warned them. "Do you guys hear something?"

"Sounds like footsteps." Diane told them.

"Looks like we might be in for a fight." Roux told them.

Gretchen got out her axe, Roux got out a spear, for Samuel, an ice and water dust dagger and Diane retrieved a black revolver gun. A few footsteps were heard, but they soon got softer, slower and stopped completely. They breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, the door came busting down and three ski-masked criminals entered the building. All three of the criminals had fox tails.

"Well, looks like they're all here." the first one stated.

"Excellent." the second one stated.

"Nicely done... Sister." the third stated.

"What are you doing...?" Roux tried to ask.

A gunshot was heard and in a flash, Gretchen was shot in the shoulder. The team leader gasped upon finding that Diane had been the one to do it. Samuel quickly put up an aura around himself and Roux to block the incoming bullets. As Diane continued her fire, Roux tried to pull Gretchen to get her out of harm's way, but unfortunately, one of the incoming bullets hit her head, killing her instantly.

He gasped in terror, his blood turning cold. "Oh no..."

"Roux! We have to get out of here! Now!" Samuel told him.

Samuel took his head and they jumped through the window hole, rolling around in the air before landing on their feet. The two fled as Diane and the Albain Gang jumped down and looked around. Diane shed her tunic, revealing her fox tail, and put on a masquerade mask.

"Split up!" Diane ordered. "The remaining two must be here somewhere!"

The four Albain siblings went their separate ways. The third one ran past a green dumpster, behind which Roux and Samuel hid.

"We have to get back to the academy." Samuel told him quietly.

Roux looked at him and whispered, "But what about Diane?"

"What's the point? She's betrayed us."

"But why would she do this?!" Roux whisper-yelled. "She had no reason to do this!"

"Weren't you listening? Those guys are her brothers. Diane was never our friend. She was going to kill us to strengthen the presence of her family's gang."

Roux felt his heart tighten, having trouble coming to terms with everything that had happened.

Samuel whispered, "Come on!"

He took his remaining teammate by the hand and they went back to the academy.

The aftermath was shown in a series of visions;

Roux and Samuel told Ozpin what happened, and Ozpin was forced to terminate the mission for any Beacon student. Stopping the Albain Gang was left to Beacon Academy staff members. Two of the gang members were captured, while the other two were never seen again in Vale.

As for Hazel, he was living in a foster home in Zephyros at the time, and when he saw the email that was given to him by Headmaster Ozpin, he was frozen in shock. Shock turned to sadness as he ran out of the computer lab. He sobbed in solitude, and as he drowned in sorrow from losing his sister, his sorrow would give way to anger. And in his rage, he ran away, became a criminal to survive and would later attempt to assassinate Ozpin... several times, without success. And that would only lead him further into the darkness.

Three years later, Roux and Samuel both graduated and went on to start their own families. Roux ended up having eight children with his wife Azure, and currently worked as a makeup artist while Azure was a chef. Sadly Samuel and his wife died during the Grimm attack in Sumire, leaving his son August to be raised by his grandfather Edward.

As for Diane, she and her remaining brother fled to Menagerie out of fear of being caught and both eventually joined the White Fang. Years later, the last remaining brother became a father to Fennec and Corsac. Diane became Menagerie's White Fang leader before her two nephews took over after her death.

The scene returned to present, where the image of Hazel was shown crying before pocketing his amulet. "At least Ozpin's dead now..." He sighed. "Come on, you have places to be, things to do and huntsmen to kill."

Jinn watched as he continued his trek through the forest. "Not every story has a happy ending, but this raises the question; when the dust settles, how will his story end? Will it end with an epiphany or in complete tragedy?"