A/N: The moment you've been waiting for. You could call this the end of Act One; I do have either a continuation or a sequel in mind, and I'm not sure yet which format would be more appropriate.

Do I know where the story goes after this arc? Well, yes and no. I know roughly what the next arc looks like, and I know how it all ends. I have some essential things in mind that need to happen with certain characters. There are no detailed outlines and plenty of gaps to fill. I think the next part would need to change the formula a bit, hence why I might consider labeling it a sequel.

Of course I don't know when I'll get around to that, and I can't promise that I will!

Beta: N/A

Yang's world was ending. Her world was ending, and it had nothing to do with the elemental storms raging behind her.

The younger Xiao Long knelt over her father, tears streaming down her face and blurring her vision. Oh Gods, there was so much blood. His muscular chest, which she'd always associated with strength and safety and warm hugs, was full of holes. She didn't want to look but she couldn't look away. This couldn't be happening. Taiyang and Ruby were the two constants in her life, the family she could always count on to never ever leave her.

Her hands hovered over him helplessly as she looked for something to do with them, anything that might help. Yang sobbed as Taiyang lifted a trembling hand with what was obviously a great effort. She clasped it tightly as if by doing so she could keep him here and alive with her.

A blast of freezing air swept over her, tousling her hair. Behind her, dozens of spears of ice were crystalizing in the air. One by one they struck the Grimm hard and stuck to it like gum, encasing its limbs and hobbling its movement. It ripped its remaining arm free, and then a leg, but each time it shattered its bindings more spears would strike to replace them. Its body was frosted over but still moving.

Raven, breathing heavily, her expression feral, began to spin lightning between her hands. It coalesced into a ball. A bolt fell from the sky with a roar of thunder. The ball swelled in size. Another bolt added to it. Raven was wreathed in an electric glow now, her hair bristling from the sheer power crackling beneath her fingers. As the Grimm burst free from the ice, she let all of that power loose, unleashing a blast of lightning so bright that even facing away Yang felt nearly blinded. The Grimm was blasted backwards. The air reeked of ozone.

At any other time Yang would've been transfixed by the impossible display of power. Right now she couldn't care less. All of that power wasn't saving her father.

Yang cradled his head in one arm as she held his hand with the other. His eyes looked so sad, and Yang knew that he was sad for her, not for himself, because he was a great dad and he always had been and she loved him so much it hurt. It hurt so much. Like nothing since that day she was told that Summer wouldn't be coming home.

As more elemental backlash swept over them, Taiyang's eyes shifted to Raven. Understanding flickered there, and then resignation.

The powers Raven had unleashed were having an effect. The Grimm appeared scratched and scuffed and dented in a way that even their most powerful physical blows had failed to accomplish. Even so, it struggled as hard as it always had, its stamina endless, undeterred by the damage it had taken. Inch by inch it fought and clawed its way forward, towards Raven and Yang behind her.

"I'll kill you!" Raven screamed.

She flung her arms forward. The Grimm and everything in its immediate vicinity burst into flames, including the cabin and even the air itself. The ground was scorched black in an instant and there was a rush of air to replace the oxygen that had ignited. Even at a distance Yang felt the oppressive heat. Raven pressed her hands together as if trying to crush something between them. The flames leaped towards the Grimm and wrapped around it until its very flesh reddened from the heat.

There was a whistling sound, like a kettle, only louder. The Grimm began to crack like the surface of lava, revealing glowing heat underneath in tones of red and orange. In that moment it went stiff. Then it began thrashing wildly, writhing as if in agony. A liquid that looked like black tar dripped from its red eyes and down its mask.

Flames began to burn in those eyes. Just wisps at first, but they gained strength under Raven's fire.

Realizing that something was wrong, Raven shifted tactics. She lifted one hand with palm facing upwards, and a large chunk of earth ripped itself from the ground. With a gesture she slammed it against the Grimm and compressed it. The soil baked in an instant, solid and brittle, and the Grimm shed it like a shell, still aflame. Raven stamped her foot against the ground then, and the Grimm began to sink into the earth like quicksand. It flicked one of its remaining tentacles, hurling a fireball not at Raven but at Yang.

With a snarl and a blast of wind Raven swatted the fireball out of the air. It continued to throw more burning projectiles as it clawed its way free of the ground, forcing Raven onto the defensive.

Yang hadn't budged an inch even as the heat of each averted attack buffeted her. Taiyang's eyes were moving from her to Raven now, his lips moving but his words inaudible over the battle. It was clear that he wanted to be heard.

"Mom!" Yang shouted.

Raven paused, having entombed the Grimm in soil and stone. She turned to look at them, her eyes searing as they fell upon Taiyang. He met her gaze and held it.

"Get." Taiyang trembled with the effort of speaking. "Yang. Out."

It took Yang a moment to realize what he was asking for.

"No!" she her head violently, her voice cracking. "No! I'm not leaving you!"

Raven gritted her teeth as Yang continued to break down. She looked at the Grimm, which had melted through its latest prison, dripping with molten rock.

"Fuck." Raven turned back to look at Yang. "Fuck!"

With a scream of frustration she ripped a portal open with her bare hand.

They had seen the lightning and the smoke and the fire from a distance; it had been hard to miss. Swallowing his dignity, Qrow had allowed Rose to carry him bridal style as they ran for the cabin, with little Ruby running with them. Every now and then the silver-eyed girls would surge forward in a burst of petals and somehow he would be brought along for the ride.

Rose's expression was a strange blend of anxiety and hope. This was the huntress who had bested Amber, and Qrow imagined that she was thinking the same thing he was. Either someone was burning through a ruinous amount of dust, or a Maiden had unleashed her powers in combat. Had Amber followed Rose to Patch?

On the one hand it was a good sign that there might be a Maiden there, presumably on their side. On the other hand, what kind of threat could possibly be holding up against that kind of power?

Qrow had rarely felt so helpless when people he loved were in danger. The blood loss and the worry left him feeling cold and brittle as ice even as the heat of the battle began to reach them. Summer's death had been a wakeup call; Qrow knew very well what true loss could feel like. He didn't know how he had survived it. He wasn't sure he could do so again.

Please let them be alright. Please let Tai and Yang and Zwei be safe.

Then they cleared the tree line and it all came crashing down.

The cabin that Taiyang and his family, Qrow's family, called home was broken and on fire. Smoke and flames poured from the windows and part of the structure had collapsed.

A familiar red and black portal hung in the air. They were just in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair as a struggling Yang was pulled through it. The portal winked out of existence.

Some kind of monstrous Grimm in the shape of a human female was shaking off molten rock like a wet dog, its body covered in fiery cracks. It lunged and swiped at the portal as it disappeared, a split second too late.

And there, lying on the ground motionless, was the ruined body of the man who was Qrow's brother in all but blood.

Taiyang was dead.

Identical wails of grief went up from Ruby and Rose. Hard to speak though it was, Qrow couldn't help the moan that escaped his lips, expressing an agony that went to his soul. One of the wails crescendoed into a single word.

"DADDY!"

And then everything was silver. The light was bright enough to overwhelm the flames and whatever sunlight came from the overcast sky. It was uncontrolled and indiscriminate, painted over every surface. In a moment of shock, as Rose lowered Qrow to the ground, he realized that the silver light wasn't coming from the huntress.

It was coming from little Ruby.

With an unintelligible sound of emotion, Rose surged forward and hacked at the Grimm with her scythe. The Grimm was shielding its face with one arm, its other missing, as if blinded. Its body was rapidly flaking over with stone. It looked like it had already been through the wringer, and under the glare of Ruby's silver light, it put up only feeble resistance as Rose hacked off its other arm. Rose's eyes were shining with tears and power that was barely restrained.

"Fire, huh?" Rose snarled. "That still does it for you? Does that mean there's something left of you in there, something the parasite hasn't eaten up? Do you remember me? Do you remember what your master did to you?"

The Grimm flailed and screeched almost pathetically as Rose grasped the last of its tentacles and ripped them from its body. She then grabbed its head and stared deep into its red eyes. Red eyes that were leaking bubbling black tears.

"Answer me, Cinder!"

No response was forthcoming. Rose didn't wait long anyway. Her own eyes burst with silver light, more focused than Ruby's, if lesser in volume after her earlier battles. The combined intensity of two sets of silver eyes was bright enough to make even Qrow avert his gaze. When the light finally faded, the Grimm knelt armless on two legs, completely turned to stone. A grotesque statue.

Ruby collapsed, passing out where she had stood. Qrow checked on her automatically and found her merely unconscious. Rose somehow found the strength to stagger over them as tears ran down her face. The huntress was shivering and sniffling. She dropped to her knees, pulled Ruby into a tight embrace, and tipped over onto her side.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry."

Qrow had no words. He could only watch, his own heart broken, as Rose too slipped away into unconsciousness. The huntress lay boneless in the dirt, cradling Ruby in her arms. They remained that way as the sound of approaching bullheads filled the air.

Weiss arrived at the cabin around the same time that the first contingent of Atlas soldiers and Beacon personnel disembarked. Blake trailed behind her like a shadow. The faunus girl had removed her mask, but she was still understandably hesitant in the presence of the authorities. Weiss' heart sank as she took in the scene. A dead huntsman in a pool of blood. The cabin on fire. Another huntsman, grievously injured and apparently devastated. She felt a jolt of alarm as she recognized the familiar shape of the Grimm that had killed her family, only to realize that the thing was immobile, turned wholly to stone. Weiss exhaled and calmed her nerves. It appeared that they weren't in any mortal danger at least for now.

Nearby, unconscious, brought low, was Rose herself. The huntress was clinging on to a small girl whose features were so similar that the familial connection couldn't be more obvious. Weiss realized it was the first time she had ever seen Rose's face. She caught herself staring. The woman just looked so sad that it filled Weiss with equal parts sympathy and dread.

Blake looked around grimly. "No sign of the fourth girl. Were we too late?"

"Either way, if this can be called a victory at all, I have a feeling it was a costly one," Weiss said quietly.

"Do you think Rose managed to stop the Grimm for good?"

"I couldn't say." Weiss shook her head. "It looks pretty well stopped, but it's surprised us before. It could be she's only bought us more time."

"Hope for the best. Plan for the worst."

Weiss nodded. The nightmare seemed like it would never end. They certainly weren't ready to believe that it had.

"It all feels too familiar." Blake glanced at the burning cabin uncomfortably. "Like I'm back at the camp."

"I know what you mean."

Weiss shook her head to keep herself from getting lost in her memories of the attack on Schnee Manor. The soldiers were already bundling the injured man onto a stretcher, strapping him down despite his loud protests about his niece. He was quickly ushered onto a bullhead and lifted out for treatment. The soldiers were much more cautious about approaching the fallen Rose.

Naturally Weiss and Blake did all they could to discourage them. They planted themselves in front of the huntress and her miniature lookalike.

"Miss Schnee," the officer in charge said. "Please stand aside."

Weiss gave him her coldest look. "I'd like to know what your business is with my friend and bodyguard."

"She's a dangerous criminal wanted in both Atlas and Vale. We have orders to take her in, approved by General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin. No disrespect to the SDC, ma'am, but you don't have a place in our chain of command."

"You can't arrest her. She hasn't done anything wrong."

The man snorted. "Robbery. Trespassing. Destruction of property. Public exposure. Resisting arrest. Assaulting Atlas military personnel. Assaulting a Vale huntress on an official mission." He looked Weiss up and down. "Kidnapping."

"I wasn't kidnapped, she saved my life! And look at them!" Weiss gestured at Rose curled up with the girl on the ground. "You can't separate them! That girl has clearly been through an ordeal, and I don't know what Rose is to her, but she's obviously related. How can you be so cruel?"

"Miss Schnee, my own opinions don't factor into this. The laws of two kingdoms require that we deliver that woman to Beacon's custody. I'd rather this not come to force, but we are authorized to use it if necessary."

Weiss balled her fists at her sides and was about to threaten them with all of the resources of the SDC when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Blake shaking her head sadly. Weiss closed her eyes and took a few steadying breaths. Blake was right, losing her temper here could easily see the situation devolve into violence.

"Then I'm coming to Beacon as well." Weiss declared. "I'll not have her deprived of her rights."

"We were told to invite you along anyway." The officer turned to narrow his eyes at Blake. "You know, we got reports of a female member of the White Fang participating in the fighting."

Blake's ears flattened against her head. Weiss interjected with more force this time.

"Please spare us the baseless insinuations," she said acidly. "This girl is with me and she'll not be saying a word to you without a lawyer present."

The soldiers seemed to know how to pick their battles, as they left Blake alone without further fuss. Instead they came with restraints for Rose. The restraints looked like cruel straps of metal with latches and clasps; Weiss fumed on the inside as they were applied to Rose's wrists, elbows, ankles and knees. It felt patently wrong to see Rose like that.

Then a medic approached holding a syringe and Weiss nearly drew Myrtenaster right then and there.

"It's just a sedative," the officer explained. "For her safety and ours. It's best that she stays out until she can be properly secured at Beacon."

Weiss gritted her teeth as the medic injected the already unconscious and restrained Rose. Blake was good at hiding her feelings, but Weiss could tell that the faunus was furious as well. Weiss watched as they carried Rose off to another bullhead, leaving the smaller girl in the red cloak behind.

"What about her?" Weiss gestured at the girl.

"Some of our troops were going to escort her to Beacon as well." The officer shrugged at Weiss' unhappy expression. "You can look after her yourself if you're so concerned. Let us know when you're ready to leave and we'll get you on a bullhead."

The soldiers turned and went about their business. Weiss and Blake looked at each other, then walked over to the unconscious girl who looked so much like Rose. They didn't know anything about her, but they could both sense that she was in the same boat, a victim of the same prolonged tragedy. She looked so small curled up alone like that. A little tricolor dog with a drooping head and tail padded over and snuggled up next to her.

Without really thinking, Weiss extended her hand towards Blake. An invitation. Blake took it. The two of them stood there holding hands, offering each other silent support as they gazed down at the younger girl who had been left in their care.

"I hate you!"

Raven grimaced as a tearful Yang threw a fist at her. Raven blocked the blow on instinct. It was feeble, telegraphed, without the slightest chance of hurting her. Yang's aura was still the next best thing to depleted. Undeterred, Yang began swinging wildly, her face twisted with grief and rage. Raven continued to block and dodge until finally she caught Yang's fist and shoved the girl backwards and onto her rear. Yang glared up at her from the ground.

"Sixteen years you wanted nothing to do with me!" she shouted. "Then you walk back into my life just so you can sit back and watch, real comfy, while my dad gets killed in front of you?!"

Raven's eyes flashed dangerously. "Shut the hell up. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm not stupid! You could have saved him!"

"I did what I could!"

"Liar!" Yang roared. "I saw all of that power you busted out only after he was dead! Why didn't you use that sooner? Why did you use dad as your shield? You were hiding behind him! You coward!"

Raven snarled and raised an open palm, ready to slap the infuriating brat. Something stayed her hand at the last moment, something she couldn't possibly explain. Seeing what Raven had been about to do, Yang's eyes widened. The girl leaned forward, offering her cheek, daring Raven to follow through. Raven's fingers curled down into a fist, which she clenched but lowered.

Without another word Raven spun around and stormed out of her tent. Yang's parting shouts rang out behind her.

"Yeah that's right! Leave! Leave like you've always done! It's all you're good for!"

It was already night in Mistral, and Raven screamed wordlessly into the dark. The other members of the Branwen tribe avoided eye contact as she marched away from the camp. They all knew better than to ask questions or do anything to draw her attention when she was like this. She had a clear path out onto the empty plains.

Breathing heavily with emotion, Raven tested the bonds of her Semblance again. There was emptiness in the place where Taiyang should have been. It felt quite literally like losing a part of herself, whenever a bond was broken. She'd learned that the hard way on the morning she'd awoken hungover, in a cold sweat, to find Summer missing. Except this time it had happened right in front of her.

There was nothing she could have done. She couldn't have saved him. She couldn't have.

Liar!

Raven screamed again and shook her head madly, like a dog with fleas. She desperately tested her Semblance again, searching for Qrow, finding the connection weak. He was hurt, still on the brink. There was no chance that he'd be good for anything anytime soon. Not that the drunken idiot was an appropriate guardian for a teenage girl anyway. It wouldn't be like leaving Yang with Summer. She couldn't just dump her problem on him and expect things to turn out alright.

Like it or not, and she definitely didn't, Raven was the only parent Yang had left.

"Summer. Tai." Raven lifted her gaze up at the stars, completely lost. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?"

The young woman examined her reflection in the dark crystal, one of the countless that decorated the palace. Through its faint purple glow she searched for any sign of the changes she had undergone. She didn't look any different on the outside. By all appearances she was as flawless as she had ever been.

And yet she hadn't been flawless before, had she? She'd merely been human.

Her Queen had made her better. Her Queen had made her more.

As if to illustrate that truth, the woman felt a gentle twitch behind her left eye. It was like someone else flexing a muscle inside her own body. There was an instinctive wrongness to it, that sensation of something alien slithering inside her skin, to feel her own flesh part and make way for it. To know that she shared that skin now.

She didn't fight it, instead luxuriating in the feeling.

It wasn't painful. Oh, there had been a little at the beginning, like pins and needles, or tiny ants crawling through her. It had crept from between her shoulder blades and into the rest of her body. It saw through one of her eyes now. There was enough in her left arm to serve as a very specialized weapon. She could even feel it curling possessively around her throat.

A small price to pay for the power and status it would win her. It felt more at home inside her by the minute. Sometimes she could almost forget that it was there. Almost. Every now and then there was always a foreign twitch amidst her muscles or against her organs, involuntary, quite separate from her own will. A reminder that not all of her body belonged to her anymore.

Some of it was Grimm now. Permanently, wholly belonging to her Queen.

The nearby doors swung open to reveal a long hall. The walls were covered with enormous windows from floor to ceiling, looking out onto a desolate wasteland. The only light was the faint glow of the crystals and a series of candles placed atop them. A figure awaited inside, larger than life and shrouded in shadow. The young woman entered the chamber and gracefully dropped to one knee. A practiced position for her in this place.

"Cinder. How are you liking your gift?"

"It feels incredible," Cinder replied honestly. "It's more than I could have imagined."

"Good. Over the centuries many have accepted boons from me. Yours, however, is special. The only one of its kind. I have high hopes for you, Cinder. Hopes that you will become something greater and more magnificent than any who have come before. My finest work."

"I'm honored, my Queen."

Salem's smile hid a hint of a smirk. On anyone else, Cinder might have found it suspicious. It wasn't her place to doubt Salem, however. There had never been any room for that at all.

"It suits you," Salem purred. "It shares your hunger for power. And on that subject, how goes your progress on feeding it?"

Cinder bowed her head. "I'm afraid that within the past week the Fall Maiden has seemingly vanished. She's no longer anywhere to be found along her usual routes. I believe she may have abruptly been recalled to Beacon."

"A pity." Salem tutted. "No matter. There will be other opportunities. As it turns out, the vanishment of the Fall Maiden appears to coincide with another curiosity that has caught my attention. Have you heard that the sad little island of Patch was recently overrun by an unusually large and determined swarm of Grimm? It's caused quite the stir at Beacon."

"You had not shared any such designs with me before, my Queen."

"Yes. Interesting, is it not, that I had nothing to do with it?"

Cinder looked up, startled. Salem held dominion over all Grimm. They might act independently according to their programming, but they almost never surprised their Queen.

"At the end of the day it's an idle curiosity and quite likely a waste of time," Salem mused. "However, I have nothing but time. I'd like you to return to Vale, Cinder. Look into this curiosity for me. Find out what happened on that island."

"It will be done," Cinder vowed. "I'll get to the bottom of this, even if I have to infiltrate Beacon itself."

A mission. A challenge.

The Grimm inside her throbbed in anticipation.

END OF ACT I

A/N: So, what did you think? Sorry to leave it here for now, but this sets things up nicely for me to continue with someday. Thanks again for reading and for all the support. If you liked it please share it with your friends and spread the love. Who knows? If the reviews pour in maybe I'll feel like returning to this sooner than I expect.