Mindscape~

Your eyes were locked in front of you as all you could see was a familiar white void littered  with traces of dark aura. Loud audible stomps are heard next to you and a bellowing growl escapes the figure next to you.

You're then lifted by your hair as a familiar deer skull mask stares into your eyes.

Vex: Broken are we, Hunter?

He questions. He waves his hand in front of your face and then snaps his fingers but you don't respond.

Vex: Wow. Nightmare scarred you good.

He lets you go letting you fall to the ground.

Vex: I wonder what's scarier? Him or her?

Vex chuckles and begins to walk away but comes to a sudden stop as his straight posture slumps forward a tiny bit and a frustrated sigh escapes his mouth.

Vex: No, this won't do.

He turns to you comes next to you before kneeling down and looking at your blank face. Slightly amused by your state, he pushes his amusement aside and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small rainbow orb.

Vex: I admit it. Nightmare is a threat to all life on Remnant. Even to me when I return.

He places the orb on your chest. Suddenly, your eyes light up and flash several different colours

Vex: Here. This should help you out of your little daze. I acquired it from your great grandfather. So not really a gift from me, but a gift from him seeing as he's having a permanent dirt nap.

You find yourself struggling to breathe as you feel something coursing throughout your body.

Vex: Oh, and just so you know. I'm not lying. I will return. You can count on that, Hunter.

Reality 8pm~

Your eyes shoot open as you sit up and head butt someone who was looking over you.

Ike: Ah!

Ike exclaims as he steps back and holds his forehead. You do the same and open your right eye to look at him.

(Y/n): I-Ike?

You say in confusion.

Ike rubs his head and looks at you with a look of relief.

Ike: Oh thank god. You had us worried (Y/n).

You look at him confused before feeling a hand on your left shoulder. You look to see Ozpin look at you with a slight smile.

(Y/n): Headmaster...?

Ozpin: Are you alright?

You look down to see yourself covered in a white thin blanket in a bed. Upon observing your surroundings further, you realised you were back at Beacon. In the infirmary to be more specific.

(Y/n): I...no...Bianca, I saw her-

Ozpin squeezes your shoulder and gives you a sorrowful look as he looks over at a bed that has a blanket covering a body. Your eyes widen as you quickly stand up but nearly fall over.

Ike: Easy!

Ike exclaims as he catches you and holds you up.

Ozpin: You've been out for nine hours (Y/n). Normally you would be okay to move around but your sudden breakdown in your sleep had us worried.

You look at the headmaster but then turn your attention back to the body covered by the blanket on the bed as you steady yourself. You walk towards it with Ike walking close by ready yo catch you again if need be. You stand over the body and take a deep breath before grabbing the corner of the blanket and pulling it down just above the chest. Your heart sinks and your eyes and mouth widen slightly.

Bianca lays in the bed, motionless and void of life with her eyes closed. You put your hand on her cheek and feel her cold skin. Tears began to fall from the corners of your eyes. You close them shut tightly and gently lay your head on hers.

As you do this, Ike's heart clenches in sympathy. He looks at Ozpin, who gives him a subtle nod, signaling to step back and give the two of you some privacy.

Ozpin: I...notified her family. They'll be here in the morning to retrieve her body.

He says before him and Ike leave the room.You sniffle, your hand still on her cheek.

Jasper: (Y/n)....Im so sorry....

Jasper says in a sympathetic tone.

Jasper: I jumped the gun when I saw Star getting hurt. I thought I could stop him and if I had known it would-

(Y/n): Jasper....

You cut him off causing him to quiet down.

(Y/n): Just...let me mourn...

You finish as you stroke Bianca's cheek gently. You stay with her for a while longer before standing up and wiping away your tears. You look at Bianca one last time before placing a kiss on her head and covering her with the blanket. You slowly walking out of the room.

Your mind seemed to race before coming to a stop.

(Y/n): Yang.

The realisation that she was gravely injured as well hit you hard. Nurses and Doctors looked at you as you checked every room before coming to the receptionist.

(Y/n): Is there a Miss Xiao Long here?

The receptionist looks at you for a moment before looking at her computer and narrowing her eyes.

Receptionist: There was...however her condition needed to be treated at the hospital in Vale.

Hearing this information made your blood run cold. She had to be transferred to the hospital? What happened to her?

Ike: (Y/n).

You turn to Ike to see him stare at you with Ozpin coming from behind him. You walk to them with concern.

(Y/n): Headmaster, Ike...What happened with Yang...?

You ask. Ike rubs his arm as Ozpin gestures for you to follow him as he continues walking forward.

Ozpin: A lot has happened (Y/n). Some good but mostly bad. For starters, Miss Xiao Long has lost all mobility in her left arm to the point that amputation was recommended.

You stare at Ozpin, shocked by the news. You bite your lip, trying to fight back the tears that threaten to fall.

(Y/n): But...she'll be okay, right?

Ozpin nods and looks at you with a mixture of sadness and determination.

Ozpin: Of course. That's not the worse part.

You tilt your head as Ike takes a deep breath.

Ike: This next part is kind of a mix between good news and bad news.

You look at Ike then at Ozpin.

Ozpin: The Vytal tournament has been cancelled. The council finally took Bianca's words, through Ironwood's mouth, to heart after we received the exact death toll...

He trails off as he looks towards the elevator and enters with Ike and yourself not far behind him.

(Y/n): Do I even want to know?

You ask with anger laced in your words as Ozpin pushes a button causing the elevator to close. Ozpin looks down and sighs before facing forward.

Ozpin: Including Atlas personal....three hundred and seventy-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-five....

Ike looks at you.

Ike: And still counting....

He says quietly as if he wanted you not to hear him.

You stare at Ozpin in disbelief, unable to process the number he just mentioned. It's clear that this revelation has hit you hard. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm your racing thoughts.

Ike steps forward and places a hand on your shoulder.

Ike: I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to focus on what's ahead of us. We can't let this distract us.

You look at him slightly confused.

(Y/n): Distract us? From what...? Bianca is dead, Yang lost her arm and hundreds of thousands of families are in mourning!

Ozpin clears his throat. The elevator dings as it opens up to a large room with a door on the other side.

Ozpin: It's best if we show you what we're referring to...

Ozpin and Ike exit as you become confused. There was more and that made you cautious.

As you follow behind them you eventually reach the door on the other side of the room and enter with them. What you see causes you to stop and stare in shock.

Ironwood stood in the middle of a larger room with his hands behind his back as he looked up at a large stone statue.

The statue was Nightmare, still in his hideous form.

(Y/n): What. The fuck. Is that...?

Ozpin: That is Nightmare. Shortly after you fainted, Miss Rose managed to freeze him in a stone-like prison. With Miss Goodwitch making repairs to the city and the people already being on edge....I made the difficult decision to bring him here.

You look at the monstrous form of Nightmare up close. You then narrow your brows and look at Ozpin.

(Y/n): Ruby did this?

Ozpin nods his head.

Ozpin: She did indeed. Thanks to her silver eyes.

Silver eyes repeats in your head before you full face Ozpin.

(Y/n): Wait. All that stuff about the silver eyed warriors are true? Like the Grimm reaper and all that?

Ozpin nods and Ike tilts his head.

Ike: You guys have a warrior named the Grimm reaper? That's scary but kinda badass.

You look at the statue as Ironwood comes to your side.

Ironwood: We've done scans and Star has confirmed it as well....Although he's not moving, the darkness that corrupts him is.

You look at Ironwood with worry.

(Y/n): You mean he's still alive?

Ironwood's mouth curls into a grimace. The events that unfolded have hit him hard as well. He must have known every man or woman that perished along with the quarter of Vale's population.

Ike: He is, but at least he's contained. It's not a bad thing but it's also not a good thing. All we know is that it gives us some breathing space to plan our next move.

You look at Ike and clench your hands tightly.

(Y/n): Our next move...?

You turn to Ike and walk to him.

(Y/n): What exactly IS our next move?!

Your shouting causes the people around to look at you.

Ike: (Y/n)-

(Y/n): No! Don't '(Y/n)..." me!

You grab onto the amulets that are still around your neck and hold them up to his face.

(Y/n): THESE are our solution to that murdering, stone frozen piece of shit! YOU, STAR and JASPER haven't told me how to use them to fight Nightmare!

Ike: That's Bec-

(Y/n): And because of your negligence! Pyrrha is dead! Over three hundred thousand people are dead! BIANCA is dead!

You shout causing Ike to wince at your tone as you were up in his face. Ozpin was about to intervene but Ironwood held him back. The headmaster looks at the general who has had his interest piqued. You roll your eyes and sigh.

(Y/n): What the fuck am I even doing just letting you have it? Where's Star?

Ike looks at you now slightly annoyed.

Ike: Why...?

You pretend to have no clue why you asked by shaking your head and shrugging.

(Y/n): Oh, I don't know? Maybe cause he's the reason Nightmare is here in the first place!!

You shout. A loud clang is heard as you snap out of your rage and look around. Ironwood and Ozpin were shocked, Ike looked betrayed and the staff were in a mix of shock and disbelief.

Ironwood: What...?

Ozpin steps towards you cautiously. He looks between you and Ike before looking at Ike completely.

Ozpin: Is this true?

Ike sweats before swallowing hard and standing up straight.

Ike: Well....yes, but heavily taken out of context...

Ike gasps as Ironwood swings on him causing the blond to dodge and back up.

Ironwood: You mean to tell us that over three hundred thousand people are dead because of your brother?!

Ike stands up and puts his hands out.

Ike: Wait! Like I said, what he said is taken heavily out of context!

You stare at Ike in anger until you hear Jasper.

Jasper: (Y/n)...please remain calm. You're not helping the situation. Go take a walk.

He warns. You didn't want to listen, however maybe some alone time is what you need.

Ironwood: Call your brother here now.

Ironwood orders as he fixes his gloves.

Ozpin: James. We should hear them out. They do know more about Nightmare than us...

Ironwood looks at Ozpin.

Ironwood: Oh they'll have a chance, just as soon as Star returns.

You sigh and start walking back to the elevator.

Ozpin: Mister Hunter, where are you going?

You keep walking but turn your head slightly to face him.

(Y/n): To be alone. Pardon my language but fuck this noise...

You say before leaving through the door.

Ike gets frustrated but nonetheless tries to be the voice of reason. He pinches his nose and squeezes his eyes closed tightly.

Ike: Okay...look, Star should be back soon from his extermination of the Grimm. Cause the last thing we need with all the negative emotions flooding Vale is a Grimm apocalypse. However, seeing as how it is nearly nine pm, you're going to have to wait till tomorrow.

Ike looks at Ozpin and Ironwood.

Ike: He and I will explain as much as we can about that and finally reveal what we know about the amulets.

The general takes a deep breath before walking past Ike.

Ironwood: I hope so...

He says before leaving the room as well.

With you~

You walk through the dim lit academy. You look around at the lights around the campus, even the ones shining through dormitory windows. You eventually reach the cliffside and feel the wind blow in your face as you stare over the edge.

Jasper: (Y/n)....I wish I could explain this in an easy way but-

(Y/n): You don't have to. You guys have no idea what the amulets actually do, do you? Not you, not Ike and especially not Star...

His silence is your answer as you let out a frustrated exhale through your nose and sit on the edge. You see Bullheads flying around the wreckage of the giant Atlasian ship that crashed into the sea.

Jasper: We figured that they were like the eternal sword. Pieces to create something strong when put together. We hoped that it would act as an extractor to take out the energy that made Nightmare immortal. But nothing. Not even a spark or a bright rainbow light. Just our three dumbasses holding it to Nightmare's chest.

You chuckle at the last part of his explanation.

(Y/n): That bad huh...?

Jasper: Yeah....the only thing we've seen is Nightmare somehow have a connection with them and use them to boost himself. That and when you tried to take them off, it almost split you into three different people.

He finishes explaining. You slap the back of your neck after feeling a mosquito land on it. You wipe what's left of the bug onto your clothes and stand up.

Jasper: Turning in?

You nod to yourself and head to your dorm. Along the way you pass team RWBY's dorm and stop. You stare at the entrance of their dorm for a second before looking at team JNPR's door.

You stead yourself and continue walking. That is until you hear a door behind you open and look to see Weiss and Blake exit and look at you.

Blake: Hey.

You turn to them.

(Y/n): Hey.

You greet them back. You walk to them lean against the wall.

Blake: When did you wake up..?

You think about your answer before responding.

(Y/n): Like....twenty minutes ago.

You say as Weiss looks down then into your eyes.

Weiss: Have you heard about Yang and Ruby...?

You look at them confused.

(Y/n): Heard about Yang. Didn't hear anything about Ruby though.

Blake and Weiss look at each other before looking into their dorm. You push off the wall and look into the dorm too and see Ruby in bed, passed out with a wet cloth on her head.

Blake: She's been like this for the rest of the day. Her dad and uncle came to visit.

You look at them both and gesture of you could come in. They nod and you enter and go to Ruby. You examine her face and feel her head.

Jasper: Don't blame her for being knocked out. To seal Nightmare with whatever it was she did would definitely have taken the wind out of her.

(Y/n): Seeing as it's her first time doing it, this is normal.

You say in a reassuring manner. You stand up and think about how rough it's going to be to break the news about Yang. Then again she has some balls to stop Nightmare after his rampage.

Jasper: Warrior's that are capable of freezing living things into stone. Like the three Gorgon sisters.

You raise a brow.

(Y/n): Huh?

Jasper: Tomorrow I'll explain. Also you spoke out loud again.

You look forward and groan.

Blake: What is it?

(Y/n): Nothing.

You walk out of their dorm and look at them both.

(Y/n): I'm really sorry about Yang...and Pyrrha. You were all really good friends.

Blake and Weiss look at you. You see them stare at you which weirded you out until you saw tears leak from their eyes. You swallow hard and give them a sympathetic look. You then open your arms and at the slightest sight of the gesture, Weiss and Blake clung onto you and began to cry, dampening your jacket. Their crying fueled your own sadness as all the memories with Bianca came flooding back in like a dam that had just suffered its last crack before finally collapsing.

You fell onto your knees with the monochromatic duo as all three of you silently cry.

Unknown to you that Star was watching from the end of the hall. A look of sympathy for the three of you plasters itself onto his face as he then turns the corner to leave you to your grief.
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Until next time :)