It wasn't long before the group made it to Argus, thanks to Dawn exterminating all threats the group could've faced during their stay.

Seth was still knocked out, leaning against Blake in the back of a wagon, where everyone sat beside Yang, who used her bike to drive it down the trail to Argus.

"He's still asleep..." Ruby eyed skeptically. "He hasn't slept in weeks, Ruby. I wouldn't be surprised if he hibernated." Weiss chuckled.

"So... what exactly is he—" "Do not ask. I'm tired of explaining— and if we get to Atlas, I'll need to save my voice for those over there." Dawn interrupted Maria.

"He's a real-life Grim Reaper." Yang smirked. "Real intimidating fellow, I tell you." Maria sighed.

"I still think something's up." Ruby said with narrowed eyes. She leaned over and stared at the abyss of his face, where nothing but black and blue swayed.

Black and blue.

Not grey.

"What do you want?" Seth asked as a singular eye appeared. Ruby squealed and rocked the wagon, "Watch it! Watch it..." Qrow shouted.

"I knew it. You've been awake for an hour! When you're unconscious you lose color." Ruby teased.

"Someone actually thought I looked cool. They can have all my affection." Seth stated, making Blake look away.

"...you're as weird as the day we met." Yang chuckled.

"I have no retort." Seth shrugged.

Ruby's scroll began to ring, and she saw it was Jaune, "It's Jaune!" She announced, making Yang slow down to a stop. "Hello?" She asked.

"Ruby?! Oh, thank you! I've been checking your scroll for signal ever since we made it to the city." Jaune said in relief.

"The city...?" She muttered, slowly pointing her scroll in the direction they were traveling, seeing the signal getting stronger.

•

"Cute boy Oz!" Nora screamed from the crowd of citizens at the front gates of Argus.

Seth immediately moved out of the way as Nora tackled Oscar.

Everyone began to catch up and speak with concern for the others, worried about their respective journeys.

•

With a brief history lesson along the way, everyone took the tram through Argus towards where JNR were staying.

"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions..." Ruby rambled. "Oh! I can give you the run down later." Nora whispered smugly.

"Would you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked. "What? I love telling stories about my baby brother~." His sister, Saphron, cooed, pinching his pouting cheek.

"So, you're the only Arc that lives here?" Blake asked, Yang and Weiss occupied with their newest born.

"Yep. Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home. I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis." Saphron teased, and Jaune stammered, but alas had no rebuttal.

"Aww, you didn't deny it." She continued, making him groan.

The front door to the cozy abode was opened, and Saphron's wife Terra Cotta-Arc.

"Everyone, this is my wife Terra Cotta." Saphron introduced. Everyone gave their greetings, and Seth and Dawn just waved.

"Why, hello there. Wow. Quite a party. You weren't kidding." Terra chuckled, groceries in hand. "Hun, could I get some help please?" She requested, leading Saphron to spring up and do as asked.

•

"Are you sure we can stay...?" Seth asked, surprising the huntsmen.

"Of course! We're happy to house huntsmen and huntresses." Saphron nodded, showing no emotion other than appreciate seeing Seth.

"You all have done so much to keep people like us safe— it's the least we can do." Terra agreed. "Especially for an elite huntsman like yourself." Terra said to Qrow.

"Although, I will say, I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even... legal?" Terra asked a distracted uncle.

Ruby nudged his side and he cleared his throat.

"Er, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell you— these kids were way better then we were at their age. Well. Not better than me. Specifically—" "Shut up, there's food!" Ruby shouted, handing Qrow a sandwich.

Three plates stacked four-high sat on the coffee table, and everyone began to dig in. Terra got a call, and stepped away in a small hurry, not unnoticed by Blake and Oscar.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Oh, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there. Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed..." Saphron explained.

"Me." Terra whispered from the stairs.

"So. What's you're plan for tomorrow?" Saphron asked.

Ruby looked at Seth, who was busy contemplating whether he should open his mouth to eat, with the child in the room, and sighed setting his sandwich down, which Yang gladly took.

"Well. We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base." Ruby replied, making JNR look at each other with sadness.

"Well, we kind of... already tried that. And it didn't go... super great." Jaune said with a sigh, nervously explaining.

"Come on. It couldn't be that bad—"

»•»

"Open fire!" The soldiers shouted spotting Seth.

Seth pushed Weiss and Ruby away and blocked the spray of bullets with Burden.

He leapt up and threw Burden in between the two soldiers, before it crashed, sending a pulse of magenta energy down and shaking the ground, bringing them to their knees.

Seth sped behind one, kicking head into the ground, before dodging more gunfire, and aiming his sword directly at one's neck, standing at the end of his barrel.

"We just want to talk..." Seth said calmly.

»•»

"Hey..." Seth began, and after a few seconds of silence, and a single sniff, a reply was given through his scroll.

"Hey..." Maia responded.

"I hate that my first call isn't entirely about checking in on you. So I'll do that now... How are you?" Seth asked.

"Holding up, you could say. I've spent all my days training. To be better. Do better. You don't understand how happy it makes me to hear you voice. To know you're okay." Maia answered.

"What about you? I've heard about what happened to... well, you. Are you hurt?" Maia questioned.

"Fine. Pretty traumatized, but fine. I hear voices of the dead." Seth said bluntly. "Oh... you really are... what did they call it... a Soul Reaper?" Maia asked.

"Close enough..." Seth rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry to cut this short... but I need you. We need to get to Atlas. There's so much I have to tell you. I know borders are closed, and it may take a while, but you're our last resor—"

"You idiot..." Maia interrupted.

"...huh?" Seth asked in disbelief.

"Just shut up and tell me where you are. I'll be there in no more than a day." Maia said with irritation.

"Argus... we're... all here." Seth said slowly.

"I'll prepare immediately. You should've called me sooner, nitwit." Maia scoffed. "What's with the insults?!" Seth asked.

"Stating your intelligence isn't an insult."

"They're derogatory terms! I see you sass didn't leave, you—"

"See you soon." Maia interrupted again, hanging up. She sounded a lot happier, and even a bit flustered as she ended the call, making Seth flinch at the 'mood swings.'

"What the hell...?" He wondered.

•

"Yeah, Maia said she'd get here by tomorrow. She texted me that we'd need a way to turn off the radar, and pick a landing spot before she gets within range." Seth explained to everyone.

"If it's stealth we need, Blake can handle the radar. Otherwise, we need to find somewhere along the water for Maia to arrive safely without issue." Seth continued.

"Yang can get her there. I'll be eyes in the sky. If it comes to it, a distraction. Everyone else just be careful." Seth finished, everyone thinking to themselves.

"Sounds like a plan. I almost forgot about Ironwood's girl." Qrow shrugged.

"Alright. We'll wake up bright an early, find somewhere along the coast, and then have Blake do the operation." Jaune said, happy out how simple everything sounded.

"Everyone get some rest." Qrow said with a nod towards Seth.

"Finally... things are looking up—"

•

Seth crashed into the cliffside where Ruby, Qrow, Weiss, Oscar, Jaune, Ren, and Nora were awaiting Maia.

Eyes widened in pain with the lack of his own Aura, Seth had no time to breathe as he was grabbed by his throat and kneed upward.

A familiar woman punched him directly into a tree, where Seth held in the pain with a glare as she made her appearance to the others.

"Miss me? I missed you." Nova said with a nonchalant wave, ignoring the cowering huntsman seeing the only woman able to give Seth problems.

"Sabrina?" Qrow asked in shock. "Yo. Been a few years. How've you been?" Nova asked with a small smile.

"What are you doing?! And here?!" Qrow asked in shock.

"She was at the Fall too... helping Torchwick. Seth and I fought her, Torchwick and Neo that night. Seth saved me." Ruby explained, gripping her scythe tighter.

"S-So she's a threat...?" Oscar asked in disbelief seeing Seth almost decommissioned.

"You would come back when things start looking good. Get out of the way... or I'll kill you." Seth said with a widened glare, the ground around him cracking as he stood up.

"Oh trust me. I'm not moving. Well, we are." Nova smirked.

"We have to help him—" Jaune was cut off by a loud splash. The others slowly turned and saw the unbelievable sight of a massive Atlesian mech, sticking out of the water and still towering over the group from a distance off the cliff.

"You children thought you could weasel your way into Atlas?! Through the likes of me?! I'll show you the might of the Atlesian Military!" Cordovan, the standing chief of the militia stationed in Argus, screamed arrogantly.

"I may have turned in an anonymous tip. Now we can get to business." Nova said cracking her knuckles.

Seth's patience was reaching its limit, and he turned his fists into claws. As soon as he took a step forward, he was tackled through the tree he dented, and through several... many, many more.

"We just lost our ace in the hole..." Weiss said in disbelief.

"We can't rely on him all the time. He has his own battles. Besides... she's a much bigger threat than some old lady... with a very big robot." Ruby said, gulping nervously.

She shook her head, and the team formed a plan as Cordovan stomped over.

•

Seth a rolled on his back, vaulting up with his hands to dodge a punch from Nova.

He lost momentum from the sudden leap, leading him to block the kick aimed at his chest, yet fly further into the forest.

'Did she get fucking stronger... or was she holding back?!' Seth thought as slammed into a boulder, ricocheting off and sliding on his feet.

He blocked a kick aimed at the side of his head, ducking down to dodge another, brushing off her foot and elbowing her chest.

She went for another knee to his stomach, but Seth distorted his body and leaned back further than normal. She turned it into a low kick at his leg, but he fluttered his wings and hopped up, kneeing her jaw with a grunt.

She slid back, but barely looked affected by the attack.

"You... I know you're not human anymore, but what's up with you?" Nova asked. "It's like every attack is aimed to kill and tear your opponent apart..." She deduced.

"Because they are." Seth said grabbing her face with his claw and uppercutting her stomach. He let go of her face and repeatedly punched her stomach, chest, then her chin, before reeling his foot back and slamming it into her body so hard that her body began spinning as she flew out of the forest and into a clearing.

Seth flew after her and landed, staring at her like she was nothing.

"I don't care how strong you are. I've got bigger... stronger... more impossible problems at hand. You held me up at Beacon... which means I'll kill you, too." Seth said pacing towards Nova, who was leaning on her knees.

Souls began swirling around Seth, amplifying the intense pressure he gave off, cracking the stone bridge formation they stood on, a waterfall to the side.

"I suggest you struggle. It'll make me feel better." Seth said with a chuckle.

Nova shook her head, her eyes glowing orange, her limbs brimming with a white energy, trailing into a golden orange down her ligaments.

"Seth... something's wrong. Her power is... similar to yours in nature." Dawn whispered. "She's the Evil in Good... an actual Reaper Angel." Dawn informed.

"Don't say that like I give a damn. I'll kill her the same." Seth said with a scoff.

With a slam of his fist, Seth roared and watched plasma erupted from around him, screaming into the sky with a piercing volume.

Nova's entire body became white with orange trails up her arms and legs, her platinum blonde hair glowing orange now.

"The Good in Evil... I'm sure we were bound to clash like this." Nova commented, a more regal attitude unlike the beast across from her, still screaming in pure rage.

"I gain power by taking lives... You gain power by taking on the souls of those lives taken. And yet... with such an evil means of gaining power— you're stronger than me." Nova admit.

With one last slam of his fist, Seth summoned Burden, who gleamed with a blue hue that poured from his hand. He stood up and spun the shears around him with exaggerated laziness, before reeling it back and crouching down.

Nova held out her hand, and a circle with a sigil inside formed around her wrist, glowing brightly. It trailed down her hand and outward, creating a greatsword, pure white with just an orange gradient near the top.

The two flew at each other, and the clash of their blades sent two spectators sliding back from the force.