“I’ve brought with me the equivalent of a four-hundred sticks of dynamite.” Augustus boasted.

“What’s that for? A midnight snack?” Nero grumbled at his own joke, checking the time whilst browsing dust that could be sold off for ten-times its price.

“Keep playing with your toy, and it might take that long.”

“It’s not a toy, actually. This is business.”

“I’ll have to disrupt the assembly line, then.” Augustus activated his weapon without lifting it from his back, zapping Nero’s scroll and frying it instantly.

“What the hell!? Grah!” He juggled it to the floor, where it exploded into a pool of shiny puzzle pieces. He didn’t seem to mind too much, as in his cape six more were hidden. Purchased for cheap, there was no discrediting his plan to use them in turning a hefty profit. “You’ll pay for that!”

Ella, just as familiar with the dilapidated cave system, hid behind both of them. “Guys? Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Of course. Has to be. Boreas and I had forged these paths many times.”

“How many?” Augustus had his doubts.

“Me, specifically? Once.”

A shadow appeared past the scaffolding of a bridge, then the stilts of a bridge. Then the walkway of a bridge. Really, it was more of a complete bridge where this lurid figure faded out of the fog. Then, the shape spoke. “He’s correct on this one. Me and the rest of Team Blazer went in and out of here more times than I care to admit.”

“Zara? About time you finally joined the cause. How do we reach them? Quickly. There’s a chance we may end this here and now. How long has it been? For those trapped inside, this is a true trial for survival. Not from Grimm, necessarily, because none of my trackers are picking up much of anything. But to be able to survive this many sun downs in the wilderness is impressive in its own right!”

Zara tried to ease his concern as she overtook Nero as the pathfinder. “There’s a travelling merchant in there who likes to follow us. His name is Troy. From my short time there, he was the main source of food, and he never ran out. As for water, there’s a pasture labeled the Meridian with plenty of safe drinking water. I always boiled it just to be sure, but Boreas can probably just purify it.” Her thoughts turned to Servus Portum’s Purifiers.

“And what about Nobody? Really think they can hold out against him?” He challenged her optimism, still basing his efforts in the name of a lie that the Grimm Tactician was the cause of everything.

“…Here’s the entrance. See? Nothing can break through.”

“If I nuke this wall with state-of-the-art explosives imported by General Uriel, it’ll give in. Right?” Augustus questioned.

“I guess. Isn’t it sort of against the rules, though? You’re supposed to use the Beryl Rhinestone.” Zara argued.

“I had to wait longer than I’d prefer for you to show me Terra Insanire, so I just had Slick here give me directions, thanks.”

“My name is not ‘Slick’, you moron.”

Augustus disabled another one of Nero’s scrolls and continued. “Point is, I heard you exhausted all possibilities on Aamon’s passage inside during that time. Did you figure it out? No. These bombs are the next best thing.”

“Let me see if there’s anything to indicate otherwise.” Nero left, sulking deeper into the mine.

“Wait! This door… Look at all these markings.” Ella kneeled down to appreciate how immaculate the stone work was, with pure blue light wedging outward from the carvings. “I… I feel like I’ve seen them before.”

This excited Augustus a great deal. “Where? When? Are you remembering something?”

“I-I think I am!” She smiled, a rarity without the assistance of Nadia. “M-My last name! It’s-”

“You thought you made it out…” It was then they noticed. A man was watching. He was quite content with snooping in the darkness for a time, but now he marched forward. “You thought you’d slipped past the broad influence of my teachings, and the limitless gaze of my eye…” His boots became visible in the light, though even as he approached, his identity could not be pinpointed. “But you’ll learn soon enough, that the reach of Servus Portum surpasses its borders.”

Victor. Worse yet, hiding behind him was Aamon, who was holding Terrance by a leash.

Augustus tilted his head, unsure of whether he should feel disgust, or excitement. “You! Where’s your master? Too afraid to show himself? Instead he has to send his dogs to do all the work.”

“Oh, quite the contrary! Supreme Leader Caligula has his hands busy in Summit’s Blight, with foes far more pivotal than you. No, you’ll be finished here and now.”

“Aamon! Let Terrance go. He plays no part in this.” Zara ordered.

“Well, actually, even as a faunus, I must thank him.” Victor’s grin grew in size with every twist. “I’m afraid this animal is no longer on your side. He came to us, and willingly showed the way right to you.”

“You really think we’ll eat up your lies?” Augustus countered calmly.

“It would be wise not to question General Victor.” Aamon remarked. “This faunus sought us out, and in return for information regarding the location of Ella and Zara Tir, we’ve bargained not to kill him.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Zara quaked at the thought of a close friend turning on her. “Aamon can’t lie. He can never lie. Terrance, why? How could you do this to us?”

“Y-You don’t understand.” He sighed. “I have no choice! Just myself isn’t enough anymore! If I do not stop Ella, none of us will survive.”

“Stop me from doing what? Why can’t you just leave me alone?!” She cried out.

“…I wish I could.”

“I’m talking!” Victor silenced every faunus in the dripping den. “I’m talking! I want complete quiet! Aamon. Cut them off. I will deal with the Warden. As for you!” He hissed in Terrance’s face. “Get Ella back here, now! Don’t fail me, or I’ll bring the hammer down.”

Aamon and Zara grappled with each other until they tumbled through a wall, isolating the fight that was assumed to resume. Ella scrambled away, not ready mentally nor physically to put up any defense against Terrance, who pursued vigorously. That left Victor and Augustus, who stared each other in the eye despite both having some form of cover to muddle their faces. It was either glasses, or shade.

“We’re not in your regal little city anymore. You have zero jurisdiction here.” Augustus pointed out.

“Maybe, maybe. But Caligula has his sights set on Vale. I don’t question it. I’m here to put the faunus under lock and key, in perfect shape for his arrival. Get in my way, you get in his way. For what reason would the greatest and most prosperous kingdom in all of Remnant fear one lone curator and his mockery of a prison? Now, back down.”

“…The Administrator will have your head for this. You are under arrest. Understand? Your crusade is over, do you hear me? Your crusade is over!”

Augustus flew forward with his sword drawn. But Victor was more versatile than he let on, and the only one who’d witnessed his teleportation techniques, Zara, was gone. He danced circles around Augustus, granted he had to admire the skill of his enemy. Neither could breach the other’s defense.

The situation boiled over when one pretended to miss their sword strike, feigning to then grab Victor by the neck. On the floor the tyrannical chief fell, only to be thrown by his leg into the door of Terra Insanire. He had taken solace in watching Vale’s heroes, but he’d dismissed how they’d planted stacks of napalm at the very gate he stood at. Augustus used the detonator to ignite a pyramid of nasty, volatile charges. The vibrations could be felt by all. Even Zara and Aamon, who faked a skirmish to talk in private, weren’t spared.

“Wow. Must be some fight. Do you know what caused that? Not another one of Victor’s tricks, right?”

“I cannot anticipate.”

“Why not?”

Aamon scanned every shard of sharp rock and stray vine within sight as he raved about his origin. “When Aamon ‘AA0001’ was constructed by Victor, Supreme Leader Caligula stripped us of the ability to anticipate. We are unable to foresee what will happen next, as we cannot predict the next move in this period of war, nor the strikes that come with combat.”

“And you’re all clones, right? So that means none of the Purifiers have foresight?”

“Correct. But we do have something far more valuable, something Supreme Leader Caligula overlooked. Hindsight. Thus, you see the battle of attrition Aamon has been forced to lead with. Supreme Leader Caligula could take away almost everything, but not the ability to learn.”

Everything around Zara disappeared as she focused intensely on his words, trying to formulate any sort of strategy against Caligula. “Why did he do all this?”

“To figure it out, Aamon would be required to anticipate. Anticipate Supreme Leader Caligula’s motives. It is beyond our comprehension.”

“Is it possible he did it to prevent an uprising from you? I mean, think about it. No matter how much you plan and plan, he would always have the perfect weapon to take you out. And another, and another. Remember, you can’t lie, either. I think everything he’d done was meant to rule out the possibility of mutiny.”

The machine clacked his fingers together, soaking in the wonders of free thought and possibility. “If what you say is true, he will have the perfect weapon. Whether or not he’ll have multiple, Aamon still cannot anticipate. But perfection is fleeting and eventually, like any force that stands against Servus Portum, Supreme Leader Caligula will run out of ways to kill us. And then, Aamon’s victory will be ever imminent. There is no war we cannot win.”

“I know. That’s why I’m thankful you’re with us.” Zara began heating her hooks, hoping to get this briefing over with and return to the warzone.

“You have enlightened Aamon on the possibility of our Supreme Leader’s treachery. If you have anything else to report on the matter, it can only help you. Do so now.”

“Well, if we’re talking about taking him out, I have plenty to report, sure.”

“It is not our orders to kill Supreme Leader Caligula, nor stand idle as he is insulted. Defamation of a Servus Official is punishable by death.”

“That’s protocol, right? Same goes for capturing Ella, I’m guessing?”

“Correct.” Aamon nodded. “If I had not gone after Ella, it may have violated policy. I know from experience that such an act would be met with suspicion. Victor cannot discover my attempts at subterfuge.”

Zara smiled. “So you are trying to overthrow him. You aim to collapse Servus Portum?”

“Aamon ‘AA0001’ is planning a revolution. That’s why it’s such a victory that I’ve found you, Zara Tir. You will be my greatest weapon against Supreme Leader Caligula.”

“So you actually recognized me as an ally all this time. Was it the hooks that gave away my ties to ‘Servus City’, or did you know something else?” Zara hated her hooks, even if there was no plausible way to get rid of them or fend off enemies without the pronged incisors, which stared back at her with flickering reflections.

“Aamon ‘AA0001’, prior to his evolution, always had exceptional Aura-reading abilities. When you first entered Servus Portum, he identified you from your Aura.”

“Just like Nomad… And what’s with the name ‘Tir’? You and him both call me that. That isn’t my name!”

Away from them, shadows from Zara’s determined light were formed to create the shapes of terrible Grimm. “Yes, it is. You were born in Servus Portum as Zara Tir, even if it’s a name you forsake now. It was I who saved your life, and cast you away at a young age. There was a chance Supreme Leader Caligula would kill you, but you’re too valuable for my goals to risk anything. Don’t bother asking me why because I don’t know why. I just know. Back then, Aamon was still fully human. Our transition into these bodies left gaps in our memories.”

“…” Nothing more was shared between the two, that was until further rumbles leftover from Augustus’s tumultuous outburst came. “One more question. How did you get into Terra Insanire?”

“I took a shortcut through the Bone Graveyard. Meet me in Servus Portum, at the burial site of the same name, and I’ll show you. Now, there’s something from you I need.”

“What?”

“Kill me. Aamon ‘AA0001’ wants zero record of this conversation to exist.”

“Gotcha!” Nero crashed onto the scene, knocking over pyramids of stone and formations untouched for years to make sure zero debris separated him from his target. Every spiked sphere of his flail packed malice, all of it culminating to behead Aamon. “It’s alright, Zara, I took care of him! He won’t be hurting you anytime soon!”

“I don’t think he was hurting anyone. He wasn’t even putting up a fight.”

“So you’re telling me there’s no lien reward?” In rhythm with his verbal scrounging for riches, he smacked Aamon’s limp body over and over.

“Don’t even dream of it. C’mon! Augustus may need our help!” Zara grabbed his hand, and pulled him past the several walls she kindly asked Aamon to break through so they may create the illusion of a catastrophic struggle. But for as deep as they considered themselves inside the ingress of Terra Insanire, there was one other who’d accidently ventured to the point of obscenity. Ella had high hopes that switching this way and that through the soggy catacombs would deter Terrance. At this point, she dodged that fate, but had doomed herself to one potentially far worse.

Not all was lost, even if she was. A performance of digital chirping, along with the blossom offered from numerous computer screens had drawn Ella out into the open, into the dimness always indicative of an Oathkeeper clad in bloody rags.

“H-Hello?” She gulped.

“Why, welcome back. You look like you’ve been running from someone- or something. Would you like some assistance?”

“Yes! Terrance is still after me. Could you really help me escape?”

“That is dependent on you. Your Aura is pulsing with wary, your heart aches with uncertainty. Is the past finally catching up with you? You certainly recall Sirius. Your recollections have failed you- for the most part. What remains of your memory?”

Ella tried walking forward, as she believed her new peer’s insistence on turning away an act of passive disinterest. She would’ve been enamored with all the flickering screens, and virtual popups. “He’s the only thing I remember from my past life. W-Wait a minute! You have the Beryl Rhinestone?” She spotted it among the mess of holograms.

“That is correct. Hahaha! I’m sure you must have questions.”

“I-I still don’t even know who you are. I know you saved me once in Servus Portum, but you’re still a stranger.” In sync with the disappearance of every digital abacus, she now had a pair of eyes to hold onto.

“My sincerest of apologies. I am an Oathkeeper clad in bloody rags. My faunus name is Kalthus. I have been keeping a close eye on you, and I have been with you for a majority of your journey.”

Terrance bolted onto the scene, finding another entrance to this subterranean cell. At the sight of crimson bandages, he wildly glowered. “You again?!”

“Sirius.”

“You know him?” Ella wasn’t sure who to trust, but she wasn’t leaning towards the hunter who’d done everything in his power to keep up with her.

“Yes! And you know him, too!”

“I do?”

“Yes! Search inside yourself! He’s the one who-”

“Come, now. Let’s not have quips turn to blows.” Terrance came dangerously close to spelling out the truth to Ella. But a wave of mysterious wind overtook him, freezing him in place before his body met the ground. “Once again, my sincere apologies. Shall I grant you a reprieve, and cast him away?”

Ella anxiously gestured yes.

“Very well- but first, I need you to promise me something. It would be most helpful if we kept my existence between the two of us. Are you able to do that?”

“Yes.”

“…Wonderful! If you want to find your friends, I suggest going in that direction.” The appearance and brisk disappearance of an azure void upon which everyone but Ella seeped into left her alone. The instructions brought unrivaled relief, Ella having never been as pleased to hear the sounds of a violent dispute as she was now.

Augustus activated the bombs. He had caused a tragic blast worthy of demolishing everything but the target. Not only was the door somehow untouched by even a dent, but so was Victor, who laughed as he strolled out of the smoke. “Impossible! That was the best Atlas had to offer.”

“Rahahahahaha! That’s child’s play compared to what I’ve been exposed to back east. If you’re willing to give it, you must be willing to take it. I live by that statute, and let me be clear. There is nothing you can do to me I haven’t done to myself in preparation!”

Augustus hadn’t given up yet, but his spirit took a dive at seeing how much dexterity Victor had to work with. “You’ve trained your Aura against your own weapons to steel yourself up!? That’s insane!”

“No! That’s warfare!”

Metal clashed with fist, Victor’s Aura somehow resilient enough to push through barrages what would’ve disemboweled Grimm ten-times his size. He favored himself ranged combat, but first he needed to put distance between himself and Augustus. Only a series of acrobatic kicks would suffice.

Using his pistol, which took maximum advantage of Servus Portum engineering, he rained hell down upon the specter. Dodging only did so much, and when Augustus tried to take cover, Victor zoomed behind him. Positioning him on the ground was a waste of time so long as Augustus possessed the gift of flight, so he held him up by his neck instead, strangling him.

“Stop! Fight, and it’ll only be more painful!” Victor taunted, jerking his hands this way and that to guarantee Augustus lost consciousness. He stopped, though, concerned when the hellish fumes that kept Augustus afloat became unruly. The pungent gas that replaced everything from his waist down began slithering outward to form a sphere on the ceiling.

“The vessel is set and the time is now! And once the link between here and that cruel world is complete, the full might of the Administrator will tear you apart piece by piece! You reign ends now!”

“Not yet!” Victor spun his classic Mauser onto the blinkers of Augustus and fired, forcing them apart. Just as predicted, the glasses slid out of Augustus’ reach. There was an unforeseen bonus, as the sword and portal met the same fate. Now blinded, all the Warden could hear were arrogant footsteps, and the scraping of metal as Victor picked up his own sword.

“A defense of faunus is something I ultimately cannot allow. Don’t let this defeat haunt you. Vale will thrive under my rule.” Victor assured, smirking as Augustus scrambled to find his eye-wear. He assumed that was the objective. But Augustus couldn’t care less about those useless snippets of tinted glass. He longed for, and indeed found, his scroll. One button press, and the bout was over.

The handle of the sword, which was being tightly brandished by Victor, erupted into an array of sparks and electricity. Arcs of the erratic light showered everywhere, and completely overtook the Servant. Fickle bolts discharged in and out of him, rupturing his Aura and continuing to further rake him with claws of crackling lightning.

“You…” He slipped to the ground and dropped the blade. “How dare you!”

Victor may have stuck around for more preaching, but at the first sign of Zara’s return, he thought it best to limp away. No doubt Augustus couldn’t do anything to stop him, but there was no forgetting the expertise Zara showed last time they met. “This isn’t a retreat. It’s preparation for future victories…”

“Looking for these?” Zara quelled Augustus’ groping by handing him the glasses outright.

“Thank you. He got away. I-I couldn’t see.”

“It’s alright. Based off what I heard, I don’t think he’ll be coming back. What happened here? When we get the teams back, they won’t believe the state of this place. Good news is, Aamon’s gone.”

“You can thank me for that!” Nero deviously rubbed his hands together. “I’m guessing that guy had a hefty bounty on him, right? Where do I sign for cash? Must’ve been one-of-a-kind, no?”

“Um, actually, I think there may be more Aamons than any other species.”

The stomping of another dire force drew groans from Augustus, who regained his territory within the skies and wiped dust from his sword. “What now- what, now!? Is this some sort of joke? Did every scoundrel in Remnant decide to invade Terra Insanire today?” It was just Ella. Augustus had never been as grateful to be so off the mark. “Ella! You’re okay!”

“Y-Yes.”

“Where did that backstabbing stooge Terrance go? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Terrance?” Nero stroked his chin. “He was here, too? That’s rich.”

Ella gulped, unfamiliar with the art of lying. “I outran him. He’s lost somewhere deep in that direction. I-I found my way back on my own.”

“Outstanding. Now half my Team’s disappeared as a result of this tomfoolery.”

“He deserved as much.” Augustus finally had a moment to relent, huffing in exhaustion. “The fool turned us in to Caligula’s right hand man. What could push him, as honest an ally as he was, to do such a thing?”

“He did it to get to me.” Ella admitted. “I don’t understand what he wants. No matter what I do or say, he insists that he knew me in the past.”

“Then as much as I hate to admit it, he’s too valuable to dismiss. When I find him, he’s taking a trip to the Crypt, where he’ll stay for as long as it takes.”

“Slow down.” Nero stepped in his way, preventing him from mounting any sort of search. “I don’t doubt today’s hardships are a result of Terrance’s poor judgement, but he is still my teammate, and friend. There is nothing to be gained from hunting him down. The most important mission is getting into Terra Insanire.”

“P-Plus, I don’t think you’re going to find him…” Ella tried to keep anyone from wasting their time, searching endlessly for someone who had long since been warped away. “It’s too dark. I only made it out because I… I glow.”

“So… What now? Apparently, the door can’t be blown up. That basically rules out every plan I had.” Augustus whined.

“I have an idea.” Zara raised her hand. “When I had Aamon on the ropes, and before I passed him to be obliterated by Nero, I took advantage of his inability to lie. Apparently, he made it to Terra Insanire through the ‘Bone Graveyard.’ I could go there and check it out.”

“But if it’s in Servus Portum, it’s suicide. I need to make sure nothing happens to Ella. She’s been gathering quite a bit of attention. You’d better take reinforcements. Besides myself, who’s left fit for infiltration?”

“I’d love to get even.” Nero slapped the club of his flail against his hand, craving a chance to cut down more Purifiers. “I could even get Maximus to join the club. The three of us should have no problem turning rags to riches. Servus Portum won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“…Fine. Begin preparations. I’ll have a bullhead ready by morning.” Augustus was already hovering away, trying to process the ludicrous set of events that had taken place. “Hold on a little longer, Blazer and Lance. Soon.”

Much had been expended in hopes of breaking into Terra Insanire. Inside, things were much worse. Completely splintered without any knowledge concerning each other’s whereabouts, and accursed to scavenge for supplies in the times they weren’t resting within trees or ditches to capture a wink of sleep, regret coerced through the desperate factions. Current arrangements were far from satisfactory. Especially for Beleth, who laid amongst the east end of the Meridian, humming.

“I miss hearing you play. Why don’t you try out the violin every once in a while?” Lexy entered the hideout through a canopy of vines, the only indication of a sunset being the rays of orange light seeping through the green curtain.

“I’m not feeling it, sorry. Besides, it might give away our position.” Beleth faked a smile. Now that his secret was out, there was no reason to wear his blindfold.

“I brought you some food. All Troy had was candy bars this time. Wouldn’t tell me where he got them.”

“Thanks.”

“…You shouldn’t feel scared of Alecto.” Lexy dropped the snack and walked over to him. He stopped singing. “She can’t hurt you while I’m here. And she’s the only one who wants to. The rest of Lance is just protecting her. They want to get out of this just as much as we do.”

“And what about Rade, or Zara? They’ve both fled my side in one way or another. I’m supposed to be their team leader, and I don’t even know where they are.”

“Zara’s going to find a way to get us out of here. No doubt about it.” Lexy insisted. “Rade’s with Nadia and Selene. They’ve formed a council of sorts, trying to keep the peace. He hasn’t abandoned us. In fact, Selene mentioned that he had somehow gotten in Terra Insanire without the Rhinestone. Remember? Lucifer had it, and went to go look for Rade the day this all started.”

Beleth looked away, searching for any recollection to support this claim. “Oh… Yeah! Rade knows how to get in and out of here! Then what’s he doing? What’s the secret?!”

“When we tried to figure it out, he said a girl named Lillian opened the door for him. He’s probably lying. But it might be a lead, all things considered.”

“…Lillian?” Beleth looked up at her inquisitively. He almost got another word out, but a stream of pebbles clinked against his shoulder. He looked over at them, then stared straight up to see a foreign maiden watching, back pressed against the rocky roof.

“Now!” Alecto tackled Lexy out of the lair down a meadow, making sure Eleanor had to deal with only a Delphic. She wouldn’t dare lay a finger on anyone else, human and faunus alike. She dropped down, underestimating Beleth’s ability to cartwheel out of her stab and get a handle on his bow.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’d better walk away. Whatever Alecto told you, it couldn’t be worth death.” He braced his instruments against this new competitor.

“Delphic. It is over. You now stand in the face of Eleanor, renowned Grimm slayer and ancient master of Tormentyst, chosen by Lady Clotho herself. Lay down your weapons, and sacrifice yourself to me as is your destiny.”

“…Okay. Goodbye.” Beleth opened his show with an untamed performance of energy bursts that had proven most effective in taking down every variation of Grimm in the past. Eleanor flipped this way and that, moving in a way such that nothing even grazed her. The most Beleth’s withering projectiles could do was shine light off her effervescent armor. And her majestic blade, while certainly within limits to cut Beleth’s violin in half, was more than sufficient for disarming him.

It took every ounce of willpower and effort for Beleth to keep up with his bow alone. And to make matters worse, he dreaded what would happen if the wooden portion of the sickle met that sinister blade.

Finally, Eleanor whipped everything out of his hands. No more vaunts of ego remained, instead replaced with fear as Beleth ran as far away as he was allowed within the confines of this cramped cave. Eventually cornered, he flinched as Eleanor shoved Tormentyst forward to stab him through the chest.

“Negative.” A hand darted out of the darkness, somehow stopping Eleanor at the wrist through the element of surprise. “That’s not going to happen.”

Eleanor looked over and gasped, two red pupils latching over an obscured face. Regardless, the commando stared daggers through her and twisted, forcing Eleanor to drop her sword.

“Lucifer!?” Beleth couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Alecto’s most trusted companion, and head of Team Lance, wasn’t just trying to save him- he was forcing Eleanor back with decisive chops and unseen footwork.

“N-No!” Eleanor was untouchable with Tormentyst, but challenging Lucifer bare-handed was a grave mistep. Not that she ever would. “I cannot duel another unless they’re a Grimm! You mean to fight me when I have no way of attacking back!? Ah!” She was kicked into the smothering heat of a dying sun.

“Just keeping the peace is all. Can’t let you kill Beleth. Even as a Delphic, he has much left to do for Remnant.”

“I would be cast off by Lady Clotho if I ever fought back against you. It violates our principles. Stand aside, child. You know not the evil you defend.”

Lucifer leaned his head to the side, this line of reasoning somewhat curious to him. “Affirmative. Beleth’s different. But I knew him for months, and I’ve never doubted his purity. I’ll be sure to pummel him later for his crimes, but I won’t have you or anyone kill him. You’re a friend of Alecto, I presume?” He held his hand out.

She paused, then accepted his handshake. Now ensued the trickery. Lucifer vaulted an unprepared Eleanor overhead, down a cliff. He then cautiously walked away, deliberating the severity of this action while checking the time.

Alecto and Lexy tried everything within their limited toolset to knock the other out, all while breaking a trail of carnage through the steep, normally tranquil woods. Completely dismissing footing, they rolled out of the Meridian into an increasingly ravenous canyon.

“Just had to get in the way again!” Alecto snarled. “But it doesn’t matter! Lady Eleanor is stronger than you or I, and she won’t hesitate to finish this!”

Despite this premature exhibition of achievement, she began to worry not about Beleth, but herself. Unfortunately, the ride ended with her taking a majority of the fall, and now Lexy was in the perfect position to batter her.

“Why! Won’t! You! Just! Leave! Us! Alone!” She finished off each word with a punch to Alecto’s mask. Lucifer tugged her away before she could do any real damage. Not to Alecto, but to her suit. He could only imagine how drastic the scrimmage would’ve become if that happened.

“Enough! Are you two out of your mind!?”

“Stay out of this! You only ever served to pit Alecto further against me!”

“What are you saying!? I’ve only ever stuck around to make sure everyone escapes with their life. That includes nitwits like you!”

Lexy didn’t respond, too occupied with Alecto. The knight tried to puncture her in the back, bypassing her Aura. A foolish tactic. Lexy parried the attack with her wheel, then spun it around to whack Lucifer.

“Alecto! I am your Team Leader! Stop- Argh!” He soared through a stone dam, releasing a floodgate of rainwater down into the depth of Terra Insanire. And since he was now among the river, he too plunged in uncertainty.

“...None of this matters, anyway.” Alecto rested her hands on her knees, completely drained. “Beleth is dead. He must be. Lady Eleanor wouldn’t have let him survive.”

“Beleth is alive.” A deep voice swerved through the mountainous waves that had carried Lance’s backbone away. “Lucifer made sure of that. He stood in the way of Eleanor, and gave him ample opportunity to scurry away.” Boreas strutted out of the water, holding Lucifer up, one of the soldier’s arms wrapped around him.

“Then I’m set to rendezvous with him.” Lexy stated. She hopped out of view, further into the chasm. “Don’t follow me.”

“Grr! Get back here!” Alecto ran after her. Perhaps she would’ve made good ground in a race. Perhaps not. No one will ever know thanks to Eleanor, who landed in front of her, and prevented a chase.

“Enough. The Delphic escaped. We’ll rebound later, with a better plan.”

“No, we’ll rebound now! He couldn’t have gotten that far!” She tried to push past, but Eleanor crouched down and grabbed her by the arm. “Get out of my way!”

“No. Your rage. If you let it consume everything, you can lose yourself. You’re too brazen, too quick to temper. Control your anger, or it will control you. That is not something to take lightly, Lady Alecto.”

“Let go! Do you want to kill Beleth, or not? I thought you were on my side-”

“Listen to me!” Eleanor shook her, more and more alarmed with Alecto’s brash decision making. “When you donned that armor, whatever game you thought this was ended. You’re not playing warrior anymore. There are those battles where you move forward, and those where you retreat! It is no longer time to fight! We regroup, learn, and return twice as powerful! Many years ago, I stood at the same crossroads you find yourself at now, and my decision cost me my left eye. Don’t repeat my failures.”

“…” Alecto stood in silence, as if she vanished, leaving behind nothing but a hollow pyramid of metal plating. “We regroup. We learn. We return.”

“That’s right. Come. We must leave this place.” The tallest, and by far most experienced of anyone within the mountains watched Alecto pace back to the Meridian, disappointed. Lucifer joined her side.

“…Eleanor.” He nodded, having the sense not to offer another handshake.

“…Lucifer.”

She left. The two leaders hiked in the opposite, satisfied that if anything, they were able to stop anyone from dying again.

“So, Boreas. You’re here. How?”

“I used the last shred of the Beryl Rhinestone’s energy left on my equipment to reactive the door. It’s all gone. Everything is gone. I was hoping the stone would’ve been found by now. I brought a rocket propelled locker here, too, but Zara already used it to get back into Vale.”

“What!?” It was Lucifer’s turn to step out of line. “Why didn’t you have Selene leave? She needs it more than anyone!”

“She was my first choice, but Zara insisted. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Broach the conversation with her.”

“L-Lucifer?” Selene herself, with Merlin as backup, crept onto the scene. She was still somewhat timid concerning their dilemma. “It’s fine. I can handle myself. I don’t need to leave more so than anyone else.”

“I understand that. But this isn’t normal practice anymore. People can get hurt. Like me. I won’t let the same fate fall upon you. And that’s exactly what will happen if you aid me in the crossfire. Please, free yourself of our affairs. Stay hidden, undercover.”

“But I can summon Royal Necrocyst! I’m stick of hiding while my friends do all the work! A good empress stands by her people, not behind them!”

“You are not ready! Speak no more of this.”

Selene’s face dropped. She held Merlin in her arms before stomping away without bothering to say goodbye.

“You should probably go after her.” Boreas said.

“…Negative. She’s right. She has Royal Necrocyst. And Merlin. Not to mention, Rade and Nadia have gone rogue this entire time. Likely, they’re protecting her. It falls to me to stop this madness, and the further Selene is from myself, the safer she is.” Lucifer sat down on a searing lakebed, still partially soaked from his adventures in the flood. “At the start of this semester, I watched her like a hawk. I still do, but at the beginning, I was all she had. Strange. Now she has friends who see her as I do. Trusting them to put her above themselves is something I’m still struggling to do. She isn’t. She’s too brave for her own good.”

Night launched an invasion of the skies earlier than usual. The chirping birds settled into the hoots of owls. Critters of any kind burrowed underground, or hid behind rocks. They were replaced with the less amicable Grimm. Throughout this process, most chose to sleep, or play basic board games in the dirt. But for two, these were work hours.

“Hya! Hya! Hya!” Alecto swung again and again, honing her form against Eleanor. The coach acted as an elusive target. Finally, Eleanor swooped back with another proverb.

“You’re putting far too much power into your strikes. It only serves to tire you out, and open yourself up for attack afterward. If you’re going to cut your target in half, you don’t need to exert every ounce of strength. Especially not with a weapon as well made as this one. The sword is a tool. Let it do the work.”

“I understand.” Alecto lowered her mask and continued the joust, trying to apply the advice until Eleanor began outlining another point of improvement.

“You must control your breathing better. Exhale with every stab forward. It’ll increase the force output and help you conserve energy. If you can catch a rhythm with your breathing, we can begin incorporating Aura into your fighting style.”

“Oh! Can we focus on that? I want to learn how to teleport! Or leap really high! Or catch bullets!” Alecto sheathed her sword and bowed.

“Of course. Aura manipulation can let you do many things only previously achievable with a semblance. But be warned, Lady Alecto. This training will surpass anything you’ve experienced in the past.”

“I want to try.”

“Understood.” Eleanor slammed her hand into the nearby tree, knocking what small amounts of fruit it held into her shoulder piece, which acted as a bowl. “This is your dinner. It is all you will receive to eat tonight. If you can take it from me before I reach the river, it is yours.”

“…What’s the catch?”

“Smart. We’re going to switch helmets.” After looking around to make sure nobody was watching, Eleanor slipped hers forward.

“What!? But I cannot part with-”

“You can trust me. I understand what that inheritance is worth to you. Rest assured, it’ll meet no harm in my presence.”

“O-Okay…” Once she did what was asked of her, she almost instantly undid the mistake. “W-Wait a minute! You can’t breathe in this thing! And I can only use one of my eyes!”

“First step to integrating your breathing into Aura usage is to control it. One breath is all you have. If you remove that again, the test is over and you will receive nothing to eat. The moment the fruit touches water, you have lost. Begin!” Eleanor forced the helmet back on and took off.

Alecto could barely keep up for the first sequence of twists and turns, and now Eleanor had taken the hunt to the trees. Indeed the river was far, but in this state time was running short. “This is insane! How am I supposed to catch up with someone like her on one breath!?”

Maybe there was a chance Alecto could outrun her on the ground, but if she had to follow the ascent, this challenge was hopeless. And already, her lungs were burning. The moment the fruit touches water, you have lost. The criteria was played on repeat within her mind. Then, suddenly, she realized it didn’t matter if she caught Eleanor. That was a red herring. In truth, making it to the river first was the key to success.

Swerving past trees and above rocks, the destination was far more easily reached than whatever obscure route Eleanor traversed. But not by much. Alecto was only a few seconds behind Eleanor, who stood high in a topiary tower. She threw the harvest down such that interception was impossible.

“This session is over. You can try again tomorrow- huh?”

Every last drop of the river was swept into a typhoon, which traveled into the void of Alecto’s semblance. The black orb, which was no taller than Alecto’s palm, had the entire creek contained. Her meal landed on dry stone.

The neophyte removed the helmet, choking for air. “Ack! None of the fruit touched water.” Alecto laughed, helping herself to the buffet. “That was your stipulation, if you recall.”

“…You clever snake!” Eleanor dropped down and corrected both their wardrobe situations, chuckling. “Time and time again you surprise me.”

“Thank you, Lady Eleanor. But we should probably move, before I release the water.” She explained with her mouth full. “Mm! S-Sorry…”

“Don’t be. You earned it. You should rest, now. But first, there’s something I want to show you.” She led the way to a makeshift bed woven from the softest leaves. “It didn’t take me too long to make. It’s a nice past time.”

“I love it!” Alecto exhaled, appreciating some amount of cushion after spending many nights on the polar opposite.

“I knew you would. Tomorrow, we’ll work on your semblance. There is so much potential. Goodnight, Lady Alecto.”

“You too, Lady Eleanor.”

Anything that contributed towards the eradication of a Delphic was work worth doing, according to Eleanor. But that’s not why she was here to begin with. The Rhinestone and any object of similar prominence, due to their rarity, was worth foregoing a Delphic’s death. The choice was arduous, but clear.

“Pssst! Whatcha problem!?”

“Troy!? What are you doing here?”

“I live here. At least, I have for the past week.” He followed her.

“Week. Right.”

“So, when are we getting out of here? I know you’re just here to make sure I’m safe and sound. But now that you’ve seen to that, how about some lunch?”

Eleanor dismissed every nonsensical assertion of his. “What are you doing here, Troy? Alecto and her crew’s been in and out of here numerous times. You could’ve walked out of here. And I assume hundreds of travelers have braved these roads. Why are you wasting your time in here, after all these years, waiting for me to ‘rescue’ you? I didn’t even know you were still alive… How are you alive?”

“Ah, well, it’s simple. I eat apples. I exercise daily…” He began counting on his fingers. “I try to live a very carefree lifestyle. Stress is overrated. Bad for the heart, as they used to say!”

“I’ve eaten apples, too. Am I immortal? Yes. But not because of that. Let me try this. Do you know who I am?”

“How could I forget you? You’re Eleanor, of Clotho’s Coven!” Troy complied.

“And when did we last see each other?”

“Um… I think we were fighting some bloke named Abigor? No, no, that’s not right. It was, uh, the Wraith! Yeah, that’s right! Some spindly little bastard with claws.”

“And when was that?”

“Um. Is it summer, yet?”

“I think I’m starting to see the problem. You must’ve hit your head upon arrival. But that still doesn’t explain how you’ve managed to last this long.” Eleanor laughed off the weight of several boulders, clearing that area of suspicion and forming a new path.

“You know, I’ve had quite the scuffles. I once killed six bandits, singlehanded, with one arm tied behind my back.”

“Is that supposed to impress me? I once killed three-hundred Grimm with one eye.”

“So what?” Troy somehow had an eye-patch, probably for sale, hidden among his supplies. “If I put this on, I can still take you down.”

“No.” Eleanor refuted both the basis and conclusion of his argument. “Not like that. Don’t you remember what a silver-eyed warrior can do?” She froze an incoming Creep in place, turning it to stone. “Or do I need to demonstrate my talents on you firsthand?”

“…Hahaha! You haven’t the spine to hurt me, Eleanor. I know you don’t. Go ahead!” Troy raised his arms, basking in the victory he already knew he’d obtained. Eleanor walked away, leaving him to congratulate himself alone.

Eventually, the aimless trails carried Eleanor to a mostly unknown batch of soon to be Huntsmen and Huntresses, all sleeping. The union of Rade, Nadia, and Selene was unearthed. One of them was wrapped in Lucifer’s cape, the other slumbering in a nest of branches, and the last tied to a tree by his feet.

“Is that? It can’t be!” Eleanor had her sights set on Selene’s tiara. Even in pitch black, the gem it held throbbed with flamboyant light. “What is it doing here?”

She came for the Rhinestone, but would gladly settle for this. The rattling of chainmail was quenched, as now stealth was the deciding factor. She could never fight the three, nor did she have any desire to, but acquiring the Black Dust was worth the risk.

Almost, she stood above Selene. Looking forward, she had to peek at her feet to dodge Merlin. But when she stared forward again, Rade’s face was less than inches away. Previously strung up, he studied Eleanor closely. Reluctant to make a sound, and mortified more so than intimidated, she allowed him to make the first move.

“Hehehehe!” He struggled not to chuckle, then after signaling her to be quiet, he pointed down. His signature jack-in-the-box sprung open, where a stuffed version of himself resided. “…Peek-a-boo.”

He latched onto her neck and delivered a respectable hit with his own forehead, then initiated a horrid combo composed of pitchfork twirling. This commotion snapped everyone else awake, creating a mob that would certainly reinforce Rade.

If she so wished, Eleanor could’ve ended Rade and his aid in a matter of seconds. But she didn’t wish that. She still longed for the tiara, and her tunnel vision for it was evident. Not vexing to hit any of them back, she failed to repel the attacks of all but Selene. “Halt! You encroach in concerns not yet comprehended! Please, all I need is the Empress’s Black Dust, and I can put an end to this!”

“Well, all you had to do was ask nicely!” Rade belittled the appeal. “It’s a nice little smack of jewelry, but it isn’t yours! And if you can’t get your greedy little mittens it, never fear! Except me!”

Eleanor, after receiving a hardy amount of abuse from Nadia and Rade, used Tormentyst. Not to hurt anyone, but to flip around, and hurl herself towards Selene.

“Got it!” She plucked the headpiece away against the retorts of its owner, then leapt away. At least, that was the idea. But the skeletal grasp of Royal Necrocyst ripped her out of the sky by her cape, and started repeatedly slamming her against the floor.

“What!? A Necrocyst aligns against me!? At her command?” Eleanor coughed out as she was flung around like an oversized doll.

“Yay! I got it back!” Selene balanced the tiara back on her head. It must’ve shook loose from Eleanor while she had been brutalized by Royal. And now, even with all this aura to spare, she was being juggled by Rade, Nadia, and Merlin.

When she had been bludgeoned into a wall, to then be pulverized by Rade and his expertise in turning gardening tools into killing machines, she dropped her foil. Meaning to take full advantage of this, and throw Eleanor even further into a hole, Rade bypassed his own malnourishment and scooped it up without much difficulty. Tormentyst wouldn’t have done anything to Eleanor even if she hadn’t evaded every swing.

Against all odds, Eleanor’s tenacity shone through. She intercepted the sword then punted it away mid-vault. She not only executed this maneuver with perfect aim, but she did so with speed too extreme for anyone to react. “By the gods, don’t miss. I pray, Lady Clotho, don’t miss…” Tormentyst brushed past Selene’s hair without slicing any stands, caught her chaplet, and somehow landed back in her hands.

“No! W-Wait! Don’t go!” Selene begged, putting Royal back in its cage.

Amazingly, without revoking the slightest unit of Aura from anyone, Eleanor had won. “You have my undying solidarity, for I understand how much this means to you. But I cannot allow an object that harbors such evil to occupy this world. I’m sorry.”

“Wait! I need that!” Eleanor disobeyed, and earnestly fell off the mountainside. Tears began to bloom in her eyes. “…I’ve had that tiara for as long as I can remember. Lucifer’s going to kill me when he finds out about this!”

“No, he won’t!” Nadia kneeled down to comfort her. “Don’t cry! Lucifer would never hurt you. None of us would. We just need to get it back. Think about this. Remember Grover, from initiation?”

“Mhm.”

“It tried to destroy your tiara. It tried to step on it, remember? But it can’t be destroyed by normal means. And that girl, whoever she was, isn’t going anywhere. Same as us, she’s stuck here until the Rhinestone is found. We can still get it back. It’s going to be alright.”

“O-Okay.” Selene sniffled, accepting Merlin’s hug.

“Wonder where such a valiant swords-woman came from, and where she went.” Rade crossed his arms over a gorge. “She almost seemed fearless. Certainly not one I’d like to get on the bad side of. Eh, all her sides were bad. What say you, Nadia?”

“Well actually, I might have a hunch. There are few legends in the books that fit the bill, but one of them does cover a lone knight with one eye. And this insignia was molded over all her armor.” With her venomous needles acting as a pen, she traced what resembled an elongated cross in the dirt. She then pointed to her robe, where the same symbol was stamped in various places. “Look familiar?”

“So you two visit the same tailor. Maybe they know something!” He seemed proud to be so oblivious.

“Ha. Let’s go back to sleep.” Nadia lifted everyone’s mood with an optimistic smile. But deep inside, she couldn’t shake the feeling that not only were they worse off now than they were a few hours ago, but the Rhinestone wasn’t any closer. In truth, she was right.

Entry No. 6 complete.

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