In the desote ndscape of Vale city, several Beowolves are sniffing around a destroyed church as moonlight shines down onto them. A Beowolf snifes the air as some rubble moves where the bell tower colpsed.

  Suddenly a bloody hand shoots through the rubble and sms down. Suddenly Lisa pulls herself out of the rubble, letting out a blood curling angry scream. The left side of her face is mangled and torn apart. Her right arm, from her shoulder down is torn apart, missing all the skin and parts of her muscle are gone.

  Lisa's one good eye stares up to the sky, burning with anger as she keeps screaming in anger, showing off her rge canine teeth. The Beowolves nearby start backing away, whining; a few turn tail and run.

  "BYZANTINE!!!" Lisa's scream echoes across Vale.

  .

  .

  Byzan is sleeping near a camp fire as the morning sun starts to rise, his face scrunches up a few times as he grunts. He suddenly shoots up with a loud gasp, before grunting in pain and falling back down.

  Byzan's good eye, his right, looks around; confused. He then spots Bke cooking some rabbits. She gnces over to him, clutching a hand to her left abdomen, where a bandage is. She then gnces back to the food and picks up one of the two sticks of rabbits.

  "You shouldn't get up roughly, you'll open your wounds again." Bke walks over to him, and helps him sit against a tree, then hands up the rabbit. "You should eat, you need your strength."

  Byzan stares at it for a few seconds, before his right arm shakily lifts up, but then falls back down. He looks at his right arm for a few seconds, before the stick with his left hand.

  "That wound on your shoulder was really bad, Byby." Bke grabs the other stick, and sits down beside Byzan.

  Byzan starts to eat as Bke follows suit. The two eat in silence as the sun finally lights up the forest. After a few minutes of the two being silent, a few birds fly over head, making Byzan's one ear flicker.

  Bke sighs and rests her head against Byzan's shoulder, making grow tense for a few seconds, before calming down. She grabs his right hand and holds it, rubbing her thumb over the back of her palm.

  "I'm so gd you're alive." Bke mutters, as she pulls out a canteen. "You had me so worried." She sips from the canteen.

  "Sorry." Byzan mutters.

  Bke hands him the canteen and he sips from it; before handing the canteen back. He then reaches into his coat, instinctively. Only to remember he's not wearing his original clothes.

  "Looking for this." Bke holds up his fsk, and shakes it, liquid sloshes on the inside.

  "Why do you-?" Byzan starts, but the fsk just nds in his p.

  "Why are you drinking Nightshade?" Bke narrows her eyes at him as she questions.

  Byzan forces his right arm to grab it, and he opens it, sniffing. It is indeed nightshade on the inside. His eye flickers towards Bke, as she waits for his answer.

  "I..." Byzan sighs. "A lot happened in five years, okay. This is just a consequence of it." He takes a rge drink from the fsk, before putting it away.

  Byzan coughs a few times as the pain starts to slowly fade, some blood dribbles from the corner of his mouth. Her wipes his mouth as he shifts slightly as his sister continues to stare at him.

  "What...?" Byzan asks as Bke stares at him while standing up.

  Bke walks over to the fire and starts to stomp it out. "I do have a question, Byzantine." Byzan sweats a little, as his sister's stern gre bares into him. "You knew Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, and they're the ones that caused all this!" She walks over and stands over Byzan, making him feel small. "Did you know what they were pnning?"

  Byzan stares at his sister for a few seconds. "...No. I just met them in Mistral and we spoke a lot. I was just as surprised as you to find out they're true intentions. I trusted them, and they broke that trust."

  Bke stares at Byzan for a few seconds, before kneeling down. "OKay, I'll trust you."

  Byzan smiles. "Thank you."

  "Now, let's get going." Bke helps Byzan stand and she wraps his arm around her shoulder. Then the two walk off, Byzan stares at the ground.

  .

  .

  Beeping of machines echoes around a white sterile hospital room. Laying on a bed with a tube in her throat and bandages covering the top of her head and eyes, is Ambré Bell. Her chest steadily rises up and down, as she ys still.

  Sitting in a nearby chair, covered in bandages and band-aids, is Rose Bell. She looks very tired as her hair is a little disheveled. She's wearing shorts and a rge bandage is covering her left thigh. A cane rests against the chair she's in.

  Rose stares at her sister, worry across her face. A knock echoes at the door and Rose looks over spotting Weiss at the door. Weiss also looks very tired, a few band-aids across her arms and legs.

  "Hey, Rose." Weiss calmly calls out as she walks into the room, up to Ambré's bed.

  "Hey, Weiss." Rose replies as a small smile appears on her face.

  "How's she doing?"

  Rose gets up as she grabs her cane, and limps over to the bed. "Doctors say it's a miracle she's even alive. But she's in a coma... and we don't know if she'll ever wake up."

  Weiss grabs Ambré's hand and rubs her thumbs on the back of it. "I know she'll wake up, Ambré's a tough girl."

  Rose chuckles. "I want to be that optimistic, but part of her brain is all messed up. I don't know anyone who's recovered from something like this."

  Weiss gnces over. "There's Cyprus."

  Rose grits her teethm getting slightly angry. "Cyprus took a hammer to the side of the head, not a bullet to the brain. And Cyprus is so much stronger, he easily took down that girl, while me and Ambré struggled."

  Weiss sighs as she gently sets down Ambré's hand. "You just have to have faith, Rose."

  Rose grips the sides of the bed. "Hard to have that in a time like this." The two stare at the sleeping Ambré for a few seconds, before Weiss speaks up.

  "How are you holding up?" She gives her cousin a sincere look.

  "Honestly?" Rose looks up to her cousin. "I can't sleep, or eat. I'm terrified that girl, Pink, will somehow return and finish what she started. Maize is dead, my sister's in a coma, and Byzan is nowhere to be found, and he's probably dead." She lets out a shakey breath as tears well in her eyes. "I can't take this Weiss, I'm not as strong as you, Thorn or Ambré."

  Weiss quickly walks over and brings Rose into a hug, patting her head. Rose wraps her arms around Weiss as she tries to force the tears away, but they just fall. Weiss then speaks up.

  "You're plenty strong, Rose. You did pass Beacon's initiation, you took down several criminals and you survived the Fall. I think you're just as strong, if not stronger, then us."

  Rose steps back from Weiss, wiping her eyes. "Thanks Weiss, that kinda makes me feel better."

  Weiss nods, then takes a deep breath. "Now, to another reason why I'm here. My Father agreed to take you and Ambré back to Mantle, so we need to get ready to leave in a couple hours."

  "I feel like there's a catch."

  Weiss nods. "He only agreed after Ash talked to him, and my father won't be paying for the transport of Ambré in her current condition. But don't worry, my mom is secretly giving me some funds to pay for everything, and I'm making sure she's getting to the hospital in Ats. Where she'll be in the best care she can get, and I'll help you get back to your mom."

  Rose hugs Weiss again. "Thank you!"

  "Anytime." Weiss chuckles. "Now, should we go get some breakfast?"

  Rose nods as she wipes away some tears that are forming. "That sounds nice."

  The two exit the room and head down the hall.

  "How is everyone else?" Rose asks.

  Weiss thinks for a second. "Well, everyone's recovering. Ruby's still asleep, Yang just woke up an hour ago, but she's not really talking to anyone. Nora, Ren and Jaune are fine, just minor wounds. Bke, ran off st night, and no one has seen her since."

  Rose nods. "But what about... Pyrrha, is she okay?"

  Weiss doesn't know how to responds right away. "She's... It's a miracle she's alive honestly. She was in such a bad condition when Qrow found her, but she's like Ambré. In a coma and no one knows if she'll ever wake up. The rest of her team is at her bed side right now."

  Rose nervously grips the hem of her dress. "In just one night, our whole lives changed. It's just... so unreal. And I feel like, this is honestly just the beginning."

  "Everything changed, and we must adapt, or the world will eat us alive. Now don't be a dolt, and get dragged down."

  The two round a corner to see Glynda hugging Ash tightly. Ash is covered in bandages, his metal arm destroyed. His daughter is crying as she hug his lead.

  Rose and Weiss smile as they watch the family reunion. Ash looks over and gives the two a smile.

  .

  .

  In a dimly lit room lies a messy table underneath its single light. Cards, cigars, dust and a single bck bowler hat rests on the table. Sniffling is heard in the corner of the room where a bed is.

  Covered in bnkets it's Neo, as she's curled up and crying. Beside her are two pictures, one of Roman and the other of Byzan. She puts a hand over the photos as she lets out a loud cry, her makeup staining her face and the bed sheets below her.

  .

  .

  Night has fallen once again, and Byzan grunts in his sleep, before roughly waking up. He takes rapid breaths, trying to calm himself down.

  "Having a hard time sleeping?" Bke calls out, still awake, as she changes the bandage on her side.

  Byzan looks over to her, as he pushes himself up with a grunt. "Yeah."

  Bke finishes changing her bandage and walks over to him, before sitting down. She then grabs his shoulder and lightly sets her head down in her p.

  "What are you-?"

  Bke shushes Byzan as she pulls out her scroll. "Don't worry, let big sis take care of you." She looks at several messages on her scroll, guilt washing over her face. But then she dismisses the messages, and starts to tap through her scroll. "Tomorrow we'll get on a boat and head back home."

  'Home...' Byzan gnces up to Bke. "Do you think mom and dad will be angry at me?"

  "Angry? Yes. But I think they'll be more happy to see you."

  Byzan hums in response as he gnces back to the fire. Bke sets her scroll down and taps the screen, music starts to py from it and after a little bit she starts to sing.

  Baxterbro

  "Here's to you, Nico and BartRest forever here in our heartsThe st and final moment is yoursThat agony is your triumph."

  Bke's beautiful singing echoes around them. A song familiar to Faunus kind.

  "Here's to you, Nico and BartRest forever here in our heartsThe st and final moment is yoursThat agony is your triumph."

  Bke rubs Byzan's shoulder, as his eyes start to grow heavy.

  "Here's to you, Nico and BartRest forever here in our heartsThe st and final moment is yoursThat agony is your triumph."

  Byzan's eyes slowly close as Bke's singing calms him down.

  "Here's to you, Nico and BartRest forever here in our heartsThe st and final moment is yoursThat agony is your triumph."

  Byzan finally succumbs to sleep, as Bke continues to sing.

  "Here's to you, Nico and BartRest forever here in our heartsThe st and final moment is yoursThat agony is your triumph."

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  03-20-2025

  2000 words